The Bucktown Babies (Father Gunter, Demon Hunter Book 1)

by Janine R Pestel

  “Let's start covering everything, so we don't splatter paint on anything,” said Johann. Cindy went to the closet and took out some sheets.

  “Will this be enough,” she asked, handing the sheets to Robert.

  “I think so,” the coroner replied as he started to cover the dressers and small tables in the room.

  A few minutes later, Kenny returned with a can of red paint, some brushes, and a ladder.

  “Actually,” said Johann, looking at the ceiling and the door, “This will be perfect. We can paint the trap right at the entrance, so even if she sees it, by the time she does, she won't be able to avoid being caught.”

  “Good idea,” Robert said.

  They set up the ladder and began to paint the demon trap on the ceiling. They were being very careful not to spill any paint on any of the furniture. It only took about an hour before the demon trap was painted in the location they wanted. They finished, and everyone stood and gazed at the symbol.

  “Kinda creepy,” Kenny said, “As soon as this is over, that's comin' down.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Cindy said.

  Robert walked over to Cindy and held her by her shoulders.

  “Are you sure you want to do this,” he asked, gazing into her eyes, “Once the fight gets started, it can be gruesome. I mean that both figuratively and literally.”

  “I'm sure, Uncle Bob.”

  “Okay.”

  The coroner surveyed the bedroom for items that needed to be removed to make it easier for the demon to manifest. The only thing in the room that needed to be removed was a single cross over the bed.

  “Has Doctor Zou ever been in this room,” he asked.

  “Yes,” Cindy answered, “But only once. After that, now that I think about it, she insisted that when she visit, I see her downstairs. She said she didn't want me to be upstairs because she didn't want me walking up and down the stairs too much in my condition.”

  “Yeah,” Johann said, sarcastically, “I'm sure that was the reason.”

  Johann walked over and removed the cross from the wall.

  “Sorry for this. I promise to put your cross back when this is all over,” he said.

  Without warning, Cindy grabbed at her stomach and almost doubled over.

  “Aaah,” she screamed, her eyes revealed the pain she was experiencing, “Oh.”

  “Honey, you alright,” Kenny asked, as he rushed to her. He removed the sheet covering the chair so she can sit down.

  “No,” she said, “I think I need to lay down.” She went to the bed and lay on it. Kenny rubbed her hand. Robert and Johann glanced at each other as if they both could read what the other is thinking.

  “Ooh,” she said, “I think it's time,” she whispered.

  “I'll get the truck,” Kenny said. Forgetting about what the plan was, he hurriedly got to his feet, and turned to head for the door.

  “No,” Robert said, rushing to stop him, “This is perfect,” then he turns to Johann. “I guess we'll be fighting that thing sooner than we thought, Johann. No time for the salt, we'll have to do this without the stuff.”

  “I've got the papyrus right here,” Johann said as he removed the small sheet from his shirt pocket, “And, I have a sharpie, too.”

  “Kenny,” Robert said, “I think it's time to call the doctor.”

  -15-

  Kenny and Johann went down to the living room, and Robert stayed with his niece. Kenny's hands were trembling as he picked up the phone receiver and dialed the doctor's direct phone number.

  He stood in the room with the telephone receiver pressed to his ear, and began to experience second thoughts about what was going on. He peeked over at Johann and wondered if he made the right decision to trust this person he just met.

  “How do I know this guy ain't some kind of a nut?” he thought, “Uncle Johnny said him and Uncle Bob were right, but what if he was wrong?”

  He was, after all, about to trust the life of his wife and unborn son to his Uncle and a veritable stranger. The only reason he was doing so is because his wife's other Uncle, Father Tuttle, who he had a lot of trust in, told him it was a good idea.

  Johann glanced at him for a moment, almost as though Kenny's mind were an open book. The farmer, felt self-conscious, and turned away. After a few rings, the doctor answered, and Kenny gave his full attention to the task at hand.

  “Doctor Zou,” she said.

  “Doctor Zou, this is Kenny Gleeson. My wife Cindy is about to have our baby. Can you come?” Johann signaled the farmer to hold the phone so he, too, can listen to what the doctor said.

  “Can you bring her to the hospital right away,” the physician asked. Johann shook his head, indicating to Kenny to tell the doctor, he cannot bring Cindy to the hospital. Kenny understood what Johann was signaling.

  “No. She's upstairs on the bed, and I think the baby's going to come any minute now. Please, doctor, can you come,” he pleaded. Johann gave him a thumbs up.

  “Okay,” the doctor said, after a moment, “I'll be over as soon as I can. Just keep her comfortable.”

  “Okay, I will. Thank you, doctor. Thank you.” He hung up the phone and peered at Johann, his eyes became a little moist. “I hope I didn't just sign my wife's death warrant,” he said to Johann.

  “You didn't, Kenny,” Johann said, “If anything, you just guaranteed life to your child,” he glanced out the window, “And many more infants in this town,” he turned back to the farmer, “You're going to be a hero.”

  The two men started to go back up to the bedroom and join Cindy and Robert to wait for the arrival of the doctor. Johann stopped and turned to go to the door.

  “Where ya goin',” asked Kenny, “You better not be runnin' out on us.”

  “Don't worry,” replied Johann, “I'm not. You go on. I'll be right up. I have to go to my car for something,” Kenny gazed at him for a moment to try and determine if Johann was telling him the truth or not. After a moment, he decided to do as his Uncle Johnny had said, and trust him. He turned, and continued up the stairs to re-join his wife and uncle in the bedroom, while Johann went to his car. Kenny walked into the bedroom alone, and Robert became suspicious.

  “Where is Johann,” the coroner asked.

  “Oh,” answered Kenny as he took his wife's hand, “Your friend said he had to get something out of his car. He said he'd be right up.”

  “Yeah, I bet he did,” Robert said quietly, rolling his eyes.

  Johann arrived at his car and opened the trunk. He removed the long black case he placed in it earlier and headed back to join the others.

  Johann entered the bedroom, and everyone turned to peer at him. Cindy and Kenny have puzzled expressions on their faces, but Robert's mouth dropped open. Johann placed the case on a nearby chair and turned to greet everyone. He glanced at Robert, who had an expression of dismay.

  “What,” Johann questioned, his hands outstretched.

  “You know what,” Robert replied.

  “Is that a guitar,” asked Cindy, who was between contractions at the moment, but still visibly very uncomfortable. Johann glanced at her, but decided not to answer, for fear of upsetting the young woman at the worst possible time. He smiled at her, and allowed her to believe what she wanted. He returned his gaze to Robert.

  “I told you I take this everywhere,” Johann said to Robert as he walked over to him, “You'll thank me later.” Robert just maintained eye contact for a moment. He didn't want to let on to Cindy a gun was in the room, for fear of possibly causing a confrontation between himself and Kenny, so the coroner remained silent.

  “Oh. Oh, Aaah,” Cindy said as she had yet another contraction. Everyone's attention was now on her.

  “Hang on, Cindy,” Robert whispered softly, stroking her forehead, “The doctor will be here soon.”

  “After the Doctor arrives,” said Johann, “We'll wait until she is firmly in the demon trap. Once that happens, we want you, Kenny, to take Cindy out of here and to the hospital.”
r />   “Won't that thing chase us,” asked the farmer.

  “No,” Robert answered, “Once she's in the demon trap, she can't go anywhere. As long as you don't enter the trap yourself, you'll be okay. I'd suggest you take Cindy out that door,” he gestured to the door in the wall facing the foot of the bed.

  “Okay,” Kenny said, “I'll do that. You just give me the signal, and we're gone.”

  Johann walked to the window and peered out. From this vantage point, he could survey the road in front of the house all the way to the main boulevard. This was perfect for watching for the arrival of the demon. He kept vigil out the window. After a few moments, a glint of light at the beginning of the short dirt road signaled a car was turning onto it from the avenue.

  The car drew near, and Johann gestured for Robert to join him at the window. As Robert stood next to him, Johann pointed at the car. Both men stared at the approaching vehicle, then glanced at each other. Johann's eyes were filled with resolve. The two again turned their attention to the car. It was a new, silver, late model Toyota, which parked in front of the house.

  Johann and Robert kept an eye on the occupant as she got out of the car. The doctor stared at Father Gunter's Mustang parked nearby, then seemed to leer up directly to the bedroom window. Seeing this, Robert turned to Johann.

  “Do you think she recognized your car,” Robert asked.

  “I don't know,” answered Johann. “She is a demon, after all.”

  “Is she here,” asked Kenny from Cindy's bedside, sounding urgent. Johann glanced over at him.

  “She is. But, don't worry, she won't make it to Cindy,” Johann said, as he looked up at the demon trap on the ceiling.

  The knock on the front door almost sounded like thunder in the silent house. Kenny gazed at Johann and Robert, who signaled for him to answer the door as normal. He kissed his wife gently on the forehead.

  “Don't worry, baby girl,” he said, sounding worried himself, “It'll all be ok. This will all be over soon.”

  He left his wife's bedside and went downstairs to answer the door. As he left, Johann and Robert positioned themselves strategically so they could not be seen until the demon was in the room and, more importantly, in the trap. Johann took his flask of holy water out of his pocket and loosened the cap. He took the cross from around his neck and handed the crucifix to Robert. They listened to Kenny and the doctor as they came up the steps,

  “Kenneth. Is everything okay? You don't seem right,” the doctor was saying.

  “I'm fine. Guess I'm just nervous about Cindy.”

  “Come on, Kenny, don't fuck this up.” Robert whispered, as he listened to the conversation. Just as the two were about to enter the room, Johann glanced at Robert.

  “Good luck, my friend,” he whispered, some sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead.

  “You, too,” answered Robert, a very concerned expression was on his face.

  The first to enter the room was Kenny, followed closely by the doctor. Kenny immediately went to the far side of the bed and instinctively took his wife in his arms to protect her.

  “How far apart are the contrac -,”

  The demon stopped mid-word as she reached the edge of the demon trap and could not move any further. The effect, to her, was like walking into a wall. She dropped her hands to her side, seemingly in surrender, and glanced at the floor. Seeing nothing, she slowly glanced up at the ceiling and spotted the looming red demon trap painted above her head. Her lips curled up into an evil smile.

  “What's the matter,” said Johann, “Feeling a little trapped?”

  “Hello, Priest,” said the demon, without looking at Johann, “Don't tell me you really think magic is going to work?”

  “You're a priest,” questioned Kenny, surprised by this revelation. Johann glanced at him but didn't answer.

  “Yes,” said the demon, “He is. Or, at least, he was. He left the priesthood when we took his sister. When we did that, he turned tail and ran.” She glared at Johann and began to laugh.

  “We don't use magic on scum like you,” said Johann. He took what appeared to be a business card out of his pocket and tossed the small slip of paper at the demon. It Landed on the floor next to her, she picked up and glanced at the card. She read the words out loud.

  “Father Gunter, Demon Hunter,” she said, sarcastically. She leered at Johann, “Do you really think that scares me?”

  “Oh,” Cindy said, as she began another contraction. This gained the attention of the demon, who again tried to move toward the vulnerable young woman.

  “No,” answered Johann, as he took the papyrus and Sharpie marker out of his pocket, “But this might.” He wrote the name Raphael on the papyrus and walked over to the demon. She turned to face him, and he showed her the name written on the piece of ancient papyrus.

  “You vowed to flee if someone writes this name on papyrus when a woman enters labor,” Johann said. The demon began to laugh.

  “You read too many books and listen to too many fairy tales,” she said, abruptly starting to appear very evil. She made a gesture with her hands, and Johann dropped the papyrus as he was falling backward toward Robert. She tried to pick up the little piece of papyrus, but having fallen just outside the boundaries of the demon trap, the small sheet was mere inches out of her reach.

  Robert stopped Johann's backward fall and yelled to Kenny, “Now, Kenny. Pick up Cindy and take her to the hospital quick,” then he turned his attention to the demon, “We'll take care of this thing.”

  “Hang on to me, baby,” Kenny said to Cindy as he swooped her off the bed and headed for the door as planned. They began to make their escape, and the monster tried her best to escape from the demon trap. She ran toward them as hard and fast as she could, but she couldn't break the spell of the trap. Every time she got to the edge of the circle, it was like hitting a stone wall.

  This infuriated the demon, and she began to scream. The pitch of her scream started very low and rose to an almost ear-splitting high. Johann and Robert had to cover their ears to protect their hearing. Thankfully, by this time, Kenny had removed his wife and unborn child from the room and they were well on their way to his truck.

  As he left the house with his family safely in his arms, the farmer could hear the scream of the demon as it broke the still afternoon air. The sound caught him off-guard, and for a very brief moment, he stopped and glanced up at the bedroom window where the fight was about to begin. Regaining his composure, he quickly placed Cindy in the passenger seat of the truck. He ran to the other side, got in, started the vehicle and began his race to the hospital.

  Back in the bedroom, Johann and Robert were setting about the business of vanquishing the demon. The sound of her scream had them momentarily stunned and almost incapable of doing anything. Johann had been in this situation several times before, and although Robert could not move, Johann still could.

  He reached over to the dresser where they placed the cross that was on the wall. He picked the crucifix up, and with some effort, was able to throw it at the demon.

  “Shut your ugly mouth,” He shouted as he released the projectile, throwing as hard as he can at the screaming devil. The cross struck the monster in the face, which caused the demon to stop making the ear piercing, gut wrenching sound. The cross left a slight burn mark on its flesh.

  Doctor Zou leered at him, her eyes turned black as coal, the anger in her raged like a fire.

  “You bastard,” she said, “You think you can defeat me?”

  “I believe you made it mad,” Robert said, stating the obvious. This caused the demon to turn her attention to the coroner.

  “You fat little corpse cutter,” she said, “I know how to take care of you. You're going to come to hell with me. We need souls like you.”

  This made Durling nervous, and he glanced at Johann, as though looking for support.

  “Don't worry, buddy,” Johann said, reassuringly, to his friend, “She ain't taking you, or me, anywhere. I promise I
won't let anything happen to you.” The coroner forced a small smile. He found little comfort in Johann's words and hoped his friend can make good on his promise.

  -16-

  The demon became enraged, letting out a bellow so loud, the house seemed to shake from the sheer volume. The beast began to change form. Gone was the attractive female doctor. Now, before Johann and Robert, the devil took on its true form.

  Long, black, scraggly hair grew from the demon's head, almost miraculously. The monster's body became serpent-like with appendages that were scaled, like a fish. Horns grew from her skull, and her eyes were black as coal, devoid of any life or soul. The demon's size almost doubled as the creature filled the demon trap with its presence.

  Both Robert and Johann lost their balance and fell to the floor during the transformation.

  “Here we go,” Johann said.

  “You want to fight,” the demon said, hissing like a snake, “Let's go, priest, I'll take on you and your chubby friend.” The demon turned its attention to Robert for a moment. “Want to play ring around the rosey,” it asked, changing its voice to sound like a child.

  Robert looked at Johann, confused by what he just heard. The sound of a child's voice tore at his emotions. Johann, having had experience with demons already, knew what was happening with Robert and caught on to his friend's feelings.

  “Don't listen to anything this beast says, Bob,” he said, “The demon's trying to intimidate you, and play with your emotions. Don't let it get to you. I'm sure this thing will find something about me before too long.” The demon leered at Johann for a moment.

  “Still looking for your sister,” Abyzou said, “I know where she is. She likes it here.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Johann shouted, his fists clenched in rage.

  “I see what you mean,” Robert said, trying to calm his ally down. Johann glanced at him and tried to follow his own advice that he gave to the coroner a moment earlier.

  Robert and Johann slowly approached the monster. The coroner's hands were trembling, as he held the cross in front of him and Johann held his flask of holy water. Although just the night before, he had helped Johann battle a demon, he knew this one was worse…much worse.