Hunting Witches (18 page)

Before he could move, the woman turned and walked right into him. His hair was in her nose, and he breathed in all that cinnamon and incense. It shocked him, and he was at a loss. His fists unclenched, and he stared down at her like she was his opponent in a boxing match.

“What do you want?” Nika whispered.

What did he want? Rafferty’s head was spinning with smells and confusion. He stared into her eyes and it felt like he was falling into them.
She’s cursing you,
he thought,
she’s putting a spell on you! Snap out of it!

He fought to control his muscles, forcing himself out of his confusion. When clarity returned, he pointed towards the house. He couldn’t think of anything else to do. He said nothing, but kept staring into her eyes. Nika glanced towards the back of house but saw nothing.

“What about the house?” she asked.

“Nika! Come on around!” Mark was calling her from the front of the house. “Glass is in!”

Rafferty nodded.

“Thank you,” she stammered, and she ran for the back door. When she left, Rafferty shook his head. She had been right there. She had been within striking distance and he had done nothing. Nothing. He was going to have to get his head screwed on a lot tighter before night fell. He would pray after work for greater strength and resolve. He walked around the side of the house, back to the front.

This was how Tommy Clark closed out every job he worked. “Looks good!” he said, and he kept saying it, different iterations of it, until the customer began nodding and agreeing with him. It was tricky, almost subliminal, but it never failed. Rafferty had not heard a complaint against Tommy’s business in the eight months he had worked for him.

“Looks good!” Mark exclaimed.

“Looks good,” Tommy echoed. “Yes, sir.”

Rafferty rolled his eyes and decided to wait in the truck. He watched the woman join her husband on the porch. The thought of how she had slipped through his fingers in the backyard infuriated him. He could have ended it right there. With the woman gone, the man would have no reason to stay.

Ah, but there he went again. He was being prideful, wanting to follow his own path instead of the Lord’s. He remembered what it said in the Bible about how there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death. The Lord had laid out a plan for them, and he would follow it to the end.

Tommy finished up with the Pendletons, again reinforcing how good the work was, waved goodbye, then he fired up the truck and roared off.

“Good day’s work, boy,” Tommy said, slapping Rafferty’s leg. “Damn fine good day’s work.”

Rafferty nodded.

“You need something for dinner before you head back to the forest primeval?”

“Still full from breakfast,” Rafferty said. “Thanks, though.”

“Suit yourself,” Tommy said.

Ten minutes later, Tommy dropped Rafferty off at the usual place. He grabbed his jacket from behind the seat, waved, and Tommy drove off. Rafferty headed into the woods towards his camp. When he got there, he shoved some ropes, carabiners and a few dog ties into a duffel bag.

Then off he went, over the river and through the woods, to meet his friends at the Elders Keep Memorial Chapel.

***

“No, we have to do this tonight,” Rafferty said. Penny was freaking out and trying to beg off. “We have to do it before they have alarms installed or buy attack dogs or some other thing.”

“But what if it goes wrong?” She was on the verge of hysterics. “What if they catch us and call the sheriff?”

Edward placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. “The Lord will protect us. This is His plan, not ours. He is leading us and we shall follow, and because we are His children, He shall care for us. And nothing shall stand in our way.”

“If the Lord did not want us to succeed, then why would He have made it so simple for me to get this?” Rafferty said, and he showed all of them the Pendletons’ house key. “Easy in, easy out, no sign of forced entry. Keys to the Kingdom.”

“See, Sister Penny? The Lord has delivered them into our hands. We can’t pull back now,” Pastor Edward said, revving up. “We were given plans, we were told what to do by the Lord Himself! I will not say no to God, I will not deny my sweet Jesus, I will do what He has called me to do, but I cannot do it without knowing that everybody is in. So tell me, is everybody in?”

“Yes,” Penny said, with a weak nod. “Yes, I’m in.”

“Let’s do a supply check and be on our way,” Rafferty said. “I’ll check everything off the list as you put it in the trunk of the car. Right?”

“Right,” Pastor Edward said. “Let’s do this.”

I am the Sentinel,
Penny thought.
I am the Sentinel. I am the eyes of the Lord. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

“Shovel,” Penny said, and she opened the trunk of her car and tossed the shovel inside.

“Shovel,” Rafferty echoed, and he smiled and gave Penny a thumbs up before checking the item of the list.

***

The sky was a violent purple, with some bright orange streaks bleeding through. The chill in the air was becoming more pronounced. Penny had parked a street over from Mark and Nika’s. They couldn’t just go pulling up into the driveway.

Rafferty got out of the car and began running through the subdivision like a chased cat, through side yards and over drainpipes. He crouched in the shadows of the home across the street from the Pendleton house. No lights were on inside, and he could detect no movement.

He scrambled back to the car. “Come on,” he said. “We can take them. Come with me. Get the car later. Bring the duct tape now.” Pastor Edward already had a roll of duct tape in his jacket pocket, and he waved it at Rafferty, who nodded his acknowledgement.

Rafferty waited as his partners got out of Penny’s tiny car. They walked through the empty subdivision like God’s Own Posse, stepping in sync, heads covered, dressed all in black. For a moment, it felt like an action movie. They should be moving in slow motion. A car should explode behind them. They should not acknowledge it.

Standing at the edge of the Pendletons’ yard, Pastor Edward thought he could hear voices. He waved to get Rafferty’s attention, pointing towards his ear and then gesturing towards the back of the house. Rafferty nodded and put his finger in front of his mouth, shushing the Pastor. Edward nodded emphatically, wanting so very much to get all the sign language correct for this mission.

Rafferty dug the key to the front door out his pocket, which was hard to do with gloves on. He twisted the doorknob ever so slightly.

It wasn’t even locked.

“Are you serious?” Penny whispered. “How do you not lock the door at night?”

“I broke their front window less than twenty-four hours ago and they don’t lock the door? I’ve put a lot of work into this plan!” Rafferty said.

“It’s not your plan,” Pastor Edward hissed. “It’s God’s plan, and they are obviously counting on Satanic protection to keep them safe! And it’s not working! Now, let’s go and get this done!”

“Still,” Penny said. “Ridiculous.”

The three walked into the house, unbidden and unchallenged. Rafferty guided them into the kitchen. The Pendletons were visible through the back doors, sitting in chairs, holding hands as the sun set.

“Should we rush them?” Penny asked.

“No,” Pastor Edward said. “Wait until they come in. We have the element of surprise.”

“We have the element of surprise right now,” Penny said.

“Follow the plan,” Rafferty said. “Trust in the Lord, and follow the plan. Now, be quiet.”

The Cleansing

Things were working out just the way Mark had planned. A new window showed that he was a guy who got things done and could be trusted. He cooked dinner, reinforcing that he was a man who knew how to warm up soup. They sat outside, watching the sun set, because he was still a romantic guy, even though they had been married for years. Now, Nika was ready to rock and roll, indicating that she was feeling safe again in her new home and with her confident, able-bodied husband. Beautiful.

“We should go inside,” Nika whispered.

“Twist my arm,” Mark replied.

“Leave the chairs,” Nika said. “I’ll get them in the morning.”

Mark took Nika’s hand and helped her out of the chair, like a gentleman. She giggled, and they walked into the house together.

Nika saw them first, hiding in the shadows, the three invaders wearing all black. She hesitated, not sure of what she was seeing. Maybe it was a trick of the light or, in this case, a trick of the dark. Before she could decide what it was, the shadows were upon them, spinning them around and yanking their arms behind their backs.

One of them walked around to face them. He spread his arms and gazed down at them, a beatific smile visible through the mouth hole of his ski mask.

“Children,” he said, “Let the cleansing begin.”

It was then that Nika screamed. Mark struggled against his captor, but the man was taller, stronger. She kept screaming, knowing it would do no good. The neighborhood was empty. They had no neighbors. There was no protection, no safety.

And the monsters had gotten in.

“Move,” said one of the shadows, a female voice, familiar somehow. The Pendletons walked, being shoved from behind, back outside, back to the chairs where just a moment before they had been sitting, enjoying the sunset.

“Sit her down,” said the leader. Nika’s captor, the female, shoved her down into a seat.

“Hold her!” the woman said, and the leader came over and put all his weight on Nika’s shoulders. The woman sat on Nika’s lap and brought a roll of duct tape out from some unseen pocket.

“What are you doing?” Nika cried, as the two of them began to wrap her upper body like a mummy, securing her to the chair. They taped her ankles, too. She was well stuck.

“Do him now,” said the leader, and the brute holding Mark wrangled him into the other chair. They did the same thing to him, taping him securely to his seat.

The leader reached into his pants pocket and got out a set of keys. “Bring the car around,” he said to the female. “Back it in. It will be easier to get the stuff out.” He tossed the keys to the woman, and she scurried off to follow his instructions.

“Are you kidnapping us?” Nika asked, a tone of utter disbelief in her voice.

“You hurt her, and I swear to God…” Mark said, and the leader interrupted him with a roar.

“GOD! Yes. God. That’s why we are here, isn’t it? Because of God.”

“Who are you?” Nika whispered.

The man knelt in front of her, and gently grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. Nika winced.

“I,” the man said, “am the Hand and the Voice of the Lord. I have come to pass His judgment upon the wicked.”

He stood at the sound of the car pulling up in the driveway. He motioned at the taller man, who went into the house, presumably to help unload the car.

The man again spread his arms in the classic Jesus Christ pose and tilted his head back, staring at the sky. He took a deep breath, then reached over and pulled his ski mask off. He shook his head, like a dog after a bath, then leveled his gaze at the Pendletons.

“You don’t know me,” he said. “There is no reason why you should.”

As he spoke, his partners began carrying things into the backyard. Rope. A shovel. A pick-axe. A wheelbarrow.

“Well, except for one reason,” the man continued. “You were invited to church, and you refused to come.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Mark asked. “Not getting enough tithes? Hell, we’ve got money. I’ll give you all of it.”

“This is not about money, heathen!” the man yelled. “The only money you could give me that would make any sense would be thirty pieces of silver.”

More supplies. Nika could hear them clanking and thudding on the ground, but couldn’t make them out in the fading light. She craned her neck to get a glimpse at Mark, but they were seated at odd angles.

“That’s it,” said the tall man. The leader nodded.

“Unmask, soldiers,” the leader said. “Let them see who is on the Lord’s side.”

The two stood on either side of their commander and took off their ski masks. Nika screamed as recognition descended.

“You asshole!” Mark yelled. “You fucking cunt! I’ll kill all of you! What the fuck is going on here?”

The leader continued as if he heard nothing. “You know Penny,” he said. “She’s the one who sold you the house. She’s also the one who alerted us to your presence. Do not be angry with her. She understood what her Savior required of her, and obeyed.”

Penny could do nothing but smile, her braces a numb throb in her gums.

“And you might remember Rafferty,” the man said, gesturing towards the tall man. “He helped fix your window. Ironic, since he’s the one who broke it.”

“You son of a bitch!” Mark yelled, straining against his adhesive bonds.

Rafferty crossed his arms and said nothing.

“And my name is Edward,” the leader said. “I am merely a servant of the Lord.” He tapped Rafferty on the shoulder. “Bring me the man.”

Penny began bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet. It looked like she was about ready to dance.

Rafferty walked slowly behind Mark’s chair. He bent his knees slightly, placed his hands beneath the seat and picked the whole thing up, Mark and all. Mark screamed for fear of falling. Rafferty carried him a few feet before placing him in front of Edward.

Again, Edward knelt. Mark stared at him, a look of stone defiance on his face. “Tell me something, Mark,” Edward whispered. “Why did you marry that woman?”

Mark hocked an oyster-sized phlegm wad onto Edward’s cheek.

Edward slid the loogie off of his face with a finger and flung it onto the ground. “Rafferty, start digging,” Edward said. With a nod, Rafferty picked up a pick-axe and a shovel and walked off.

“I will ask you again,” Edward said. “Why did you marry that woman?”

“Are you going to kill us?” Mark asked. “If you’re going to kill us, at least call her by her name.” He could hear Nika crying softly behind him.

Edward raised his hand, peeled off his work glove, and smacked Mark across the face, rattling his jaw. Mark’s teeth smashed together.

“I’ll ask you one final time,” Edward seethed. “Why did you marry this woman?”

Mark swallowed a mouthful of blood. “Because I love her.”

Edward sighed and patted Mark’s knee before standing up. “You’re wrong,” he said, like he was talking to a child. “I know that you don’t know you’re wrong, but Mark, can I call you Mark?

Mark did not respond.

Edward went on. “Mark, this woman has bewitched you. They call it being ‘in thrall.’ It’s where the word ‘enthralled’ comes from. What I’m trying to tell you is she has cast a spell on you. She has manipulated you with magic.”

“Wow,” Mark said. “You’re insane. Completely out of your mind.”

“Then why else would you have married a Negro?” Edward screeched, spinning and pointing over Mark’s head at Nika. “No self respecting white man would dare marry a black woman!”

Mark tried to stand up, but was bound too tightly. He wanted to kill, he wanted to break free, leap and strangle the life out of the raving man in front of him. Yet all he could do was talk, and his lack of control over the situation made him feel impotent.

“What century are you living in? What does that matter to anyone except backwards assholes like you? And why the fuck do you care?”

“Calm down, Mark,” Edward said. “You’re not offending me. You’re offending God.”

Mark shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

Edward jumped, landing knees bent, face to face with Mark. “You have mixed the bloodlines, Mark. You have been enraptured with a foreign woman. God is not pleased. And He has allowed us to sit in judgment of you.”

“You’re insane.”

“I am the burning sword of the Almighty God and His wrath will come down tonight! How’s it coming, Rafferty?”

“Halfway there,” Rafferty said.

“Move to Phase Two,” Edward said. Rafferty grunted in assent. He walked to the wheelbarrow and pushed it out of Mark’s sight.

“So!” Edward said as he began to pace. “I ask you a serious question, Mark.” He stopped in front of Mark. “Do you repent?”

“Repent? Of what? Being married?”

Edward stomped on Mark’s foot. Mark felt the bones shift and crack. He stifled a scream.

“You have broken the laws of God Almighty, Mark Pendleton, and now you are on trial! God is the judge! But I am the jury. And the executioner. So tell me, how do you plead?”

“Wait a minute,” Mark said. “You’re mad because I married an African-American woman? She’s from Georgia, for fuck’s sake, she’s not foreign!”

“Do you repent? Will you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and cast this witch aside?”

“I thought divorce was a sin, too.”

“I didn’t say anything about divorce,” Edward said.

From behind him, Mark heard the sound of hammer hitting nail, nail penetrating squeaky wood.

“What are you doing?” he asked, again struggling against his bounds. “What the fuck are you doing back there?”

“Your cursing is irksome and pointless, Mark. This is a holy tribunal.”

“There’s nothing holy about it,” Mark whispered.

“I’m a little tired of this game now,” Edward said, “so you need to tell me what you’re going to do. The choice is yours. You can repent, or you can face the judgment of the Most High God.”

Mark spat. “Fuck your God,” he said. “And fuck you, too.”

Edward exhaled. “So be it,” he said. “Rafferty! Position, please.”

Rafferty again picked up Mark’s chair with him in it, and carried him across the yard. He could see Nika trying to reach for him, pushing against the layers of duct tape, unable to move. He knew she was crying. “Don’t be afraid,” he said to her as he passed. “Don’t give them that.”

“Stake him,” Edward yelled, “while I talk to the witch.”

“I want to talk to the witch,” Penny said. “I want to talk to the witch, too.”

“Come, Sister Penny,” Edward said. “You can bear witness.”

Rafferty put the chair down and looked up. He cocked his head, then moved Mark forward a couple of inches.

“You don’t have to do this, dude,” Mark said. “Come on. We’re cool, aren’t we? We’re cool.”

Rafferty snorted. “I do what God says,” he said. “Not you.”

“Nika!” Edward cried. “So lovely to meet the Whore of Babylon! I’ve read so much about you, witch. You sorceress. You are a blight upon the earth.”

“What are you doing to Mark?” she asked, sniffling.

“Never mind that,” Edward said. “Worry about yourself. Worry about your soul. Worry about how long eternity is, and what spending it in hell with your father is going to be like.”

“My father?”

“Satan is your father,” Edward hissed. “And you are a child of hell and the Devil.”

“You don’t even know me!” Nika said.

“No,” Edward agreed, “but she does.” Penny stepped in front of the Pastor, between him and Nika, and knelt down. At first, Penny put her hands on Nika’s knees. Then she raised up, her face twisted into a hate mask, and began punching Nika in the breasts. It was hard enough to hurt, left right, left right, like a boxer working the rhythm bag. Nika yelped. It was a quick volley, five seconds at the most, then Penny suddenly stopped and pulled back.

“Oh, oh, oh,” she said, laughing maniacally. “I am so sorry. I’m not sorry. I can’t help it. When I see you, I just want to… do things… want to touch you! Want to kiss you. I’ve never wanted to kiss another woman in my life. You freak!” Penny held her hands over her mouth and kept talking, through her bent fingers. “How do you do it? What is this magic? Are you from hell? Have you seen it? You need to tell me. Talk to me before I send you back there!”

Edward placed a soft hand on Penny’s shoulder. “That’s enough,” he cooed. “That’s enough, Sister.” He bent in front of Nika and whispered one word.

“Confess.”

***

Rafferty whipped out a pocketknife and sliced the duct tape from around Mark’s left ankle. He stripped it off, leaving rings of glue residue around Mark’s pants leg. Instead of letting him go, Rafferty held Mark’s ankle in his strong hand and slipped a loop of rope around it. He did the same thing to the other ankle, pulling the rope tightly around it.

“What’s going on, man?” Mark asked. “What are we doing here?”

***

“I don’t understand what you want me to confess,” Nika said. “What are you doing to my husband? What is Penny talking about? I don’t understand what’s going on here!”