Night Mares

by Janine R Pestel

  “No. Do you?” answered Robert, his voice was shaky.

  “No. I’ll try again a little louder.” Johann turned his attention back to the notebook and began reading again, this time a little louder.

  “Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos, Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia,” he said. He turned to Robert. “Still nothing. Okay, I’m going to try one more time. If nothing happens, then the thing isn’t here.”

  Johann kissed the crucifix then bent down and laid it on the ground in front of him. He oriented it to match the faint outline exactly. By his calculations this would be the exact spot where the demon was trapped. If it was still here, this is where it would be. He stood upright and made the sign of the cross then raised one hand while he read once again from his notebook.

  “Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos, Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia,” he said, this time loud enough to be just short of shouting. He was so loud he and Robert could hear his voice echoing in the distance. The hair on the back of Robert’s neck stood up.

  When the third time still produced no results, Johann picked up the crucifix. He and Robert walked back to the waiting vehicle. They placed the shotguns in the trunk and got into the car.

  As they pulled away, Johann turned to Robert.

  “Well, that settles that,” the demon hunter said.

  “What settles what?” asked Robert.

  “That chant I was doing. It was an exorcism chant. If there was a demon there we would have known about it before I even got to the third word, let alone starting to recite the chant three times. Since there was no reaction, that means there is no demon there,” Johann explained.

  “So, if it’s not there then that would mean that it’s possessing the new mayor. When do you think it happened? When he cleared the rubble?” asked Robert. Johann looked at him.

  “No. I think it happened when he came out here the first time. I think old Tibbsy knows how to conjure demons. I think he wanted to be mayor. When he heard about this place he came out to conjure the demon to make that happen. Only—surprise—the demon had other plans and now Tibbs is a walking, talking, disciple from hell.”

  “Oh great,” Robert said, sinking into his seat and staring out the windshield.

  “Actually, that is great. Now we know exactly where the demon is and how to get to him. Like I said to Belinda. By tomorrow afternoon this will be all over and we’ll be on our way out of town,” Johann said. “I’ll tell you something else I think.”

  “What?” asked Robert.

  “I think little Becky knows more than she’s saying. I found something in the casket with her mother, and the only possible reason it would be there would be to protect her mother’s spirit.”

  “What did you find?” Robert knitted his brow.

  “Sage. There were some sage leaves under her head. There’s only one reason I could think of that they would be there. Becky or someone else knew that the new mayor was dabbling in demonic conjuring, and they were trying to protect Mayor Benson’s spirit.”

  “Why would they feel that they needed to do that?”

  “I don’t know. But I have a hunch,” Johann said, stroking his mustache. “I’m going to do some research when we get back to the room.”

  Two hours later Johann was sitting on his bed with his laptop, searching the internet for any information he could find. So far, he was able to find stories about the legend but no real proof. Robert snoozed peacefully on the bed next to his.

  Johann was about to stop when a link caught his eye. He clicked on it and was rewarded. His heart raced when he saw an old newspaper article about the event. The date was October 23, 1912. Wow, the anniversary of this happening is tomorrow. It’ll be 106 years. Johann reached over and shook Robert to wake him up.

  “Bob. Bob wake up. I found it,” Johann shouted. Robert’s eyes popped open, and he sat bolt upright in bed.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Johann turned the laptop so Robert could see the screen.

  “Look at this. Back in 1912, three people—two men and one woman—were possessed by a demon. One of the men was Benjamin Thomas. That must have been Emily’s great grand-daddy. But look who the minister was who performed the exorcism,” Johann said excitedly.

  “Minister Arthur Reid,” Robert said. He looked at Johann with an expression of confusion.

  “Here. Check this out,” Johann said. He clicked on some files he had saved on his desktop. Up popped a wedding announcement. Robert read it out loud.

  “The Reid family would like to announce the wedding of their daughter, Christine Reid to Ronald Benson. The happy occasion—” Robert stopped and caught his breath. He looked up at Johann, his eyes wide. “So, she’s related to that minister?”

  “Yes, she is. That minister was her great-grandfather.”

  “And that, my friend, is why there were some leaves of sage under Mayor Benson’s head in the casket. That is what her spirit is being protected from…revenge.”

  “Yes. Yes, I suppose that would be right,” Robert said.

  “It all makes perfect sense now. Mayor Benson’s great-grandfather exorcised the demon. The church collapsed, trapping the demon under the cross. It stayed there for 106 years. If it were me I’d be really angry by then.

  “So along comes this guy who wants to conjure the demon, so he could be mayor. The only thing is he doesn’t know the mayor is related to the guy who helped get the demon trapped, so the demon has a major score to settle.

  “The demon lies and tells this guy that it’ll do what he wants if he gets it out. So, this guy manages to move enough of the cross to let the demon escape. The demon gets out, takes over this guy’s body, then has the rest of the debris cleared so it can’t be trapped again.

  “Then it kills Mayor Benson for revenge and finds out that Emily is here to try and get the debris put back in its place. The demon doesn’t want that to happen, so he kills her before she could meet with the council.”

  “Figured that all out, did you?” Robert asked, amazed.

  “Yes, I did. When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you’d be amazed at the things you can figure out with so little information.”

  “So, if this Mayor Tibbs guy is possessed like you—uh—we think, won’t the demon kill him when we try to exorcise it?” asked Robert.

  “No. Not as long as we’re smart and get the exorcism started before he has a chance to react. Just leave it to me. I know exactly how to get to this slimy son of a bitch. And we’re gonna start by watching him at the funeral tomorrow.”

  -13-

  The next day dawned sunny and cold. Johann and Robert ditched their suits for more comfortable jeans, button-down shirts, and jackets. They found a spot on a small hill overlooking the mayor’s burial site. They lay prone on the ground hidden under a shrub and were peering through binoculars as the funeral procession arrived.

  Several police motorcycles were leading the way. They were followed by three flower cars, then the hearse containing the mayor. Behind the hearse were several black limousines with the family of the deceased mayor, and Mayor Tibbs. After that was the rest of the mourners in their own vehicles. Following the whole procession were several vans from various local news stations, including the white van from KMTN with Belinda and David inside.

  Johann scanned all the vehicles through his binoculars and whistled.

  “Jeez you’d think she was a rock star, or the president, or something,” he said.

  “Popular woman,” answered Robert.

  As the two demon hunters watched intently, the mourners got out of their vehicles and went to their seats at the graveside. The pallbearers lined up behind the hearse. Johann’s eyebrows raised, and he blinked when he saw who one of the pallbearers was.

  “Huh. Interesting. Our buddy Mayor Tibbs is one of the pallbearers,” Johann said.

  “I wonder why he would want to do that?” asked Robert.

  “If the bastar
d wasn’t a demon, I’d say he feels guilty for what he did. But I’m sure he’s got some ulterior motive, and I’m sure it’s not good.”

  The two scrutinized everything that was happening as the coffin was removed from the rear of the long, black Lincoln Continental hearse. On top of the casket were several flower arrangements.

  As Johann watched, Mayor Tibbs reached into his suit pocket and took something out. Johann couldn’t make out what it was, but clear as day, he saw that the man quickly stuffed the object under one of the flower arrangements. He did it so fast, Johann knew none of the other pallbearers saw it.

  “Son of a bitch. Did you see that?” Johann asked.

  “I did. What do you think it was?” asked Robert.

  “I don’t know. I was hoping maybe you got a better look at it.”

  “No. I couldn’t tell what it was. All I could see is that it didn’t appear shiny, so I don’t think it was metal. But then, Tibbs had it concealed pretty good, so I can’t even be positive of that.”

  “You can bet your ass it wasn’t a crucifix. We have to find a way to get to that coffin before they bury it after the crowd leaves. I want to know what that prick put under it.” Johann said. Robert moved his binoculars away from his face and looked at Johann.

  “I have no idea how we could do that, but I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” Robert said.

  “Of course I will,” answered Johann. Don’t know exactly what yet, but I’m sure something will come to me. It always does. Johann turned his eyes skyward. You’re not really that pissed at me, are you?

  At that precise moment the two heard a truck go by on the road near them. Johann turned to look at it and his lips curled into a smile. It was a groundskeeper’s truck. He now had the solution to his problem. He turned his eyes skyward again.

  “Thank you,” Johann muttered. He turned his attention back to watching the funeral.

  “Okay, problem solved,” Johann said as he lifted the binoculars back to his eyes.

  “I didn’t think it would take you long,” Robert murmured.

  The funeral dragged on for almost two hours. Finally, it was coming to an end. Everyone was in line and walking up to the casket to throw a flower onto it. The line, as Johann had expected, was led by Becky and George, followed by Mayor Tibbs. The demon hunter watched as the mayor threw a rose onto the coffin then quickly made the sign of the cross with his hand. What the mayor did was inconspicuous, but Johann caught it right away. His heart raced, and his muscles tensed in anger when he saw it.

  “That bastard,” Johann snarled.

  “What? What did he do? It looked to me like he threw a rose on the coffin, then made the sign of the cross,” said Robert.

  “Oh, he made the sign of the cross alright. He made it upside down,” sneered Johann. Robert moved the binoculars away from his eyes and looked at Johann.

  “You sure?” Robert asked.

  “I used to be a priest, remember? I know a proper sign of the cross when I see one, and that one was upside down. Wait until we get to his office later. I’m positive now he’s the one we’re looking for.”

  As the last of the mourners got into their car to leave, Johann tapped Robert on the shoulder.

  “Come on. We have to get down there, quick,” Johann said as he got to his feet. Robert got up as quickly as he could, and the two jogged to the waiting vehicle. Johann already had the car started as Robert got in. They brushed the debris off their jackets as Johann quickly drove to the grave site.

  When they arrived a minute later, the only people left were the burial crew. The casket was already being lowered into the ground. Johann pulled up and slammed his foot down on the brake pedal. The tires squealed as the car came to a sliding halt.

  The two men with the shovels, and the man in the backhoe turned and looked at the car that had just panic stopped in front of them. Johann and Robert got out of the car. Johann grabbed his wallet and opened it to reveal his fake ID. He was waving it in the air as he quickly walked up to the crew.

  “Who’s in charge here?” Johann asked, sounding as authoritative as he could. One of the men pointed to the man on the backhoe. Johann looked up at him and the man raised his hand.

  “You in charge?” the demon hunter asked. The man nodded.

  “Yeah. Who the hell are you guys? You from the union? I already told you guys my outfit is independent and it ain’t joinin’ no union,” the man said as he got off the machine and walked to Johann and Robert. He rolled his sleeves up threateningly. Johann put one hand out to stop him and held his ID up with the other hand. The man stopped and stared at Johann. His eyes narrowed, and he spat chewing tobacco on the ground.

  “Hold it right there, Tiger Man. We’re not from the union so you can relax. We’re special agents with the United States Secret Service. We need to take a quick look at the top of Mayor Benson’s coffin. Bring it back up, please. We’ll only take a moment of your time,” Johann said. The man looked at him and scrutinized his ID.

  “Special Agent Kirk? Kirk? Like that guy in that TV show?” asked the man. Johann put his ID back in his pocket and forced a smile.

  “Yeah. Mom and Dad were fans. Go figure, right? Our last name is Kirk, so naturally they named me James Tiberius.”

  “Yeah. Naturally,” the man said. “Look. I don’t know who you are, or what you want, so I can’t bring that coffin back up without the say so from the cemetery. They’re the people who pay me. You want to check it out, go talk to them.” He turned to go back to the backhoe. As he was starting to climb back up, Johan spoke.

  “Okay. Uh, what’s your name, by the way?” Johann said.

  “Sam Wilson,” the man answered.

  “Thanks Sam. I needed to know whose name to mention to cemetery authorities.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Sam said.

  “I also needed to know so my friends at the IRS knew who to audit. I mean, if you’re not going to cooperate with us on a matter of national security, maybe we need to look real close at you. Homeland Security may also be interested.”

  Sam stopped halfway up the machine and glared at Johann. The two other men looked around nervously.

  “Of course, you know that if DHS gets involved they’re probably going to look at everything. Including your employees here.”

  “Hey, boss. Come on. It ain’t gonna hold us up long if they wanna look at the corpse. The cemetery authorities ain’t never gonna know,” one of the workers said. Sam looked at him, then back to Johann.

  “We don’t want to look at the corpse. We just want to look at the top of the coffin. That’s all. One minute, and we’ll be on our way. And you won’t have to worry about an audit or anything. But it’s up to you. You can bring it up, or we can leave,” Johann said, raising his hands up and cocking his head to the side.

  Sam finished climbing onto the large yellow machine and glared down at Johann.

  “Okay. You win. Bring it up, Juan,” Sam said.

  One of the workers pressed a button, and the casket came back to the surface. Johann smiled at the boss man.

  “Thank you for your cooperation. Your nation is indebted,” Johann said.

  “Yeah, whatever,” muttered Sam. He didn’t care about whether or not the nation was indebted; he just wanted to get on to the next burial. More burials meant more money for him and his crew. In his mind, Johann and Robert were just another example of the government messing things up.

  Johann and Robert walked over to the casket. Johann put his hand up to signal to stop the casket when it was high enough. He reached under the flower arrangement where he saw Malcolm place the object and felt around.

  He could feel something soft. He raised his eyebrows and drew his lips tight as he removed the small object from under the flower arrangement. He looked at it and placed it quickly into his pocket. He turned to Sam and brought his hand up to send him a salute.

  “Thank you. Told you it would only take a moment. You can lower it now. We got what we need,” Joha
nn said. He and Robert turned and walked back to the car.

  As they got into the Mustang, Johann took the bag out of his pocket and handed it to Robert. Robert turned it over in his hands, examining it. He had never seen anything like it before. It was a small brown cloth bag with inscriptions on it. Robert furrowed his brow as he tried to make sense out of it. He looked at Johann.

  “What is it?” Robert asked.

  “It’s a gris-gris bag,” Johann answered.

  “A gris-gris bag?” Robert asked. Johann looked at him. It was obvious Robert had no idea what he was holding on to.

  “A gris-gris bag is something used in voodoo. It can be used for several things. Most of them bad,” Johann explained. “You can bet if that slimeball made the sign of the cross upside down, he didn’t put this on the coffin to protect anything. He has bad intentions.”

  “I have no doubt,” Robert said.

  After the two had a quick lunch at a fast food restaurant, they arrive at city hall for their interview with the mayor. They arrived a half hour earlier, so they could watch the people going in to and coming out of the building.

  Johann was sure enough about his hunch to go directly into the mayor’s office and punch him in the face. But if there was one thing he learned, it was to never jump the gun. Never telegraph your move. Keep the enemy off guard. That strategy had always worked for him in the past, and he had no reason to believe it wouldn’t work now.

  The two sat in the car. Johann had some heavy metal music playing on the radio. He drummed his thumbs on his steering wheel along to the music. Both men had their eyes glued to the entrance of the building. Just like police officers on a stake out, only they weren’t the police. The car was running so Johann could keep the heater going. Robert rolled his eyes when yet another heavy metal song came on.

  “Johann, do we really need to listen to this stuff? Don’t you find it distracting?” Robert asked. He had never been a big fan of heavy metal music, always preferring country music instead.

  “Nope. Keeps me wound up,” Johann answered. Robert turned to look at him.

  “I don’t think you need any more winding up. You already look like a powder keg ready to blow up,” Robert said. Johann turned his eyes to Robert briefly, then back to the building. He drew his lips into a straight line.