“You can’t possibly remember everything you read on the subject. Here, take this one and I will use the laptop,” said Michael.
“Look, it is time I reveal a few things to you guys. I am not what I appear to be,” said Angelica.
“Tell us something we don’t know. We already knew you were keeping secrets from us,” said Michael. Before she could answer, their focus was drawn to a blood curling noise echoing in the hallway. “What in the devil is that?”
“You answer correctly, Michael. Now take the professor and move to a safe location while I check it out,” said Angelica, moving toward the door. The weird sound continued. Even the professor, a normally composed individual, was disturbed by the sound.
“What if you need my help?” asked Michael, jumping to his feet.
“Do as she says, Michael. I perceive Angelica knows what she is doing in this case,” said the professor, taking the young man by the arm. They quickly moved into the storage closet, designed to be a safe room, and bolted the door. However, upon Michael’s persistence, they unlatched the door and peeked outside. Immediately he regretted his actions and froze as he examined the creatures. Unlike the night before, these beasts were down right ugly. They had no resemblance of humans and yet they definitely were not like any animal he had ever seen. These weird beings had bony heads and razor sharp teeth with large eyes the color of fire. Skinny legs and huge feet with a long tail that touched the floor caught Michael’s attention. But, most disturbing was the fact that they could change their shape at will, almost ghostlike. His curiosity immediately turned to fright as he entertained the idea they may come after him next.
“What in the hell are those things?” asked Michael, quickly closing the door back. However, he could not fight off the urge to take a second look. This was a big mistake as he quickly discovered. “Crap, they saw me.”
“Do we need to help, Angelica?” asked the professor, out of concern.
“I am not going out there.”
“It can’t be that bad. Open the door and let me help our friend.”
“Be my guest, but I refuse to go out there. Something weird is going on here,” said Michael, moving away from the door. However, his insistence even caused the professor to doubt.
When the distinguished gentleman peeked outside, there was a startled look on his face. “Are they human?” he asked, turning to face his companion.
Taking matters into his own hand, Michael quickly closed the door for the professor. “Didn’t you see them?” he asked.
“Just barely. It seems you were so anxious to close the door that I didn’t get a good look.” Michael thought for a moment, and his gaze shifted to the crack underneath the door that was allowing a slim stream of light to shine on their feet. Could those weird, ghost-like spirits enter through that narrow opening? Suddenly a loud thump on the wooden structure brought into question as to whether or not the creatures had killed Angelica and were now coming for them. When the knob turned, they prepared to die.
Chapter 4
Gently tapping on the door to the storage closest in the professor’s classroom, Angelica calmly said, “You can come out now.” However, the brave men were not convinced.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” asked Michael, reluctantly, feeling much safer behind the closed door.
“Of course, have I ever lied to you?” asked Angelica.
“I don’t suppose so, but there is always a first time,” insisted Michael.
“Maybe for you, but not so for me. I can’t lie and I have already told you that, remember?” After glancing back and forth at each other, the men finally decided to give it a try. They slowly emerged from the cramped quarters to face the music or demons in this case.
“Where did they go?” asked Michael, scanning the room. Not waiting for an answer, he asked a second question. “Better yet, what are they?”
“That was just a handful of underlings, not really any danger to us,” said Angelica.
“That is not how they looked to me,” argued Michael.
“How would you know?”
“We saw them,” said Michael.
“Did I not instruct you to find a place to hide and stay there? Why do you keep disobeying me?” asked Angelica, obviously disturbed that her instructions had not been followed.
“You didn’t tell us not to look,” argued Michael.
“Did they see you?” asked Angelica. When he didn’t answer, she knew it was bad. “Well so much for keeping you out of this. Tell me you didn’t look them in the eyes,” said Angelica. Again he dropped his head without answering. “Michael that is one thing you should never do. They can enter your soul by staring into your eyes.”
“Well, as you can see, I am fine,” he said, extending his arms and turning in a circle to prove his point. Then, suddenly his eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he began to shake violently.
Immediately Angelica knew action must be taken in order to save Michael. With tears in her eyes, she turned to face the professor. “You may want to look away while I do this,” said Angelica. However, she was startled by the young man laughing hysterically. It took a moment but soon she realized Michael had pulled a fast one. A firm lick on the back of his head quickly brought the laughter under control. “You are sick.”
“I am sorry, Angelica, but the devil made me do it,” said Michael.
“Don’t talk like that, ever. That is exactly what I am trying to protect you from,” said Angelica. This was a sobering thought for the men folk.
“So that’s what we are fighting here, the devil?” asked Michael, bringing his serious side to the forefront.
“Yes, among a host of demons, some of this world and many from another,” said Angelica in a serious tone. The look in her eyes was very convincing, and he decided to hear her out. “There is going to be a battle, and I am sent here to protect you and the professor.”
“Why us? What importance do we play in this so-called battle?” asked Michael, totally confused.
“It’s a long story, and we don’t have time to get into it right now,” said Angelica.
However, this had garnered the attention of the professor, who until now had listened quietly to the discussion. With this new information, he was ready for answers as well. “I am canceling classes. We need to talk,” said Dr. Blanchard.
“You can’t do that on such short notice. Besides, I have something in mind that we need to check out,” said Angelica.
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” said the professor.
“Just get used to it. From this day forward, it only gets worse,” said Angelica.
“What does that have to do with my students?” asked the professor.
“Surely you don’t think those demons are not wise to you. They have been watching you long before I showed up and as for Michael even before he was born,” said Angelica.
“You are serious, aren’t you,” said Michael.
“It would be wise to listen to me. Always remember the fact that I cannot lie. So to answer your question, I am dead serious,” said Angelica.
The startling revelation sent his mind in a tantrum. “What are you anyway? Are you really alive?” asked Michael.
“Why don’t you see for yourself,” said Angelica.
“And just how do you propose I do that?”
“Touch me. I am flesh and blood like you,” said Angelica.
“Are you trying to set me up again? I thought you didn’t want me touching you,” said Michael.
“That only applies when I am called upon to defend you from the demons. During my transformation it’s too dangerous because I don’t know how it will affect you, at least not yet,” said Angelica. A look of distrust followed. “Go ahead and I will explain it later.” She held out her arm with skin exposed. The young man decided to take her at her word. After all, she couldn’t lie, or so she said. However, a thought came to mind as a smile slowly covered his face. Before Angelica could determine what he was up to,
she found his arms wrapped tightly around her. “What are you doing?”
“You said touch you, and I figured this is an offer I couldn’t refuse,” said Michael, squeezing her tightly. Now standing cheek to cheek with their chests pressing together, Michael was convinced she was indeed human.
“Okay, that’s enough, Michael. Turn me loose,” said Angelica. When his hands began to move slowly down her back, she pushed him away. “Michael! Please tell me you weren’t thinking of carnal matters. You can’t do that with me.”
“I am sorry, Angelica. The devil made me do it,” said Michael with a chuckle.
“That’s not funny and you know it. I already warned you about talking like that.”
“What harm is there in me referring to the devil?”
“You can mention him, just not in the sense that you are controlled by the devil. When I hear you say that, it brings back memories . . .” She paused and quickly decided not to continue.
“What are you keeping from us, Angelica?” asked the professor. For a moment it appeared she would reveal many secrets, but the discussion was interrupted by the arrival of students for the next class. As they slowly entered the auditorium, Angelica used it as an opportunity to return to her seat at the laptop. No sooner had she sat down, Michael was back to his old self once again.
“Would you please stop touching me?” whispered Angelica.
“I thought we had already settled that,” whispered Michael.
The bickering students caught the eye of several classmates. “Are those two having issues, Professor? If you need to separate them, I will sit by the beautiful girl,” said one of the male students, anxious to exchange places with Michael. Angelica greeted his offer with a smile.
The professor jokingly replied, “They will work it out. Now have a seat and be prepared for an hour of research.”
The notion of research did not sit well with the class. The students complained that they were tired of research and were ready to do something more interesting. Changing their viewpoint, Angelica said, “I figured you guys would love to study about demons. That seems to be the craze lately.”
“All right! Now you’re talking,” said several of the students. The excitement rose to a new level once the subject matter was introduced with everyone expecting this class to be enthralling.
“Before you get your hopes up, I must point out that we will be using the Bible some too. I hope there are no objections,” said the professor.
“Do we have to? Nobody can understand that book,” complained one of the students.
“Then consider it a challenge,” said the professor, not accepting any excuses from his students.
While this discussion was going on, Angelica was sizing up the students. Michael noticed her actions and decided to tease her about it. “Do you see a guy you are fond of? He won’t like it when you say, no touching.”
“Would you drop it? I have my reasons for looking them over,” said Angelica.
“Well it’s not to make out with them, I assure you,” said Michael.
“I am going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” said Angelica, looking past him while in deep thought.
“Take out your laptops and begin researching the turn of the millennium from BC to AD,” said the professor. He noticed there were no questions and decided to bring it up himself. “Did you hear me?”
“We heard you. So what are we looking for?” asked one of the female students.
“First of all did anyone notice what BC stands for?”
“It stands for before Christ,” said one of the students.
“And what does AD mean?” asked the professor.
“It is the abbreviation for Anno Domini meaning in the year of our lord. But recently those terms were altered to include CE which stands for Common Era. So what’s your point?” asked a student.
“My point is that until recently the whole world based the calendar on the religious aspects of the times. So I am assuming you would want to know why that is,” said the professor.
“The world has changed, and people no long consider the fact that everything once centered on religious matters,” said one of the students.
Angelica noticed one particular student becoming agitated. In fact, she sensed something tragic was about to happen. “Why don’t we look at this from a scientific perspective?” suggested Angelica.
“Good idea,” agreed the professor, perceiving she had a motive for doing this.
“If you use the Bible to trace the world’s origin, we can only account for 5500 years or possibly 6000 maximum by some accounts. Most scientists believe the world has been around for millions of years,” said Angelica. This idea seemed to appease the student that she was most concerned about. The professor noticed the change and realized his underling had acted wisely.
“But, remember there are more things written concerning demons in religious publications than anywhere else. If we ignore that, we will certainly miss some valuable information,” said the professor.
“Now that we have settled this little contention, I would like to mention something that has always intrigued me,” said one of the female students.
“Knock yourself out,” said the professor, taking a seat in a chair next to his podium.
“If the Bible accounts of demons during the early Christian era are indeed accurate, then where are they now?”
“They are all around us. Just look at the world, and you will surely get your answer,” said one of the students.
“Are you trying to tell us that demons exist, and there could be one among us at this very moment?” asked a student. The classroom erupted in chaos.
“Okay, hold it down and let’s discuss the matter,” said the professor.
“I will be outside when you guys are finished,” said a young lady, obviously disturbed as this struck an emotional cord with her.
“We all need to calm down. Nobody is accusing anyone of being a demon. In fact, that is the purpose of this study. We are all searching for answers, and that can only happen if we keep an open mind,” said the professor. The young lady calmed down and took her seat to hear him out. “Julie has brought up a good point. Now let’s see if we can find the answers to her questions. Something was going on during the early AD’s, just what is for us to determine by conducting a thorough investigation of that timeframe.
“People seem to think there were demons or devils, and even one was referred to as Satan who roamed about the earth. In fact, demons were cast out in one instance, and they entered swine before drowning themselves in the sea. This was such a troubling event that the people of the area begged the one that had cast them out to leave their coasts and go elsewhere. Why is it we have a hard time accepting that when today there are exorcists among us that claim to do the same thing?” asked the professor.
“Yeah and they are scary,” said one of the girls.
“But you still flock to the theaters to watch them do just that. Now admit it,” said the professor.
“I admit it. And to be truthful, it looks so real I can’t sleep afterwards,” said one of the girls. Laughter erupted and the professor indulged their folly.
“Okay, there you go,” said the professor. “Let’s study this with an open mind. Suppose we are making a movie. Do the research so your material will be convincing. If we do that, perhaps we will uncover many truths.”
“Professor, I think I found what you referred to earlier,” said one student, reading from his computer. “The biblical account says the demons asked the Messiah ‘What do we have to do with you Jesus of Nazareth?’ He commanded them to come out of the people they were possessing. The demons supposedly said, ‘Then allow us to go into the swine.’ He said, ‘Go.’ And they immediately left the person and entered the swine. That is when the swine ran violently into the sea and drowned. This disturbed the inhabitants of the land, and they entreated them to leave their coasts. Of course they did just that,” said the student, looking up from his screen. The read
ing confirmed what the professor had already told them.
Upon hearing that account of the incident, Angelica noticed one of the students becoming very disturbed. The professor sensed something was wrong; but before either of them could head it off, the student began speaking in a loud blood curling tone. It was so loud and annoying that many covered their ears. Suddenly the student began shaking violently while screaming in an unknown dialect. This frightening episode sent the other students scrambling for the exit. Seconds later they were out the door, leaving behind the trio of researchers with one student.
Chapter 5
Standing in dismay, the professor, Michael, and Angelica quickly noticed the student that had caused the commotion was now lying on the floor. With his eyes rolled completely back in the socket and speaking in an unknown language, the demonic spirit provided some sort of warning. Michael turned to make eye contact with the professor. Neither of them had any idea what was going on, but whatever it was disturbed them. Yet, for the sake of their friend, they fought off the urge to run away. But listening to the babbling did nothing to ease their concerns.
Only Angelica was privy to what was being spoken. Michael and the professor could only watch, being afraid to speak out of fear of distracting Angelica. Obviously the spirit had something important to say, and neither of them wanted to miss it. Finally, the frightening episode ended, leaving the room filled with silence. The student lay perfectly still with his eyes closed.
Unable to hold back any longer, Michael was the first to speak. “What in the hell just happened?” Before she could answer the victim’s eyes popped wide open, and the student leapt from the floor to run out the door. They could only watch in dismay. “We are in a heap of trouble now.”
“I hate to break it to you like this, but we were in a heap of trouble before this incidence,” said Angelica. Looking to the professor, she asked, “Do you think the students will ever come back to classes?”
“They will be okay. Just leave it to me,” said the professor. Sensing he had a plan, the others attempted to relax.
Zombies Page 5
