Dovecrest asking the Pastor to come help him bring in something from outside. He knew they were giving him some time alone with his wife and son.
He knelt down and looked into Todd’s eyes.
“You’re going to go with your Mom and help her, ok, Sport?”
“Why can’t you come, Dad?”
“Because I’ve got to help kill this thing that’s gotten loose. Before it hurts anyone else.”
“I could help kill it, too. It tried to get me but I wouldn’t let it.”
“I know. That’s why I need you to go with your Mom. You need to take care of her.”
He hugged his son hard. Then Todd broke away from the embrace.
“Ok, Dad. But I’ve got to get my geologist’s hammer. Just in case I need it again.”
“Ok, Todd. You do that. Then come right back down, you hear.”
The boy nodded and ran off to his room.
Erik took his wife in his arms and hugged her tight, then kissed her deeply. “Vic, I don’t want to be away from you,” he said.
“I don’t want to be away from you either,” she said. Tears streaked down her face. “I’d rather stay here with you. Or go together.”
“I know. But we can’t.”
She nodded. “Do me a favor,” she said.
“Anything.”
“You kill this thing that’s been causing us so much pain. You kill it. And then you come back to me.”
“You’ve got it,” he replied.
3
The demon let the bus get about fifty feet down the road, just to make things interesting. Then it pounced on it like a cat on a toy mouse. It flew above the bus, then landed on the roof with a thud that jolted the vehicle, almost sending it off the road. It knelt down on the bus, then stuck a jagged, rock-like claw through the metal roof, peeling it back as easily as if it were opening a sardine can. The people inside began to scream, which was music to its ears.
The bus swerved back and forth-apparently the driver was trying to shake the demon off. It reached inside and grabbed a teenage boy by the shoulders, pulling him through the opening in the roof. It held him up and looked into his eyes for a moment, savoring his terror. Then it took his face into its mouth and clamped its solid jaws shut, literally ripping the boy’s face off with its indestructible teeth. The boy gagged on his own blood, then slumped back. The monster tossed him off the bus and onto the road.
The bus driver, having realized the futility of trying to throw the demon off the bus by swerving, hit the brakes. The monster merely lowered itself through the hole in the roof and into the bus as the vehicle screeched to a stop. The passengers were flung forward by the momentum. Those in the front seats were flung through the windshield, while those further backwards were tossed around like numbered balls in a lottery machine. The demon reached out and grabbed a little boy as he flew passed; it crushed the boy’s chest in a terrible bear hug, then threw the boy down, where his corpse crashed into an old man, knocking him senseless. The demon mashed the boy’s mother against the side, smashing her head through the small window, where she hung like clothes put outside to dry.
The bus skidded to a stop and the passengers stampeded towards the exit, trampling those who had fallen or who were injured. The demon watched the carnage with satisfaction as its victims did its own dirty work for it. The exit doors became hopelessly jammed with bodies, both living and dead, and the windows were too small to fit through. The demon slowly walked to the front of the bus, crushing, ripping, and mutilating as it went. It killed most, but left a few maimed for life, blind or disfigured or crippled beyond repair.
After the carnage was over, it flew back to the shopping center. Now it was time to get rid of this piece of flesh that had once been Seti, the cult leader.
4
After Vickie had left, Erik walked out to the patio, where Dovecrest and Mark waited.
“That was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.
Dovecrest nodded. “I’m afraid we have something even more difficult ahead. But first we must prepare. We must renew our strength and our faith. Pastor, we must rely on you to help with this.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“You must lead us in meditation and prayer. I will prepare the ancient rituals and we will renew our strength.”
“And if that thing comes here before we’re ready?” Erik said.
“We must trust God to guide and protect us,” Mark said.
Dovecrest opened the box containing the old manuscripts and instructed them to sit on the floor in a small circle. The Indian lit some incense and prepared a strong brew of herbal tea.
“This will help us to relax and open our minds,” he explained. “I will begin with some ancient prayers of my people. You won’t understand them, but that doesn’t matter. Just listen to the rhythm and relax your mind.”
Erik sipped the hot tea and immediately felt the sweat begin to bead up on his forehead. It tasted sweet, but pungent at the same time, as if it had a tint of mushroom,
“What’s in this stuff?” Mark said.
Dovecrest laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing illegal. Just a mixture of herbs.”
After they had finished their tea, Dovecrest instructed them to close their eyes.
“The brotherhood of the red and the white man can be strong in faith and understanding,” he said. Then he began to chant in a deep, melodic voice. Erik felt his muscles relax for the first time in weeks as he listened to the sound, not understanding the words, yet understanding the meaning just the same. Dovecrest’s voice was as smooth as honey, rich and resonant. It filled the room, and Erik felt all of the barriers of his mind being lifted, opening himself up to truth and meaning. The tension in his shoulders and neck evaporated. His worries and troubles melted away. Though he sat here on a hard wooden floor in the face of unspeakable danger, he felt peace and comfort take over his body and soul.
He had felt small and weak-now he began to feel strong and powerful. He felt his isolation disappear. He felt an acute kinship with these men, a Baptist pastor and an ancient Indian medicine man. He felt the bond between them grow strong. The three of them were drawn together in faith and in goodness, in the need and desire to do the right thing. He felt himself as part of the larger world, felt the three of them as a strong force that drew from the power of heaven and earth. He was no longer just a man, but an instrument of God Himself….
Erik did not know how long the ritual lasted. It could have been minutes or hours. Then the Indian stopped, and the trance was momentarily broken. Silence hung in the air.
Pastor Mark’s voice broke the spell.
“Lord, we feel your presence with us today and we thank you for your strength and comfort,” he said.
Erik experienced the sensation of ultimate peace filling his soul with a determination and fortitude that he didn’t know was possible as the pastor continued his prayer. He felt empowered to deal with anything that came his way. Confidence replaced his fear. Brotherhood replaced his isolation.
The pastor ended his prayer with a final appeal for protection and strength against the ancient enemy, and the three men sat in silence with their heads bowed. Finally, Dovecrest spoke.
“We’re ready. We know what we have to do.”
And even though they had not planned, had not thought this through, Erik was aware of the fact that he did know what had to be done. He and the Indian would travel the most difficult journey, into the very reaches of hell itself. Pastor Mark would banish the demon from this world, and they would battle it in the other. He could see the
