Lords of Darkness, Part 2
5:00 PM
The police canvassed the room, putting everything movable in bags of evidence. Angela talked with Zadok and took notes, while Anders looked at the snake's tank. He stood up and looked over at Angela and Zadok.
“I heard the crash, and the chair, and came running out of the office,” Zadok said.
“Did you see anybody leaving the room?” Angela asked.
Without being seen, Anders walked into Zadok’s office. Zadok shook her head.
“Did you hear the door open?” Angela asked.
“I lock the doors after school, when I'm alone,” Angela said, “I... I get afraid.”
In the office, Anders picked up Sarah’s bracelet.
5:00 PM
Jacob, Deborah, Vitaris, and Calcagni stood in the rain, huddled under umbrellas, watching the police cars and other activity near the school.
“I feel a dark power is amongst us,” Jacob said, “It wants a sacrifice.”
“It's been years since we've done that,” Vitaris said.
“Exactly, exactly,” Calcagni said, “We haven't kept our faith.”
“Are any of you... responsible... for my daughter?” Jacob snapped.
“We all are,” Calcagni said.
Jacob glared at him.
“She was sacrificed for us,” Calcagni said, “It’s a portent. Her death gets rid of the police, the Athanatoi too, and whatever suspicions the Inquisition may have. It can all be blamed on her.”
“But—” Jacob sputtered.
“Jacob, you tell them she had a thing for Joey Stephen,” Deborah said, “She killed him out of jealousy.”
“She cut out his eyes, because she couldn't stand to have him look at another girl,” Vitaris said, “And his heart, because she was heartbroken.”
“Are you mad?!” Jacob said.
“When they leave, and they're gone, we must rekindle our faith rather than lose it,” Calcagni said.
Jacob stormed away, the lightning illuminating him as he walked.
Science lab
“I never imagined she would hurt herself like that,” Zadok said, “I'm old-fashioned, Agent Hansen, I can't bring myself to believe children are capable of such things as they are these days.”
She looked away, stifling a sob, as Angela remained impassive. Zadok looked up and noticed Anders holding the bracelet.
“She wanted me to hold that for her,” Zadok said.
“Excuse me,” Angela said, joining Anders.
They walked to the other side of the room.
“Her office has a faint odor of incense,” Anders said.
“She says it's to block the smell of formaldehyde,” Angela said.
“It's also used in Black Mass rituals,” Anders said, “Demon summoning.”
“Well, I've got to admit there are some oddities to her story,” Angela said.
“What do you mean, oddities?” Anders said.
“Well, the man she replaced has taken two sick days in a fifteen-year career,” Angela said, “The morning of Joey Stephen’s murder Herr Kingary developed necrotizing fasciitis.”
“Flesh-eating bacteria?” Anders said. “That's very rare.”
“I know,” Angela said, “And when I questioned the other staff members about Frau Zadok’s background, no one can even recall hiring her.”
Lightning flashed again. At her desk, Zadok stared at them before focusing on Angela’s pen.
“Oh, look, I'm even getting caught up in this,” Angela said, “Probably need more time to get used to being in the field again. I mean I'm... I'm sure that Frau Zadok’s arrival and the teacher's sickness is just a coincidence. And the fact that no-one can recall hiring her -- it's just a bureaucratic oversight. They have plenty of those in the eastern Länder, right?”
“No, I've got a feeling this is something we both should get caught up in,” Andres said, “I'm going to get a search warrant for the Augsburg house. I've been told they're staying with friends.”
He glanced at Zadok. “You check deeper into Mrs Paddock.”
The lights suddenly went out. As Angela and Anders left, Zadok grabbed the pen.
Augsburg house – 6:00 PM
The power was out here too, making the house very dark. Anders walked to the cellar door with his flashlight, noting it was bolted shut. He forced it open, and shone his torch down the staircase. He walked down the stairs and looked around, seeing the walls were red. He turned around and found Jacob standing behind him.
“Oh hey there, Herr Augsburg,” Anders said, “You scared me there.”
Calcagni’s office
Angela sat at her laptop again, searching Yahoo’s databases for “Zadok, Philippa H.” She found no prior arrests or outstanding warrants connected to that name or its variants.
Augsburg residence cellar
Jacob faced the wall and didn’t answer Anders’ greeting.
“Uh, hello?” Anders said. “You’re creeping me out a little.”
Jacob sighed. “My religion, my family, Agent Humboldt, goes back in this town seven generations, from the Inquisition’s terror during the Fifty Years’ War. They fled persecution in Germania from people being persecuted, all in the name of ‘religion’.”
Jacob said that last word with distaste. He turned to Anders.
“I was raised to believe Christianity was synonymous with hypocrisy,” Jacob said, “The Soviets taught me all faith is nothing but superstition, but I went further. Man's natural tendency was to do as thou wilst, not do unto others.”
He walked around Anders, who turned to maintain eye contact. “We believe... Man is nothing but an animal, no better, no worse, than those who walk on four legs. And though I believed our faith kept us powerful in the community, wealthy, good health, I... I came to see hypocrisy in the others.”
He looked at Anders, his voice filled with a strange empathy. “In me.”
Anders nodded.
“When they told me to blame my dead daughter for Joey Stephen’s death, my reaction...” Jacob said, tearing up, “I was sick that they would villify an innocent... someone I loved... just to protect themselves. And at that moment, I knew... I am better than an animal! That my... previous beliefs were responsible... for her no longer being with us. And that it was time to talk to you.”
Anders nodded again.
Science lab
Zadok chanted as she held Angela’s pen over the candle.
Calcagni’s office
Angela searched Yahoo for Zadok’s work history, finding a list of legitimate-looking jobs in the education sector stretching back to 1974.
“Absolutely nothing,” she said to herself.
Augsburg residence cellar
“Did you abuse Sarah?” Anders asked.
“Never sexually,” Jacob said.
“The rituals, though,” Anders said.
Jacob sighed. “The blood of the young is considered very powerful. We'd include them in the ceremonies... against their will.”
Anders looked away in disgust.
“They were too young to be trusted not to talk,” Jacob said, “But we never physically hurt them. We'd slip over the ancient rituals that we didn't want to do.”
“Like... drinking grape juice instead of wine at Communion? Anders asked. “What about Sarah’s memories?”
“We'd perform a sort of post-hypnotic suggestion that repressed their memories,” Jacob said, “When they came of age, eighteen, twenty-one, then they were made aware of the religion, and brought into its practice. When she recalled the past events, she must have mixed up reality with... with that crap that's on Geraldo, the tabloids, and whatever those religious right groups are peddling these days.”
“Did the others kill Joey Stephen?” Anders asked.
Jacob shook his head.
“Sarah?” Anders asked.
“No,” Jacob said.
“But you are responsible,” Anders said, “You knew the possibilities contained in your beliefs, no matter how watered down. That is why the Inquisition does what it does. Did you really think you could call up the Devil and ask him to behave?”
Science lab
Zadok picked up the phone and jerkily stabbed out a sequence of numbers.
Augsburg residence
Anders’ phone rang. “Yeah?” he said.
“Anders... the school... I'm in trouble,” Angela said.
The connection cut off.
“Angie?” Anders said, packing away the large phone. “I’ve got an emergency.”
He ran up the stairs and left the cellar, bolting the door shut from the outside. Then he got into the car, started the engine, and drove off.
Back in the cellar, Jacob sat on the floor next to the stairs, crying. The cellar door suddenly unlocked itself and swung open. The snake from the lab slithered down the stairs as the door slammed shut and bolted itself. It lunged for Jacob, who yelled in fright and tried to shake it off, but it wound around his neck and body, choking him and slowly crushing his bones. Once Jacob was dead, the snake slid onto the floor and turned to face his foot, extending its jaw and engulfing it in its mouth.
Biala High School – 7:00 PM
Anders pulled up to the curb and ran out, his gun drawn. He stormed the reception area outside Calcagni’s office, finding Angela sitting at her desk.
“Angie!” he shouted.
Angela looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you just call me?” Anders said. “Said you were in trouble?”
“I never touched my phone,” Angela said.
Anders’ eyes widened. “We need to get back to Jacob’s house. He confessed to conspiracy.”
“I’m driving,” Angela said.
“But—” Anders protested.
“That’s how it always is, Anders, I drive,” Angela said, walking past him and taking his keys.
Augsburg residence
Anders and Angela walked through the kitchen, their flashlights and guns raised.
“So, I checked on Frau Zadok’s background,” Angela said, “I don't think she's involved.”
Anders looked down and found the cellar door open. He looked at Angela and then descended. Angela followed him down to the cellar, where they found a crushed and bloody skeleton, folded in on itself multiple times.
“Mein Gott,” Angela said, “Looks like it was doused in acid or something.”
“There's no evidence of any reaction of the wood from the acid,” Anders said, “There are tracks in the dirt... they're from a snake.”
“It would take a large python hours to consume and weeks to digest a human being,” Angela said.
“How many hours of the Learning Channel did Demetrios subject you to after waking up?” Anders asked, holding up shed snakeskin.
“Oh, Frau Zadok had a python, didn’t she?” Angela said.
Biala High School conference room – 7:30 PM
The office was lit by three candles. Vitaris, Deborah, and Calcagni stood around the candles.
“Constable Branicki called me,” Vitaris said, “Jacob Augsburg is dead. He was talking to the Athanatoi agents.”
“Did they kill him?” Deborah said.
“You know who killed him,” Calcagni said, “Augsburg was no believer. He had no real faith, no devotion. He was punished for his doubts. We have to act. Or the same thing will happen to us. If it's not already too late.”
Deborah gulped. “We have to assume Jacob told them who we are.”
“If Humboldt knows, it will make the offering all the more meaningful,” Calcagni said.
They heard a car approaching, and Deborah walked to the window, seeing Angela driving up to the school.
“They’re here,” she said, “Lock the office.”
Vitaris blew out the candles. Calcagni walked to the door and opened it. He reached into his pocket and cursed.
“No keys,” he said, “They were in my pocket!”
Science lab
Anders and Angela walked through the trashed lab, where they heard choking groans. They found Zadok lying on the floor next to the snake tank, which was broken and empty.
“Frau Zadok?” Angela asked. “What happened?”
Zadok bled from her mouth. Her glasses lay in pieces on the floor, and she clutched her abdomen.
“I... I... I came back... they were taking the snake...” she said feebly, “Frau Deborah, Herr Vitaris, Herr Calcagni... I think they killed that boy!”
Angela pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “We know about that.”
“Conference room,” Zadok whispered, “It’s all there!”
Angela hung up. “Storm’s messing with my connection. Stay there, Frau Zadok, I’ll lock the door so they can’t come back.”
They ran out of the room. Zadok sat up and smiled, her eyes now pitch black.
---
Angela kicked down the door and stormed into the conference room, gun drawn, Anders following behind. The room appeared empty. They swung their flashlights around while Angela tried the filing cabinets, which were locked. She opened the drawer and found a glass jar containing eyeballs. She was about to say something when there was a bright light and a loud crashing noise from behind Anders. Anders turned around and in time to be hit with a chair held by Vitaris. He stumbled and knocked down a set of bookshelves which Angela avoided. Vitaris charged at Anders again but instead hit the desk. Angela tried aiming her gun, but Deborah slammed a chair against her head, knocking her out. Calcagni hit Anders on the head with another chair, knocking him out too.
Angela woke up to find herself and Anders tied by both the hands and legs and being dragged across the gym. Calcagni followed them, a shotgun in one hand. He turned on the water in two of the stalls, washing their heads.
“I swear I need to electrocute a cadaver when I get home,” Angela muttered.
“It'll make the blood easier to clean up,” Calcagni said.
Deborah raised a large dagger. “Dominus inferus vobisum!”
“Et conferum!” Vitaris and Calcagni said.
She raised the dagger higher, preparing to strike, while Calcagni loaded the shotgun.
“Zeine ist die hand die verletzt,” Deborah said in that archaic German dialect, “Forun dubai.” Calcagni opened fire.
Science lab
Zadok lay on the ground, her neck snapped.
Gymnasium
Deborah looked down and found she had been shot in the back. She turned around and saw Calcagni aiming his smoking shotgun at her, his eyes pitch black. He fired again, blasting Deborah’s head apart. He then turned to Vitaris and shot him in the head too. Then he dropped the shotgun and twisted his head all the way around, snapping his own neck. As his body thudded to the ground, a thick plume of black smoke emanated from his mouth and disappeared into an air vent.
“Mein Gott,” Angela said, “Anders, did you see his face?”
“Did you see the smoke?” Anders said.
“It was like something was possessing him,” Angela said.
“That’s a textbook case of demonic possession,” Anders said.
“Demons don’t exist,” Angela said.
“Well, while you were gone I found out vampires exist, so…” Anders said, cutting his ropes.
“I thought you thought that was just psychological,” Angela said, cutting her ropes as well, “And that still doesn’t explain the existence of demons.”
“Or the frogs,” Anders said.
“Or Jacob’s inexplicable death and regurgitation by python,” Angela said.
They walked back to the science lab and found both it and the office empty.
“Frau Zadok?” Angela asked.
She noticed the blackboard and Zadok’s body on the ground. “Anders, take a look.”
They shone their flashlights on the blackboard, where Zadok had left a message.
"Goodbye. It's been nice working with you."
The power suddenly returned, and the lights turned back on.
“What the frak just happened today?” Angela asked.
“I don’t know,” Anders said, getting out his phone, “But I know someone who might know.”
9:00 PM
Inquisitor Dieter got out of his car and approached the school. Inquisitor Munster got out of the passenger’s seat, carrying a small device. More Inquisition vehicles pulled up behind them, tactical teams getting out and readying their weapons.
“The anomalous readings are coming from inside,” Munster said, “No sign it’s trying to flee.”
Dieter picked up his walkie-talkie. “Alpha and Beta Teams, prepare to lay down a standard salt ring around the campus. We cannot let the target escape.”
“You sure it’s a demon?” Munster said. “Thought we got rid of them all back in 1886.”
“There are rumors a few managed to remain in the mortal world after the Gates closed,” Dieter said, “If what Humboldt told us is true, then we may have a Class 1 situation here.”
“Then it should be easy to handle,” Munster said.
Dieter drew his gun and an anti-demon dagger. “It’s been a while since the Inquisition had a demon to kill.”
Munster smiled. “Let’s get started, then.”