The Altar

by James Arthur Anderson

  “Why are we stopping? Are you lost?”

  Erik took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Look, Agent Thralls,” he said. “I know you don’t buy this supernatural stuff. And I’m ok with that, at least for now. But I told you, I can’t draw you a map. I can’t just lead you there by sight. I have to find it by feel. So just bear with me and be patient. I don’t even know if it’ll work.”

  “Ok,” Thralls said.

  Once again, Erik let his mind go blank and allowed his senses to take over. He heard the sounds of the birds, felt the whisper of the breeze. He could even sense the insects in the ground and on the trees.

  And, in the distance, he could feel the sacrificial stone, like a magnetic pole repulsing and attracting at the same time. It felt stronger this time, and he didn’t know whether to be relieved or to be terrified.

  “I have it,” he whispered. “Follow me.”

  Slowly, he made his way through the forest, walking as silently as the experienced SWAT officers. His eyes were closed tightly, but he was still able to sense the trees, the bushes, and the rise and fall of the ground beneath him. It was a powerful feeling, a talent he never knew he had. Then again, it was probably something everyone had, if only they knew how to use it. Dovecrest had opened his eyes to this, figuratively speaking, and now it had become a part of him.

  He felt the sun dropping lower on the horizon, but he knew there was plenty of time until darkness set in, so he took his time, moving slowly and carefully. Some part of him wondered if the thing had orchestrated all of this, and that he was part of some master plan. He couldn’t worry about that now, though. He had to do something, and this was the only thing he knew of right now.

  He thought of Vickie and Todd and hoped they would be all right. Pastor Mark had agreed to stay with them until this was over, and that made Erik feel more secure.

  He felt the field open up before him, and only then did he open his eyes. Sure enough, the altar stone was positioned exactly in the middle of a field of neatly cut grass.

  “There’s your stone,” Erik said.

  Thralls rubbed his hand across his brow, rubbing away beads of sweat.

  “Why can’t we see this from the air?” he asked no one in particular. “We’ve had helicopters out this way and no one’s seen anything like this.”

  “Like I told you,” Erik said. “It moves.”

  Thralls shook his head, then looked back at the dozen officers who had come up behind them.

  “Ok, you men. Take positions equidistant around the stone. Stay back in the woods and remain concealed. We don’t want to tip them off.”

  Erik watched as the officers literally disappeared into the woods. He watched as the one closest to him scaled up the trunk of a tree and disappeared into the foliage. Within minutes, they were completely invisible in the forest.

  “Ok,” Thralls said. “Now you and I need to disappear. Unless you’d rather go back home.”

  “Not on your life,” Erik replied. “I need to see this through. I don’t care how long it takes or how many nights I’m out here.”

  But something inside him told him that tonight he’d see some real fireworks.

  4

  The growth on his neck was becoming so obvious that it was becoming difficult for Seti to go out in public. At the same time, the monster was becoming more demanding. Killing the cop had only wet its appetite and made it furious that the other one had escaped.

  “The time has come!” it demanded. “I’ve waited long enough. Tonight is the night I become whole!”

  Seti knew that meant he had to find a new sacrifice. The younger and the more innocent, the better. It also meant that a turning point had come for him. After tonight, he would either be free of the monster and receive the reward he had been promised, or else it would destroy him completely. His life had become so unbearable now that he didn’t particularly care which outcome happened. Anything was better than what he was already enduring.

  He decided to take Crissy with him tonight. She, at least, could be seen in public without people throwing up. The thing on his neck had become so grotesque that he could no longer even look in the mirror, and efforts to cover it up just weren’t working. So he tucked his Glock under his shirt and into his belt, grabbed Crissy by the hand, and tossed her into the van.

  “Where are we going?” she whined.

  It was obvious that even his own followers didn’t want to be around him now. The girls, especially, were repulsed and avoided him. Hell, he repulsed himself-what did he expect?

  “Never mind,” he said. “We’re going to get some fresh meat. Unless you’d rather be on the menu tonight.”

  The blonde wrinkled her nose, but got into the van.

  “We don’t have much time,” he said. “I want to get back before dark. The thing’s hungry tonight. Real hungry.”

  “That’s right,” the monster said. “You don’t want to keep me waiting.”

  Seti started the van and slowly backed up, then turned around. They’d made camp in the forest at the end of a narrow dirt trail that exited to a dirt road that, eventually, led to Route 102. Seti never would have found the place if the voice hadn’t led him to it. He wasn’t even sure anyone else could find it, which was probably the only reason the cops hadn’t caught them by now.

  He drove for awhile, then turned down Farmington Road. If only he could get that pregnant woman. That would be a two for one. He drove slowly by the house, but noticed several vehicles parked in front and in the driveway. Cops, he thought. He could smell them a mile away.

  “We’ll save her for later,” the thing said. “After tonight, nothing will be able to stop me.”

  “When are you going to do something about that thing on your neck?” Crissy said. “You should have it looked at. It’s gross.”

  “I’m taking care of it tonight,” Seti replied. “Now shut the fuck up.”

  “Hey, I’m just trying to help.”

  Seti turned around and headed back to the plaza on Route 102. He had avoided the area in the past. You don’t shit where you eat, he’d always been told. But after tonight none of that would matter. The thing would be too powerful to stop. He pulled in at the Dairy Mart and parked the van.

  “You want to help? Then shut up and do what I tell you.”

  Seti hunched down in the seat a little and waited. It was just 6:30, a busy time for the convenience store. He watched as a middle-aged man came out. Then a fat lady. A car pulled up and a younger man in a business suit got out and hurried into the store. Probably one of those investment assholes, Seti thought, picking up a frozen dinner or something. A few minutes later, he came back out with a small bag and drove away. Then finally, he saw what he was looking for.

  He could tell by the car, a luxury SUV, that its occupant was a young mother-one of those soccer Moms who’s husband probably worked three jobs in order to be able to buy expensive shit they had and left her to cart the kids around to baseball practice, dance recitals, and whatever it was that spoiled yuppie kids did these days. Yeah, this one would be perfect.

  His suspicions were confirmed when the slightly overweight and dowdy Mom got out of the car with a spoiled teenage girl in tow-probably about 16 years old or so. Actually, the woman wouldn’t be so bad looking if she cleaned herself up a bit and didn’t try so hard to look like supermom with the me-ma long dress and sensible shoes. Hey, lady, how about some makeup and a trip to the hair stylist, he thought. The daughter was much better looking though, dressed like a slut in a short denim skirt that rode up the back of her soft, white ass.

  “She’s the one,” he said to Crissy.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “When she comes out of the store you go up to her and ask for help. You’re a college student and you’re having car trouble. Get her over to the van. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  He patted the gun in his belt for emphasis.

  “Now get out and look pathetic until she comes back out of the store.�
�

  Crissy was, if nothing else, good at looking stupid and helpless, and her act worked like a charm. Seti hunched down in the back of the van and watched the woman and her slutty daughter come over.

  “Maybe you could help me,” Crissy was saying. “I’ve got some jumper cables inside….”

  Seti waited until Crissy opened the door, and then he timed his move, grabbing the kid first, covering her mouth with one hand and putting the gun to her head.

  “Lady, get inside or I blow the kid’s brains out.”

  The woman’s mouth dropped open. She looked like she wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find her voice, and by then Crissy was pushing her inside. Seti motioned her to sit on the floor.

  “You drive,” he said to Crissy, who shut the back door.

  It was as simple as taking candy from a baby.

  5

  Erik had no idea how difficult it was to sit still. Thralls had found a relatively comfortable spot for them behind some trees, and had wrapped them both up in camouflage materials so they’d fit in. But as the minutes turned to hours, his back had begin to hurt, then he’d started to itch everywhere. His legs fell asleep, his feet cramped up and he constantly fought back the urge to sneeze. It was a miserable experience, especially when the sun went down and the mosquitoes showed up in battalions. He couldn’t talk, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even imagine what was going to go down tonight. The waiting was almost unbearable. The suspense and the anticipation were driving him crazy. And the worst part, he felt like he always had to go to the bathroom. He didn’t know how the SWAT teams did it. They must have been specially trained just to hold their bladders.

  He flipped the switch on his digital watch to see the time. It was 11:35 at night, just ten minutes since he’d checked last. Jay Leno would just be starting his monologue, and the news of the day would be over. He’d been here for hours but it seemed like days. And who knew if anything even was going to happen. The demon had already killed once today. Why would it strike again so soon? Still, something warned him that it would happen tonight.

  He thought he heard a scuffling in the trees and wondered if it were the breeze, or maybe one of these elite officers was as restless as he was. He would have found the thought somehow comforting. He relaxed for a moment and then realized that something was moving through the field ahead of him. It was a line of people wearing white robes and carrying torches. It reminded him of the Ku Klux Klan rally he’d seen years ago in Washington when a dozen or so clan members marched and the government had to close down the entire city to protect them from protesters. This group looked almost as pathetic.

  He looked more closely, trying to make out details through the flickering of the torch flames. He recognized the leader-the thing on his head was almost the size of a basketball now, and it flopped unceremoniously from side to side as he walked. It was almost comical, because he tried to walk slowly and dignified, like a professor at commencement exercises, but the thing on his neck made it look all the more ridiculous. Erik almost laughed. Perhaps he had given these idiots more credit than they deserved. Maybe Collins had just lost his marbles for the moment, and these fools had no more power than a defrocked priest.

  Then he noticed a naked woman and teenage girl, being led along by the group. The two looked as if they had been beaten and perhaps drugged. They seemed to have no mind of their own as they walked along, flanked on either side by tall men in white robes.

  Erik looked around quickly to see what the reaction of the police would be. So far, though, they did nothing.

  Erik counted twelve others in white robes in addition to the leader. They slowly circled the altar stone with the leader taking his place at the stone’s head. He nodded and the woman and girl were placed on the stone. They huddled together, holding one another for warmth and comfort. Only now did they seem to be aware of their surroundings. He heard the girl begin to whimper.

  “Please let her go,” the woman said. “She’s just a child.”

  Erik heard a click, followed by a bird call, the signal that the troops were about to move into action. Thank God, he thought. The last thing he needed was to witness another killing today, particularly that of an innocent woman and her child. He held his breath and waited.

  The leader raised his hands up over his head and shouted a brief chant. Erik could feel the troops moving, inching forward. But he could also feel something else, something sinister. A mist appeared out of nowhere just as the SWAT Team moved forward. The cult leader turned to look at the advancing troops, then closed his eyes. His head slumped to the side on his shoulders, and the growth on his neck seemed to straighten up and come to life.

  “Halt!” Thralls shouted. “No one move! We have you surrounded.”

  The leader held his hands over his head for a moment, as if obeying the command. Then he took a step forward into the sacrificial stone. At first, Erik thought it was a trick of the light, or the mist, or of his own fatigue or nerves. The growth on the leader’s neck was forming into a definite shape now, and the leader took another step into the stone. The entire lower half of his body, from the waist down, absorbed itself into the stone.

  The woman and girl began to scream in agony as the thing came toward them, rippling through the stone like a tidal wave. Someone opened fire on the leader, but if the shot hit, it had no effect. Other shots rang out, and the twelve followers in white robes began to scream and scatter. One of them jerked backward and dropped; a smear of blood appeared on his back. Another was shot in the head and dropped. But still the leader advanced across the terrible stone like a ripple through a still pond.

  The scene was a war zone now. The victims on the slab screamed in agony as they, too, were literally absorbed by this thing that had turned into a monster. It was growing larger and was glowing a bright red, like a hot piece of coal in a campfire. The original leader’s head had all but disappeared into the molten mass the creature had become. Erik could just see the tiny face contorted in the worst kind of agony imaginable. The SWAT team peppered the thing with gunfire, but the bullets seemed to pass straight through, or were absorbed into the stone itself, which had also become like molten lava.

  The woman and her daughter burst into sudden flames, and the demon rose up like a rearing cobra, spitting flame like poison. Erik watched in horror as the flame hit an officer, immediately transforming him into a red-hot inferno. He felt another shot of flame pass just to his right where it caught a fleeing officer and incinerated him on the spot. The heat from the blast singed the hair on Erik’s right arm as he’d held it over his face.

  He snuck a quick look back at the altar stone. It resembled a huge funeral pyre now as the stone, the sacrificial victims, and the demon all burned with an intense fury, lighting up the night sky. The SWAT team had given up the fight now, and were either dead, dying, or running for their lives. Erik had no idea what happened to Thralls, and didn’t wait around to find out. Dovecrest was right. This was no ordinary battle. His only chance was to escape, regroup, and determine how to destroy this thing before it really was too late.

  He looked back once as he ran and saw what looked like the entire forest engulfed in flames. Then again, maybe it already was too late, he thought grimly.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  1

  Erik had no idea how he found his way through the woods and back home. His survival was strictly due to luck and not based on any special skills or abilities of his own. As far as he could tell, the entire SWAT team had been destroyed in a horrible attack of flame, molten lava and brimstone. It was as if the gates of hell themselves had opened and exploded like a volcano into the woods. The demon was definitely ready now, having absorbed the power from the stone as well as two new victims and the body of the cult leader.

  He found the path leading to his backyard, and only when he saw the lights from the house did he realize where he was. He had suffered burns on his right arm, and had scratched himself badly on his flight through the woods. His clothes we
re covered with a coating of black ash, and his pants had been ripped in several places. In short, he looked like he’d survived a fierce battle. In point of fact, he had.

  Vickie saw him first, as she looked through the glass sliding doors in the kitchen. Though he couldn’t hear her, he saw her throw her hands up in the air and come running out. Pastor Mark followed. Todd, he guessed, was already in bed.

  She ran through the haze of the backyard flood lights and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed, looking at him. “Erik, what happened!”

  “It’s a long story,” he said. “The…the demon. It is real. It destroyed the SWAT team. I don’t know how I got away.”

  “Erik, what are you talking about?”

  “Vickie, this thing is much worse that just a cult. I should have told you sooner….”

  “There will be time to explain all of that later,” Pastor Mark said. “Right now we need to look to our own safety.”

  Erik struggled to find the right words. “It…came to life. Took form. It was…fire and brimstone. I think they’re all dead. All of the police.”

  “Did it follow you?”

  “No. I don’t think so. But I don’t know what it will do next.”

  “Ok,” Mark said. “I’m going to call the State Police and put them on alert. Vickie, you go and get Todd ready.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “For right now at least, I think we’d be safer at the church.”

  Vickie nodded. “Erik, go clean up as best you could and put something on those burns. Just do it quickly.”

  “Ok. But Mark are the State Police actually going to believe us?”

  “They will when they can’t raise their SWAT team on the radio. And when they don’t come back out of the woods.”

  “Right. Let’s go, then. I’m afraid we’re too close to the action here.”