A Gathering of Crows (25 page)

“Be that as it may,” Levi said, “right now, it’s the only thing keeping us alive.”

“God is keeping us alive, Mr. Stoltzfus.”

“You’re a religious woman, Esther. I’m sure you prayed tonight. Has it occurred to you that perhaps God sent me to safeguard all of you? Perhaps I am the answer to your prayer.”

“I don’t—”

“Look,” Donny interrupted. “I don’t reckon this is the time for a religious debate. Those things are still out yonder, and I for one would like to know what we’re dealing with. I don’t know shit about magic, but I do know what I saw tonight, and I do know that Levi saved our asses. I’d like to hear him out.”

“Yeah,” Marsha agreed. “Me, too. Finish the story. What happened to the colonists, and what does it have to do with tonight?”

“The settlers never went to Croatoan. In fact, they never abandoned the colony. Something else happened to them—something far worse than simply running out of supplies. I told you that
Croatoan
has different meanings. Among them, it is also one of the names of an entity known as Meeble.”

“Meeble . . .” Donny frowned. “I’ve heard that name before. In Iraq, I think. Can’t remember where or why, exactly.”

“It’s certainly possible,” Levi said. He was about to continue, when his attention was drawn to the window. He sensed a presence outside. He stood up, walked to the window and looked into the darkness. Seeing nothing, he returned to the chair and sat down again.

“What is it?” Esther asked. “What’s wrong? Are they out there?”

“I believe so. At least one of them was. If my theory is correct, then they’re searching for us, and they won’t leave until they’ve killed us all. But I’ve taken steps to mask our presence inside these walls. We’ll be safe. They can’t enter. Not without my permission.”

“But why do they want to kill us?” Marsha’s tone was exasperated. Panic flashed in her eyes. “I don’t understand this.”

“I don’t either,” Levi admitted. “At least, not all of it. At this point, I’m still just connecting the dots and seeing what picture they make. All I have is a theory, and that theory is tied into Croatoan, Meeble and the lost colony of Roanoke. As I said before, the settlers never abandoned the island. What White didn’t know—and couldn’t have known—was that after his departure for England, five of the colonists began dabbling with the occult. Keep in mind, they were in an already-bad situation. The crops were failing, much of their livestock was dead or sick. Things looked grim. Perhaps these five men prayed to God for help. Perhaps, when their prayers weren’t answered to their satisfaction, they turned to other means and methods. Other gods. Perhaps they prayed to someone else, all in an effort to help their fellow man.”

“How is that any different from what you and I do?” Myrtle asked.

Levi hesitated. He wanted to tell her that there was a world of difference between what he did and her crystal-gazing, pseudo-New Age nonsense, but this was neither the time or the place. Instead, he simply smiled as politely as he could and continued.

“It’s not any different, except that these men were amateurs. They didn’t understand the forces they were dealing with, nor how to bend them to their will. In the end, they didn’t even invoke the right entity. Instead of summoning a nature spirit or something helpful, they accidentally began worshipping something else, and eventually, they brought that something else into our world.”

“A demon,” Donny guessed. “Meeble.”

“It was indeed Meeble, but Meeble is not a demon. He’s something different. And here is where things might get difficult for you to believe—especially for you, Esther. All I can say is that I believe them with the utmost sincerity.”

Randy laughed. “Shit, dude. I saw what these fuckers could do with my own eyes. I’ll believe pretty much anything at this point.”

Donny and Marsha nodded. Esther scowled. Myrtle leaned forward, staring at him with rapt attention.

Levi took a deep breath and exhaled. “Much of what we think we know about the history of our planet and the development of the human race is wrong. Our history books and oral traditions are full of inaccuracies. This is especially true of our religious texts. The primary doctrines of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Shinto, Satanism, Wicca and all of the others have been tampered with and rewritten by mankind so much over the years that none of them reflect the original works. Instead, they are filled with inaccuracies and falsehoods. It takes many years of study and searching to learn the real truths. You might believe, for example, that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but it isn’t. You’ve been taught to believe that it is, but what you believe is a lie. The Bible is not God’s word. Neither is the Koran or the Torah or any of the other holy books.”

“Then whose word is it?” Esther challenged.

“They are the words of men, edited, parceled, snipped and changed countless times to reflect the will of the men in charge, rather than God’s will. If you truly want to know God’s word and seek His will, then you’ve got to look beyond the Bible, because the book we’ve been taught to call the Bible is not the complete text. Do you know how many books and scrolls and interpretations were excised over the years? Hundreds. It’s not the inspired word of God. It is composed only of the books men decided should be in it. It doesn’t give us the complete picture. For that, you have to turn to other texts. Perhaps they aren’t in the canon, but they were written at the same time and they are just as valid. Those texts give us a true understanding of God. For example, the Bible we all grew up reading tells how God created the universe, but it says nothing about the universe that existed before ours, or about the enemy that came from that other universe.”

“You mean Satan?” Myrtle asked.

Levi shook his head. “No, I mean the Thirteen. In the beginning, the entity we know as God or Yahweh or Allah, or hundreds of other names, created the heavens and the Earth. That much is in the Bible. What the Bible doesn’t tell us is that in order to create this new universe, He needed a lot of energy. So God destroyed the universe that existed before ours. He reduced it down to the very last atom and utilized the harvested energies as building blocks to create our universe. The old universe ceased to exist and ours was born. However, in addition to God, there were thirteen other denizens of that previous universe who somehow escaped the destruction. Nobody knows how. Suffice it to say, when our new universe sprang forth, they were still here, and they were enraged by what had happened. These entities are collectively known to us as the Thirteen, and they’ve been the enemies of God and all of His creations— human and otherwise—ever since. They’ve sworn to destroy anything created by God. After all, He destroyed their universe. Perhaps they merely seek revenge, or maybe they plan to build a universe of their own—a third universe, in which they are the ones in charge. Whatever the case, they are not gods or demons, though they’ve often been mistaken for such. They are not susceptible to all of the same magicks, workings and laws that govern, banish or bind demons, angels and other supernatural entities. Very specific—and dangerous—magic must be used when confronting them. That magic is known only to a few, of which I am one.”

“And this Meeble dude is one of the Thirteen,” Randy said. “Right?”

“Exactly!” Levi couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. His impressions about the boy, founded when he first saw Randy’s aura, had been correct. Despite having no teaching, or indeed, any inkling of his gifts, the boy was attuned.

Randy grinned, clearly pleased with himself despite the evening’s grim events.

“Meeble is indeed one of the Thirteen,” Levi continued. “He is not as calculating as Ob, the Obot, who commands the Siqqusim, nor is he as big as Leviathan, Lord of the Great Deep, or as powerful as He Who Shall Not Be Named, but Meeble is just as dangerous, cruel and committed to our eradication as any of them. His physical form is bestial. He appears as a hulking, white-furred cross between a cat and an ape and stands almost sixteen feet tall, according to those few who have seen him and lived to tell about their encounter. While the rest of the Thirteen seem to focus their destructive energies on a global scale, Meeble seems to delight instead on destroying humanity one town at a time. That’s what happened at Roanoke. And until tonight, I and many others like me assumed that’s what was happening in many of the cases where entire populations seemingly vanished overnight—ghost towns out west and such. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“But I thought you said Meeble was behind this?” Marsha clenched the sofa cushion tightly with both hands. “Now you’re saying he might not be?”

“Perhaps not directly. This is still all just a theory. There’s one more piece of the puzzle to put into place.” He stood up and placed his hat back on his head. “And so, I’ve got to go back out for a little while.”

“Like hell,” Donny said, jumping to his feet. “If you’re going back out there, then I’m going with you.”

Marsha reached up and grabbed Donny’s arm.

“Oh no you’re not.”

Donny pulled away. His eyes remained focused on Levi. “Seriously. You can’t face those fuckers by yourself.”

“I’m not. God is on my side.”

“You just got done telling us that God blew up an entire universe of people to make this one instead.”

“Indeed. Can you think of a more powerful ally to have standing with you?”

“Even so, I’m coming along.”

Marsha protested again, and the others all began to talk at once. Levi whistled, getting their attention.

“It’s not open for debate, Donny. I appreciate your offer. I really do. But somebody needs to stay behind and watch over the others. Randy is still weak, and—”

“I am not.” Randy swayed as he tried to stand.

“Look, I’m fine.”

Myrtle wagged a finger at Levi. “That’s a very sexist thing to say.”

“I’ll have you know,” said Esther, slowly rising to her feet, “that I knew how to shoot a rifle before I learned to read. I used to go hunting with my father all the time, Mr. Stoltzfus. That was how things used to be in these parts. I reckon I’m capable of defending myself. Myrtle and Marsha, too.”

“You people seem to think I’m making a request. I’m not. This is an order.”

“I’m not in the army anymore,” Donny said. “And I don’t take orders.”

“No?” Levi glanced at Marsha and then back to him. “Would you like to know what I think, Donny? I think you’re afraid to be left alone with Marsha. I think there’s something unsaid between the two of you, and whatever it is, it scares you to death.”

Donny opened his mouth to respond, but said nothing. He stared at Levi. The tips of his ears turned red.

“I want all of you to remain here. Remember, as long as you stay inside the house and don’t try to leave, you’ll be safe. You have my word on that.”

Before any of them could argue anymore, Levi turned and hurried into the foyer. Sensing nothing outside, he opened the door, stepped outside onto the porch and closed the door behind him. The coast was clear. He whispered a fervent prayer, reciting from memory a benediction against enemies, sickness and misfortune that his father had taught him long ago.

“The blessing that came from Heaven, from God the Father, when the true living Son was born, be with me at all times. The holy cross of God, on which He suffered His bitter torments, bless me today and forever. The three holy nails which were driven through the holy hands and feet of Jesus Christ, bless me today and forever. The spear by which His holy side was pierced and opened, protect me now, today and forever. May the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit protect me from my enemies, and from everything which might be injurious to my body and my soul. Bless me, oh you five holy wounds, in order that all my enemies may be driven before me and bound and banished. All those who hate you must be silent before me, and they may not inflict the least injury upon me, or my house or my premises. And likewise, all those who intend attacking and wounding me either spiritually or physically shall be defenseless, weak and conquered. The cross of Christ be with me. The cross of Christ overcomes all water and every fire. The cross of Christ overcomes all weapons. The cross of Christ is a perfect sign and blessing to my soul. Now I pray that the holy corpse of Christ bless me against all evil things, words, and works.”