by Tom Clarke
A sense of panic started to come over her as she struggled harder and harder against her restraints. The plastic zip-ties started to cut into her wrists causing her to bleed.
The harder she struggled against the restrains the greater her sense of panic and fear became. The fear became so great that Shelly started to cry out.
Just then the chanting stopped, and the room became silent and still. A door swung open, revealing a bright light from the adjacent hallway. Into the room walked a young girl in her late teens. Shelly could see that the young girl appeared to have stunted growth and the facial characteristics associated with Down Syndrome.
As she watched the young girl, who was dressed in the same summer dress Shelly had been wearing in her dream, walked into the center of the room. She turned to Shelly, smiled, and started to walk towards her when one of the men from the corner of the room ran towards her and struck the young girl in the head with a large rock.
Shelly screamed and started thrashing in her chair as one by one the other men who were in the room ran up and while yelling “Praise be to God!” each struck the girl in the head with rocks.
As she sat restrained to her chair, blood running from her wrists, sobbing Shelly watched Sarah calmly walk over to where the body of the girl lay.
As the men parted to make way Sarah reached down and grabbed the body of the girl by the throat. She lifted the body up off the ground and started chanting, “In the light there is dark, in the dark there is power, in power there is love!”
As Sarah held the body of the girl off the ground the men gathered around her and joined in the chant. Then in a voice that seemed to take on a metallic tinge and an underlying growling noise Sarah said, “I am his, we are his, we are marked!” Sarah then threw the body of the young girl against the wall. The men in the circle ran over and like a pack of wolves descended upon the body as it hit the floor and started to devour it. Sarah turned to Shelly, smiled, and said “He’s waiting for you.”
The lights in the room started to dim. Shelly again started thrashing against her restraints and then suddenly there was darkness. The pain in her wrists and ankles was gone and replaced with a warm, comforting feeling, like being wrapped in a blanket.
“Hey, wake up, are you okay?” a gentle voice said as a hand rocked her shoulders. “Wake up, you’re having a nightmare!”
Shelly opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on a large plaid bedsheet in an open field surrounded by flowers. The sun was bright, but not too warm, she could hear birds in the background singing over a slight breeze.
As her eyes focused in the sunlight Shelly saw a woman in a flower print sundress kneeling next to her. “Oh, hi Sarah, what’s going on?”
“You were having a bad dream, and by the sounds of it a doozy! Are you okay?”
Shelly sat up and rubbed her eyes, “Yeah, what are we doing out here Sarah?”
Sarah laughed as she helped Shelly to her feet, “Wow, it must have been a good one. Come one we need to finish getting flowers for the party tonight. Then we need to go and get some fruit from the garden.”
Shelly stood, looked around, smiled, and then picked up her wicker basket filled with fresh cut flowers.
As she bent down to pick up her basket Shelly felt a dull pain in her wrists and ankles which was quickly replaced with that warm comforting feeling, like she had been sitting in the shade and suddenly the warm sun came out.
“Sarah, can we just spend some time here? I feel so at peace, I would like to hang out for a little longer.”
“Of course, we can” Sarah replied. “We will stay as long as you want. So, you never did tell me is that gentleman of yours going to be coming to the party tonight?”
Shelly took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she felt the warm sun on her face. “Gentleman, which gentleman?”
“Why, Jim of course, silly. I sure hope he brings his friend Nico with him. If he does will you introduce me?”
Shelly took a deep breath, the air smelled like lilacs, and as the sun warmed her face, she asked, “Jim, who’s Jim?”
“You mean to tell me that you don’t remember Jim?” Sarah asked in a playful voice. “He was all you could talk about just the other day, and now you don’t remember him, or his dashing friend Nico?”
Shelly looked at the ground as she tried to remember. She took another deep breath and sighed, “I think so. He, I mean, they were here and then they left?” Shelly asked looking up at Sarah. “I don’t know, maybe he didn’t leave quite the impression on me that you thought.”
Sarah smiled, “Come on we need to get back.”
Shelly smiled back, picked up her basket, and as she started to turn to face Sarah she saw a young girl in her mid to late teens standing in the wood line wearing a flower print summer dress. “Who’s that?” Shelly asked, pointing at the wood line.
“Who? I don’t see anyone” Sarah replied. “Come one silly, no more midday naps for you. Shelly come on, he’s waiting for you.”
Shelly turned to Sarah, slightly confused, “What did you just say?”
Sarah smiled, “He’s waiting for you.” She took Shelly by the hand and together they started walking towards a large castle positioned on a hilltop not far away, both smiling and chatting as if they had been lifelong friends.
9.
The Shop
The arguing voices in the garage sounded muffled as Tyler slowly regained consciousness. As the blurry images around him slowly came into focus, he tried to stand, and immediately discovered that his hands had been secured to his ankles with flex-cuffs.
“Jimmy, I say that we just dispose of him right now and be on our way!” Darrel said.
“Wait a minute!” Thor interrupted, “If you’re going to be doing anybody in, I would ask that you take them out back and do it. We can package him up back in here if you want, but I don’t want his blood and shit all over my shop, it’s bad for business.”
Jim looked at Thor and Darrel, “Okay, look just relax. Nico wants to talk to him before we do anything.”
“Where is Nico?” Darrel asked.
“He’s back in the office reading up on something from a secure church website. A ceremony of some sort, I think, I don’t know. He’s been acting kind of weird too. He said that thing is a demon and not Tyler.”
Thor held up his hand like a student asking a question in class, “Wait, that cat Nico says that this dude is a demon? Come on, Jimmy, what the fuck is going on with you guys?”
Laughter cut of Jim’s response to Thor. Low guttural laughter, almost animal in nature. It was Tyler, he was rocking around on the ground laughing.
Jim, Darrel, and Thor all stopped talking and just stared down at their captive as he rocked back and forth on the floor. The laughing seemed to be coming not just from Tyler, but from all around them.
“Tyler?” Jim asked cautiously, “Are you in there?”
Tyler smiled back, his teeth now dark and ragged and his lips looking like they were sun burnt and cracking. “Yes, Tyler’s in here with me. He’s not alone though.” Tyler looked right at Thor and then in a woman’s voice said, “Help me, I can’t breathe. Please, stop!”
Thor’s eyes widened, he stepped towards Tyler only to be stopped by Jim. “That’s my wife, that’s Misty.” Thor said, “Jimmy what the fuck! That’s my wife!”
Jim grabbed Thor by the shoulder as Tyler started laughing again. “Yes! Yes, it’s your wife isn’t it,” Tyler said in a low guttural voice.
As the three watched, Tyler’s skin tone began to fade, and dark circles started forming around his eyes. “Hmm, such fun” Tyler said, “I think I will keep her around for a while.”
Thor stepped back and grabbed a large wrench from one of the work stations. As he started to move towards Tyler the lights in the shop started to flicker and dim. A bulb in a fixture exploded and a low metallic hum started to develop. Tyler fell to his side and again the woman’s voice started screaming, “Stop, help me…. Please! Justin, please.”<
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“Jesus Christ!” Darrel yelled as he stepped back away from Jim.
“What? What is it?” Jim said as he pivoted away from Tyler and grabbed his friend by the shirt sleeve.
“There, in the corner!” Darrel said, pointing to the far, poorly lit corner of the shop. “Don’t you see that little girl? She’s there! She’s the same kid I saw at the hospital.”
Jim investigated the corner, “I don’t see anyone bro, there’s nothing there.”
Darrel looked at Jim with a sense of panic, “Jesus Jim! She’s right there, she has a knife in her chest. She’s walking right towards us.”
Jim looked back at Tyler and saw that Thor was now kneeling right in front of him. He turned to Darrel and said, “Don’t move, there’s nothing there!” Jim then spun back and grabbed Thor pulling him back just as Tyler lunged from his seated position, his teeth chomping together as he tried to bite Thor.
As Jim pulled Thor out of the way of Tyler’s attack all the ceiling mounted light fixtures in the shop started to sway back and forth as if they were in a strong wind. The low hum that had started a few seconds ago was now a low rhythmic thumping sound, almost like the noise made when ancient peoples banged on a drum made with animal skin. All the while Tyler’s laugh was audible in the background.
As Jim pulled Thor, who had fallen to the ground and was calling for his dead wife Misty, back away from Tyler, he heard Darrel say in a loud commanding voice, “There is nothing there! She’s dead, been dead a long time. There is nothing there!”
As Jim watched, Darrel turned from the corner of the shop, drew the Colt Combat Commander .45 caliber handgun he was carrying, and walk towards Tyler.
“There’s nothing there!” Darrel kept saying as he walked towards Tyler gun in hand.
“Darrel don’t!” Jim yelled. “We need to question him. Darrel wait! God Damn it!”
As Darrel approached Tyler he started to raise his handgun, “Stop it, now! You hear me, Stop!” Darrel yelled as he pointed in with his .45.
A voice suddenly boomed through the shop, “Demon be still, be silent, be at peace!” Jim looked up as he was trying to get Thor to his feet, it was Nico.
As Nico walked closer towards Tyler he passed by Darrel. He placed his hand on Darrel’s shoulder and suddenly as if waking from a dream Darrel lowered his handgun, looked back at Jim, and just shook his head.
As Nico moved towards Tyler the air in the shop seemed to clear. The pounding noises stopped, and the swinging light fixtures suddenly were still as if they had never been swinging at all.
“Hello Nico” Tyler said with a growl in his voice.
“Demon be still, be silent, be at peace!” Nico replied as he walked closer.
Tyler stopped talking and started to shake his head as if he was trying to shake off a headache.
As Jim, Darrel, and Thor looked on Tyler suddenly stopped. He became very still and then looked up at Nico.
Nico, who was now standing directly in front of Tyler, made the sign of the cross with his right hand across the front of his body and said, “By the father, the son, and the holy spirit I command you! Tell me your true name demon.”
Tyler looked at Nico, chomped his teeth together a few times, and then replied, “Priest, fake priest. Silly little wanna-be holy man trying to atone for your past sins. You know my name! Tell us your true name and then I will speak mine.”
Nico leaned in close and spoke something in a language Jim had never heard before. Then he yelled, “Speak your true name!”
Tyler rocked back away from Nico and let out a slight laugh trying to mask obvious pain. “I can take the pain” Tyler said. “Oh, come on Nico, tell your friends who you really are.”
Nico stood from his crouched position and turned from Tyler. “Nico, speak your name and I will reveal mine. No? Let me help you,” Tyler said with a sneer in his voice.
“Enough!” Nico yelled as he turned back to Tyler.
“Why are you here Den-Ra-Tenian? Tell me, or I will pour holy water down your throat and watch you dissolve from the inside out!”
“You recognize me, how nice” Tyler said. “I recognize you too…. Longinus. How long has it been, 800 years?”
Darrel leaned in close to Jim and whispered, “Jim, what the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know brother” Jim replied as he very quietly handed Darrel the keys to his SUV parked in front of the shop. “Take Thor, go to the truck and get the rifle and the vest with the magazines in it. Give Thor the shotgun.”
Darrel nodded, grabbed Thor by the shirt, put his finger to his lips and then the two of them walked out the front door of the shop.
As Nico continued to yell at Tyler, Jim slowly walked back away from the two. As he moved back Jim pulled his shirt up on his right side revealing a .40 caliber Glock handgun concealed inside his pants belt line. Jim tucked the shirt in so that he did not have any obstructions slowing him down should he need to present the handgun.
“I will ask you one more time demon and then I am going to pour holy water down your throat and watch you melt from the inside out. Why are you here?”
“I never left!” Tyler yelled back. “My legions and I have been preparing for the upcoming day for a long time. We have even taken positions inside your precious church, the very church you so badly want forgiveness from. We are among you Longinus, and soon he will be among us all!”
Nico took a step back, an expression of disbelief manifesting itself on his face. “It was you and your followers?” Nico said. The expression of disbelief changed to anger and rage. “You and your followers set that bomb off at the Vatican! You murdered all those people!”
Tyler started rocking back and forth as he chuckled under his breath. “Those hypocrites had it coming, and you know it. Yes, we did that, and yes Longinus we had help, a lot of help in fact from those worthless, collar wearing fucks that you and the rest of society put so much faith in. All it took was the promise of a little power, money, and young boys for a few, and they were more than happy to help us.”
Jim stepped forward, “Nico I thought you said that explosion was a distraction.”
“It was,” Nico replied. “A distraction that cost the lives of 80 people. 80 innocent souls who had just come to pray and find some sense of peace, peace that you destroyed!”
“Yeah, it was cool, I know” Tyler responded with a smile in his face. “But sadly, we did not get the map we were looking for. That’s when, well, let’s say a friend of ours, suggested that you go and find Jimmy boy over there. See I knew that you would track down your old friend, even if he doesn’t know your true name. Then, with his help you would find the cave. Things were going pretty good you must admit.”
Jim stepped closer, “What cave?” Tyler wriggled against his restraints and then fell over onto his side.
“Your good friend Nico didn’t tell you, did he?” Tyler asked, looking up at Jim from the floor. “It’s the resting place for a stone tablet. When the inscription is read by the right person at the right time it access’s a doorway, a pathway from my world to yours.”
“The doorway only goes one direction” Nico said as he interrupted Tyler, “and that’s back to your hell!”
“I thought you would know better than that!” Tyler yelled back.
“It goes both ways, you of all people should have known that. You put it there!”
Nico turned and looked at Jim. Before either of them could say anything the front door to the shop swung open and Darrel yelled in, “Jimmy we got an issue out here!”
Jim locked eyes with Nico, “Watch him,” he said, pointing to Tyler, who was sitting upright and smiling.
Jim joined Darrel and Thor out front of the shop. “Look at that shit!” Darrel said pointing down the street.
Jim looked as best he could down the long street, added by the slight illumination of the street lights. As Jim peered into the darkness he could see a group of about 15 to 20 people walking down the middle of the street. As th
ey walked closer the street lights began to dim as if the energy was being sucked out of them. The closer they got Jim could start to hear chanting and the clapping of hands.
“Take a look” Thor said, handing Jim a set of binoculars. With the help of the optics Jim could see that the group was mostly men and a few women. All appeared to be tall and thin with the men wearing dark colored suites and hats of a style reminiscent of the 1930’s.
The women were wearing flower print summer dresses. The closer they got the better Jim could see that intermixed within the group were men wearing dark colored pants and shirts with priest collars. All were chanting and singing.
Jim turned to Darrel and Thor, “We got to get the hell out of here right now! Start the truck, I’ll get Nico.”
“What about Tyler?” Darrel asked.