The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

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The pale man returned to the living room still carrying the Bible, which the old woman had threatened him with. He saw that Clay Reese was now at the front door of the house and was affixing a large piece of cardboard over the window portion of the portal that he had smashed. He moved up behind him inspecting his work as if he was the foreman of a gang of carpenters. All the other hostages sat silent and frightened having been forced to that behavior by the previous malicious outbursts of the demon. Looking to his left he now saw a room off of the area that he had not initially seen. There was a space for a door, but none there. There was no light on in this room, but he did not require one to inspect it.

The monster looked into this room and he could see that it was the kitchen of the meager home. There were some cabinets in there and an oval shaped dining table that looked old and scarred. A Lazy Susan was in the middle of it loaded with spices. Several chairs circled it like marauding indians encircling a wagon train. Off of this dining area was a small space that contained a stove and a refrigerator. The darkness there beckoned him to go in.

This house was fortunate, the ice from the storm had weighed down and or destroyed power lines throughout this area of the state, but the lines to this place and many others near about were still intact and the electricity continued to flow through the lines. But it would not have mattered to the pale man if it had not been. He did not require such amenities, but he well knew that it would pose enormous problems for his human captives.

If only he could fly he would not require any of them now save but the child. She was going to be his sacrifice, the key to awakening the others. She would be offered up, her blood the potion that was needed to break through the veil of their coma. That is the purpose the child Virginia Dare would have served in that long ago time. But her white kin and the indians had thwarted his plans as he had journeyed to the southeast with her in tow. He had been enroute to the swamp to bring her to the rock. Once there he would have opened the secret compartment and forced her in.

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And then the rock, the vessel, would have reacted like a Venus flytrap once an insect had the misfortune to enter it. It would have chewed her up then forcing her precious blood down its intricate channels and cavities. The nutrition of her pure blood would have then washed over the fibrous membranes that were the configuration the creatures maintained whilst they were inside the vessel in such a dormant state.

The mere caress of her blood would then cause them to awaken and come forth to greet their brother who had so long maintained his vigil. And then the mass of them would claim this planet, as had been their plan upon their arrival. They would sup on all the blood that it had to offer them and there would be much rejoicing.

But when he saw he would not succeed with the party of humans in such hot pursuit he did what he had done. He took her brain and thus her voice, which was the one he used when he had first seduced Clay Reese at the giant oak tree the tornado had uprooted. He went into the dining area of the kitchen still holding the Bible. Clay watched him as he did, watched as he slid about the quiet room a cold and calculating force.

The beast stood in there briefly seemingly surveying it before seating himself at the rickety table. He placed the Bible open before him on the table. Clay watched from the open space curious as to what he might do. Could the beast read? He wondered. Probably he decided. If the creature could capture someone's voice and mind then it was likely that he could also make use of their skill at reading. And then he remembered the monster mentioned the sign outside of town and that it had given notice of the swamp. Then it was certain the monster could read the language.

The monster turned the pages of the Bible, which seemed to indicate he was reading it. Then as if sensing that Reese was spying on him the thing's head rose up from the Holy Scripture and the dark glasses zoomed in on him. He could feel those vicious eyes penetrating him and he could also sense their silent warning to him that they were aware of everything.