The back of the car jumped up about a foot off the road with minimal flames, from the minor explosion. I wanted to see a fire ball with the car flipping end-over-end, but even we demons don’t always get what we want. Paul looked bewildered as he tried to correct the path of the car and keep it on the road. The back tires didn’t even blow out, and the sight of it enraged me. What kind of cheap, low-grade bomb did they use, for crying out loud?
I flew down next to the car, slashed the back tires, and pushed it into a head-on collision with the tree.
The front of the car formed a lovely U shape, and all the windows had shattered like Paul’s hopes of surviving the ordeal. Flames at the back of the car grew slightly, but not quick or hot enough for what I had in mind.
I wanted there to be nothing left of Paul for Alec to bury. I wanted his pain and torment over the loss of his friend to absolutely devastate his psyche. I wanted Alec to be completely broken, so I could mold him into my image with the help of Rachel to achieve my end goal of usurping Lucifer from his prized throne.
Paul was still alive, but in bad shape. The air bag saved him, but the blunt force trauma from the impact did its job and caused massive internal damage. To add insult to injury, the broken glass from the windows inflicted severe lacerations on his face which was now covered in blood, not to mention the steady stream of blood that spewed from his mouth. Yes, the end was close for Mr. Luca, but I still had some time to have a little bit of fun.
As I stalked towards the car, I stepped fully in the natural realm so Paul could see me. I wanted to be the last thing he saw before I relieved him from the burden of his life. His eyes went wide in panic as he looked upon me, and he tried to speak. I think he might have been asking for help through his labored breaths.
I leaned against the side of the car. “Good evening, my friend. How are you doing on this lovely night?”
Paul tried to say something, but it came out gargled and undiscernible.
“What’s that? Come again? I’m having a hard time understanding you. Maybe it’s because you’re dying.”
I could see the panic really setting in then, coupled with the realization he was going to die.
“You know, Paul, I can call you Paul, right? I have been alive for a millennium, and I have killed countless humans. No matter how many I kill, I still enjoy it as much as I did the first time. You know what they say, you never forget your first, and since you’re not going anywhere anytime soon, I’ll tell you the story. You don’t mind, do you?”
Paul coughed up more blood, and his breathing deteriorated into short, squeaking wheezes as they slowed.
“I’ll take that as a yes, and I’ll be brief since based on your breathing you don’t have much time. So, there I was assigned to a young man who had it all. A lovely wife, kids, a great job, and a very nice home to live in, and I thought to myself, how in the world am I going to take this guy out? Then I had a stroke of genius. I would get him to believe he wasn’t doing enough for his career, his family, or his god. At first the man spent a little more time at the office, so I would make him feel guilty for not spending time with his family and his faith. Then when he would spend more time in one of the other areas, I would make him feel as if he was neglecting the other. I had him so spun up he grew to hate all these areas of his life so much that one day I got him to jump in front of a moving train. What a beautiful sight it was. I was euphoric watching him explode into chunks of meat and bone, and I got him to do it in front of his family on their vacation no less. The best part was not the screams of terror from his wife and kids, but when his spirit was left standing there for a moment, and he got to see that it was yours truly who had deceived him. Then he was dragged to Hell never to be heard from again. Now, Paul, your time has come.”
I caused the fires of Hell to flow from my being and into my right hand. Paul’s eyes went wide at the sight of the flames, and I believed he tried to utter the word please.
“I’m going to release the fires of Hell into your body causing there to be nothing left of you but a pile of ashes. Now I know you’re probably thinking that it is a physical impossibility for a human body to be completely burned up in a car fire, and you’re right, but therein lies the beauty of the human race. My demonic brethren and I have deceived mankind so thoroughly to the point that they will come up with any reason to believe a lie just so they don’t have to acknowledge that demons and even Hell itself exists.”
I placed my hand on top of Paul’s head and released the holy Hell fire throughout his body, lighting up every cell, and for a brief moment he appeared to be a man made of fire before he crumbled to ashes in the front seat. Pure joy washed over me as I watched his face twist in pain, and dissolve away into the infinite nothingness that is the human existence. I put my right index finger on the car, and released the fire into the car itself, which caused an immediate explosion. As I stood in the fireball surrounded by broken glass and twisted metal, I made sure the frame of the vehicle remained, because something had to be left behind for the investigators to look through. The twisted, mangled wreckage would add to Alec’s grief.
I savored the moment as I slipped back into the hidden protection of the spirit realm.
Sirens blared in the distance. A sleeping resident nearby had no doubt been rattled by an unexplained jolt and jumped to their window to see an unexpected light show.
I laughed. Now the fun had begun.
Chapter Sixteen
Alec Williams
Williams Estate – Private Home Office
Williams Point, New York
I SAT IN MY HOME OFFICE. The familiar sense of dread came upon me at the thought of going to sleep. I thought about the events of the day as I poured another drink of scotch from my grandfather’s decanter.
James popped his head through the door. "Do you need anything else before I retire for the evening?"
"No, James, I'm fine. Good night."
"Hard alcohol is not good for you. I tried to tell your father the same thing, you know."
"Thank you, James. I'll be fine, good night."
"Good night, my boy. I'll see you in the morning."
James shut the door, and I went back to my thoughts. Could my father really have been a part of some illegal business dealings? It didn’t make sense. I tried to dismiss the thought, but it stayed with me, gnawing at the back of my mind. Something didn’t add up. I looked at the top desk drawer containing my father’s parting gifts to me.
Maybe there was something on the flash drive or in the notebook that could answer my questions. I reached for the drawer, and then stopped. I didn’t have it in me to hear how much of a failure my father believed me to be. If Paul didn’t find something the next day, I would check the drive or the notebook. I hoped he discovered he was wrong about the whole thing.
I swallowed the last of the scotch and winced as it burned its way down. It didn’t take long for me to feel the effects of it, given its potency. Alcohol had become my nighttime routine. It took the edge off the anxiety I had been feeling every night.
I poured myself another and downed it as fast as I could. I savored the thought of being an even greater success than my father. I sat back and looked at a picture of my mom on the desk. When I stared at the picture, I would fantasize a life where she’d lived. A childhood filled with joy and love instead of misery and pain. I wondered what kind of advice she would have given me to woo my first crush, and what she would have said the first time a girl broke my heart. She would have been so proud at my high school and college graduation. I bet she would have cheered the loudest of all the parents. She was the biggest supporter in my life.
I would imagine her being able to turn my father into a kind and caring dad. Maybe if she’d hadn’t died, he would have changed his ways, and then I would have several family pictures on my desk instead of the one. I never could find any others then the one James had placed in my bag. I figured my dad had gotten rid of all of them the moment after my mother was in the grou
nd. She was the glue that had held the family together, and it quickly dissolved after she passed.
I learned that life is rarely fair, if at all. I would have to make peace with the fact I had been robbed of moments and memories of her, and all I could do was to imagine what it would have been like. “I miss you, Mom,” I whispered into another swig of whiskey.
I stood at the window and thought of her. All the times she tucked me into bed and kissed me good night. She always knew what to say when I was upset. Even her perfume had an element of comfort to it, the smell of rose petals and lavender. I grew to hate the scent of roses after her death, but that night, the smell of roses and lavender reminded me how much she loved me.
I swore I could smell it then as I gazed across the vast, well-lit garden that was full of various rows of sun flowers, gladioli, sweet pea, and daffodils that had been planted at my mom’s request. I’m surprised my dad never had them torn out after her death. I could have been imagining things. I’d had a lot to drink. God, I missed her... “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, dear one, and how I have missed you.”
I spun around and there she was, standing on the other side of my desk, smiling, and with her arms outstretched.
“Hello, my son. Come over here and give me a hug.”
It couldn’t be real. How much scotch had I drank? “Mom, is it really you?”
“Of course, honey. Who else would it be?”
A beautiful glow radiated around her, and tears of joy ran down my face as I made my way around the desk. I didn’t know how it was possible, but I didn’t care.
“Mom, I can’t believe it’s you.” I ran and stumbled into her arms. I felt the same feelings of love and peace I did when she hugged me as a boy.
She pulled away. “My son, you have grown into such a fine young man, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.” She wiped the tears from my eyes
“I love you, too Mom. I miss you. I miss you so much.”
“I know, and I have missed you too. I have so loved watching you grow into the fine young man you have become. I am so proud of you.”
“What do you mean watching me?”
“You remember all of the times I told you about Jesus, don’t you?”
“Yes, but what are you talking about?”
“Jesus has allowed me to watch you from Heaven as you grew up over the years, and I have been praying and interceding for you every day. Alec, you must listen to me, son, it was not his will for you to have suffered through the hardships you went through. Jesus loves you, and so do I.”
A twinge of anger jabbed at me with that last comment, and I pulled away from her. “What do you mean he loves me? He took you away from me and left me with that monster of a father! I will never understand what you saw in him.”
I abruptly stopped my rant when I saw the look of panic on her face. She began to look around the room.
“I’m sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean to yell at you. What’s wrong?”
She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Alec, listen to me, please. Jesus did not take me away from you years ago. Something more nefarious went on that day. There is someone coming for you, and I can’t stop him!”
“What are you talking about? Who’s coming for me?”
“It’s too late. He’s here. Remember everything I taught you growing up. If you don’t, then all will be lost for...”
I didn’t hear the last part because the room shook with a thunderous roar that slammed me back and into my desk. A blinding flash of light illuminated the room until it was too bright to see. My lower back screamed in pain as white-hot bolts of fire shot up and down my spine. I stumbled to my feet as my legs weakened from the spasms in my back. I squinted and rubbed my eyes as they readjusted.
“Mom? Where are you?”
The room slowly came back into focus, but something else stood where my mother had been. I thought I’d gotten turned around and still looked out the window into the night. Then I realized I wasn’t looking at the window.
A dark storm cloud swirled and pulsed in the middle of my office. The silhouette of a man stood in the center. Inky blackness whirled around and moved in and out of the man.
It couldn’t have been real. Could alcohol and my lack of sleep have finally caught up to me?
Then I felt it.
The all-too familiar fear I experienced every night in my nightmares. My body trembled as I stared at the dark abyss, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I had dreamt all those nights, or had I been awake while this thing stood over me? The darkness seemed to pulsate, and I swore it tried to reach out to me, but it slowly moved back. The man-like thing in the center seemed to have had some kind of control over it, and I slowly made my way around to the other side of my desk to put something between us.
“It’s you. You’re the one I have seen in my dreams.”
“Hello there, Alec. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
“I’m The Man Wrapped in Darkness, and it’s time you and I had a little talk.”
The Man had a deep voice that commanded respect and filled me with dread as he spoke. He didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t have to. I knew he could end me if he wanted. I was filled with fear and anger at the sight of that thing that had been tormenting me for weeks. The fear paralyzed me, but my rage empowered me, and I would play it cool until I figured out what I was dealing with.
“You have nothing to fear from me... Yet.”
“What do you mean I have nothing to fear from you yet? How did you even get in here, and where did my mom go?”
“Doors cannot stop me, and you needn’t concern yourself with where she went. Besides, you and I have business together.”
The Man walked to the desk I sat at for the reading of my dad’s will and ran a finger across it, burning a black mark in the path it traveled.
Anger took control at the sight of the mark he left on the table. “What are you doing? Answer my question, or did you come here just to threaten me and mark up my furniture?”
The Man then turned to face me with the darkness encircling him. “Ever since the day you were born, you were set directly in my path. You see, Alec, since you came into being, you and I were destined to meet on this very day at this very time.”
It couldn’t be real. I’d hallucinated an insane person with a knack for special effects. Someone had to have been playing a highly elaborate trick on me.
“This is very real, I am not crazy, and this darkness is no special effect. It is a part of me, just like the very skin holding you together.”
How did he know? I hadn’t said anything out loud. Fear, mixed with curiosity, started to take hold of me.
“I can see your thoughts. Your previous family members, including your father, thought the same thing when I met them.”
“You knew my father?”
“Oh yes. In fact, I was the last one to see them alive.”
“What do you mean? My father died of a heart attack. Wait. Did you murder my father? Did you murder other family members of mine?”
“No. I did not kill them. I simply gave them a chance to be something more, but sadly they refused my offer, and they were undone by their own choices.”
Anger had now taken over at the mention of my father, and the possibility this creep killed him. If that was true, I wasn’t about to go down without a fight, and if he killed me at least that thing would know he’d been in a fight after it was over. “I’ve had enough of this!”
I charged around the desk toward The Man, but he instantly appeared in front of me. He’d moved across the room without taking a single step. I tried to look into his face but saw nothing but a storm cloud. I couldn’t make out any details of what he looked like.
Then the darkness began to surround me, and my body went limp from terror, and it felt like the darkness had drained all my courage and determination. My skin burned like fire, and I smelled brimstone.
The Man reached out from the darkness and grabbed my shirt. “You dare threaten me? Me! With a simple move of my hand, I could end your life, and there isn’t a thing you could do about it! Now, I will present to you the same opportunity I gave your family members before you, and the ones before them. Are you going to continue in your family’s footsteps, extending the legacy so many of the Williams’ had furthered before you, or will you choose another path?”
I desperately wanted to look away, but I couldn’t get my head to move. The brimstone filled my lungs, and I felt like I was about to burst into flames from the heat. Was The Man made of fire? Was the darkness from the smoke given off by the flames?
I couldn’t run, I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t think straight. I had no idea of what was going on, but I knew my situation was dire. My heart pounded in my chest. I had to be close to a full heart attack.
My breathing was short and rapid as I sucked in the scalding air, and my lips instantly became chapped. I stuttered. “What do you mean another path?”
“Think very carefully before answering my question. Don’t try to run and hide. There is no place on this earth I won’t be able to find you. There is no stronghold I cannot penetrate to get to you, and the next time I come calling I want your answer.”
The lights dimmed as The Man had barked the words at me. Then I snapped awake in my office chair. My arms went wild as my legs shot up, slamming my knees into the desk.
“What the... Oh, man!” I shouted as I rubbed my knees.
Then I remembered The Man and a wave of panic hit me. I looked around the room. Relief washed over me when I didn’t see him. My skin wasn’t burnt, and I didn’t detect any putrid scent in the air. Dawn’s first rays of light crept above the horizon as I realized I’d drank too much and fallen asleep at my desk. I had never enjoyed a sunrise as much as I enjoyed that one as I beheld the beauty of life. It was just a dream of a man, overworked and overwhelmed by his suffocating circumstances. Things had been difficult, but I felt they were going to get better.
The Man Wrapped in Darkness Page 10
