Evil Agreement

by Richard L Hatin

  Ed gambled this officer would not check on his “official status.” Ed’s gamble paid off.

  “F.B.I. huh? Well, Mr. Townsend, please try to keep your speed under control. Wouldn’t want to have an accident and hurt a citizen.”

  “You’re quite right, officer. Thanks.”

  “Have a nice day, see you down the road.”

  The State Police officer handed the wallet back and returned to his cruiser. Ed returned his I.D. to his back pocket. The State Police cruiser pulled out and passed him. The young officer gave Ed a friendly wave, which Ed returned.

  Ed put his car in gear, checked his mirror and pulled back onto the highway. The stop had delayed him further. He had kept his cool. He knew the unofficial code of the law enforcement brotherhood would protect him from most minor matters. Why not, he had given others in the brotherhood a pass or two in his day? Professional courtesy is almost always extended to a member of the law enforcement family.

  Meanwhile, in Sutton, people were getting ready for the ceremony they would attend later that night. Clothes were washed and pressed. Lanterns were checked and rechecked. People called others for a ride. Others sat down to dinner while others read from the secret book, the Book of Covenants.

  Ed Foley and his daughter, Lisa, prepared the unconscious Brittany. They combed her hair. They washed her wounds. They reset her broken arm but had not put it into a cast. Lisa had skillfully applied makeup to Brittany’s bruises. The last thing was the dress they put on Brittany. It was a white dress that resembled a smock in its simplicity. Brittany’s right arm was hooked up to an I.V. bottle. The bottle dripped slowly as it silently carried a narcotic into her damaged body. Her breathing and pulse were as normal as possible under the circumstances.

  Ed wanted to tell his daughter about the good news, but he refrained from doing so. He was a loyal member of the coven. He was adept at keeping secrets. He knew many secrets and never betrayed the trust placed in him.

  “She should be fine,” said Ed.

  “When do we leave?” asked Lisa.

  “We’ll leave around ten thirty or so. We need to be early so we can park as close as possible. I’ll get the stretcher and leave it on the porch until we need it.”

  Lisa left Brittany alone as she went upstairs to shower and change. She wanted to look her best for the welcoming ceremony.

  16

  Aaron and Korie unpacked quickly and headed to the pool with towels in tow. After taking a brief dip in the motel swimming pool, Aaron and Korie towel dry themselves in their room.

  From behind, Aaron strokes Korie’s shoulders. She had just put her panties on and was taking a bra out of her side of the dresser. Aaron reaches around Korie and envelopes her in his arms. He is wearing only his boxer shorts. Korie twists herself around until she was face to face with him. Her arms were restrained by his. He leans towards her and invites a kiss. She resists his offer.

  “Hey, come on,” he pleads.

  “Look, I don’t want to start something, not now.” She smiles for him, not wanting to injure his fragile male ego.

  “Just one kiss?”

  “Okay, lover boy. One kiss, but then you’re buying me dinner, right?”

  “That depends on how good a kisser you are.”

  He released her arms. Taking him by his arms, she pulls him to her with such force their bodies collide. She reaches up and takes his head in her gentle hands. She looks him in the eyes and then slowly moves closer. Their lips meet and make the slightest contact. She holds this position for a moment longer, when suddenly she pulls him to her and she presses her lips, indeed her entire body, against him. The force of the kiss takes him by surprise. He staggers backwards a bit, yet she presses on with their kiss. Korie twists her mouth from side to side, kissing his. Now she takes his lips between her teeth and bites down gently. She can tell by his breathing that she is getting his attention. He is quickly becoming aroused. Korie now pushes him backwards, and Aaron falls down on the bed in a mock swoon.

  “How’s that?”

  “Incredible!”

  She reached into one of dresser drawers and tosses him a polo shirt.

  “You owe me dinner.”

  “You bet I do.”

  They finished getting dressed and headed down to dinner in the motel restaurant. The place wasn’t very crowded. Aaron asked for a window seat so they could enjoy the view of the mountains. It was quarter past seven. They ordered cocktails. Korie noticed the building storm clouds to the west. The vista from this hilltop location was spectacular. The evening sky was filled with dark slate blues and grays, set off by vibrant streaks of yellow sunrays, accented with tinges of red and orange. The approaching storm clouds climbed higher and higher into the sky.

  ***

  All around Sutton, people were sitting down after their own dinner. Farmers were tired from a long day’s work in this humid summer weather. The season’s first hay crop had been above average and the second crop was looking like it was going to top the first cut. Joggers were out taking advantage of the evenings long shadows to cool down their runs, at least as cool as could be expected under the circumstances.

  This small Vermont town with its Jekyll and Hyde dual personality moved about its business so the normal everyday people never noticed the town’s dark side, a side of pure evil. Neighbors, co-workers, bosses, spouses, teachers, doctors, young people and the elderly were as divided as could be, good amongst evil. The town hosted a cabal of devil worshippers practicing their craft without detection. Tonight was to be a night of celebration. A new Keeper had been chosen. He would be welcomed by his fellow practitioners into this dark cult.

  They began traveling the back roads that all converged at the same location. The roads, washboard worn, gave up trails of choking dust. Cars were carefully parked in a field next to the Game Warden’s house. They parked like they were going to a county fair. Young boys with flashlights pointed each newly arriving car to an assigned parking spot.

  Brittany’s battered body is carefully lifted out of a car. She is unconscious, in a drug induced stupor. She is placed on a stretcher which had been brought along. The stretcher is now moved out ahead of the crowd handled by two willing volunteers. They walk slowly.

  There was s steady stream of people moving up the heavily worn path to the outdoor altar. The evening air was filled with the aroma of pine and sumac. Wild flowers, from black eyed susans to miniature marigolds, skirted the path. Once an old logging road, the path was wide and smooth underfoot. To the left was the small stream that bore the name of the Sutton River.

  This is the same path that Michael Delvecchio and Julia Brodsky had traveled along just a couple of weeks before.

  Many of the faithful, both young and old alike, were happily talking together. Several kerosene lanterns, and battery powered ones as well, were evident. A few of these assorted lanterns were already lit. A couple of young boys picked up stones and tossed them into the stream. The animals of the forest pulled back from this sight or gave it the usual wide berth.

  Among the faithful were members of the coven. Whenever noticed by the other faithful, the members of the coven were given an enthusiastic wave, a friendly nod or a warm handshake. A few would even venture to speak in private with a coven member, in search of their counsel or to seek a special favor.

  The faithful in attendance this evening numbered close to three hundred.

  After walking along this path for nearly a half mile, it turned to the left across an old wooden bridge. Now the path grew narrower and was angled much steeper. To the left of the path, nearly at its very edge, was a steep drop off that grew higher and higher as the path climbed upward along the mountainside. The chirping sounds of crickets could be heard everywhere.

  An old woman, a former kindergarten teacher, was busy preparing the altar site along with a couple of middle aged men. One of the men is the president of the local bank, while the other owns a car wash along U.S. Route 2, south of the town. The woman unfolds a bl
ack shroud that she carefully uses to cover the entire altar. Her next step is to attach to the altar’s downhill side a red silk banner with a gold embroidered pentagram. She also places certain artifacts under the altar. Meanwhile, the two men are busy building two large pyres to be used as bonfires later during the ceremony. These pyres are located twenty feet to left and right of the altar. They are careful to ensure that the base of these two stacks of oil soaked timbers are surrounded by the usual large fieldstones. The timbers are stacked into a teepee style shape.

  Just as they are finishing their work, the first of the faithful begin arriving. People move to their usual locations in front of the altar, more out of habit than any design or plan. No one has brought a chair to sit upon. A chair would be taken as a sign of weakness.

  The stretcher carrying Brittany is deposited to the uphill side of the altar. Ed Foley checks Brittany’s pulse and it is weak. She is bleeding internally from injuries she sustained in the truck crash last night. Her stomach, distended from the bleeding, makes her seem to be mildly bloated. A middle-aged woman, who by day works in a nursing home as director of the nursing staff, approaches Lisa. The woman hands her a neatly pressed red robe. Thanking her, Lisa takes the robe.

  Lisa, with some help from her father, removes Brittany’s clothes. They cover her naked, bruised and broken body with this robe. Brittany’s parents have arrived and are being warmly greeted by the other members of the faithful for their good fortune.

  Each coven member is carrying a small bag. As they reach the altar area, they head up the mountainside to the woods beyond. It is in these woods they enter a small tent that has been erected for their use. Taking turns, they enter the tent, remove their clothes and don black robes. Exiting the tent, now barefoot, they return to the altar area. It is getting dark now and most, if not all, of the lanterns people have brought have been lit. There is a slight breeze this evening. The wind is picking up due to a summer storm that has been building in the west. The storm is now moving into the area.

  Samuel Porter and his family have arrived. Hand shakes and expressions of congratulations are extended to the Porter family, especially Samuel Porter.

  The last to arrive is Reverend Simon B. Mitchell. He takes Samuel by the arm and leads him to the uphill side of the altar.

  “Samuel, you must wait here while I go and change. I shall be back in a moment and then we can begin.”

  “Fine.”

  “Are you nervous?” asked the Reverend.

  “Not at all.”

  “Good, remember, wait here.”

  The Reverend turned and headed off to the tent to change.

  Judy walked over to Samuel.

  Smiling she takes his hand and strokes it with her other hand.

  “Samuel, I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Samuel, if you ever need anything, anything at all, I want you to know you can come to me,” she said with a smile that sent an entirely different message.

  “How very generous of you,” said Samuel with a smile.

  Her intentions were lust. His was barely controlled rage.

  She pulled back from him, letting go of his hand. He instead held her hand in his. His grip was painful to her. Her eyes caught his. She felt an overwhelming sense of power coming from his look. It was a look she had seen before. His demon spirit was more powerful, higher ranking than hers.

  He released her hand. She bowed her head to him in a slight nod. Judy turned away from him and took her place with the other members of the coven.

  The coven members are arranged into two groups, one to either side of the altar.

  Stepping from out of the uphill darkness is the Reverend. Now that he had arrived, the ceremony could begin.

  The Reverend stood at the center and behind the altar. Raising his hands above his head, he spread them apart, which was taken by the faithful as a sign for silence. Samuel Porter’s welcoming ceremony was now underway.

  “On behalf of Moloch, Beelzebub and Lucifer, the Demon of all Demons, allow me to greet you as brothers and sisters. Tonight we are gathered, as we have times before, and as even our ancestors did so many times before, to welcome a new member of the coven. Our new chosen member has preserved our sacred place with his own silencing. He has proven his loyalty. He has taken of the blood. Moloch, himself, has blessed him. He has received a most important gift from Lucifer as well, the gift of a mind seer.”

  The Reverend pauses for effect. As he surveys the faithful, he sees their eagerness, their yearning.

  “I give you Samuel Porter.”

  The crowd breaks into applause. Samuel is waved forward by the Reverend. Samuel steps up to the altar. Despite his earlier comments, he is now showing signs of nervousness. Shirley Carter and Walter Yandow approach Samuel and begin to remove all of his clothes. After his clothes have been removed, he is given his own black robe by Phyllis Atkins. He pulls the robe over his head and faces the crowd once again. They press forward to hear him.

  He bows his head.

  Now looking up, there is a clear transformation that has taken place in Samuel. His eyes are now totally black, piercing, shiny black, like a child’s marble. His hands are much larger and muscular. His fingernails are much longer and twisted in form. His head and especially his face are bulging with muscles that distort his countenance. Samuel also seems taller. He fills his robe with a more powerful presence than what he had just moments before. He smiles upon the gathering. His teeth are yellowed and somewhat misshapen. His tongue, snakelike in shape, slithers from inside his mouth and flickers in the night air. Finally, beneath his robe, his feet have changed into cloven hooves.

  Reaching into cooling night air, above the altar, he raises his own arms. His robe’s sleeves slide down to reveal hairy powerful arms.

  “I take the name of Upuaut, for I am the one who comes before.”

  The crowd begins to chant “Upuaut, Upuaut, Upuaut...”

  The entire coven itself begins to change. One by one, they too transform into hideous demons just like Samuel, as their human bodies manifest the presence of the evil spirits that have possessed their bodies. These are the spirits they are bonded with, their partners from Hell.

  “Bring to this altar our sacrifice,” hissed Samuel.

  Ed Foley and Chucky Trainor lift and place Brittany upon the altar. She is wearing the red silk robe that was especially prepared for her.

  “I offer this sacrifice to Moloch, to Beelzebub, to Lucifer, and to all who inhabit the other world. Join me in calling him forth,” commanded Samuel. His power and presence was greater than had ever been seen before. Even the other coven members could see this.

  Samuel began the familiar chant, “Certe Ne Diaza Orce Pru, Giasha Morte Lee Xintra, Moloch...”

  Samuel’s voice, deep and inhuman, could be heard above all others.

  Suddenly the wooden pyres ignited with a “swoosh” like sound. The two were completely engulfed in fire within less than a couple of seconds. The fires bathed the scene in an eerie yellow light. Rising from the ground in front of the altar is a faint specter figure that begins to take shape and soon appears as solid as anyone or anything. It is Moloch, scaly, horned, cloven hoofed, powerful tail, red burning eyes—the whole package.

  He stands in front of the altar, appearing at least nine feet tall. He smiles at the assembled faithful. He seems to be absorbing their expressions of awe.

  Moloch speaks in his unearthly voice, “Tonight I bring you a message from Lucifer himself. As you know, long ago your ancestors and Lucifer’s Legions, and the pact we had agreed to, was broken. Broken by a cowardly, God fearing, Powell. On that night long ago, we had our revenge, but that, too, was stolen from all with the escape of a Powell family member. We were twice denied.”

  The crowd reacts as if it’s at a revival with chants of “Yes Denied...Denied.”

  Bending forward as if to better connect with his audience he presses his point, “Yes, denied, by a Powell.”
r />   “And who have you and your ancestors been searching for?”

  “A Powell,” shouts someone from the audience.

  “A male Powell,” shouted several others.

  “Yessssss...,” says Moloch with his snakelike tongue.

  Moloch leans back and now walks along the left side of the altar. He stops and places his powerful right hand upon the shoulder of Reverend Mitchell.

  “Speak,” commands Moloch.

  “We have located a male Powell.”

  There are gasps in the crowd, shouts of joy and fists pumping in the air.

  The Moloch specter now moves to stand behind the altar and along side of Samuel.

  “Upuaut, I thank you for this offering. Beelzebub, Lucifer and all from the other world welcome you. Upuaut is now the leader of this coven, for Lucifer has spoken through me. Let all obey or forever live amongst the land of the undead.”

  The Reverend is taken aback by this unexpected event. He believed he would be shepherding his flock during this important time, and now he is usurped by a new member of the coven, fourteen year old Samuel Porter. He strains to control himself.

  “Take this sign from the King of the other world. In two days, there will be an earthquake that destroys only one thing. It will destroy a place of worship in a place called Budapest. A thousand lives will be lost. Know of it and know from whom it comes,” said Moloch.

  He turns to Samuel and gestures for him to proceed.

  Samuel now takes a dagger from the altar top. He holds it skyward. The night sky bursts with a bright flash of lightning and then another and another.

  There is no thunder. This lightning is what old timers call heat lightning. It arrives without the usual rumble of thunder.

  Samuel takes the dagger and traces a cut across Brittany’s left wrist. Blood spurts from the cut. Samuel holds a large cup beneath the cut to gather the blood. It soon is filled almost to the brim.