Return To Point Hollow Ch. 03

We went through two checkpoints on the road towards Point Hollow, then came up to the third at the gate to the property. Just inside the fence were two Police SUVs with equipment that I knew was for monitoring drone flights.

"Hello sir, ma'am." said Corporal Hicks as we pulled up.

"Anything unusual happening?" I asked.

"No sir." said Hicks. "The drones have detected three vehicles to the west of the property, on the other side of the State Line. Lt. Milton flew a drone around behind their vehicles and got their tags. They're U.S. Government tags, registered to the Federal Building in the City."

"Okay, thanks." I said. "No one else comes through, except Commander Croyle if she comes up."

"She's already here, sir." said Hicks. "Just up ahead."

"Oh!" I said. "Okay, thanks." I drove through slowly, watching for Teresa's vehicle ahead. Then I looked in my rear-view mirror, and hit the brakes in shock: all of the Police Officers had collapsed to the ground!

"Cindy!" I gasped. "The guards at the gate collapsed---" I looked over. Cindy's eyes were closed; she looked like she was asleep.

"Cindy, wake up!" I said, shaking her, then tapping her cheek. She did not respond. "Oh, crap!" I said, getting out of my seatbelt and unlocking all the doors. I got out of the car and ran around to the other side. Opening the passenger side front door, I felt for a pulse, and found one. Cindy seemed okay...

*ZZZZT!*

The surge of electricity fired right into my back at the place it was injured. At first it just felt like a strange inability to move, and then the pain hit, coursing through my body.

"Get her out of the car." I heard a voice say as I collapsed to my knees. Someone came up next to me, released Cindy's seatbelt, then viciously pulled her out of the car. She landed on the ground on her side with a *THUD!*, and didn't move or make a sound at all.

"Cindy..." I gasped, trying to crawl over to help her...

*ZZZZT!* Pain shot through my back and up my spine again, then everything went black...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Uhhh..."

I heard the gasp from seemingly far away. Then I realized that I had made it. I opened my eyes. As my vision came into focus, I realized that I was in the greatroom of the Point Hollow house. The only light was coming from the fire in the fireplace, a roaring fire that was heating the backs of my legs.

"Ah, it's about time you awakened, Commander Troy." said a voice. I looked down and to my right, and saw Dr. Charles Westbrook standing there, wearing a suit that was more common to the 1880s.

Looking down, I saw that I was standing on a block of stone raised almost two feet above the floor. It was the stone that had been the Golden Rectangle ratio. The two round blocks to ether side were obscured by 45 pound freeweights, three on each side.

And then I realized fully that my hands were tied tightly behind my back, and a noose was around my neck, the knot directly behind my spine instead of to either side.

"Yessss, Commander." said Westbrook, the evil in his voice reminding me of Pastor Raymond Westboro more and more. "My ancestor, the original owner of this home, had this ingenious device made to slowly hang runaway slaves while he and his guests watched in enjoyment. When we take these weights off the round stones, your weight on the rectangular stone will slowly push it down, and the round stones up. You'll slowly descend until you are left hanging, and then you will die."

"Oh, don't try to step off." continued Westbrook. "If your weight leaves the rectangular stone, it'll fall back into place, once again leaving you hanging."

"What did you do to my Officers to knock them out?" I asked. "And where is my Chaplain?"

Westbrook replied: "Your Officers, and those idiot FBI Agents on the other side of the State Line, were rendered unconscious by the tremendous power of the Focus of Evil that resides here. Why you weren't also rendered unconscious I am not sure, but here you are now. As to your priest... he will witness two Resurrections... the release of the demon, then his own death at the demon's hands afterwards."

"Where's Mary Gabriel?" I asked, my voice gruff; the noose was pretty tight around my neck.

"Oh, she's to be our gift to the demon tonight." Westbrook said, the firelight making him look even more evil than he was, if that were possible. "She will be stabbed in the heart on the altar of Abbadon, which will release the Abatu. The demon will then rape her, and then will be released to the world, whereupon massive destruction will reign. Even the attempt will release a destructive event. I am so sorry that you will not be able to see that."

With that, Westbrook made a signal. Two men came forward, Lawrence Evans and Gary King. One by one, they took off the weights on either side of the block I was standing on. I felt the block start to move down, and I knew I'd be struggling to stand on it within minutes.

"Farewell, Iron Crowbar!" said Westbrook. "Oh, that." He went over to where my trenchcoat was lying on the floor, and took my red crowbar out of it. "Ah, a new instrument for the demon's use. It shall be part of the ceremony! I bid you adieu! Gentlemen, the torches, please."

The two men grabbed three of the four torches in baskets on either side of the fireplace, handing one to Westbrook. They stabbed the torches into the fire, and pulled them out alight.

"You'll never succeed!" I yelled out as they were leaving.

"Oh, I beg to differ, Commander." said Westbrook, turning back to face me. "Indeed, my ancestor successfully liberated the demon by sacrificing an 18-year-old virgin girl. Her screams can still be heard in the Hollow today.

Westbrook continued: "And the demon remained free... until you exterminated my cousin, whose body the demon inherited. Yes, Raymond Westboro used the power for his own gain and enrichment. His vision was limited by his avarice, and he did not know the true power he possessed."

Westbrook: "I however, will use it for far more, something far greater than mere mortal wealth. Again, Commander, farewell." A red crowbar was waved in my general direction, and the three men left the room. The stone was lowering, and now I was on my tiptoes, feeling the noose pulling at my neck...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the Ritual Tree, torches surrounded the altar built upon the drawing of a pentagram in the soft, muddy soil. Young Mary Gabriel, wearing a gossamer gown, was tied to the alter, her hands above her head, her legs spread and each foot tied to a rope that was secured to stakes in the ground.

To the left (west) of the altar, Dr. Mickelson and Father Romano were tied to another large tree, barely able to see out of eyes that were swollen nearly shut from the beatings they'd absorbed. Father Romano was saying prayers in Latin, but Dr. Mickelson looked just about out of it.

"Ahhh-bahhhh-tuuuuu, heed us thy suuuuuupp-li-cants!" chanted the group of people as they walked into the copse of trees from the trail that paralleled the River on the east side. They took their places on the north side in a semicircle as Dr. Westbrook told them the south side must remain free so that the demon could enter from there.

"Ahhh-bahhhh-tuuuuu, heed us thy suuuuuupp-li-cants!" they continued to chant as Westbrook came up, wearing a black robe over his suit. He was carrying a large, ornate knife, the razor-sharp blade flashing brightly in the light of the torches. He was also carrying a red crowbar.

"Supplicants of the Mighty One!" he shouted, holding up the crowbar. "We have taken this from the Enemy! We consecrate it for the demon's use! His power will be unstoppable!" The chanters cheered and jeered as Westbrook set the crowbar down on the alter, at the feet of the tied-up girl. Then they began chanting again.

"Mighty Demon!" Westbrook called out as he approached the altar and the crying girl tied to it. "We offer this virgin for your pleasure, and your Release!"

He raised the knife up with both hands high above his head, ready to stab it into the girl's heart. The flames of the torches began burning brighter and brighter, until they were like bonfires, almost blinding in their intensity. A foul stench filled the air, a stench more putrid than anything that anyone had smelled before, and it seemed as if a demonic shape was forming before their eyes...

To be continued.