Meanwhile Cheri and Megan pull in their driveway,
parking the van they get out, as Richard pulls in right behind them in his Jeep. Cheri carries Megan into the house, as Richard holds the door open for them.
As Cheri takes Megan up stairs to her bed, Richard walks into the den, and there standing in front of him is
Lucifer smiling, cane in hand. “Well hello again Mr. Devine, I’m back!” Lucifer says, “Did you miss me Richard?”
“What the hell do you want,” Richard asks. “Get the hell out of my house!”
“Now Richard, is that any way to treat your guest?”
Lucifer says, as an evil grin crosses his face. “After all,” Lucifer says, “it’s show time Richard, and I wouldn’t miss this for all the souls in hell! You are mine now, your soul belongs to me, and I’m here to collect!”
Letting out a diabolical laugh, he waves his cane past
Richard’s eyes, Richard stands frozen in what appears to be a
trance.
Lucifer says, “Now Richard, I want you to pay close
attention to what I’m about to tell you. First,” Lucifer says, “I
want you to kill your wife and daughter for starters.”
As Lucifer leans forward and straps the wolf strap around Richard’s waist.
“Then,” Lucifer says, “I want you to take care of those two brothers, Tinker and Yank. Followed by the grand finally, I want you to kill Marie and Pierre Leblanc. Then burn his precious boat and Cheri’s New Age shop to the ground. That should just about do it,” Lucifer continues saying, “Then I have to decide what I’m going to do to punish you, as it’s not enough that you have to live with the knowledge that you killed your own wife and child, as well as your unborn baby. No I have to devise something even more terrible for you.”
“Well,” Lucifer says, “I’ll leave you to your work, when you’ve finished here, meet me at the New Age shop, I’ll give you more instructions when you join me there,” as he turns and disappears in a cloud of putrid smoke.
Coming down the stairs Cheri smells something odd,
“Richard,” she asks, “are you smoking some type of new cigar? If you are put it out, it really smells really bad.” Just as she walks into the den she spots Richard standing with a strange look on his face. “Richard,” she asks, “what’s wrong sweetie?”
Richard bends over grabbing his stomach as he falls to the floor on all fours, suddenly he begins to shake and convulse
uncontrollably, he rips his shirt off screaming out loud, “Get away from me!”
Cheri says, “My God, Richard are you ok? What’s wrong sweetheart?”
Richard cries out, “Run!” His body starts contorting and changing, long brown hair starts shooting out of their pores all over his body, Cheri stands in shock at what she is witnessing. She turns and runs out of the den, as she heads up stairs to Megan’s room.
Locking the door behind her, she runs over to Megan’s bed and picks her up in her arms. Soon she hears terrible sounds coming from downstairs.
As Richard lets out a blood curdling howl, the sounds of furniture being smashed to pieces can be heard all the way up stairs where Cheri stands holding Megan in her arms.
Megan cries out, “What’s that terrible noise mommy?”
Cheri says, “It’s ok baby mommy’s got you, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise!” Cheri hears the beast coming up the stairs and sets Megan down and tells her to hide under her bed, and don’t come out till I tell you too, you hear mommy?
“Ok mommy,” Megan says, as she crawls under her bed.
Soon the beast stands on the other side of the door panting like a thirsty dog, it starts scratching and clawing at the door.
Cheri screams, “Go away Richard, and leave us alone!”
Cheri suddenly remembers Megan’s hair spray on her vanity stand, and runs over grabbing the spray can in her hand, as the beast breaks through the bedroom door growling saliva dripping out of it’s mouth, and teeth bared as it lunges at Cheri.
Holding up the hair spray can, Cheri sprays it into the eyes of the beast, as it lets out a blood curdling howl. Cheri races past the beast and down the stairs, as the beast runs after her.
Running into her and Richard’s bedroom she remembers the 9mm pistol in the bedside stand. Pulling open the drawer she reaches in and grabs it, loading a round into the chamber she turns and aims it at the bedroom doorway.
Soon Richard, transformed, stands in the doorway, saliva dripping from his jagged teeth.
Cheri yells out, “Stop Richard! Please don’t make me do this, please Richard I don’t want to hurt you, stop, I love you!”
As Cheri looks into the eyes of the beast she sees
something change, the beast looks at her with sorrowful eyes,
every inch of his being fighting back the urge to kill, as if he
knows she has no choice, tears begin to flow down Cheri’s cheeks as she looks into Richards’s eyes, the eyes of the beast.
Richard, knowing he must be convincing, then suddenly lunges at Cheri as she pulls the trigger firing two rounds at the chest of the beast. He collapses to the floor and he slowly reaches out to Cheri as if letting her know she did the right thing, the only thing she could have done.
And then, Richard in the form of the beast, lays it’s head on the floor, as a stillness falls upon the house, all is silent, as Cheri looks down at Richards body lying before her.
Dropping to her knees she leans over and embraces Richards still body as she breaks down and cries out loud.
She hears Megan calling out to her, “Mommy, mommy, are you ok?”
Cheri wipes the tears from her face, and shouts out loud, “Yes baby mommy’s ok, I’ll be right there.”
Cheri walks out of the bedroom looking down at Richard’s lifeless body closing the door behind her. She walks up stairs to Megan’s room and says, “It’s ok baby, you can come out now.”
Megan crawls out from under the bed and runs to Cheri’s open arms. Tears once more flow down Cheri’s cheeks as she embraces little Megan in her arms.
Megan asks, “What happened to the monster mommy?”
Cheri says, “Mommy chased it away, it won’t bother us
ever again.” Standing up Cheri walks back down stairs into the
den, as Megan follows her. She turns to Megan and asks her to go into the kitchen and get mommy a glass of water.
As Megan skips off towards the kitchen, picking up the
phone Cheri dials the hospitals number and asks for Marie. After hearing the news Marie tells her she’ll send Tinker and Yank over to the house. Marie then tells Cheri that her and Megan can meet her at the hospital, “Pierre’s awake and is full of it!”
Cheri smiles wiping away tears from her eyes and says,
“That’s the best news I’ve had all day.” Hanging up the phone
Cheri turns as Megan comes in holding a glass of water for Cheri.
Cheri takes it looking down at Megan she asks, “How
would you like to go visit your grandpa Pierre at the hospital?”
Megan smiles and asks, “You mean grandpa’s going to be ok?”
Cheri smiles at Megan through tear stained eyes and says, “Yes, your grandpa is going to be just fine.”
“Yea,” Megan says, “so we can go see him now?”
Cheri says, “We sure can, last one to the van is a rotten
potato!” Megan takes off running for the door as Cheri calls out, “Hey wait for me young lady,” as she closes the door and heads out to the van where Megan’s waiting.
As Cheri and Megan back out of the drive way, Richard
stands up and walks over to the window, looking out he sees Cheri and Megan pull away down the road. “At last,” Richard says, “they are safe for now at least.” Richard says, “Good thing I replaced those silver bullets with blanks earlier today, or I wouldn’t be here.”
“Now,” Richard says, “I haven�
��t much time, I’ve got to get to the church,” as he reaches under his and Cheri’s bed and pulls out a large gym bag.
Turning he heads out the door to his Jeep, climbing into the drivers seat he starts the engine and pulls out down the road.
Soon after Richard pulls up in front of the Catholic Church and runs inside. On entering he walks slowly to the front of the church, the church is empty as he stands at the front altar, looking up into the face of a statue of Jesus nailed to the cross, Jesus’ face looks down at Richard, as if it knew why he was there.
As Richard stands gazing at Jesus, suddenly Richard feels the wolf strap loosen as it falls to the floor at his feet. Richard dips his fingers into the Baptismal, he crosses himself on his forehead with the blessed water, then he turns carrying his gym bag as he makes his way to the rear exit of the church, he walks out into the church cemetery.
Finding an open area he pulls a small spade from his gym bag and begins digging a small grave. After he finishes digging the grave, he lays the wolf strap in the grave, he then pours salt upon it and consecrates it with blessed Holy water.
Smoke begins rising from the wolf strap as Richard looks down in the grave he sees the wolf strap has completely dissolved.
Next he pulls the loose dirt into the grave until it is
completely filled in. Then pouring the salt making a sign of a
cross on the soil, he then consecrates the grave with Holy water.
Richard stands looking down on the grave and says, “Rest in peace,” as he turns and walks out of the church cemetery and back to his Jeep. Placing his gym bag in the back, he slides in behind the steering wheel, starting his Jeep he pulls away.
Meanwhile back at Lucifer’s underground hideout, he
senses that something is wrong. “No, No, it can’t be!” Lucifer
cries out, “It can’t be!”
He cries out for one of his demons, as a demon appears before him, Lucifer orders him to check on the status of Mr. Devine, “Then report back to me,” he says.
“Yes My Dark Lord!” The demon disappears in a cloud of
smoke. Lucifer sits on his throne of bones, and hangs his head.
Back at the hospital Megan runs into Pierre’s hospital room. “Grandpa, Grandpa you’re ok!” Megan shouts as she runs and jumps up onto his bed giving him a big hug.
Pierre smiles and says, “There’s my big girl, oh Grandpa has missed you so much!”
“I’ve missed you grandpa,” Megan says, “I’ve been praying for you grandpa!”
Pierre tells her, “That’s why I’m feeling better, my
granddaughter has been praying for her grandpa.”
“Did my prayers work grandpa?” Megan asks.
“Boy did they ever, look,” grandpa says, “I’ve even got a new leg!”
“Wow grandpa,” Megan says, “that must have been a really good prayer huh?”
Pierre says, “You bet it was! I’ll be up and walking and out of here in no time,” as he rubs little Megan’s head.
CHAPTER TEN
Megan gives him another big hug, then climbs down and asks Cheri if she can have a soda pop out of the machine down the hall. Cheri hands her some change as Megan skips off down the hall.
Pierre looks up a worried look on his face and asks Cheri, “What about Richard, is he ok?”
Cheri’s eyes begin to tear up as she starts to tell Pierre the bad news, then suddenly through the door steps Richard with a wide smile on his face.
Cheri turns and seeing him, burst into tears and runs to his open arms as they embrace, and Cheri covers his mouth and face with kisses. Megan walks into the room and seeing her daddy drops the soda can to the floor, screaming, “Daddy, daddy!”
As she runs to her daddy Richard bends down and picks her up squeezing her tightly in his arms kissing her face.
Cheri looks into Richards eyes and asks, “But how? I
mean, I thought I’d shot you, I did shoot you didn’t I?”
“Oh,” Richard says, “you shot me all right, but with
blanks. You see before you came home that day, I’d removed the silver rounds and replaced them with blanks.”
“So,” Cheri says, “so you had a plan this whole time?”
“Well,” Richard says, “pretty much the whole time. I had to do a little research on line, for removing curses, and destroying cursed objects. Thank God for the internet huh,” Richard says smiling.
Cheri says, “Oh mister, you’re really going to get it when we get home.”
Richard says smiling, “That’s what I’ve been hoping for.” Then he turns to Pierre and says, “So what’s this I hear you grew a new leg?”
Pierre says, “You heard right didn’t he Megan? Megan
said a prayer for me and poof, instantly I had a new leg, how about that son-n-law!”
Richard tears up a little and says, “Pierre I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you call me son-n-law.”
Pierre smiles and says, “Then you better get use to it son-n-law!”
Tinker and Yank soon come walking in the door with bags of take out food. Tinker asks, “Is anyone hungry?”
Cheri, Marie, Megan, Pierre, and Richard all turn around and say in unison, “Hell yes, let’s eat.” They all set around Pierre’s bed, sharing sandwiches, and stories of their adventures with the brotherhood of wolves.
Meanwhile back at Lucifer’s underground hideaway, the demon checks in with his report for Lucifer. “Well,” Lucifer says, “don’t keep me in suspense, what have you learned?”
The demon says, “Oh master, you’re not going to like it
one bit.”
“What are you talking about!” Lucifer shouts.
The demon says, “Mr. Devine has tricked you, he found
information about breaking spells and removing curses, as well as destroying cursed objects,” trembling before Lucifer.
The demon continues saying, “I’m afraid your wolf strap is no more. Richard has cleansed it and buried it on Holy ground.”
Lucifer slams his fist down on his throne of bones and says, “That bastard! Ah, all is not lost yet however. I still have the contract signed in his blood,” as an evil grin returns to his face. “His soul is still mine!”
The demon shivering says, “I‘m afraid not my Dark Lord, the contract you had no longer exist I’m afraid.”
Looking up at his demon, his eyes burning red hot like
coals in a furnace, Lucifer says, “What do you mean the contract no longer exist?
The demon says, “Well master, he entered a church and
prayed for God’s intervention. The moment Richard buried the
wolf strap in the church cemetery, he consecrated it with salt and Holy water on Holy ground, the wolf strap was destroyed.”
Lucifer reaches inside his drawer of lost souls, searching for Richard’s contract he does not find it.
Lucifer asks, “Where is that contract? I had it right here
with the others.”
The demon speaks up, “Begging my masters pardon, when the wolf strap was destroyed, your contract was destroyed along with it Dark Lord.”
Lucifer lets out a blood curdling growl, “That bastard
Devine has done it again,” Lucifer screams at his demon, “get out of my sight, you maggot eating swine!” The demon, shaking and shivering in fear disappears in a cloud of putrid smoke.
Lucifer gets up and says, “I need to go create havoc
somewhere on this earth, just to get my mind off of this retched
man Mr. Devine. I know, I’ll stir up some trouble in the middle
east again, that should bring me some solace,” as he too
disappears in a cloud of putrid grey smoke.
Years have passed and Pierre and Marie have wed. Tinker and Yank now run a tour group through out the Bayou. Pierre has learned to get by on his artificial limb like a pro.
Marie continues to help Cheri down at the New Age shop, whic
h now also offers Christian supplies and books specializing in spiritual warfare.
Richard continues to work at the university as a teacher, but now also teaches spiritual warfare along with Parapsychology. He has found there is definitely power in knowledge, and strives to share that knowledge with his students.
Richard now teaches theology and Biblical studies as well, as he continues to strengthen his own skills in spiritual warfare against the forces of evil in the world.
Megan is now seven years old, and her little brother Richie has just turned, “the terrible twos.” But that doesn’t seem to bother Megan, as she has a little boyfriend named Jacob, and spends a lot of time riding her bicycle up and down the street with him.
Across town Lucifer stands across the street from the
university, in his new wardrobe, a white suit with matching
Panama hat, and cane with a skull replacing the usual silver wolfs head. He smiles as he sees Richard coming out of the university, and slowly makes his way over to Richard.
Richard looks up and sees him approaching and says,
“Don’t you ever get tired of bothering me?”
Lucifer says, “Now is that any way to treat an old
adversary? I would think at the very least, you’d like all the
attention I have given you over the years,” as an evil grin comes upon his face, “I mean think of how boring your life would have been without me Richard.”
Richard says, “Oh some how I think I would have
gotten by fine without you in my life.”
Lucifer says, “Richard, you cut me to the quick, surely you don’t really mean that? I mean after all, I’m the spice on the cake; I’m the apple in your eye. Think how boring the world would be with out me in it! I mean, after all, if it wasn’t for the bad, you couldn’t appreciate the good in this life.”
The Devil's Belt The Final Confrontation Page 9
