by Bo Luellen
Amanda couldn’t hold back anymore and pleaded, “Look, you’re making a huge mistake. We’re more valuable alive than dead. Don’t you recognize me? I’m Amanda Lanyon, the professor who is working with the task force to track you down. These two men are consultants on the case. How do you think your superiors will react when they find out you killed us instead of taking us to them?”
The woman leveled her crossbow at Amanda’s chest and remarked, “Sugar, no one in the Sect is going to ask any questions because they’re never going to know. Your body will turn up in a hotel room filled with drugs. Our Brotherhood members who are police will say it was an overdose.”
The two laughed as Amanda thought, I’ve made a horrible mistake. My two girls will grow up without a mother and Larry will be there all alone.
The groans of the unconscious Josh bellowed out, as Frank’s blade sawed at the bone. Bright red blood flowed down her friend's hand and splashed on her arm. As the end of Josh’s finger came free, Dyer jerked around on the ground from the pain and slowly woke.
Frank yelled at the woman, "Get me something to put this in!"
A slight movement from the pine trees behind the pair of cultists caught Amanda’s eye. The grass parted as something brown and long made an S pattern towards the couple. A triangled head popped up from the grass and flicked its tongue in the air. The huge diamondback revealed itself and coiled its thick body in a chaotic circle just two feet away from the unsuspecting Brotherhood woman. It never made a sound when it thrashed out and bit the cultist's leg. She barely had time to yelp before it struck her a second time and caused her to topple sideways onto the ground. Frank fell backward in fright, as the heart-stopping sound of the rattle sent an instinctive panic in Amanda. The viper closed in on its prey, as she made a feeble attempt to scoot backward toward her companion. The faster the woman moved away, the faster the snake pursued her with a sidewinding motion. In a heartbeat, the creature had caught up to her and bit her in the arm. Frank screamed in protest, stood up, and leveled the shotgun at the serpent.
Booth stopped his strumming on the tree and cried out, "No!"
A crack of something hitting wood came from overhead and was followed by the sound of vibrating metal. Amanda looked up, and a black arrow with orange plastic fletching had Frank pinned to her tree by his neck. The cultist coughed and dropped his shotgun in the shock of the moment. The man grabbed at his neck, where the arrow was jutting through and brushing at the wound in confusion. Blood poured down his chest and onto Amanda’s face as he backed up slowly and let the shaft slide out of his throat. Crimson bubbled out of his mouth, as the arrow's fletching traveled its way through his esophagus. Frank looked bewildered as he shuffled back away from the tree. As he turned to his companion, the rattlesnake struck him twice in the leg and once in the stomach. The serpent coiled up, shook its tail, and watched the man plummet to the ground.
She looked around for where the arrow had come from and saw three men emerge from the pine tree line some forty yards away. One was a short fat man with a grey beard sporting a shotgun. The second was a taller man with an athletic build carrying a compact looking bow, and the third was a middle-aged man in military cameo and sporting a pistol. Amanda noticed the trio didn’t have any of the trappings of Cthulhu on their person.
The Brotherhood woman convulsed on the ground, and white foam streamed from her mouth. She seized up, her muscles in her neck pulled so tight you could see the veins surrounding the ligaments, and her arms writhed into different odd shapes. The lady took two quick gasps, then stopped breathing altogether.
As the three men jogged closer, the rattler uncoiled and slithered off into the woods with Booth yelling after it, “Thank you!”
As the strangers arrived, the bearded fat man gasped, “Are y’all okay?”
Amanda burst out into tears as the release of tension hit her. The taller man with the bow dropped his weapon, turned around, and threw up when he caught sight of the two dead cultists. The big man heaved as their third companion checked to give a look around the perimeter.
The white-bearded man pulled out a pocket knife and told Josh, “Don’t be afraid, son. We are here with the law. You’re hurt real bad, and we need to get you help. Stick out your hands, and I’ll get those things off.”
As all three stuck their wrists up in the air, and Amanda gratefully acknowledged, “Thank you. They would have killed us.”
Booth gave a scoffing, “Yeah, we were totally helpless until you showed up. Nobody thank the snake. Because that would be weird.”
A groggy and beaten Dyer looked over at the Druid and muttered, “I think I hate you.”
As the man cut their bonds, he told them, “I’m Jessup House, the man with the pistol is Karl Utterson and the hunched over big fella is David Keller.”
Amanda made a connection asking, “Utterson. As in John Utterson?”
Karl turned away from the dying Frank and asked, “John’s my older brother. How do you know him?”
After a few minutes of discussion, Amanda filled them in on her position on his task force and how the license tag had come from her. Karl described how his brother had enlisted their help in combing the area, but they had lost track of him. As they talked, Jessup used a small first aid kit and did his best to help Josh stop the bleeding. After a few minutes Dyer had a white gauzed pinky finger and was cradling the hand to his chest in pain. Jessup carefully placed the detached digit into a Thermos full of ice water.
The old man screwed the top onto the container and informed Josh, “This will keep yer finger cold until we can get you to a hospital. They might be able to re-attach it.”
Booth flicked the giant white mess of bandages on Dyer’s finger, causing the man to sing out in pain as the Druid joked, “Your finger looks like a Q-tip.”
Jessup held Josh back from attacking Booth, as Amanda looked towards Karl and asked, “Is David going to be okay?”
Utterson lowered his voice and remarked, “Killing a person isn’t something most people are prepared for. In the military, we see this in first time operators. He’ll be okay, but he’ll never be the same.”
David sat on the ground with his head in his hands, and his whole upper body trembling. His pale face signaled to Amanda that he was in shock, and processing the death he just caused. She wanted to give the man time to collect his wits, but Amanda knew they had to keep moving before they lost the light.
She looked around and asked, “Where do you think John is?”
Karl pointed back through the pines and replied, “His ankle was slowing him down, so we left him behind and told him to catch up when he could. I would think he should be at the tree line that borders the clearing by now.”
Amanda got up and asked, “What clearing?”
Five minutes later, all six of them were hiding behind trees and bushes on the edge of a broad field that the Brotherhood was using as some kind of base. In the center were three cabins, a platform with a crucifixion cross positioned in the center, and dozens of nude men and women chained to the ground around it. Fifty plus black-robed Cthulhu worshippers were milling around the area. A dozen or so cars were parked in a group on the edge of the tree line. Amanda’s eyes focused in on the tags until she found the one from her vision.
She slapped Booth’s arm and pointed it out, saying, “Look.”
The Druid poked his head up above the tree limbs and saw the plate saying, “I can’t believe Cernunnos gave you a vision, while I’ve been the James Brown of Druids. That’s just bullshit.”
Amanda settled back to a seated position, whispering, “I think we found John’s missing homeless population, or, at least, a portion of them.”
Karl put his cell phone away and informed everyone, “I can’t get ahold of John. No service out here at all. He could be anywhere out here.”
The group nearly jumped out of their skins as a loud blast from multiple rams horns filled the forest with their ominous music. The low moan built up into a spine-tingl
ing wail that turned Amanda's blood cold. The melody was so penetrating that she felt the vibrations in her face, and it made her ears ache.
Jessup held onto a gold cross around his neck and exclaimed, “What the devil is that?”
Booth’s eyes looked oversized behind his glasses as he replied, “They are heralding something or someone.”
David pointed at someone being dragged up on stage and whispered, “Who’s that?”
Amanda peeked around the tree and saw it was her student. The man was stripped down nude and was being bound to the cross. He seemed unconscious and hung limply from his restraints. A fat man in a white robe was chanting towards him in some kind of ritual and addressed the surrounding Crimson Brotherhood members.
Amanda nearly stood up and announced, “Oh my, God. That’s Henry Jekyll! I thought he was one of these maniacs. Why is he being put up for sacrifice?”
Josh clung onto his bandage as he surmised, “I would say we should rethink that.”
Jessup parted two branches for a better look as he added, “Unless it’s some kinda internal thing. Ya know, those that worship the devil don’t have a lot of loyalty to one another.”
Dyer took a deep breath and remarked, “I suppose that could be true. These kinds always have it out for one another.”
Booth saddled up next to the blonde man and replied, “Yea, he could have crossed the wrong person.”
Before anyone could respond to the pun, the cultists sparked to life dozens of torches as the dusk dissolved into the night. The low murmur of prayers emanated from the crowd as a black Lexus emerged from the road leading into the clearing. It parked just outside of the other vehicles, and four purple-clad cultists formed a circle just off from the car. The door opened, and out came the massive figure, wearing a white octopus-like headdress. The purple-robed quartet pulled out small scythes and escorted the tall man to the podium. She noticed a very familiar looking knife at the hip of one of the sickle-wielding cultists.
Amanda pointed at the dagger and divulged, “That’s the knife I saw in the video the mortician took with her phone.”
Karl ducked down behind cover and proclaimed, “Okay, mission accomplished. We found them, now let’s go tell the police.”
Josh and Jessup nodded in approval, but Booth objected with, “There are a dozen people chained to stakes who look like they might be sacrificed. One man, who might be innocent in all of this, strapped to a cross and definitely going to be sacrificed. So, your plan is to what? We run away and go get an adult?”
Amanda agreed, adding, “Henry Jekyll is a student of mine, and might be a victim in this whole thing. We don’t know. He deserves his day in court, not this. Not to mention, those people who are tied down aren’t likely here by their own volition. we can’t just leave them here.”
Josh waved his working hand and observed, “Look, we were supposed to find these guys. At the risk of sounding self-serving, if we go down there, what good will it do them for us to die? It isn’t like they are just going to let us walk out of here with Jekyll and all their captives.”
David spoke up for the first time since he put an arrow in Frank, saying, “I agree with them, Karl. I’ve done something today that I never thought I’d have to do. That has to mean something. It’s like God put us here for a reason. Running away now seems wrong.”
Jessup shook his head and admitted, “I’m not a young man, but I’ll do what I can.”
Karl kicked a rock and cursed, “Damn it, John. Where are you?”
Something inside Amanda stirred to action as she organized, “Here is how this is playing out. I’m going to circle around along the edge of the tree line to the back of the group. This way, I have a clear path to the platform. David, you get behind the cars and make a distraction. When the crowd goes to investigate, the rest of us take the platform. I’ll hold their leader hostage while Jessup and Booth get Jekyll free. We order them to release the homeless and to evacuate the area. Karl and Jessup, you two start back for the road. Get a signal and call the police.”
Jessup stood up and protested, “Look, Miss, I’m not leavin’.”
Booth patted Jessup’s ample stomach and blathered, “You’re fat and old. You will slow us down and most likely be the first one shot.”
The white-bearded man looked truly offended as Booth followed up with, “You need better friends to tell you these things. I don’t have time to be your friend, though. So, for clarification, that wasn’t an offer.”
Josh held his bloody finger and remarked dryly, “Oh, I’m sure he is heartbroken.”
The Druid looked at Amanda and proclaimed, “I will be the one to make the distraction. David is a better fighter.”
Before she could answer, he stood up and took his clothes off. Everyone stopped watching the cultists and gazed in bewilderment at the disrobing Druid. Booth dropped his dingy pants and exposed a walnut-sized penis that could barely be seen through a massive amount of pubic hair. Booth’s doughy white torso was covered by a dark carpet of patchy chest hair that had an inconsistent coverage of his body. Everyone let out a sound of disgust and revulsion, which seemed to bounce off him like a bullet on Superman’s chest.
Booth stepped closer to the sitting Amanda, causing her to tilt her head away from his groin, and announced, “Professor, these woods are now under my protection. I will see to it they regret ever stepping foot in this forest. You have ten minutes to get into place before I descend upon them!”
Booth stomped off into the thick pines, totally nude, save his necklace and his walking staff. With their mouths hanging open, they watched his acne marked bare backside jiggle off into the brush. Before disappearing into the darkness, Booth let out a gasp as his foot tripped on a vine and almost caused him to topple. He straightened himself up, fixed his glasses, and courageously marched off into the pitch black.
Karl looked at Amanda and asked, “Who is that guy?”
Josh responded sharply, “He’s a jerk.”
David piped up, saying, “I like him. He seems cool. I mean, minus the mini penis, get nude in the woods, thing.”
Karl gave a resigned look at Amanda and then assured her, “We’ll return as soon as we get a message out to the police. Try not to get my friend David killed. Booth is fine to die, but not Keller.”
The two shared a smile as Karl handed Josh his pistol, while Jessup gave Amanda his shotgun. After a brief tutorial on how the pump-action worked, she felt confident enough and slung the weapon over her shoulder. The two teams broke away from each other after a series of handshakes and well wishes, and Lanyon watched as the two men disappeared into the night.
David took the lead, plowing through the foliage and circling around the clearing. The loud chanting from the Brotherhood was masking their footfalls, and David had them moving at a good clip because of it. Suddenly David stopped and crouched, causing Amanda to nearly tumble onto him. Squatting down a few feet behind the big man, Amanda and Josh scanned the area around them and were confused at the emptiness ahead of them. Keller slowly raised his bow and pointed upwards with one of his black arrows. At first, she didn’t see the sniper, but Josh pointed out the black-clad Brotherhood cultist that was positioned high in the tree. The small ledge he was standing on was attached to the tree trunk by a black strap. The man was almost thirty feet up, dressed in military tactical gear, and looking down the scope of a rifle towards the center of the field.
David put down his bow and gave them a signal that told them to stay put. Approaching the tree on the opposite side of the sniper, he quietly dropped his bow and carefully climbed the trunk. Amanda watched as the cultist look around, obviously feeling something shaking the oak but was unsure of what was happening. Midway up, Keller slipped, losing his footing but hung on by the tips of his fingers.
The noise caused the sniper to yell out, “Who’s there!”
To Amanda’s surprise, Josh got up from his hiding place and marched out into the open, replying, “Vulgtmah Cthulhu!”
&nbs
p; The man pulled his rifle up and returned, “Vulgtmah Cthulhu. I don’t recognize you, Brother.”
Josh circled around in front of the man, taking the attention off David, “My name is Dyer. I was brought in as extra security for the night. I’m assessing any risks to the perimeter.”
The cultist relaxed and slung his rifle, as David quietly lifted himself up the strap holding the deer stand in place. Pulling out his scuba knife from his brown leather hip sheath, he cut the nylon with one quick motion. The sniper made a gulping sound as his platform gave way, and he went into a free fall. Towards the end of his descent, the cultist's head hit a thick branch on the way down, and it caused his body to spin wildly in midair. With a sharp thud, his head spiked into the ground and folded his neck backward. The sniper made several sharp inhales through the broken throat and then let out a long last breath.
Josh looked down at the man and continued, “I think we just found one.”
As David made his way down, Amanda and Josh stripped the man of his equipment and weapons. Josh took the bolt action rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Amanda picked up the man’s Glock, checked the magazine, and then put it in her waistband.
David reached the ground, looked down in a haze at the dead man, and remarked, “Ian Fleming said the second one is always easier.”
Josh slapped him on the shoulder and replied, “Considerably.”
David lingered behind taking in the results of his handiwork as Josh moved past him. The corpse was still twitching and had blood coming out of the mouth and ears. A massive split down the cranium was now visible from the impact with the tree.
Amanda grabbed David’s arm and counseled, “He would have killed us or alerted the others. He put himself into this position and got what he deserved.”
The tall man turned to her, “He might have, but now I’ve got two faces of people I’ve killed burned into my mind. Maybe, that is what I deserve, too.”
David picked up his bow and took the lead on the march again as she thought, A few more faces might need remembering before this night is over.