Night Mares

by Janine R Pestel

  Johann got the packages of salt and some of the empty shell casings. He placed them on the table between himself and Robert.

  “How do we make these things?” asked Robert.

  “Watch. I’ll show you,” answered Johann.

  He proceeded to open one of the empty shell casings. Using a teaspoon kept in his bags for occasions such as this, Johann filled the casing with salt. When it was full, he tapped the bottom of the shell on the table to pack the salt as tightly as possible. He then added more salt and tapped the bottom until there was no more room for any salt. He then closed the top of the casing and placed the now loaded shell on the side and looked at Robert.

  “Like that. Easy, right?” Johann said.

  “Yeah. It looked pretty easy. Let me try,” said Robert.

  Johann handed him a teaspoon and watched Robert’s first attempt to load one of the shells. He was quite impressed that his friend’s first time loading a shell went well and without any hitches.

  “I’m proud of ya,” Johann said. “Ya did good.”

  The two demon hunters spent the next hour making salt shells. As they worked Robert realized it was bringing back memories.

  “You know. I did this a few times when I was a kid,” Robert said.

  “When you were a kid? You made salt shells? I thought you said you never heard of ‘em?” Johann said.

  “Not salt shells. When I was a kid, dad took Johnny and me hunting a few times. He showed us how to make buckshot and birdshot shells. This is bringing back some memories of great times with Johnny and Dad.

  “The first time he took us, I couldn’t have been more than fourteen years old. After —we made the shells, he took us to the beach so we could shoot out at the open water. Just to get a feel for it.

  “When I took that first shot—Wow—I landed on my ass. My shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch for a week. I wasn’t expecting that. Of course, Johnny had to keep patting me on my shoulder all week. As if he didn’t know what kind of pain I was in.” Robert chuckled. “When it happened, I was pissed that Dad and Johnny laughed so hard.”

  When they were finished, they had several dozen. Johann took them and placed them on some belts that he had specially altered to hold shotgun shells.

  Robert was feeling pretty proud of himself for grasping so quickly how to make salt shells. It at least kept his mind off what they would be doing in just a little while. But now that the shells were all made, he could feel his adrenaline rushing. His muscles twitched, and he felt an emptiness in the pit of his stomach. He reached a trembling hand out to Johann.

  “I don’t mind telling you I’m a little scared right now,” he said. Johann looked at him with compassion in his eyes.

  “I know you are, Bob. That’s what that slime was counting on when he showed himself to you in that bathroom. Just do your best to put him out of your mind. You have to keep a clear head when we get to that church.”

  The two demon hunters grabbed all their equipment and headed out to the car. They stowed the gear in the back seat, and Johann started the vehicle.

  “You have to remember, Bob. There is the possibility that we won’t find anything at the church ruins anyway. Which might actually be a good thing,” Johann said. Robert knitted his brow and looked at Johann.

  “Why would that be a good thing?”

  “That would be a good thing because then we know we’re only dealing with one demonic entity here. If we were to find it, you can bet your ass we’d have to fight it and destroy it there, then find and kill the one that’s torturing this town. So, by not finding it there, our job is easier…So to speak.”

  “Yeah,” Robert said, rolling his eyes. “So to speak.”

  -8-

  “Wow. I thought that motel clerk was going to have a heart attack when you asked him how to get to River Road,” Robert said as they drove toward the old church ruins. He had to shout over the loud rock music Johann had playing on the radio.

  “Yeah, his eyes did get pretty big, didn’t they?” replied Johann. He looked over and saw that Robert was glaring at him. “What?”

  “Johann, do you have to play that music so loud? It’s killing my eardrums. What the hell is that, anyway?” Robert complained. Johann gave him a mischievous smile. He found it a little amusing that his choice of music bothered his friend. It brought out the rebel in him.

  “It’s ‘Surrender’ by Cheap Trick. One of the greatest groups of all time,” Johann explained. Robert closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips while gently shaking his head. Right after the song ended, Johann lowered the volume on the radio.

  “There. Is that better?” Johann asked. Robert looked straight out the front window.

  “Yes. Thank you,” Robert said.

  The lights of the Mustang illuminated a street sign at a T intersection. Johann looked at the street sign and read it.

  “Had to lower the volume anyway. We’re almost there,” Johann said.

  They made a right turn onto River Road. The asphalt only went a short distance—less than a quarter mile, then the road became a narrow dirt road. As the car left the asphalt and started to bounce on the rough terrain, Robert grabbed onto the dashboard to steady himself.

  “Oh, this is just what I was hoping for. A real teeth rattler,” Robert said.

  “Just think what this is doing to my poor car,” complained Johann. “The church remains can’t be much farther…I hope.”

  “That guy wants to put a water treatment plant out here? Why? It seems to me they’d have to improve this road. They can’t expect the workers to travel like this every day in its present condition,” said Robert.

  “I have to agree with you there, Bobby,” said Johann. Again, he used the name Robert hated. This time Robert didn’t say anything; he just glared at Johann. Johann looked over and saw the look Robert was giving him. He chuckled to himself.

  “Okay. I have to agree with you there, Bob. Is that better?” Johann turned and looked out the windshield again, making sure Robert didn’t see him holding back his chuckle.

  “Yes, thank you,” Robert said.

  The primitive road was quickly swallowed up by the wooded landscape, and the vehicle carrying the demon-hunting duo vanished into the woods. The road looked like it had been unchanged since it was used to get to the church over a hundred years ago.

  The Mustang bounced and rattled as they made their way along the very rough surface. It was barely wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass each other. Although, when it was in constant use—over a century ago—vehicles were much smaller, so it was probably sufficient at the time.

  The canopy of the trees above created a tunnel-like effect on the road. Even though fall had started, the trees still had their leaves. It all but made Johann claustrophobic as he tried to navigate the passage without hitting anything. At some points, the trees were so close to the road Johann thought it was going to narrow into nothing more than a footpath through the woods.

  “How the hell did they get the equipment down here to clear this place?” Johann said.

  “There must be another road in or something,” answered Robert.

  “Well, I hope we find it when we get there. I don’t want to have to come back this way again.”

  After what turned out to be a longer drive with more jostling around than they bargained for, the demon hunters arrived at their destination. Johann stopped the car and they contemplated the old, stone archway in front of them.

  It was all that was left of the stone wall that once surrounded the church grounds. The archway stood as a stoic guardian—the final witness—to what had happened here so long ago. Beyond that, it appeared to be an empty field.

  “This must be the place,” Johann said, looking at the brass plaque in the stone wall that simply read, “Saint Mary’s.” Robert nodded. Johann turned off the car and the two demon hunters got out.

  The gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the trees and crickets chirped. The soothing sound of the
water moving in the nearby river lent the scene a peaceful, yet eerie, feel. The smell of the grass still wet from the rains from the night before, filled the air and Johann breathed in deep.

  They walked to the back of the car and Johann opened the trunk. He took out flashlights and handed one to Robert. Then they took out the shotguns, the shell-laden ammo belts, and the EMF detector from the back-seat of the car.

  They stood next to each other in the stone archway, facing the empty field. They both pumped their shotguns to load the first shell. Robert stuck his chin out and his shoulders back as he prepared to move forward with Johann into the unknown. He took a deep breath as they began to walk forward.

  As soon as they walked through the archway, Johann inhaled deeply through his nose.

  “Do you smell that?” Johann asked. Robert looked at him and sniffed the air.

  “I don’t smell anything,” he answered.

  “Exactly. At the car we could smell the wet grass. Here, we don’t smell a damned thing. Not a good sign.”

  “Oh great,” Robert said, raising his eyebrows.

  Johann kept a keen eye on the EMF detector he held out in front of him. So far, there were no readings. He gently turned from side to side, alternating his gaze from the detector to the field in front of him.

  The area was brightly lit from the full moon. A stark contrast from the night before, when it was storming and raining. The temperature was still chilly, but it was fall, and chilly air would be expected. The shapes of the trees made grotesque shadows on the ground. Their twisted and knotted limbs silhouetted against the bright moonlit sky.

  There was very little left of the church. The demolition crew had done a good job when they completely razed the site. All that was left was a few bricks here and there, and a large stone square that was the concrete slab the building was built on. All the wood and whatever else the church was made of was gone. As Johann looked at the stone formation, something struck him as being odd.

  He looked around the area to try and confirm his suspicion. Seeing what Johann was doing, Robert knitted his brow.

  “Johann. What are you doing?” he asked, thinking Johann saw something he didn’t.

  “Notice anything peculiar here?” asked Johann. He shone his flashlight around the area—particularly on the plants. Robert looked around. He saw nothing that he thought was wrong.

  “All I can see is that the plants are all dormant. But it’s fall so I would expect them to be dormant,” Robert answered. Johann looked at him quickly then back to the plants.

  “No, Bob. These are more than just dormant. They’re dead. You didn’t notice that as soon as we walked through that archway, the grass crunched under our feet? I’ll bet if you go one way and I go another and find the edge of the dead grass and follow it, we’ll run into each other.”

  “You think the dead area is a perfect circle?” asked Robert. Johann walked over to a small tree. It should have been very much alive, but instead it was dead and dry. He broke off a branch with ease and threw it to the ground. It broke apart on impact, as though it had been dead for years. Johann looked at the broken branch lying on the ground, then turned his attention to Robert.

  “Bingo. Do you know what this means? Did Johnny teach you about this?” He looked at Robert, who shook his head slowly.

  “It means we’re standing on unholy ground. Something made this holy ground, where a church stood, into unholy ground. Not an easy task, even for a demon. And, to make matters worse, I’m not getting any reading on the EMF detector. That means whatever it was that did this is not only very powerful, but it’s not here,” Johann explained to his demon-hunting partner.

  Robert instinctively caught his breath and brought his hand up to his mouth in response to this news.

  “That’s right. That means that the demon is free. It escaped from the trap. At least we can be sure we’re only fighting one demon now,” Johann said. “Unfortunately, it happens to be one demon who can be in multiple places at the same time.”

  “Maybe the beast is still trapped, but it’s with all the church debris. Is that possible?” Robert said.

  “Possible, but not likely. In order for that to happen, the demon would have to have been put into some kind of container. Since the thing was powerful enough to destroy the church and make consecrated ground unholy, I doubt that any mortal man could have accomplished that.

  “I think what most likely happened was that when the church collapsed, the demon got trapped under a holy symbol like maybe a crucifix or the bell. When the demo crew moved that symbol, it freed the demon. Now it’s seeking revenge for what happened to it, so it’s killing all the townspeople. Think of it like a wasp that was trapped in a jar and now it’s out. It’s gonna come after your ass.”

  Feeling a little braver because Johann said the demon probably wasn’t there, Robert started to separate from Johann. The two demon hunters meandered through the area walking in opposite directions.

  Robert reached the edge of the area and stopped short. His mouth went dry, and he bit his lip when he saw that the edge was obviously different from the ground beyond it. On his side of the division all the grass was dead, but on the other side it was very much alive. He followed the edge and could see that it was curved. It was like standing in an area where a UFO landed, only he knew this was worse—much worse.

  He swallowed hard, and his heart pounded in his chest. He decided to cross over the boundary. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but here goes. He stepped into the area with the live grass. To his surprise nothing happened. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he wasn’t expecting it to be nothing.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he could hear the crickets and feel the breeze on his face. He stood motionless and simply drank in the serenity of the moment. The dangers of demon hunting seemed miles away, and he didn’t want anything to upset that.

  He looked around to see what was in the area. The light of his flashlight landed on a rock sticking up from the ground. He walked over and discovered it wasn’t a rock. It was a tombstone. He had found the church cemetery. A chill went up his spine, and he quickly turned his attention to the ground. Oh, thank God. Live grass. At least the demon didn’t get this place, too.

  Robert turned his attention back to the tombstone. It was made of the typical white marble that gravestones were made of back then. Even though the engraving was very weathered, it was still readable for the most part. He saw that it was from the late 1800s.

  It was the resting place of a woman who died in her mid-twenties. Robert knitted his brow at the sadness of it. He placed his hand on the tombstone and looked at the ground. Poor woman. Never really got to experience life. Rest in peace.

  He looked around the area and could see that there were several grave markers here. It wasn’t a large cemetery by any means, but the grass was still alive. That meant, according to what he understood from Johann, that this was still holy ground. That was a good thing.

  Robert looked over his shoulder and could see Johann in the distance. The light from his flashlight danced in the darkness as the demon hunter investigated the area. He walked back toward the former priest. He thought it might be important for the demon hunter to know about the cemetery.

  As soon as he crossed the boundary between the holy and unholy ground, he stopped in his tracks. He could feel his skin tingle and his heart pound in his chest. As soon as he crossed the boundary he realized he couldn’t hear the crickets or feel the breeze. It was as though he were in a bubble.

  He pulled himself together and walked quickly over to Johann’s side. His heart raced and sweat ran down his face. When he reached Johann, he was almost out of breath. Johann looked up, startled at Robert’s sudden appearance.

  “What’s wrong?” Johann asked.

  “Nothing… I dunno. I think I scared myself,” Robert answered nervously.

  “Scared yourself? What happened?”

  “I went off on my own. I crossed the
boundary from the dead grass to the live grass. Everything was fine. But when I crossed back into the area we’re in now I suddenly realized I couldn’t hear the crickets or feel the breeze anymore. It’s like we’re in a test tube or something.”

  “Yes. That’s unholy ground. Everything is fucked up here. It’s kind of like another dimension, but not quite. Picture it as being in purgatory. You’re not quite in heaven, but not in hell either,” explained Johann.

  He looked at Robert, whose eyes were as large as they could possibly get. His face shined in the moonlight from all the sweat. His hair was matted to his forehead.

  “Bob. Calm down. You look like one of those cartoons where they’re being choked, and their eyes are bulging out for Chrissake. Don’t worry. The thing ain’t here. We’re safe.”

  “You sure?” Robert asked. Johann looked at him and noticed that he was staring past Johann at something. Johann drew his eyebrows together and turned quickly to see what Robert was looking at. He could hear Robert let out an exhale of relief when the light fell on a small dead tree. He looked back at Robert, a little surprised.

  “Afraid of trees now?” Johann asked sarcastically.

  “Sorry. In the dark it looked like someone or something was standing there,” Robert said weakly.

  Johann looked at the tree again without a light on it. Robert was right. In the dark it looked like a person was standing there looking at them. He could certainly understand his friend’s feelings now.

  “You’re right. It does look like that,” Johann conceded. “I need you to stay focused so just stay with me, okay?”

  Robert looked at the ground, then back to Johann and nodded quickly.

  “Okay. You’re right. I need to stay focused. Won’t do either one of us any good if I can’t be completely here,” Robert said. Johann looked around the area then back to Robert.

  “You’re right about one thing, though. It is pretty unnerving that we can’t hear the crickets or feel the breeze. That always creeps me out about unholy ground,” Johann said. “I didn’t find anything. Did you?”