Evil Agreement

by Richard L Hatin

  Whoever they are, they weren’t just lucky. No sir they were smart. They had to have used some kind of distraction in order to get the drop on the Fecteau brothers. Clever bastards, he thought, as his highly trained mind raced along in its typical analytical fashion.

  Two men dead and Samuel’s sister missing. Samuel isn’t going to like this news.

  Cocky little bastard is going to be pissed off, thought Ed. I can’t wait to break the news to that little know it all freak.

  Ed turned out the church cellar lights and exited from the bulkhead. He closed and locked the bulkhead doors. Ed also removed the car keys from the Fecteau brother’s car. He tossed them into his jacket pocket. Ed had a smile on his face as he pulled his own car out of the church driveway. He turned right at the end of the driveway and headed towards Samuel’s house.

  Ed was thinking about how he was going to break the news to Samuel. It had to be done just right. It had to be done with style. It had to say, “I told you so” without coming right out and saying it.

  No need in going too far with that little bastard. No telling what he might do, thought Ed.

  Suddenly, Ed turned his car down a street that took him away from Samuel’s house. On a hunch, he decided to first stop in over at the Reverend’s place. He stepped on the accelerator.

  In a few minutes he arrived at the Reverend’s place. He quickly jumped from his car and ran up to the front door. He knocked loudly on the door and rang the doorbell.

  The door opened. The Reverend seemed surprised to see Ed.

  “Ed, what brings you back here?”

  “Reverend, you’re not going to believe this. Samuel’s sister is missing and the Fecteau brother’s are dead. They were both shot to death.”

  “Come in. The Judge is here and I’m sure he would like to hear what you have to say,” said the Reverend as he swung open the door.

  Ed rushed in and headed straight for the Reverend’s office.

  “Hello, Judge!”

  “Ed.”

  “Judge, it appears Ed has some rather disturbing news.”

  “Do tell.”

  “Yeah. I was just over at the Church. When I got there, I noticed right away that things didn’t seem right. Anyway, I’ll cut to the chase. I went down in the cellar and found the Fecteau brothers both shot dead. They got off some shots of their own, but hadn’t hit anything that I could tell. Then I checked on Samuel’s sister, Kelley, and found she was gone.”

  The Judge leaned forward and looked Ed squarely in the eyes.

  “And, have you told Samuel?”

  “No, I haven’t, not yet.

  “Why did you come here first?”

  “I’ve been thinking about things, you know. Look, its no secret I can’t stand that little bastard. I’ll tell you what I think. I think he’s going to find a way to screw this up for us. I also think it’s a mistake to have him in charge. We should have just grabbed this Powell and made him cooperate. There are ways you know. Instead we’re told to just let Powell run around town. Keep an eye on him, he says. Shit!”

  The Judge leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers together as he studied Ed.

  “Judge, don’t you think Ed’s right?” said the Reverend in an attempt to lead the Judge.

  “Perhaps. Listen, Ed, suppose we agree with you on this. What are you prepared to do? What are you prepared to risk?”

  Ed looked at both men. He was about to step across the line. He knew it.

  “Look, I’ll tell you what. I’m prepared to help replace him. And if that means killing him, I’m prepared for that, too. What am I prepared to risk? I’m prepared to put my life on the line here. If you want, I’ll pull the fucking trigger myself.”

  There was silence in the room. No one spoke for over one minute. The only sounds to be heard, was the sound of light rain still falling against the window, on the westerly side of the room, and the sound of the bookcase clock.

  “You have presented us with an attractive proposal. As you might have surmised we too are, shall we say, disappointed with Moloch’s choice of Samuel as the coven leader. However before we go much further, I suggest you proceed to inform Samuel of what you found at the church.”

  “Yes, Ed, remember he sent you to check on things. He knows how long it takes to get to the church. He’ll wonder why it has taken you so long to inform him. He’ll be suspicious.”

  “Indeed. Ed, go inform Samuel. You can come back here afterwards. We’ll be here waiting for you. We can discuss our options when you return.”

  “I understand. Okay, I’ll head over to his place right now. I’ll tell him what happened. He might want to send me off to do something, I don’t know. If he does, I’ll give you a call and let you guys know what’s happening.”

  With that, Ed stood up and quickly left the room. In a moment, they heard the front door close, followed by the sound of Ed’s car starting up.

  “Well, Judge, it seems we now have a powerful and committed ally.”

  “Perhaps an ally or perhaps a decoy. We shall see, won’t we? The end game is so very important Reverend, very important.”

  ***

  Samuel was standing in his room looking out his window into the blackness of the night.

  He had much to think about. Tomorrow was the day, the day of the Covenant. It was the day hoped for long ago, denied all these years and now about to be fulfilled.

  He also knew there was treachery somewhere in his coven. Who the traitors were, what they might be planning, and when they planned to spring their dark plan, intrigued Samuel. He looked forward to assisting Moloch in punishing the offenders. Their punishment would have to be great, certainly as great as the treachery they perpetrated.

  Samuel heard a commotion coming from downstairs.

  Then he heard someone bounding loudly up the stairs. Suddenly his bedroom door burst open. He turned to face whoever it was, that was in such a rush to see him.

  “Samuel,” said Ed slightly out of breath.

  “Yes, Ed. What is it?”

  “Kelley’s gone, and the Fecteau brothers are both dead. They were shot to death.”

  Samuel’s eyes opened about as wide as humanly possible. He looked clearly angry.

  “What happened?”

  “I just told you. Those assholes you sent over there must have walked into an ambush,” said Ed savoring the moment.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What part don’t you understand?”

  “Besides our people, who else knew she was there? I’ll tell you, no one. I personally saw her locked up. She certainly didn’t escape on her own. This Aaron Powell is too weak to have done this. His woman friend is weak like him. The only other person is their friend, Miss Beacon. She is an old hag. No, no, no,” said Samuel as he began to pace, “there has to be someone else, someone we have overlooked. Ed, I want you to return to the church. Get rid of the bodies. Get Foley and Yandow to help you. Check the church and the area thoroughly. See if there is anything, anything at all, that might give us a clue as to who is secretly helping this Powell.”

  “You’re the boss!” said Ed as he turned and headed for the door.

  “And Ed?”

  “Yeah,” he said turning back.

  “If you get a lead on who our traitor is, remember come to me first. I want them alive. Moloch and I will deal with them.”

  “Sure,” said Ed as he left the room.

  “Moloch and I, Moloch and I,” repeated Ed under his breath as he went down the stairs.

  ***

  Aaron had been sitting in the darkened living room ever since the phone conversation with Samuel. He felt he needed to get this thing over with before he lost his mind. He hated being alone.

  Miss Beacon, Korie and Kelley, along with the dog, arrived at the rear of Miss Beacon’s barn. Everyone was soaked to the bone. Overly aggressive mosquitoes had been attacking them steadily, ever since they had entered the woods.

  Miss Beacon knelt down on one leg,
and scratched the ears of the German shepherd that had so reliably led them though the dark wet woods.

  “Nice boy, yeah, nice boy. I’ve got a treat for you. Korie, in your backpack is a dog chew bone. Will you get it for me?”

  “How did you know? Oh, never mind,” said Korie.

  “What do you mean?” asked Kelley.

  Korie removed the backpack and opened up the top flap.

  “I mean, how did she know ahead of time, that we would meet up with a dog, who would lead us back and forth through these woods? I’ll tell you how, she’s a...”

  “Now Korie, don’t you go and spoil our surprise.”

  “What surprise?” asked Kelley as Korie handed the chew bone to Miss Beacon.

  Miss Beacon handed the chew bone to the dog, which took it in its mouth, turned and padded back into the dark woods.

  “You’ll just have to wait a bit.”

  “Come on. We’re almost there,” said Miss Beacon as she opened the barn door. “Kelley, take my hand and also hold Korie’s hand, too. Good, now follow me.”

  The three women entered the barn. Korie closed the rear door. Once inside, it was hard to see because it was completely dark except for the soft glow that entered the south side barn windows. That was the side of the barn that faced the road, which passed by the front of Miss Beacon’s property. The glow came from the two nearby streetlights, which lined the road.

  With Miss Beacon leading the way, they quickly moved through the barn. Miss Beacon stopped at the front side door. She slowly opened it and looked out.

  In a moment she said “Good. It’s all clear. Let’s go.”

  The women left the barn in quite a hurry. Korie barely had time enough to close the door. They half ran across the back yard driveway and scampered up onto the back porch. A flash of lightning lit up the back porch. The storm was beginning to wind down.

  The three women stepped off the porch and entered the kitchen. There were no lights on.

  “Where’s Aaron?” asked Korie.

  “I’m sure he’s here,” said Miss Beacon.

  Just then Kelley looked past Miss Beacon. From the soft glow of the street light filtering in from the windows, she noticed the silhouette of a man coming through the doorway. The figure seemed overly large and menacing. She felt a rush of panic. She let loose a scream.

  The scream startled the other women.

  “Miss Beacon, look out,” shouted Kelley.

  At the sound of their screams, Aaron reached out to the wall, and flipped on the overhead light. Standing in front of him was Miss Beacon with her arm around a teenage girl. Stepping out from behind these two, was his girlfriend Korie, with a gun raised up and pointed directly at him. The three of them were soaked and dripping water on the floor.

  As a reflex action he raised his two arms into the air.

  “Shit, Aaron, you scared the hell out of us,” said Korie as she lowered the gun to her side.

  “Indeed,” said Miss Beacon.

  “Who’s he?” asked Kelley.

  “He’s the man who’s going to defeat Samuel,” said Miss Beacon.

  “Oh,” said Kelley as she fell from Miss Beacon’s arms onto the kitchen floor. She had fainted.

  “Take her into the bathroom please,” said Miss Beacon.

  Korie put the gun back into her waistband, and with Aaron’s help, managed to carry Kelley into the bathroom.

  “Hold her,” commanded Miss Beacon as she turned on the overhead light. Miss Beacon then opened the medicine cabinet and reached for a small bottle. She opened it and removed a small vial. She broke the vial and held it up to Kelley’s nose. It was smelling salts. The odor immediately caused Kelley’s head to snap backwards as she regained consciousness.

  “There now, sit right here,” said Miss Beacon as guided Kelley to sit on the closed toilet seat.

  “I’ll help her take a warm shower as soon as she feels alert enough.”

  “She looks like she could use one,” said Korie.

  “I’m sure, now Korie you should go and take a shower. Aaron, please stay with Kelley while I go get her some dry clothes to change into, for after her shower.”

  Korie left and headed upstairs to take a shower.

  Miss Beacon left as well.

  Aaron knelt down next to the girl. He could easily see her skin was marked with dozens of dark red spots. A purple colored bruise surrounded each spot.

  “Her name is Kelley,” shouted Miss Beacon from another room at the back of the house. “She’s Samuel’s sister.”

  Aaron froze.

  Miss Beacon returned to the bathroom with a large bath towel and some clothes.

  “What happened to her?” asked Aaron.

  “It seems, she has been chained up in a cellar back room for a couple of days. Those marks were caused by dozens of spider bites.”

  “Did Samuel do this?”

  Kelley moaned softly. She was still a little light headed.

  “Yes, now get out of here while I help her out of her soiled clothes.”

  Aaron left the room and headed upstairs to the bedroom he and Korie shared.

  After he left, Miss Beacon began to undress Kelley and change her out of her wet clothes.

  Korie was already in the bathroom.

  Aaron could hear the shower running. He sat at the foot of the bed and then fell back onto the bed.

  How can I tell her? What will she say? thought Aaron as he pondered how to tell Korie about what had happened to him today.

  What had happened to Korie, Miss Beacon and this young girl, Samuel’s sister, Kelley? he thought as his mind raced along. What about tomorrow? I still have no idea what to do.

  His mind began to freely drift along. He was tired, stressed out and deeply in need of a good night’s rest. He quickly dropped off to sleep.

  ***

  Samuel stood at the foot of his bed. He closed his eyes and extended his arms in front of him. He held his hands out, palm side up.

  “Moloch, our counsel and leader, I call for you to appear. Our coven needs your help. I need your help. Moloch hear my words and answer my call,” said Samuel.

  The room temperature began to immediately rise, as if the thermostat had been cranked up to its maximum. The carpet that covered the pentagram painted on the floor, slid across the room. A twirling mass of pulsating lights formed in the air above the pentagram. The lights spun at ever increasing speed. The air in the room felt heavy. The light from the overhead light, and the light on the nightstand seemed to be literally sucked into this spinning vortex.

  Samuel continued to stand as he did before. The hair on his head was pushed back, as if he were standing in front of an oversized fan.

  The lights now stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The pulsating lights began to take on a shape. They formed an outline of a large figure. The figure was human like in shape but not in proportions. The figure itself was not spinning. This dark figure appeared at first without any detail. In a few moments distinct details began to appear.

  A large head appeared first. The head had no hair but had two horns. Its skin seemed to move, as if there was something beneath, trying to find a way to break through and escape. Details now began to take form throughout the rest of the shape. The figure stood nearly seven feet tall. Its unclothed body was covered mostly with a scaly skin, whose color seemed to change from green, to brown, then black, and then back to green. This shape had two massive and powerful looking legs. In place of feet were two cloven hooves. The shape had a snake like tail that twisted constantly. Its hands were very large, with long fingers, and long misshapen nails.

  The shape opened its eyes, revealing two deeply set red colored orbs that now looked about the room.

  The swirling lights began to fade away. The shape had transformed itself into Moloch. Moloch took a deep breath, his chest swelling from the effort.

  Moloch let Samuel remain in his trance-like state for a while. Meanwhile, Moloch walked around Samuel’s room, his hooves c
licking against the hardwood floor. He wanted to look out the window. The window was closed because of the passing summer storm. Moloch extended his right hand, and in a flash the entire window, casing and all blew off, crashing on the ground below. The nighttime air was still humid despite the effects of the storm. Clearer, drier air was expected to arrive on the backside of this storm. Its arrival was a couple of hours away. After drawing a breath at the window, Moloch returned to stand in front of Samuel.

  Soon I will walk this place in human form along side of Lucifer. Our legions will march before us. We will have our Armageddon, thought Moloch.

  Turning around he spoke, “I have come,” in his deep and menacing voice.

  Samuel’s eyelids flickered for a moment before they completely opened. Samuel lowered his arms, which had become weary from having been held up for several minutes.

  “Moloch, welcome, I have some news and I need your advice.”

  “Go on.”

  “I spoke with Powell tonight. He has agreed to meet me tomorrow. I don’t think we should wait any longer. I will try to persuade him to join the coven, but if he should refuse, I believe we should be prepared to force his cooperation. I suggest we hold the ceremony tomorrow night, with or without his willing cooperation.”

  “I understand and I agree.”

  “On another matter, I must report that my sister Kelley escaped tonight. Two of our men were ambushed and shot to death.”

  “I know, I greeted their souls just moments ago. It seems two women set a trap for them.”

  “Two women?”

  “Yes. An old woman and a younger one who did the shooting. You know who these women are don’t you, Samuel?”

  “I think I do.”

  “Good. You must also know where your sister is now.”

  “I think so.”

  Leaning into Samuel, so their faces were a mere couple of inches apart, Moloch furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Then make sure your sister is present at the ceremony along with these two women. Do what you have to do Samuel, you don’t want to disappoint the Prince of Darkness, not when you are this close.”