Evil Agreement

by Richard L Hatin

  Rain had just begun to fall. Large raindrops pelted the Judge as he half jogged towards the front door. As he stepped onto the front step a crackling sound was heard coming from somewhere to the Judge’s right. It was accompanied by a huge burst of pulsating light. In a half second, a pounding explosion of thunder shook the ground.

  “You just made it, Judge,” said Chuck as held open the door. “Looks like that lightning strike was meant for you,” he continued nodding in the direction behind the Judge.

  The Judge looked back out onto the front yard. Where he had been standing just seconds before lay a huge smoldering branch from the nearby silver maple tree. The branch had to be close to a foot in diameter.

  “That sure would have done some damage, right Judge?”

  “Yeah, it would have killed me.”

  “Well, relax. It wasn’t your time, at least not yet,” laughed Chuck as he headed off in the direction of the Reverend’s office.

  There were now many flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, as the storm stationed itself over the valley.

  The Judge walked into the office where everyone else was waiting.

  Samuel was standing over by a large floor to ceiling window staring out at the storm. Cascades of rain shimmered down the panes of glass.

  “We’re all here, Samuel,” said the Reverend.

  “Go ahead, Reverend,” said Samuel without turning around.

  “If you insist,” said the Reverend. Let’s begin then with Shirley and Phyllis. What did you learn?”

  The two women spoke for several minutes. They both embellished what they had seen or learned.

  “So it seems that Miss Beacon is involved with Powell and his girlfriend. She shouldn’t be much of a problem. We’ll just have…”

  Just then a loud clap of thunder rattled the walls. At that instant the power went out and three small lamps which had been on in the office went out.

  “You got any candles?” asked Walter.

  “Yes, there are a couple over on the book shelf, and another one sitting on the small table by the door.”

  Samuel still hadn’t turned from the window. However, he raised his right hand upward in a gesture that resembled taking an oath. Suddenly, a small flicker of a flame danced from the end of his index finger. Its appearance caught everyone’s attention. Now, pointing his right hand as if it were a weapon, the flame left the end of his finger and moved through the heavy air of the office. The flame moved to each of the candles lighting each. It then returned to the tip of Samuel’s index finger.

  “Continue,” said Samuel without turning around.

  Hellfire, thought the Reverend, as did most of the others in the room.

  “Well, Judy, it’s your turn,” said the Reverend.

  ***

  Aaron wanted to go over to the man in the station wagon and give him a piece of his mind.

  You want a piece of me? Well come on, he thought.

  He stared at the man who just simply stared back.

  Aaron looked away for a moment to his left. The rain was coming down in sheets. The wind was rocking the Land Rover. Aaron turned again to his right to get another look at the man in the station wagon, when he was startled by the presence of his mother sitting next to him.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, Aaron.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Don’t you think I should be asking you that question?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  She looked straight ahead at the rain beating down upon the windshield. She closed her eyes. Her chest heaved with a sigh.

  Aaron wanted to touch her, to let her touch him. He so wanted her to hold him, as she once did many years ago. He didn’t dare to however. He didn’t want to break the spell that had brought her to him. He needed to be able to talk to her right now. He needed her help.

  “Aaron, what happened earlier wasn’t your fault. These devils are cunning and ruthless. You had to learn this for yourself.”

  “But, I feel so, so wrong. I felt like I let you and everyone else down. I should have been stronger.”

  She half turned and faced him. Over her shoulder Aaron could see the man in the station wagon took renewed interest in Aaron’s Land Rover. His mother noticed Aaron’s eyes were shuttling between her and the man in the nearby car.

  “He can’t see me. Only you can see me.”

  “He sees something!”

  “You must listen to me, Aaron. There isn’t much time left. Tonight, the coven is meeting to plot its final move against you. For you to be able to defeat them, you will have to let them get very close to you. They are going to have to trust you. Whatever they do, you must not let them provoke you into losing your self-control with anger, pity or despair. You must remain strong and true. Do you understand me?”

  “I do, mother, I do. I will be strong.”

  “No matter what happens?”

  “No matter.”

  “They can’t get to you through our family, but they have other ways Aaron. They have ways.”

  “I understand what is at stake here. I’m a Powell, descended from a long line of brave Powell’s. It’s has been our responsibility to defeat the devil and his followers, ever since that night in 1843. I can only promise to do my best.”

  She smiled at her son. Her smile warmed him. Her eyes seemed moist as if she were about to cry.

  “We shall all pray for you my son.”

  “Mother?”

  She had begun to fade from view. Just before she did, she blew him a kiss. At that moment, he felt a slight brush of warm air against his right cheek. He touched at it with his right hand. She was completely gone now.

  The man in the nearby car had rolled his window down to get a better look. Something had caught his attention. He was still trying to see something inside Aaron’s Rover.

  Aaron looked over at the man. Their eyes met. Aaron smiled at the man, and gave him a slight wave. This gesture seemed to frustrate the man who now quickly rolled up his car window.

  Aaron put the Rover in gear and backed out of his parking space.

  ***

  Miss Beacon and Korie were frozen in place.

  What the hell is that? thought Korie.

  Miss Beacon moved forward.

  A low guttural growl rumbled in their direction. The sound was much closer now. Because of the dense low brush, tree branches, and the onrushing darkness, the women couldn’t see more than ten feet ahead.

  Miss Beacon whispered, “It’s a dog, a big dog.”

  “What does it want?” Korie whispered back.

  Just then the dog bolted out of the darkness directly ahead. It was a German shepherd, it was very big and it seemed very angry. The dog lunged towards Miss Beacon, who was surprised by the suddenness of the dog’s charge. She half stumbled backwards and bumped against Korie.

  Korie was about to draw the pistol she was carrying when Miss Beacon stuck out her right hand, palm side facing the dog, fingers pointed upward.

  The dog stopped in mid-charge, as if it had just slammed into a wall. It let out a small yelp. The dog backed up a couple of feet and baring its teeth, leaped directly at Miss Beacon. This time the dog stopped in mid-air and then fell to the ground. It quickly collected itself. The dog now crouched down facing the women, its ears laid back, teeth showing. This time the dog didn’t charge at them.

  Miss Beacon formed a fist with her right hand and held it out in front of her as she knelt down in front of the dog. The dog crept forward a couple of feet and sniffed at her hand. Its ears began to move slowly forward. Korie noticed its tail was moving slowly from side to side. The dog inched forward just a bit more and it playfully licked at Miss Beacon’s hand. She opened her hand and reached over and scratched the dog’s ears.

  “That’s incredible, just incredible,” said Korie.

  “No, it’s not. It’s just a matter of trust.”

  “All right, so now what?”

  “We take him along,” s
aid Miss Beacon.

  With that, Miss Beacon bent over and kissed the top of the dog’s head. She then whispered something into the dog’s ear. The dog licked her face once and stood up. He turned around and began to walk slowly ahead.

  “Let’s go,” said Miss Beacon.

  “What did you say to the dog?”

  “I asked him to help us save the life of a young girl. Besides, he knows these woods better than either of us.”

  “Like I said, incredible.”

  The dog looked back at the two women. They were right behind him. He turned to his left, down what seemed to be a well traveled path. The women continued to follow the dog’s lead. The path taken by the dog was smoother and easier to travel. They were making good time now.

  The dog stopped in the path and sat down. Miss Beacon bent over and patted the dog.

  “This is as far as he is going. If I’m not mistaken we will be coming out of the woods up ahead.”

  “So, where are we?” asked Korie.

  “You’ll see,” said Miss Beacon.

  The dog stood up, walked past the two women, and in a moment it disappeared into the woods.

  Miss Beacon walked on and Korie followed right behind her. In a moment, they emerged from the woods. They were standing in what appeared to be, the back yard of someone’s house. There were no lights on in the house.

  Miss Beacon signaled they needed to be as quiet as possible. Korie nodded her agreement.

  Slowly the two women crossed the backyard. They moved along the driveway until they were standing on the sidewalk at the end of a cul-de-sac. The overhead streetlight cast its eerie yellow haze over the glistening surface of the street. From where they stood, they could see clear up the street to the connecting road, at the end of the street. The rain had let up a bit but still fell as a steady drizzle.

  Miss Beacon motioned for Korie to follow as she crossed the street. The two women walked side by side, along the sidewalk. In a few moments, they had reached the gravel drive leading to an old church. There was a ground based spotlight which illuminated the church, especially its steeple. The church windows were as black as the night sky.

  The only sound Korie could hear was the sound of cars traveling along nearby Interstate 89. She had no idea where they were, but the unmistakable whine of tires speeding down a superhighway was quite recognizable to her. This neighborhood was completely silent. While some houses had lights on and their windows partially opened, strangely there were no sounds, emanating from any of the homes.

  Miss Beacon moved carefully down the gravel drive to the rear of the church. Korie followed.

  Miss Beacon stopped next to a bulkhead at the rear side of the church. It was locked with a padlock. She removed her backpack and set it down. She opened it and soon removed a small tool, which she used to work the lock. After a moment the lock opened and Miss Beacon pulled it off and set it on the ground. She stood up and with Korie’s help they opened the bulkhead heavy doors. She took out a small flashlight, turned it on and shined it down the stairs, which led to the church cellar.

  “Why didn’t you just command the lock to open, instead of picking the lock? You must have powers to open locks and things.”

  “God only gave me the powers he believes I need. I’m on my own for the rest.”

  “But I would have thought.”

  “Don’t dear, have faith, its stronger.”

  With that Miss Beacon descended the stairs.

  Korie followed behind. Miss Beacon stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She picked the lock at the bottom of the stairs. She pushed it open and stepped into the blackness of the basement. Korie watched her disappear into the darkness. The flashlight beam cut through the darkness. From where she stood, Korie could see that there was an old cast iron furnace to the rear of the cellar. The light also revealed that, along the walls were wooden shelves filled with boxes of various sizes. There was also a pile of folding tables, along with two stacks of folding wooden chairs.

  “Korie, come here.”

  Korie haltingly stepped inside of the basement and headed towards the area lit by Miss Beacon’s flashlight.

  “Here, hold this,” said Miss Beacon as she handed the backpack to Korie. Korie took the backpack and slung it over her shoulder with the one she had brought with her.

  Miss Beacon focused the flashlight beam on a door at the rear of the basement which was just beyond the large cast iron furnace.

  She leaned against the door and listened with her left ear.

  She gently knocked on the heavy wooden door.

  “Kelley, Kelley, are you in there?” she whispered.

  “Wait a minute. We came all the way here, through a soaking rain storm, breaking into a church and you’re not sure if she’s in there?”

  Miss Beacon turned towards Korie as the glow of the flashlight illuminated her face. There was no mistaking the look on her face. It fully conveyed her annoyance.

  Miss Beacon pulled a key out of her dress pocket. She inserted it into the lock and turned. The lock “clicked” open.

  “Where did you get that key?”

  Looking back at Korie she said, “You ask too many questions, but if you must know I used to attend this church. As for the key, let’s just say it came into my possession one day.”

  Miss Beacon pulled the door open and shinned the flashlight inside the darkened room beyond. She suddenly put her right hand up to her mouth and gasped.

  “Oh, dear. Oh, dear God, what have they done to you?”

  Miss Beacon rushed inside the room. Korie was reluctant to follow her inside, but soon had no choice in the matter, as Miss Beacon called for her help.

  “Korie, you’ve got to help me. Hurry!”

  When Korie stepped inside the small room she wasn’t prepared for what she saw.

  Chained to the wall was a teenage girl who hung limply against the wall. Her entire body seemed to be covered in thick spider webs. Large, thick-legged spiders scampered everywhere. The room reeked with the smell of urine. Miss Beacon, while holding the flashlight with one hand, pulled away large bats of spider webbing. As the webbing was brushed away, the girl’s skin was revealed. Her arms, face, neck, the exposed areas of her body, were covered in large reddened welts from the hundreds of spider bites that she had endured.

  “Hold her up for me while I work on these locks,” commanded Miss Beacon.

  Korie reached out and tried to hold the girl’s body up. She didn’t have much success. The girl’s limp body was too heavy.

  “You’re going to have to put your arms around her and under her arms.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Korie reached around the girl and clasped her hands together and lifted. She managed to hold the girl up enough for Miss Beacon to start working on the locks. Korie could see from the flashlight glow that the girl’s eyes were completely closed. She noticed the girl was breathing, ever so faintly. She also noticed one more thing. Spiders were beginning to crawl along her arms, and they were biting into her own skin. She could feel the light touch of their legs as several of them scampered along her arms.

  “Hurry up,” said Korie.

  “I am.”

  “Hurrieeee!”

  “I said I am. What’s wrong?”

  “The spiders are biting meeeeeee!” said a panicked Korie. “I hate fucking spiders.”

  “There, I’ve got this one off. Hold still while I try this one,” said Miss Beacon as she went from unlocking one of the wrist manacles to trying to unlock the leg shackles. In a moment all the locks were opened, the girl was now free.

  “Carry her into the cellar,” said Miss Beacon.

  Korie half-carried and half-dragged the girl into the cellar. Miss Beacon followed right behind. Once inside the cellar Miss Beacon took one of the old wooden folding chairs and opened it up. Miss Beacon helped Korie set the girl into the chair.

  “Turn around,” said Miss Beacon.

  As she did Miss Beacon began to rummage around inside t
he backpack Korie had been carrying. Korie kept her hands on the girl to hold her up in the chair.

  In a moment, Miss Beacon turned Korie around and handed her the flashlight. She opened a bottle of what appeared to be some kind of medicine. Miss Beacon held the girl’s head back, and slipping an index finger into the girl’s mouth, she was able to get her to slightly open her mouth. Miss Beacon poured a couple of ounces of the bottle’s liquid contents into her mouth.

  “Benadryl,” said Miss Beacon. “It will help with the spider bites.”

  Miss Beacon poured another couple of ounces into the girl’s mouth. She recapped the bottle and put it back into the backpack. Miss Beacon next removed a water bottle from the backpack. She pulled its squirt top open and proceeded to pour some water into the girl’s mouth.

  “She seems unconscious,” said Korie.

  “Not exactly, it’s more of a cationic-like state. It’s a sort of a defense mechanism, like a trance.”

  “Will she come to? You know, be alert. We can’t possibly carry her back to your place.”

  “I know.”

  Miss Beacon knelt next to the girl and whispered softly into her ear. She whispered again. Korie couldn’t hear what Miss Beacon was saying but it seemed to work. The girl’s eyelids began to flutter.

  “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Kelley. Her brother, Samuel, is new leader of the coven.”

  “Is he responsible for this—his own sister chained up in a cellar hole left to die? Left with all those damn spiders.”

  “Not left to die. No, rather you could say, she was being stored for use later on. Samuel needs her for the welcoming ceremony. She was going to be offered up to either Moloch or Lucifer.”

  “Uh, uh, I ah,” said Kelley as her eyelids fluttered.

  “She’s regaining consciousness?” asked Korie.

  “Maybe. Kelley, Kelley, listen to me. We’re here to help you. Do you think you can stand? Can you walk?”

  “He’s dead. He was my friend. He…”

  “Who’s dead?” asked Miss Beacon.

  Just then Korie and Miss Beacon heard a car door slam shut.

  Miss Beacon turned off the flashlight. She held onto Kelley who was beginning to slump down off the chair.