“I think this will keep her here a few more days.” During a slight pause, the child turned back to the house. “We should have it resolved by then.”
“The kid sure is optimistic,” Eli said, landing next to Nathan.
Chapter Forty-Two
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:5, KJV
“I’ll take Bergen tonight,” Nathan said to Leona who had remained in the sunroom since discovering the moat encircling the house. He figured if she wanted to leave, all she had to do was jump over, it wasn’t vast; Bergen had made a game of it. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned her head. “Or we can all leave town right now.”
She turned back to him. His silver eye fixed on her like a beacon. Her pursed mouth, and scrunched brow relaxed, seeing his love for her stronger than his will to stand his ground against the malevolence living in Shoshoni.
She’d known Nathan since they were kids, though back then they weren’t exactly friends, not enemies either, their circles just didn’t collide until many years later. She had been the lead cheerleader since her sophomore year; he was nerdy, attempting to be a jock. And though she’d rarely talked with him, she had seen how he interacted with others; always honest and caring, never turning his back on anyone. Seeing the sincerity in his eye, she knew he meant what he had said, and given the word, and they were out of there.
Her hand gently adjusted his eyepatch. The tears flowing from her had left redness, tarnishing her eyes. However much she wanted to leave Shoshoni and the evil reigning there, she knew she couldn’t take him away, not now.
Taking her trembling hand from his face, she shook her head ‘no.’ They had to stay a while longer to see this through. Last night had been the worst they’d endured since moving into the house after Bergen had been born.
The thought that the worst was yet to come filled her mind. Turning her back on what she knew was on the horizon kept her from the decision. Nathan put his arms around her, making her feel safe, at least for the moment.
“I’ll come, too,” she said from her raspy throat. “We need to stand together against this.”
Nathan didn’t smile at her consent, the idea of putting her in harm’s way tied a knot in his stomach. Wanting to tell her to stay home came to his lips, but he held the words back; like mother like child, once Leona made up her mind to do something, there was no turning her around.
He left the sunroom without another word, allowing her to compose herself. Out the window, sparrows hopped in the grass, chasing insects. A cat watched them from the shadows of the long-since-bloomed lilac bush, not interested in attacking them. Excitement filled her.
“Shit!” she exclaimed, jumping from her chair. Trotting down the hall, she called out, “He doesn’t want the Apocalypse!” All stared at her as she entered the living room. Bergen beamed. “The point of this isn’t to end the world. He’s lazy, and starting something of this magnitude will take too much effort. Besides, the beast wasn’t right; he made it keep us busy. He’s toying with us to poke his finger at God, and to fill his vault.”
Leona looked at the faces turned to her, realization blossoming in each. The new problem rose among them, staring garishly into their hearts. What did they do now? She had decided to stay, and while it was her prerogative to change her mind, it wasn’t an option; this battle was as much hers as anyone else’s. This small group was all there was to defend against his evil plot.
Eli had poured over all of his father’s journals since the day he was taken aside by him to be told everything known. But was any of it be of use to them now? What he’d seen of the monster through the rearview window last night had already stirred doubt in him.
The plaything Belphegor had created had fed enough to be able to manifest, making it impossible to put back into an ethereal form. It posed a risk to the other residents, but alerting them made no sense, it only led to laughter and consoling looks. How had his father handled those expressions of pity from the concerned folks thinking he had lost his mind?
Nathan slumped back into his chair, thinking he should have done what Leona had wanted, and leave Shoshoni to its own devices without worrying how fast the beast would destroy the remaining citizens who remained once they had abandoned their post.
Two of the cornerstone houses were empty, but could only house so many people comfortably. Carrie lived on the plot where the original had been built; her experiences growing up was the reason she’d bought the land, and she had stayed clear of Main Street. Her mother, though as powerful as the day she was born, had grown old, and couldn’t be called on to help, except maybe for guidance, and only as a last resort. He didn’t consider bothering her other children.
This left the ones sitting in the room with him to fight this battle. His attention flitted to Tyler and Jen. Seducing him took little effort, but putting him back there might prove to be advantageous.
Jen had shown her bravery, but in her weakened emotional state from the visions the beast had given her, she had become drained and became of little use. Maybe, he wasn’t giving them enough credit—they needed to have some role, however small.
* * * *
Cody sat nervously in the living room. Carol kept to the kitchen, and for whatever reason, Bill sat on a stool behind the reception desk; his prison guards. When he had gone to his bedroom, the door to the kitchen had quietly squeaked open as the woman peered at him through a thin line. He left his clothes in a pile on the floor, then drew a bath. Returning to his room. His jeans and vest had been cleaned and laid over the end of the bed; he left them and stomped to the living room.
He stood, crossing the room to the front door. Getting passed the old man shouldn’t be difficult. As though a silent alarm had gone off, Carol came from the kitchen the moment his hand found the doorknob. Her dark eyes bore into him.
“Where do you think you’re going without your clothes?” she asked.
“I was gonna go speak with Bel…Mr. Bel about tonight’s talk.”
“Not without clothing, you’re not.” She blinked, the darkness subsiding. “Besides, I didn’t hear him call for you. You need to wait until then.”
He let go of the knob, becoming uncomfortable with her intense stare. His hands moved to hide his genitals from her. He tried a smile, but it didn’t make him feel at ease, so he darted through the front bedroom away from her.
She chuckled, returning to the kitchen. Inside, she listened at the door to the hall for the sounds of Cody dressing. Satisfied, she returned to the backdoor to watch the kitchen.
He stared at the TV, pondering how to escape without alerting the strange old woman in the kitchen or Bill outside the door. The picture windows in the living and dining rooms didn’t open, leaving the bedrooms and the bathroom. Unfortunately, the one in the Master bedroom was covered with layers of drapes, but the other two rooms weren’t, though there weren’t locks on those doors to keep Carol from stopping his escape. Leaving the bathroom window, which was smaller and he’d have to squeeze through it. His fingers tapped the arm of the sofa.
As though he had no plans, except to use the bathroom, he made his way through the dining room, knowing if he went via the bedroom there was the chance of her standing at the other door, checking on him as he emptied his bladder.
The lock twisted, stopping with a faint click. As he moved to the bedroom door, he heard voices in the lobby and assumed it was someone checking in for the night. To ensure his ruse was infallible, he lifted the toilet seat and lid clanging them against the tank, then popped apart the buttons on his jeans.
He buttoned his pants as he quietly moved to the end of the tub to the window. With a washcloth in hand, he turned the window lock. His heart quivered, expecting the woman to barge in on him at any second, but she didn’t. Her shadow didn’t appear under the door. The window opened, making a soft scraping sound.
Many years had
gone by since he’d scrambled out of a window, and when he’d done it as a kid, he didn’t like the twisting and bending of his spine in uncomfortable angles like doing the Limbo.
He grabbed the ledge outside the window, then pulled up a leg, pushing it through the window. Once it was outside, one hand released its grip, and his other foot came up as he awkwardly balanced on the windowsill. As he began to shimmy through, a knock came to the door to the hall.
“Cody, you have a guest,” Carol said. “She’s waiting in the living room.”
He had no idea who had come to visit him; his brother and Jen had escaped, and surely Leona wouldn’t come here, not even during the day. Hector stood near the sink with a tilted head and a smirk, watching him try to leave through the window. Of course, he had to answer the woman in the hall, or she’d know something was amiss. His faint reflection in the window seemed to taunt him.
At first, he choked, then he said, “Ok, just a minute.”
“I’ll put some lemonade on the coffee table,” she replied, her voice gruff as always, but was there a hint of cheer in it? “Don’t be long.”
He didn’t hear her footsteps leave, but he hadn’t heard them approach either, so he twisted around on the sill, pulling his legs back inside. He started to flush the toilet, when he noticed scuffs on his arm and after a further assessment found one on his abdomen, too. Putting the seat and lid down on the toilet, he flushed, then went to the sink to wipe off the marks on his skin.
Without bothering to unlock the door to the hall, he returned to the living room passing through the bedroom. He didn’t have the faintest idea who had come to visit him, but anyone was welcome as he felt as though he’d been locked in the apartment for several months.
The woman faced the window; her long blond hair decorated her back. A pitcher of lemonade and two glasses sat on the coffee table as Carol had promised; either it was premade and had been waiting in the refrigerator, or she had quickly pressed the lemons and mixed the juice with sugar and water because Cody hadn’t lingered in the bathroom long after pushing himself back through the window.
The old woman stood in the dining room between table and desk with hands clenched at her side and a scowl on her face; the darkness had returned to her as well, staring at the woman facing the window.
Hearing Cody enter the room, his visitor glanced at the woman in the dining room, and then she turned around. He recognized her immediately; she’d lived at the Shanley growing up when he and his brother had stayed with them one summer.
“Carrie,” he said, coming closer. Her arms hugged her chest. “I didn’t expect you to come.”
“I didn’t either,” Carrie said glumly. Her head flicked back to Carol whose stance had withered and disappeared through the kitchen door seeing she was losing the battle. “God, I hate her,” she mumbled when the woman was gone, and she looked back to Cody, whispering sharply, “You’re an idiot. What the hell are you doing?”
Before he answered, a growl came from the door.
“Shut up!” Carrie yelled. “I’ll say what the fuck I want.” Her stare pierced him, and she continued. “I thought when you were by my house that you were done with this. What are you doing back?”
“Bergen said I needed to see what happens.”
“Huh!” she tutted. “Stupid brat. I warned Tyler and Jen to get out of here.” She looked around the room. “At least they listened. Now you need to go.”
“I can’t.” He nodded toward the door to the lobby. “I’m being guarded.”
“Asshole,” she said, Cody’s mouth opened in surprise. “Not you. Bill. He’s nothing. The things don’t go in him anymore. Probably too gross even for them.” She glanced toward the kitchen again. “The old bitch, though. They’ve always liked her.” She returned her gaze to him. Assessing his attire, she wanted to laugh. “You need shoes?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re coming with me.”
He shook his head, and she took his hand, pulling him to the door. At his slight resistance, she glared at him, and said, “You want to stay?”
He answered by moving with her. She stormed out the door, stomping through the lobby with Cody in her grip, she didn’t acknowledge Bill standing and sputtering his disapproval.
The floor shook, but she didn’t stop. The windows vibrated, still, she pulled Cody to the door, unimpressed by the theatrics being displayed. The metal door handle froze in her hand, causing her to growl. The pain from the cold didn’t stop her from flinging it open.
Before they were outside the harpy shrieked from the open apartment door, stopping Carrie. She pushed Cody out the door, turning with a snarl. The possessed woman wasn’t affected by Carrie’s stony glare. She came toward her, fingers stretching longer and longer. Hector stood next to Cody on the street watching the standoff.
Carrie remained at the door, holding it open, squinting defiantly at the woman-beast. The distorted woman stopped near the center of the lobby; her body had twisted to give its viewer a better understanding of what controlled her, while it held the human form intact, it had changed substantially. Talons claimed the hands, the head had tripled in size with dark eyes and pinpointed teeth in a drooling mouth. Her body had elongated, and her skin had blistered, oozing puss and blood.
“Fuck off!” Carrie shouted. “You don’t scare me, but I’m not stupid, either; I’m not coming near you.”
Backing onto the sidewalk, she pulled the door closed behind her. On impulse, her hand found Cody again, gripping him tightly, half-dragging him across the street to her car. He didn’t need her to tell him to get inside and hurried to the passenger side. He hadn’t noticed the car was running until he sat in the seat, and she slammed the car into gear, squealing the tires.
Bill stared unimpressed at the deflating demon returning to Carol’s form. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen a demon deform a human into something hideous. He waited, drumming his fingers on the desk until she was back entirely before he started for his room. She glared at him, and he knew she blamed him for Cody’s escape.
“Idiot,” she said, the vibrato in her voice still over-toned with the demon who possessed her. “Don’t expect me to go up and tell him.”
“I’m sure he knows,” Bill replied, opening the door to his room. “You weren’t exactly quiet.”
He shut the door behind him. Carol glanced at the stairs, shaking her head. Deciding Bill was right, she returned to the apartment to hide from the wrath sure to come.
The car felt as though it were going to tip when she turned up Main, away from the hotel. At the end of the block, he was pushed into the car door as she turned right, accelerating. He almost felt safer in the hotel than with her behind the wheel of a car. Two blocks to the end of the street and she didn’t slow; everything passed them in a blur.
Jamming down the brake, she skidded around the corner to the south toward the highway. Cody knew where they were but not where they were going; he decided it was best not to ask.
Crossing the highway without stopping, the end of the street came into view, and she again pressed the brake pedal, forcing him toward the dash.
The car stopped, and she jumped out. She glanced over her shoulder as she strode to the door of the house next to the park he’d spent yesterday afternoon.
“Hurry the fuck up,” she demanded, halfway to the door to the small house.
He ran after her.
Chapter Forty-Three
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness.
Romans 2:19, KJV
“He’s not there any longer,” Bergen said, skipping into the house from playing outside.
“Who’s not where?” Nathan asked, swallowing the sandwich he’d been devouring.
“Cody left the Shanley with Carrie.”
“Oh?” Leona said, from the kitchen. “He’s gotta be angry now.”
“He’s not been worried about it before,” Tyler chimed in. “Cody alway
s comes back when its time…” He turned pale. “You sure it can’t do anything during the day?”
“Not really,” answered Eli. “Depends how well it fed this morning after it left here. How many did you check in yesterday?” Tyler didn’t answer. Eli continued, “I think I’ll get prep work done for tonight. Whether or not he goes back, I’ll have a full house.”
When he’d stepped outside, and the storm door began to close, Nathan called out, “Say hello to Carrie for me.”
Eli laughed, crossing the yard to the edge of the trench, he had never been able to get anything passed Nathan.
Rather than going the long way, he took First Street. He wanted to see whether Belphegor had put everything back the way Tyler had left it. His old car was happy not to be pushed to its limit on this trip across town but putter across the gravel as though nothing had happened the night before. He slowed, approaching Main, finding the destruction repaired; he was sure it hadn’t taken the Fallen Angel more than a second or two to fix what his pet had torn up.
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