Epistle of the Damned

by M. Lee Mendelson

  Meredith signed the document. “I hope your benefactor will rest easy knowing she has her precious home back.”

  “I can assure you, she is quite at peace now. Everything has worked out for her.”

  Perplexed, Meredith responded, “Well, my husband is gone forever. Where’s my peace, Mr. Abaddonus?”

  With an unnerving smile, Mammon exclaimed, “Mrs. Carson, your peace will come in knowing he will forever be in a better place. Of that, I have no doubt.”

  Distraught, Meredith stormed out of the office. “Good day, Mr. Abaddonus!”

  As she left the thirteenth-floor office, she looked back at the office door. There were no markings on the door except for a sign that read “Office Space for Lease.”

  An anxious feeling came across her as she scurried to the elevator, never looking back.

  The house at 2701 Red Oak Circle would remain vacant for as long as anyone could remember. The house was always meticulously maintained, but no maintenance personnel were ever seen. Rumors would circulate among the neighbors about the house being haunted. Deputies would routinely be called out to investigate sightings of people in the windows and the screams of a man, however, nothing was ever found.

  In time, Meredith was able to move forward with her life. She and Cynthia remained roommates and forever friends. The two had endured great tragedies together and had come out the other end fairly intact.

  Nancy did finally move to Florida. She became very close to Meredith, Cynthia, Henry and Rebecca. She found a house less than a mile from Henry and Rebecca’s, and the three were regularly seen gallivanting around town together.

  Meredith never again allowed herself to go anywhere near the house.

  THE HEART OF THE MATTER

  N ovember 1, 1989. The headlines of the Boca Gazette read:

  ELDERLY COUPLE KILLED IN MYSTERIOUS

  HALLOWEEN CAR CRASH.

  At approximately midnight on October 31st, Philip and Phyllis Seymour were on their way home from a charity Halloween ball at the civic center when their 1988 Cadillac appeared to have lost control and struck a tree. No other vehicles were involved. The driver, Philip Seymour, had no known health problems and alcohol is not suspected. Friends and neighbors were shocked and saddened at the news.

  Authorities are still investigating.

  At the reading of the will, Attorney Mammon Abaddonus was the executor of the Seymour’s Estate.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Schilling, you are the sole beneficiaries of the Seymour’s estate. Mrs. Schilling, your parents were worth approximately five million dollars, not inclusive of their house in Mossy Hammock which is valued at well over one million dollars. The will stipulates that the estate will transfer to your daughter should anything happen to you and your husband.”

  In January 1990, a moving van pulled up in front of 2701 Red Oak Circle. A young woman and her family were moving in.

  Thomas Schilling, his wife Felicia and their daughter moved into the house. They were an unassuming couple and the home was always quiet. They rarely spoke to the neighbors and tended to keep to themselves. The family lived there for approximately two years. Unexpectedly once again, the residents of the home made the local headlines.

  October 6, 1992. The Boca Gazette headlines read:

  LOCAL COUPLE FEARED AMONG THE DEAD IN FATAL NETHERLANDS PLANE CRASH

  Unconfirmed reports that a local couple was visiting relatives in Amsterdam when on October 4th Israeli El Al 747 flight 1862, a cargo plane, crashed into the Bijlmermeer neighborhood of Amsterdam, killing 43 people. Three crew members and one passenger on the plane were killed. As many as 39 people on the ground were killed as well. It is feared that among those killed on the ground were two local residents, Thomas and Felicia Schilling. Dutch authorities are saying it may be impossible to positively identify all of the people on the ground.

  November 1992. A troubled young woman received a phone call from Mr. Abaddonus.

  “Well, Ms. Schilling . . . ”

  “My name is Adrianna. Adrianna Sable.”

  “Oh, forgive me, Priestess.”

  “How did you know about that, Mr. Abaddonus?”

  “I know many things, Ms. Sable. But it would seem that your parents are assumed dead.”

  “They are, I know they are. They’ve been dead to me for quite some time now.”

  “I see. The fact remains that with their assumed demise, you are now to inherit the entire estate. For legal purposes, your name is Schilling, unless of course you would like me to legally change your name to Adrianna Sable.”

  “If you could do that Mr. Abaddonus, I will be forever in your debt. I want no affiliation with those people again.”

  “Forever in my debt, you say? You might not realize what you ask, Ms. Sable. Are you sure about that?”

  “Mr. Abaddonus, I serve a higher power now. I fear no mortal man. Just make it happen, sir, and you will oversee all my affairs.”

  “Indeed Ms. Sable, you should fear no mortal man. Consider your request as if it was already done. It is as if it was foreordained. From this day forward, you will be known only as Adrianna Sable.”

  True to his word, Mr. Abaddonus made all the changes that she had requested. All records of her relation to the Schillings vanished. It was as though they had never existed.

  Adrianna Sable, or Priestess Sable as she was known to her followers, began a religious sect called The Moloch Society. They worshipped an ancient God named Moloch. Moloch was worshipped by the ancient Phoenicians and Canaanites to whom they would sacrifice their children by burning them.

  October 31st, 1989, Halloween night. It was shortly before midnight and Adrianna was alone in her room, playing with an Ouija Board. What started out as a game had become an obsession. Could she really summon spirits from another realm? She had read several books on summoning demons and had set her room up with a pentagram in the middle of the floor. She placed the Ouija Board on the floor in the center of the pentagram. She had written down a summoning spell from a book she had found on demonology, and recited it aloud while sitting cross-legged on the floor between two black candles.

  With her hands on the planchette, she recited the spell. Her intentions were dark and her desire strong, but still she had some doubt as to whether it would work. To her surprise, after several minutes the planchette began to respond to her questions.

  “Is there another present in the room with me?”

  The planchette, or pointer, moved on its own to “Yes.”

  Nervously, Adrianna asked, “Do you wish to harm me?”

  Again, the pointer moved on its own, this time to “No.”

  After several minutes, her nervousness changed to excitement. Adrianna asked, “What is your desire of me?”

  Slowly, the pointer spelled out one letter at a time. “I”…

  “W”…“I”…“L”…“L”…“S”…“H”…“O”…“W”…“Y”…“O”…“U”…“ M”…“Y”…“C”… “H”…“I”…“L”…“D.”

  Immediately, Adrianna was standing outside her body. She saw her cross-legged form sitting motionless in the center of the pentagram. Then an ominous voice surrounded her, “Come, witness the magnitude of my reign.”

  In a flash, Adrianna was standing at the top of a temple in ancient Canaan. She had been transported back thousands of years. At the head of the temple stood a statue of their deity. He towered above the city, with the head of a bull and the body of a man. In a cast metal bull, glowing red from the fire below, a door was opened. A priestess stood with an infant in her arms. She held the baby up to the god, and the crowd grew silent. After a prayer, the priestess dropped the child into the belly of the bull. A short-lived, distressing scream of an infant in torment came from the belly of the beast and the silent crowd of thousands of worshippers erupted into a raucous cheer. They had appeased their god once again. The soul of one innocent for the prosperity of their great city.

  “See how the legions worshipped me! I was a powerful god to t
hem. You, my child, will usher in a new epoch of my return to prominence. I am the one known as Moloch. In return for your devoted service, I will grant you your greatest desire.”

  “Oh, powerful Moloch, I am your humble servant. Do with me as you will. I only ask of you one thing. . .”

  “My child, I already know that which you ask before you ask, for I am all powerful. Before this hallowed night ends, you will know that my power is great.”

  Instantly, Adrianna was once again in her room, standing outside her body. Moloch laid out his ominous plan for her. “You will be my new high priestess. You shall be known as Adrianna Sable.”

  “Adrianna Sable?”

  “Yes child, a name fitting for a Priestess of the Dark.”

  In the end, she replied, “It is as you wish, oh mighty Moloch.”

  The next morning, Adrianna was awakened by her mother, Felicia, who was crying. “I have some terrible news, honey. Your grandparents were killed in a car accident in Florida last night just before midnight.”

  Adrianna sat motionless in her bed, with a slight smirk. She thought to herself, Your will be done, oh mighty Moloch!

  In January, Adrianna moved into a new home in Florida. The plan had been set in motion. Adrianna would seek out the lost and the indigent to recruit them as followers. She would scour the malls and find wayward young people, many of them already dressed the part—Goths. Willing participants, looking for the social acceptance of their odd behavior and garb. Before long, Adrianna had hundreds of followers. They would meet at a secret location in the woods. They would perform rituals by sacrificing young animals, at first. But the bloodthirsty Moloch would demand a much more satisfying offering.

  With her family on vacation out of the country, Adrianna was once again outside of her body in the center of the house.

  Moloch spoke to her. “My child, you have done well. But my hunger grows. I must taste the flesh of a young child once again. Your followers are ready. The next phase of my resurrection requires a sacrifice. You will offer yourself to me, after appointing a new priestess. In death, you will rule at my side, more powerful than you could have ever dreamed. You will rule for eternity as my elder in the realm of death with your heart’s desire completely fulfilled. Once again, by morning you will witness the power of my sovereignty.”

  The next day, the news reported a terrible plane crash in the Netherlands. Adrianna was assured in her spirit that her parents were among the dead. A month passed, and she received a phone call from Mr. Abaddonus confirming her parents’ death.

  Adrianna knew time was growing short. She would seek out and train a new priestess to assume her role. Following the instructions of Moloch, Adrianna retained the services of Mammon Abaddonus to transfer all of her holdings to an estate naming The Moloch Society as the sole beneficiary. The house at 2701 Mossy Hammock became the spiritual center for the cult.

  October 30th, 1994. At their camp in the woods, Adrianna addressed her followers. “Tonight, dear ones, we celebrate. Tomorrow, Priestess Aveira Tenebrae will usher me into the dark realm of the netherworld. There, I will assume a position beside our powerful Moloch. I will live for eternity and will guide you from the other side. My physical home is to remain a sacred sanctuary where only the chosen few will enter. My blood will be shed upon the altar and will be forever consecrated as Moloch has willed.”

  The next night, October 31st. In the living room of the Mossy Hammock home, the new High Priestess and twenty of the most dedicated elders had been selected to gather for the ritual. Tonight would be the night Adrianna would be ushered into immortality.

  A tarp lay spread on the living room floor. All the windows were covered with black cloth. A blood-orgy to symbolize the fertility of the priestess and to ensure the future growth of the cult ensued as part of the celebration. The blood of a consecrated bull that had been scarified the night before at the camp was poured upon their naked, writhing bodies as they indulged in every sexual pleasure imaginable, from the benign to the truly heinous. After two hours of the erotic feast, a final ceremony for Adrianna’s conscious form took place.

  The tarp was removed. With the blood that remained, a large pentagram faced downward was formed on the white tile floor. The time was now at hand. Adrianna, wearing a flowing black gown, willingly lay in the middle of the pentagram with her hands clasped together on her belly.

  Priestess Tenebrae lit the black candles at each point of the bloody star. A large clock on the wall would indicate the precise time that Adrianna would be sacrificed. At exactly one second before midnight, the sacred bull horn-handled blade was plunged through her heart. All in attendance solemnly chanted an ancient prayer of sacrifice to Moloch.

  A silver chalice collected the thick blood that oozed from Adrianna’s chest, and all the cult members present drank of her blood. The thick, viscid lifeblood was sipped from the chalice, and Priestess Tenebrae glugged down the last drop. “It is finished. Our High Priestess is at his side. Moloch’s will be done.”

  All attendees in unison echoed, “Moloch’s will be done!”

  Within an hour, all evidence of what had occurred in the living room had been removed from the house. The only remnant was the darkened stains where the plasma had impregnated the porous grout lines. If looked at from above, it would reveal the broken pattern shape of the room-sized pentagram.

  Adrianna’s body was then transported to the sect’s camp. There, the remaining members joined the new High Priestess and twenty elders in a celebration to free any vestige of Adrianna’s soul trapped in her mortal body by burning her corpse in a ritualistic bonfire. By dawn, there was no remaining evidence of Adrianna except for her ashes.

  For the next seven years, the cult continued to grow. Members number in the thousands and are spread across several southern states. New chapters are being established regularly across the country. The members had gone from original outcast teenagers to housewives, college-educated professionals, and even government officials.

  Their actual numbers are unknown, as they remain silent and undetected in their activities. No obvious affiliation is detected from one cult-cell to any other across various communities.

  It is widely believed among the most devout cultists that Adrianna was Moloch’s mother, revered by all as the true High Priestess. The Mossy Hammock home became a holy shrine to followers.

  Priestess Tenebrae spent much of her time traveling abroad, spreading the dark gospel. Like Adrianna, Aveira would spend time in dialogue with Moloch and Adrianna while out of her body, receiving her orders.

  After several years, Moloch revealed his growing impatience for the taste of an innocent’s flesh. In January 2001, Priestess Tenebrae conscripted Jeremy Pickford, an eager young convert, to be the chosen one to abduct the first child for Moloch.

  In a private ceremony one early Friday evening, Priestess Tenebrae blessed Jeremy. She baptized Jeremy by pouring the blood of a bull over Jeremy’s head.

  “Jeremy, you go forth now in the greatest service any mortal man could be asked to perform for his master. A child has been chosen . . . you also have been chosen. Go forth now with Moloch’s blessing. Your reward will be great in the afterlife.”

  Jeremy then traveled two hours north to the home of the chosen child, Suzy Shinner. Though he had been blessed, all would not go as he had expected. The abduction initially was flawless, and while driving back with Suzy tied and gagged with duct tape in the trunk of his Camaro, he was careful to obey all traffic laws. His speed was just slightly above the posted limit, as it was common knowledge that doing the exact speed limit was usually a sign of someone doing something wrong.

  Before he left, Jeremy went through his car with a fine-tooth comb. “Oil, check. Tires, check. Radiator level, check. Belts and hoses all look good.”

  Though he checked his lights, Jeremy could not have predicted that a headlight would burn out that evening. He was almost home. Suzy was still in the trunk. It had been an uneventful journey thus far. Then out of n
owhere, “What the fuck? A cop? Why is he pulling me over? He has no reason to stop me.”

  Jeremy began to panic. He pulled over with the intention of cooperating. It must be something minor. He was fidgeting in his seat and looking back in his mirror. He could see the cop approaching, then stop and talk on his radio. “Where did he go?” He had his chrome .357 magnum in his lap, covered by his shirt.

  Jeremy didn’t see when the cop changed his approach to the passenger side. With the road noise now stopped and his radio turned down, he suddenly heard some rustling and crying from the trunk. Then Jeremy heard from behind him, “DRIVER! TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE AND SHOW ME YOUR HANDS! DO IT NOW!”

  “SHIT, HE KNOWS!” Jeremy brought up his revolver and began pulling the trigger in the direction of the cop. He simultaneously mashed down on the accelerator and sped away as the cop started firing a volley of bullets at his vehicle, breaking out the rear window of his pristine classic muscle car. Jeremy realized that he had been struck in the left shoulder by the cop’s bullet. He sensed that he was bleeding badly. Jeremy was driving his car as fast as it could go, but to his dismay the cop was quickly on his ass.

  Jeremy thought, I can’t shake this guy! Damn, it’s getting hard to breathe!

  He was getting lethargic, and as he attempted a high speed left turn onto Main Street, he lost control of his car. “OH, SHIT!”

  Jeremy crashed into a large oak tree. Dazed, but still full of fight, Jeremy exited his destroyed, once classic Camaro and raised his revolver at the cop. The last thing he felt was the sting of multiple bullets entering his chest cavity. He collapsed dead to the ground.

  Back at the camp, Priestess Tenebrae was anxiously awaiting Jeremy’s return. “He’s late. Everyone leave me. I must be alone.”

  The twenty original elders vacated the shanty and left Aveira alone to consult with their deity. An hour later, the sun was rising and Aveira exited the dilapidated shack.

  “Moloch’s will be done. Our master has informed me that this was a test of our loyalty. Jeremy is now with the master. We have passed the test and he will soon reveal the time of the consecrated child.” The gathering then dispersed.