Darkly Rising

by J. D. Matheny

  Kai reached out and directed the man’s gaze back down to the pathetic wrinkled figure on the floor. “It’s not me you need to ask forgiveness from. It’s her.”

  Randall swept forward and dropped to his knees beside his mother. He placed a hand on each shoulder. “I’m so sorry, mama! It was an accident, really. I would never do this to you. Just an accident!” Then the knife still held in his right hand caught his attention and he froze to stare at it.

  Kai didn’t know exactly what the man was thinking then. The connection had broken. It might have been repulsiveness, thinking about what he intended to do with it, or it may have been a key. Something that might allow him to follow his mother before she got too far ahead.

  Kai liked that idea. He bent over the man’s back and whispered into his ear, exerting all the influence he could muster. “It’s not too late to join her, Randall. To protect her in whatever comes next. She might still need you.”

  The man continued to stare dully at the knife. “She needs me. She always needed me.”

  Kai smiled and left the man to continue his journey in peace.

  33

  When Kai entered the house it was near dark, with only the soft gray light of evening to light the backyard where he watched his mother finish bagging a pile of dead pine needles. She tied the top of the large black trash sack and hauled it up onto the rear porch, where she finally noticed Kai looking out from the dark of the house. Her hand shot up to her chest, then she closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment before giving him a harsh, sideways look.

  He slid the door open out onto the patio. “Need any help?”

  “Jesus, Kai. CPR maybe? Why were you standing there in the dark? You scared the hell out of me.”

  “I only got home a moment ago, was just checking to see where you were. No hot dates tonight?” He reached out to pluck a bit of dead leaf from her thick, wavy hair.

  “Actually, I haven’t heard from Blaine all day,” she said with a frown. “You’re still planning to meet with Mr. Congeniality tonight?”

  “The good pastor? Sure. I think we’ll come to an understanding of some sort. We may need to leave a few minutes early. I’d like to stop and pickup Jenny on the way.”

  Sophie slipped off her shoes and moved into the house, flicking on the dining light as she did. “Jenny? Does Pastor Sikes know you’re bringing his daughter to your counseling session?” She walked into the kitchen and turned on the faucet to rinse her hands.

  “No, that bit might be a surprise, but I won’t be bringing her into the session. Not really. I just want to have the opportunity for us to speak again. I think those two need to hear what each other has to say.”

  Sophie was drying her hands and watching him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, Kai, but it sounds to me like you’re playing with fire. You realize that you’re likely going to make things worse, don’t you?”

  “Things have to get worse, before they get better,” he smiled at her. “Besides, we don’t always tell our loved ones the truth of things. Not to their faces. And you know what they say about the truth?”

  Sophie walked toward the back hall on her way to the shower. “About freedom? They also say truth has no agenda. I’m jumping in the shower.”

  They pulled up in front of Jenny’s house at a quarter of seven. Aside from the front porch light, the only other light on shone through a solitary upstairs window that Kai knew to be Jenny’s bedroom. He took that as a good sign that Dennis had already left for the church.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Kai? I’m a party to this too, and it’s making me a little uncomfortable. I feel like I’m kidnapping the poor girl.”

  “Given what her father is like, would that be so bad?” He glanced over and saw the look of warning on his mother’s face. Bending over, he planted a hot kiss on her cheek. “It’s a joke, mother. I’m not going to knock her on the head and carry her out. If she doesn’t want to come, she doesn’t have to.”

  Sophie thought for a moment to point out that people always seemed to do what Kai wanted them to, but held it back.

  He stepped out of the SUV and walked up to the front door and gave it a stout knock, which he heard echo though the home. As he brought his arm down, he felt a slight sting to the top of his hand. He raised his hand up to eye level and watched as a mosquito probed for its dinner.

  “You must be one of last of the season,” he said to it. “Go ahead then. Get your fill.”

  Obliging him, the mosquito took a few steps to find another spot and stabbed him again, searching for a good source. This continued for two more prospecting efforts before the bug finally gave up and buzzed off into the night.

  As Kai brought his hand up closer for inspection, the light over the entry door’s peephole darkened, then the door swung open enough for Jenny’s radiant face to show through.

  “Kai, I’m . . . so happy to see you? What are you doing here?” She looked past Kai to see Sophie waiting at the curb and gave a timid wave. Sophie smiled apologetically and waved back.

  “Jenny,” he breathed the word out and took her hand. “I’m going to see your father. For our counseling session.”

  “Yes, I know, but . . .”

  “I want you to come.” He watched a slight look of alarm grow on her smooth face. “You’d rather stay here? Jenny, sitting down with your father at my table was very illuminating. I suspect I know a lot more about him now. Tonight, I’ll know for sure, and I think it’s important that you’re there.”

  “Kai, that’s crazy, he would kill me if I showed up with you!”

  He wrapped his other hand around hers now, swallowing up her hand, then bent to give her a soft kiss on the lips. “It may seem that way, but I’m only crazy about you. Where your father is concerned, I’m perfectly sane. He won’t hurt, Jenny. Ever. Do you understand?” He watched her head rise and fall in a slow nod. “Good, grab a jacket.”

  They rolled through the gravel parking lot of the church a while later, going around to where the side entrance was. The only other vehicle in the parking lot was Dennis’s black Lincoln Town car. Sophie noted the otherwise empty lot and bit her lip. She parked near the door and placed a hand on Kai’s arm, holding him in place until Jenny had exited the vehicle.

  “Kai, can I assume that, with Jenny here, nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen?”

  “What would happen? Jenny or otherwise?”

  She pulled back her arm with a sigh and stared forward. “Just make sure you don’t hurt the poor girl. You’re playing with fire. If it gets hot, just leave, and wait at the bottom of the hill. I won’t be gone long, then I’ll be back to sit here until you come out.”

  “Sure thing,” he said as he stepped out. He watched her back the SUV up, then turn and disappear around the corner of the building.

  “Where is your father’s office from here?” Jenny’s auburn hair looked like burned copper under the dim light of the hallway where they stood just inside the church’s side door. She was fidgeting with nerves and he wanted to soothe her.

  “At the very end of the hall is the conference room where we attended Youth Group. Just before that, on the left, is a hallway that leads to the main auditorium. Before you enter the auditorium is my dad’s office, on the right side. Or, if you go into the auditorium, there’s another door to the right that accesses his office as well.”

  “That’s good,” he said. The feeling of protectiveness he felt over her was powerful and he wanted no one to come between them. The only person who threatened his complete hold of Jenny was the warped man inside this church. Jenny’s father had a strong hold over her, nearly as strong as his own, but he intended to break that hold tonight.

  “Kai, are you sure I need to be here? I don’t understand why it’s so important. If he catches me here, with you—"

  “If he catches you here with me, then I’ll make sure he understands that nothing will ever come between us. We’re one flesh now, aren
’t we?”

  She smiled up at him so sweetly he almost felt the shift of power between them unbalance. Perhaps, he thought, even an angel can unbalance a god.

  “Yes. I feel like we are. I trust you.”

  “Good. You’re strong, Jenny. Strong enough to stand up to him with me by your side, if you must.”

  With that said, he took her hand and as they walked through the dimly lit corridor. Despite the grand facade of the church, the bowels of the building smelled musky, as if there were a hundred tiny leaks that had sprung and dried, leaving behind an underlying hint of rot. As they walked, he explained to her that he wished her to remain outside the office door after he entered, but to listen to all that was said. She agreed with only a slight nod of her head, looking nervous again, but as he approached the closed door she remained at the corner, waiting obediently.

  A light shone out through the bottom of the door and Kai could hear the shuffle of papers from the rooms interior. He gave the door a loud and confident knock and the room went silent for a moment.

  “Enter.”

  With a smile at Jenny, he opened the door and stepped into the room, where Dennis was standing beside his desk. He had one arm bent behind his back, and one bent over his belly, taking on the pose of a general. The hand behind the back came out and motioned him to one of the two chairs situated in front of his large, wooden desk.

  The decor of the pastor’s office was very tasteful and refined and Kai could imagine the man proudly bringing back troubled parishioners to impress them with his wisdom and guidance. In either corner behind his desk was a tall, brass lamp with a stained-glass shroud. The right wall opposite the auditorium was dominated by a large wood bookshelf, made of the same dark red wood as the desk. It was packed full of books that no doubt showed the deep learning of the churches leader. When he selected a chair to sit in, the black leather that welcomed him was soft and supple.

  Once he was seated and his visual tour of the room was complete, he returned his attention to the man before him. Their eyes met with an almost electric charge. Kai was sorely tempted to exert his will over the man. To bend over the desk, look deep into those muddy brown recesses, and bring about the man’s devotion to him. But he waited, first wanting Jenny’s father to speak with a clear head and a free will.

  “Well, young man, I applaud your willingness to swallow what is no doubt a misguided indignation toward me and attend this session. I must admit, after our last meeting, I didn’t truly expect you to show your face to me, but I’m pleased you did.”

  Kai smiled and decided that sitting wasn’t right for him. Instead, he rose, walked to the bookshelf, and began to peruse, letting the man know that he was comfortable, and that being here caused him no degree of anxiety. He took his time before speaking, feeling the preacher’s impatience grow at his back.

  “I thought it was important to make some things clear, Dennis. To all parties.” He strolled casually back and forth, browsing the titles, and avoiding the man’s gaze for now. “It’s important that you know where things stand. It’s important that you recognize that I know where things stand.” He turned then to see Dennis leaning back in the chair with a superior smile on his face.

  “Yes, I see. You obviously think very highly of yourself, that much is obvious. You no doubt feel that you have some upper hand that I am unaware of. Besides your lack of faith and your pompous air, the one thing we have at conflict between us is the attentions and devotion of my sweet daughter. I assume we agree on that?”

  Kai tilted his head and smiled at him in a way he thought would rankle the man. “On that we agree, Dennis.” That much at least got the man’s cheeks to redden. “What I would disagree with is the idea that you know me as well as you think you do.”

  “Oh, I know you well, boy. A sex-crazed know-it-all teenager. There’s a million others just like you.”

  “There’s nobody like me!” Kai shouted. He bent over the desk, veins bulging in his neck and eyes burning, but then he looked down and took a second to recover himself. He hadn’t meant to lose control like that, but the consolation was the reaction it awarded him from his adversary, who had jumped back deeper into his chair with alarm. He was looking at Kai like he’d just seen the devil. If he only knew. “My apologies, Dennis, I didn’t mean to lose my cool. It’s just that you are such a vile man, it’s difficult for me to contain my anger.”

  “You little shit! Who are you to come in here and call me vile!”

  “I’m the man that knows you as well as your own God, Dennis!” He bent over the desk again, this time keeping his anger in check, but his eyes simmered just the same. “I know your secrets, preacher. But you never really believed she was cheating on you, did you?”

  Dennis’s eyes widened in shock. “What are you talking about? I don’t have to listen to this, you’re here by my invitation, and I think it’s time you removed yourself from my church!”

  “You didn’t,” Kai said, answering for him. “But you never felt like you had the control over her you wanted, and control is very important to you, Dennis. There was another that you had a firm grip on, though. A beautiful young daughter, who would grow up to look every bit as beautiful as her mother. You thought you’d just bide your time. Work your influence over her like a snake charmer, until one day she would replace her poor, sweet mother.”

  “You dirty bastard!” Dennis’s face was beet red, his jowls quivered. He made a step toward Kai just as the office door burst open, then he froze. “Jenny, what—”

  “Here by my invitation, Dennis.”

  But Jenny wasn’t listening. “What is going on!” she yelled at both of them. “I want answers.”

  “It seems you’ve been listening, daughter. You heard this heathen has been saying. He’s mad! You see why I don’t want him around you!”

  She looked at Kai, and for the first time, real doubt reflected in her eyes. “Kai, what is all this? What are you trying to do?”

  “It’s all true, Jenny. I think you already know it, but if you have any doubts about his intentions, just look in the bottom drawer of his desk.”

  “Like Hell!” Dennis took a step forward and was met with Kai’s hand pushed firmly into his chest. It was like walking into an oncoming locomotive and he found himself flung backward into his chair.

  “You’ll stay right there, preacher. Jenny?”

  She looked at him for a moment, confusion on her face. Then she took a few tentative steps forward and bent slowly to open the large drawer at the bottom of the desk. Then she gasped.

  “Daddy . . . are those mine?” Her voice trembled but Kai could see that she asked only out of shock. The truth was written in the pain on her face. Dennis only remained in his chair, looking suddenly diminished as Jenny reached her hand in the drawer and pulled out a pair of yellow panties. “Why?”

  Kai answered for him. “You know why, Jenny. For the same reason he intends to invite you to his bed. If he hasn’t already. Everything I said was true.”

  “Jenny,” her father’s voice croaked out, “the only thing that’s true is that I love you. You see that, I know you do. Look in your heart. Ask God to show you.”

  Listening to the man was making Kai sick. “She’s already talked to God, Dennis. I had her screaming up to the Heavens for him. In her own bed, last Sunday after service.”

  “Kai!” Jenny’s face flashed a crimson red, as if masked in a sheet of blood.

  Dennis stared at him, then at his daughter, and recognized the truth of it in her face. “You cheating little bitch!” He erupted out of the chair to grab for her, but Kai’s fist rocketed toward him, smashing squarely into his jaw. Dennis plummeted like a rock, issuing a single grunt before dropping into a silent heap on the floor.

  34

  “Oh my god, Kai!” Jenny’s hand pressed down over her chest and her bulging eyes regarded her father crumpled form in stark disbelief. “Is he going to be OK? What do we do now?”

  Kai bent over the man and placed one
hand firmly under his neck to check for a pulse. “He’s fine, just unconscious is all. What we do is take him to my place. Not my house, I have another place close by.”

  “Shouldn’t we take him to a hospital? He could have a broken jaw or a concussion.”

  Kai rose and approached her, taking both of her hands into his own. “Jenny, I know this can’t be easy for you, but you heard everything he said. You understand what he wants of you, don’t you?”

  Her eyes welled up with tears as she stared back at him, bringing out the bright green color. “Yes. I think I already knew, I just didn’t want to believe it.”

  “I’m sorry, my love, but unfortunately I have more to show you. Information I can’t just tell you, it’s something you need to see for yourself, and I can show you, but we need to go to my place first. Can you drive?”

  “Well, yes. I mean, I have my license. Why do I need to drive? And why do we need to go to this place of yours?”

  “Just trust me, Jenny.” He bent to give her a tender kiss on the lips then smiled down at her so sweetly that questions were forgotten. “Grab your dad’s car keys from the desk there. I’ll carry him out to the car.”

  She picked up the keys obediently and led him out of the building and to her father’s Lincoln, where Kai strained somewhat to push Denny’s considerable girth into the backseat. Once that was done, he slid into the passenger seat and directed Jenny where to go.

  Jenny leaned forward in the seat, staring intently into the night with both hands locked on the ten and two positions of the steering wheel. “What if we get pulled over?”

  “We’re not going to get pulled over, you’re doing fine. Besides, it’s not far, another ten minutes. About a half-mile before my driveway there will be a clearing on the left side. There’s a road there, sort of. Not technically a road, but drivable most of the way to where we’re going.”

  She listened but remained quiet for time. “You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”