The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

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The old people were soon finished with trimming the tree. On Sheriff Harper's orders Ms. Starling found an outlet and plugged in the drop cord, which the lights were connected to. The extravagant tree now came alight and began blinking on and off in various sections of it. In most others of the artificial fir it glowed brilliantly. Harper spread his arms gregariously. "Well now you old farts can be proud of this–I mean it the master is going to be really impressed!"

He looked down at the child Hildy who was now back at Jack Rankin's knee. "What do you think little lady?" he asked her. It was the first time the child had smiled in hours. "I like it....it's, it's beautiful." she said unable to disguise her innocent youth. Harper smiled at her and then tousled her hair. Momentarily he looked back at the group of elders. "Yes the master is going to be mighty impressed I'm sure." he said again referring to the pale monster.

From the group of oldsters who still held flutters of ice sickles from their fingers a female voice now came to life. "Excuse me, excuse me Sheriff?" the voice now interrupted him. Harper turned agitated by the intrusion an inquisitive look on his face. When he saw the look of recognition in the old lady's eyes he said. "Yes madam?"

The old lady who spoke to him had swept back gray hair that was streaked with auburn giving her the air of a countess. She moved from the rear of the group with an uneasy smile on her wrinkled face. "Yes Sheriff, I know perhaps that asking this may jeopardize my health like poor impertinent Mr. Cooley over there, but just as he was curious about it, I must admit so too am I." she began. "Curious as to what madam?" asked the lawman. "Why do you insist on calling that creature master?" she calmly said. "Because he is the master." Said Mary Latch. But was it her? They all turned in the direction and there standing at the beginning of the hallway was the pale man. But after closer observation one could see that it wasn't the pale man at all, but Nurse Mary Latch dressed in the costume of the pale man. She had adjusted her hair to resemble his and it was quite deceptive.

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"Wouldn't you like to taste his kiss? I assure you Mrs. Dirkson you'd not regret it one bit." Mary Latch told the curious old lady. "I'd rather not my dear." Mrs. Dirkson said politely. "Oh that is a great disappointment." said the pale man now. Only his voice came from around behind Mary Latch just inside the hall out of sight. A small shadow to the left of the nurse now floated across the tiled floor past the corpse of Mr. Cooley, which lay in the same spot as if now it was just another piece of furniture.

A large dog had come around from behind the nurse. It was a strange specimen indeed whose sex could not be determined because it had no visible genitals denoting its sexual makeup. In fact it did not even have an anal cavity below its short bobbed tail, which was itself rather astonishing. The old people were shocked by the appearance of the animal and the obvious fact that it was the possessor of the voice that had just spoken to them and their recognizing it as that of the pale man's.

"Don't be distressed my friends. Yes indeed it is I. I am a unique being am I not? That is for sure and certainly none of your present kind has ever encountered such as myself." The dog's mouth did not seem to be really speaking. It had no lips to move with the subtle skill of a human's, it seemed more like the animal was opening its mouth and a voice just inside the hollow of the muzzle was making the statement. Regardless the manifestation of an animal bringing forth words could be deemed miraculous to be sure.

The dog now walked with confidence to almost the center of the room as if summoning the chaos into an orderly ambience. "There is not much time now before I perform my duty." the voice said. "I've decided however that you shall be the first to know the truth, the purpose of my being here with you." And now the animal reared up on its hind legs. But instead of struggling to stay in that upright position as a real dog might do the creature seemed to push its front half, upward toward the ceiling. But that is not what it did.

From the animal's front legs a man's arms seemed to take form. And from his rear legs a man's own two legs shaped outward. The rest, the head, the tumbling white hair, the whitest hair any of them had ever seen, the other human features of the thing came on with each passing moment. 

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It continued until it was no more a dog, but a vicious evil looking man who likewise had no genitals and had foul grinning yellow teeth. He stood there before them a man now, and yet not a man at all. In all honesty his body seemed perfectly honed and any man would have undoubtedly been grateful to have such a physique save for the fact that the hoary individual had no sexual organs. The being spread his arms in a Christ like manner and turned himself about as if he was a runway model exhibiting himself in a fashion show. "I am magnificent am I not?" he asked the astounded crowd. Sheriff Harper was himself awed by the display having never witnessed this phenomenon.

"You are old people. I am myself an ancient, but I never age. And as you see we do not need to reproduce as you do. We are all so ancient that to calculate it by years as you do is of no consequence. We are from a world so distant from here trying to count the miles of it too would be just as futile." the creature was enthralled by his own tale. "We've been on this globe for many centuries also and it is time my brethren were summoned to me. I will bring them forth from their repose and together we will devour this world. We shall have our fill of your numbers, we dine on your kind, we dine on your blood." he now laughed with near hysteria.

The old people's jaws hung slack as they heard these words. "That is what we do. We hunt your various kinds throughout the infinite space and we sustain ourselves on the wine of your bodies. I make no apologies for we would not continue least we did this. But alas we were stranded on this world and could not go further without human blood those many years ago. But there were not enough of you for all of us. So it was decided that I would remain awake to bring them forth when your numbers were sufficient. However I was thwarted in my efforts.

But now the time has come that I may accomplish this task. Once we have ultimate power over this world we shall have your most learned men to repair our vessel so we might begin again our journeys. But this will take years, we are a hungry race, but we can't consume the blood of the entire world in an instant. And when we are satisfied we may take pity on some of those that remain and allow them to begin again and replenish your race. Your numbers may flourish once more, so much so that we may one day return to this place to quench our thirst anew."

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He turned to Harper now his eyes wide open once more revealing his bewildering vision. "Harper please escort all these dear folks back to their respective rooms. Restrain them all if you will? And once more he turned to Mary Latch. "My dear Mary come to me." he held out an arm to the woman as if he had made love to her as she had wanted when they were in her room.