Hunting Witches

by Jeffery X Martin

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re not scared. They’re not leaving. I’m fixing their window with Tommy Clark today.”

  “How’s that for irony?”

  “The Lord works in mysterious ways, Pastor. I’ve been in their house. I’ve seen them. Both of them.”

  Edward held his breath.

  “Penny was right,” Rafferty said. “The woman is more powerful than she was able to convey. Her man is weak and in her thrall.”

  “We move to Plan B, then?”

  “Yes. Tonight. We have to react before it’s too late. Call Penny. She’s in on this, too.”

  “I’ll start gathering up the stuff we need.”

  “We’ll meet at the Chapel and head out from there. May God show mercy and allow us to succeed.”

  “Amen.”

  Rafferty hung up. The air in Edward’s chapel office was still. He held his bible close to his chest, breathed deeply and prepared. This was some heavy shit the Lord was about to have him embark on. But when he chose to serve, he knew he was sworn to His bidding, regardless of the cost. He called Penny and told her the news.

  ***

  Penny hung up the phone and started hyperventilating. She never thought it would come down to this. She was nervous, of course, but she was always nervous. She had been taught to be timid, but she remembered that God Himself had said she was His sentinel. She had looked up that word. It meant, “watcher.” She was God’s front line on Earth. He was using her eyes as His own. Her breathing calmed.

  Penny Renfro would no longer be one of the “Frozen Chosen,” a Christian who sits on their fat ass and does nothing to prove their faith. Faith without works is dead! The Scriptures said so. Penny was ready to prove herself to her God and her faith family.

  She spent the rest of the day in a haze, thinking about her black hooded sweatshirt and her black sweat pants. Those would be perfect clothes. She couldn’t wait to slip them on and go on her mission as God’s own sentinel ninja. She could feel the blood seeping out of her gums from around her braces, and she swallowed it greedily, enjoying the taste for the first time.

  ***

  Mark Pendleton insisted on staying outside with the men as they worked.

  “I have to say, I’m impressed,” Mark said. “You guys are getting this together pretty quick. Almost like you’ve done this before.”

  “A few times,” Tommy said.

  “I really appreciate you working on this so fast,” Mark said. “The alarm guys won’t be here until tomorrow morning. This is going to go a long way towards making my wife feel better about staying here when I go back to work.”

  “Sherriff give you any idea who done it? Broke your window, I mean,” Tommy asked.

  “Not yet. It was the weirdest thing, too, man. There were numbers on the brick. Someone had written numbers on it.”

  Tommy shrugged. “Probably a Bible verse or some shit.”

  “That’s what the sheriff said, too!”

  “Don’t you watch TV?” Tommy asked.

  “Yeah! Of course. Well, cartoons.”

  “Can I use your restroom?” Rafferty asked.

  Mark nodded. “Sure, man. No problem. Go on in, down the hallway, second door on the right.”

  “Thank you,” Rafferty said, and he went inside.

  Maybe Plan B wasn’t the way to go, he thought. Maybe he should just take care of the situation here and now. Leave the others out of this. Nobody would suspect them, and he could be gone into the woods before the cops fingered him as a person of interest.

  He crept down the hallway, peeking into each room as he went. An office on the left. The first door on the right hid an exercise room. Then there was the bathroom, and beyond that on the right, the master bedroom. He poked his head in to make sure he was alone before he went inside.

  He found her drawers first. Her panties, so flimsy, see-through, designed to entice. Rafferty allowed himself to imagine, just for a moment, those sheer white panties against the witch’s black skin, the contrast of colors and temperatures, all waiting to be explored. He shut that drawer in a hurry. He was pushing the envelope, and he knew it.

  He examined the contents of the matching nightstand drawers. There was nothing in Mark’s but a couple of coding manuals and a pocketknife. Neither one of them were good for any kind of home defense. Nika’s drawer held t-shirts, wife-beaters mostly, and a clear three pronged vibrator. Rafferty didn’t even want to dwell on that image.

  He closed everything up and walked softly into the kitchen. There was only one set of keys on the wall hooks. Two car keys and a house key on a bottle opener fob. It only took a couple of seconds for Rafferty to remove the house key and stick it into his pocket.

  He looked out the kitchen window and saw the evil creature outside. She was dancing around the standing stones in the backyard, touching them. He imagined her at night, stark naked in fire light, cackling and casting curses. Her and her poor sick husband, who didn’t know what he was doing, worshiping Satan in the pale light of the full moon. What was stopping him from killing her now? What reason did he have to not choke the life out of her? It would send a powerful message.

  Rafferty walked into the backyard, his fists clenched. He kept his head low and walked with purpose, making no noise, refusing even to sweat. She was walking backwards, staring at those rocks. For a moment, Rafferty wondered how deep into the earth they went. Nika had no idea Rafferty was there, lost in her little fantasy world. She probably saw fairies and unicorns, all cheery names for demons.

  He stopped and flexed his fingers. Already, he could feel his hands wrapped around her scrawny little neck, snapping it like a dead twig. Would the angels visit him then? Would he ensure himself a golden crown in heaven? He wanted that more than anything.

  Before he could move, the woman turned and walked right into him. His hair was in her nose, and he breathed in all that cinnamon and incense. It shocked him, and he was at a loss. His fists unclenched, and he stared down at her like she was his opponent in a boxing match.

  “What do you want?” Nika whispered.

  What did he want? Rafferty’s head was spinning with smells and confusion. He stared into her eyes and it felt like he was falling into them. She’s cursing you, he thought, she’s putting a spell on you! Snap out of it!

  He fought to control his muscles, forcing himself out of his confusion. When clarity returned, he pointed towards the house. He couldn’t think of anything else to do. He said nothing, but kept staring into her eyes. Nika glanced towards the back of house but saw nothing.

  “What about the house?” she asked.

  “Nika! Come on around!” Mark was calling her from the front of the house. “Glass is in!”

  Rafferty nodded.

  “Thank you,” she stammered, and she ran for the back door. When she left, Rafferty shook his head. She had been right there. She had been within striking distance and he had done nothing. Nothing. He was going to have to get his head screwed on a lot tighter before night fell. He would pray after work for greater strength and resolve. He walked around the side of the house, back to the front.

  This was how Tommy Clark closed out every job he worked. “Looks good!” he said, and he kept saying it, different iterations of it, until the customer began nodding and agreeing with him. It was tricky, almost subliminal, but it never failed. Rafferty had not heard a complaint against Tommy’s business in the eight months he had worked for him.

  “Looks good!” Mark exclaimed.

  “Looks good,” Tommy echoed. “Yes, sir.”

  Rafferty rolled his eyes and decided to wait in the truck. He watched the woman join her husband on the porch. The thought of how she had slipped through his fingers in the backyard infuriated him. He could have ended it right there. With the woman gone, the man would have no reason to stay.

  Ah, but there he went again. He was being prideful, wanting to follow his own path instead of the Lord’s. He remembered what it said in the Bible about
how there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death. The Lord had laid out a plan for them, and he would follow it to the end.

  Tommy finished up with the Pendletons, again reinforcing how good the work was, waved goodbye, then he fired up the truck and roared off.

  “Good day’s work, boy,” Tommy said, slapping Rafferty’s leg. “Damn fine good day’s work.”

  Rafferty nodded.

  “You need something for dinner before you head back to the forest primeval?”

  “Still full from breakfast,” Rafferty said. “Thanks, though.”

  “Suit yourself,” Tommy said.

  Ten minutes later, Tommy dropped Rafferty off at the usual place. He grabbed his jacket from behind the seat, waved, and Tommy drove off. Rafferty headed into the woods towards his camp. When he got there, he shoved some ropes, carabiners and a few dog ties into a duffel bag.

  Then off he went, over the river and through the woods, to meet his friends at the Elders Keep Memorial Chapel.

  ***

  “No, we have to do this tonight,” Rafferty said. Penny was freaking out and trying to beg off. “We have to do it before they have alarms installed or buy attack dogs or some other thing.”

  “But what if it goes wrong?” She was on the verge of hysterics. “What if they catch us and call the sheriff?”

  Edward placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. “The Lord will protect us. This is His plan, not ours. He is leading us and we shall follow, and because we are His children, He shall care for us. And nothing shall stand in our way.”

  “If the Lord did not want us to succeed, then why would He have made it so simple for me to get this?” Rafferty said, and he showed all of them the Pendletons’ house key. “Easy in, easy out, no sign of forced entry. Keys to the Kingdom.”

  “See, Sister Penny? The Lord has delivered them into our hands. We can’t pull back now,” Pastor Edward said, revving up. “We were given plans, we were told what to do by the Lord Himself! I will not say no to God, I will not deny my sweet Jesus, I will do what He has called me to do, but I cannot do it without knowing that everybody is in. So tell me, is everybody in?”

  “Yes,” Penny said, with a weak nod. “Yes, I’m in.”

  “Let’s do a supply check and be on our way,” Rafferty said. “I’ll check everything off the list as you put it in the trunk of the car. Right?”

  “Right,” Pastor Edward said. “Let’s do this.”

  I am the Sentinel, Penny thought. I am the Sentinel. I am the eyes of the Lord. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

  “Shovel,” Penny said, and she opened the trunk of her car and tossed the shovel inside.

  “Shovel,” Rafferty echoed, and he smiled and gave Penny a thumbs up before checking the item of the list.

  ***

  The sky was a violent purple, with some bright orange streaks bleeding through. The chill in the air was becoming more pronounced. Penny had parked a street over from Mark and Nika’s. They couldn’t just go pulling up into the driveway.

  Rafferty got out of the car and began running through the subdivision like a chased cat, through side yards and over drainpipes. He crouched in the shadows of the home across the street from the Pendleton house. No lights were on inside, and he could detect no movement.

  He scrambled back to the car. “Come on,” he said. “We can take them. Come with me. Get the car later. Bring the duct tape now.” Pastor Edward already had a roll of duct tape in his jacket pocket, and he waved it at Rafferty, who nodded his acknowledgement.

  Rafferty waited as his partners got out of Penny’s tiny car. They walked through the empty subdivision like God’s Own Posse, stepping in sync, heads covered, dressed all in black. For a moment, it felt like an action movie. They should be moving in slow motion. A car should explode behind them. They should not acknowledge it.

  Standing at the edge of the Pendletons’ yard, Pastor Edward thought he could hear voices. He waved to get Rafferty’s attention, pointing towards his ear and then gesturing towards the back of the house. Rafferty nodded and put his finger in front of his mouth, shushing the Pastor. Edward nodded emphatically, wanting so very much to get all the sign language correct for this mission.

  Rafferty dug the key to the front door out his pocket, which was hard to do with gloves on. He twisted the doorknob ever so slightly.

  It wasn’t even locked.

  “Are you serious?” Penny whispered. “How do you not lock the door at night?”

  “I broke their front window less than twenty-four hours ago and they don’t lock the door? I’ve put a lot of work into this plan!” Rafferty said.

  “It’s not your plan,” Pastor Edward hissed. “It’s God’s plan, and they are obviously counting on Satanic protection to keep them safe! And it’s not working! Now, let’s go and get this done!”

  “Still,” Penny said. “Ridiculous.”

  The three walked into the house, unbidden and unchallenged. Rafferty guided them into the kitchen. The Pendletons were visible through the back doors, sitting in chairs, holding hands as the sun set.

  “Should we rush them?” Penny asked.

  “No,” Pastor Edward said. “Wait until they come in. We have the element of surprise.”

  “We have the element of surprise right now,” Penny said.

  “Follow the plan,” Rafferty said. “Trust in the Lord, and follow the plan. Now, be quiet.”

  Part Four

  The Cleansing

  Things were working out just the way Mark had planned. A new window showed that he was a guy who got things done and could be trusted. He cooked dinner, reinforcing that he was a man who knew how to warm up soup. They sat outside, watching the sun set, because he was still a romantic guy, even though they had been married for years. Now, Nika was ready to rock and roll, indicating that she was feeling safe again in her new home and with her confident, able-bodied husband. Beautiful.

  “We should go inside,” Nika whispered.

  “Twist my arm,” Mark replied.

  “Leave the chairs,” Nika said. “I’ll get them in the morning.”

  Mark took Nika’s hand and helped her out of the chair, like a gentleman. She giggled, and they walked into the house together.

  Nika saw them first, hiding in the shadows, the three invaders wearing all black. She hesitated, not sure of what she was seeing. Maybe it was a trick of the light or, in this case, a trick of the dark. Before she could decide what it was, the shadows were upon them, spinning them around and yanking their arms behind their backs.

  One of them walked around to face them. He spread his arms and gazed down at them, a beatific smile visible through the mouth hole of his ski mask.

  “Children,” he said, “Let the cleansing begin.”

  It was then that Nika screamed. Mark struggled against his captor, but the man was taller, stronger. She kept screaming, knowing it would do no good. The neighborhood was empty. They had no neighbors. There was no protection, no safety.

  And the monsters had gotten in.

  “Move,” said one of the shadows, a female voice, familiar somehow. The Pendletons walked, being shoved from behind, back outside, back to the chairs where just a moment before they had been sitting, enjoying the sunset.

  “Sit her down,” said the leader. Nika’s captor, the female, shoved her down into a seat.

  “Hold her!” the woman said, and the leader came over and put all his weight on Nika’s shoulders. The woman sat on Nika’s lap and brought a roll of duct tape out from some unseen pocket.

  “What are you doing?” Nika cried, as the two of them began to wrap her upper body like a mummy, securing her to the chair. They taped her ankles, too. She was well stuck.

  “Do him now,” said the leader, and the brute holding Mark wrangled him into the other chair. They did the same thing to him, taping him securely to his seat.

  The leader reached into his pants pocket and got out a set of keys. “Bring the car around,” he
said to the female. “Back it in. It will be easier to get the stuff out.” He tossed the keys to the woman, and she scurried off to follow his instructions.

  “Are you kidnapping us?” Nika asked, a tone of utter disbelief in her voice.

  “You hurt her, and I swear to God…” Mark said, and the leader interrupted him with a roar.

  “GOD! Yes. God. That’s why we are here, isn’t it? Because of God.”

  “Who are you?” Nika whispered.

  The man knelt in front of her, and gently grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. Nika winced.

  “I,” the man said, “am the Hand and the Voice of the Lord. I have come to pass His judgment upon the wicked.”

  He stood at the sound of the car pulling up in the driveway. He motioned at the taller man, who went into the house, presumably to help unload the car.

  The man again spread his arms in the classic Jesus Christ pose and tilted his head back, staring at the sky. He took a deep breath, then reached over and pulled his ski mask off. He shook his head, like a dog after a bath, then leveled his gaze at the Pendletons.

  “You don’t know me,” he said. “There is no reason why you should.”

  As he spoke, his partners began carrying things into the backyard. Rope. A shovel. A pick-axe. A wheelbarrow.

  “Well, except for one reason,” the man continued. “You were invited to church, and you refused to come.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” Mark asked. “Not getting enough tithes? Hell, we’ve got money. I’ll give you all of it.”

  “This is not about money, heathen!” the man yelled. “The only money you could give me that would make any sense would be thirty pieces of silver.”

  More supplies. Nika could hear them clanking and thudding on the ground, but couldn’t make them out in the fading light. She craned her neck to get a glimpse at Mark, but they were seated at odd angles.

  “That’s it,” said the tall man. The leader nodded.

  “Unmask, soldiers,” the leader said. “Let them see who is on the Lord’s side.”