The Raven Flies At Night

by Janine R Pestel

  Johann glanced at his friend, then looked around the room. Although the pain in his back and leg began to subside, his anger still raged. He glanced back at Robert again.

  “We may be forced to do that anyhow,” he said, “Kill the conjuror, I mean.”

  “I know,” Robert said, “I just don't want to think about it.”

  “Ow. My damned leg, man,” Johann said, as he rubbed his ankle, “That damned bastard.”

  -7-

  The next morning, the two men awoke to the sound of Johann's cell phone. He reached over and took it off the nightstand.

  “Johann here,” he said, still half asleep. After the person on the other end began to speak, His eyes popped open, and sat up on the side of his bed, almost as though catapulted. He pressed the phone to his ear and listened intently.

  “Sure. We can be there. What time,” he asked. He shot a glance at Robert, who was just waking up to the small commotion.

  “Johann, who -,” asked Robert, who was still groggy. Johann put his hand up to silence him, momentarily, as he took note of the time on the alarm clock.

  “Okay. Expect us in about a half hour. See ya then,” Johann said. He ended the conversation and placed his phone back next to the lamp. “Come on, Bob. Let's go. We gotta get to the church.”

  “What happened,” Robert said, as he threw his covers off, and got out of bed to put his clothes on.

  “Nothing happened. It was Father Nelson. He wants us at his office when that reporter, Belinda, shows up.”

  “Just what we hoped,” Robert said, “Did he say why?”

  “No. He didn't. He just said he wanted us to be with him, so we don't need to try and finagle our way in. Perfect, right?”

  “Yep. Perfect.”

  The two continued to dress, and Robert went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, so he didn't notice that Johann put on his shoulder holster with his .45 caliber handgun. Johann, of course, made no mention of it. He was well aware that guns made his friend nervous.

  A short time later, the two demon hunters arrived at the house of worship. Father Nelson opened the door to let the two inside.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said, as he led Johann and Robert into the rectory.

  The three walked into Father Nelson's office and again sat in the same seats they were in the day before.

  “What happened to you,” asked the padre, when he observed Johann's limp.

  “Oh, just a little run-in with Earl,” Johann answered.

  “ 'Incident'? You tried to crush his skull with your clodhopper boot,” said Robert. Johann smirked, “The filthy slime lucked out that I missed.”

  “You had a run in with the demon,” asked the priest.

  “A little one,” answered Johann, “Not as big as I would like.”

  “That could change things, now that he became aware of your presence.”

  “No matter. The bastard's still as gonna end up dead,” said Johann.

  The priest gazed at him for a moment, then glanced down at his desk, making sure he had everything prepared for the upcoming conference with the reporter.

  “She should be here in a few minutes,” he said, “Glad you two could make it.”

  “We saw the news last night, and when she said she was going to meet with you today, we thought we would ask you if we could be here anyway,” Johann said.

  “Yeah, we were,” Robert said.

  “I wanted you to be here because she told me she had some information that she thought I would 'find interesting,' ” the priest said, as he made air quotes with his fingers.

  “What kind of information,” asked Robert.

  “I haven't a clue. But, if you consider the circumstance here, I thought you two might also find it interesting.”

  A moment later, a young woman walked into the office. Johann and Robert immediately recognized her as Sharon, the waitress from the restaurant.

  “Gentlemen, I believe the two of you met my niece yesterday,” Father Nelson said. He gestured to the woman, as he stood up.

  “Hi, Uncle,” she said, as she kissed him on the cheek.

  “Sharon,” Johann said, as he stood up.

  “Hi, Johann. Glad you could make it,” she answered. She pulled up a chair and sat next to the two men. “I didn't go to work today. I get Tuesdays off. I understand that Mister Earl was in a particularly bad mood when he visited the restaurant today. What did you two do to him?”

  “Not as much as I would like,” answered Johann, as he glanced down at his injured leg. The pain was a reminder to him that he should try and keep his temper in check.

  He eyed Sharon and Father Nelson and realized that they were both close to the same age. So close in age, that they would pass for brother and sister, given the strong family resemblance.

  The four sat for a few minutes, making small talk when the doorbell rang. Father Nelson excused himself and went to the door. He returned a moment later with a young woman and man in tow. It was Belinda Carstone and her cameraman.

  The three entered the room and caused a distraction. No-one sighted the Raven which landed on the fence outside the window. The huge avian quickly hopped to the side, so as not to be seen. As the people inside the room spoke, the bird seemed to be very interested in the humans in the room in front of him. He cocked his head to the side, so he could better hear what was being said.

  “Please, sit, Miss Carstone,” Father Nelson said, as he sat in his chair. Belinda and her companion stood near chairs next to Johann and Robert. She glanced down at them, almost as though she tried to decide if she should trust them, or not.

  “Our apologies, Father,” she said, “We didn't mean to interrupt you in the middle of something. We can come back later.” She turned to walk away.

  “No need. Allow me to introduce you to Johann Gunter, his friend Robert, and my niece, Sharon. I took the liberty and asked them all to be here. I hope you don't mind,” said the pontiff.

  “No, of course not,” said Belinda, as she and Dave sat down in the chairs. She brushed back her long, brown hair with her fingers, and tucked it behind her ear on one side. The reporter gestured to the man on her right, “This is Dave. My friend, and cameraman.” Dave raised his hand to acknowledge everyone. They all acknowledged him back.

  “Cameraman,” asked Father Nelson. He was obviously puzzled by the lack of a camera in Dave's hand.

  “I asked him not to bring it,” Belinda said, “I didn't think it would be wise if what we need to discuss became a matter of record.”

  “And, what might that be,” asked the priest. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on his thumbs. The reporter's eyes jumped around the room, nervously.

  “Well, it's about the suicides, the babies, and everything,” she said, her hands began to fly about in gestures.

  “Babies,” asked the priest.

  “In Bucktown. The babies who died in Bucktown the last few weeks,” she answered.

  “What about them,” asked Johann. Belinda gazed at him for a moment, then down at her lap, and finally to her companion.

  “We had reported on this stuff for a while now -,” she said, as she gestured to herself, and Dave

  “I know. You and Simon. My favorite show,” Johann said, as he interrupted her.

  “Of course,” she said, “Thank you. Anyway, as I said, We had reported on this stuff for a while now, and something's just not right.”

  “How's that,” asked Father Nelson.

  “It all started when I reported on the case of a woman who disappeared about five years ago. Her fiancé had been killed in a battle in the Middle East, and shortly after that, she disappeared. No one had any idea what happened to her. From what I can determine, no one had seen, or heard from her since then.”

  Robert peered at Johann, his mouth open in amazement at the coincidence.

  “Her name was Theresa,” Johann said. Belinda turned to him, surprised.

  “You remember that report?”

  “No
. I was there. The woman who disappeared was -,” he paused and glanced at the floor as though summoning the strength, then turned back to the reporter, “Is…my sister. Go on. What happened after that?”

  “After that, some very strange things began to happen, and I had some really strange dreams,” the reporter said.

  “What kind of strange things,” asked Robert.

  “Really strange,” said Dave, “Like one time, we were on assignment, and she suddenly got this headache. She went to the truck to sit down, and when she came back, all she said was 'watch out for the challenger.' I had no idea what she meant until about an hour later when we were on our way back to the studio, and we almost got into an accident with -,”

  “Let me guess. A black Dodge Challenger,” Johann said, as he finished the sentence for Dave.

  “Yeah, exactly. A black Dodge Challenger. It seemed like it came out of nowhere, and was aimed right at us. If she didn't see it coming, we'd probably be dead now.”

  “No. Bob and I had run-ins with that same car. Several, in fact. Believe me; if it meant to kill you, it wouldn't miss,” Johann said. “About your dreams; Do you remember anything?”

  “I remember some things. Sometimes the dreams become really strange. When that happens, they always seem to direct me to a story somehow, to report on.”

  “You dream about things that ultimately really happen,” asked Johann.

  “No. Not exactly. It's more like I dream about a place. For instance, just before we came here, I dreamed that Dave and I were out on a boat on a lake. All of a sudden, a terrific storm blew up, and we ran aground. I looked around and realized dead people surrounded me. Then, I saw a sign that said Mountainview. The moment I woke up, I called Dave and told him we had to come here. I couldn't tell him why, but I just knew that we did.”

  “Theresa ever been in any of your dreams,” asked Johann.

  “I can't say, for sure. Now and then, I run would into someone who told me her name was Theresa. I just don't know if it was her or not,” answered Belinda. She turned her attention back to Father Nelson. “So, because of the dreams, I wanted to meet with you. This whole thing had gotten me scared. I almost feel like I must be clairvoyant, or something. It's started to drive me crazy, and I couldn't see where else to turn except to a priest. When we met yesterday, I just had a really good vibe about you.”

  “I wouldn't call you a clairvoyant. More like a conduit,” said Johann.

  “A conduit,” asked Belinda, the look on her face made it obvious she was confused and showed her unfamiliarity with the term.

  “A conduit,” Johann said, “Spirits, and demons. They use people like you as conduits, to bridge the gap between their world, and ours. In this case, more specifically; talk to me.”

  “Why me? We never met before.”

  “No, we didn't. But, I'm familiar with you, because I watch your newscast with Simon every night. I did, ever since you reported on my sister, and the demon's aware of that. Every time you reported strange occurrences from somewhere, I would go to that city or town. Sure enough, I always found a demon at the root of the problem.”

  “A demon,” Belinda said, as she caught her breath, and placed her hand on her chest.

  “Yes, Belinda. Believe it, or not; a demon,” said Father Nelson.

  “I can vouch for that,” said Sharon, “I work for him. The demon, I mean.” Belinda glanced at her. “I don't mean I do his bidding,” Sharon tried to explain, “I mean that literally; I work for him. He owns the restaurant where I work.”

  The fear in the reporter grew, and her eyes got wide. Her heart raced. She began to tremble visibly. Johann reached out to her and placed his hand on hers. She found his touch to be soothing.

  “Relax. We won't let anything happen to you,” he said. She searched his eyes, without saying a word.

  “Bob and I can protect you,” Johann said, “I started hunting demons when my sister disappeared five years ago. I found the demons through your news broadcast. When something didn't sound right, I would go and investigate. Sure enough, most of the time, a demon was involved. Remember that time that small town had a sudden rash of stolen gold jewelry?”

  Belinda nodded, as she remembered the incident.

  “It was a Toyol; A mischievous little demon that steals things. All those cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Bucktown? A demon, again. And, right now, in this town; we have another demon. The only difference; this town came under attack by a very powerful demon.”

  Belinda turned to Dave who fidgeted, nervously, in his chair. Some sweat began to bead on his brow, and he blessed himself.

  “Jesus Christ. A demon,” Dave said. He glanced at Father Nelson, who had his eyes locked on the cameraman. Dave stared at the priest when he realized he just spoke out loud.

  “Sorry Father,” he said.

  “It's okay, my son,” Father Nelson said. He tried his best to console the frightened man.

  “So, I guess we would be in a lot of danger,” asked Belinda.

  “Probably not,” Johann said, “They need you, to communicate with me. I think it's me they want.”

  “ 'Probably,' ” asked Belinda, as she paraphrased what Johann said. Johann glanced at her.

  “One thing you must always remember about demons. They give no guarantees on anything,” he said.

  “Oh, crap,” Dave whispered, “I hate 'no guarantees'.”

  “Now that you know the truth, maybe we can use that to our advantage. Maybe we can somehow work together,” Johann said.

  “Work together? How,” asked Belinda.

  “We can use your dreams to gain a bit of an advantage on the demons. As soon as you wake up from one of those dreams, call me immediately. Tell me where the dream took place, and Bob and I can head there. With any luck, we'll arrive before much damage can be done. Once we all get on site, stay close to us, and we'll keep you and Dave safe.”

  “You, can keep us safe, from a demon,” asked Belinda. Her voice sounded almost sarcastic. Somehow, this didn't sound to her like something that would be possible.

  “Yes. Don't worry. I can keep you safe. I can at least guarantee that.”

  “Trust him,” Robert said, “He kept me safe when we fought the demon in Bucktown. I didn't think it was possible, but we made it.”

  “I don't know,” Belinda said, as she looked at Dave, “I think Dave and I need to talk this over first.” Dave gazed at Belinda and nodded in agreement.

  “Look. Even though I think it's important for the four of us to work together, I don't want to force you two into something that you might not be comfortable with. Hell, it may even be very dangerous. If you need to talk it over, you go ahead. Just remember that lives may depend on your decision.”

  Belinda again turned to Dave. “No pressure,” she said, as she rolled her eyes. They exchanged facial gestures for a few moments, as though they communicated by facial expressions. After a few moments, Dave gave a small nod, and Belinda turned back to Johann.

  “Okay, we'll work with you guys,” she said. Johann let out a sigh of relief and smiled slightly.

  “Great. Welcome to our 'team',” he said. He reached out, and placed his hand on Belinda's, “I guess we should fill you in on everything, and bring you up to speed.”

  “That would help,” Dave said.

  “This ain't no ordinary demon in this town. This demon comes from royalty. Known as Earl Raum, he ranks as an Earl of Hell. He brings depression to people and degradation to a town. His mission here; primarily to destroy this town and the people in it. For him to be here, though, he must be conjured by someone with a vendetta against this town. Someone in a bad state of mind; someone, pretty much, like the homeless guy who got himself shot yesterday.” Johann paused and leaned a little forward, toward Belinda, “You wouldn't, by any chance, be able to divulge any more information on that guy, would you?”

  “Well, they don't call me an investigative reporter for nothing,” she answered, “I did do some more di
gging, and found out a little more information about him. Do you really think that guy could do something like this?”

  “I don't know,” Johann answered, “But right now, Blakey Boy's our 'prime suspect.' ” Belinda takes a small notebook out of her purse and opens it.

  “His name's Blake Harris. He was born, and raised, in Massachusetts. He came here several years ago and started a small business as a contractor. He had an accident on the job one day, and it left him unable to work. Things went downhill from there, and now he, for some reason, blames the town for what happened to him.”

  “Great information. Thanks a bunch,” Johann said.

  “Do you happen to know what his room number in the hospital,” asked Robert.

  “Sure,” Belinda replied, as she glanced down at her notes, “Third floor. Room number three seventeen.”

  “He was taken there after a crime had been committed, so I assume he would be under police guard in his room,” asked Johann. Belinda glanced down at her notes once again.

  “Oddly,” she said, “No.”

  “Hmm… odd,” Robert said, as he furrowed his brow, and stroked his mustache.

  “But, Good news for us,” Johann said. He turned to Robert and put his arm around his friend's shoulders. “So, we can get in our car, and go see our buddy, Blake,” Johann said, with his best Boston accent.

  “Do you know the hospital visitation hours,” asked Johann.

  “They didn't put him in the ICU, or anything like that, so it would be regular hours,” Belinda said.

  “The hours go from nine in the morning until nine at night,” said Father Nelson. Johann turned to face him.

  “Thanks. We'll go there right after we leave here. With any luck, we'll bring Mister Earl's reign of terror on this town to a dead halt in no time. How do we get to the hospital from here,” asked Johann.

  “Continue up Spring Street the way you came from your motel. Make the first right, and it's straight up that block. You can't miss it,” answered Sharon.

  Johann and Robert stood up to leave. They glanced around at everyone.

  “Thanks for the information,” Johann said to Belinda, as he shook her hand, “And, again, welcome to 'the team.' Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, as he took a card and pen out of his pocket and began to write. “Here's my phone number. Call if you guys need anything, okay,” he said as he handed the card to Belinda.