Tandem of Terror (30 page)

It was a month later and Dana woke from a
sound sleep. She was drawn to her daughter's room and found the bed
within empty. She went to the cellar immediately.

Molly stood in the center of the room, the
back of her neck glowing, feeling the presence of her mother she
turned. Their eyes met and Dana nodded.

"It's time," Molly whispered.

Her mother's eyes filled with tears.

A shaft of light came down upon Molly and
engulfed her. A moment later they vanished.

"Take care of yourself, Moll," Dayna said,
glancing once at the ceiling then leaving the cellar to return to
bed not that she would sleep tonight. She wondered if she'd ever
sleep again.

The
Hunt

Eric S. Brown

Joe hit the ground with a thud, rolling with
the impact. He got to his feet cursing and started removing the
parachute's harness. He hated air jumps. "At least I didn't get
stuck in a F-ing tree," he muttered under his breath. The rest of
Beta team had hit the ground too. Mark and Lucas were on their feet
as well, already trying to secure the perimeter of the small
clearing. Dr. Bryson was lying sprawled out on his back with his
chute and its broken harness dangling from a tree above him. Joe
couldn't help but laugh as he walked over to the doc. "You okay
man?" he asked.

The doc moaned. Joe looked him over and
smiled. He grabbed the doc and yanked him to his feet. Dr. Bryson
stared at Joe in shock. "You're alright. Just a few bruises I
reckon," Joe told him, "but I bet it hurt pretty bad when you
hit."

Dr. Bryson shook his head clear. "You have no
idea."

"
So doc, we gonna go get
this thing or what?" Joe asked.

"
This area appears to be
clear!" Mark called out at them though he and Lucas kept their
assault rifles aimed at the trees.

"
I still must protest
against the use of lethal force Corporal." Dr. Bryson wiped off his
glasses as he spoke.

Joe gritted his teeth. "Tell that to the
families of Alpha team. Lethal force is all that's gonna keep us
alive out here."

"
This is the find of our era
Corporal. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand its
importance but Alpha team gave their lives trying to bring it in.
They may have failed but they did manage to tag it with a radio
transmitter so let's not let their sacrifice be in vain." Dr.
Bryson fished a tracking unit out of his gear and switched it on.
"It's three miles to the east of us and closing fast. It must have
seen us come down. I imagine it perceives us as a threat to its
territory after Alpha team's previous incursion."

Joe motioned to Mark and Lucas. They trained
their weapons on the eastern tree line as Joe readied his shotgun.
It had been with him through two small scale wars and dozens of
missions. He preferred it over the M-16s that his men carried. It
brought him a sense of comfort. "I can't believe the bastard's
coming to us. It doesn't get much easier than this."

"
You just keep an eye on
that scanner doc and let us know if it changes direction!" Lucas
warned.

The group which made up Beta team heard the
creature before they saw it. The sound of its footfalls was like
thunder in the woods. The ground seemed to shake as it drew closer.
Joe was glad he'd loaded his custom shells rather than standard
issue as the thing broke out of the trees. It was over twelve feet
tall, all muscle, and covered in mangy, matted gray fur. Its roar
alone almost knocked Lucas and Mark off their feet.

"
Fire!" Joe screamed but the
others had already opened up. Both Lucas and Mark hosed the thing
with their rifles on full auto. The bullets ripped into its flesh
but didn't even slow it down. They just seemed to tick it off more.
The thing waved a hand to brush Mark from its path and knocked the
man literally in two. Mark's torso went flying, trailing
intestines, as his legs dropped to the forest floor spewing
blood.

Joe pumped off three rounds. Each struck the
creature in its chest with the force of an elephant gun. Large
chunks of the thing's flesh splattered into the air. It howled in
pain and rage, grabbing Lucas up in one hand. It swung Lucas like a
play thing into a nearby tree. Joe heard Lucas' bones crumble from
the impact and saw a red stain on the tree where the man had
smashed into it. The creature continued to wave Lucas' corpse about
in a fit of fury. Dr. Bryson had taken off running as fast as he
could away from the scene leaving Joe alone.

Joe watched as the hairy monster discarded
Lucas and began to stomp towards him. Joe rushed forward charging
the monster. He saw the surprise in its eyes as he raised the
barrel of his shotgun into its face and squeezed the trigger. The
thing's face melted into a mass of grizzly gore. It took a few
blind, lumbering steps and collapsed. Joe ran to stand above it and
emptied the rest of his rounds into its skull.

With the barrel of his shotgun smoking, Joe
took a step back from the nearly headless mess at his feet and ran
a hand through his hair. It was wet from the sweat of fear. "No
wonder Alpha team didn't F-ing make it," he muttered.

Joe glanced around and saw that Dr. Bryson
was running back towards him. The man's eyes were wide. "Run!" the
doc screamed.

"
Dang it, doc. It's dead,"
Joe said.

Dr. Bryson grabbed him by the shoulders.
"There's more than one! Don't you see? There's a pack of them!"

Joe started to frantically reload as the doc
ran on past him into the trees and series of deafening roars echoed
all around them.

3:15

John Grover

The soft buzzing of the alarm woke her out of
a dead sleep. Imogene turned and glared at the digital clock with
its ghostly green hue.

2:56 am.

Her eyes widened and without hesitation she
threw her bed sheets aside and pulled the wooden crucifix from the
wall above her bed. It was her grandmother's and had been in the
family for nearly seventy years.

Imogene pulled the mahogany chair away from
her desk and into the center of the room. There she sat cradling
the crucifix in her hands, staring down at the carved face of
Christ. Her eyes searched the darkened corners and she
listened...listened.

Inky black enveloped her and she let the
silence fill her.

3:07 now. It was nearly half over now.

For a fleeting moment she thought a shadow
fluttered outside her window. She turned to look but wasn't
convinced it was anything of importance.

3:12. Almost there.

Her breath grew quick. Light perspiration
dampened her palms. She was holding the crucifix so tight it was
beginning to hurt her hands.

3:15.
Lord, please be with me now.

It was here. The time was now.

She only needed to sit until 4 am, only
forty-five minutes. She needed to keep watch because she knew they
would come again. They came every night since that terrible
day.

She had to keep watch so she could see them
this time. See if they were real. The birds, the singing birds.
Every night they sang to her. Three of them. At least it sounded as
if there were three, perched just outside her bedroom window.

Every night at 3:15 am they'd wake her out of
a dead sleep with their melodies. Then chirping. Damned Birds...
there, but not really there. She could never quite get a look at
them, but she knew they were out there. Singing. Chirping.
Watching.

Birds are not supposed to sing at night.

3:45 am. Almost over.

They haven't come tonight. Why?
They know
I'm waiting for them, that's why.

They only seemed to torment her until 4 am.
She knew why. 3:15 was dead time. Their time, the demon's time. She
knew all too well that 3:15 am was a mockery of the hour of
Christ's death-- -3:15 pm. That's how she knew they were unnatural.
Many demonic infestations begin at 3:15. When Satan and his ilk
were at their most powerful.

The birds were an omen. A sign. Heralds of a
demonic attack yet to come. But not tonight.

Because,
they know I have
protection this time.

She looked down at her crucifix and smiled.
"Thank you," she whispered. Imogene figured the demonic world was
after her. Seeking to invade her home and possess her. She knew all
the signs, had been studying them for years. It finally had begun.
The gauntlet had been thrown. Just as she always knew it would.
Imogene understood one day the demonic world would try to possess
her body. She was a devout woman of God. A soldier in his war
against Satan and she knew one day she'd be on the front lines.

4 am. Done.

Imogene got up from the chair and placed the
crucifix back on the wall. A sigh of relief escaped her as she
climbed back into bed. It was the first night since she lost her
children that the birds didn't sing.

The next night she woke to a freezing cold
room. Imogene saw her breath form frosty puffs before her eyes. She
glanced over at her clock...3:15 am.
No! I forgot to set the
alarm.
The failure of the birds the night before gave her a
false sense of security and she got sloppy.

Her entire body trembled. Her teeth
chattered.
Something demonic might be in the house.

Yet another sign. Her father had taught her
all her life how to recognize them. The demonic spirits were
stealing the warmth in the house for energy. Were they gathering
power to manifest? It was quite possible. It wouldn't be long
before they made a play for her body.

They can't have it! It's mine!

Imogene ripped the sheets off and got on her
knees. She whispered a prayer as she reached for the crucifix above
her bed. A scream belted out of her as the cross scorched her skin.
A puff of smoke wafted into the air and the crucifix toppled out of
her grip, to the floor. She stared down at her palm and gasped at
the red welt across it.

The fires of Hell are attacking me.
The room grew colder. Gooseflesh spread over her arms and down her
spine. Her fingernails turned blue. She crawled across the bed and
slipped to the floor.

She grimaced as she made it to her feet and
covered her nose with her hand. A stench so putrid thickened the
air. Imogene gagged as she stumbled her way over to her boys' room.
The door was open again. Every morning she found it open even
though she kept it closed since the day her two boys left this
world. And every morning she would shut it. She could not bear to
have it open, to set eyes on the place where her little ones used
to sleep. It was too difficult.

The smell. It seemed to come from their room.
God, what was it? She coughed as she approached the door but froze
dead in her steps when she heard giggling.

A pair of voices giggled with each other--
-playful, teasing-- -from inside the room.

"
Boys?" she
uttered.

She approached the room, reached out a
longing hand, and the door slammed shut before she could enter.
"Lord be with me now," she called. Imogene grabbed hold of the
doorknob but it wouldn't turn. A growl rose from the pit of her
stomach and she made a dash to the bathroom.

After vomiting, darkness swallowed Imogene's
world and she passed out.

Imogene woke in bed but didn't know how she
got there. She looked around and discovered it was still dark. She
saw her nightgown on the floor across the room.
Why is
my...

She was aghast to find herself naked.
Please no. I will not accept this violation. Tell me it is not
true, my Lord.

A serpent's hiss vibrated in her chest.
The demon is already inside me!

Her mind raced as panic swept through her.
Her legs cramped suddenly and her arms trembled. Imogene was nearly
paralyzed, except for her head. She lifted it and watched horrified
as her belly sank in. A gurgle echoed inside it.

"
Get out of me!" she cried.
Her belly rippled then bulged. "You will not have my
body!"

Imogene gasped as an immense weight pressed
onto her chest. Unimaginable pain. Unthinkable pressure. She
wondered why her ribs hadn't shattered.
Resist. Resist. You will
not take me.

A rainbow of colors flashed before her eyes
then darkness descended again. In the corner of her eye she saw a
shadowy figure standing in the corner. Staring at her. She didn't
dare turn to look at it. That would give it power. She had to
fight. Show God how strong she was.

She couldn't breathe at all now and wondered
how long it would be before she died. The demonic knew she would
continue to fight. They couldn't have her. Her body was her own. If
they couldn't have her then they would kill her.
Do it. Kill me.
Kill me. I will join my Lord. I will join my boys.

The weight lifted from her chest. The pain
subsided but something wet struck her face. It drooled down her
forehead and rolled slowly down her cheeks. It struck her lips and
tasted salty. She knew it was blood.

More blood dripped onto her. She gritted her
teeth and resisted, pressing her lips together. It continued to
pour over her face as a baleful moan called through the room.

Wind ruffled the curtains on her bedroom
windows. Thunder pealed through the house. Her bed rumbled and
vibrated. The lights flickered on and off.

"
I deny you!" She screamed.
"I am a servant of God. You have no power over me!"

The sheets snapped from underneath her naked
body. Her arms and legs twisted as if invisible hands were trying
tip them from their sockets. Agony unlike anything Imogene had ever
felt burned inside her. She felt her heart pound against her chest,
she feared any moment it would explode through her chest.