The Demon Conspiracy

by R. L. Gemmill

  ***

  Six hours later the park’s floodlights were on and the original rescuers were still underground. Travis stayed inside the ranger station and watched the flurry of activity from the front window. He’d grown more and more worried for everyone who was still in the cave, fearing they’d all been taken or killed by demons. And now that it was dark, we might be next.

  I went from the front window to the door to the rear window, checking the shadows around the building and fighting off tears. I hadn’t said or thought anything to Travis since the sun went down, but he clearly sensed my fear. Up to now I’d only been worried for Jon, Chris and Anton Edwards. But with the onset of darkness I feared for my own life, and Travis’ too. Ripper the wonder dog followed me wherever I went and stayed just within ear-scratching range.

  Dr. Parrish sat on a desktop, flipping channels on the small TV with the remote control. He went from one news channel to the next, hoping to pick up information about what was happening in the park. He still couldn’t see much, so he leaned close to the speakers on the TV and listened with the sound turned low.

  Outside I counted five additional work lights powered by gasoline generators. The space between the cave and the ranger station was well lit with numerous fire trucks, squad cars, and other rescue vehicles crowding the parking lot. Rescue personnel moved all about the place and police kept curious onlookers and reporters away. None of that mattered to me. The additional lights made the area seem somewhat safer, and so did the presence of all the rescuers. But I knew, deep down, if the demons wanted to get us, all they had to do was come. Their sheer numbers would be enough to get by those people outside.

  Angie had shown up an hour before dusk, and we’d been so glad to see her we wrapped our arms around her and held on tight. She had embraced us both, but became confused when we tried to explain about the demons and how it wasn’t going to be safe at night anymore. I sent Travis an unexpected thought.

  Don’t talk about what really happened! Angie’s losin’ it!

  But she’s always calm.

  Not this time.

  Travis tuned in to Angie’s emotions and nodded back at me. You’re right!

  Yvette Edwards had arrived some time later. Yvette was a tiny woman, slim and pretty. She had a friendly smile, bouncy hair and dark eyes that were tired with worry. She showed amazing strength and self-control, even when Angie fell to pieces and cried into her shoulder. But Yvette couldn’t completely hide her true feelings. Travis felt her fear and I knew her worries. Her emotions hung by a thread. Both women had stayed close to Ned Taylor at the cave’s entrance for over an hour, but now they headed back to the ranger station.

  When they came in Angie’s eyes were swollen and red. Her hands trembled like she was cold.

  “Anything in the news?” asked Angie, stifling another cry.

  “No,” said Parrish. “It’s like nothing is happening.”

  “They’re keeping it quiet, aren’t they?” Angie went to the coffee machine and got another cup. She made a wounded sound as she took up the coffee pot.

  “How many cups of coffee is that for you?” asked Yvette. She looked at Travis, who held up seven fingers. I don’t know why, but he’d kept track for some reason. “Maybe you should hold off on the caffeine, girl.”

  “I can’t. I’m just so scared.” Her hands trembled badly as she poured the coffee. She spilled a little on the table and got flustered. When she tried to wipe it up with a napkin, she knocked over a bowl of sweetener packets. Then she stood there shaking her head and getting ready to cry some more. Yvette rushed to her.

  “Go sit.” Yvette set the bowl upright. “I’ll get this.” She put the packets back in the bowl and grabbed a handful of paper napkins. Angie looked at her thankfully and sat in one of the office chairs while she sipped the coffee in silence.

  Travis looked at me. “Do you wanna go hang out with the ranger?”

  I shook my head. “No. Why? Do you?”

  “I just wanna see what’s happening.”

  Dr. Parrish overheard us and handed the remote to Angie. “I’ll go with you, Travis. I need to stretch my legs. But you’ll have to lead me.”

  12

  MUCH WORK TO DO

  TRAVIS

  Travis felt safer with Parrish, especially now that his head was bandaged. It was Parrish who had rescued Kelly from the demon that had grabbed her by the leg. The big man hadn’t been able to see a thing at the time, but he’d dived after her anyway, and luckily caught her hand. He’d jerked her right out of the demon’s grip.

  Travis and Parrish stepped out into the clear, cool night and went over to Ned Taylor. Ned picked up the radio and clicked on a switch.

  “Base to Relay One. Do you read?”

  Sheriff Ford’s static-filled voice responded. “Relay One. I read you, Base.”

  “Have you heard from Relay Two?”

  “I’ve not heard from anybody in twenty minutes.”

  “Sheriff, we’ve got ten people out here equipped and ready to go in. Maybe you should tell Melinda and the others to come out for a dinner break.” For a few moments all they heard was more static. Then the Sheriff called back.

  “Good idea, Base. Relay Two’s out of range. I’ll go check on him. I may be out of touch for a few minutes.”

  Ned put away the radio and got up. “Man, I’m tired. I’m working a triple shift right now. But if I know Melinda Laarz, she won’t come out unless she finds the people she went looking for. She’s kind of hardheaded about stuff like that, which I guess is what makes her a good boss. I think maybe—”

  Ned was interrupted by a blast of static on the radio. He adjusted a knob and listened. More static. He called out.

  “This is Base. I’m not reading you. Come again?”

  The Sheriff’s voice was barely perceptible because of a static burst. He sounded out of breath. “This is Relay…can’t hear you…something’s after…can’t find others…oh my God!”

  At the cave entrance everyone froze and listened. Pow! Pow! Pow! Some firemen rushed toward the cave.

  “Were those gunshots?” Parrish looked from Ned to the cave.

  Ned signaled for him to be quiet. Everyone’s full attention was directed toward the cave entrance. Two Virginia State Troopers moved closer to the gaping dark entry. The troopers were concerned, and Travis could tell from their feelings that, yes, it had been gunfire. So why was anybody shooting inside a cave? Travis knew why. Demons were coming. He tensed and glanced back to the ranger station.

  Ned kept trying to contact the Sheriff again. “Base to Relay One. Sheriff? Are you there?” Nothing but more static. Ned grabbed a flashlight and looked at Parrish. “He can’t be very far in, I better go after him. Take the radio for me.” He gave the radio to Parrish and rushed into the cave. A lady firefighter took up an axe and ran in after him. The state troopers stood ready, hands on their sidearms.

  Everyone got quiet. Travis stared wide-eyed into the cave. At any moment he expected demons to appear. He was ready to run for his life.

  “The demons got ‘em.” He said it to Parrish in a low voice. Parrish glanced down at him. The concern in his eyes suggested it could be possible.

  Travis saw a flashlight beam from inside the cave. A voice echoed. Ned and the lady firefighter burst into the night air.

  “They’re back!” cried Ned. “The team is back!”

  Dr. Parrish and Travis stepped ahead of the troopers. Travis crossed his fingers and held his breath. For the first time in his life he wanted to be wrong. He wanted to be absolutely wrong about demons even existing. And he wanted to be wrong about what might have happened to Jon and Chris.

  A murmur rose from the crowd. Ned Taylor looked into the cave. He smiled and started clapping his hands. Everyone else applauded, too, as the first person came out.

  Eric Wooden emerged from the cave empty handed. His clothes and face were filthy and his pants had a tear in one knee. As soon as the bright lights hit him in the face, he du
cked and covered his eyes. But slowly he looked up and blinked. Ned Taylor went up to him and shook his hand.

  “Welcome back, cousin,” said Ned. “How’d it go in there?”

  Before Wooden could answer, police, EMTs and firefighters swarmed over him with a barrage of questions.

  “Did you find the missing men?”

  “Were they injured?”

  “Are they alive?”

  “Did everyone make it back?”

  Wooden raised his hands to speak. Everybody got quiet. “I’m Eric Wooden, and I’m fine. But you’ll have to excuse me because I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.” He smiled and marched straight to the ranger station.

  “What did that mean?” asked Parrish. People around him shrugged or scratched their heads. But Eric’s cryptic response was momentarily dismissed as the two EMTs came out of the cave. They were covered with grime and sweat and had no equipment. The lady EMT stepped bravely up to the crowd and spoke in a loud clear voice.

  “I’m Beth Ann Foster and I’m just fine. But I need to go now. I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.” She smiled and waved to everybody, apparently cured of her shyness in front of a crowd. Some people applauded her, but Travis knew they had no idea why they were doing it.

  Malik Parikh was beside her. When Travis had first seen him, he was funny and outgoing. Now he was different.

  “I’m Malik Parikh. I’m fine, too. But I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.” They both followed Wooden to the ranger station. The people in the crowd let them go, but Travis blurted out the one question that was on everybody’s mind.

  “Did they rescue anybody or not?”

  A moment later Sheriff Ford and Anya came out. They ducked and covered their eyes like the others when the light hit them. Were they afraid of the light? Or was it just a shock after being in the cave for so long?

  “’ello, everybody, I am Sheriff Andy Ford. I ‘ad a bit of a fright in there when I saw th’ others. But I am fine. An’ I got much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  Travis noticed something distinctly different about the way he spoke. At first he couldn’t place it. Then it struck him. The man no longer had a country accent! What was that all about? Sheriff Ford looked down at Anya, who stood beside him.

  “I Anya Sapunenko. I fine. I got much work to do. I work hard and fast.” They marched through the onlookers toward the ranger station. Anya’s Russian accent had changed completely and her English was much worse than before.

  A man in a suit stepped in front of them, blocking their way. “Sheriff Ford, we heard gunshots. Did you fire your weapon? What were you shooting at?”

  Ford paused and shook his head. “I do not know what you heard but it was not me.” Sheriff Ford and Anya passed by the man in the suit without saying another word.

  The man in the suit looked at a nearby cop. “I don’t get it. What’s all this talk about work? Do they have a mess of paperwork to fill out, or something?”

  “Maybe it’s some kind of joke?” suggested a female officer. “It almost sounds like a patented FBI response. Unimaginative and boring.” She and the man in the suit chuckled.

  Yvette came up with Kelly and Angie. Angie put one hand on Travis’ shoulder and one on Kelly’s. Her hand trembled but Travis didn’t say anything. He listened to her emotions, but backed off immediately. She was a mass of confusion and pain inside.

  Kelly was also upset and Travis sensed it. “What’s wrong?”

  Kelly gave him the you-don’t-want-to-know look, but told him anyway. “Those rescuers came into the ranger station, but they didn’t say anything to us. They just stared at us like we were supposed to leave. So we did. It was creepy.”

  “Very creepy,” said Yvette. “That’s a cold bunch, if you ask me.”

  Angie looked warily back at the station. “I wanted to know if they found Chris, was he okay, you know? But the young ranger just opened the door and pointed the way out. The others all said they had to work, or something. What’s going on? This is so strange.”

  And getting stranger by the minute, thought Travis, even without demons being involved. He listened as police and rescue personnel spoke in undertones about what was going on. They didn’t understand it either, and they were clueless what to do about it.

  Travis and Kelly stood close to Parrish. Yvette stayed shoulder-to-shoulder with Angie and chewed on her index knuckle. The next five people who emerged from the cave all ducked and covered their eyes until they became adjusted to the brightness. Then they moved on. But nobody carried any equipment, not even a flashlight.

  “Where’s the stretchers and stuff?” asked Travis. “Did they just leave it all in the cave? Where’s Jon and Chris?”

  “And Anton,” added Yvette.

  Kelly was an emotional time bomb waiting to explode. But so were Angie and Yvette. If the people they cared about didn’t show up soon, they were going to lose it. Travis might lose it, too. He was pretty excited about seeing Jon, but where was he? He had to be coming. He just had to be. The rescuers wouldn’t have left him behind.

  “I’m Sigmund Holzmayer. I’m a firefighter from Loudon County. I’m fine. But I have a lot of work to do and I must work hard and fast.”

  “I’m Karen Otero and I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  “Marcus Conn. I’m from Ashland and I’m fine. But I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  “Van Nguyen. I am fine. But I have much work to do. I work hard and fast.”

  “I’m Melinda Laarz. Thanks for being here. But I can’t talk to you now. I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  Angie’s powerful emotions were contagious. Travis could hardly stand beside her without feeling a strong need to sit down and cry. She became more and more anxious searching the rescuers’ faces as they passed by her and marched toward the ranger station. Yvette was starting to lose her cool.

  “Where’s Chris?” Angie asked Laarz as she passed. Laarz ignored her. “Why didn’t you bring Chris out?”

  “Anton?” called Yvette. “Where’s my Anton?”

  “There’s somebody else coming!” a voice called.

  Travis held his breath. He didn’t like to admit it, but secretly he hoped it was Jon. He knew it was selfish, but Jon was his brother and he really wanted to see him again. When Anton Edwards stepped into the light, he was happy for Yvette. But he was also really disappointed.

  KELLY

  Anton got past the light and smiled like the others. Then he said his piece.

  “Thank you for helping me. Really, I’m fine. I’m Anton Edwards. I’ve got much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  Yvette ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled again as she kissed him.

  “Baby, where’s Chris? And Jon?” she asked. But Anton just smiled and walked off toward the ranger station like the others. Yvette clung to him, but looked back at Angie. “I’ll find out where they are.” She went away with her husband.

  I couldn’t believe it. Travis looked at me, his jaw slack, Angie collapsed to her knees. Parrish knelt on one leg beside her.

  “Something’s not right here,” said Parrish. “They’ve got to be okay.”

  Murmurs arose within the crowd.

  “How come they left the people behind that they went in to rescue?”

  Somebody cried out. “Here comes another one!”

  I looked up hopefully, but what I saw next wasn’t even possible. Chris walked out of the cave as if he’d never been injured, and he wasn’t wearing the splint Travis had made for him. He didn’t even show a slight limp as he stopped before the crowd.

  “Are you Chris McCormick?” said one of the troopers.

  “Yes, I’m Chris McCormick and I’m fine. But I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.”

  “We heard you had a broken leg!”

  Chris ignored the comment just as he ignored Angie. He would have wal
ked right by her, but she caught his arm and turned him around. She hugged him hard.

  “Oh, darling, I was so worried! Are you all right? What about your leg?”

  I also ran to him but stopped short of giving him a hug. “Where’s Jon? And what happened to your leg? It was broken!”

  Chris gazed down at us. When he spoke, his voice was cold. “It was only a sprain. I’m fine now because the rescuers fixed it. Excuse me, I need to meet with my new friends.” He pushed us away and marched to the station. We gawked at each other, startled almost to tears.

  “His leg was broken! It was bent like this!” I tried to demonstrate the angle with my arm. “We got a picture of it. It’s on Jon’s cam…” I stopped. “We don’t have the camcorder. Where’s Jon?”

  I looked at the ranger station where all the people from the cave had gone. Chris stood among the group of rescuers like he belonged with them, which was very weird. The only guy there he even knew was Anton. I tried to scan Chris’ mind from outside, but I was too upset to concentrate. Through the window I watched them gather in a tight circle, almost like a football huddle. I hung my head, moving slowly toward the cave. Travis came up behind me and took my hand. My eyes burned.

  “Jon should be here,” I said.

  Travis could only nod slightly. He choked back the urge to cry.

  Something moved in the shadows of the cave. I heard footsteps. My blood ran cold. Was it demons? Travis glanced over his shoulder and tapped me on the arm. We were the only ones left by the cave. If it was a demon we were in deep trouble.

  A moment later, Jon walked out into the bright light. He ducked and covered his eyes, just as the others had done. He seemed completely disoriented.

  “Jon!” We ran to him and hugged him hard. I’d never felt so happy in my life…until I looked into our brother’s eyes. Something wasn’t right about him, but I couldn’t tell what.

  Travis must have noticed it too. Ghost fingers! he thought to me. I saw Jon glare down at him with cold hatred, as if Travis had personally caused all the troubles in his life. Travis released him and backed away.

  “I am Jon Bishop,” he said in a crisp, British accent. “I am fine. But I have much work to do. I must work hard and fast.” He pushed me aside and went to the ranger station to join the others. Travis and I stood behind bewildered and hurt.

  “What’s he mad at me for?” asked Travis.

  “Maybe he’s mad because it took us so long to send help?”

  “Well, he’s the one who made us go! I don’t get it.”

  “Me either. He acted like he didn’t even know us. Chris, too!”

  We suddenly looked at each other, thinking exactly the same crazy thing. Did Jon just speak with a British accent? We took off to the ranger station at a sprint, determined to hear our brother talk some more.