Dance For The Devil

by S. Kodejs

  “Damn,” she said, spilling one. The purple cocktail spread across the table, staining both it and the white tile floor below. Gil admonished her, “Be careful, Suzanne, we need enough for everyone.” She nodded her understanding. This was taking bloody forever. At this rate, there would be hardly anytime left to style her hair.

  **

  Chipping away the cement was tedious and progress was dismal. “We’ll never get anywhere at this rate,” Gina complained. Her knuckles were raw and bleeding from grating against the rough cement. She glanced at the others, frustrated at seeing their hands in the same sorry condition.

  “Got any better ideas?” Jason asked.

  “No.”

  “Then keep digging.”

  “If we don’t dig our way out, we can always bleed to death. At least that’s one way out of this rotten joint.”

  Gina’s flippant remark struck Amy as absurdly funny, and she began to laugh. The others glanced at her peculiarly, but her uncontrollable snorts were infectious, and within moments they were all laughing hysterically – gut wrenching whoops that left them tear-stained and clenching their sides.

  “That’s the first time I’ve laughed since I’ve been here,” Amy wheezed finally.

  “Me too,” Gina cracked, “And I’ve been here for two years.”

  That got them going again. Lauren looked at them blankly, then joined in, her mouth working soundlessly.

  “This is too weird,” Charise stated. “Why are we laughing?”

  “Better than crying, I guess,” Amy said.

  “Well, stop it, it’s hurting my stomach. I don’t think the baby likes it.”

  That remark sobered them sufficiently. They dried their faces and turned to look at their progress. It was depressingly little.

  “It’ll take us six months at this rate,” Gina said.

  Jason shook his head. “She’s right. We gotta think of something else.”

  “Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” Amy suggested. “Instead of trying to work through the cement, we should concentrate on the door.”

  “It’s reinforced steel,” Jason told her.

  “I didn’t mean break it down. I meant dig around the frame by the handle. If we can make a small space, maybe we can loosen the lock.”

  They looked at her, mouths agape. “Like this,” she demonstrated, using her hands as a diagram. “It’s simple but it might work. What? Why are you all staring at me? It’s not that stupid,” she finished, her voice growing tiny.

  “Not stupid at all,” Gina commented. “In fact, it’s fucking brilliant.”

  **

  Cari opened her eyes, one at a time. A heady, languorous sensation spread from her toes to head, punctuated by the pleasant ache enveloping her loins, and she sighed happily, snuggling closer to Jake.

  Until the realization hit her like a slap in the face. “Oh, God,” she yelled, shaking him awake. “Get up, get up!”

  “What?” he murmured groggily.

  She pushed him rudely. “It’s dark outside, Jake. We overslept! Are you listening, we’ve got to get up.”

  He was awake all at once. He sat abruptly, eyes narrowing. “What time is it?”

  She glanced at the clock. “Oh, god, nine-thirteen. We’ve been sleeping for hours. The meeting’s been on for –”

  “Two hours. Shit.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” She looked at him in dismay. “And it’s still an hour’s drive.”

  “At best. How could this happen?” He shook his head groggily. “I feel like I’ve been drugged.”

  Cari tried to focus. “What are we going to do?”

  “Either grow wings or drive like maniacs.” He began throwing on his pants. “Sure you don’t have a flying broom?”

  “Is that supposed to be funny?”

  “No, just wishful thinking.”

  **

  Jason worked out the last screw and they cheered in triumph, then quickly hushed. No point in alerting their captors at this point.

  “This way,” he said, herding the girls through the dislodged door. They crept forward in the darkness, pressed together like a solid mass. “Listen,” he whispered as they reached the stairs that led to the house above, “if we get caught, scatter. That way, at least one of us might make it out and notify the police.”

  Amy shivered. “Let’s stay together, there’s safety in numbers.”

  Gina’s voice was firm. “No, Jason’s right, it’s better to scatter.”

  “Besides,” Jason reasoned, “you don’t want to be anywhere near me – Gil will want me the most.” He couldn’t bring himself to call him Dad anymore. “This house is surrounded by acres of forest, plenty of places to hide. But watch out for the electric fence.”

  “Electric fence? Tell me you’re kidding, pretty boy.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s built to keep people out, not in.”

  Gina snorted. “There’s a difference? We’ll get fried either way.”

  “Not if you can find an overhanging tree. Climb up and over. Easy.”

  “And I suppose you’ve done this, Bat-boy?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to lie, to say, Oh, sure, dozens of times, every time I want to avoid curfew. But he was tired of lying so he said, “No”. His sheepish expression was lost in the darkness, but his tone wasn’t.

  “Great,” Gina said, but for once remained mercifully silent.

  “So,” Jason reiterated, “Aim for the forest but don’t go west – that leads to the ocean cliffs. Too dangerous, no way down.”

  “Which way is west?” Charise asked.

  He stopped for a moment trying to get his bearings. “I’m not sure,” he admitted hesitatingly. “The front of the house faces south, so judge by that.”

  When they reached the stair top, Jason edged the door open, peeked out, and promptly shut it.

  “What’s the matter, pretty boy? Cold feet?” Gina shoved him a little to get him moving again.

  “No, we’re in trouble.”

  “Just figure that out, eh?”

  “Shhh. Let me think.” The moment stretched to eternity. They huddled together, hearing each other’s shallow breathing, feeling each other’s fear. “Okay,” Jason said, coming to a decision. “Here’s the situation. There’s a meeting going on – a big one. The house is crawling with church members.”

  “You mean cult-members,” Gina said harshly.

  “Yeah, whatever. It’s impossible to slip out, unnoticed, unless –”

  “Unless?” Amy whispered.

  Gina finished off, “Unless we have some hooded capes, and then we’ll fit right in, waltz through like we own the place.”

  Amy made the connection. “But we don’t have capes.”

  “Bingo.”

  “So how do we get some?”

  Jason hesitated, thinking of his video games. He’d been in this situation before, albeit electronically. “I can think of one way, but it’s rather brutal.”

  “I think I follow you, pretty boy,” Gina said. “Do it.”

  Jason swallowed, then opened the door abruptly, grabbing a robed figure and yanking him into the stairwell. It caught the man off balance and he staggered backwards, falling down the darkened stairs. The girls cringed back, away from the action, and as he sailed past, Gina brought both fists down upon his head. He landed below with a sickening thump, and Jason scampered downwards to finish him off.

  It wasn’t necessary. Jason felt the warmth of life drain from the body as his fingers searched for a pulse in the awkwardly bent neck.

  “Hey, I could use a little help here,” Jason called. “This guy weighs a ton, I’ll never get his cape off by myself.”

  “I’m with you, pretty boy,” Gina said. “Oh, for God sake, Lauren, shut up! Now’s not the time to begin whimpering. Pull yourself together so we can finally get out of this nightmare.”

  Amy and Charise put their arms around Lauren, hushing her. The strange, birdlike wails emitting from Lauren’s thro
at were unnerving.

  “Alright,” Jason said, panting, as he pulled the cape over his head. “One down, four to go.”

  “We have to kill four more people?” Amy’s voice quivered. “I don’t know, Jason....”

  “No, I’ve got a better idea. Gina, help me drag this guy over there.”

  “Ugh, he’s deadweight. Are all your cultists so damn fat?”

  “Only the piggy ones.”

  “They’re all pigs in my book,” Gina remarked.

  “Gina,” Jason sighed, “if you could put aside your hatred for just a moment, we might actually accomplish something. Now, the rest of you, go back into the cell. I’ve got a plan.”

  “Are you outta your fucking mind?” Gina’s voice was outraged. “I wouldn’t go back in there if it was a direct order from God himself.” The others vocalized their agreement.

  “Look,” Jason stated, frustrated. “It’s the only way. We got lucky with this guy, we can’t expect the others will fall so easily. Nobody even saw us. What are the odds that we can drag four more people down the stairs unnoticed? You’ve got to trust me on this.”

  Amy spoke softly. “I trusted you once and look where it got me.”

  Jason hung his head. “I’m sorry, Amy. God, I’m so sorry. Let me make it up to you, please? Let me do just one thing in my life that’s right.”

  No one spoke. Finally, Gina said, her voice husky and harsh, “I say we give him the chance.”

  The girls returned to the cell grudgingly, and Jason, dressed in the ill-gotten cape, turned to them. “Everyone clear on the plan? Okay, I’ll be back soon.” He left, retracing his steps upstairs.

  “Hey,” he said softly to the first cultist he saw. “Want to head downstairs for some real fun?”

  The voice was slurred. “Whattcha got in mind?”

  “A fling with Vandercamp’s private stock, if you get my drift.”

  The cape shivered eloquently. “Private stock? Aren’t they off limits?”

  “Yes, but I’ve got the key. And while the cat’s away...”

  “The mice will play.”

  Jason could see he was stoned enough to take the bait.

  “Hey, can I bring some more mice?”

  Jason clapped him on the back. “I was hoping you’d ask, because more-the-merrier, right? After all, it’s a party. But only invite three, okay? We want enough cheese to go around.”

  A few minutes later, Jason let them into the cell, where the girls lay huddled in a corner. “Gentlemen, remove your capes and let the games begin.”

  Capes were dropped frantically and Jason collected them. The cultists leered drunkenly on one side of the cell, the girls on the other, like a bizarre high school dance.

  “Ladies,” Jason prompted.

  The girls stood, en masse, and strode across the room. Before the cultists could figure out what was happening, the girls slipped out the door and slammed it shut.

  “Hey,” someone yelled from inside. “Let us out.” But their cries were muffled in the soundproof room, and their captors, wearing purloined capes, joined the throng above.

  **

  It was like a nightmare where he couldn’t wake up. How, Jake wondered, could everything go so wrong? Not only had they overslept, which was unfathomable in itself, but everything following was a horrific comedy of errors. Jake stumbled over Daisy in his rush to put on his jacket, striking his shin painfully on the glass coffee table and placing an eighteen-inch tear in the dark fabric of his hooded cape, which was trailing over one arm. “I’ll sew it in the car,” Cari offered, frantically searching for the car keys. “Where are they, Jake? I’m sure I left them on the counter.”

  Five minutes of intensive searching found a spare set, and as they shut the locked house door behind them, they realized Daisy was still underfoot. “Bring her,” Jake said tersely. “Put her in the back seat.”

  The fuel gauge read empty, although he’d filled the tank earlier in the day. “Someone has stolen our gasoline,” he said, swearing under his breath. “So much for the security of a gated-community.”

  Eight valuable minutes wasted refueling at the service station, and then, after they’d left the city lights behind and embarked on the long, winding road which took them to the desolate west coast of Vancouver Island, the front tire blew out, leaving Jake struggling to pull the car to safety.

  “It’s like we’ve been cursed,” Jake said, thumping his fist on the car as he discovered the spare tire was absent.

  “Yes,” Cari answered darkly. “That’s exactly what it’s like.” She could feel the power in the night, a dank, swirling eddy conspiring to impede their progress. “Seems I’m not the only sorcerer casting spells.”

  The seconds ticked into minutes. Cari focused calmly, then looked at Jake. “I’ve got an idea. Wait here.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” She untied her long hair and ran nimble fingers through until it hung in loose waves around her shoulders. Daisy woofed softly. Cari stepped from the car, deftly wiggling out of her denims, then strode until she stood at the side of the road, blouse hanging mid-thigh, shapely legs bared, breasts thrust forward.

  Jake felt his loins twinge. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Getting us a ride.” A set of lights appeared in the distance, rising and falling like wavery beacons. Cari waved seductively, her thumb turned up.

  “You’re hitchhiking?” Jake’s voice was incredulous. “You’re standing out there, practically naked, hitchhiking?”

  “Yep.”

  “I thought you were going to do something else, cast a spell or something. Use your witchcraft.”

  “I am, in a manner. My religion encourages me to embrace my femininity and use it for my own gain.”

  “Get back in the car.”

  “If you’ve got a better idea to attract a driver on this dark, deserted highway, I’m all ears.”

  “Yeah, and they’re just as naked as the rest of you. Come on, Cari, we’ll think of something else.”

  “There’s no time.”

  “At least put your pants back on.”

  “Trust me, bare legs will work better than magic. Now, hush, he’s getting closer. I mean it, Jake, hunch your head down and stay hidden – no one will stop if they see your scowling face mooning about. Quickly now – this might be our only chance.”

  He shot her a nasty look and slouched down.

  “Ah, here we go, come on baby, slow down. That’s right, come to Mama.”

  The headlights crested the hill and Jake heard the grinding, downshifting of gears as the vehicle came to a halt. He peeked over the hood. “Oh, Christ, Cari,” he called. “It’s a semitrailer. Think Vandercamp won’t notice us arriving in that?”

  “Beggars can’t be choosers.”

  She sauntered up to the cab door. “Car trouble?” a husky voice asked.

  “Uh huh. Darn tire just blew out. Mind if we catch a lift up the road?”

  The voice hesitated. “We?”

  “Yes, my boyfriend and me.”

  The voice turned gruff. “Sorry, I don’t pick up men. Against company policy.”

  “So is this,” Jake said, coming up beside her, brandishing his gun. Daisy joined him, wagging her tail enthusiastically. “Sorry mister, but this is an emergency.”

  “Oh, fuck.” The trucker put his hands up. “Okay, whatever you say, just don’t shoot me.”

  They climbed into the cab. “Sorry,” Jake apologized again. “We’re desperate. My daughter is being held captive by a cult group and we need to save her.”

  “Right, and I’m Lady Gaga waiting to be picked up by aliens.”

  Jake waved the gun. “Look, it’s been a lousy night and we can do without the sarcasm. You got a radio in this rig? I need to call the Victoria police station.”

  The trucker looked at him in disbelief. “Why? You want to report a hijacking?”

  “No, I want to call in the cavalry.”

  ** />
  “We knew,” Gil said, his voice rising loud and clear, reaching every member with his persuasive charm, “we knew this day would come. We’ve been planning for it, waiting for it, welcoming it. Our day of reckoning. Our day to cross over to the other side.”

  A murmur passed through the crowd. Only a few nodded their heads in assent – but it was a start. Gil looked down from his altar, into the sea of covered faces. His followers, his flock. He felt the love flow from him to the others in the room.

  The median age was mid-twenties. He had a few seniors, a handful of middle-agers, but the bulk was teenagers and young adults. A group of people searching for answers not offered by mass conformity. A group of people dissatisfied with the status quo, for reasons as myriad and complex as the group themselves. A group of people believing in Gil’s version of a promised eternity.

  “Death is a lie, spoon-fed to the masses for mind control. If you listen to the ancient philosophers, you’ll agree that life is an endless cycle. Our physical bodies are mere vessels for our souls, limited in function, prone to injury and disease. Our physical bodies mean nothing, only a showcase of flesh and bone which will turn to dust. Yet our atoms, our essence, will remain free to circulate in the universe until they recreate into new forms, perpetuating infinitely. Death is a portal – the doorway to eternity.

  “Our Dark Lord is calling us home. By joining him now, by crossing over to his domain, we gain power for our next lives, we become his treasured soldiers. We must rid ourselves of these worthless, fragile containers we call our bodies. We must free our souls to achieve perfect freedom.” Gil surveyed the congregation, measuring the effects of his words. The group remained still, absorbing the impact.

  His true followers would pose no problems. They’d been working toward this mass goal, the culmination of their deep beliefs for many years. They would follow him to the grave and beyond. It was the fringe members who concerned him – to ensure their cooperation in the crossover, he’d offered liberal amounts of alcohol and drugs before the meeting started. With enough juice in their systems, they too would follow him anywhere.

  The trickiest members would be those who had children. People who thought nothing of taking a lethal-cocktail themselves frequently balked at the prospect of doping their little ones. For this reason, Suzanne had already slipped out to minister to the children in the nursery. By the time parents finished hearing the sermon, their children would already be with Seth.