by Bryan Nowak
“Silence!” Donny commanded. “I told you that you are here to watch and nothing more.”
“You said,” Henry spoke meekly. “You said … you’d let us go.”
The reverend raised his eyebrows inquisitively. “No, I said nothing of the sort. I said that I’d let you go. No problem. All you have to do is choose.”
Henry took his wife’s hand. “Choose? Choose what? I don’t …” The sentence trailed off as he answered the question himself. “No, you can’t mean … that’s not right. I can’t choose a family member.”
The reverend smiled. “Very well then, I guess the choice falls to me. Be a shame to break up a set of twins like that. Right, Henry?”
The woman squeaked out a barely audible word from in between the sutures, “No.” It was faint, but loud enough that everyone turned toward her. Henry stood up and they looked into each other’s eyes. Meghan sensed the unspoken communication of love passing between the two of them.
Henry turned from her with renewed resolve. “I choose me then. Take me.”
The reverend laughed. “It’s precious really, a father choosing to sacrifice himself for his family. Touching, almost too cliché. But I’m afraid that really isn’t an option. No, the rules are clear in this matter. You have to choose one of them.”
“But, this isn’t fair. You said choose and I chose.”
The reverend sat down on the top of the altar at the front of the room. “Of course it is. I made you a promise when you took over the store and you made one to me. You don’t remember? Well, I do. You said you’d be faithful to our cause. One of us didn’t live up to that promise.” His eyes flicked from Henry, and his family. “However, I’m not unreasonable. After we’re done here today, you can walk away from here a little wiser. You can leave town if you like and consider your debt to the people of Riapoke paid in full. It’s up to you, choose one of the three. Quickly please, we really can’t stay here all night.”
Harold exchanged one final look with his wife who could only hang from the wall of the cave lifelessly. “I’m sorry my love. We tried.” Henry reached up to his wife’s bleeding and heavily bruised face and kissed her tenderly. Holding her head for one final moment, they nodded to each other. “I choose Carol.”
The reverend clapped his hands together. “Thank The Master. I wondered if we’d be here all night.” From behind the altar, he took out an elongated knife and cut the ropes holding the children to the wall. They ran for their father and clung to him.
“Please, Donny, let the boys go,” Meghan pleaded. “Let me take them to my cell or back up to your office. Don’t make them watch this.”
“Oh no, that’ll never do. This is a good lesson for the boys to learn. You see, this will teach them the importance of following rules. I think it’s important to learn the rules, don’t you? I know you’ve taught that boy of yours to follow rules. Isn’t that what they teach you in Boy Scouts? To be obedient? This is the same thing. If everyone just remained obedient, we wouldn’t be here today. Who knows, if you followed the rules, and stayed out of our little town, you and Kyle might be just about anywhere else right now.”
Meghan had just enough time to process a change in the rooms shadows before a large creature lunged at the helpless woman hanging from the wall. It put two monstrous paws flat against the wall on either side of her shoulders. The creature’s immense size filled the space. Megan backed into the hallway, putting distance between herself and this shadowy creature now terrorizing the woman. It reminded Meghan of the gargoyles she’d seen on the side of the large cathedrals, except this beast was much, much larger. Meghan hadn’t seen anything like it before. She screamed at the sight.
The creature shot her a glare and yelled in a booming voice, “Silence!”
Meghan was unsure if the things ability to speak or the look of the creature were more terrifying.
“I like this one,” it said, turning back toward Henry’s wife. “She’s fresh meat. High priest, be a little more careful not to tenderize my meals so much next time.”
Henry balled up into a corner of the room, helpless to do anything other than quiver and hold his sons’ heads to his chest, shielding their eyes from the horror playing out. The boys whimpered as they clung to their father. Despite their young age, Meghan knew they understood their mother was about to die.
“Yes, my Lord. I will remember that for next time.” The reverend knelt and bowed his head.
“What shall be your fate?” The creature asked Carol. A large lizard like tongue protruded from its mouth and licked the side of her face. “Yes, you’ll do nicely.”
Forgetting her terror for the moment, Meghan pulled the letter opener from her waistband and charged at the creature. It was a bold move, but it could be the only chance she had to save the woman’s life. Plunging the pointed office implement into beasts chest cavity, it bent uselessly under the force of the strike. The beast used one of its enormous wings to sweep Meghan off her feet and sent her bouncing across the wall of the cave.
Turning toward Meghan, now scampering away from the creature, it hissed, “So, tiresome. Do you really think you can kill me? In this form I’m indestructible. You’d better learn your place or I am inclined to play with my dinner the next time I feed. Do I make myself clear?” It turned back to Carol. “Now, shopkeeper’s wife … where were we?”
Carol let out a shriek through the sutures holding her lips together. A few tore through the flesh as she let out an unholy cry. The shriek cut short as the creature tore into her exposed throat, sinking its teeth in. Blood spurted out, washing the walls and the floor. The creature chewed on the woman's windpipe, letting blood drip down its immense jaws. The creature continued to tear into the woman, ripping skin, muscle, and organs from the body, snarling in ravenous joy.
As it finished its meal, it scowled at Meghan. “Let’s be clear on something. I control all of this. These are my people and they will obey my will. Your boy will come to understand this, in time. I promise he will.”
Meghan forgot her own fear and terror at what she just witnessed. “You leave him the hell alone. Do you hear me? By every fiber of my being I swear I’ll kill you.”
The creature turned from Meghan and walked back toward the hole in the cave wall. “You’ll kill me? Oh human, you amuse me. You are going to kill a living god?”
The reverend turned toward Henry and his children who still clung to their father. All three were reduced to stunned silence. “That’s right boys, you stay with your father. He’ll need you now that mommy is gone.” He turned toward Meghan, “Isn’t it sweet? The love of a child is the purest love there is.”
Meghan slapped the reverend in the face. A ring on her finger caught the corner of his mouth, leaving blood streaming down. “You’re a monster! A bully! You son-of-a-bitch!”
Regaining his composure from her assault, he shoved Meghan to the ground. “I suggest you remember your place, woman! I’ll gut that little boy of yours if you don’t learn manners. Instead of being out with my daughter, he’ll find himself chained to one of these walls. Let’s see how you like watching your little boy being eaten alive.”
The monster slunk back into a dark corner of the cave and into an even darker hole. Over its shoulder, before completely disappearing, it said, “Tisk … tisk, high priest. You really need to learn to control your temper.” Then it vanished into the blackness, as if the dark void swallowed the demon whole.
Donny waved at Henry. “You are free to leave. The boys stay in town with us, though. Remember, all children born under the approval of The Master remain the property of the town. You may leave anytime you wish. However, children always fare better when they have a parent to raise them.”
He grabbed Meghan by the arm and shoved her up the stairs and back into her cell. “You’d best remember the lessons you learned today. It’s too late for you, and that boy of yours could still find himself staring down at the blade of a knife as it enters his belly. Consider that the next time you
decide you want to be so mouthy.” He slammed the door shut and locked it before storming back up the stairs.
Halloween comes early in Riapoke
Kyle observed the windows of the store fronts across the street, deeply lost in thought. “So, you’re sure my mom is still alright?”
Matthew drew in a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m not sure of anything anymore. I think so. All I know is The Master has something planned for you. Not sure what, though. The Master was scheduled to be fed today and they already have someone in mind.”
“What do you mean by ‘fed’?” Mike chimed in, chewing on a chicken leg Matthew bought from the deli across the street to replace the food spilled during the confrontation with Bill.
“I never took part in that end of things,” Matthew said. “I only apprehended the people under the cover of law. Senior elders were responsible for bringing a person to The Master every other month for feeding. He needs a live victim to keep up his strength, or at least that’s what Donny tells us. I know a little more than I used to since becoming a deacon, but not as much as an elder or senior elder. I wish I knew more.
“There is a selection committee which meets once a week and decides how best to meet The Master’s needs. Sometimes they take people from the surrounding hillsides and bring them into town for the kill. We get lots of hikers in town looking for supplies and stopping at the cafe.”
Mike sat in silence for a moment, and then asked, “The house, down by the lake, what is it used for?”
“That’s the processing house. When The Master becomes impatient, he makes us take people down there to remove their hearts. A man in town does the job. He loves the job a little too much, if you know what I mean. He seems to enjoy torturing people. I try to stay as far away from that place as possible.” Matthew shivered at the thought.
Mike looked over at Kyle, whose face had gone pasty white, obviously shaken by this discussion. “I think that’s enough for now, Matthew. We need a plan, and a good one. Unless I miss my guess, this isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Matthew said. He pulled a pad of paper out from the desk drawer and drew a rough sketch. “Here is the basic layout of the reverend’s house. We’ll need to get in and try and find Meghan. I really have no idea where he’d hide her in that house. Someone must know something.”
Kyle pointed to the crude map. “We didn’t see anyone aside from Shelly and Elizabeth while we were in the house. It shouldn’t be too hard to get back in.”
Matthew shook his head. “You saw what they wanted you to see. Down in the basement is a security center which guards the reverend at all times. There are cameras in every room. Every bedroom, bathroom, garage, and closet has a sensor. Literally, the second someone does anything, they’ll know.”
As Matthew spoke, Mike wandered around the office, opening drawers and closets and examining their contents. Boxes containing everything from public safety supply company samples to information from the state fire marshal's office were shoved into every nook and cranny, waiting for someone to declare them old and unusable. In one box he found a set of uniforms from a supply company who’d promised to outfit Riapoke’s non-existent sheriff’s department. A letter on the top indicated they sent them two inspector’s uniforms to try out.
Matthew continued, “And even if we could break our way in, we’d be discovered, and getting out might be impossible. They’d call the reverend, and he’d would be likely to take drastic measures. We need a way to get in and—”
Mike interrupted, “And look like we belong there?”
Matthew looked puzzled. “I was going to say get out undetected. Not sure I understand your meaning.”
Mike reached into the long-forgotten box and pulled out two shirts with matching pants. The shirts were light tan and the pants were a polyester green. He laid them down on the table and smoothed them out. “Matthew, do you know why it’s possible for a man with a clipboard to essentially go anywhere they want?”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Enlighten me.”
“Because a man with a clipboard looks important. Everyone just assumes he belongs there. No one bothers to question him. Sure, Mike and Kyle would definitely raise a stir if we tried to walk into that house, but inspectors Brown and Taylor might not raise any suspicions at all, especially if they were escorted by Officer Tanner.”
Kyle’s face brightened. “And all we need are a couple of clipboards and official-looking badges, and we can go just about anywhere.”
“Hold on a second,” Matthew interrupted. “Are you suggesting we just waltz in there with clipboards in hand and hope like hell no one will notice us? It’s simple enough to work, but kind of a ballzy move.”
“Actually,” Mike said, “I think Kyle will have to stay in the vehicle when we get there. Remember, they’ve seen his face and will certainly recognize him. We can just say ‘Agent Taylor’ here is ill and is staying in the truck.”
“Okay, I hate to admit it, but this idea has merit. This is going to take planning and those uniforms have been in their boxes since they were sent here. They don’t have any patches or anything and we’ll have to find a few to make them look official. It has to be something convincing and still obscure. Maybe Department of Interior patches?” he said, thinking out loud.
Matthew sat back down in one of the chairs. “You both know what this means, don’t you?”
Kyle glanced back at Mike and then to Matthew. “We’ll have our Halloween costumes early?”
Mike frowned at Kyle. “Don’t think so, champ. I think what our friend here is saying is that after this point, the three of us are on our own. There’s only two ways out and one is in a body bag.”
The three sat in an uncomfortable silence, thinking over the implications of what they were about to do.
Kelley and Meghan would have told Mike to take Kyle as far away from this place as possible, of this he had no doubt. Responsibility for the boy fell to him and both of them were surrounded by a town that institutionalized serial killing for an unholy demon.
Mike spoke up, “We should send Kyle home on a boat. He can bring help, and it would get him out of harms' way.”
“No way,” Kyle retorted. “I know you think I’m just a kid, but my mom is out there somewhere in this hell hole and I need to find her. Besides, all we need is for someone to see me at the boat launch and this rescue operation turns into a fight for our lives.”
Matthew fidgeted with a pen on the table. “The kid has a point. I know this town and these people. That pier is always busy this time of year and even if one person were to see the boat leave, or another boat passes him on the way in, this will come to a screeching halt. People around here are trained in the art of paranoia. Frankly, I’m shocked you even made it this far into town on your own.”
“Okay, Kyle.” Matthew said, pointing at the teen. “When we get to the reverend’s house, stay in the truck. You’re going to stay as quiet as a church mouse. If anything goes wrong … I mean anything, you start that engine and take the highway out of town. You drive as fast as that truck will carry you until you hit the next county line. Understood?”
Kyle rolled his eyes at Mike in response to the lecture, “Sure, Dad.”
Matthew frowned at the boy. “We’re being serious, Kyle. Anything goes wrong, I want you out of here.” He put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Deal?”
Kyle threw up his hands in indignation. “Fine, I got it.”
Matthew stood up from the table. “I’m going to call the house and arrange for a visiting team of inspectors from the Department of Interior to pay a call on the house. In the meantime, in that top drawer you’ll find patches. There’s a sewing kit in the closet. Get cracking. In about twelve hours, you two will be transformed into two of the best looking federal agents, the world has ever seen.”
For a good portion of the night, they worked on hemming the uniforms to fit the two. Mike found a stash of insignia, rank, and shoulder patches sent to
the department in hope for a patch exchange. Kyle turned out to be a wizard at sewing, blaming his mother for the talent. Making ends meet in the Johnston family often meant sewing patches on second-hand clothes. At two in the morning, they tried on their new uniforms. They were almost a perfect fit.
“Good job, Martha Stewart,” Matthew said, punching Kyle in the arm. “You two need to take showers and get rest. The cots in the cells aren’t the most comfortable; however, you’re only going to sleep for a few hours. I’ll be back at sunrise with breakfast and shaving stuff. I’ll need to run home and change myself. My uniform smells so bad I could almost wipe out the town by myself on stench alone.”
Matthew left the two of them to shower. They knew they didn’t have a lot of time before the plan needed to take flight, and a few hours of sleep would do them both good. As they stretched out on the cots, Matthew asked, “Hey Mike?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Do you really think my mom is alright?”
Mike hesitated, unsure how to answer. “I’m not sure, Kyle. I’ll tell you what I think, though. I believe in my heart your mom is fine. I just think that right now she’s sitting someplace, thinking about you. Right now, you are thinking about her. So you can say that right now you are together in thought at least.”
“Hey, Mike?”
“Yeah, Kyle?”
“That is the sappiest load of horse shit I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Talk like that to my mom, and there will be no getting rid of her.” Kyle laughed.
Mike laughed too, overcome by the silliness of the moment. “Let’s get some sleep Kyle, we have your mom to rescue soon.”
“Mike?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Mike lay there, alone with his thoughts, trying to think how to respond. He may have just made Kyle a promise he couldn’t keep. Deep inside his heart, he really believed she was still all right. Even though Matthew’s dour assessment probably lay closer to the truth.
