Evil Agreement (37 page)

Samuel spoke again to his father who nodded twice. Now his
father turned around and returned to Samuel’s mother.

Ed whispered, “
Fuckin
-A, he’s
slick.”

Samuel continued to mingle with folks.

Ed’s phone buzzed again.

“Yeah.”

“The Land Rover, it just moved past me. They turned onto

“That’s good.”

Ed put the phone back into his pocket.

He decided to tell Samuel the good news.

Ed drifted past the altar which now had a black silk cover
draped over it. He slowly headed towards Samuel.

Samuel saw him coming and smiled. His smile was friendly.

Ed smiled back. He arrived next to Samuel and said, “My
people have called to say they’re on their way. It looks good, Samuel. It looks
real good,” he said for emphasis.

“That’s great. Well, we should get ready then. I’ll get the
others together. Ed, we’ll meet at the changing tent. Let me know as soon as
you hear they’re on the trail heading up here.”

“I will.”

Samuel moved away. He began to gather the coven members
together.

Ed headed back to the changing tent. It was getting dark now.
He directed a couple of the men to light more of the torches that were around
the perimeter. Soon there were at least a dozen large torches lighting the
area. A few people lit their own lanterns. The clearing was now illuminated and
glowed from the yellowish low level light. The faces of the assembled took on a
ghostly pallor.

The coven members were now gathered together at the changing
tent. Their ceremonial robes were already laid out and waiting inside of the
tent. The women went in first.

Ed, the Reverend, and the Judge had not spoken once this
evening.

After a few moments the women exited the tent. They were
wearing the long black robes that the first coven members had made over a
hundred and sixty years ago.

Several of the men and Samuel went inside next.

Ed and the Judge waited outside.

“Come on, you two!” said Samuel.

“It’s okay, I’m waiting for a call that Powell is on the
trail heading up here, remember,” said Ed.

“Go ahead, Samuel, it won’t take me much time to change. I’ll
be right along,” said the Judge.

“All right,” said Samuel as he ducked inside of the tent.

“Is it a go?” asked the Judge.

“As far as I’m concerned, it is,” said Ed out of the side of
his mouth.

“Good, we shall be truly rewarded for keeping the true faith
with the covenant.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

Some of the men coven members began to leave the tent.

The Judge headed into the tent just as Samuel was exiting.
The Judge smiled at Samuel who returned his smile.

Samuel walked over to Ed and asked him, “Any word yet?”

“No, not yet.”

Samuel accepted the answer and walked away.

Judy
Perrillo
came over and stood
next to Ed.

She leaned into him and whispered, “I’m not wearing anything
under my robe.”

“Judy, look I’m really not interested,” he said. Ed had seen
Judy in her altered state of being and it was not a pretty sight. The thought
of sex with her repulsed him.

“Okay. Ed Townsend, just you remember when I’m a big movie
star, don’t you come running to me looking for a piece,” she said as she
stormed off.

“These people are fucking delusional. They have no idea what
Armageddon is going to be like. I’ll bet they have never even read the
Bible
.”

Samuel looked over at Ed who gestured with his arms out and
palms extended upward, that he hadn’t yet heard from the last spotter down on
the trail.

***

Kevin Culpepper was sitting in the tree stand that he had
placed up in a pine tree, about fifteen feet off the ground. From this
position, he could take in a 270 degree radius look at the lower end of the
trail. He was getting anxious.

Miss Beacon had stopped the Land Rover next to the first car
they came upon along the side of the dirt road. They were about a quarter of a
mile from
Yandow’s
place.

“We’ll have to walk from here,” said Miss Beacon.

Everyone climbed out of the Rover. Miss Beacon handed the
keys to Aaron.

“You take them. I don’t think I’m going to be in the mood to
drive this thing, after this is over.”

Aaron slipped the keys into his pants pocket.

Miss Beacon opened the back of the Land Rover and rummaged
around for a moment, before she found what she was looking for.

“Aaron, think you know how to use this?” said Miss Beacon.

She held out a small reed like tube that was approximately
two feet long.

Aaron took it from her.

“This goes with it,” she said as she handed him a small tin.
“It’s a blow gun and the tin contains a couple of small tranquilizer darts.”

“What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked.

“Up ahead on the trail road will be a lookout. I figure if you
can use this to knock him out, it will give us a little edge. That way, when we
arrive, it will be somewhat of a surprise.”

“I like that,” said Aaron.

“Well then, let’s go.”

“How will we know where this lookout is?” asked Kelley.

“I think I have a good idea where he might be. After all,
I’ve learned a thing or two since I’ve been in this twisted little town.”

The four headed off up the trail road.

They walked past
Yandow’s
cabin.
After they had gone about another 150 yards Miss Beacon signaled for everyone
to stop and be quiet.

Then she whispered, “
Korie
, you and
Kelley stay here for a few minutes. Aaron and I have to leave the trail and
sneak up behind the spotter. I think he’s somewhere in a tree stand, up there
on the left, at the turn before the small bridge over the brook.”

“I don’t like the idea of being left here,” said Kelley.

“Don’t worry,
Korie’s
pretty tough.
I think she can handle any surprises. And I don’t think there will be any.
These people want us to get there. They sure don’t want to stop us. Ready?”

At that, Miss Beacon led Aaron off the trail into the woods.
They quietly slipped into the thick woods and soon disappeared.

Kelley and
Korie
waited in silence.

Meanwhile, Miss Beacon walked carefully through the woods.
Aaron tried to mimic her every step. Some ten minutes later she stopped and
gestured to a tree about thirty feet ahead. She pointed to a spot about fifteen
feet up into the tree. At first, he didn’t see anything, and then he spotted
what she had seen. On either side of the tree trunk were a man’s legs covered
in green pants and wearing hiking boots. He was sitting on a tree stand on the
other side of the tree. From where he was he couldn’t see them unless he stood
up and looked around the back of the tree.

Whispering she said, “You’re going to have to move up closer
to the tree. See that blue spruce over to the right. It should provide you with
enough cover. Start heading over there. I’ll try and divert his attention. When
he looks away you make a move to the spruce and set up. You should be able to
get a good look at him from there. Try and get him in the neck. The medicine
will work faster that way. All you need to do is to hit him with one. Now go!”

Aaron nodded his acknowledgement and headed forward, careful
to keep the spotter’s back to him.

When Aaron was about twenty feet away from the spotter’s tree
and about ten feet away from the blue spruce, he crouched down and examined the
exact route his steps would need to take him to quietly reach the spruce.

He turned to signal Miss Beacon he was ready. She wasn’t
there. She had disappeared. He turned around and looked up at the spotter and
waited.

Just then, about thirty yards away from the spotter, in a
small clearing, a large deer stepped forward from the nearby dense bushes. This
was a very large buck. It had a huge rack of antlers. Aaron counted at least
twelve points. It was a true trophy deer. The deer pawed at the ground. When it
did so the noise reached the spotter who stirred a bit as he noticed the deer.

“Holy shit,” whispered the spotter.

Aaron could clearly hear him. Then the spotter stood up
slowly, to get a better look at this incredible deer. As he did so, Aaron moved
as quietly as he could to set up next to the spruce tree.

“The things you see when you don’t have a gun,” whispered the
spotter.

Just then, the deer looked up directly at the spotter and
turned and scampered away into the woods. Its exit made a crashing sound as it
quickly broke through low branches in a hasty retreat.

The spotter sat back down.

Aaron knelt and opened the small tin. There were three darts.
He put one carefully into the end of the reed. It fit perfectly. He aimed it at
the spotter. Inhaling a deep breath he blew into the end of the blowgun. The
dart flew out and stuck into the tree just behind the spotter’s head. It hardly
made any noise.

Damn,
he thought.

Aaron reloaded the blowgun and tried again. This time he held
the blowgun as steady as he could and took aim. The dart missed the spotter
completely and flew into the woods beyond.

Aaron closed his eyes and prayed for help. Then he reloaded
the blowgun for one last try. He took aim and blew into the reed. The dart flew
true this time and landed in the spotter’s neck, just behind his ear. It stung
him. He slapped at the stinging sensation. He felt something on his neck and
removed it. It was a tiny, feathered dart. It was the last thing he saw as his
mind shut down completely. His head slumped forward. If he hadn’t buckled a
safety line to the tree, he would have fallen out of the tree stand. As it was,
he slumped forward so much that his forehead was now nearly touching his knees.

Aaron stood up.

There was a cracking sound coming from behind as a small
branch broke underfoot.

Aaron turned suddenly and there was Miss Beacon again.

“It safe to make noise now. He’s out cold. Should be out at
least a few hours anyway. Let’s go.”

Aaron followed her through the woods where they soon exited
the woods and were back on the trail road again. Looking back down the road,
Miss Beacon got the attention of
Korie
and Kelley as
she signaled for them to come along.

When
Korie
and Kelley arrived the
four joined hands and headed up the trail road. In a few moments, they crossed
over the wooden bridge that spanned the adjacent stream. It was nearly
completely dark now. The woods themselves were completely quiet except for the
crunching sound their shoes made on the hard exposed surface of the trail.

At this time they were about three-quarters of a mile from
the clearing adjacent to the offering altar. The lower level of the night sky,
in the general direction they were now heading, reflected a reddish, yellow hue
from burning torches.

Each had a different idea of what lay ahead. But even their
separate ideas had one thing in common. Each was certain they were about to
face something that was monstrously evil.

***

The gathered faithful began to grumble as they checked their
watches. It was a few minutes past nine and nothing had even begun.

“What’s the hold up?” shouted someone from the back edge of
the large group.

“Yeah, where’s Moloch?” said another.

“Let’s get started,” shouted someone else.

Samuel heard these calls. He checked his own watch. He was
growing angrier by the moment.

“Has your man seen anything?” Samuel asked of Ed Townsend.

“Look, why don’t I go check?”

“No.”

“Just give me a minute.”

“All right, you’ve got exactly one minute.”

Ed ran over to the changing tent and picked up his hand held
radio, his backup communication device. He quickly checked with the other men
he had set up at the various checkpoints along the way here. Each confirmed
Powell had moved past their locations and they had not seen him backtrack. He
quickly threw on his black robe and hurried back.

Ed ran to Samuel and said, “I am certain he’s on his way. I’d
bet my life on it.”

“You have,” said Samuel sternly. “You already have.”

With that Samuel moved over to the altar. He stood behind it
and raised his arms.

The crowd quickly became silent.

“Fellow members of the Church of Everlasting Faith, I now
call for the members of our coven to join me at this, our offering altar.”

One by one the coven members moved to stand with Samuel. They
divided themselves so an equal number stood to either side of him.

Already set out on the altar was the Book of Final Covenants,
a knife, and a cup.

“Please raise your hands with me as we now begin the greatest
of ceremonies. Tonight, together, we will complete a journey begun by our
ancestors long ago. Our ancestors, faithful disciples of Lucifer, entered into
a solemn agreement. Their word, their bond, was to help bring Moloch, Lucifer’s
closest and most faithful of all his servants, to human form. Moloch, with
their help, would prepare the way for Lucifer to walk upon the earth. Our
ancestors were promised that in return, each would have eternal life and would
enjoy the riches and pleasures of this world. Join me now as we fulfill that
long ago covenant.”

There were shouts of, “Amen, and Praise Samuel,” and “Praise
Lucifer.”

Samuel closed his eyes and began to sway. The coven members
looked at each other and the crowd before them. There was a nervous expectation
in the air.

“We now call upon the great Moloch, Lucifer’s most faithful
servant, our counsel, our guide, to rise up before us.”