Invitation To Evil: A Max MacAulay Novel

by Sandler L Bryson

  “Thank you both so much for coming on a Sunday!” a woman’s voice said. “Please come in out of the rain!”

  The voice was Lindsey’s. She had been standing behind Greg. It was apparent by the red and slightly swollen nature of her eyes she had been crying. The daughter Leslie was standing behind her. She was looking at Max with fear and something else. Max wished it was hope in her eyes but knew it was not. The site of Lindsey and Lesley’s distress didn’t diffuse Max’s anger. It did cause him to channel in a more constructive manner.

  He inhaled and breathed out slowly. He focused on his breathing. It was a calming technique he had learned in his martial arts classes.

  Just stay calm, Max thought.

  “Thank you, Lindsey,” Max said.

  Max stepped into the house. He ignored Greg as he walked by.

  Max continued his breathing exercising. He hoped that by remaining patient and focusing on the end plan justice would be served.

  They were again escorted down the hallway to Mattie’s room.

  “It started up real bad again after you left the last time,” Lindsey said.

  The door to Mattie’s room was shut. Max stood at the entrance. Laz was beside him. This time the Laz had brought his briefcase with him. Max knew the case contained the materials the priest used when performing a full-scale exorcism. His “war gear” as Laz dubbed it.

  Max looked at Laz. The priest gestured that he was ready.

  Laz turned to the family.

  “You are welcome to be present in the room with us this time, but just know you will see and hear things that may disturb you. The creature we are dealing with will hurl insults, insults that combine lies with truth to try and create divisiveness and distrust. A family bond is one thing evil spirits hate. So don’t let it distract you. Just remain silent, stay back and let us do the work. Understood?”

  Lindsey nodded. Her eyes were wide with fright.

  Greg cursed.

  “Well, thanks for letting us see what is going on in our own house. I say let’s get on with this shit already,” Greg said.

  Max again ignored the impulse to punch Greg square in the face. Instead, he looked at Laz and let him know he was ready to start.

  Laz opened the door. The two men stepped into the room. Despite the late morning, Mattie was still in bed. The bedsheets were pulled up to his neck. He was awake with a scared look on his face that reminded Max of a trapped rabbit. From the dark circles under his eyes, it appeared the boy had gotten little sleep.

  “Hello, Mattie. How you doing today, buddy?” Max said.

  “F-f-f-f-fine.”

  There was a tremble in Mattie’s voice. Max’s heart went out to the kid.

  “Listen, buddy, we are here to help today. All of this will seem a little weird, but just know that we are your friends and we are here to help you not hurt you. No matter what happens to today, you have to trust us. Okay?”

  Mattie didn’t speak but slowly nodded.

  “We are going to stop The Bad Man from ever bothering you again. Do you understand, Mattie?

  “Sedebedroom,” Mattie said.

  The word was barely a whisper.

  “Yes,” Max answered. “I understand.”

  Max looked in Mattie’s eyes as he spoke. Again, Mattie nodded in response. This time the fear in the boy’s eyes was replaced with something else: a begrudging trust.

  “We are ready,” Laz said.

  He had unpacked the contents of his briefcase and stood facing Mattie. Max could see he held a cross and a Holy Bible in his hand. Greg, Lindsey, and Leslie stood to Max’s left. Lindsey was pressed against Greg. A look of concern was plastered on her face. Leslie stood in a corner by herself. Max could not get a good read on her. Greg’s emotions, however, were plain as bread: annoyance and suppressed anger (his usual emotions).

  “Okay, let’s do this,” Max said.

  At his cue, Laz began the exorcism. The priest recited a prayer that Max had heard him use before. Laz spoke the words at a rapid pace moving quickly through the rite. Laz had told him he liked to get started as fast as possible as a sort of shock and awe rapid attack against his opponent.

  “Most glorious Prince of the heavenly armies Saint Michael, the Archangel defend us in our battle against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world and darkness, against the spirit of wickedness in high places.”

  While not a theologian per se Max was familiar with a number of religions. Through his study in comparative religion and his familiarity with various theological doctrines (including Catholic beliefs) Max recognized Laz was using an exorcism prayer. The invocation had published by the Order of his Holiness Pope Leo XIII. Though Max knew the words, he did not assist Laz in speaking them. He understood that the Catholic clergy believed the words could only be invoked by a priest. Max was not Catholic (or devoutly religious for that matter), but he knew that when combating the metaphysical, the words a person believed in served as both a weapon and armor against extraplanar foes. Max didn’t want to do anything would dull his ally’s edge. So, he remained silent while Laz invoked the prayer.

  Max heard a rumble like thunder in the room. At first, he thought he imagined the noise. Then it happened again. This time with a boom loud enough to shake the house. The overhead light in the room flickered but didn’t die. The happenings had not phased Laz, who continued praying without interruption.

  “We offer our prayer to the Most High that without delay may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of the dragon, the old serpent which is the devil and Satan! Bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit that he may no longer seduce the nations!”

  With his right hand, Laz reached into the pocket of his robes and withdrew a white vial. Max knew the plastic container held holy water. Laz squirted some of the water on the boy. Mattie didn’t scream, which was odd for a person possessed by a demon. Laz continued praying. His baritone voice never breaking as he spoke the recitation.

  Max had often seen people that were possessed scream when touched by and faced with holy objects. Mattie showed no emotion though Max could feel a charged energy in the room. The amulet against his chest felt warm, letting him know to be alert for danger.

  ​“God arises! His enemies are scattered! Those who hate him flee before h—”

  ​Laz’s prayer was stopped as the overhead light popped, sending shards of glass flying like bullets through the room. Max shielded his face with his hands. Behind him, he heard a high pitched scream followed by the sound of Greg cursing.

  ​“I knew that no good pinko pansy had the devil in!” Greg shouted.

  ​Max ignored Greg, but he did check to make sure the other family members were okay. Leslie was hunkered against the wall. Max could see she had tears in her eyes. Greg stood with Lindsey pressed against him. He held her so her face was against his chest. To his credit, Greg had tried to shield her from the flying glass, but he had failed. A piece of white glass was sticking out of Lindsey’s right hand. Blood was coming from a slash on Greg’s forehead. Max noted Leslie along with Laz and himself were the only ones untouched by the barrage.

  ​Laz’s complexion had gone as pale as he could possibly get, but the priest was determined to finish his task. Laz cleared his throat as he continued his mantra. Max noted a little shakiness in his voice.

  ​“Those who hate him flee before him as smoke is driven away so they are driven; as wax melts before the fire, so wicked perish in the presence of God!”

  ​Laz held up the cross that was the symbol of his faith.

  ​“Behold! The cross of The Lord flee bands of—”

  ​Again there was a sound like thunder crashing only this time it did not come from any external source rather the noise appeared inside the minds of all those present. The scream was painful. Max fell to his knees. The pain inside of Max’s head was similar to a brain freeze like you get when you drinking something cold too fast. Only the pain was magnified times ten.

  ​“
Oh! My God!”

  Max heard someone scream.

  He wasn’t sure who. Through bleary eyes, Max looked up to see the queen-size bed that Mattie was on risen into the air. The bed hovered near the ceiling like a helium-filled balloon.

  “Look out!” Lindsey screamed.

  Max watched as a pair of action figures flew off the shelf and launched themselves at her and Greg.

  “Get the fuck down!” Greg yelled.

  Greg pushed Lindsey’s head down towards the floor then ducked as the barrage of plastic toys collided into them.

  “¡Querido señor! Nunca he visto el poder como este aquí!” Laz said. “What kind of demon are we dealing with here?”

  ​Max saw the figurines on the other shelves rise into the air. The toys were swirled around the room like a swarm of angry hornets.

  ​“Wait here!” Max said.

  ​Max jumped to his feet and ran for the door. He used his arms to protect himself from the flying toys.

  ​“Where are you going?” Laz called.

  ​“Trust me!” Max called back.

  ​He knocked aside a green helicopter headed for his face. The plastic toy hit the wooden floor. Max saw a piece of it break, sending the figurine inside, with a cowboy hat on his head, sliding underneath the hovering bed.

  ​“Sorry kid, but I can’t let these good looks get marred by a cowboy in a plastic army copter,” Max said.

  ​He shot out of the room and headed down the hallway towards the master bedroom. The bedroom door was closed but not locked. Max pushed it open and entered the room.

  ​The master bedroom was pretty much as he had remembered it from his first visit. The only difference was the crimson covers were slightly ruffled. Max also noticed a pair of Fruit of the Looms underwear hanging out of a drawer only partially closed. Even if the midst of the spiritual crisis, Max could not help but notice the slight brownish-yellow streaks in the underwear.

  ​Well, I guess I should have expected a motherfucker that acts like nothing but an asshole to have dirty underwear, Max thought.

  ​What drew Max’s attention however, was the camera in the corner of the room. Max raced over to it. The camera was off. He switched the camera on to check the video recorder, but it was blank. There was no video. Max hurriedly looked around the room.

  ​In his younger (and stupider days) he sometimes spent the summers with his cousin in New York. His cousin Dennis was a bit older and was into a number of extracurricular activities that were alternative to societal norms. Dennis or “D” as he liked to be called and his friends had introduced Max to this lifestyle as well. In short, when visiting his cousin, Max had spent a good deal of his Long Island summers breaking into homes while the residents were away.

  Through good luck or grace he had never gotten caught performing such stupid acts. Max eventually grew out of the escapades all together after maturing and realizing that the risks were not worth the petty rewards. His cousin had not been so lucky. The last Max heard D was doing a bid in Ryker’s for burglary. It was proof that when continuing down the wrong path things will eventually catch up with you. Max was glad “squatting” as they had dubbed it had been an adolescent fluke for him.

  One skill Max had acquired from that time was how to quickly case a house. It was a skill that like riding a bike, once learned one could never really forget. The ability made it easier for Max to look for clues in a hurry. Max was putting the skill to good use now.

  Max’s eyes scanned the room. In bedrooms, most people hid their valuables either a drawer or between the mattress and box springs. Max searched quickly between the mattress but saw nothing. Prior experiences told him the top drawer was often where neophytes often stashed their wares from would be procurers. Max quickly searched the dresser and other drawers but came up empty.

  There was a loud crash from down the hall.

  “MAX!”

  The voice belonged to Laz. He heard a woman (he couldn’t tell if it was Leslie or Lindsey) scream. Max heard Laz say something in Spanish. Then he heard his friend praying.

  ​Max felt his frustration growing hotter like a boiling cauldron. He shook his head frustration.

  ​“Hell, maybe my hunch was wrong,” he said.

  ​Max cursed. He started to run back into Mattie’s room when his eyes fell on the television stand at the foot of the bed. The television stand had a DVD/VCR combo on the second shelve beneath where the TV rested. A statue of a toddler-faced cherub stood atop the media player. A queasy knot twisted in Max’s stomach.

  ​After being in the business of paranormal investigation for a number of years, Max had learned to trust his gut instinct. He walked to the edge of the bed and turned on the television.

  “Yo! Max!” Laz called.

  “I’m coming!” Max yelled back. He didn’t leave the room, however. He couldn’t leave, not yet.

  ​A quick check of the VCR slot showed him it was empty. The compact disc slot however, was not. Max hit the “OPEN” button and the disc drawer slowly slide out towards him. A silver-colored disc shimmered in the dim light of the room. The words “Family Time” were written in red ink on the disc. With a feeling of trepidation, Max closed the disc door and hit play.

  ​The blue screen was replaced with the image of the Chalmer’s bedroom. The same bedroom Max was currently standing in. A blurry image of the Chalmer’s bed appeared on the screen. The image slowly came into focus. The bed wasn’t empty. Lindsey was lying on the bed naked. She was smiling. Leslie was resting beside her on the bed. Leslie’s hair was over her face, but her eyes looked slightly bloodshot like she had been crying.

  ​Lindsey looked over at the camera and laughed.

  ​“Come on, honey. Don’t be scared.”

  ​She patted a spot beside her on the bed.

  ​“Come to Mommy, baby. There’s no need to be afraid. Your sister is her. Don’t you want to come play with us too?”

  ​Max heard Mattie stutter. Then Greg could be heard talking.

  ​“Go on now, boy. Go see your mama now. She loves you. Now you go on and get on over there. I’m going to come with you and have some fun with your sister while you bond with Mama.”

  ​Max watched as Mattie came into view. Mattie held his head down like he was embarrassed. Max watched as Greg came into view behind him. Max felt his stomach turn. He could taste the bile of his breakfast churning like sour milk in the back of his throat. He watched as Lindsey pulled Mattie towards her. At the same time, Greg’s portly form slid atop Leslie.

  ​A loud crash and a shout came from down the hallway. Max wanted to turn away but forced himself to continue watching. He watched in silence. The longer he watched, the more he felt his emotions change. He felt the sickness in his stomach slowly transform from a churning pit to a burning coal and then into a raging inferno. The veins in Max’s arms and fists stood out like steam pipes on his flesh. He had seen enough.

  ​Max was also mad at himself for not catching the clues sooner. Mattie’s speech impediment made it hard to understand him, but SEDEBEDROOM was not a man’s name. The boy had been saying “CD bedroom” not sedebedroom. He had been telling everyone what was wrong all along.

  ​Max grabbed the CD out of the player and stormed back into Mattie’s room. The first thing he saw when he opened the door was Greg and Lindsey huddled together in the far corner. A barrage of toys was slamming into them with enough force that Max could hear their flesh pop with every plastic piece that pelted them. Greg had his arms around Lindsey. She was huddled against him, praying for help. Greg let out a string of profanities with each hit he took. The sister Leslie was on her knees. The girl looked unharmed, but she was frightened. She was crying and saying, “Please stop!” over and over again. Laz was suspended in the air against the wall.

  ​The priest’s predicament reminded Max of a cartoon. It was like when an animated character would be chasing somebody and then just run flat into rock or something and hang there spread akimbo. The situation
would have been funny under any other circumstance. As of now, Laz’s face was twisted in pain. Spit flew from his lips as he struggled to continue praying. His cross and Bible were still clutched in his left and right hand, respectively.

  ​The amount of kinetic energy in the room was amazing. It was a living palpable thing. Max had never felt such raw power before. It was strong enough to make the hairs on his arms stand up. Mattie’s bed still floated in the air. It was pirouetted around like a spinner top. Mattie hovered upright a few feet above the bed. His eyes blazed with blue and green light.

  ​Max stepped towards the boy.

  ​“Mattie! Mattie Stop! I know Mattie!” Max shouted. “I know what your parents have been doing to you and your sister!”

  ​Mattie looked down at Max.

  ​“I know what SEDEBEDROOM is, Mattie! I know now you were saying CD bedroom! I am sorry for not understanding sooner, buddy but I understand now! I have proof of what they have been doing to you and sister!”

  ​Max held up the disc for Mattie to see.

  ​The toys and objects remained in the air as if held by invisible hands but stopped assailing anyone.

  ​Max walked closer to the spinning bed.

  ​“B-b-bad man hurt m-m-m-me.”

  ​“I know. I know Mattie,” Max said.

  ​He stepped a little closer.

  ​“I know what your parents have been doing and this CD will be the proof the police need to punish them.”

  ​“D-D-d” Mattie took a deep breath. “They said I would be punished if I told.”

  ​Max shook his head.

  ​“They lied to you, Mattie. You will not be punished. They will be punished, not you. They hurt you and lied to you. They wanted to stop you from telling anyone, but you outsmarted them. You outsmarted us all, buddy. You found a way to tell us, and now justice will be done. They won’t hurt you anymore.”

  ​“Th-th-th-they said if people f-f-found out I would be taken away, me and L-Leslie both.”

  ​Though he knew Mattie was right for a moment, Max thought about lying. He quickly discarded the idea. Mattie had been lied to enough.