Erik stopped and looked at the stranger, the man with the growth on his shoulder. The man was grinning, licking his lips in pleasure as he watched the sight. And Erik swore the thing on his neck was getting larger.
Finally, Collins put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger one last time. Only then did the man turn and look at Erik. Power and hatred clouded his eyes, and Erik felt himself shrivel under the terrible gaze.
5
Todd sat by the side of his bed and cried. He didn’t know how or why, but he knew his father was in trouble. The stone was trying to get him, too. It had already gotten one man and now his Dad was on the list.
If only he could stop it. He had somehow stopped it from getting him. Why couldn’t he stop it from getting Dad?
He balled his mind up like a fist, imagined the terrible black rock, and struck out at it with all of his will.
“I’ll kill you!” he screamed out loud. Then he sent out another mental attack.
It felt like hitting a basketball with a fly swatter. The thing stopped for a moment and realized he was there. But his mental blow bounced off as if it were nothing. He tried again, and felt the thing laughing at him, taunting him, and he knew he could never win this way. The thing had become too strong, or else he was too far away. It was Dad that needed help….
Then, without even realizing what he was doing, he imagined his father standing beside the rock, and he sent out another burst of mental energy. Only this time it wasn’t sent towards the rock, but directly at his father. He felt the demon thing’s puzzlement and then he felt his father’s reaction. He felt his father’s strength, and in the demon’s moment of confusion, he knew his Dad was safe. For a brief moment the thing had toyed with the son and forgot about the father. By the time it turned its attention back, Todd knew that his father had broken the spell and was already on his way back through the woods.
Todd dropped to the floor, just as his mother came rushing in to see what was wrong.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
1
Johnny Dovecrest sat on his filthy cot and wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess. Now he was in jail and of no earthly good to anyone. What was worse, he knew something was happening in the woods; he could sense it. He hoped and prayed that Erik hadn’t done anything stupid. He wasn’t ready to take the demon on yet, even if he were able to find the stone. Dovecrest feared that he had acted rashly though. If so, he suspected he was already dead.
They’d arrested him for the murder of the cult member and for involvement in the death of the girl. They had interrogated him for hours, but he had refused to say anything. He knew they had matched the bullet taken from the dead man to his gun. He didn’t know if they had any evidence linking him to the girl or not. But it didn’t really matter. No one would believe his story. Besides, once they convicted him of the one crime, the other was simply overkill. He almost laughed at his own unintentional pun.
He put his head in his hands and tried to think this through. How had he gotten himself into this mess? Everything he’d tried to do had gone wrong. He hadn’t saved the girl and he hadn’t stopped the demon. He’d killed the wrong cult leader-he knew that the real leader hadn’t been hurt badly and was already up to no good. He had lured Erik into a dangerous situation and probably had him killed-or worse. And now he was in jail where he couldn’t do anything about anything. At least they had left him in the local jail, he thought, and not taken him to the Adult Correctional Institute yet. He was due to be arraigned tomorrow, though, and then they’d move him on.
They told him a Public Defender would be coming by to see him this afternoon, but he really wasn’t interested in talking to someone he didn’t even know. He would rather meditate and try to come up with a plan-any sort of plan.
He was just about to doze off when the guard came and tapped on the bars.
“You’ve got a visitor.”
Dovecrest nodded. He expected it was the lawyer and was rather surprised to see Pastor Mark.
“They won’t let me come in,” Mark said shyly. “But I wanted to speak with you.”
“I appreciate it,” Dovecrest said.
The guard watched for a moment, then left. “I’ll be right outside when you’re done,” he said to the Pastor. “Just bang on the door.”
Mark nodded. “Johnny, I’ve been praying for you and for this community. There is something very wicked going on here. The devil’s work. I feel it.”
Dovecrest sat back down on his cot and nodded. “The devil,” he said softly. “He exists in every land, in every culture, and in every time.”
“Indeed,” Mark said. “Though some might claim he is not real, he walks among us. Johnny. Tell me what happened. Tell me what I can do to help.”
“I told you about what happened in ancient times. When your ancestors and mine banished this demon from the world and locked him away. That was true. All of it.”
The pastor nodded. “I wasn’t sure I believed you the other night. But I believe you now.”
“Now it is coming back, stronger than ever. It feeds off pain, suffering, and destruction, and there is no telling how far it will go before it stops.”
“That is the nature of sin and evil. It leads men to their own pain and destruction.”
Dovecrest sat back and rested his head against the stone wall. This man seemed to understand. But what would he be able to do?
“Ok,” he said, finally. “Last night I met with Erik Hunter. I wanted to show him how to find the sacrificial stone.”
“Show him?”
“That’s right. The stone is not of this world. It is not always in the same place. It must be found by feeling not by seeing.”
“Ok.”
“So I took him and I showed him. He’s a quick learner. He headed right for the stone.”
“So he’s found it?”
“No. At least not then. The police followed us. They took us back. I was arrested.”
“And Erik?”
“They let him go. But I’m afraid he went back looking for the stone today. If so, he’s in serious trouble.”
Pastor Mark paced in front of Dovecrest’s cell. “I should let someone know.”
“The State Police and the F.B.I. won’t believe you. The sheriff might. But even he’s skeptical. You might tell him Erik went off into the woods and you’re worried about him.”
“Hmmm. That would work. Now what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“How can you say that? Didn’t you say we need to destroy this thing? You’re the only one who knows how to do that.”
“When the time comes, it will work out the way it needs to. How do you say it, Pastor? God will provide.”
“Yes. God will provide. But God also helps those who help themselves. Does the Narragansett Tribe have an attorney?”
“Yes. But he’s arrogant and doesn’t believe in the old ways.”
“Johnny, that’s exactly what we need right now. Call him right away. We need someone else on our side, even if they don’t believe us.”
“He will make it a war between the white man and the tribe,” Dovecrest said. “He will claim I was arrested because of my heritage. I do not want this.”
“Maybe not. But it would be best for your case right now. If nothing else, he may be able to get you out on bond. Then we could worry about the real fight.”
Dovecrest nodded. “I will take your advice, then.”
2
Erik had no idea how he found his way home, but it was with intense relief and thankfulness that he stumbled out of the woods and into his back yard. He looked up and saw Todd waiting for him at the back door. As soon as the boy saw him he raced across the yard and hugged him so hard he almost knocked him down.
“Dad! You made it! I called and called for you.”