Again he felt the monster speaking to him, yet not really speaking. The boy was the one that got away, it explained. How perfect it would be to take his mother, and then later, to take him.
Seti thought it would be fun to take the whole family, then the demon reminded him that it was planning on taking the whole town. Seti was anxious to move this to the next level and get rid of the thing growing from his body, but the monster seemed more patient now that it had a foothold on the physical world. Still, Seti felt that he needed another victim soon, just to take out his own frustrations.
He followed the SUV at a respectable distance and noted when it turned left into the driveway of one of the raised ranch houses that had just been built. Yes, how perfect, he thought. Their back yard borders the woods. This one would be easy pickings.
“But not until the time is right,” the voice said sternly, punctuated with another red-hot pain that almost made Seti lose control of his car.
“Not when I’m driving!” he screamed. “You’ll kill us both.”
“No,” the voice said. “I’ll only kill you. I can’t be killed, remember.”
And Seti wondered, for the first time, if the thing would destroy him once it was finished with him, or if he really would earn great rewards.
3
After dinner, Erik mowed the lawn and then sat out on the patio to relax and think. He was just starting to doze off when Vickie came out.
“There’s someone on the phone for you, Hon.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know.”
Erik figured it was a telemarketer and was about to have at them for bothering him on Sunday. But it was Johnny Dovecrest.
“Mr. Hunter, can you meet me at my cabin in twenty minutes?” Dovecrest said.
“Yeah. Sure. Where are you now?”
“Never mind. Just meet me there. I have to show you some things.”
“Ok,” he said, and the line went dead.
Vickie gave him a puzzled look.
“That was Dovecrest,” he said. “He wants me to meet him.”
“You don’t think he killed that girl, do you?” Vickie asked.
“No. I’m sure he didn’t. Maybe he wants to explain, or to turn himself in. I’d better meet him.”
“Should I call Sheriff Collins?”
“No. He trusts me. I can’t betray that.”
Vickie nodded. “You be careful.”
“I will,” he said, and kissed her.
Dovecrest’s cabin was empty when he reached it, but the door was still open so he let himself in. He sat down in Dovecrest’s rocking chair and waited. Although the cabin had electricity, new appliances, and cable TV, the place still made him feel as if he were living in the past. It smelled old. Not unpleasant. It was the kind of smell and experience he’d had when visiting historical houses, like the House of the Seven Gables in Salem. It was almost comforting in a way to know that this structure had stood here for so long.
He wondered whether Dovecrest would even show up, and then he heard a creak on the wooden step outside the back door. Dovecrest snuck in, holding a finger to his lips to keep Erik from talking. Then he motioned for Erik to follow.
“Hold on to my back,” Dovecrest whispered, “and just follow.”
Erik grabbed into a fold of Dovecrest’s cotton shirt, and allowed himself to be led into the woods. Amazingly, the Indian didn’t use a flashlight, but walked effortlessly through the deep, dense woods as if he were strolling through his living room.
They walked for what seemed fifty yards or so, though Erik had no real way of knowing, and then stopped. Dovecrest turned his head all around and seemed to sniff the air. He held up a finger to gauge the wind, then peered upward, even though nothing was visible though the canopy of trees.
“Do you want to see the altar stone for yourself?” he asked.
Erik swallowed hard. He’d thought he did. But now he wasn’t so sure.
“Yes,” he said, finally.
“Then I will help you find it. You will need to know how to find it if I’m not here. So pay attention.”
“Ok.”
“Good. First, you must understand that the stone not only exists here, but it also exists beyond.”
“Beyond?”
“Yes. Beyond. Beyond what, I’m not sure. But while it is of this earth, it is also
“I’m not sure I understand, but….”
“I am not sure I understand either. I am only telling you what I have learned and believe to be true. The thing that we are fighting comes from that other world. The closest word for it in your language would be a demon, but I’m not sure even that exactly fits.”
Dovecrest paused and sniffed the air again.
“In ancient times we stopped the demon by sending it back to where it came from and sealing it off. We did this by purging the host of the evil through fire. It was successful in keeping it away for over 300 years. But now it is back again, and this time it will be more difficult.
“I have examined the old scrolls and the ancient legends of my people. The secret is buried away in our songs and our dances. The only way to destroy the demon is to destroy it in its own world, not this one.”
“So you’re saying that we have to go…go to Hell to kill this thing?”
Erik almost laughed at how ridiculous it sounded. How many times in his life had he told someone to “go to hell?”
But Dovecrest did not seem amused by the idea.
“Yes. One of us must go into the other world and kill the demon before it fully appears in this world. Or, if we fail and it does enter our world, then we must once again send it back to its domain. Only this time we must go in with it and finish the job by destroying it where it lives.”
“How do we do that?” Erik asked.
“That is not for you to know yet,” Dovecrest replied. “Let us take things one step at a time. I will be the one to go into the other world. But I will need the help of others here in this world.”
Erik nodded. “I’ll share this with Pastor Mark. And the sheriff.”
“Any help we get would be needed. But we need people we can trust. People who will believe. That is why I must show you how to find the stone. Are you ready?’
“Yes.”
“Good. Close your eyes and relax your body completely.”
The dark was so complete that closing his eyes made no difference to Erik, but he complied. The night air suddenly felt cool. He could feel the soft breeze and hear the sound of the crickets.
“Just relax,” Dovecrest said. “Relax and feel all that the forest shows you. Reach out your mind and your heart.”
Erik felt almost embarrassed to be out here alone with this Indian. It was actually quite creepy. But the complete darkness also made him feel invisible.
“Relax,” Dovecrest said again, in a soothing, hypnotic voice. “Just experience your surroundings.”
It took a few moments, but Erik could experience the forest without seeing it. He felt the canopy of leaves overhead. He heard the breeze and the movement of insects. He felt the strong, earthy attraction of the ancient
