by Joshua Grove
“This shit is beneath me,” he mumbled. Their flashlights danced around the woods, illuminating strange shapes and movements.
“What did you say, Jake?” Tim Dalton asked. Well-built and ruggedly handsome, Tim was a man’s man. He was popular with most everyone in Crimson Falls, which meant that Jake found him annoying and a threat to his political ambitions.
“Nothing, Tim,” Jake said flatly. “Just keep moving.” Jake looked forward to running the precinct one day soon. Though there were only fourteen cops in Crimson Falls, he would rule over it with an iron fist. Just like he did in high school. Suddenly one of the dogs, Ringo, started growling. Before they knew it, the other dogs were barking as well. Their barks began to swell.
“Whoa, boys,” Jake yelled. “What is it?” They continued to bark and began showing signs of intense anxiety. Jake was worried about the dogs’ reaction; they were trained not to bark so the perpetrator would not be warned about their presence.
“What do we do?” asked George, the third officer in the group. George was the village idiot, with disheveled grey hair and a beer gut that could rival Santa.
“We move as quickly as possible,” Jake instructed. They jogged behind the dogs, but were having difficulty keeping up with them.
“Why aren’t they listening to us?” George asked, confused.
“Just keep moving!” Jake yelled. “They got something!
“How far have we gone?” Tim hollered. Jake had a hard time hearing them over the sound of the dogs.
“We’ve gone about a quarter mile,” George said as he checked his wristwatch.
“What the hell is that?” Jake said as he saw something dark sitting in the tree he was passing. He screamed at the dogs to stop. After a moment they sat still, though their growls revealed their disagreement.
“What is it, Jake?” George yelled.
“Don’t know yet,” he said. “Shine your lights up into this tree here.” Jake began to climb up the lower branches.
“I’ll be damned,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Tim asked.
“It’s a camera!” he shouted from the tree. “Why would there be a camera here?” he wondered out loud to himself.
“Is this even part of Brickton’s property?” George asked.
“His estate goes on forever,” Tim said.
Jake knew Brickton had cameras, but didn’t think his insanity had spiraled this far out of control. Suddenly his radio screamed, almost making him fall out of the tree.
“Jake, come in, Jake!” Anna’s voice yelled. “Jake, are you there?”
“Jesus Christ!” he yelled. He grabbed his radio from around his waist. “What’s up, Sheriff?”
“About a quarter mile from where you are is a body. I need you to move quickly.” Confusion blew through his mind.
“How in the hell do you know where I am?” Jake asked.
“That doesn’t matter, Jake. Now, unwrap the dog leashes from the tree and get moving. They know where to go.” Jake shook his head in astonishment.
“Anna, how do you know where we are?” He looked around at Tim and George to see if they understood what was happening. They shrugged.
“For Christ sake, Jake. Move!” Anna shouted through the radio. Her urgency was clear. Jake climbed down and jumped from the bottom branch to the ground. He did as he was told and they followed the dogs to the body that Anna had told them about.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Sheriff Kelly. When they did, the dogs sat quietly while the officers gawked at their former mentor. The eerie glow of the flashlights seemed to amplify the horror of the decaying corpse.
“It looks like he was hunting,” Tim observed.
“I’m sure of it,” Jake said. “I’ve hunted with him before, and we always came out this way. I know these woods like the back of my hands. Jesus Christ.”
“At least he died doing what he loved,” George said.
“I don’t think he died of a heart attack, Einstein,” Tim said.
“I’m gonna kill whatever asshole did this,” Jake said between clenched teeth.
“Stand in line,” Tim said.
As they argued about who would kill the killer, the dogs began growling again.
“What is it guys?” Jake asked. They began barking hysterically and started running in the direction from where they had come.
“We can’t leave him here like this!” George cried.
“It’s not like he’s going anywhere,” Tim said. “Looks like he’s been here for a week at least.”
The three of them followed the dogs. After about three minutes, the dogs quickly changed direction. They ran back toward the body of Sheriff Kelly.
“What the hell is going on?” Jake asked. After another few minutes they arrived back at where the body had been.
“Shit!” Tim yelled.
“Are you sure this is where we just were?” George asked. He shined his flashlight all around them. Jake slapped the flashlight to make him stop.
“No doubt. That tree there is marked with orange for hunters. And see over there? That squirrel’s nest? Yep.”
“What?” George asked, confused.
“We were just here dumbass!” Jake yelled.
“Then where the hell is Sheriff Kelly’s body?” Tim screamed. The dogs suddenly began whining loudly and laid down on the ground.
“I’ve got a really, really bad feeling about this,” George whispered as the three of them moved closer together, weapons drawn.
“Look,” Jake said as he pointed to where the body had been.
“Oh, Christ,” Tim whispered. “Someone dragged him away. But how?”
“Shut up!” Jake growled. “Listen.”
“What?” George said, breathing heavily. “I don’t hear anything.”
“That’s because you’re talking, shithead,” Jake said. “Now shut the hell up.”
As they strained to listen, they heard the sound of breaking limbs. Jake looked up just in time to see a dark shadow falling toward them.
“Look out!” Jake yelled as he tackled Tim and George. The body of Sheriff Kelly landed where they had been standing, a rope wrapped around his feet.
“We weren’t gone but maybe three minutes,” Tim said in confusion. “And something got the dog’s attention over there. But while we were running, someone else came up behind us and did this? They climbed a tree, with this dead fat man in tow? And all of this in the dark?” Tim stopped himself from talking any further. It made no sense.
“It had to be more than one person,” Jake said, scanning all directions, his gun still pointing toward the trees. “There have to be at least three or four.”
“But the dogs are just sitting there,” Tim said. “They’re not doing anything. And what was with them being freaked out? People don’t scare these dogs. I ought to know. I trained them. And how are these people moving around so quickly in darkness?”
“I think it’s time for us to get back to the house,” Jake said.
Tim’s face turned white. Jake knew that everyone believed he was fearless. He tried to maintain his cool, but he was sure they were somehow outnumbered. And whoever these freaks were, they were close by.
“Dude, you don’t need to tell me twice. Let’s get outta here,” George pushed. After getting the dogs to start walking, they moved as quickly as they could toward the house. Every sound around them seemed amplified, every animal in the woods seemed malevolent. They weren’t going to feel safe until the rest of their colleagues were in sight.
A few minutes before Jake knew they would see the house, he shuddered at his thoughts. What if we’re being followed by some backwoods deliverance family? He pushed it out of his mind. All of a sudden leaves began falling all around them from the trees above. Jake looked up and terror gripped him. In the darkness he thought he saw a shadow jumping through the trees like a monkey. He shined his light into the branches.
“Quick, focus your light up here with mine,” Jake ordere
d. He looked to his right and saw the faint glow of Alan’s house in the distance.
I’m not gonna die in this forest, he thought. More limbs began to break and something large landed about thirty feet behind them. The dogs unexpectedly sprinted toward the house, and were quickly out of sight.
“Whoa!” George shouted.
“They’re not horses, asshole,” Tim yelled back. No matter what he did, he could not get the dogs to return.
The three officers stood alone in the dark. With only half of the moon above them, and most of that blocked by trees, it was difficult to see in front of them.
“Anyone have their lights?” Jake asked, hoping someone had managed to hold onto theirs. No one said a word. Then they heard the sound of something running toward them.
“Oh, holy Jesus,” Tim moaned.
Jake could see a shadow closing in quickly on them. “Run!” he screamed, and they took off toward the house. As he ran, he tried to look behind him. The shadow was there, almost on top of him. He could make out a head, broad shoulders, and a long arm reaching toward him.
“What is that?” Tim screamed from directly beside Jake, pointing toward the house. Running toward them were two officers. Their flashlights bounced as they moved.
I’m not going to make it, Jake thought to himself. Adrenaline pumped through his system, and he felt like he was running at record speed. Just as he thought he was going to be safe, something tore at the back of his jacket. He heard a loud ripping sound, but tried as best he could to keep moving. Whatever it was that grabbed at him had missed. Finally they reached the other officers, but the three of them kept running. The other two followed suit without question. Jake tried to relax as he saw the strobe lights of his patrol car. He fell against it, panting heavily and unable to catch his breath.
Without warning, small lights began blinking in the woods. With a burst of energy, Jake removed his pistol and began firing randomly into the woods.
“What the hell are you doing?” Tim screamed.
“Do it! Do it! Do it!” Jake shrieked. Tim and George pulled their weapons and began firing.
“Jake!” his radio announced. He could hardly hear it over the gunshots. “Jake, goddammit! Stop shooting!” Anna cried through the radio.
After he had fired his rounds, Jake grabbed his radio and turned it off.
“Did you just cut her off?” Tim asked.
“Shh, listen,” Jake ordered. Everyone stood still and peered into the woods, listening for movement.
“Do you think we got it?” George asked.
“I sure as hell hope so,” Jake said. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going back into those woods before the sun comes up.” He grabbed his radio again and turned it on. “Sheriff, we’ve got a problem,” he said between breaths.
“I know, Jake. We saw everything,” Anna said. “The cameras.”
“The cameras are ours?” he asked.
“Yes, Sheriff Kelly’s handy work.” And suddenly it made sense to Jake. He had seen a few cameras before, but Ron had said it was just Acorn Alan being paranoid. And he had believed him. He began to wonder what other lies were hiding behind those cameras. The lies that almost killed him.
CHAPTER FOUR
Pandemonium
1
Father Matthew and Pastor Amy arrived at the Brickton estate and were surprised that there were only two officers on site.
“Where is everyone?” Matthew asked Officer Lionel Flowers.
“They’re in the woods, searching,” Lionel responded. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, we’re here to do some investigating,” Matthew said. “Sheriff Blackwood gave the go ahead.”
“Well you’ll understand that I need to follow up with her,” Lionel said as he held out his hand to stop them from entering the house.
“That’s fine.” They waited as Lionel disappeared into the house to verify their story.
“I am still a little unclear as to what you expect to find, Matthew,” Amy said.
“I am not looking for anything specific per se,” he said flatly. “But if it’s here, we’ll find it.” Amy shook her head, smiling at Matthew’s cryptic nature.
“Okay, you’re cleared,” Lionel said as he walked out the screen door. It creaked as he opened it and slammed shut behind him. “Here, put these on,” he said as he shoved latex gloves at them. “Don’t touch anything. If you need to touch something, come and talk to us.”
“Sure thing,” Matthew lied. “Come on, Amy. Let’s go.” They walked into the house, following Lionel. When Matthew was confident that Lionel could not see them, he leaned toward Amy. “Where is his altar room?”
“Altar room?” she asked, confused.
“Where does he take communion?”
“Oh, in his library.”
“Show me,” Matthew said.
The original part of the house was nearly 200 years old and over 4,000 square feet. Over the years the family had added an additional 5,000 square feet. The library was in the back corner of the original structure, close to the entrance to the woods. Although a bit run down since Alan had taken over, the house still retained an old, classic charm. Matthew wondered how Alan could have been comfortable living in such a large space alone. Then again, he figured Alan wasn’t that comfortable anywhere. Large spaces tend to make people feel small, and he felt a great deal of sympathy for him.
“This is quite a house,” Matthew said.
“You haven’t been here before?” Amy asked.
“Yes, but it’s been at least a decade. Just before Alan’s father died. You know, he was Catholic.”
Amy laughed. “We can’t all be perfect.”
She led Matthew into the library. He gasped at its size. “It’s something, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Wow.” The library was two stories tall, almost like a movie. There were ladders on all four walls, with shelves of books reaching the ceiling.
“And I swear he’s read every single one of them,” Amy insisted. “Twice.”
“Well what else would he have been doing all these years alone?” he laughed.
“And here’s the kicker,” she said as she pointed around the room. “They’re not only in alphabetical order, but they’re also divided into sections.”
“All I can say is ‘wow,’” Matthew said, awestruck. “Who would have taken him for such an avid reader?”
“You can’t judge a book by its cover, Matthew,” Amy said, waving her finger at him and smiling.
She led him to the far corner of the room by one of the large windows. “And I assume this is what you’re looking for?” She pointed to a dusty label that read ‘Religion and Spirituality.’
“How far does this go?” Matthew asked, daunted by the task of trying to find anything related to demonology.
“It’s this entire section,” she said.
Matthew’s heart sank. The section comprised half of the wall and stretched to the second story of the room.
“I wonder if he divided religion into sections,” he mused.
“Good question,” she said. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, one way to find out,” he said. He walked closer to the shelves and began browsing through the books. Hope was renewed when he realized that they were in fact divided into categories. “Holy shit!” Matthew cried. “They’re even labeled!”
“Father McMillan!” Amy teased. “Such language for a priest!”
“Quickly! Help me find anything related to evil, demons, the occult, stuff like that.”
“Okay,” Amy said slowly. But she did as he asked.
After thumbing through bindings for several minutes, Amy called him over to where she was standing on the ladder. About halfway up the wall, she pointed to a group of books. “This is marked ‘Exorcism,’ but I don’t think there is anything of substance here.” She climbed down to allow him a closer look.
“I think you’re right,” he said after a few moments. These are your basic books about the Roman Rit
ual. Nothing significant.” He looked around the room. “Do you think there might be some sort of secret hiding place?”
Amy laughed so hard it echoed through the room. “That’s pushing it a bit, don’t you think Matthew?”
“Consider the source. If Alan had anything strange going on here, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.”
She admitted he had a point. Matthew scanned the room. “There!” he said as he pointed toward the opposite corner of the room. He quickly climbed down the ladder and walked toward the large, square table.
“This is where he took communion,” she said.
“Of course,” Matthew said with a grin.
“You going to enlighten me, Father?” she joked.
“Watch and learn, Reverend,” he said. The table had a long cloth draped over it. He pulled the table toward him as hard as he could. “It’s bolted to the wall,” he said.
“Interesting,” she retorted. Matthew lifted the cloth and crawled under the table. “Go Father, go Father,” she cheered.
Matthew stuck his head out from under the cloth, shaking his head and laughing at her.
“I’m sorry. I suppose that’s kind of strange to do under these circumstances,” she said with a sheepish grin.
“Think nothing of it,” Matthew shrugged as he peered out from under the table. “I lived at the Vatican. Nothing is strange to me anymore.”
“I can believe that,” she agreed. She stood patiently as Matthew felt around for some kind of latch.
“Jackpot!” he shouted. “Come here.” Amy got down on her hands and knees to crawl under the table.
“It’s going to get a little crowded…” she began to say, but stopped when she saw what Matthew had found. “I’ll be damned.”
Matthew huffed in a mocking but friendly tone. “You won’t be damned, but I bet you a million bucks we’re about to see a few things that are.”
“I’m hoping not,” Amy said in a more serious tone. She watched as Matthew finished removing a panel from the wall, revealing a small door knob.
It opened with very little protest. “Thank the Lord,” Matthew sighed. “It wasn’t locked.”