Verbatim

Verbatim
By: P. Christopher

“’”’”’In the beginning the Earth was ruled by chaos. Then the Divine Adversary cast the Dark Master from Heaven.

“’”’”’Earth became the Dark Master’s kingdom. At last, he had the supremacy due him until the Divine Adversary became jealous and created Man to steal the Master’s kingdom. He put Man on the Master’s throne.

“’”’”’But the Master would not be usurped without exacting vengeance! Taking the form of a serpent, he sabotaged the Divine Adversary’s greatest creation, turning Man against the Creator!”

“’”’”’Outraged, the Divine Adversary destroyed the Earth by flood, saving one family. Again the Dark Master was able to thwart the Adversary’s plans. He swayed one in the family, the great Baal, and a new era of evil was ushered in.

“’”’”’This era lasted until the time of the Son when the Divine Adversary took the form of a man. We lost many before he was finally nailed to the tree.

“’”’”’And now our ranks swell in number as we lie in wait.

“’”’”’But we shall not wait forever…’

“’”’”Brothers! These are the words spoken to me by the demon, Beelzebub! The time has come to usher in a new Era of Darkness. We must return the Master to his throne, which we, as descendents of Adam, have stolen, from him!

“’”’”And we will not stop once the Earth is ours, my brothers; we will raid Heaven itself. We will cast out the Divine Adversary and all those who follow Him!

“’”’”Now we call upon the Dark Master himself to aid us.”

“’”’The Black Priest bowed his head, and the congregation follwed suit. After a moment’s pause, he began to shout his prayer.’

“’”’”Dark Master, hear the cries of your children! We seek your assistance in our struggle to reclaim Earth for you! Grant our petition and send us demons from your ranks so that they may aid us in our endeavor!”

“’”’The priest’s words seemed to hang in the air, caught in the silence which followed. A cold wind blew through the congregation, stirring up blood red leaves and unbalancing people in its path. From the middle of the crowd a man gave out a terrifying shriek. In the next moment, he was lifted into the air, impaled on the clawed hand of a towering monstrosity.

“’”’Those in the congregation jumped to their feet. But fear had slowed their reactions. The idea of fleeing did not form in their minds until another cry was released from the shattered soul of the Black Priest as he collapsed and died.

“’”’And another abomination, more horrifying than the first, appeared before the gathering. It stared at the crowd with eyes the color of smoldering coals. With a swipe of one clawed hand the monstrosity cut down ten worshippers.

“’”’Now the first demon was using its claws in a digging motion, uprooting fleeing disciples like so many weeds. Thus the two demons slaughtered everyone present, leaving mutilated corpses to litter the forest clearing.

“’”’The ensuing silence was heavy, oppressive. Taking one last look around, the demons disappeared, engulfed in a tongue of Hell fire. But don’t be fooled. Just because they cannot be seen doesn’t mean they cannot be felt…’

“’”Molly put the phone on ‘speaker’ then stood in front of the picture window. The night was dark and overcast as it had been for the past two nights since her ordeal.

“’”’Jeez, Molly, how did you make it out of there alive?’

“’”’I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I’ve been a journalist a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff, but I have never seen anything as utterly horrifying as what I witnessed that night. Until the day I die, I will relive that scene every time I close my eyes.’
“’”’Are you sure you’re going to be ok?’

“’”’I don’t think that I will ever be completely ok. Not after that night. And what’s worse is that I’m not the only one who survived.’

“’”’I thought that you said that everyone was killed.’

“’One other woman survived. Her name was Lucy. She was sitting across from me. I remember her because she kept glancing at me during the whole meeting. I had the sense that she knew I didn’t belong. I kept waiting for her to turn me in. Only after the first man was murdered did she stand up and start screaming at me. “It’s your fault! The Dark Master know you’re not one of his children! He’s angry because you have been allowed to witness the sacred rites! He’s sent his demons to kill us all!’

“’”When everyone scattered, she got lost in the crowd.”

“’”Then how can you be so sure that she survived?”

“’”As I was running back here to the cabin, I caught a glimpse of her.”

“’”Do you think that she will come after you?”
“’”No way. She was running in the opposite direction. Besides, she doesn’t know where I live.”

“’”I’m still nervous about you being up there all alone so close to the scene.”

“’”Tell me about it. I’m looking at it right now. To think that I used to love coming up here to King’s Forest. But I can’t stay scared my whole life. I have to conquer this.”

“’”So when are you coming home?”
“’”Soon. Right now, though, I just need to be alone. There are some things that I need to work out for myse- What was that?”

“’”What was what?”

“’”Calm down. Jeez, you’re jumpier than I am! I saw someone moving around in the woods. Probably just the police. They’ve been running around the forest since I called them that night.”

“’A face materialized in the window. Not Molly’s reflection, but Lucy’s rage contorted visage.

“’Molly tried to back away, tried to scream, but Lucy reached through the glass as though it were made of little more than tissue paper. Her hands found Molly’s throat, trapping her scream.

“’Her lungs burning for air, Molly managed to get a jagged piece of glass still clinging to the window frame and drove it into Lucy’s forearm. Lucy immediately released her grip on Molly’s neck.

“’Gulping for air and clumsy with terror, Molly fumbled with the lock on the front door. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Lucy climbing through the window, pulling the glass shard from her arm. Giving up on the door, Molly ran toward the kitchen, but Lucy caught her and threw her to the ground. Using the shard from her arm, Lucy began stabbing wildly, over and over-one hundred and seventy times. Molly had to be identified with dental records.

“’And all the while her mother is listening on the speaker phone.’

“’And that’s what she told you?’

“’Word for word. She sat outside Molly’s cabin for hours, listening to her phone conversation.’

“’And this is the Lucy in room eighteen?’

“’The very one. I tell you, Mike, I have been practicing psychiatry for ten years-eight of those years right here in the asylum-and I have never been so unnerved.’

“’It’s understandable considering that the asylum property borders King’s Forest. Hell, Molly’s cabin is on the other side.’

“’I guess you’re right. I’ll be fine when all this blows over.’

“’So do the police think that Lucy killed the entire cult?’

“’Well, not all by herself. They suspect she might have had help from a rival cult.’

“’I think that deep down she regrets what she did. She can’t accept that she helped murder thirty people, so she concocted some outlandish story in order to project her guilt onto Molly.’

“’Hmm. That would explain why she didn’t blow Molly’s cover; she didn’t belong either and didn’t want her own cover blown.’

“’But, if she wasn’t a member of the cult, how did she know that Molly was out of place? I tell you, Mike, it’s questions like that which are unnerving me.’

“’Take it easy! Maybe she scoped out the group ahead of time. Or maybe she saw Molly’s picture in the paper next to her by-line.’

“’Yeah, maybe.’

“’You know, looking out this second floor window, you can look right down into the woods. They were meeting down there all those nights for months and we didn’t even know. Makes you wonder what else goes on in that forest after dark.’

“’I’d rather not know, quite frankly.’

“’Boy, this has really got you spooked, hasn’t it?’

“’”It’s just the little things.’

“’Like?’

“’Like the fact that Molly and Lucy seem to remember everything that happened in precise detail.’

“’Well, you did it, too. You told me, verbatim, everything that Lucy told you.’

“’And Lucy told me, verbatim, everything that Molly said on the phone. And I am willing to bet that Molly told her mother, verbatim, everything she heard the priest say.’

“’Lucy’s memory can’t be that good if she is including stories about demons.’

“’But Molly mentioned them as well.’

“’That’s just Lucy covering her tracks.’

“’No. Her mother confirmed it-every word.’

“’I thought you said that you believed Lucy made up the part about demons. You aren’t actually starting to believe all this are you?’

“’I don’t know, Mike. The more I look at this, the less sure I am.’

“’Look, Matt, you are going to burn yourself out over this if you keep it up much longer.’

“’It’s just so….weird.’

“’Is that your professional opinion, Doctor?’

“’Hardy har-har. Come on. I want to check on Lucy.’

“’Alright, but I am telling you; you need a break from all this. You’ve been working too hard.’

“’Trust me. I plan on taking one.’

“’Good. Now what room is she in? Oh, yeah, eighteen.’

“A scream echoed through the hall. It bounced off the shiny linoleum floor, off the doors, and seemed to fill the Lovecraft Institute for the Criminally Insane.”

“’Matt! You got the key?’

“’Getting it!’

“Another scream came on the heels of the first. It didn’t even sound human.”

“’Got that key, yet?’

“’Yeah, got it!’

“As the key slid in the lock, the screaming stopped.”

“There wasn’t much left of Lucy. She had been ripped apart-no sign of her attacker. The door was locked and no one say anybody out of place at the hospital that day.”

“And where is Dr. Harma now?” asked Dr. Linbaum.

“Retired. He moved to Hawaii.”

“And you? What are your plans?”

“Me? I’m gonna call a writer friend of mine and tell him the story I just told you so that he can be cursed as you are, as I am, and as Matt is. As anyone who hears this story is. Cursed to repeat it until the tale has spread for enough to create the power the demons need to return to our world. Repeat it as I have-word for word. Verbatim.”

The End