I’m sorry Peter. I couldn’t save you. I cried thick wet tears as they lay me down on the makeshift alter.
Mark reached into my pocket and yanked the Symbol out.
‘Now we have everything we need to open the gate: The Symbol, One Soul, Our Circle and the blood of an innocent’ he smiled a cringing smile as some spit flew out of his mouth.
He stood, next to Lucy, holding the Symbol upright in his clenched hands.
The demon moved slowly down the stairs and stood next to Lucy. The three of them stood there, looking at the coven, like some sort of management executives.
‘I’m really glad we found you Charlie. You didn’t even notice us watching you as you snooped around Peter’s house. You didn’t even notice that we’d be sneaking around in Peter’s house to ensure that you two would be perfect for the ritual’ She looked crazy, insane; she spoke those words as if they were intended to be a dagger to my heart.
Peter and I had been set up. But where were the police? Where were the neighbours?
‘Don’t try and scream young lady. No one will hear you. You see, everyone from this street has a part in this coven. Most of them are here tonight. We don’t dislike you, far from it, but we have been together for a long time and we do really want to meet our master. You are just part of the puzzle that, added to the symbol, the demon and Peter’s soul, helps us to open this portal’
‘Fucking bitch, you fucking evil bitch! I hope you rot in…’ I squirmed under the sets of hands holding me down.
‘Hell?’ said Lucy ‘I do hope so, it’s a dream of mine’
The demon let out a growl. Was it laughing?
Two sets of hands held my arms and my feet down. I was laid stretched out on the makeshift alter and now I was going to die.
The group formed a circle, with the Demon, Lucy and Mark at the centre of it. They started reciting some text and lit the candles, which immediately shot upward in the air like a jet. Lucy, Mark and the Demon moved into the formation of the circle and held hands. Mark still held the symbol too.
As they chanted a curious thing happened. The edges of the drawn rectangle on the wall started to shine. The more they chanted, the more light burst from behind the rectangle to form a lit door shape.
I stared in horror at the ever dazzling doorway forming in the wall; twisting and bucking in order to get free. As I twisted, the matches in my pocket fell to the floor. Everyone was so transfixed, that they didn’t notice this small, yet significant moment.
I was getting hysterical. My end was about to come via a series of satanic events, led by my fiancee’s neighbours, who were part of a satanic coven, had summoned a demon, who had possessed by fiancee, who had been part of a plan (with myself) to open a gateway to hell.
I was just about to give up, when anger took me. I shouted, I shouted as loud as I could.
‘Peter. Peter. If you’re in there, you’d better start fighting for your fucking life right now’
The chanting got louder from the coven, desperate to drown me out.
‘Peter. I love you Peter, but in about 5 minutes, this gateway is going to be opened, by your soul and my death. Peter!! Peter!! Fight it!’
They gagged me. A rag was stuffed into my mouth and I could no longer attempt to reach Peter. I just hoped that I had gotten through to him.
Mark produced a large knife and stood over me. The coven chant stopped abruptly and changed to something different.
Oh god, I am about to die.
I tried to stamp my feet, hit out with my hands, but they held me firm as Mark loomed over me. I screamed into the gag in my mouth. Screamed for my very life. Mark sliced a cut into my hand, it was quite deep and blood poured out. One of the other coven members held a golden pot under my hand as the blood flowed into it.
Lucy took the pot, dipped her fingers in and made a sign on the glowing door area. She dipped and re-dipped ensuring the symbol was completely clear.
She stood back. The inner areas of the marked door exploded inwards, the pieces of wall falling away to reveal a massive dark hole. The edges stopped glowing and the chanting stopped.
From deep within the freshly created gateway came a low rumble. Everybody stopped and listened, waiting for something. The silence gave me a moment to look up from my fixed position and scan the area. I saw two crumpled shaped hiding behind the coven members: Guy and Berenice!! Berenice held her arm under the elbow, it must’ve been broken and Guy looked like he been chopped down. Still, hope had returned.
From with the gateway, a low, deep, motion sounded. Something had awoken and was slowly making it’s way through the gateway. Mark stood admiring the gateway holding the symbol, with Lucy beaming into it. She started saying
‘Welcome. We welcome you oh lord. Please enter our world and take away our problems, take away those who don’t believe’ she held up her hands like some sort of minister.
Guy picked that exact moment to run, knocking most of the coven off their feet, towards me. He played an imaginary games of American football, barging this way and that, and eventually, into the person holding man arms down, then said
‘Hi, Where are your matches?’ He was breathing heavily and wincing.
I motioned to the floor.
‘Right, get them now!’ He tackled the person holding my feet to the ground and rose holding the lighter fluid.
I shot to my feet and searched for the matches, I found them by the table leg. As I looked up, I saw Mark and Lucy turning around, realising all was not well. It was too late though, Guy was squirting the with lighter fuel. It pissed out of the little can, all over them.
‘Now Charlie, now!’ Guy said, showing me the sign to light a match at them
I lit a match, it blew out. I lit another, it split in half
Fuck fuck fuck
The third lit and stayed alight. I put it back in the box of matches ensuring all of them would light at once and threw it at Mark as hard as I could.
In an instant, Mark was on fire. He screamed a high pitch, but never let go of the symbol.
Lucy tried to help him, but because of the lighter fuel, she also caught fire and was suddenly a human fireball. I watched, transfixed as both started burning to death, the smell of human flesh and clothing, accompanied by the ultrasonic screaming, excited me.
I watched as the symbol started melting in Mark’s hands.
‘There ya go you stupid fuckheads. I hope you fucking rot’ I screamed enthusiastically. Encouraging the flames to burn every inch of them.
Guy picked up the table by one end and rammed into Mark and Lucy, sending them flying backwards into the open gateway. They flews backwards, as if floating away into outer space, but as the two flaming bodies fell into the gateway, accompanied by melting symbol, the gateway closed instantly becoming a wall again.
The rest of the coven stared on in disbelief. Their mouths agape, their hands over their mouths in total shock. Without their masters they were just sad people, standing around in sad clothing. One by one, they ran for their lives out of the house. Some fled up the street, some got into their cars and with a burst of speed, shot away from the house.
I was about to hug Guy, when the demon gave an alright roar. It wasn’t finished yet and had been watching all of this happen, as we had, like a bystander; gobsmacked.
‘Those idiots have gone but I remain. At least I can confirm that Peter is gone’
it gave one last laugh.
We all stood around staring at it. Had Peter been killed whilst of all of this played out?
Berenice held her arm and lowered her head. I could tell that she sensed it had all been in vein. Guy looked me deep in the eyes as if to say ‘I’m sorry, we didn’t save him’
I looked at the demon. Angry, pissed off and not willing to leave without giving it a piece of my mind.
‘Peter did save us. He saved us from those weirdos, he saved us from Hell’s gateway and he has stopped you going anywhere’
I started to lead the monster, walking towards the front door looking the demon in the eye.
‘You are all weak fools and he got what he deserved’ said the monster, looking into my eyes as I walked with it towards the exit.
‘No. You are the weak one, idiot!’ I looked down on the floor, showing the demon that he’d walked into another circle of protection
As it looked down, realising its mistake, Berenice started her exorcism incantation.
Without the symbol and the Embrace chant, the demon was weaker. It took minutes for it to start twitching and convulsing, as Berenice read from the exorcism script, it started to shout, to scream, to beg for it’s very life. Within five minutes, the lights flickered one final time, all the doors in the house flew open and the body that had once been the demon’s home, fell limp to the floor.
Berenice stopped the ritual.
‘It’s gone Charlie, it’s gone’ she smiled. Guy clapped his hands in celebration.
I cried, and said ‘thank you’ but I couldn’t smile. Peter lay stretched out on the floor, his body limp, his face cold.
I held Peter’s hand. I cried tears of worry, tears of anger and tears of love. I’d fought for him and early won. But this was a fight I think I’d lost.
‘I saved you, but I think it’s too late my love. You would’ve been a fine husband, my true love, and great father to our children’
I wept openly, my voice distorted by the emotion. I hunched over him ‘Oh Peter’
I sat next to Peter and held his hand. It felt cold, but I squeezed it tightly. Berenice joined me, sitting around Peter, then Guy came over and he hugged us both.
I looked into their eyes. These two strangers had fought for my fiancee, they had risked their lives, they had been willing to give up everything for me and for Peter.
‘Thank you Berenice. You really were amazing. How’s your arm?’
‘Thank you dear, I’ll be …fine’ she said through tears
‘and Guy. Are you okay? You’ve been in the wars a bit, but you’re my big strong ox!’
‘I’ll be okay’ Guy whispered ‘ I think I’ve broken a couple of ribs though. Perhaps dislocated by finger too. My head hurts too! It was worth it though…or at least’
Guy stopped and looked down. I felt it too and looked down.
We all gave a collective massive sigh, smiled and starting crying together.
Peter’s fingers started moving slowly in my hand. His eyes opened and he looked around at us, with his own eyes.
He opened his mouth. I urged him not to say anything, but he wet his lips and said
‘Can we move into your place now? Mine’s a bit …weird’
THE END
UnHallowed Embrace 