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Devil's Bend (HHWC)
page: 110
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Guys and Ghouls, welcome to my entry in the HHWC, 2010. Enjoy.
=========================================================
She shoved the door closed and tossed her keys on the halltree. She yanked off the jacket and carelessly allowed it to drop at her feet. She marched straight to the refrigerator and jerked it open, grabbed the milk and sloppily began chugging
until her throat was no longer sore.
Screaming did that to people, ya know.
She startled, and dropped the milk. He had not followed her home....or had he??
She ran to the front door and threw all the locks, then raced around the small apartment securing the three windows, the two bedroom windows and the small window above her kitchen sink. She pushed the hall tree up againt the door, and closed the two bedrooms, pushing heavy furniture in front of each door.
She ran back to the kitchen, pulled out the Chef knife, freshly sharpened, and she sank into the corner of the kitchen, between the dishwasher and the sink. She looked up at the window. It was dusk, and a sudden fear gripped her. Someone could look in!!
She glanced around the room feverishly and noticed the newspaper. Rummaging through the junk drawer she found electrical tape. She hurriedly began taping, when a scratch at the window caused her to scream and jump.
"Meow."
It was only the neighborhood tomcat, Buddy. She sighed, her heart beating so quickly she thought she might drop dead on the spot. Quickly she finished taping up the newspaper, and relieved, sank back into her corner, gripping the knife handle tightly. It was almost night, and for twelve hours she would have to survive the DARK...
And HIM.
She settled in for a long night.
***********************
He lost her around Mulberry St, and that infuriated him. Why was she screaming and running? He wasn't looking to hurt her, but boy did he feel like smacking her right now. The BOSS would be pissed off.
He sat on a nearby retaining wall at the foot of someone's sloped front lawn, this crisp fall evening one week from All Hallow's Eve, and stared off into space, his favoite method of contemplating his troubles. That soon led to a cigarette, and by the time he finished his third, he felt his head hurt, then....Ding! Out popped a lightbulb. Duh, he mumbled, while fumbling in his jacket for his cell.
Feet swinging like a thirteen yr old girl, he dialed the BOSS. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do. That's why He was the BOSS.
_________________________________
Night had fallen, and the four made their way through various bundles of lumber and steel, to a small clearing near the edge of the river. They were all dressed in robes, casually as none had their hoods drawn up or anything, and each carried a bag of supplies. Two of the young men dropped their bags and wandered off to the wooded area, in search of kindling and wood.
It was time for another Bonfire!!
The two left behind immediately scavenged enough large river rocks for a circle, and by then the other two were returning from the woods. It was at this moment, sweaty and half done, that the BOSS felt his cell vibrate in his pocket.
"Oh, for God's sake...." He dropped the stone and reached inside the robe, dug the cell out and glanced at the touch screen. He shot an irritated glance at the crew, and made the halt motion across his neck. Silence ensued.
"Randy, I take it you are here at the park with the girl, ready to join the festivus." The BOSS drawled, an edge to his usually smooth deep voice.
"Uh.....no.....I am...uh let me look...." Sounds of huffing, panting, fumbling and such stopped. "Mulberry St. She got away!! And Boss she has a loud mouth."
"Damn it Randy. We're halfway done setting this up. Do I have to come do this myself, really?"
"Would you Boss, I think I need some help."
"No truer words have been spoken. I'll send one of the crew, you have an hour. Go to the Hilldale Apartments, and wait there behind the dumpster for Ervie. Don't mess this up, Randy. I chose you out of all the other guys for a reason." The
Boss momentarily doubted his wise judgement. He hung up and waved to Ervie.
"Get out there and help Genious Boy get this girl. Be back in an hour."
Ervie took off and the BOSS smiled at the two remaining crew.
"Alright, we got an hour to get this show on the road!!!"
____________________________________________________________________
Ervie snuck up behond Randy and greeted him with a smack upside his head. Randy yelped, to which Ervie smacked him again and growled,
"Shut up loser. Now let's go finish the job and get back to the bonfire."
Randy assumed the subservient position, and silently the two made their way to the girl's first floor apartment on the corner of Park Street and Elm.
________________________________________________________
She heard the crunch of a twig and KNEW. Supressing the scream that was slowly making its way up to her raw throat from the bowels of her belly, she clutched her knife and began crawling to the bathroom, where she struggled to calm her breathing.
She heard nothing but the normal night sounds....crickets and dogs and tv's and cats and far off muffled traffic.....far off muffled traffic.....
...that sounded like it was coming in through an open window.....
Without moving a muscle, she cut her eyes ever so slowly towards the shower curtain, which was...MOVING.....
"MEOW!"
Out jumped the tomcat.
"Buddy!" She put her knife down and grabbed the cat, nuzzling it and wetting its fur with her hysterical tears.
"How did you get in here, Buddy?"
In that moment it dawned on her exactly how Buddy got in. In her race about the apartment she had secured all of the windows...except the little window (that was big enough for you to sneak in and out of when mom worked first shift and was home at night........)......inside the bathtub.
Veins of ice, she sat the cat on the floor, and on shaking legs, slowly rose. She reached out in the darkness for the curtain and with quivering hand, grasped it and slowly, ever so slowly, began to pull it back.
"SURPRISE!!!"
She screamed as the curtain was ripped down and there, in the tub below an open bathroom window stood her worst nightmare...HIM!!! And someone else!!
Buddy was hissing, and she went to grab the doorknob.
Unfortunately for the girl, her luck had run out, and with in moments, they were gone and silence once again enveloped the little neighborhood.
It was only broken by the plaintive cries of the neighborhood tom, Buddy.
=========================================================
She shoved the door closed and tossed her keys on the halltree. She yanked off the jacket and carelessly allowed it to drop at her feet. She marched straight to the refrigerator and jerked it open, grabbed the milk and sloppily began chugging
until her throat was no longer sore.
Screaming did that to people, ya know.
She startled, and dropped the milk. He had not followed her home....or had he??
She ran to the front door and threw all the locks, then raced around the small apartment securing the three windows, the two bedroom windows and the small window above her kitchen sink. She pushed the hall tree up againt the door, and closed the two bedrooms, pushing heavy furniture in front of each door.
She ran back to the kitchen, pulled out the Chef knife, freshly sharpened, and she sank into the corner of the kitchen, between the dishwasher and the sink. She looked up at the window. It was dusk, and a sudden fear gripped her. Someone could look in!!
She glanced around the room feverishly and noticed the newspaper. Rummaging through the junk drawer she found electrical tape. She hurriedly began taping, when a scratch at the window caused her to scream and jump.
"Meow."
It was only the neighborhood tomcat, Buddy. She sighed, her heart beating so quickly she thought she might drop dead on the spot. Quickly she finished taping up the newspaper, and relieved, sank back into her corner, gripping the knife handle tightly. It was almost night, and for twelve hours she would have to survive the DARK...
And HIM.
She settled in for a long night.
***********************
He lost her around Mulberry St, and that infuriated him. Why was she screaming and running? He wasn't looking to hurt her, but boy did he feel like smacking her right now. The BOSS would be pissed off.
He sat on a nearby retaining wall at the foot of someone's sloped front lawn, this crisp fall evening one week from All Hallow's Eve, and stared off into space, his favoite method of contemplating his troubles. That soon led to a cigarette, and by the time he finished his third, he felt his head hurt, then....Ding! Out popped a lightbulb. Duh, he mumbled, while fumbling in his jacket for his cell.
Feet swinging like a thirteen yr old girl, he dialed the BOSS. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do. That's why He was the BOSS.
_________________________________
Night had fallen, and the four made their way through various bundles of lumber and steel, to a small clearing near the edge of the river. They were all dressed in robes, casually as none had their hoods drawn up or anything, and each carried a bag of supplies. Two of the young men dropped their bags and wandered off to the wooded area, in search of kindling and wood.
It was time for another Bonfire!!
The two left behind immediately scavenged enough large river rocks for a circle, and by then the other two were returning from the woods. It was at this moment, sweaty and half done, that the BOSS felt his cell vibrate in his pocket.
"Oh, for God's sake...." He dropped the stone and reached inside the robe, dug the cell out and glanced at the touch screen. He shot an irritated glance at the crew, and made the halt motion across his neck. Silence ensued.
"Randy, I take it you are here at the park with the girl, ready to join the festivus." The BOSS drawled, an edge to his usually smooth deep voice.
"Uh.....no.....I am...uh let me look...." Sounds of huffing, panting, fumbling and such stopped. "Mulberry St. She got away!! And Boss she has a loud mouth."
"Damn it Randy. We're halfway done setting this up. Do I have to come do this myself, really?"
"Would you Boss, I think I need some help."
"No truer words have been spoken. I'll send one of the crew, you have an hour. Go to the Hilldale Apartments, and wait there behind the dumpster for Ervie. Don't mess this up, Randy. I chose you out of all the other guys for a reason." The
Boss momentarily doubted his wise judgement. He hung up and waved to Ervie.
"Get out there and help Genious Boy get this girl. Be back in an hour."
Ervie took off and the BOSS smiled at the two remaining crew.
"Alright, we got an hour to get this show on the road!!!"
____________________________________________________________________
Ervie snuck up behond Randy and greeted him with a smack upside his head. Randy yelped, to which Ervie smacked him again and growled,
"Shut up loser. Now let's go finish the job and get back to the bonfire."
Randy assumed the subservient position, and silently the two made their way to the girl's first floor apartment on the corner of Park Street and Elm.
________________________________________________________
She heard the crunch of a twig and KNEW. Supressing the scream that was slowly making its way up to her raw throat from the bowels of her belly, she clutched her knife and began crawling to the bathroom, where she struggled to calm her breathing.
She heard nothing but the normal night sounds....crickets and dogs and tv's and cats and far off muffled traffic.....far off muffled traffic.....
...that sounded like it was coming in through an open window.....
Without moving a muscle, she cut her eyes ever so slowly towards the shower curtain, which was...MOVING.....
"MEOW!"
Out jumped the tomcat.
"Buddy!" She put her knife down and grabbed the cat, nuzzling it and wetting its fur with her hysterical tears.
"How did you get in here, Buddy?"
In that moment it dawned on her exactly how Buddy got in. In her race about the apartment she had secured all of the windows...except the little window (that was big enough for you to sneak in and out of when mom worked first shift and was home at night........)......inside the bathtub.
Veins of ice, she sat the cat on the floor, and on shaking legs, slowly rose. She reached out in the darkness for the curtain and with quivering hand, grasped it and slowly, ever so slowly, began to pull it back.
"SURPRISE!!!"
She screamed as the curtain was ripped down and there, in the tub below an open bathroom window stood her worst nightmare...HIM!!! And someone else!!
Buddy was hissing, and she went to grab the doorknob.
Unfortunately for the girl, her luck had run out, and with in moments, they were gone and silence once again enveloped the little neighborhood.
It was only broken by the plaintive cries of the neighborhood tom, Buddy.
The Royal Grey Hour of Truth had, in the past year, become the Network's most highly rated news talk show. What that meant was, a talk show loosely
based upon newsworthy topics, but mostly full of Royal Grey's own boisterous blowhardiness.
He was loud and proud, a fierce conservative and God Fearing Christian who loved his guns more than his Momma. (She had been his guest one show, and he had informed her of this fact. She smiled and told him She loved his gun more than she
loved Him!! And America ate this stuff right up.) Frequent guests included Heather Hopkins, the right wing's answer to everything, Don Faul, Red Lugent, and your usual line up of Hollywoodized blowhards. The masses seemed to love the
overweight and ruddy cable star, so the Network decided that this new season, they would send Royal Grey Into the Streets.
Thus, that is how we come to the meeting, held in late September at the Networks Corporate headquarters in New York City.
Rosylyn Rose was the Network's liason for carrying out their wishes. Through her, all of Royal's concerns were filtered. While America saw Royal as a powerful influencial man, Rosylyn and Royal knew otherwise. He was but a shill for the
Network, and pushed the Network's agenda. Royal could care less, with the fat paycheck he deposited each week, he was more than happy to do whatever the gorgeous and mysterious Roz told him to do. He figured before long she would definitley be making a pass at him, if Heather Hopkins wanted him, he knew Roz was not far behind.
In the meeting, several stories for the Halloween Ratings Sweep were being tossed about but the Network had ultimately chosen one for Royal. He sat and listened as Rosylyn explained the assignment.
"There is a small town in the midwest called Devil's Bend, just an average mid size town. Full of christians, so why is this newsworthy? This year the town was in financial trouble,in the red Big Time, so they decided to capitalize on their cities name and organize the first ever Devil's Bend Halloween Night Music Fright Fest, featuring local bands and a couple headliners, mostly death metal, faux gore you know the average teens wet dream. You heard of Lucifer's Angels, havent you? That band out of Sausalito? Headed by that emo goth Teddy? They're Headlining, and they are partially owned by the Network's subsidiary, Music Channel. People from all over the tri state area will be flocking into the town, and the revenue from the show is going to pull them out of the hole into the black, big time. The hook line for you is how do Christians reconcile themselves with allowing the Devil on their holy ground?"
Royal frowned and grunted.
"Holy ground? Holy nothing, they may be christian but money is God we all know that. You got something wrote up for me to read on the way out? I'm still working on the teamsters riots and that gun nut from Idaho. I may not get around to doing the background stuff on this story until the flight out. Oh and I have that Newsweek shoot." He smirked in his usual smarmy manner, eyes glistening as they passed from her bust to her legs to her shiny red heels, probably the same look that he had in them when he eyed a prime rib or a shot of bourbon.
Rosylyn studied the portly blowhard, so full of himself it left little space in the room for anyone else. She was amazed at how easily he accepted the spoon of pudding, and realized how lucky the Network was to have snatched this sheeple herder up, and for pennies of what that other place paid Glenn Beck.
"OK then, Devil's Bend, get ready to meet Royal Grey!"
______________________________________________________
On the crisp fall evening that Royal Grey had boarded the first class section of the flight to the middle of the Heartland, Luci Landon lie like she always did, in her bed, in her room on the second floor of the old Victorian home on Riverwood Circle, which sat on a gentle hill overlooking the town. Through her bedroom window, Luci had a million dollar view of the river's bend, the bend the town had been named for hundred's of years ago. Luci had never been to school, her illness kept her home to be tutored by her family. So history of her town was not exactly on the top of the list of subjects Luci adored. Everyone who knew her knew where her passions lie, and that was in the literature that she wrote.
Also not at the top of her list of favorite subjects, besides local history, was Royal Grey, who just happened to be coming up next on the Network. She clicked on her laptop, and the Network disappeared. She had her TV right on her expensive laptop, as she did her movies, and her word processing. Basically she conducted her entire life through the laptop that sat upon her useless legs ninety percent of her day. She was not in the mood for Royal's type of delivery tonight, despite the fact Maggie her helper had declared he was supposed to be in town this week, covering the now controversial music festival.
Maggie had left just hours ago, after a cool fall afternoon. She had done up some laundry, changed Luci's bedding, and washed Luci's long red hair. Now comfortable in her bed, with the rest of the evening sprawling before her, the silence of the house swirling around her like a baby's favorite old blanket, the loneliness began to sneak in, as it always did each night around this time. Her family had either died off or left Devil's Bend for greener pastures, and aside from the yearly visits from her brothers, and the daily help from Maggie, the only people left in town who visited regularly were her late husband's brother Hank, town Sheriff, and her beautiful teenage neice Angelina. Hank's wife rarely came, Luci made her feel bad, or something banal like that. Luci suspected she never visited because she was using those times to do things behind Hank's back, but Luci never spoke out loud what she thought. She was not prone to fits of meloncholy, so as soon as the Lonelies began their soft hugs, she shook them off by preparing one of her favorite evening activities....night pills, Sirious Radio (Big Band and Swing!) and Scrabble!!
She took her ususal dose of twenty milligrams sleeping medicine, washing it down with water from the pitcher next to her bed. She wiped her fingers and began clicking on her laptop, pulling up the scrabble game. Many a night she would cross
from night to morning, an open game of Scrabble still staring at her from her lap. Those were the best nights.
Earlier in the day the sounds of construction had filtered in through her window. The crews were busy turning the pretty riverfront into a stage for a ten band concert, which was to be held in exactly one week. Her lovely neice Angelina was going to spend the night with her friend Carissa the night of the Fest and they planned to walk to and from Luci's home to attend the concert.
She was on a points roll when something caught her eye; through her window she noticed a soft orange glow. At first she thought it to be headlights or a flashlight, someone walking up her path. Not frightened, Luci minimized the scrabble game and pulled up her telescope program. She clicked record, then, from her night stand, adjusted the telescope to the right angle. She needn't even bother looking through the scope itself, for her program brought what the telescope saw directly to her lap, and recorded it so Luci could go over it later.
The screen came into resolution and what Luci saw was not what she expected.
Taking a deep breath, Luci pressed a few buttons to zoom in. She caught her breath. It was a bonfire, by the river's bend. Four figures in hooded robes were...chanting?...swirling?....around a fire, and hogtied in front of the fire, was a girl!!
Luci couldn't take her eyes off her laptop.
The girl was gagged, and the tallest robed figure, the one in the red robe (the others wore black robes) took a dagger from inside his robe. The group...coven?....all stopped,and gave leeway to their obvious leader. He knelt beside the violently struggling girl, raised the shiny dagger above his head and thrust it deep into her heart. The coven gathered immediately and closed the circle.
He was loud and proud, a fierce conservative and God Fearing Christian who loved his guns more than his Momma. (She had been his guest one show, and he had informed her of this fact. She smiled and told him She loved his gun more than she
loved Him!! And America ate this stuff right up.) Frequent guests included Heather Hopkins, the right wing's answer to everything, Don Faul, Red Lugent, and your usual line up of Hollywoodized blowhards. The masses seemed to love the
overweight and ruddy cable star, so the Network decided that this new season, they would send Royal Grey Into the Streets.
Thus, that is how we come to the meeting, held in late September at the Networks Corporate headquarters in New York City.
Rosylyn Rose was the Network's liason for carrying out their wishes. Through her, all of Royal's concerns were filtered. While America saw Royal as a powerful influencial man, Rosylyn and Royal knew otherwise. He was but a shill for the
Network, and pushed the Network's agenda. Royal could care less, with the fat paycheck he deposited each week, he was more than happy to do whatever the gorgeous and mysterious Roz told him to do. He figured before long she would definitley be making a pass at him, if Heather Hopkins wanted him, he knew Roz was not far behind.
In the meeting, several stories for the Halloween Ratings Sweep were being tossed about but the Network had ultimately chosen one for Royal. He sat and listened as Rosylyn explained the assignment.
"There is a small town in the midwest called Devil's Bend, just an average mid size town. Full of christians, so why is this newsworthy? This year the town was in financial trouble,in the red Big Time, so they decided to capitalize on their cities name and organize the first ever Devil's Bend Halloween Night Music Fright Fest, featuring local bands and a couple headliners, mostly death metal, faux gore you know the average teens wet dream. You heard of Lucifer's Angels, havent you? That band out of Sausalito? Headed by that emo goth Teddy? They're Headlining, and they are partially owned by the Network's subsidiary, Music Channel. People from all over the tri state area will be flocking into the town, and the revenue from the show is going to pull them out of the hole into the black, big time. The hook line for you is how do Christians reconcile themselves with allowing the Devil on their holy ground?"
Royal frowned and grunted.
"Holy ground? Holy nothing, they may be christian but money is God we all know that. You got something wrote up for me to read on the way out? I'm still working on the teamsters riots and that gun nut from Idaho. I may not get around to doing the background stuff on this story until the flight out. Oh and I have that Newsweek shoot." He smirked in his usual smarmy manner, eyes glistening as they passed from her bust to her legs to her shiny red heels, probably the same look that he had in them when he eyed a prime rib or a shot of bourbon.
Rosylyn studied the portly blowhard, so full of himself it left little space in the room for anyone else. She was amazed at how easily he accepted the spoon of pudding, and realized how lucky the Network was to have snatched this sheeple herder up, and for pennies of what that other place paid Glenn Beck.
"OK then, Devil's Bend, get ready to meet Royal Grey!"
______________________________________________________
On the crisp fall evening that Royal Grey had boarded the first class section of the flight to the middle of the Heartland, Luci Landon lie like she always did, in her bed, in her room on the second floor of the old Victorian home on Riverwood Circle, which sat on a gentle hill overlooking the town. Through her bedroom window, Luci had a million dollar view of the river's bend, the bend the town had been named for hundred's of years ago. Luci had never been to school, her illness kept her home to be tutored by her family. So history of her town was not exactly on the top of the list of subjects Luci adored. Everyone who knew her knew where her passions lie, and that was in the literature that she wrote.
Also not at the top of her list of favorite subjects, besides local history, was Royal Grey, who just happened to be coming up next on the Network. She clicked on her laptop, and the Network disappeared. She had her TV right on her expensive laptop, as she did her movies, and her word processing. Basically she conducted her entire life through the laptop that sat upon her useless legs ninety percent of her day. She was not in the mood for Royal's type of delivery tonight, despite the fact Maggie her helper had declared he was supposed to be in town this week, covering the now controversial music festival.
Maggie had left just hours ago, after a cool fall afternoon. She had done up some laundry, changed Luci's bedding, and washed Luci's long red hair. Now comfortable in her bed, with the rest of the evening sprawling before her, the silence of the house swirling around her like a baby's favorite old blanket, the loneliness began to sneak in, as it always did each night around this time. Her family had either died off or left Devil's Bend for greener pastures, and aside from the yearly visits from her brothers, and the daily help from Maggie, the only people left in town who visited regularly were her late husband's brother Hank, town Sheriff, and her beautiful teenage neice Angelina. Hank's wife rarely came, Luci made her feel bad, or something banal like that. Luci suspected she never visited because she was using those times to do things behind Hank's back, but Luci never spoke out loud what she thought. She was not prone to fits of meloncholy, so as soon as the Lonelies began their soft hugs, she shook them off by preparing one of her favorite evening activities....night pills, Sirious Radio (Big Band and Swing!) and Scrabble!!
She took her ususal dose of twenty milligrams sleeping medicine, washing it down with water from the pitcher next to her bed. She wiped her fingers and began clicking on her laptop, pulling up the scrabble game. Many a night she would cross
from night to morning, an open game of Scrabble still staring at her from her lap. Those were the best nights.
Earlier in the day the sounds of construction had filtered in through her window. The crews were busy turning the pretty riverfront into a stage for a ten band concert, which was to be held in exactly one week. Her lovely neice Angelina was going to spend the night with her friend Carissa the night of the Fest and they planned to walk to and from Luci's home to attend the concert.
She was on a points roll when something caught her eye; through her window she noticed a soft orange glow. At first she thought it to be headlights or a flashlight, someone walking up her path. Not frightened, Luci minimized the scrabble game and pulled up her telescope program. She clicked record, then, from her night stand, adjusted the telescope to the right angle. She needn't even bother looking through the scope itself, for her program brought what the telescope saw directly to her lap, and recorded it so Luci could go over it later.
The screen came into resolution and what Luci saw was not what she expected.
Taking a deep breath, Luci pressed a few buttons to zoom in. She caught her breath. It was a bonfire, by the river's bend. Four figures in hooded robes were...chanting?...swirling?....around a fire, and hogtied in front of the fire, was a girl!!
Luci couldn't take her eyes off her laptop.
The girl was gagged, and the tallest robed figure, the one in the red robe (the others wore black robes) took a dagger from inside his robe. The group...coven?....all stopped,and gave leeway to their obvious leader. He knelt beside the violently struggling girl, raised the shiny dagger above his head and thrust it deep into her heart. The coven gathered immediately and closed the circle.
Luci gasped in horror and involuntarily jerked. Her elbow bumped her nightstand, which toppled the pitcher, which caught the plug in for the
telescope, which snapped out of the computer, rendering her screen black.
"Oh NO!" Luci cried, scrambling for the cord and the pitcher...in doing so, she toppled right out of bed.
The bed was set to a low position for precisly this reason, Luci had a habit of rolling out of bed. After regaining her decorum and sopping up the spilled pitcher of water, she managed to pull herself back into her bed, exhausted.
But not too exhausted to glance out her window.
The orange glow was gone, and the night was black, as black as her computer screen.
Thankfully, it was then that her sleeping medication began to kick in, and before long Luci was out cold.
==========
"I know what I saw, Maggie. I am crippled, NOT stupid." Luci was fuming, and the stress and frustration were really causing a flare up in the pain today. Near tears, Luci asked for a glass of water. She dug out a pain pill, and when Maggie reappeared, she already had it in her mouth. She gulped down the cold drink, and let out her breath.
"Please call Hank, Maggie." Luci asked again. Maggie, beginning to get frustrated herself, walked across the room to the window. She could see the construction in the distance, men and women going about their work like average American's do every day. She turned from the scene and tried to reason with Luci.
"Don't you think there would be police commotion if there had actually been a coven of witches sacrificing a young lady for Satan? Luci, it is Halloween, and that is a month long celebration here in the Bend. You know that. It was just some teens playing around. They are all excited about the music fest. Probably some kids getitng drunk, nothing we aint seen before in this place!!"
Maggie saw the look on her friend's face and saw she was not buying it. So she sat on the edge of the bed, and placed a hand lovingly on Luci's leg.
"Are you trying out a plot line on me?" Maggie asked, grinning, trying to lighten the mood.
If Luci had not been in so much pain she may have laughed, but this was no laughing matter.
"OH!" Lucy cried, and her fingers began to fly over the keyboard. "I recorded it!! Yes....here it is....October 24.....open.....play...." Luci's brow furrowed. She reclicked. "Open....Play....NO!!!! I KNOW I recorded it!!" In disgust, Luci shoved her laptop towards Maggie, who caught it and looked at the screen. It was six minutes of footage, all black screen, no sound. Defective.
"I'm sorry Luci, there's nothing here." Maggie said gently. Feeling sorry for her friend had always been rare, but right now she was full of pity for her.
"OK, I will call Hank."
Maggie left the room.
=================================
"I walked all over the area you told me to look at, Lucille, and not even a scorched patch of earth. Nothing but construction! The area you claim the....incident took place, it is empty. I just got done looking through the scope, its working just fine, and through the scope I see nothing but the clearing in the bend. No evidence of anything like a witches sacrifical bonfire." Hank was out of uniform today, and he sat uncomfortably in the velvet chair that Luci offered guests in her bedroom. A handsome older man, he reminded Luci of her late husband Carl, and she could not stand to visit with him long or she caught the sads.
"OK then, I guess I have to take your word. I'll forget it if you do me one favor."
Hank looked nervous.
Luci handed him a cd.
"Let the lab go over this video, would you? See if they can't tell if there is anything layered on this video or if my scope really was unplugged the whole time. I could have sworn I had it plugged in before the water pitcher fell."
Hank took the cd and nodded.
He cleared his throat and stood.
"So is it OK for Angelina to still come Friday, Hank? You won't hold this against her will you? Her and Carissa really want to go to the Music Festival from here since parking will be at a premium."
"Of course. And please, do NOT talk to my daughter of this....incident, OK Lucille?"
With that he left, and Luci felt drained. Maybe she HAD imagined it. She should have listened to Maggie and never had Hank over, what would his wife think of her NOW?
She pulled up her internet and spent some time researching coven activity and Devil's Bend. There were a few hits, but she was tired, so she bookmarked them for later. She managed to check into her website, and on a whim, posted the story on an impulse. Who cared, maybe someone else saw something that night, and since it was her website she could always delete it later.
Lucy pulled up the scope and watched the activity on the riverfront until she fell off into a nap.
"Oh NO!" Luci cried, scrambling for the cord and the pitcher...in doing so, she toppled right out of bed.
The bed was set to a low position for precisly this reason, Luci had a habit of rolling out of bed. After regaining her decorum and sopping up the spilled pitcher of water, she managed to pull herself back into her bed, exhausted.
But not too exhausted to glance out her window.
The orange glow was gone, and the night was black, as black as her computer screen.
Thankfully, it was then that her sleeping medication began to kick in, and before long Luci was out cold.
==========
"I know what I saw, Maggie. I am crippled, NOT stupid." Luci was fuming, and the stress and frustration were really causing a flare up in the pain today. Near tears, Luci asked for a glass of water. She dug out a pain pill, and when Maggie reappeared, she already had it in her mouth. She gulped down the cold drink, and let out her breath.
"Please call Hank, Maggie." Luci asked again. Maggie, beginning to get frustrated herself, walked across the room to the window. She could see the construction in the distance, men and women going about their work like average American's do every day. She turned from the scene and tried to reason with Luci.
"Don't you think there would be police commotion if there had actually been a coven of witches sacrificing a young lady for Satan? Luci, it is Halloween, and that is a month long celebration here in the Bend. You know that. It was just some teens playing around. They are all excited about the music fest. Probably some kids getitng drunk, nothing we aint seen before in this place!!"
Maggie saw the look on her friend's face and saw she was not buying it. So she sat on the edge of the bed, and placed a hand lovingly on Luci's leg.
"Are you trying out a plot line on me?" Maggie asked, grinning, trying to lighten the mood.
If Luci had not been in so much pain she may have laughed, but this was no laughing matter.
"OH!" Lucy cried, and her fingers began to fly over the keyboard. "I recorded it!! Yes....here it is....October 24.....open.....play...." Luci's brow furrowed. She reclicked. "Open....Play....NO!!!! I KNOW I recorded it!!" In disgust, Luci shoved her laptop towards Maggie, who caught it and looked at the screen. It was six minutes of footage, all black screen, no sound. Defective.
"I'm sorry Luci, there's nothing here." Maggie said gently. Feeling sorry for her friend had always been rare, but right now she was full of pity for her.
"OK, I will call Hank."
Maggie left the room.
=================================
"I walked all over the area you told me to look at, Lucille, and not even a scorched patch of earth. Nothing but construction! The area you claim the....incident took place, it is empty. I just got done looking through the scope, its working just fine, and through the scope I see nothing but the clearing in the bend. No evidence of anything like a witches sacrifical bonfire." Hank was out of uniform today, and he sat uncomfortably in the velvet chair that Luci offered guests in her bedroom. A handsome older man, he reminded Luci of her late husband Carl, and she could not stand to visit with him long or she caught the sads.
"OK then, I guess I have to take your word. I'll forget it if you do me one favor."
Hank looked nervous.
Luci handed him a cd.
"Let the lab go over this video, would you? See if they can't tell if there is anything layered on this video or if my scope really was unplugged the whole time. I could have sworn I had it plugged in before the water pitcher fell."
Hank took the cd and nodded.
He cleared his throat and stood.
"So is it OK for Angelina to still come Friday, Hank? You won't hold this against her will you? Her and Carissa really want to go to the Music Festival from here since parking will be at a premium."
"Of course. And please, do NOT talk to my daughter of this....incident, OK Lucille?"
With that he left, and Luci felt drained. Maybe she HAD imagined it. She should have listened to Maggie and never had Hank over, what would his wife think of her NOW?
She pulled up her internet and spent some time researching coven activity and Devil's Bend. There were a few hits, but she was tired, so she bookmarked them for later. She managed to check into her website, and on a whim, posted the story on an impulse. Who cared, maybe someone else saw something that night, and since it was her website she could always delete it later.
Lucy pulled up the scope and watched the activity on the riverfront until she fell off into a nap.
Royal was sitting in downtown Devil's Bend, on the courthouse square lawn, the only place in town his wireless worked. Busy on the laptop, doing some
research, he was plugging in search terms and printing off pages which he may or may not use for his overall story. He had sent Velma, his assistant,
on a search for food (if there was one thing that rivaled Royal's love of guns it was his love of small town food), and Kevin, his equipment boy, was
setting up some lights for a shoot they planned to do after while.
In the mean time, Royal basked in the delicious autumn day, enjoying the autograph seekers, and reveling in the pomp of his position as MOST important denizen of the moment.
"Hey, Kev, I got a hot lead. Find me where a Luci Landon lives, will ya? Crazy old bat claims to have seen a virgin sacrifice a few nights ago, right at Devil's Bend!!" They both laughed as the Luci pages printed, and Royal lit a cigar, relaxing in the sunny afternoon. This was definitley the life.
"Kevin! Did you know about this crazy chick? Who cares, this is Ratings GOLD, boy, don't you get it? I will be getting that chauffered limo after this hits the Network. I have to call Roz and let her in on this, that broad won't be able to say no to me after I give her this bit of good news!"
Kevin busied himself with equipment to avoid having to answer Royal. But Royal had already forgotten Kevin existed. He was thinking about Rosylyn Rose.
======================
"Luci? I'm here! Good morning!" After a soft knock on the door, Maggie entered, relieved to find her friend up and clicking away on the computer. In the couple of days since the....incident....Luci had not said one word about it, and Maggie was NOT about to remind her.
"A couple of letters were under the door for you this morning when I got here, no stamps hand delivered. " Maggie sat them on her night stand, and took the tray to refresh the water and snacks. "Hungry?"
"Ravished, actually! How about a salad with ranch, and one of those cucumber sandwiches with dill and cream cheese, Please? Oh and a lemon scone."
"Ravished indeed!" Maggie responded, smiling. It was going to be a good day, she mused, as she set off about her tasks."Give me a half hour or so, Ok, Luci?"
"Sure, take your time, I am writing!!"
As soon as Maggie left the room, Luci grabbed the letters. In the electronic age, letters were a rare treat. The first was a thick beige envelope, circled in red twine like a cross, and sealed with red wax on the back. It was not addressed to anyone, blank. Smiling, Luci opened it with her letter opener, and removed the letter. It was a contract.
"Sign this contract in blood, and your greatest desire will be granted. You will be asked for a small favor in return, but be assured no harm will come of you for entering into this contract."
Giggling, Luci thought of Maggie, so kind and helpful, and knew she was trying to cheer her up. Playfully, Luci used the letter opener and nicked her fingertip, to which she smeared a dot of her own blood as signature.
She folded it up and put it back in the envelope.
No sooner had the blood dried then Luci felt a tingling electricity zip from her toes to her head and then explode out through her feet. Compelled, she jumped out of bed and squealed with delight....she was standing, Pain Free! And not falling over!!
"Maggie!!!!"
Maggie came running upstairs, only to stop in her tracks to see her friend standing up and looking like a robust young healthy woman.
"Luci, how..."
"Oh Maggie, I don't know, mind over matter? Remission? Who cares! That letter you wrote me worked like a charm! Oh Maggie, you are the best friend ever, you gave me my last remission twelve years ago too, when you asked me to be in your wedding."
Luci threw her arms around the puzzled Maggie, who did not have the heart to tell her friend she didn't write the note. As they hugged, Maggie noticed the other letter, unopened.
"Well, healthy girl, who sent the other letter? Open it!"
In the mean time, Royal basked in the delicious autumn day, enjoying the autograph seekers, and reveling in the pomp of his position as MOST important denizen of the moment.
"Hey, Kev, I got a hot lead. Find me where a Luci Landon lives, will ya? Crazy old bat claims to have seen a virgin sacrifice a few nights ago, right at Devil's Bend!!" They both laughed as the Luci pages printed, and Royal lit a cigar, relaxing in the sunny afternoon. This was definitley the life.
"Kevin! Did you know about this crazy chick? Who cares, this is Ratings GOLD, boy, don't you get it? I will be getting that chauffered limo after this hits the Network. I have to call Roz and let her in on this, that broad won't be able to say no to me after I give her this bit of good news!"
Kevin busied himself with equipment to avoid having to answer Royal. But Royal had already forgotten Kevin existed. He was thinking about Rosylyn Rose.
======================
"Luci? I'm here! Good morning!" After a soft knock on the door, Maggie entered, relieved to find her friend up and clicking away on the computer. In the couple of days since the....incident....Luci had not said one word about it, and Maggie was NOT about to remind her.
"A couple of letters were under the door for you this morning when I got here, no stamps hand delivered. " Maggie sat them on her night stand, and took the tray to refresh the water and snacks. "Hungry?"
"Ravished, actually! How about a salad with ranch, and one of those cucumber sandwiches with dill and cream cheese, Please? Oh and a lemon scone."
"Ravished indeed!" Maggie responded, smiling. It was going to be a good day, she mused, as she set off about her tasks."Give me a half hour or so, Ok, Luci?"
"Sure, take your time, I am writing!!"
As soon as Maggie left the room, Luci grabbed the letters. In the electronic age, letters were a rare treat. The first was a thick beige envelope, circled in red twine like a cross, and sealed with red wax on the back. It was not addressed to anyone, blank. Smiling, Luci opened it with her letter opener, and removed the letter. It was a contract.
"Sign this contract in blood, and your greatest desire will be granted. You will be asked for a small favor in return, but be assured no harm will come of you for entering into this contract."
Giggling, Luci thought of Maggie, so kind and helpful, and knew she was trying to cheer her up. Playfully, Luci used the letter opener and nicked her fingertip, to which she smeared a dot of her own blood as signature.
She folded it up and put it back in the envelope.
No sooner had the blood dried then Luci felt a tingling electricity zip from her toes to her head and then explode out through her feet. Compelled, she jumped out of bed and squealed with delight....she was standing, Pain Free! And not falling over!!
"Maggie!!!!"
Maggie came running upstairs, only to stop in her tracks to see her friend standing up and looking like a robust young healthy woman.
"Luci, how..."
"Oh Maggie, I don't know, mind over matter? Remission? Who cares! That letter you wrote me worked like a charm! Oh Maggie, you are the best friend ever, you gave me my last remission twelve years ago too, when you asked me to be in your wedding."
Luci threw her arms around the puzzled Maggie, who did not have the heart to tell her friend she didn't write the note. As they hugged, Maggie noticed the other letter, unopened.
"Well, healthy girl, who sent the other letter? Open it!"
Royal watched the slender redhead approach him, and he whispered to Kevin she was one hot piece. The second letter had been from Royal asking for a
meet. Luci chose the spot. By now, the clearing was littered with beer cans and discarded construction items, along with the occasional lost shoe or
orphaned hat. They were there searching for clues to substantiate Luci's bizarre claims. Royal was smitten so he went along, making sure Kevin was
recording the entire time.
It was Luci who saw the glint of silver sticking up from the ground. How could Hank have missed that? Royal pulled it out, it was a large crucifix necklace on a black leather chain.
Luci held it in her hands, and they both knew it was flimsy evidence. Luci did not know if the girl had been wearing a necklace or not, and this could have come from anyone. She turned it over, CYL. See You Later, cyber speak, Luci mused, probably some teen debris. She folded it into a small bag, slipped it into her pocket, & sighed. So now she could add Royal
to the list of people who thought she was nuts. There was no signs of anything here but a good time to come.
She let Royal drop her off at home, oblivious to his disappointment at not being invited in. It was strange to be walking up the stairs, and Luci decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Last remission she had gotten eight full weeks of normal. She only wished her late husband had been there to see it. She had never remissed during their short marriage, and it was one of her most bitter regrets.
Enjoying the normal, she began to ready the guest bedroom for her neice's visit the next night.
===============================
Hank delivered his daughter at six oclock sharp that All Hallow's Eve, who did not look as thrilled as she should have looked. Luci feared it was because she had offered to walk to the concert with them. Her neice had NEVER been embarassed of her Auntie Luci before, and assured her that was not the reason.
"Auntie Luci, Carissa stood me up. She has not been to school all week, and while she does occasionally fake sick never for this long. Her mom said she had been gone all week too, but didnt tell the police or anyone because her daughter took off like this a lot. I don't know whether to be mad or worried. She is dating a new guy, but I don't know him she didn't tell anyone his name. She met him ONLINE a couple weeks ago."
"Well, I will walk you to the concert, and maybe you can find her and her new guy already there. Go look out the window with my scope, Angelina, there is a huge crowd already! And the protesters...Hank, is it safe? Should I stay with her?"
"We have Brother Bruce covered, besides his grisly fetus posters, and foul twisting of the bible, we have his zero threat contained. We had to bust up an almost fist fight between Bruce and Royal Grey earlier, but now Royal has somehow made it back stage and is interviewing the bands. I have people watching him too."
Just as Hank was pulling out of the driveway and down the path, Luci heard Angelina clopping down the stairs.
"Where did you get this, Auntie Luci?"
Luci turned from the window to see, in her neice's outstretched hand, the crucifix necklace.
"I asked you where, Auntie Luci! This is Carissa's necklace!!"
"Well, I found it down by the bend, Angelina. Maybe your friend has been camping out with her new boyfriend, waiting for the concert." CYL....Carissa Yvonne Lynn......
Luci grabbed a sweater, as Angelina put the necklace on.
"Are you ready for the walk down the hill, Angel?"
Her pretty neice smiled bravely.
"Of course I am. Even if Carissa wants to stand me up, my other friends are still gonna be there. Let me text a couple of them and see where to meet." Angel reached for her phone then chuckled."Aunti Luci's and the courthouse square, two places in town we DO get perfect signal."
As soon as Angelina was finished, her aunt walked her down to the concert, and with a growing sense of apprehension and fear, left her with a couple of school friends.
"Remember, curfew at 11, your father's orders, not mine, sweetheart."
Angelina smiled and after a quick hug and kiss she melted into the crowd.
It was dark by the time Luci made it back up the hill. The last time she was in remission, this would have tuckered her out. But even after a quick shower, she felt fine. She settled into her living room, unused for years, and almost forgot how to turn on the tv with the remote.
"Here, Luci, let me give you a hand with that."
It was Luci who saw the glint of silver sticking up from the ground. How could Hank have missed that? Royal pulled it out, it was a large crucifix necklace on a black leather chain.
Luci held it in her hands, and they both knew it was flimsy evidence. Luci did not know if the girl had been wearing a necklace or not, and this could have come from anyone. She turned it over, CYL. See You Later, cyber speak, Luci mused, probably some teen debris. She folded it into a small bag, slipped it into her pocket, & sighed. So now she could add Royal
to the list of people who thought she was nuts. There was no signs of anything here but a good time to come.
She let Royal drop her off at home, oblivious to his disappointment at not being invited in. It was strange to be walking up the stairs, and Luci decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Last remission she had gotten eight full weeks of normal. She only wished her late husband had been there to see it. She had never remissed during their short marriage, and it was one of her most bitter regrets.
Enjoying the normal, she began to ready the guest bedroom for her neice's visit the next night.
===============================
Hank delivered his daughter at six oclock sharp that All Hallow's Eve, who did not look as thrilled as she should have looked. Luci feared it was because she had offered to walk to the concert with them. Her neice had NEVER been embarassed of her Auntie Luci before, and assured her that was not the reason.
"Auntie Luci, Carissa stood me up. She has not been to school all week, and while she does occasionally fake sick never for this long. Her mom said she had been gone all week too, but didnt tell the police or anyone because her daughter took off like this a lot. I don't know whether to be mad or worried. She is dating a new guy, but I don't know him she didn't tell anyone his name. She met him ONLINE a couple weeks ago."
"Well, I will walk you to the concert, and maybe you can find her and her new guy already there. Go look out the window with my scope, Angelina, there is a huge crowd already! And the protesters...Hank, is it safe? Should I stay with her?"
"We have Brother Bruce covered, besides his grisly fetus posters, and foul twisting of the bible, we have his zero threat contained. We had to bust up an almost fist fight between Bruce and Royal Grey earlier, but now Royal has somehow made it back stage and is interviewing the bands. I have people watching him too."
Just as Hank was pulling out of the driveway and down the path, Luci heard Angelina clopping down the stairs.
"Where did you get this, Auntie Luci?"
Luci turned from the window to see, in her neice's outstretched hand, the crucifix necklace.
"I asked you where, Auntie Luci! This is Carissa's necklace!!"
"Well, I found it down by the bend, Angelina. Maybe your friend has been camping out with her new boyfriend, waiting for the concert." CYL....Carissa Yvonne Lynn......
Luci grabbed a sweater, as Angelina put the necklace on.
"Are you ready for the walk down the hill, Angel?"
Her pretty neice smiled bravely.
"Of course I am. Even if Carissa wants to stand me up, my other friends are still gonna be there. Let me text a couple of them and see where to meet." Angel reached for her phone then chuckled."Aunti Luci's and the courthouse square, two places in town we DO get perfect signal."
As soon as Angelina was finished, her aunt walked her down to the concert, and with a growing sense of apprehension and fear, left her with a couple of school friends.
"Remember, curfew at 11, your father's orders, not mine, sweetheart."
Angelina smiled and after a quick hug and kiss she melted into the crowd.
It was dark by the time Luci made it back up the hill. The last time she was in remission, this would have tuckered her out. But even after a quick shower, she felt fine. She settled into her living room, unused for years, and almost forgot how to turn on the tv with the remote.
"Here, Luci, let me give you a hand with that."
Out of the shadows stepped the perfectly groomed and mysterious Rosylyn Rose in her sharp black dress and shiny red shoes.
At the same time, there came a knock at the door. Rosylyn helped herself to a chair, and cocked an eyebrow.
"You going to get that, Luci? It might be a suitor, maybe a roly poly pudgemuffin named Royal." Rosylyn's green eyes sparkled with mischief.
Luci innerly scolded herself for not locking the door, on All Hallow's Eve at that. Royal could send his fancy city lady to do his begging but she was NOT giving him an interview, and she would tell him to his face whe she got the door....
"Hank! Was not expecting you! You forget something? Where's my manners, come in."
"No No cannot stay, I gotta get back to the riverfront. I thought you might want your disc back, it was blank."
He handed her an envelope.
"Then what is this?"
Hank saw the lady inside Luci's house, and dropped his voice.
"There was....one frame...that developed. Have a good evening, Lucille."
Luci watched as his taillights disappeared down the hill.
"Of course the cd was blank, Luci, you didn't think the Network would let you spread THIS story, did you?" Rosylyn asked.
"The Network? What does the Network have to do with this? I was mistaken, I saw nothing, and no I am not dating Royal. You can tell him you begged me for hours...." Luci was surprised when Rosylyn's hearty laugh cut her off. "What is so funny? That IS why you are here, no?" Slipping the envelope into her sweater pocket, she returned to her chair, facing Rosylyn.
"No as a matter of fact it is NOT why I am here. I am here, Lucille, to exact my favor."
Rosylyn stood, her red heels clicking across Luci's hard wood floors, until she stopped at the window by the front door. Through the window, she could see the lights of the festival, and the throngs of teenagers and folks enjoying the cold October night.
"You never were very good at history, were you Little Luci? Well," Rosylun began, her back still towards Luci, "Let ME tell you a story about Devil's Bend.
200 yrs ago tonight the blood of half this town's youth was spilled, they were killed for being possessed by the devil. It was really delirium from spoiled bread, but Hey it happened all the time back then. The Network knows what power there is in a ritual on this night, and to orchestrate a sacrifice on this ground would please the masters greatly. So I am calling in my favor, Luci. The blood of a virgin, all you have to do is lead her to my door."
Rosylyn handed her a folded note with a map of the underside of the stage.
"Bring Angelina to me at five til midnight. We will be waiting for her to do her part just like her friend Carissa did one week ago. It's not like you are blood kin or anything."
Rosylyn turned back to the window, heels clicking. Note in left hand, Luci slipped her right hand into her pocket, and with her finger and thumb, stretched open the envelope.
"You signed the contract in your blood, Luci, once the blood dries the contract can only be broken one way, and I think we both know what that is."
Cutting her eyes down, Luci spread the envelope just a bit wider and stifled her gasp. She stared at Rosylyn's back, as the woman stared out the window.
"We need the blood of a virgin to appease the masters at the Network. It is for the best, haven't you felt wonderful lately? And once the sacrifice is done, you can marry Royal and become one of the most famous wealthy women on the planet. Wealthy and healthy. And Angelina doesn't need to grow up in such a horrible world, a world where the blood of her friend is shed for the power of others. Do the favor like you promised, Luci....don't break your contract....signed in blood, broken in blood...."
Rosylyn's voice was mesmerizing, and it almost lulled Luci into compliance. But the thought of what was in her pocket snapped her into a plan. It was a long shot, but it had to work.
"Fine, Rosylyn, far be it from me to renege on my contract. I will have the virgin there at five til midnight. Now leave my home, and let me get going. I have to find her in this crowd."
Rosylyn opened the door, and backlit in the moonlight she looked possessed herself, on fire almost.
"I knew you would not let us down, Luci."
Her heels clopped all the way to the awaiting limo, and then Luci was alone again.
She pulled out the picure Hank had handed her.
It showed the bottom portion of a lady's legs, wearing shiny red shoes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
At the same time, there came a knock at the door. Rosylyn helped herself to a chair, and cocked an eyebrow.
"You going to get that, Luci? It might be a suitor, maybe a roly poly pudgemuffin named Royal." Rosylyn's green eyes sparkled with mischief.
Luci innerly scolded herself for not locking the door, on All Hallow's Eve at that. Royal could send his fancy city lady to do his begging but she was NOT giving him an interview, and she would tell him to his face whe she got the door....
"Hank! Was not expecting you! You forget something? Where's my manners, come in."
"No No cannot stay, I gotta get back to the riverfront. I thought you might want your disc back, it was blank."
He handed her an envelope.
"Then what is this?"
Hank saw the lady inside Luci's house, and dropped his voice.
"There was....one frame...that developed. Have a good evening, Lucille."
Luci watched as his taillights disappeared down the hill.
"Of course the cd was blank, Luci, you didn't think the Network would let you spread THIS story, did you?" Rosylyn asked.
"The Network? What does the Network have to do with this? I was mistaken, I saw nothing, and no I am not dating Royal. You can tell him you begged me for hours...." Luci was surprised when Rosylyn's hearty laugh cut her off. "What is so funny? That IS why you are here, no?" Slipping the envelope into her sweater pocket, she returned to her chair, facing Rosylyn.
"No as a matter of fact it is NOT why I am here. I am here, Lucille, to exact my favor."
Rosylyn stood, her red heels clicking across Luci's hard wood floors, until she stopped at the window by the front door. Through the window, she could see the lights of the festival, and the throngs of teenagers and folks enjoying the cold October night.
"You never were very good at history, were you Little Luci? Well," Rosylun began, her back still towards Luci, "Let ME tell you a story about Devil's Bend.
200 yrs ago tonight the blood of half this town's youth was spilled, they were killed for being possessed by the devil. It was really delirium from spoiled bread, but Hey it happened all the time back then. The Network knows what power there is in a ritual on this night, and to orchestrate a sacrifice on this ground would please the masters greatly. So I am calling in my favor, Luci. The blood of a virgin, all you have to do is lead her to my door."
Rosylyn handed her a folded note with a map of the underside of the stage.
"Bring Angelina to me at five til midnight. We will be waiting for her to do her part just like her friend Carissa did one week ago. It's not like you are blood kin or anything."
Rosylyn turned back to the window, heels clicking. Note in left hand, Luci slipped her right hand into her pocket, and with her finger and thumb, stretched open the envelope.
"You signed the contract in your blood, Luci, once the blood dries the contract can only be broken one way, and I think we both know what that is."
Cutting her eyes down, Luci spread the envelope just a bit wider and stifled her gasp. She stared at Rosylyn's back, as the woman stared out the window.
"We need the blood of a virgin to appease the masters at the Network. It is for the best, haven't you felt wonderful lately? And once the sacrifice is done, you can marry Royal and become one of the most famous wealthy women on the planet. Wealthy and healthy. And Angelina doesn't need to grow up in such a horrible world, a world where the blood of her friend is shed for the power of others. Do the favor like you promised, Luci....don't break your contract....signed in blood, broken in blood...."
Rosylyn's voice was mesmerizing, and it almost lulled Luci into compliance. But the thought of what was in her pocket snapped her into a plan. It was a long shot, but it had to work.
"Fine, Rosylyn, far be it from me to renege on my contract. I will have the virgin there at five til midnight. Now leave my home, and let me get going. I have to find her in this crowd."
Rosylyn opened the door, and backlit in the moonlight she looked possessed herself, on fire almost.
"I knew you would not let us down, Luci."
Her heels clopped all the way to the awaiting limo, and then Luci was alone again.
She pulled out the picure Hank had handed her.
It showed the bottom portion of a lady's legs, wearing shiny red shoes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"No Auntie Luci, I HAVE to stay!! I got a backstage pass and I cannot even go down to room 13 until five til midnight!!"
Luci had never seen her neice so upset before, but in order for her plan to work, she had to get Angelina out of there. She kept the girl begging and arguing until her father showeed up to drag her home.
It had been a dirty trick and Luci felt awful about the deceit, but she had also known Angelina would never leave the concert with only Luci's asking. So Luci called Hank and told him that Angelina had been at the concert making out with more than one boy. She had been right, it had worked. She had never seen Hank that upset either, now that she thought of it.
Luci made her way around to the back of the stage where a red door stood closed. It was to the rooms beneath the stage, where the bands played. It was unlocked and she entered looking for room 13.
Room Nine....Room Eleven......
Room Thirteen.
Luci knocked, knowing what needed to be done.
The door was answered by a tall emo goth who looked to be in his twenties.
"Where is the virgin?? Rosylyn!" The young man shouted towards the back of the smoky dark room. Heels clicking, Rosylyn appeared, looking angry.
"You signed the contract, Luci. If you do not deliver there are dire consequences, for the whole town." Rosylyn snarled, as she grabbed Luci's arm and drug her into the room, slamming the door.
Luci was in no mood for Rosylyn.
"I have never reneged on a contract in my life. I HAVE brought the virgin to be sacrificed. It is ME. Once you spill my blood, then you will leave Devil's Bend and my family can be safe."
"You? A Virgin? If your dear Carl were alive I am betting he would have something different to say."
"It's five til midnight, Roz, can we get going?" Teddy broke in, eager to bask in the roar of his fans.
The band memebers were in full stage regalia, and Rosylyn dismissed them to the stage.
"All plans still go, boys," she cautioned them, as they paraded past Luci on their way to the stage.
"He would tell you, Rosylyn that we never connsumated our marriage due to my illness. Now let's get this over with, which way to the stage?"
Rosylyn glared at her, knowing she had no choice but to accept Luci's.....Diabolical!!!.....offer. In essence, Luci was both fufilling her contract AND ending it. Rosylyn thought of the disappointment Royal Grey would be feeling later, when he realized his red headed beauty would never follow him to New York. However, irony was a delicious treat the devil enjoyed on occasion....
"Here put these robes on then," Rosylyn commanded. "Hurry, we only have three minutes."
So Luci did as she was told and changed, wearing only the white robe.
She followed Rosylyn through the maze of the understage until she came to the stage stairs.
Luci could hear the shouts of thousands of youngsters on the lawn, who were still geared up for a party this Halloween night. She thought of poor Carissa who gave her life for the Network, and she thought of Angelina, who though spared tonight, would spend her life watching the Network that killed her Aunt. She thought of the slug Royal Grey and pictured him easily and negligently signing away his soul when his letter came. And she realized this must have been the moment she had been born to play. She dare say, this rivaled even the finest of her gothic tales....
Bravely, like she lived all of her life, she stepped upon the stage.
Luci had never seen her neice so upset before, but in order for her plan to work, she had to get Angelina out of there. She kept the girl begging and arguing until her father showeed up to drag her home.
It had been a dirty trick and Luci felt awful about the deceit, but she had also known Angelina would never leave the concert with only Luci's asking. So Luci called Hank and told him that Angelina had been at the concert making out with more than one boy. She had been right, it had worked. She had never seen Hank that upset either, now that she thought of it.
Luci made her way around to the back of the stage where a red door stood closed. It was to the rooms beneath the stage, where the bands played. It was unlocked and she entered looking for room 13.
Room Nine....Room Eleven......
Room Thirteen.
Luci knocked, knowing what needed to be done.
The door was answered by a tall emo goth who looked to be in his twenties.
"Where is the virgin?? Rosylyn!" The young man shouted towards the back of the smoky dark room. Heels clicking, Rosylyn appeared, looking angry.
"You signed the contract, Luci. If you do not deliver there are dire consequences, for the whole town." Rosylyn snarled, as she grabbed Luci's arm and drug her into the room, slamming the door.
Luci was in no mood for Rosylyn.
"I have never reneged on a contract in my life. I HAVE brought the virgin to be sacrificed. It is ME. Once you spill my blood, then you will leave Devil's Bend and my family can be safe."
"You? A Virgin? If your dear Carl were alive I am betting he would have something different to say."
"It's five til midnight, Roz, can we get going?" Teddy broke in, eager to bask in the roar of his fans.
The band memebers were in full stage regalia, and Rosylyn dismissed them to the stage.
"All plans still go, boys," she cautioned them, as they paraded past Luci on their way to the stage.
"He would tell you, Rosylyn that we never connsumated our marriage due to my illness. Now let's get this over with, which way to the stage?"
Rosylyn glared at her, knowing she had no choice but to accept Luci's.....Diabolical!!!.....offer. In essence, Luci was both fufilling her contract AND ending it. Rosylyn thought of the disappointment Royal Grey would be feeling later, when he realized his red headed beauty would never follow him to New York. However, irony was a delicious treat the devil enjoyed on occasion....
"Here put these robes on then," Rosylyn commanded. "Hurry, we only have three minutes."
So Luci did as she was told and changed, wearing only the white robe.
She followed Rosylyn through the maze of the understage until she came to the stage stairs.
Luci could hear the shouts of thousands of youngsters on the lawn, who were still geared up for a party this Halloween night. She thought of poor Carissa who gave her life for the Network, and she thought of Angelina, who though spared tonight, would spend her life watching the Network that killed her Aunt. She thought of the slug Royal Grey and pictured him easily and negligently signing away his soul when his letter came. And she realized this must have been the moment she had been born to play. She dare say, this rivaled even the finest of her gothic tales....
Bravely, like she lived all of her life, she stepped upon the stage.
Devil's Bend was hungry for the Lead Act, Lucifer's Angels, to open. During Intermission, while Luci was robing up and the band was marching up to
the stage, roadies had been setting up the 66.6 foot upside down metal cross to hand directly over an alter draped in white sheets to catch the
blood.
The kids in the audience thought it was all part of the show, not real, fake.
Oh it was all part of the show, all right. It was always part of the show!
When the time came, the band exploded onto stage in a fit of guitars and thrashing, and the crowd went insane.
A roadie named Randy roughly grabbed Luci and not expecting it, she began to fight him. Survival instinct kicked in, surprising her. He held on tighter and dragged her over to the altar, and like a sack of potatoes on the counter, whipped Luci right on top of it.
As she lay there, she noticed the sharp end of the crucifix directly above her, and she instinctually rolled over to get off the altar.
The BOSS, Teddy, shouted to Randy the roadie to catch her, and Luci tripped in her robes. She fell into a stack of cables and wires. Randy dove on top with out thinking; the stack of cables were all that was holding that suspened upside cross in the air above the stage. He should have known he was the one who put them there.
Overpowering the small Luci, he held her like he was holding a stuck pig, roughly, but he was sweaty and one of Luci's arms broke free, smacking him square upside the head.
The smack cause him to loose his balance and his feet entangled with the cables and wires. He was going down, and he shoved Luci out of his arms. She ended up belly first over the altar.
As Randy went down, one of the cables to the Cross came loose, and it began to sway with metallic screeching over the altar.
Luci was winded, she heard the Cross creaking and swaying and the crowd shouting and the music shrilling, and the last thing Luci saw during her life, as she rolled off her belly, was the 66.6 foot metal end of that interverted cross drop straight onto her chest, impaling her through the heart onto the stage.
At first the crowd went wild, until they realized, to their horror, the cross and cables were exploding and the stage began to fall aprt in a huge wave of sparks metal wood and fire. The breeze fanned the flames, and it was too late when the kids on the lawn realized the backdrop of the stage was falling into the crowd.
By the time the fires were put out and the dead and injured tended to, the Devil's Bend Halloween Music Festival had claimed about two hundred teenage souls.
Is it history that repeats itself, or is it humanity that cannot stop the loop?
On the plus side, the town was completely out of the red, and well into the black now.
The kids in the audience thought it was all part of the show, not real, fake.
Oh it was all part of the show, all right. It was always part of the show!
When the time came, the band exploded onto stage in a fit of guitars and thrashing, and the crowd went insane.
A roadie named Randy roughly grabbed Luci and not expecting it, she began to fight him. Survival instinct kicked in, surprising her. He held on tighter and dragged her over to the altar, and like a sack of potatoes on the counter, whipped Luci right on top of it.
As she lay there, she noticed the sharp end of the crucifix directly above her, and she instinctually rolled over to get off the altar.
The BOSS, Teddy, shouted to Randy the roadie to catch her, and Luci tripped in her robes. She fell into a stack of cables and wires. Randy dove on top with out thinking; the stack of cables were all that was holding that suspened upside cross in the air above the stage. He should have known he was the one who put them there.
Overpowering the small Luci, he held her like he was holding a stuck pig, roughly, but he was sweaty and one of Luci's arms broke free, smacking him square upside the head.
The smack cause him to loose his balance and his feet entangled with the cables and wires. He was going down, and he shoved Luci out of his arms. She ended up belly first over the altar.
As Randy went down, one of the cables to the Cross came loose, and it began to sway with metallic screeching over the altar.
Luci was winded, she heard the Cross creaking and swaying and the crowd shouting and the music shrilling, and the last thing Luci saw during her life, as she rolled off her belly, was the 66.6 foot metal end of that interverted cross drop straight onto her chest, impaling her through the heart onto the stage.
At first the crowd went wild, until they realized, to their horror, the cross and cables were exploding and the stage began to fall aprt in a huge wave of sparks metal wood and fire. The breeze fanned the flames, and it was too late when the kids on the lawn realized the backdrop of the stage was falling into the crowd.
By the time the fires were put out and the dead and injured tended to, the Devil's Bend Halloween Music Festival had claimed about two hundred teenage souls.
Is it history that repeats itself, or is it humanity that cannot stop the loop?
On the plus side, the town was completely out of the red, and well into the black now.
EPILOGUE
The day after the Devil's Bend Bloodshed (which gave the Network their highest ratings to date), a group of scraggly pimply faced teens, a couple holding guitars, walked dejectedly through the wasteland. They stopped at the edge of what was left of the stage, and the Leader groaned.
"After what happened here, half our fan base is dead! How will we ever be as famous as Lucifer's Angels were? And we won a slot in next years festival, which I bet is already cancelled." The Leader appeared to be near tears.
Click, click, click......
The boys looked up, and noticed an attractive woman in a black sui tand shiny red shoes walking straight toward them.
"I am looking for MasquaRaid, the newest band from Devil's Bend. Has anyone here seen them?"
"Seen them, lady we ARE them! Are you here to break the bad news? We won the free slot in next years festival for local talent, but after this...." He looked around glumly, "I suppose we have no choice but to forfeit that. Are those waivers we have to sign saying we won't be playing next year?" He eyed the stack of thick beige envelopes sealed in red wax that she held in her hand.
With a mischevious glint in her green eyes, the Lady began to laugh.
"Au contraire, gentelmen! Let me tell you what I DO have for you......"
The day after the Devil's Bend Bloodshed (which gave the Network their highest ratings to date), a group of scraggly pimply faced teens, a couple holding guitars, walked dejectedly through the wasteland. They stopped at the edge of what was left of the stage, and the Leader groaned.
"After what happened here, half our fan base is dead! How will we ever be as famous as Lucifer's Angels were? And we won a slot in next years festival, which I bet is already cancelled." The Leader appeared to be near tears.
Click, click, click......
The boys looked up, and noticed an attractive woman in a black sui tand shiny red shoes walking straight toward them.
"I am looking for MasquaRaid, the newest band from Devil's Bend. Has anyone here seen them?"
"Seen them, lady we ARE them! Are you here to break the bad news? We won the free slot in next years festival for local talent, but after this...." He looked around glumly, "I suppose we have no choice but to forfeit that. Are those waivers we have to sign saying we won't be playing next year?" He eyed the stack of thick beige envelopes sealed in red wax that she held in her hand.
With a mischevious glint in her green eyes, the Lady began to laugh.
"Au contraire, gentelmen! Let me tell you what I DO have for you......"
Ah! Do I get part Two? At least next year? LOL! Great story beautifully written and a suspenseful one at that!
Thanks Antar, glad you enjoyed it. No part two, sorry! Thsi story took two days to write and edit, most of them I can get down in one sitting.
reply to post by hotbakedtater
I really liked the story line,I think you should reconsider
and write a part2.
I really liked the story line,I think you should reconsider
and write a part2.
Well, I could always consider it. I had not developed the tale past the epilogue to be honest, but it could always be attempted!! Thanks for reading, mb. I forgot to add, anything/any character in particular you'd like to see more of?
Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by hotbakedtater
I really liked the story line,I think you should reconsider
and write a part2.
edit on 10-9-2010 by hotbakedtater because: forgot to add
Thank You for sharing !
Very well done, and it only took 2 days??? You must have really been on a roll!
It was a great read, the words seemed to melt right off the page, I too would love to see you continue the story next year
~meathead
Very well done, and it only took 2 days??? You must have really been on a roll!
It was a great read, the words seemed to melt right off the page, I too would love to see you continue the story next year
~meathead
reply to post by hotbakedtater
I liked the character,Luci,for her self sacrifice.
A christian trait that is difficult to live by.Putting
others ahead of yourself isn't easy to do.
I liked the character,Luci,for her self sacrifice.
A christian trait that is difficult to live by.Putting
others ahead of yourself isn't easy to do.
reply to post by hotbakedtater
Great story and a great read. I kept looking for the next panel. My compliment to you. I also agree there needs to be a part 2 or more! Again thank you!!!
Great story and a great read. I kept looking for the next panel. My compliment to you. I also agree there needs to be a part 2 or more! Again thank you!!!
reply to post by hoagy1199
Thank you for reading, hoagy. I am currently working on a new tale, which features the Network and Rosylyn Rose. I hope to have it ready in the next few days.
Thank you for reading, hoagy. I am currently working on a new tale, which features the Network and Rosylyn Rose. I hope to have it ready in the next few days.
To anyone interested, here is another story featuring a couple of the characters from Devil' Bend, Rosylyn Rose and Royal Grey and his crew, this
time they are involved in the takeover of a new company, which is developing a new miracle drug, Chemical X. Not a sequel, but just the continuing
adventures of the Network.
Chemical X.
Chemical X.
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