Evil Agreement (23 page)

Throughout the night, the Reverend paced the floor nurturing
his anger. He had averaged less than three hours sleep since Samuel’s
ascension. Likewise,
Zeeka
would share the pain with
his human soul mate. This pain was good for the two of them.

Pain is something you can build on,
thought
Zeeka
.

The Reverend simultaneously shared that thought. He couldn’t
agree more.

***

Kelley hung against the wall. The manacles around her wrists
and ankles were cutting into her skin. Her wrists and ankles were swelling from
the poisons, which were slowly entering her body from the spiders, which were
feasting on her flesh. She was experiencing a building allergic reaction to the
tiny doses of toxins. Her nose was running uncontrollably. Her eyes were
swollen shut. Her ears ached with a pounding rhythm. Her lower back felt numb.

Her mind kept revisiting the moment when her close friend,
Paul
Lacosse
, had been sucked into the black earth of
the cemetery. His voice pleading with her for help, and her own voice was
unheard in response. In her nightmare fugue she was speechless. The
powerlessness she felt in not being able to save him from her evil brother,
dragged her deeper and deeper into the bottomless pit of despair.

“Oh, Paul,” she whispered in a scratchy strained voice. “I’m
so sorry.”

***

The ice tea was superb. The night air was still quite humid.

“So, I never got your name. It’s not Mother Nature, is it?”
asked Aaron.

“No! You may call me, Miss Beacon.”

“Okay, Miss Beacon. You seem to know a lot about us. Will you
please explain to us what is going on?” asked Aaron.

“There are some things I will tell you that will be beyond
belief. Only your faith can accept what I will tell you. Everything that has
happened to you two, and is yet to happen, has been foretold and is foreseen,
except for one thing.”

“You’re talking in riddles. I don’t get it,” said Aaron.

“Will you just relax and let her tell it the way she wants,”
admonished Kelley.

“It is the way I must tell it,” said Miss Beacon.

Aaron sat down on the porch and leaned against the house. He
took a sip of ice tea.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Please continue,” he said.

“High in the hills beyond,” gestured Miss Beacon to the west,
across the road and river, “there is an old graveyard.”

Korie
leaned back on the swing as
it gently rocked back and forth.

“Buried in that graveyard are the bodies of Irene Powell’s
family. Also buried there, is her mother Sarah, two aunts, three uncles, a
cousin, two sisters and three brothers. They were all burned to death.”

Miss Beacon bowed her head for a moment, before she resumed
telling her story.

“What is written in the diary you have been carrying with you
is as true as can be. There is an evil presence here in Sutton. It’s been here
for well over 160 years now. This Moloch’s Coven of Keepers, as they call
themselves, is at their strongest since that night long ago. Their ancestors
once came close to bringing Moloch to life, in human form. Your great
grandmother, many times removed, stood in their way. The crossover failed
because the coven was incomplete, thanks to her. When the coven learned that
Sarah’s daughter, Irene Powell got away they were furious. Moloch promised them
if they could lure Irene, or one of her descendants into willingly joining the
coven, then Moloch would still be able to crossover to human form.”

“Then what?” asked
Korie
.

“Then Moloch paves the way for Lucifer to take on human form
too, as the Antichrist. Finally, Lucifer begins Armageddon,” said Aaron.

Miss Beacon nods in agreement.

“How did you know that?” asked
Korie
.

“I just know, that’s all. I can’t explain it.”

“Then, Aaron being here in Sutton just heightens their
chances to complete this coven and start Armageddon. Doesn’t it?” asked an
excited
Korie
.

“Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked
Korie
.

“Aaron is the only one who can stop Moloch’s plan.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” asked Aaron.

“You must destroy him,” said Miss Beacon.

Aaron leaned forward, and in an obviously nervous voice
asked, “And if I can’t destroy him?”

“Then Lucifer will walk this earth, he will bring on
Armageddon. He will destroy all life on earth. It will be the end of this
world.”

“That’s, that’s just too much, I can’t ...believe that, me,
I’m supposed to save the world. Where’s God in all of this? Isn’t he supposed
to come again at the end of the world and save us somehow? I mean, he created
the world. It’s his world. How could he just watch it being destroyed by
Lucifer? It doesn’t make sense,” said Aaron, as he shot to his feet.

“Yes, God created this world. It is also true, that he will
come upon this earth to save the souls of the faithful. That is all. You see,
you’re not the first person in human history to face this challenge. I believe
you already know this. Remember, I told you a moment ago that this has all been
foretold except for one thing?”

“Yes,” said Aaron.

“This battle has been waged several times already, and each
time, human beings have prevailed in battle. The one thing that is unknown is,
when in the course of time will someone chose not to try, choose not to fight,
prove too weak to prevail?”

The words just hung in the air.

“I see. I could be the one to fail, to bring about the end of
the world. That’s some fucking burden,” he said with a tension that was all too
obvious.

“Easy, Aaron,” said
Korie
as she
rose from the swing and threw her arms around him.

“You will not be alone,” said Miss Beacon.

Korie
and Aaron both stopped
hugging and turned and looked at Miss Beacon.

“This, we’ve got to hear,” said
Korie
,
as she sat down on the porch floor in front of the swing. Miss Beacon took
Aaron by the hand and sat him down on the swing.

“Think, Aaron. Who could help you?” asked Miss Beacon.

“I don’t know, I mean, I’m not really sure. My ancestors?”
asked Aaron.

“Yes, they can and will help in their own way. But there are
others.”

“
Korie
?”

“I’ll help, honey. You can count on me.”

“And you, Miss Beacon.”

“Of course, dear. I am here to assist in any way that I can.”

“I can’t think of anyone else.”

“Oh, there will be others. You’ll see.”

They continued talking, until the first light of the morning
sun began to brighten the southeast sky.

“It’s getting late. Let me show you to your room. You can
settle in while I start breakfast.”

Aaron and
Korie
picked up their
bags, which had been lying on the porch since last night. They followed Miss
Beacon, in through the front door, into the foyer, and up the stairs to the
second floor.

When they were alone in their room
Korie
said, “She sure is an incredible old woman.”

“Yeah,” said a subdued Aaron as he unpacked his things.

“What’s wrong?”

Aaron’s eyes were swelling up with tears. “I don’t want to
let them down. My ancestors, my mother, shit, the whole world,” he said as he
tossed a shirt into the open drawer.

She turned him around and hugged him. She searched her mind
for something to say that could make him feel better, but nothing inspiring
came to mind. All she could do was hold him. She softly shed her own tears, not
wanting to add to his burden.

“All I can do is try,
Korie
, all I
can do is try,” he repeated.

“I know,” she said.

Meanwhile, in the downstairs kitchen, Miss Beacon prepared a
hearty breakfast, even though she half expected that neither Aaron nor
Korie
would have much of an appetite. Miss Beacon allowed
her mind to travel to a place beyond her kitchen. Her mind’s eye was now
entering the dark place where Kelley was entombed beneath the church. She pushed
hard to reach Kelley’s own subconscious.

“You’ve got to hold on. Help will reach you soon. You will
survive. You will have your revenge.”

Kelley heard the voice inside of her mind.

“Where are you?”

“Near.”

“Why can’t you help me now?”

“Because it is not safe, it is not time. Soon it will be!”

“Who are you?”

“Think of me as your guardian angel. I will stay with you
until tonight, and then I will come for you.”

Kelley seemed to perk up slightly from the contact. She tried
to stand as erect as she could, even on her swollen feet. She shook once to
shed some of the spiders. It seemed to work. Several fell off and the others
decided to retreat from her body. She was left alone for the time being.

Meanwhile,
Korie
and Aaron headed
back downstairs to breakfast with Miss Beacon.

As they entered the kitchen Aaron asked “Miss Beacon, if I
may, you know, you never explained how you know so much about my family. In
fact, how did you know we were coming, and that we would end up staying here?”

Korie
looked at Aaron
disapprovingly.

Miss Beacon only smiled as she put two cups of coffee on the
small dining table in the kitchen.

“There’s sugar in that bowl and fresh cream in the
refrigerator. I’m making some fresh strawberry pancakes for breakfast. It’s a
specialty of mine.”

Aaron pressed his line of questioning.

“Look, I need to be able to trust you. I feel as if I do.
But, I need to know the truth. You can understand that. So please, tell me! How
are you connected to this Powell family thing? And how did you...?”

“All right, I will tell you. I was going to tell you soon
anyway.”

She placed dinner plates in front of
Korie
and Aaron. Each plate was filled with a stack of homemade pancakes, covered
with fresh strawberries cut in half, which in turn were covered with a dollop
of real whipped cream.

“You can pour some maple syrup over them if you want. It’s in
that small crock,” she said gesturing to the delicately, hand painted crock
sitting across the table.

Miss Beacon sat down with
Korie
and
Aaron. She wiped her hands on her apron.

“Aren’t you going to have some?” asked
Korie
.

“Dear, I don’t need to eat,” she said with a cherub-like
smile.

Korie
held a fork filled with
whipped cream and a large piece of strawberry, in front of her mouth, which was
wide open in disbelief. Aaron was sipping some of the hot coffee, when he too
froze in place. Aaron slowly put the cup back down on the table.

“You don’t eat. You know all about my family history. You
also know about this Moloch, and you knew we were coming here. Who or what are
you?” he demanded.

“Aaron Powell, you will need to be much sharper than that.
You saw me last night when you looked into that picture over there, on the
wall, next to the light switch. Don’t you remember?”

“Yes, I remember examining that picture. There was a woman
and a little girl and ...” he said as he looked over towards the picture, and
then back at Miss Beacon, who was sitting perfectly still.

Aaron looked back at the picture and again at Miss Beacon. He
then ran his fingers through his hair while he tried to focus. His forehead
became furrowed.

“What is it, Aaron?” asked
Korie
.

“I know, I know...you’re a ..., a guardian angel. Am I
right?” he exclaimed, as if he had just given the winning answer in Jeopardy.

“Indeed, I am.”

“But, a guardian angel, I mean, don’t they have wings and
uh..., aren’t they, well, a little younger?” asked Aaron.

“Oh, that. We can be any age we want. Most of my colleagues
like that little naked child with wings look. It’s sort of classical. As for
me, I sort of like this matronly look.”

“Just whose guardian angel are you?” asked
Korie
.

“I’m Aaron’s angel. I have been his guardian since he was
born,” she said rather proudly.

“But I don’t remember ever seeing you before. And haven’t you
owned this place for a long time?” said Aaron.

“Well, you see, I can travel about in the blink of an eye. I
had to buy this place and run it for the past fifteen years, just to establish
a cover for being here, and to give you a safe haven here in Sutton. I’ll admit
it hasn’t been easy, what with traveling back and forth, between your life and
here.”

“My guardian angel?” said Aaron.

“Aaron, look at me,” said Miss Beacon.

“Yes.”

Before his very eyes she began to change her appearance. One
moment, she was the neighbor down the street, when he was a little boy, the
neighbor that he stole cherries from. Next, she was his third grade teacher,
Miss Carson. She next changed to look like the girl he once had a crush on,
when he was a sophomore in high school. She then changed into several other
people, and ended with looking like his close friend, and onetime fellow
teacher, and singer in his band, Sylvia.

At the end of the series of transformations Aaron and
Korie
were absolutely speechless, as Miss Beacon returned
to look like Miss Beacon.

“Now, now, go on and eat those pancakes. I’ve made them
special for you. We can talk some more after breakfast. I’ve much to teach you
and very little time to do it in.”

Meanwhile, Miss Beacon sent a mental message to Kelley Porter
“Hold on dear. My friends and I will be coming to rescue you. I promise.”