The Bucktown Babies

by Janine R Pestel

The moment they were close enough, Johann splashed the beast with holy water. This caused small spirals of steam to erupt where the water touched the monster's flesh. Robert lay the cross on the creature's unholy skin, and the sound and smell of burning, rotting flesh filled the room.

  They pulled away, leaving the demon writing in pain from the mark of the cross which was burned into her flesh. Johann glanced out the window in time to witness Kenny's truck going down the dirt road toward the main street.

  “They're safe,” he said to Robert, “Now let's flush the damned toilet.”

  Objects in the room became airborne and flew about like missiles before the two demon fighters could approach the monster again. Time and space became irrelevant. The room no longer had any particular size or shape. The only real constant was that the demon was in the demon trap and, could not escape.

  “What the hell,” Robert asked, as he glanced around.

  “Pay no attention,” Johann yelled to him, “She's playing with our minds. It wants to disorient us. Avert our attention.” No sooner did Johann say this, when a familiar voice called to him from behind.

  “Johann,” the voice whispered, “What are you doing?” Johann turned, and what appeared to be his sister was standing in the corner. She was smiling at him with her arms outstretched as though reaching for him.

  “No. You're not real,” Johann said, and he turned away from the image.

  “Johann, please,” the image pleaded. Johann fought the urge and did not respond.

  “Was that -,” asked Robert.

  “Yes,” said Johann, “That was supposed to be my sister, Theresa.”

  “Where are we,” Robert asked, as he looked around.

  “We're still in the room. Don't let this thing in your head. We're still in the room,” he glanced at the coroner, “Remember that.”

  “I'll try,” Robert responded, as he looked around nervously.

  He glanced back at Johann and was horrified as he witnessed a piece of broken glass strike Johann in the neck. Robert looked on, helplessly, as blood exploded from the puncture wound in Johann's neck and splashed all over the nearby wall. The crimson liquid painted a grim picture, and pooled on the floor. It seemed like an almost endless sea of red. Robert could see the glass shard had severed his friend's carotid artery, which left Johann only moments to live before he would bleed out entirely, and leave Robert all alone to combat the demon.

  “Johann,” Robert screamed, as he lunged to help his friend. As Johann's now pale body fell to the floor, Durling reached him and knelt over him. Robert gazed at his friend's seemingly lifeless body, and abruptly, Johann's eyes opened. The coroner was stunned by this and moved away in shock.

  “Bob,” he shouted, “Don't believe anything you the demon is showing you. Whatever you are seeing, is not happening, and is the work of the monster.” The voice seemed to be coming from somewhere other than Johann.

  Robert abruptly realized that he was kneeling on the floor and Johann was standing above him. He fought his fear and peeked up at his friend who, to the coroner's relief had no marks on his neck and was perfectly healthy.

  “I thought a piece of glass severed your carotid artery,” the coroner said, getting to his feet.

  “No,” Johann said, “The demon always plays with our minds. I'm all right.”

  “How do I know this is real,” asked Robert, “How can I prove to myself you're okay?”

  “Just trust me,” answered Johann, “Trust me, and you'll be able to see the trick that thing is using.”

  Robert followed Johann's advice and trusted him. After a few moments, his mind became clear, and he could once again tell the difference between what was real and what was not.

  “Follow my lead,” Johann shouted as he began to walk toward the demon, splashing holy water as he went. Robert followed with the cross in front of him. They reached the devil, and the coroner again touched the cross to the creature's flesh, and again, the odor and sound of burning, rotting flesh assaulted their senses. Johann splashed so much holy water; his flask was almost empty.

  The room filled with steam and reeked from the odoriferous scent of burnt, rotted flesh. Johann and Robert almost had to hold their breath to keep from vomiting from the odor. They had succeeded in distracting the demon enough for all the objects in the room that were flying about to fall to the floor.

  Without warning, the room seemed to regain its original dimensions. The clock on the night stand showed that they had been battling the beast for almost an hour now.

  “The beast is weakening,” Johann said, triumphantly.

  “Go to hell, priest,” shrieked the demon.

  “No,” said Johann as he emptied the last of the holy water on the beast, “You go to hell,” he shouted, dramatically.

  The final spirals of steam evaporated from the monster, and Johann was disappointed the creature was still with them in the room.

  “What the hell,” Johann said, puzzled by this.

  The demon changed again and took on the appearance of the female physician.

  “Did you really think that damned water would rid you of me,” she asked, with an evil smile on her face.

  Realizing she only had one way of being free from the demon trap, the monster changed her strategy. She softened her expression and voice and tried to sound as sincere as possible.

  “You know,” she said to Johann, trying to sound demure, “If you release me, I could help you find your sister.”

  Having heard this, and not having any experience with demon fighting, Robert gazed at Johann. A small smile spreads across his face.

  “Johann, that would be wonderful,” he said.

  “Don't believe a thing this creature says,” Johann said, scowling, “She just wants to be out of the trap, and the lying bitch will do, and say, anything to accomplish that.” He turned his attention to the demon.

  “Why would I believe you,” he asked.

  “I have connections,” she replied, trying to sound coy, “I'm sure I can find her for you.”

  “Let me think about this a minute,” Johann said. He was stalling for time while he thought of what to do next.

  “Johann, why do you have to -,” Robert said. Johann made a hand gesture to stop the coroner from finishing his sentence.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Johann spotted the case with his shotgun. He quickly went to it and retrieved the weapon. He trained the gun on her head, now positive that he once again had the upper hand.

  “If that holy water didn't work,” Johann said, as he took aim, “This will.”

  “Have it your way,” the demon said, growling maliciously.

  Johann readied to fire the weapon, and he became aware of something pulling the barrel away from his target and toward Robert.

  “Johann. What are you doing,” Robert asked, seeing what was happening and getting nervous.

  “I'm not doing it,” Johann said. He tried his best to fight the movement of the gun.

  When the barrel was pointing at Robert, Johann felt pressure on his finger, much like someone, or something was trying to make him pull the trigger. The demon began to chortle.

  “No,” yelled Johann, fighting harder to point the gun away from Robert. The coroner's heart quickened, and sweat began to bead on his brow as Johann struggled to retain control of the shotgun.

  “Bob,” shouted Johann, gesturing toward the demon with his eyes, “Move.”

  Robert slowly moved toward the beast, and as he did, the barrel of the gun followed him. Johann struggled harder and harder to keep his finger from pulling the trigger, which was almost becoming impossible to stop.

  Johann spotted a wisp of steam as it rose from behind the demon. This caused the demon to direct its attention away from Johann momentarily.

  “What the hell,” Johann thought to himself as he saw what appeared to be water being splashed on the monster from outside the room. Realizing that the attention of the creature was now off him for a moment, he seized his opportu
nity.

  “Now,” Johann shouted to Robert. In what seemed almost to be a choreographed move, Robert dove to the floor, which caused the barrel of the gun to aim directly at the demon. At the same moment, Johann relaxed his finger, and the demon herself pulled the trigger, just as the creature was turning to face Johann once again.

  The weapon fired with a loud explosion. The muzzle blast lit everything in the room for a split second with a reddish glow, as though a huge spark had been ignited. The concussion of the explosion almost caused Johann to lose his footing and fall backward to the floor. The shotgun pellets ripped through the foul-smelling air and tore through the head of the demon, which caused it to burst as a watermelon would. Instead of blood and brain tissue, a black slime covered the walls and splashed onto Johann and Robert. The lifeless body of the physician instantly fell to the floor with, what little remained of her head, still loosely attached to her neck. The torso began to jump and twist violently in its final death spasms.

  Johann and Robert looked on almost in disbelief, as the demon manifested itself one last time. This time, it took the appearance of a nondescript black shadow. The ominous apparition towered above the two demon fighters, and glowered at them for a moment.

  “We're not done yet,” the demon said, “This is far from over, priest.” It leered at the two men for a moment, and the being's face took on a very evil appearance. Finally, it let out a loud, piercing scream, before it sank into the floor and disappeared.

  Robert stood back up and walked over to Johann.

  “Oh, crap,” he said, wiping the black slime from his face, “I'm gonna be sick. What the hell is this stuff?”

  “Trust me,” Johann said, “You don't want to know.”

  At that moment, the person who was splashing the water from the hall walked into the room. Robert's eyes opened wide, and his lips stretched into a broad smile.

  “Johnny,” he shouted as he went to hug his half-brother.

  “Bobby,” Father Tuttle responded, calmly.

  “How did you know,” asked Johann.

  “Kenny called me earlier, to ask about you two and this demon. Then I ran into him and Cindy at the hospital. Cindy told me what was going on. I thought you and my younger brother, here, might be able to use some help. Just do me a favor and don't let Cindy know that I came here. She made me promise I would stay away.”

  “I'm glad you came,” said Johann, “Thanks for the help.”

  “You're very welcome. You will find that I will be quite an asset to you and Bobby,” the priest said. Johann gazed at him, with a puzzled expression on his face.

  Robert studied all the carnage left by the shotgun pellets. After a moment, he realized there was no damage to the wall behind where the demon was standing, or anywhere else in the room for that matter. He turned to Johann with an expression of amazement on his face.

  “Johann, there's,” he said, gesturing to the wall, “There's no damage to the wall. How did you do that?”

  “I don't know,” replied Johann, “Ever since I started using shells blessed with holy water, they would only hit the target and nothing else.”

  The three men watched as the body of the physician rapidly decayed and turned to dust. The slime on the walls and floor disappeared, as did the black goo that splattered on the three men. The mood in the room seemed to brighten a little.

  “This one's finally over,” Johann said, gazing down at where the demon once lay.

  “Finally,” Robert said.

  “Until the next one,” Father Tuttle said, gazing at the other two, somberly. Johann and Robert both glanced at him without saying a word. They were both painfully aware that the kind priest was right. Just because this demon was gone, this was not a time to rest on their laurels. There will be more, and they must be prepared.

  Johann bent down and picked up the piece of papyrus that was still lying on the floor. He began to use it to clean up the dust, which was once the demon, from the floor. Robert studied Johann's actions, puzzled.

  “Well, what do you know,” Johann said, “It may not have worked the way we thought it would, but this little piece of papyrus is helping us get rid of the demon after all.”

  “What are you doing,” Robert asked, as Johann walked to the door with some of the physicians remains on the ancient paper. Johann stopped and glanced at him for a moment, his lips slowly curled into a wry smile.

  “I told you before. Time to flush the toilet,” he said, as he walked into the hallway, “Where's the bathroom?”

  -17-

  The three men walked out the front door, and the sun was beginning to set. They stood on the front porch, exhausted from the fight, and thankful to be alive. Surveying the area, the trio took note the only cars parked in front of the house were Johann's and Father Tuttle's.

  “Huh,” Johann said, “Look at that. Even her damned car is gone.”

  The town seemed to have a whole different feel now. A calm appeared to be in the air, which wasn't present before. Almost as though the fight had been won. The air was still and fragrant, and the sounds of birds chirping brought much-needed music to their ears.

  “You know,” Father Tuttle said, “The demon was right. This isn't over yet.”

  “No,” said Johann, “It's not. It won't be until I find my sister.”

  “Don't worry, Johann,” said Robert, “We will.”

  With that, Robert locked the door to the house to protect his niece and nephew's property from what few vandals this small town had, and walked with Johann and Father Tuttle to their cars. Johann opened the trunk of his car and placed his beloved shotgun in. He gave the case a gentle pat, and closed the trunk lid.

  Father Tuttle turned to his half-brother, before getting into his car.

  “You know I'll be here anytime you two need me,” he said.

  “We know,” Robert said.

  “I know you'll keep my little brother safe,” Father Tuttle said to Johann.

  “I'll protect him with my life,” Johann replied. The priest looked at him and smiled.

  “I know you will. And he will do likewise for you.” He then raised his hand and blessed the duo.

  “Thank you, Father,” Johann said.

  The priest gave his brother a hug, got into his car and bid farewell to Johann and Robert. Johann sat in his seat and relaxed a moment. He was fiddling with the buttons on his car radio, before he started the vehicle. He glanced over at Robert.

  “One thing you have to remember when we fight these things,” Johann said, “Is they will get into your mind and make you think you see and hear things that aren't real. They will try anything they can to break you, to steal the advantage. Once they succeed in getting the advantage, game over. You may as well kiss your ass goodbye because they will take you down to Hell with them.”

  “I'll have to remember that,” Robert said, as he remembered about how the demon manipulated his emotions when he thought Johann was dying in front of him. He realized if Johann had not shouted at him and brought him out of his delusion, the fight would have had a much different outcome. He almost shuddered at the very thought of what might have been.

  “Thanks for saving me,” the coroner said, putting his hand on Johann's shoulder. Johann gazed at his friend for a moment.

  “Friends don't let friends go to Hell,” he said.

  With that, Johann started the car, and the two men drove down the dirt road to the main road, on their way back to Robert's house for the night. Neither one had said it yet, but they were both aware, because of all that had happened over the last two days, their best interest would be well served if the two simply left town as soon as possible.

  The next day, Johann and Robert were standing in a hospital room, visiting Cindy and the new baby. All had gone well with the delivery and Cindy proudly showed off her new baby boy. She sat upright on the bed, holding the newborn in her arms. The sunlight that was coming in through the window seemed to make his blonde hair glow.

  “So, everythin
g went well, I assume,” Robert asked. Cindy gazed up at him from her bed and flashed a broad smile.

  “So well,” she responded, “The doctor said I,” she glanced down at her new son, “I mean… we… would probably be going home in another day or two.”

  “That's great to hear,” said Johann.

  Cindy glanced up at him and took note of something different about him.

  “Did you change your hair,” she asked.

  “I got it cut on the way over here,” Johann answered, surprised she would even notice.

  “I like it,” she said, smiling, “I think it looks real nice.”

  “Thank you,” Johann said, almost feeling a little embarrassed.

  “You know, we really appreciate everything you two did for us,” Cindy said, her expression became a bit soberer now, “And, not only for us but everyone in this town. We can never repay you.”

  “If it weren't for you two,” Kenny said, who was also in the room, “We probably wouldn't have little R.J. here.” He peered down proudly at his son, tears in his eyes.

  “R.J.,” Robert asked.

  Kenny glanced at his wife and smiled. She peeked at the baby and ran her fingers over his head, lovingly.

  “We named him after you two,” she said, “His name is Robert Johann Gleeson.”

  Robert glanced at Johann, a huge smile on his face. Johann bent down as though he was trying to gain a better glimpse of the baby.

  “Robert Johann,” he whispered, “Thank you. I'm honored.”

  “Uncle Johnny's going to do the christening in a few weeks,” Cindy said, “I do hope you and Mister Gunther can be there, Uncle Bob.”

  Robert glanced at Johann, who made a facial gesture. He knew what his friend was about to say.

  “I hope so, too,” Robert said, “Uh…by the way. There is no H.” He glanced at Johann, who, by this time, was shaking his head.

  “Pardon,” Cindy asked, looking up at her uncle from the bed.

  “There is no H. The name is pronounced Gunter, not Gunther.”

  “Oh,” Cindy said, glancing at Johann, “I'm sorry, Mister Gunter. I didn't know.”

  “It's okay, Cindy,” Johann said, while placing his hand on her forehead, “You can pronounce my name any way you want.”