Page 32 of Unbinding the Demon
Distant sounds of eerie, pained groans and low, sinister hisses echoed in my head as the disorienting fog in my mind dissipated. My heavy eyelids refused to open despite my best efforts, and my achy body felt stiff as a board. A putrid odor, similar to rotting flesh mixed with musty stone and earthy soil, hovered in the stale air. Even though I was in a state of partial consciousness, it still suffocated and sickened me.
The gluey feeling in my eyes subsided, allowing me to pry them open. I squinted from the sudden light assaulting my senses as I blinked away the blurriness in my vision. My head was tilted uncomfortably far back, so the first thing I saw was a ceiling of old wooden planks. Rays of sunlight streamed down through the cracks, illuminating the tiny specks of dust that were swirling around in the air. My stiff, achy neck popped as I weakly tried to straighten my head out. It felt like I had been stuck in that awful position for hours, and I could only imagine I looked just as bedraggled as I felt. As my dry, scratchy eyes fell forward, I froze in debilitating terror.
Oh, shit ...
I was in some sort of old, ramshackle basement, presumably under the church, judging by the dusty religious artifacts and broken pews lining the room. But that wasn’t what was terrifying. What was terrifying was the forty or so deranged, snarling zombies, all circling me like a pack of rabid animals. Their dead, blackened eyes were staring menacingly at me, as black, gooey drool dripped from their hungry, disgusting mouths.
Oh, please no! No, no, no!
I tried to scream, but realized someone had gagged my mouth with a cloth and securely taped it shut. I then went to move my arms, only to find that my wrists were bound behind my back. The old wooden chair I sat in creaked as I frantically struggled to free myself, but the ropes held me firmly to it. Fear in its purest form coursed through my veins, and my heart was beating so fast that it could have put an overly enthusiastic hummingbird on cocaine to shame.
Frightened, pitiful tears spilled down my cheeks as a few of the zombies shuffled right in front of me. They snarled and snapped their jaws as if they were eagerly awaiting the chance to sink their foul, rotting teeth into my scrumptious, tender flesh. Their putrid breath fanned across my face, making me feel even more sick and nauseated. I probably would have gagged if I wasn’t actually gagged.
Is this how I’m going to die?
The more they snapped their jaws, the more obvious it became that they weren’t going to bite me just yet. If they were going to, they would have done so by now. In my tied-up, petrified state, I began warily observing their disfigured faces. I recognized a good deal of them as people who had been reported missing. And that’s when it dawned on me… Man, I’m an awful, treacherous bitch .
Guilt gnawed at my spirit, remembering the way I had freaked out, assuming without any reasonable doubt that Ashton was to blame for all these missing people. I didn’t even give him a chance to explain anything before I wrongfully assumed that he was a serial killer. To say that I felt downright terrible would be an understatement. I sat there, helpless and surrounded by snarling zombies, and began to weep. I wished I could somehow turn back the clock and trust Ashton, not break my promise to him.
The harrowing chorus of hisses and snarls got louder, and then they went quiet altogether, pulling me from my remorseful moment. A crack of light appeared along the shadowy dirt floor as the old splintered door across the room creaked open. Low, sibilant whispers murmuring, “Father,” hissed all around. The sound chilled my blood, filling me with suffocating anxiety. Father Adelstein strolled into the room with a bright smile, completely unbothered by the bloodthirsty zombie horde prowling around.
The zombies trembled in his presence and bowed their filthy, matted heads before him, revealing their fear and submission. “Ryan, bring me a chair,” he ordered one of the taller male zombies, waving his hand at him with an air of superiority.
“Yes, Father.” The one apparently named Ryan hissed and seized a random dining room chair from the pile of junk. Then his skeletal body shuffled it over. His ashy-looking, decaying hands placed the chair right in front of me, while his tangled, dark hair fell over his black, veiny eyes. He then scurried into a corner and crouched down creepily to watch. Adelstein dusted his pant leg with his hand, then sat down and looked at me with a loving smile that didn’t match the villainous gleam in his eyes.
His slender hand reached over and ripped the tape from my face, causing it to sting. He then roughly pulled an old red cloth out of my mouth and discarded it onto the nasty dirt floor. I adjusted my stiff, painful jaw and fearfully stared at him, with tears falling down my cheeks. I had so many questions and things I wanted to say racing through my mind. Things like, Where the fuck am I!? What the hell is going on here!? and You’d better fucking release me right this instant, Bucko! But I was way too terrified of the zombies to form the words. So, I stayed quiet instead as I gathered the courage to give this kidnapping creep a piece of my mind.
Adelstein sighed and ran his hand through his short, dirty-blond comb-over. “Look, I’m terribly sorry about all this, Ms. Gallagher.” His face looked genuinely apologetic, and his voice carried a tone of deep sorrow. “I know you must be frightened, but this has to be done.”
I stared at him, my eyes wide and trembling with fear. “What has to be done? What are you going to do to me? Are you going to turn me into one of those—those things?!” I internally cursed myself for letting my panic and fear be evident in my voice, but I just couldn’t help it.
He chuckled and rubbed his hands together like a nefarious, plotting fly. “Oh no, my dear. You can dry your tears because I have something very special planned for you!” He sounded excited as he bopped my nose with his finger. That broke me out of my fear-stricken state, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust while glaring at him.
“Look it, Father... “ I sneered. “I’m not interested in whatever your grand old plan for me is. People will notice I’m missing and they will come looking for me! In fact, my boyfriend probably already is! And let me tell you, he can be quite the loose cannon! So, you’re better off letting me go now before something bad happens.” I tried to sound tough, even though I was still terrified.
He let out an amused, hearty laugh. “Oh yes, Mrs. Chuong, that idiotic follower of Vietnamese folk religion ,” he grumbled with a brief, agitated look, “has already reported that the satanic beast you refer to as your boyfriend kicked the door to her classroom off its hinges and tore the whole place apart when he couldn’t find you.” He venomously spat the words, “ satanic beast .”
I squished my lips into an annoyed line and scowled at him . Sure, Mrs. Chuong followed a Vietnamese religion, and Ashton was a Satanist, but wow, what a sanctimonious dick. “Yeah, so just imagine what my satanic beast of a boyfriend will do once he finds me,” I said with confidence. But then a feeling of hopelessness crept over me as I realized that even if he did, he was still no match for forty or so of those zombie things.
Adelstein let out another small chuckle. “Oh, you are so na?ve to that devil’s deception, my child. But it doesn’t matter; that abomination will never be able to find you in time.” He reached over and twiddled the sapphire necklace around my neck with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “We have ways to hide you from unholy eyes. In fact, this whole room is enchanted to do just that.” His hand pointed in a circle around the room.
I scoffed at his absurdity. An enchantment? Yeah, flippin’ right. But then again, I was surrounded by actual zombies. So maybe it wasn’t so absurd after all. “So what exactly do you plan to do with me, then?” I snippily demanded.
“Ah yes! That’s what I wanted to explain because I want you to understand that your death will not be in vain!” He clapped his hands with a joyous smile. I stared at him with a blank expression. My death? Of fucking course. “It’s a bit of a long story, but I believe I owe it to Elowynn to at least tell you. I’ll try to keep it quick, though.” He rubbed the back of his neck and adjusted himself in his seat. “You see, my dear, when she was still alive, she became fixated on her blasphemous occult studies and ungodly practices of witchcraft. I loved her and had always tried to steer her in the direction of holiness. However, my efforts were in vain once she obtained a rather unique book from the Sassafras Museum’s annual auction one year. There was little I could do to help save her soul from her wicked ways.” He looked and sounded genuinely remorseful.
“Oh, you’re talking about that creepy occult book that was bound in human skin, aren’t you? I wrote a whole essay on anthropodermic bibliopegy inspired by that thing,” I nonchalantly mentioned.
“Ah, yes! That’s the one! I had a deep love for her and wished to make her a holy woman.” His eyes trailed down to the floor, and a soft smile played on his lips. “I had even wished for her hand—”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but she was into the mailman,” I interrupted.
“Anyway,” he said through gritted teeth, irritation clear on his face. “I was afraid to let her dabble in such dark energies alone. I felt it was my duty to protect her from the unknown evils she toyed with, and so I joined her in studying the book.” I gave him a slight nod to encourage him to continue. “We discovered that the book was, in fact, a gateway to another dimension. A strange and dark place called The Abyss, to be exact. Together, we tried to make contact with various beings from the mysterious world. However, the few heinous, death-like creatures we managed to contact turned out to be extremely hostile. So, we decided that if we were to continue our work, we would need some sort of safety net.”
“And this imbecilic fable is relevant to you wanting to kill me, how?” I rolled my eyes as I spoke. What a bunch of nonsense.
“I was about to get to that.” His annoyance with my attitude only grew. “Elowynn used her damnable witchcraft to create a, how do I put this , a magical barrier, if you will.” His hand waved up in the air as he continued to explain. “It surrounds the entire mountain range circling this town, and its purpose is to trap inside anything that’s summoned from other worlds.”
Magical barrier? Other worlds? It took all of my strength not to laugh in his face at his far-fetched fantasy and tell him how much of a demented maniac he was. But then I looked around and, once again, was reminded that literal motherfucking zombies surrounded me.
“So you see, I have created my children using power from The Abyss.” He gestured around at all the deranged zombies. “And so, the barrier that surrounds the town is keeping them trapped here. Since you are of the same bloodline as Elowynn, ritualistically spilling your blood should be enough to bring down the barrier. Then I shall unleash my children upon the rest of the world so that they may go and do God’s work for me.” He had a proud smile on his face as if he were some sort of saint, making my stomach churn with disgust.
An image of zombies going door to door while wearing white polo shirts and handing out bibles flashed through my mind. “Your children? You turned these innocent people into monsters and now you’re going to kill me to unleash them into the world!? Do you not realize how much of a fucked-up psychopath you are!?” My chair squeaked as I rocked back and forth with force while yelling at him in distress.
“I gave them a gift! They were sinners, and I purified them!” he snapped, but was quick to regain his calm composure. “And don’t worry, my dear. It’s quite alright; your sacrifice will serve the highest and greatest good. God’s good, to be exact.” He spoke as if I should be happily letting him murder me.
“Good? How is any of this good!?” I scoffed as a few traitorous tears began running down my cheeks again.
“It’s good because I’m going to purify the world! Just look at my children, don’t you see? They are free from sin! They listen to me without question. They have no desires for earthly possessions or sins of the flesh. There is no free thought, only faith and obedience. They are the perfect servants of God, and I will use them to make a perfect and holy world! All who are not converted will perish, and mankind will be purified!” His words and face beamed with corrupt conviction and self-righteousness.
This guy is crazy with a capital ‘K’.
I sat there for a moment, beyond baffled by the sick and twisted lunatic in front of me. “How can you say that when they’re clearly just dumb, mindless zombies?”
“Oh my dear, they are far from dumb and mindless! Here, watch...” He pointed to a random zombie. “You! What’s your name, and what did you do for a living?”
“Miguel Sanchez ... I was an... accountant. ..” the zombie sibilantly responded, while twisting his head unnaturally to the side.
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
“So tell me, Miguel, could you file the church’s taxes for me?” Adelstein questioned with a raised brow and a smug smile.
“Churches... don’t pay... taxes...” Black drool dripped from the side of his grotesque mouth and dribbled onto his dirty, tattered green shirt as he spoke.
“Ah ha! You see? He didn’t fall for my trick question! They’re perfectly intelligent!” His smile beamed with pride. “I just wish Elowynn was still alive to see them. Sometimes I like to think of them as our children since if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have realized the book was a gift from God. She practically made me the man I am today.” His eyes trailed down, and a wistful look fell across his face.
Man, this guy is really fucked in the head.
Adelstein and I both jumped in startlement as a series of loud crashes came from overhead. I assumed all the ruckus was one of the heavy double doors upstairs being kicked off its hinges and flung across the room. “Where is she!?” A furious and downright demonic voice boomed through the ceiling, followed by what sounded like two terrified, stammering men sputtering out nonsense. My face lit up, and hope bloomed in my chest.
Ashton!
“He shouldn’t be able to find or hear you down here, but make a single sound, and I will have my children rip you to shreds.” Adelstein leaned in and whispered to me, his face tight with anger.
I bit my lip and looked up at the shadows breaking the rays of light that poured in through the ceiling boards. Ashton was shouting and sounded absolutely livid. I desperately wanted to call out to him, to be rescued, and to get the chance to say sorry for being such a buffoon. But I knew how foolish that would be. The zombies would rip me apart before he could even get to me, and then they’d rip him apart too. So I stayed silent and cherished the sound of his deep voice, even if it was venomous and diabolical-sounding at the moment. It still brought me comfort to know that he was looking for me. The pain of never being able to see him again panged in my gut, as hot tears streamed down my cheeks.
The door creaked open, and two men, silent as the grave, crept in, then shut the door behind them without a single sound. Adelstein looked back at their terrified faces, and they exchanged worried glances. One of them held a rosary and prayed in a shaky voice. My eyes somehow got even wider than they already were, as Ashton’s voice morphed from thunderous yelling to a vicious, predatory-sounding growl. I had listened to a fair share of deathcore bands in my day, but none of them even came close to the demonic gutturals I was hearing.
My mouth fell agape, and my eyes shifted around as a loud cacophony of bangs and crashes, mixed with horrified screams and pained gurgles, rang through the building. Harrowing noises of what was obviously a violent struggle came from right above us. The screams were accompanied by deep, bestial snarls and roars that sounded like they belonged to some fierce, devilish creature that had emerged straight from the fiery depths of Hell. It sounded like the men were being mauled to death by a diabolical beast… and then everything went silent.
Was that Ashton making those noises?
Thick droplets of blood began to trickle down slowly from between the floorboards above us. They glistened bright red in the rays of sunlight that shone through the cracks and then turned an eerie, dark crimson as they landed on the floor. My heart pounded in my chest, and anxiety overwhelmed me as I hoped desperately that Ashton was still okay.
Heavy footsteps ominously echoed above us, and then Ashton called out in the most sinister, deep, sing-song voice I had ever heard. “Oh, Adelstein...” Chills ran up my spine, and I wasn’t even the one who needed to be afraid of him; that’s how scary-sounding he was. “Can you hear me, Adelstein? Are you here?” he cooed in a downright demonic voice. Adelstein stared up at the ceiling with an angry expression and wide, wary eyes. “You’ve stolen something very precious to me. Give her back unharmed, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll let the rest of your little clergy live.” A minute of eerie silence stretched by, then I flinched as he abruptly let out a deep, bestial roar, and another loud crash was heard. His footsteps briefly echoed above us again, and then, to my confusion, he seemed to disappear into thin air.
Jeez, that is one stealthy man.
Everyone stayed silent and unmoving for about ten minutes. Only the unnerving sound of blood dripping into the small crimson puddles that had formed was heard. “Well, we had better go see what the damage is,” Adelstein said, as he rose to his feet with urgency. He and the other two men cautiously exited the room and shut the door behind them. I listened to the distant sounds of their footsteps climbing up an old creaky staircase. Their voices echoed from above as they squabbled about the mess for several minutes. Putrid, metallic air filled my lungs as I sucked in a deep breath to compose myself. Then the sound of low hisses and eerie snarls began filling the room once again.
Tears brimmed in my eyes at the realization that Ashton had left. Even though he had just sounded like the most terrifying man in existence, his presence had brought me some much-needed comfort. And now, because of my foolishness, I was going to be murdered and never see his loving smile or feel his warm touch again. He had been right about Adelstein all along. If only I hadn’t broken my promise. I’d probably be safely wrapped up in his arms right about now, receiving tender kisses and listening to his silky baritone voice as he shared his secrets. He loved me and wanted to keep me safe, and yet I betrayed him.
I’m such an idiot... Of course, Ashton isn’t a serial killer .
The door swung open, making a loud bang as it slammed into the wall. The zombies stared inquisitively while snapping their jaws, as a very pissed-off Adelstein and one of the other guys dragged in two mutilated bodies— Well, Ashton’s definitely still a killer . They carelessly dumped the two bodies in the center of the room. Both were maimed beyond recognition and looked like a gang of angry leopards had attacked them.
“Your abominable satanic beast of a boyfriend just cost me a fortune in damage!” Adelstein spat while he stormed back over to the door. His hair fell out of place across his forehead while he pointed at me, his face a vivid tomato red. “No matter, though, killing you will be revenge enough!”
The other man scurried out of the room, while Adelstein sighed and tried to straighten out his now somewhat disheveled appearance. “Eat well, my children.” He gestured to the bodies, as if he were offering them a five-course meal. “And don’t let her fall asleep.” He pointed to me again. “I have good reason to suspect that filthy beast is an incubus,” he grumbled lowly, then walked out, slamming the door behind him.
What the fuck is an incubus?
Wicked, black oozy grins and chilling, sinister snarls broke out all across the room. Then, like a pack of ravenous coyotes attacking a slab of meat, Adelstein’s children swarmed the bodies and began tearing them apart in a grotesque, bloody feeding frenzy. A gruesome symphony of ripping flesh, the squishing of organs, teeth crunching on bones, and the splattering of blood and entrails filled the room.
It took a ridiculous amount of effort not to throw up, as my squeamish stomach churned in disgust for the millionth time. The metallic smell of blood was now so strong in the air that I could almost taste it. A young girl, who looked like she was at one point quite beautiful, crouched down next to my chair and began to gnaw and slobber on part of a hand. I frowned at the girl with pity in my eyes and felt sorrow for all these people who were now only withered shells of who they had once been.
Not wanting to watch the carnage any longer, my puffy eyes despondently gazed down into my lap. I disassociated from my macabre reality and smiled as I thought of Ashton. I imagined of the life we could’ve had together, as I waited for this awful nightmare to be over.