The Incubus

by Len du Randt

  ‘Are you still getting them?’

  Justin shook his head. ‘No. They stopped a couple of weeks ago.’

  ‘And the dreams were different each time?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Simon sat in deep thought for a while. ‘When I have nightmares,’ he said, ‘it’s always the same dream.’

  ‘The same one?’

  ‘Well, the setting is the same. It’s the intensity of the dreams that change.’

  ‘What’s it about?’ Justin asked.

  ‘It’s a battle. Angels against demons.’

  ‘And it’s the same every single time?’

  ‘Only when God wants to tell me something.’

  Justin frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Whenever I need to pray for someone, God gives me that specific dream.’

  ‘Pray? For who?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Simon said and shrugged. ‘It could be anyone.’

  Justin raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re not sure who you need to pray for?’

  Simon shook his head. ‘Nope.’

  Justin pressed it. ‘No idea at all?’

  ‘I knew once before, but not in general, no.’

  ‘And you’re sure the dream means that you have to pray for someone?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How do you know that’s what you have to do then?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Simon said. ‘I just do.’

  Justin just shook his head. ‘What about the time that you did know?’

  Simon wondered whether he should tell Justin, but there was nothing in his gut warning him against doing so, and so he decided that it should be all right. ‘Do you know about the boy that was attacked by a dog a while ago?’

  Justin searched his memory. ‘Little Timmy?’

  Simon nodded. ‘I woke up after having the battle nightmare and knew that I had to pray for him specifically.’

  ‘He’s still in a coma, right?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Simon. ‘They don’t think that he’s going to make it.’

  Justin sighed. ‘It doesn’t look like your prayer worked then, eh?’

  ‘I don’t question,’ Simon said. ‘I just obey.’

  ‘That’s what I don’t like about your God,’ Justin said. ‘He’s always so conveniently mysterious.’

  ‘But you do believe He exists, right?’

  Justin laughed out loud. ‘Not really, no. Well, at least not in the same sense as you and Rebecca do.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Justin said and shrugged. ‘I guess I’m too smart to believe in man-made gods created to control the mindless masses.’

  ‘So you’re implying that I’m not smart?’

  Justin was cornered. ‘Put it this way,’ he said. ‘I grew up with Christian parents. My Christian father used to lift his hands to the Lord every Sunday morning, and straight afterward, slammed them back down on us. My Christian mother did nothing but look on.’

  ‘So you’re judging the entire Christian faith based on the mistakes of two people?’

  ‘Just like you’re judging me based on a single conversation? You don’t know anything about me or my past.’

  Simon could sense that he hit a nerve. ‘I’m sorry...’

  ‘It’s okay,’ Justin said. ‘I don’t mind people believing in their gods. Everyone I know have some sort of deity that they believe in and worship. It’s just when they try to shove their beliefs down my throat that I become agitated.’ Justin wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible. ‘People can believe what they want to believe. As for me, I’ll leave that spiritual mumbo jumbo to the religious folk.’

  ‘God spoke to me,’ Simon said as he stood up. ‘Do you believe that?’

  ‘Saying that I do would mean that I acknowledge the existence of your God,’ Justin said.

  ‘I’m going to warehouse seven now,’ Simon said. ‘But I’d like to leave you with one thought.’

  Justin squinted at the sun. ‘Yes...?’

  ‘If God doesn’t exist, or can’t speak to me,’ Simon said. ‘How was it that I knew your name the day we met in the coffee shop?’

  With that, he turned around and left a dumbstruck Justin behind as he headed towards the warehouse.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  Rebecca opened the door to the cold apartment. She still couldn’t get used to the idea of coming home to no one, and figured that she probably never would. She entered the kitchen and flipped the kettle’s switch to kick start the afternoon-at-home-alone ritual she always performed. While the water to boiled, she entered the living room and turned on the television.

  Nothing worthwhile showing.

  She flipped through a few channels and then switched it off and made her way back to the kitchen. Halfway there the television switched on by itself; the volume turned up all the way.

  Rebecca spun around. ‘What?’ she asked, but her voice was drowned out by the loud noise of the television.

  The Lovebird jumped around in its cage, unsure of what was happening. Rebecca grabbed the remote and switched off the T.V. Her heart pounded in her chest and her hands shook as she placed the remote control down on the coffee table. After a few more deep breaths, Rebecca managed to calm herself enough to try and subdue the panic-stricken bird.

  ‘It’s okay, Lotus,’ she said with a slight quiver in her voice. ‘I’m sorry, but it was an accident.’

  The bird just flapped its wings furiously and rammed itself into the sides of the cage.

  ‘It won’t happen again. I promise.’

  The kettle switch flipped off. Tea would certainly calm her nerves. Rebecca walked back to the kitchen, still aware of the numbness in her arms and legs. The television sprang back to life, again at full volume. Lotus flapped around and almost killed itself against the side of the cage. Rebecca ran back and switched it off again.

  What’s going on? She wondered.

  The television answered by switching itself back on. Rebecca jerked, and pulled out the plug at the wall. The sudden silence was almost just as unbearable as the extremely loud noise. The bird still slammed itself furiously against the side of the cage.

  ‘It’s okay, Lotus,’ she said, trying her best to hide the fear in her voice. ‘I unplugged it. It won’t happen again.’

  The television stayed off.

  Rebecca chuckled nervously to herself. She shuddered and decided that her tea would need a substantial amount of sugar. Her nerves were shot and she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her as she made her way back to the kitchen.

  A scream escaped Rebecca’s lips when loud music suddenly blasted from the living room. She ran back to the living room and had to cover her ears with her hands. She stood in front of the television, confused for a moment as it was still switched off. Rebecca noticed that this time it was the radio, playing music at top volume. She promptly unplugged it too and fell back against the couch. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She didn’t want to be alone. She wanted Justin to be there with her, to comfort and protect her. She jumped again at the sudden shrill ring of the telephone next to her.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  ‘What’s wrong, Becky?’

  From across the room Simon looked up and raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Okay, honey,’ Justin said calmly. ‘Just take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on. Are you all right?’

  He listened for a moment.

  ‘Maggots in the food?’

  He listened some more at her frantic ramblings.

  ‘Television? Honey, I can’t make out what you’re trying to tell me.’

  More ramblings.

  ‘I can’t come home today, baby,’ Justin said with an intentional snap in his voice. ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’

  ‘I could t
ake you back tonight if you’d like,’ Simon said.

  Justin held his hand over the receiver and shook his head. ‘Rebecca, listen to me.’

  She kept quiet. He never called her by her full name unless he really wanted her to hear what he was saying.

  ‘Go to Tanya’s place tonight. I’ll come through as early as possible tomorrow, okay?’

  He then finished his conversation as quickly as possible and hung up. ‘Women,’ he said and chuckled.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Simon asked.

  Justin shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but she’s been seeing weird things lately.’ He did a little twirl with his finger next to his head. ‘Frankly, I’m wondering if she’s still all well “up there,” you know what I mean?’

  Simon ignored the comment. ‘What kind of things?’

  ‘You know,’ Justin said as if Simon should indeed know what he’s talking about. ‘The usual. Ghosts and goblins. That kind of stuff.’

  Simon didn’t say anything. He merely remained in deep thought for a moment. ‘When did this start happening?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Justin said, irritated that they were still on the topic. ‘About a month or so ago. Maybe longer.’

  ‘Before or after you got the job at Cybernetics?’

  ‘I can’t remember,’ Justin said. ‘Do you think that she’s doing this to get attention?’

  ‘I’m not implying anything,’ Simon said. ‘I’m merely trying to open your mind to all possibilities.’

  ‘Maybe she is looking for attention,’ Justin admitted. ‘But it could be the whole miscarriage thing as well. She hasn’t been the same since the operation.’

  ‘Or maybe...’

  ‘Yes...?’

  ‘Maybe she really is seeing things. Maybe the ghouls are real.’

  ‘Are you serious?’ Justin asked and almost laughed. ‘You’re joking, right?’

  Simon leaned forward. ‘It could be a spiritual attack, you know.’

  This time Justin did laugh. ‘Are you listening to yourself?’

  ‘Like I said,’ Simon said and shrugged. ‘I’m just giving you all your options. The possibility you choose to believe at the end of the day remains entirely up to you. Should I take you home tonight?’

  ‘No,’ Justin said. ‘Thanks, but I’m sure that she’ll be fine. Here’s what I believe though,’ Justin leaned forward as if to emphasize what he was about to say. ‘I believe that Rebecca is making all this up. I believe that she is desperate for attention after the loss of our baby, and until I see books floating around in my house, I will refuse to believe anything else.’

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  Despite Justin’s suggestion to spend the night at Tanya’s place and against her own better judgement, Rebecca stayed at home. She went straight to bed and got up earlier than normal so that she could leave the apartment as quickly as possible.

  Because it was Friday, and the company was well ahead of the expected quota, their employer gave all the ladies an early afternoon off. Without anything in particular to do, Rebecca decided to spend the afternoon with a good book.

  ‘A few of us are going to the mall for some window shopping and coffee,’ Tanya said. ‘Please say you’ll join us. We’ll have a great time.’

  ‘Maybe next time,’ Rebecca said. She did not have the energy to walk around in the huge mall. When she got home she first made herself some tea and then kicked off her shoes. Since everything electronic was unplugged, the only thing that Rebecca could do for entertainment was read. She was almost done with a romance novel and decided that today was the day that she would finish it. She scanned her eyes across the room.

  It was tidy enough.

  She’d just move some things around and pack a few magazines away and the rest of the apartment would appear to be tidy too. She slapped herself lightly against the forehead. She still wanted to wash the dishes before Justin got home. She put the novel down on the coffee table and headed for the kitchen. As she passed the hallway, a shadow against the wall made her stop.

  Now what? Rebecca thought as she moved closer to the shadow. It stood out like a sore thumb and she would have noticed this particular shadow if it had been there before. But it hadn’t. She moved her arm, but the shadow didn’t change shape. Her own shadow was cast a bit lower and more to the right. Looking closely, Rebecca could clearly make out the shape. It was in the shape of a person. She spun around, but there was no one there. Looking back at the shadow she could clearly make out the arms, the head, the torso, waist, and legs. She even noticed bony fingers that resembled claws. A chill tingled down her spine as she reached her hand out to touch the wall. She brought her hand closer still and just before she touched the wall the shadow moved.

  Rebecca screamed and ran for the door. She jerked it open and her legs almost buckled when she saw someone standing there.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Justin asked. He could see from Rebecca’s facial expression that she was terrified.

  Rebecca merely cried and slid down with her back against the wall.

  Justin dropped his bag and knelt down beside her. ‘What’s wrong, Becky?’ he insisted.

  ‘The shadow,’ Rebecca said. She felt faint and her head was spinning. ‘The shadow moved.’

  ‘What shadow?’ he asked.

  She pointed in the direction of the living room.

  ‘Wait here,’ He said and made his way to the living room. Justin scanned his eyes around the room, but couldn’t find what he thought she’d classify as a ‘shadow.’

  ‘Where exactly is this shadow?’

  ‘Next to the...wall unit,’ she sobbed. She got up and joined Justin.

  No shadow.

  ‘Take a seat,’ he said. ‘I’m going to get you something to drink.’ She sat down as Justin went out to collect his bag and closed the front door. He then entered the kitchen where he filled a plastic cup with tap water and stirred in some sugar. Once she finished the water, Justin took the cup from her and placed it down on the coffee table. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Now tell me what happened; but slowly.’

  Rebecca told him about the shadow against the wall as well as the radio and television that kept switching on by itself.

  ‘You mean there’s someone in the house?’ Justin asked.

  ‘I...I don’t know,’ she said, unsure herself as to what was going on.

  ‘Wait right here,’ Justin said. ‘Don’t move until I get back.’

  She nodded.

  He went back to the kitchen and took a carving knife from the drawer. He then headed for the study, where after a quick sweep, he found no one. Justin then checked the bathroom, and finally their bedroom. Still he found no one. He returned to the living room, feeling foolish and relieved at the same time.

  Rebecca looked up expectantly, but Justin’s facial expression made her heart sink.

  ‘I’m not sure what you think you saw,’ Justin said, ‘but there’s no one in this apartment.’

  Rebecca didn’t say anything.

  Justin sunk into the couch next to her and sighed intentionally loud. He picked up the television’s remote control and pressed the power button.

  Nothing happened.

  ‘What’s this?’ he asked and slapped the remote against the palm of his hand.

  ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,’ Rebecca said. ‘I unplugged it.’

  Justin looked at her. ‘Unplugged what?’

  ‘Everything.’

  Justin put down the remote and walked to the television. He worked his way to the back and saw that she had indeed unplugged it. He then scanned his eyes across the room. Sure enough, everything electrical had been unplugged. The radio, DVD player, and even the lamp in the corner of the room.

  ‘Why did you do this?’ he asked.


  ‘It goes on by itself,’ she said. She rocked back and forth on the couch and a realization struck Justin. A thought occurred to him that Rebecca might not be doing this for attention at all. It suddenly dawned on him that his wife might indeed be losing her mind.

   

   

  Chapter 6

   

   

  ‘Good morning, Simon,’ the nurse at the reception desk greeted with a friendly smile. ‘We haven’t seen you around for a while.’

  Simon nodded and returned the smile. ‘I was working at a site,’ he said and handed her a small hand-picked flower. ‘This is for you, of course.’

  The nurse took the flower and blushed. ‘Why, thank you.’

  ‘Can I see him?’

  ‘He’s waiting for you,’ she said and winked. ‘As usual.’

  Simon thanked her and made his way down the long, cold hallway; his footsteps echoing in the hollow passageway. Finally he reached room 218.

  He took a deep breath before entering and took a minute to look around first observe the minor changes since his last visit. There were new cards and flowers, but aside from that, everything was still the same. It was the same blue curtains, the same white and blue bed linen, the same cold chill in the air, and the same constant beep, beep, beep coming from the cardio monitor. Little Timmy still lay in the same position he had been in since Simon first went to visit him. His head and arms were wrapped in bandages, leaving only large enough holes for his eyes and one for the plastic pipe protruding from his mouth.

  ‘Good morning, Tim,’ Simon said and placed fresh flowers in an already-full vase. ‘How are you today?’

  The only response from Timmy was the steady rhythm of his inhaling and exhaling and the constant soft beeping.

  ‘Got you some flowers and a card,’ Simon said and placed his card next to the ever growing stack from people all over South Africa. There was a card from almost everyone in the small town of Kelwick. A self-made multi-millionaire created the Timmy Evans Trust Fund and donated six figures into the fund to get the ball rolling. Since then the trust fund has grown considerably, gaining support from schools, churches, corporations, and even international well-meaning folk. World renowned pastors and priests have swept up churches globally to pray for the boy.

  Unfortunately there were those who wanted to exploit the accident for their own fame and fortune by claiming publicly that they could ‘heal’ little Timmy for extravagant amounts of money. Timmy’s parents didn’t take too kindly to them and promptly sent them on their way.