The Altar (14 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

-1-

Johnny Dovecrest sat on his filthy cot and wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess. Now he was in jail and of no earthly good to anyone. What was worse, he knew something was happening in the woods; he could sense it. He hoped and prayed that Erik hadn’t done anything stupid. He wasn’t ready to take the demon on yet, even if he were able to find the stone. Dovecrest feared that he had acted rashly though. If so, he suspected he was already dead.

They’d arrested him for the murder of the cult member and for involvement in the death of the girl. They had interrogated him for hours, but he had refused to say anything. He knew they had matched the bullet taken from the dead man to his gun. He didn’t know if they had any evidence linking him to the girl or not. But it didn’t really matter. No one would believe his story. Besides, once they convicted him of the one crime, the other was simply overkill. He almost laughed at his own unintentional pun.

He put his head in his hands and tried to think this through. How had he gotten himself into this mess? Everything he’d tried to do had gone wrong. He hadn’t saved the girl and he hadn’t stopped the demon. He’d killed the wrong cult leader—he knew that the real leader hadn’t been hurt badly and was already up to no good. He had lured Erik into a dangerous situation and probably had him killed—or worse. And now he was in jail where he couldn’t do anything about anything. At least they had left him in the local jail, he thought, and not taken him to the Adult Correctional Institute yet. He was due to be arraigned tomorrow, though, and then they’d move him on.

They told him a Public Defender would be coming by to see him this afternoon, but he really wasn’t interested in talking to someone he didn’t even know. He would rather meditate and try to come up with a plan—any sort of plan.

He was just about to doze off when the guard came and tapped on the bars.

“You’ve got a visitor.”

Dovecrest nodded. He expected it was the lawyer and was rather surprised to see Pastor Mark.

“They won’t let me come in,” Mark said shyly. “But I wanted to speak with you.”

“I appreciate it,” Dovecrest said.

The guard watched for a moment, then left. “I’ll be right outside when you’re done,” he said to the Pastor. “Just bang on the door.”

Mark nodded. “Johnny, I’ve been praying for you and for this community. There is something very wicked going on here. The devil’s work. I feel it.”

Dovecrest sat back down on his cot and nodded. “The devil,” he said softly. “He exists in every land, in every culture, and in every time.”

“Indeed,” Mark said. “Though some might claim he is not real, he walks among us. Johnny. Tell me what happened. Tell me what I can do to help.”

“I told you about what happened in ancient times. When your ancestors and mine banished this demon from the world and locked him away. That was true. All of it.”

The pastor nodded. “I wasn’t sure I believed you the other night. But I believe you now.”

“Now it is coming back, stronger than ever. It feeds off pain, suffering, and destruction, and there is no telling how far it will go before it stops.”

“That is the nature of sin and evil. It leads men to their own pain and destruction.”

Dovecrest sat back and rested his head against the stone wall. This man seemed to understand. But what would he be able to do?

“Ok,” he said, finally. “Last night I met with Erik Hunter. I wanted to show him how to find the sacrificial stone.”

“Show him?”

“That’s right. The stone is not of this world. It is not always in the same place. It must be found by feeling not by seeing.”

“Ok.”

“So I took him and I showed him. He’s a quick learner. He headed right for the stone.”

“So he’s found it?”

“No. At least not then. The police followed us. They took us back. I was arrested.”

“And Erik?”

“They let him go. But I’m afraid he went back looking for the stone today. If so, he’s in serious trouble.”

Pastor Mark paced in front of Dovecrest’s cell. “I should let someone know.”

“The State Police and the F.B.I. won’t believe you. The sheriff might. But even he’s skeptical. You might tell him Erik went off into the woods and you’re worried about him.”

“Hmmm. That would work. Now what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“How can you say that? Didn’t you say we need to destroy this thing? You’re the only one who knows how to do that.”

“When the time comes, it will work out the way it needs to. How do you say it, Pastor? God will provide.”

“Yes. God will provide. But God also helps those who help themselves. Does the Narragansett Tribe have an attorney?”

“Yes. But he’s arrogant and doesn’t believe in the old ways.”

“Johnny, that’s exactly what we need right now. Call him right away. We need someone else on our side, even if they don’t believe us.”

“He will make it a war between the white man and the tribe,” Dovecrest said. “He will claim I was arrested because of my heritage. I do not want this.”

“Maybe not. But it would be best for your case right now. If nothing else, he may be able to get you out on bond. Then we could worry about the real fight.”

Dovecrest nodded. “I will take your advice, then.”

-2-

Erik had no idea how he found his way home, but it was with intense relief and thankfulness that he stumbled out of the woods and into his back yard. He looked up and saw Todd waiting for him at the back door. As soon as the boy saw him he raced across the yard and hugged him so hard he almost knocked him down.

“Dad! You made it! I called and called for you.”

“You led me home,” Erik whispered.

“I guess so. I tried to stop the rock from getting you.”

“How did.... Never mind.”

Vickie hurried over and hugged him as well.

“What happened to you? You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

“I have, Vic,” he said. “I have.”

“Where’s Sheriff Collins?”

Erik raised his hands in a pathetic gesture. “He’s...he’s dead.”

“The rock got him,” Todd said matter-of-factly. “Just like it got the girl.”

“Erik, what is going on around here! Has this place gone crazy?”

“I’m afraid it has, Vic. But before I explain I need to call the police. Maybe now they’ll understand what’s going on.”

He found the number of Special Agent Thralls.

“Do you really think that is such a good idea? They’ll think you had something to do with it. Look what they’ve done to Johnny Dovecrest.”

Erik put the phone down and thought for a moment. Just then, Pastor Mark’s car pulled into the driveway and he rushed to the front door. Vickie let him in.

“Erik, thank God you’re all right! Dovecrest told me something was wrong. The sheriff found you? I tried to call him but....”

“Collins is dead,” Erik said.

“He’s....”

“The rock got him,” Todd said.

“Oh my Lord. Tell me what happened.”

Erik sat both the Pastor and Vickie down and explained.

“You mean to tell me there’s a demon running around in the woods? Really, Hon, you don’t believe that, do you?”

“I know what I saw, Vic.”

“It’s true, Mom. It tried to get me, too.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But this is all happening way too fast for me.”

“I understand,” Erik said. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Upset me? Erik, this goes way beyond upset.”

Pastor Mark put his hand on her shoulder. “Vickie, maybe it would be best if you and the boy went somewhere safe for a couple of days. Back to the city. Just until this thing blows over.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think this will ‘blow over’, Pastor. It’s not going away by itself, is it. And, mind you, I’m still not sure I believe all of this is happening.”

She suddenly began to sob, and Erik went over and held her. “It’s ok,” he said. “We’ll fix this thing.”

“How?” she sobbed.

“I don’t know yet. But we’ll fix it.”

“God will provide,” Pastor Mark said. “We must place our trust in him.”

-3-

Seti staggered back to his campground feeling worse than ever. He felt tired, weak, and old. The monster on his neck had grown larger now and was taking on a grotesque form. It was so bad he dared not even look at it. He no longer felt in control of his own body, but was merely a puppet of the other.

“Please, Master. Let me rest,” he pleaded.

But the monster only responded with a shock wave of pain that jolted his entire system, from his hair to his toes.

“Stop whining!” it commanded. “Keep moving.”

It was obvious that the monster was taking over his body. But at this point he was powerless to stop it. The thing could control him completely now, even as it had controlled that stupid pig-like sheriff, forcing him to shoot himself full of holes until he look like moldy Swiss cheese. That had been amusing. It had also showed him just how much power the thing had already. Better to do what the Master commanded.

Seti’s brain felt as if it were filled with fluid, as if he had submerged his head inside a huge bowl of pudding. He could no longer think clearly. He wasn’t sure of who he was anymore, or of what he even wanted. Vaguely, he remembered the promise of a good life, of treasures beyond his wildest dreams. He tried to focus on the image—of beautiful girls and orgies and fast cars and drugs and pleasure beyond all expectations.

“Master,” he said out loud, though it came out as barely a whisper. “Will I be rewarded?”

The Monster eased the pain and answered with a silky smooth feeling that radiated throughout his soul.

“Yes, my son. You will be rewarded,” it promised. “Be patient. Your pain will soon be over and only pleasure will remain.”

Seti kept walking; they were almost back at the camp now. The monster’s words sounded good—felt good. But he was no longer sure if he could believe them.

-4-

Erik comforted Vickie as best as he could, then he and Pastor Mark went out onto the patio.

“I think we should call the F.B.I.,” the Pastor said. “They need to know that Collins is missing.”

Erik handed him the card with Thralls’ number.

“You call him. They already think I’m involved.”

“What should I tell him? That Collins shot himself full of holes?”

“This thing is just too weird to be believed. I don’t know what to say anymore, Pastor. I hate to lie, but no one will believe the truth.”

“I’ll tell them you went into the woods together to look for this altar stone and you were separated. We don’t know where Collins is. They can take it from there.”

Erik nodded. Mark pulled out his cell phone to make the call but Erik was too nervous to listen. He paced to the edge of the back yard and looked into the woods. He could still feel the repulsion of the awful stone, even from here. The thing did have a terrible power. Dovecrest claimed it was a gateway to hell, and he believed him now. It was channeling its power through the cult’s leader—obviously the man Erik had seen in the woods—but the power definitely came from the stone. Erik suspected that the demon on the other side of the gateway was already making its way into this world. That probably explained the growth on the leader’s neck.

He looked back and saw that Mark had finished his phone call. He took his time walking back to the patio.

“They’re sending out a couple of State Troopers,” Mark said. “They’ll pick up the trail from Dovecrest’s place. Thralls is coming here to talk to you.”

“Did he buy it?”

“He thinks something’s fishy. He just doesn’t know what.”

“I guess I should just tell him the truth,” Erik said. “What’s the worst he could do? He already thinks I’m a nut case.”

“I’ll wait around with you until he gets here,” Mark said. “I already told him what Dovecrest told us, so he thinks I’m crazy too for believing it.”

Erik laughed. Misery loves company.

-5-

Todd put his ear to the wall and tried to listen to what his Dad was saying to the man in the blue suit, but he could only make out parts of it. He heard something about Dad finding the stone in the woods, and he felt good about that. He’d been worried that Dad had thought he was either making the whole thing up, or that he’d imagined it. Now he knew his Dad believed him because he’d seen it too. At least that part had been cleared up.

He also heard something about the sheriff being shot. It sounded like Dad had said he’d shot himself, and he mentioned some strange man in the woods, too. Then he said a whole lot of things Todd either couldn’t hear or couldn’t understand. The man in the suit then talked for awhile, but Todd couldn’t make out what he said either. It was frustrating. He decided to go into the living room and pretend he was looking for something.

Just as he walked in, the man in the blue suit began to raise his voice.

“So, Mr. Hunter, you’re trying to tell me that we have demons lurking in the woods, and they’re making veteran police officers just shoot themselves for no reason. And, oh, yeah, I forgot. There’s this big black stone in the middle of the woods masterminding all of this. Only the stone doesn’t stay in one place. It moves.”

“There is a stone in the woods, Mister!” Todd said. “It tried to get me only I got away. But it got that girl.”

The man’s jaw dropped and everyone turned to look at Todd. No one said anything, and then Dad came and took him by the hand.

“Thanks, son,” he said, leading him up the stairs to his room. “Everything’s going to be ok.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

-1-

When Erik returned to the living room, Thralls, Mark, and Vickie were sitting in a circle with their heads down. A Rhode Island State Trooper stood by the door.

“They’ve found Collins,” Thralls said.

“Where...where was he?”

“In Dovecrest’s cabin. He’d been shot nine times with his own gun. And his throat was slit for good measure.”

“In the cabin...how’d he get there?”

Thralls shrugged. “Look, I’m not buying your demon story. But I do believe there’s a cult running loose in the western part of the state. We’ve tracked them from California and recently lost them. We’d assumed they went north, to Maine or Vermont.”

“You must know Steve Harvey. The radio talk show host.”

“Yeah. Good friend of mine.”

“I was on his show about a week ago. He told me about these nuts. I bet this guy is the same one who was on his talk show.”

Thralls nodded. “The body of the man found with the missing girl was one of them. And I still think Dovecrest is involved somehow.”

“He is,” Erik said. “He caught them in the middle of their little ritual.”

“That may or may not be true. But our job now is to find and stop these nutcases before they kill anyone else.”

“That’s the first thing anyone’s said that makes any sense whatsoever,” Vickie said.

“Ok,” Thralls said. “Erik, I’m going to ask you to do two things.”

“Whatever you need.”

“First, I need you to give me a detailed description of the guy you saw in the woods. We might have a sketch artist sit with you later.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“And, second, I want you to try and draw a map to where that altar stone was. If it does exist, the cult will be drawn back to it. We can stake it out and be waiting for them.”

“That’s going to be a little difficult,” Erik said. “Like I said, the thing moves.”

Thralls let out a deep sigh. “All right. Would you be able to take us there?”

Erik thought for a moment. Dovecrest said the thing could only be found if it wanted to be found. Yet Dovecrest had no trouble finding it. He guessed it could be found, once you knew how.

“I can’t promise anything,” he said. “But I’ll try.”

“Good. I’ll assemble a stakeout force. I won’t call in the sketch artist just yet. We’ll try the stakeout first. If we either can’t find the stone, or if they don’t show, then I’ll have this cult leader’s picture posted on every news channel in the world. I’ll have you look at some photos, too, and see if you can identify him.”

“I don’t know if this is going to work or not. You should speak with Dovecrest again.”

“You’re assuming this is supernatural, Mr. Hunter. I’m assuming it’s a group of killers that justify what they do by calling it a religion.”

“For all of our sakes,” Pastor Mark said. “I hope that you’re right.”

-2-

The guards allowed Dovecrest to call the attorney from the reservation, a man who went by the name of “Slender Fox” to the tribe, and Frank Barnett in court. Barnett was, indeed, a fox, Dovecrest thought and did live in both worlds, spending half of his time with insurance cases and the occasional criminal trial, and the other half lobbying for the Narragansett Indian casino that the state of Rhode Island so vehemently opposed. Dovecrest knew that if the casino ever succeeded, “Slender Fox” would become very fat off of the project.

Dovecrest was surprised when an hour later the attorney arrived dressed in his ceremonial regalia. He was about thirty years old, and, true to his name, slim and fit. The guards led them both to a private conference room in the State Police barracks. This one didn’t have a two-way mirror.

After brief introductions, Slender Fox asked what had happened.

“I’ll try to make this as simple as I can,” he replied. “I discovered a Satanic cult in the woods. They had kidnapped a teenage girl and were about to kill her. I tried to stop them. In the process I killed one of them and wounded another. They killed the girl anyway and planted her body and the body of the other man I killed by the side of the road where they would be found.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police immediately.”

“They wouldn’t have believed me.”

“Why not? Your story sounds believable to me.”

“Well, there’s more to it. This cult is worshipping a demon that’s real. And it’s coming back. It has supernatural powers and could move the bodies before the police ever found the site. In fact, I’m not even sure we could find the site if it didn’t want us to.”

“Ok, slow down. Now this is beginning to sound rather incredible.”

“All right,” Dovecrest said. “I’ll start from the beginning.”

The old Indian told the entire story from it’s beginnings in the distant past, while Slender Fox hastily scribbled notes. When he was finished, the two men looked at one another for a long time without a word.

“If you don’t believe me, look at the old tribal records. Read the songs and the myths. It’s all there. And it’s happening again.”

Slender Fox shifted uncomfortably in the hard chair.

“Mr. Dovecrest, I know you and your family have been tribal leaders for many, many years. But this is the twenty-first century. You’re talking mythology. This stuff doesn’t exist. And it’ll never fly in a court of law.”

“I really don’t care if it flies in a court of law or not. You’ve got to get me out of here so I can do something to stop this before it gets really crazy.”

The lawyer shook his head. “I respect the old ways and our heritage,” he said. “But this, I cannot accept or understand.”

“I guess I can live with that,” Dovecrest said. “The young generation wants all of the ceremony and trappings of the old ways, but not the truths.”

“I....”

Dovecrest held up his hand to stop him.

“It’s all right. I don’t ask that you believe me in anything except this one thing. I did not kill that girl. I killed the man, yes, but I was trying to save the girl.”

“That is something I can believe.”

“Good. Can you get me out of here?”

“I don’t know. I have two courses of action. First, as a member of the Narragansett Tribe I can try to have you brought back to the reservation and tried under our laws. Since the crimes they say you committed were not on the reservation, though, I don’t think that will work. Our best bet would be to claim it was self defense and you were trying to stop a felony. If we go that way I can probably have you released on bail. Then we’ll do some investigation. The F.B.I. will probably break the case open on this cult group before you ever go to trial. If worse comes to worse, we can plead insanity.”

Dovecrest shot him a piercing look. “I am not crazy.”

“I didn’t say you were. But it’s a defense. And the story of the cult is still plausible.”

“So you believe in the demon worshippers?”

“Sure. Why not? People worship all sorts of strange things. I just don’t believe in the demons.”

Slender Fox left and the guard walked Dovecrest back to his cell.

Even if he were to be released on bail tomorrow, Dovecrest thought it would probably be too late. He could already feel the tension in the air, the power that was slowly growing, and the forces that were gathering. It was going to get ugly and it was going to happen fast.

-3-

Thralls made a few phone calls and before he knew it Erik’s house resembled a military base. Swarms of SWAT team officers were getting into position dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying automatic assault weapons. Thralls gave Erik some photos to look at.

“They’re not very good. They were taken with surveillance cameras.”

Erik looked at them carefully. “I think it’s him. He doesn’t have the growth on his neck, though.”

“Ok,” Thralls said. “It’s almost six o’clock. We need to get out there and in position well before dark, just in case they happen to show tonight.”

Erik nodded. “I’m ready whenever you guys are. I hope we can put an end to this thing tonight.”

“When they show, we’ll get them.”

Erik joined Thralls and they walked to the edge of the forest. “Should we start from here or from Dovecrest’s place?” the agent asked.

“I think I can find it from here, now. If I can find it at all. I don’t think it matters where I start from now.”

Tentatively, Erik stepped into the woods, following the small trail that Todd had followed just a few days earlier. Thralls and the SWAT team stayed close behind. Erik was amazed at how silently they traveled. He walked for about 50 feet, then paused.

“Why are we stopping? Are you lost?”

Erik took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Look, Agent Thralls,” he said. “I know you don’t buy this supernatural stuff. And I’m ok with that, at least for now. But I told you, I can’t draw you a map. I can’t just lead you there by sight. I have to find it by feel. So just bear with me and be patient. I don’t even know if it’ll work.”

“Ok,” Thralls said.

Once again, Erik let his mind go blank and allowed his senses to take over. He heard the sounds of the birds, felt the whisper of the breeze. He could even sense the insects in the ground and on the trees.

And, in the distance, he could feel the sacrificial stone, like a magnetic pole repulsing and attracting at the same time. It felt stronger this time, and he didn’t know whether to be relieved or to be terrified.

“I have it,” he whispered. “Follow me.”

Slowly, he made his way through the forest, walking as silently as the experienced SWAT officers. His eyes were closed tightly, but he was still able to sense the trees, the bushes, and the rise and fall of the ground beneath him. It was a powerful feeling, a talent he never knew he had. Then again, it was probably something everyone had, if only they knew how to use it. Dovecrest had opened his eyes to this, figuratively speaking, and now it had become a part of him.

He felt the sun dropping lower on the horizon, but he knew there was plenty of time until darkness set in, so he took his time, moving slowly and carefully. Some part of him wondered if the thing had orchestrated all of this, and that he was part of some master plan. He couldn’t worry about that now, though. He had to do something, and this was the only thing he knew of right now.

He thought of Vickie and Todd and hoped they would be all right. Pastor Mark had agreed to stay with them until this was over, and that made Erik feel more secure.

He felt the field open up before him, and only then did he open his eyes. Sure enough, the altar stone was positioned exactly in the middle of a field of neatly cut grass.

“There’s your stone,” Erik said.

Thralls rubbed his hand across his brow, rubbing away beads of sweat.

“Why can’t we see this from the air?” he asked no one in particular. “We’ve had helicopters out this way and no one’s seen anything like this.”

“Like I told you,” Erik said. “It moves.”

Thralls shook his head, then looked back at the dozen officers who had come up behind them.

“Ok, you men. Take positions equidistant around the stone. Stay back in the woods and remain concealed. We don’t want to tip them off.”

Erik watched as the officers literally disappeared into the woods. He watched as the one closest to him scaled up the trunk of a tree and disappeared into the foliage. Within minutes, they were completely invisible in the forest.

“Ok,” Thralls said. “Now you and I need to disappear. Unless you’d rather go back home.”

“Not on your life,” Erik replied. “I need to see this through. I don’t care how long it takes or how many nights I’m out here.”

But something inside him told him that tonight he’d see some real fireworks.

-4-

The growth on his neck was becoming so obvious that it was becoming difficult for Seti to go out in public. At the same time, the monster was becoming more demanding. Killing the cop had only wet its appetite and made it furious that the other one had escaped.

“The time has come!” it demanded. “I’ve waited long enough. Tonight is the night I become whole!”

Seti knew that meant he had to find a new sacrifice. The younger and the more innocent, the better. It also meant that a turning point had come for him. After tonight, he would either be free of the monster and receive the reward he had been promised, or else it would destroy him completely. His life had become so unbearable now that he didn’t particularly care which outcome happened. Anything was better than what he was already enduring.

He decided to take Crissy with him tonight. She, at least, could be seen in public without people throwing up. The thing on his neck had become so grotesque that he could no longer even look in the mirror, and efforts to cover it up just weren’t working. So he tucked his Glock under his shirt and into his belt, grabbed Crissy by the hand, and tossed her into the van.

“Where are we going?” she whined.

It was obvious that even his own followers didn’t want to be around him now. The girls, especially, were repulsed and avoided him. Hell, he repulsed himself—what did he expect?

“Never mind,” he said. “We’re going to get some fresh meat. Unless you’d rather be on the menu tonight.”

The blonde wrinkled her nose, but got into the van.

“We don’t have much time,” he said. “I want to get back before dark. The thing’s hungry tonight. Real hungry.”

“
That’s right
,” the monster said. “
You don’t want to keep me waiting
.”

Seti started the van and slowly backed up, then turned around. They’d made camp in the forest at the end of a narrow dirt trail that exited to a dirt road that, eventually, led to Route 102. Seti never would have found the place if the voice hadn’t led him to it. He wasn’t even sure anyone else could find it, which was probably the only reason the cops hadn’t caught them by now.

He drove for awhile, then turned down Farmington Road. If only he could get that pregnant woman. That would be a two for one. He drove slowly by the house, but noticed several vehicles parked in front and in the driveway. Cops, he thought. He could smell them a mile away.

“
We’ll save her for later
,” the thing said. “
After tonight, nothing will be able to stop me.”