by BOLA ILUMOKA
During the battle, some of the prophets abandon their medieval weapon mode and convert them to modern weapons and start using bazookas and rocket launchers in the spirit dimension battle. Massive explosions could be heard and seen with some of the combatants using flight to make their attacks more effective. Some of the prophets could be seen flying while some used horses and the witches employed the same tactics. The battle raged on for several minutes, and injuries were sustained on both sides, but the prophets were gradually gaining the upper hand.
Joshua was eventually able to gain hold of one of the witches and held her head between his hands and began to search her thoughts for Dennis’s location. Lucy saw him and tried to stop him but she was busy struggling with one of the prophets. Once Joshua had gotten the location, he disappeared and appeared right in front of Dennis.
Dennis was seated in his cage when Joshua appeared right in front of him. Dennis was delighted as soon as he set eyes on Joshua, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Dreamer.”
“Joshua,” said Dennis.
“Thank God I’ve found you.”
“What took you so long?”
“Believe me when I say it wasn’t easy.”
“Even in dreams?” Dennis asked.
“You have no idea.”
“You’ve got to get me out of here. Some bunch of devil worshippers intend to sacrifice me and some other guys here and drink our blood.”
“Yes I know, you’re being held by a very powerful coven of witches which I’ve only heard about but never come across before. They’re a handful. How did you come about being captured by them?”
“I don’t know, the last thing I remember was being involved in a car accident and then I woke up here.”
“Not to worry, now I’ve gotten the location of this place we should be able to get you out,” said Joshua.
“We? Who are we?” Dennis asked.
“It’s a long story, but what I can tell you is that there are more of us fighting for your safety.”
“More dreamers?”
Joshua smiled. “We’re more advanced than dreamers, what you’re experiencing is just the starting point. You can’t even begin to imagine what you’re capable of.”
“Try me.”
“We’ll have more time for that later. Let’s work on getting you out of this God forsaken place.”
Lucy appears in between Joshua and the cage that Dennis is in. “There’s no way that is going to happen.” She then swings her fire whip at Joshua who blocks it with his white light sword. The clash of weapons release an explosion which Joshua uses as an opportunity to disappear and it causes Dennis to wake up instantly from the dream.
Dennis wakes up in fear with his heart pounding seriously. He could sense that he was in mortal danger. He had this great feeling of fear come over him, but he couldn’t explain why he was afraid. He felt the chains and fetters on his body, he looked at the chains and looked around at everybody else. He saw that some were still unconscious and Lucas was looking directly at him.
“Bad dream?” asked Lucas.
Dennis was still disoriented and didn’t answer the question. “What are these?” he asked in reference to the chains and fetters.
“I guess they don’t want us trying anymore stunts like trying to escape.”
Dennis could only sigh.
“They’re going to kill all of us, aren’t they?” asked Lucas.
“There’s still hope.”
“Hope for what?” asked Lucas. “Nobody knows we’re here, wherever here is. From what I could gather when we stepped out, we’re in some sort of country side far from civilization. Nobody is going to find us here.”
“I have some friends.” Dennis said in reference to Joshua and the other dreamers.
“What friends, what are they going to do?”
“They know where I am and they’re coming for me.”
“How do you know that?” asked Lucas.
Dennis gave him a knowing look.
“Don’t tell me,” said Lucas. “You had one of those funny dreams of yours again.”
Dennis nodded. “Believe me when I say they’re coming,” said Dennis placing a hand on Lucas’s shoulder.
“I can believe anything now, especially what we saw that witch do to Matt. I have never seen anything like that before. That’s scary.”
“I can assure, there are many things which you haven’t seen yet,” said Dennis.
“That sure sounds comforting,” said Lucas.
Chapter 10
SSA Marcus Gates was in his office working on data gathered from investigating Dennis’s whereabouts. Two of his other colleagues were seated at adjacent desks also going through massive amounts of data.
Marcus was fed up, but couldn’t voice his frustration to his colleagues. He was at his wit’s end. He couldn’t understand how Dennis could disappear from the face of the earth. It just didn’t make sense. He needed a lifeline. His career was on the line. He needed results, and he was getting so much pressure from his superiors. He was wary of the next meeting he would have to attend with his superiors, he wanted some tangible lead before he would have to have another meeting with them.
His mobile phone rang and he was immediately wary of picking the unknown number. He never gave his number to strangers and very few people had his number. Nevertheless he picked the call after four rings.
“Hello, Supervisory Special Agent Marcus Gates speaking.”
“I know where Dennis Riley has been taken to.”
He immediately stood up and became very alert. “Who am I speaking to?”
The caller ignored the question. “Please take a pen and write down these details. I will say them only once.”
Marcus snapped his fingers severally at his colleagues signalling for a pen and immediately one of them provided one for him. They all stood up as well showing genuine interest with rapt attention waiting for Marcus to complete the call.
“Please go ahead,” said Marcus.
The caller dictated the instructions on how to get to the secluded property where Dennis was being held captive. The description of the property was graphic and very explanatory. The caller concluded the descriptions by saying “Be very careful when approaching the property, a small army of heavily armed private security guards are securing the property.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“You’re welcome. Secondly, there are people you can’t trust within your organisation.”
“What?” The concern was visible on his face and his colleagues wondered what was going on. “Do you have names?”
“That is for you to find out.”
Marcus felt slightly frustrated. “You haven’t told me who you are,” mentioned SSA Gates.
“You can call me a friend,” said the caller and hung up immediately.
Marcus looked at his colleagues. “Can someone have that call traced?” He put on his jacket and he was on his way out.
“Where are you going to?” asked one of his colleagues.
“I’m going to see the director. This ends tonight.”
Lucy the high witch was on her knees and head bowed with her black hood over her head. She was inside a small room kneeling inside a circle right before a shrine. In the shrine was a small black pot that had a small fire burning out of it. On the right and left side of the pot were two fiercely ugly looking gold statues that seemed to be guarding the pot. The two statues were very scary and it was impossible not to look at the statues if you were in the same room with them.
“Master, what should I do with the prisoners, they are very restless and the festival of the full moon won’t be for another few days and they have already made a futile attempt at escaping from the coven.” She keeps quiet with her head bowed while she waits for an answer that only her can hear from her master. “Tonight?” she asks looking up with surprise at the shrine. “We haven’t prepared, the full assembly of witches won’t be here until the festival of the f
ull moon.” She keeps quiet for a moment with her eyes closed. She then smiles. “All of them Master? Yes Master. I shall call for a special gathering of the witches. I will make sure they all come, or they will forfeit their lives. I will also arrange for extra security as requested Master.”
Dennis and his fellow captives sat huddled together on the floor more out of compulsion than preference due to the chains that held all of them bound together. They were hungry, tired and scared.
“Dennis, when are your friends coming?” asked Lucas.
“I don’t know, but their coming,” answered Dennis, but he didn’t sound too convincing because he wasn’t sure anymore. He felt like he was in the dark.
Lucas sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. He was on the verge of tears. “Oh God, is this how I’m going to die, like turkey to be slaughtered?”
The other captives could say nothing but look at Lucas. Nobody had words of comfort or hope.
“You shouldn’t say that Lucas,” said Dennis. “It’s not over till it’s over.”
“I miss my wife and kids, and they don’t even know where I am.”
“You’re married? You never mentioned that before,” said Dennis.
“We’re actually separated and about to be divorced.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be, it’s my entire fault. I’ve been very selfish. I’ve been having affairs, I’ve never been faithful to my wife from the word go. The only reason I find myself here is because the last thing I can remember doing before getting here is that I had spent the night with a prostitute in a seedy motel on the outskirts of town because I didn’t want anyone to recognise me. I’m a moderately successful attorney in my town and word gets round. But I forgot that God sees everything and I believe He’s punishing me now.”
Dennis was lost for words. He didn’t know what to say.
Lucas continued speaking. “Now nobody knows where I am. My kids don’t even know whether I’m alive or not. They might probably think I abandoned them. I’ll never get to see them, hold them or touch them again.” Lucas was in tears as water flowed freely from his eyes.
Dennis felt awkward. He didn’t know how to handle a full grown man crying.
The basement door opened, and several footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs quickly. Dennis and the other captives all stood up on hearing the footsteps. About twenty male members of the coven came into the basement, half of them armed with hand guns and rifles. They immediately proceeded to opening the cage that imprisoned the captives and signalled the captives to come out.
“Where are you taking us to,” demanded Dennis.
They all ignored his question as they began to lead the captives up and out of the basement.
“We asked you a question,” said Lucas. “Where are you taking us to, to be executed?”
One of the men armed with a hand gun waving it menacingly at Lucas said, “One more word out of anyone one of you and you’ll be shot on the spot.”
Lucas shuddered.
Within a matter of moments the captives found themselves being led into the assembly hall of witches that Dennis had seen in his dream two days earlier. He was immediately terrified on recognising the hall. The hall was darkened and only dim ceiling lights provided limited illumination to the assembly hall. All the seats of the hall were filled to capacity with male and female members of the coven all standing and wearing black hooded cloaks. The hall was filled with chanting from every member of the coven that struck fear into the hearts of the captives.
The captives were stopped single file just in front of the dais where the slaughter alter and Lucy and the other platform witches stood. Dennis was last in the single file, and he had a feeling he was placed last for a reason. Dennis looked at the altar and it was exactly the way it was in his dream. The images of Lucy cutting the throat of that man in his dream were flashing across his mind. Dennis knew what was going to happen next. The first man in line would be the first to be slaughtered.
One of the men that brought them from the basement brought out a key and unchained the first man from the line and removed the fetters from him. Lucy raised up her right hand once again signalling for the chanting to stop. The room became so quiet that even a pin could be heard dropping.
“My brethren, welcome to this special feast ordered by our master, Lucifer,” Lucy said. “This is a special occasion, we shall feast on the blood of eleven men, something never ever done before in this coven. Tonight, we shall be endued with power that exists in the blood of these men. Tonight will be a memorable festival, one that we shall not forget in a very long time. Somebody say power!”
Immediately everyone chorused “Power!!” They all raised their fists up in the air chorusing the same word repeatedly in very wild roar. Lucy smiled with satisfaction.
Lucas who stood in front of Dennis turned his head back at Dennis and said, “I guess this is it, it was nice knowing you.”
Tears were streaming down Dennis’s cheeks. He was very much afraid. Reality hit him, he was finally coming face to face with death.
Lucy signalled for the first man to be brought forward.
When the first man noticed, he began to scream and struggle with the men handling him. He shouted, “No! Please don’t kill me!” He struggled violently with four men but, they were able to eventually place him on the altar and strapped him down securely.
Lucy was handed a serrated knife from one of the platform witches. She firmly holds his chin and slowly slits his throat from side to side until he stops struggling. She places the golden bowl under the fountain of blood dripping from his throat.
The other captives were terrified as they watched and all of them were in tears.
Once all the required blood was drained from the first man, Lucy signalled that his body be removed and for the second man to be brought forward. He also struggled and cried, but it was all in vain. He was no match for five hefty men. In a matter of moments Lucy cut his throat and once all the blood needed was drained out of him, she had his body dumped on the first corpse.
The process went on gradually and by the time Lucy was preparing to cut the throat of the seventh man, Dennis was beginning to feel very sick. He felt like vomiting and his head felt light and dizzy.
All the while that Lucy was busy cutting throats, the remainder of the witches in the assembly were chanting at low tones that sounded like a hum.
As Lucy was about to start cutting the seventh man’s throat a gun shot was heard by Lucy and half of everyone in the room. Lucy froze, she wanted to be sure. Then she heard another shot, then another, and within a matter of moments rapid exchange of gun fire was audible to everyone in the assembly hall.
For the first time, Lucas was excited. If he was still crying now, they were tears of joy and relief. He turned and looked at Dennis who had already lost all hope. “Looks like your friends made it after all.”
A glimmer of hope could be seen in Dennis’s eyes. Dennis released a heavy sigh of relief. He could see relief in the eyes of the captives that were still alive as they turned their heads at the sound of rapid gun fire.
There was commotion amongst the coven in the hall and Lucy had the combined expression of extreme disappointment, despair and anger written all over her face. While members of the coven begin to escape the hall, Lucy then unties the already weakened seventh man and pushes him away. She then signals to one of the men of her coven who had been waiting for her instructions the moment the commotion had started. She points to Dennis. “Bring the last one here,” she was in a hurry. “We have to sacrifice him now, unless everything will be lost.”
Dennis’s pupils widened and he was once again terrified as five men approached him to have him taken to the altar for sacrifice. He struggled, but it was all in vain, he was no match for these men. Lucas tried to help Dennis by stopping them, but he was quickly subdued when he was repeatedly hit with the butt of a rifle.
Dennis was swiftly taken to the alt
ar and hurriedly tied down to the altar. Dennis had begun to breathe heavily, he was having a panic attack and an asthma attack at the same time. He needed his inhaler, but he couldn’t reach for it because his hands had been tied down already.
In all the chaos and commotion Lucy raises up the knife and begins to recite some incantations in an unknown language. After completing the recital, rather than cut Dennis’s throat, she thrusts the knife straight into the right side of his chest aiming for the heart. Blood gushes out generously from his chest and Lucy collects some of it into a golden bowl. She then squeezes his throat in an attempt to choke the life out of him and Dennis quickly loses consciousness.
A weakened Lucas could only look on in horror as Dennis is butchered.
One of the guards signals Lucy that the gun shots are getting closer. Lucy immediately carries the bowl of Dennis’s blood and goes through a back door with the guards and the other high witches on the platform with her leaving Dennis for dead.
Just as Lucy and her witches escape through a back door, SSA Gates and several other law enforcement agents from different agencies storm the assembly hall, apprehending the remainder of the lesser witches. Gates was obviously looking for any sign of Dennis. Eventually, he discovered Dennis’s half dead body on the altar and was terrified, disgusted and distressed at what he had scene. The hole in Dennis’s chest and the lifeless bodies that had been sacrificed was something he had never seen before which caused him to wretch uncontrollably. He calls for the paramedics to have Dennis’s life saved. Dennis was eventually taken by air ambulance to the closest specialist hospital
Chapter 11
Heart surgery was performed on Dennis to save his life. The FBI provided special security to the floor on which Dennis was operated on. The doctors told SSA Gates that it was touch and go for Dennis and that they would let him know if they had any positive news. The operation lasted for sixteen hours. Gates tried to wait for as long as he could, but his body was tired and he had had little rest for the past six days, after five hours of surgery, he decided to go home and have as much rest as possible before resuming with the current investigation.