The Devil's Grip: The Curse of Stone Falls

by Steven Swaks

  “Something is definitely going on here,” Alex said standing up.

  “In the station?”

  He shook his head slowly, “No, in this town.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “We have way too many traumas. That’s more than a bad streak. It’s much more than that.”

  “And this station,” Ben said, “this used to be a fun place to be. Now it feels–”

  “Wrong?” Jennifer said.

  Ben nodded a few times, “Yeah, wrong.”

  Jennifer became pale. “I’m a loner. I’ve always been like that, even when I was a kid. I love to work alone, that’s why I work night shifts. But I’ve been very uncomfortable for the last week or so.”

  “How?” Alex asked.

  “It’s nothing really specific, at least not like that remote,” she swiftly looked at the shattered controller. “But the atmosphere feels heavy in here. It feels like somebody is watching me. And there’s something else...”

  “What?” Ben asked.

  “That stupid buzzer–”

  “What about it?”

  “The outside one went off by itself a few times. I looked at the camera, but there was nothing. The first time I was thinking that it was a bad contact or something like that. But then it started to happen inside, on that door.” She pointed her index finger to the white door.

  Both men peered at it with weary eyes.

  “Nothing on the camera?” Alex asked.

  She shook her head. “What’s happening?”

  “Let’s try to be rational. Cool headed, and rational,” Alex said with a confident voice. “What do we know?”

  “Something is going on in this station,” Jennifer said.

  “Oh, I think it’s a lot more than that,” Alex interjected.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The other crew told us about similar events in one of the fire stations.”

  “And don’t forget the calls,” Ben said. “The volume hasn’t changed, but we’re having a lot more traumas and fatalities.”

  “When did it all start?” Alex asked.

  “I’m not sure, ten days ago, somewhere around there.”

  “Have you had any other episode like that?” Jennifer asked.

  “A three or four call streak, yeah, sure–”

  “The full moon does it,” Ben said.

  “Everybody knows that, at least on the field.”

  “I’ve never paid attention to it,” Jennifer said with a light frown.

  “Walk in an emergency room and say that it’s a full moon, you’ll see what the nurses will do to you,” Ben chuckled, “but the full moon isn’t for a week or so.”

  “I’ve never seen so many bad calls in such a short period of time,” Alex said.

  “Nobody has,” Ben muttered, “at least not in this town.”

  Alex’s facial expression straightened. “Do you want to know what happened ten days ago, more precisely twelve days ago? That’s roughly when all of it started.”

  “Sure,” they both answered in unison.

  “Gina died.”

  “So?” Ben shrugged.

  “I’m just saying.”

  “That has nothing to do with what’s going on,” Ben said.

  “I’m only stating a fact. The bad calls and the… activities in the stations started a couple of days after she passed.”

  “No offense, Alex, but that’s stupid. So now what? The station is haunted? Come on. Usually, you are mister down-to-earth, but you’re smoking on that one.”

  “Fine. How do you explain this?” He said with his stiff arm toward the broken remote.

  “It fell from the desk.”

  “Please, give me a break, you know as well as I do that’s not true. Jennifer, what do you think?”

  “I only know one thing. This station is seriously starting to scare me.”

  The Sanctuary

  Sunday mornings at Stone Falls Christian Center were often the same. Early comers arrived just past nine o’clock and gathered underneath a wide porch in a central courtyard on the top of a small amphitheater. They exchanged hugs and handshakes. They caught up on weekly events and church news. Young children ran to their Sunday school classes to go play with their friends. Worshippers shared coffee and an occasional donut while inquiring about each other’s welfare, not to spread gossip and rumors later on, but because they truly cared.

  Stone Falls Christian Center, or SFCC for the members, was a small community in itself. It was not a Texas mega church overflowing with thousands of believers, but it was not a tiny church with scattered members on empty pews either. SFCC was at the sweet spot, big enough to bring diversity, but also small enough to promote fellowship.

  Throughout the years, the members had come to know each other, and they’d witnessed their children growing up in Christ, just before the little kiddos morphed into rebellious teenagers and went off to college. Soon, the little ones found a spouse, married, and became parents. The elders stood back witnessing the magic before their eyes.

  Jessica was behind one of three tables beneath a long canopy. She helped serve coffee or tea to early birds eager to strike a conversation. She made sure the tables stayed clean and filled the empty coffee pots.

  She wore the same smile she was used to. She said hi to people she knew and welcomed unfamiliar faces, but this Sunday morning was not like the others. It was butterfly-tingling-in-the-stomach different, the anticipation toying with her emotions.

  The young, smart, and charming Todd was coming to visit. She would never have admitted what she was feeling to anybody, not even to herself as a matter of fact, but she couldn’t wait for him to come.

  She consulted her watch every few seconds. Time was at a standstill, unwilling to go anywhere but stay in the present.

  Her feeble reason was losing the battle against her emotions. What was happening to her? She had met him a handful of times. How could she feel this way? It wasn’t logical. His face kept coming back like a recurrent dream. It didn’t matter where she was or what she was doing, her thoughts continuously drifted toward him. Why him? Why was he so special? He was cute and lean built. What was she even thinking? She wasn’t that kind of girl. She only cared about what was inside, not the superficial, not the skin-deep details.

  Todd was nice. She couldn’t deny that. His smile was nice, too. He was quirky and cunning. Her logic came back in a losing battle. She couldn’t have a crush on a boy. She was too young. She could not. It was as simple as that.

  Was a senior in high school too young? This boy, this Todd, however charming he was, was driving her crazy. Maybe they should break up. That was the wise thing to do. Break up? From what? Friendship? He was only a friend coming to visit her church. But was it too much? Had she been too forward? She hardly knew him, and she was inviting him. It was only church for crying out loud, church with another three hundred people and two or three pastors.

  “Hi, Jessica,” Jeff Simons said with a creepy attempt at a smile.

  She snapped out of her daydream, reality charging with the force of a raging bull. “We’ve some muffins and bagels for a donation to the youth group if you’re interested,” she said in a reflex.

  “No, thank you, Jessica, I have to watch my diet,” he patted his flat stomach. “It’s nice to see you again, and it’s a shame we don’t have time to talk on Friday nights.”

  She didn’t answer. She looked down and found some sugar packages to rearrange on the table.

  “You look awfully familiar,” a jovial voice broke the silence.

  Jessica looked up and found a young woman and a man she assumed to be her husband. “Hi,” she said without being able to place them, “I’m Jessica.”

  Simons stayed quiet beside them.

  “I’m Christine,” she put her hand on the young man’s shoulder. “This is my husband George.”

  “It’s nice meeting both of you.”

  “Aren’t you that young girl from that cute little diner
on Main?” Christine asked.

  “I go there very often for church or my school. I went there this morning to buy those bagels and muffins to raise money for the youth group. Do you want some?”

  Christine accepted and dug for her wallet in her oversized handbag. The young lady was lovely, how could she refuse?

  “I’ll be going now, Jessica. I hope to see you inside,” Jeff Simons said.

  She politely nodded, unable to utter a word.

  “Is everything ok?” Christine asked, sensing the change of mood.

  “Fine, everything is great,” she said with a dull voice. “I’ve never seen you in church before… is this your first time here?”

  “It is,” Christine kept an inquisitive eye on her. Something was going on.

  “Are you new to Stone Falls?”

  “We are,” Christine said without mirth.

  “Where are you from?”

  She was having a hard time getting back into the conversation, “Alaska.”

  “You are from Alaska? And you moved all the way to Stone Falls? That’s a change!” Jessica said with a forced jovial voice.

  Christine took a last look at Simons before he entered the corridor where the Sunday school classes were taught. She couldn’t shrug her gut feeling off. “Yes, we are. Western Alaska. I’ll tell you all about it one of these days if you are interested.” She tapped her husband’s back. “Hon, do you mind double checking the class number? It’s on the panel over there.”

  “It’s in room fifteen.”

  “You should make sure.”

  “But–”

  “Please…”

  “Ok,” he turned around and went on to check the board.

  “Look, Jessica, you look like a sweet girl. You’re trying to be nice with everybody, but I’m no spring chicken and I recognize a predator when I see one.”

  The young girl lowered her gaze.

  “You can talk to somebody if you have problems with this guy. You can talk to your pastor. I can even help you if you need.”

  “I’m fine…” she said in a soft voice.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ll be ok.”

  Christine frowned. “I don’t want to be pushy, but please think about it. Talk to somebody if you don’t feel comfortable, ok?”

  “I will.”

  “Good,” she turned around. “I need to go find my husband now. He probably got lost trying to find that board.”

  Jessica took a deep breath to brush off the threat. She wanted to focus on what was important, to greet the church members and be a polite host for the visitors. She shook another few hands; she smiled, all the while glancing at the new faces coming by.

  As the minutes passed, the morning crowd grew to a few dozen people around the tables. Some only walked past to go to their Sunday school classes. Others lingered and conversed beneath the patio and the wintery sunshine.

  The air was still and comfortable. It wasn’t warm enough to remove a light jacket, but it was sweet and enjoyable. Spring would come in two months for another season of outdoor activities and barbeques.

  Jessica stopped moving.

  Todd was on top of a few steps, looking down for her through the small crowd. His soft eyes beneath fine eyebrows locked on her. There was something hypnotic about her. Todd didn’t even know what, a magical energy surrounding her soft soul? A peace, a strength, what was it? He couldn’t even tell.

  He walked down the stairs.

  She stared at him, unable to pay attention to anything else. There were no fellow church members, no coffee to serve, or sugar to replace. There were only those hypnotic eyes meandering toward her.

  “Hello? Earth to Jessica?” Tracy’s voice smashed her back to reality.

  “What are you doing here?” Jessica asked.

  “Jeez, it’s nice to see you, too. You know we’re attending the same church, right?”

  “But… you never come.”

  “Mom was on my case this morning.” She looked in the same direction her sister was. “What are you lookin’ at anyway?” her eyes found the young man. “Oh, oh, nice… now we’re talking.” She nodded with a mocking smile. “Look at you, sis. You’re not such a saint after all!” She openly laughed. “I got to go. I don’t want to ruin the flirting.”

  “I’m not flirting!” She glanced at the people next to her, “I’m not flirting,” she repeated quietly.

  “Sure, and I’m a choir girl.” She chuckled and looked at her buzzing phone. Her smile faded.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a text. It’s nothing. You have fun with your date.” She walked away before her young sister had a chance to add anything.

  “Hi.” Todd was in front of her with a beaming smile.

  “Oh, hi… uh… I was… uh… talking with my annoying sister.”

  “Everything ok?”

  “I’m fine. I’m great. Thank you. You know, I didn’t even ask you if you had a church.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Oh, maybe, SFCC will become yours.” She immediately realized how bold her statement was. How could she say that? It would be nice if he joined her church, but this was not her. She was Jessica Miller. She hardly talked to boys older than ten and younger than thirty-five. She was not truly shy, but they were… she didn’t know, maybe they represented a threat of some kind. Either way, she was uncomfortable with them. Todd was not like that, obviously. On the contrary, she’d mentioned things that she would’ve never said to other boys.

  “Maybe I will start to come here regularly,” he said with a smile warm enough to melt a steel beam.

  “Do you want me to show you around?”

  “You don’t need to stay here? I don’t want to be in the way.”

  “Nah, they’re big enough to serve themselves their own coffee.” She brushed her duty off with a swipe of her hand.

  “I heard that,” Amanda Walker was right behind her.

  Did I just say that? Jessica thought. “I am trying to fulfill my duties and welcome a newcomer,” she said with a straight back and chin up for a fake pompous stance.

  “Go, I’ll keep an eye on the tables,” she winked at her.

  Jessica turned as red as an English telephone booth.

  “Go…” Amanda shooed her away.

  Todd pretended not to see anything.

  The two strolled around the church and entered a lobby with a large glass window running the entire width of the room. Nobody was there yet. Most of the members were in an attached two-story building attending Sunday school, or they had not yet arrived.

  Three glass doors opened into a large sanctuary. They entered the quarter-pie-shaped amphitheater. Three aisles originated in the lobby and met at the bottom of a few steps leading to a pulpit on a large stage covered by thin burgundy carpet. The choir seating was on the left, the pulpit in the center in front of an elevated baptism pool, and the band area was on the far right.

  “I love to come here when there is nobody around,” Jessica said with a mellow voice.

  “Why?” Todd gently asked.

  “I don’t know,” she lost her gaze in the large room, “it’s peaceful.” She ran her soft hand on a wooden pew, “This sanctuary feels like my own home.”

  He listened without interrupting her.

  “But you know,” she paused, “this room is nothing without the people. It’s only a room. A church is not only a building; it’s a group of people. This is when it comes alive. This is when the Lord comes alive, by worshipping together.”

  Todd could not get his eyes off her.

  “Let’s go downstairs!” She said tapping him on the back.

  “There’s a basement?”

  “No, we’re on a hill!”

  “That’s right.”

  The duo ran downstairs. She showed him the small classrooms as if it was the first time she was going there.

  They peeked through a small window on the door into the choir room. A group of seventeen men and women were
rehearsing one last time before the eleven o’clock service. One of the ladies spotted her and briefly waved under the watchful eye of the conductor.

  They escaped and strode to a larger meeting room for the Friday evening teen gatherings.

  “I grew up here,” she said with a gentle voice.

  Todd stayed quiet. His eyes traveled through the room with interest and lingered back on her.

  “We used to play games here. We did Bible studies in small groups. We would sit on the carpet in circles. We read the Word. We talked about God and prayed for each other.”

  “You look like you miss it.”

  “No–maybe a little–it’s different now.”

  “What about now? Don’t you belong to a group?”

  “I had the choice to be with the high school group or help out with the little kids. Both groups are at the same time, you know.”

  “Oh.”

  She looked at him without saying anything else. There was something about him, a quiet strength. For the first time, she was feeling truly comfortable with a boy. It didn’t even trouble her. The other sex had always been a thing of the future, something that would only happen a few years from now. She had a little girl’s crush in the past but nothing worth dwelling on. Todd was different.

  They sat on the floor in the large room. They talked for a while about his school and what he liked. They both wanted to visit Oregon and spend a year in New York to witness the change of seasons and the crazy lifestyle in the Big Apple.

  Eleven o’clock went by. Todd and Jessica sat one row from the back of the sanctuary. Jessica wasn’t trying to hide. She simply liked the proximity to the glass door by the main aisle. More than once, ushers had asked her to back them up. Sometimes, she simply helped out by opening the doors at the end of the service.

  Above them, a large balcony spread through the entire width of the sanctuary and provided a lower ceiling for the back rows, which was nice at times. During the hot summer days, the air conditioning vents just overhead were well appreciated.

  The service started. A junior pastor stepped to the pulpit, made a few announcements regarding current church activities and stepped down to make room for the band. Three songs later, the choir took over and sung their well-rehearsed piece. The young pastor went back to the pulpit to welcome the newcomers.