In Hell: When Love Kills A Small Town Mystery

Chapter 10

A gnarled hand with twisted fingers grabbed her shoulder. Her eyes popped open. A man stood at the end of the pew. His skin was so black it shined. His face looked as if it had seen the bad end of a meat cleaver, and the wounds pulled and stitched with cord. Several of his teeth were missing. His scarred eyelids were half-closed. Something stayed the scream that caught in her throat. It was the blonde-headed little girl that stood beside him. She was beautiful and blue-eyed and wearing a homemade dress. Barefooted, her knees were stained with dirt.

"They call me Joe," he said.

His voice was low and deep, and Lori heard the river ripple in the sound of his words.

"This is Jillie."

"Hello," Lori said.

"Mind if me 'n Jillie keep ya' comp'ny?"

"No," she said, sliding over.

Lori watched the old man maneuver his canes and slowly sink down on the hard wooden bench. Jillie sat beside the old man and hid her face in the sleeve of his worn coat.

"You are troubled," he said. "Even Jillie knows. Do you need a sign?"

"Uh, I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Jonah tried to run away. But it was useless. He ended up in the whale's belly. Not a good place to be. Sometimes though, we must go through difficulties. They show us a better way."

Lori shifted on the pew. Her eyes were wide. She was sweating.

"You are right to be afraid. Yes," the old man said. "Very afraid. This place is full of monsters. Monsters that come from the past. Monsters that poison the little ones. The Innocents. Monsters that ..."

"Look, mister, I ..."

"You have nothing to fear from me. I am old. My eyes are dim. What could I do? But the creatures..."

"Creatures? What?"

"The monsters. They are real. Very real. Poison. They live in the woods. Their putrid breath rises from the earth. Blue. Bright blue. As the sky. So blue. So beautiful and blue. Matthew 2 and 2. Matthew 2 and 2 – for we have seen his star and are come. Come. We are come. Worship. See the star."

The whole time, Jillie was quietly playing with smooth stones covered with growth. Suddenly, she began giggling.

"Make her stop," Lori said.

The old man shook his head.

"I cannot," he said, painfully rising from the pew. "She is possessed by demons from the waters. From the Earth."

Adjusting his two canes, he shuffled from the church with the giggling Jillie in front like a guide dog. As the door slowly closed behind them, Lori heard his deep voice say, "You must be wary. Satan is a hoary demon as old as the sun and as evil as the depths of hell."