Exceptional Steven and Doc faceoff against the forces of evil The Glass Cat Eye : Hell Breaks Loose on Kingston Hill by amahra

(Chapter Eight)             Steven drove the Hummer like a madman through the suicide back road passage.   “Slow down, you fool, you’ll get us both killed,” Doc raised his voice.    “You just get those codes straight, old man; I got this.”   Moonlight paled in comparison to the lightning flashes that surrounded the vehicle every minute like new suns bursting into flames. While the sinister intentions of 24 inch deep mud puddles swallowed up the path, Steven battled to compete with the high speed winds and treacherous rainfall. The car swayed against the bone-chilling winds as he pushed the engine towards the Kingston Hill mansion. The one hour drive that should have ended minutes before was still an hour away–thanks to the menacing storm. The windshield wipers failed to smack away the rain as it fell too quickly against the glass. After forty minutes, Steven still struggled to see the road. Then as the headlights beamed, the dark mansion suddenly appeared, like a black Hell made of stone–sitting high beneath a thousand tiny streams of pouring rain and a cracked sky of lightning bolts.   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   Kingston Hill Mansion    After Esther’s recapture, she tried desperately to hold on to new hope. Her nude body twitched from the cold. The inhabitants of the house went about their ceremonious routines for the sacrifice, deaf to her moaning until an attendant came to offer her comfort and to tell how fortunate she was to be used for the Coming.  She helped Esther with a small cup of strong tea, one sip at a time.  The hot liquid revived her and she began to beg for her life. The attendant looked no older than Esther and wore a black cloak with a hood that half covered her strawberry blonde hair. She stroked Esther’s dark locks with her hand. Her eyes showed a strange mixture of sympathy and sinister mischief as she stared down at Esther; she smiled and appeared to float from the room–her long cloak trailing behind her.             Esther shivered inside the chilled room that held her captive. The struggle and drugs left her weak and somewhat disoriented, but she still had her wits about her, and she fought to stay focused. She turned her face to the wall and sighed.   “Don’t be afraid.” She heard Steven say in her mind. “You be brave and stay strong.”    “Don’t be afraid,” she whispered to herself. “Be brave,” she slurred. Her voice trailed off as she drifted into a drug-induced sleep. Her young attendant peeked into the room and grinned.   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   The thunder bellowed outside the mansion as the heavy rain splashed against its morbid stone.             “Doc, I found a way in,” Steven shouted as he smashed a large rock against the basement window.    “You know, you’re starting to get good at this?” Doc joked.   Steven smiled as he led the way in.  They walked in a bit,  then stood and looked around the eerie quietness of the place.  It looked like a huge warehouse and had a very high ceiling.  It appeared to be ancient markings of gothic themes on the ceiling, walls and floors. There in that hellhole, it was impossible for Steven to deny his mission any longer. This was more than just about Esther, he thought to himself. Doc’s eyes widened, and Steven reverted to that night of terror when he nearly lost his life.   “Doc, this looks identical to Madame Reece’s basement., except it's larger.  Everything is set up the same way–the floor, the walls; even that stuff animal there in the corner.”   Doc felt in his guts what Steven must have experienced that night. He knew from his research and Steven’s code breakings exactly what they were seeing.  He noticed some of the supplies that were stacked neatly on the shelves. There were chalices, Tarot deck cards, teas, daggers, swords, beeswax, candles, pendulums, oils, incense, herbal smokes, Native American smoke pipes and much more. Doc wanted to explore more of the shelves, but the huge Ouija Board design that covered a large area of the center of the floor captured his eyes.  He examined the heart-shaped hunk of wood, known as the planchette–used to communicate with spirits. Doc’s face turned ash white as he encountered chilling vibes from the board.      “You alright?” Steven asked with a frown.   “We’ve got to get out of here and find another entrance,” Doc said, backing up.   Steven never asked Doc why, but quickly followed him out of the window and back into the arms of the terrible storm. They scrambled through the rain until they found a stone staircase leading into another level of the house. Steven forced his way into, what seemed to be, a very large library. He cased the room, checking behind each door. One door led to a long hallway, and he cautiously cracked the door and peeked out. Then he signaled to Doc that all was clear. Doc breathed a sigh of relief.   “What happened to you down there?” Steven asked.   “Wherever there’s an active Ouija board, there’s a port opening.”   “You mean where spirits can get through?”   “Precisely,” Doc answered.   “You see,” Doc said, “demons are very territorial. Once they’re permitted to get through, they assign themselves to the very object that was used to bring them into our world. In this case, the Ouija Board.  But the boards are not possessed. Spirits can only possess living flesh unless that flesh was a sacrifice for their entrance.   “Hey, the dead girl;” Stevens said with a snap of his fingers.    “Exactly,” Doc said.   “The only way to be rid of them,” Doc continued, “is to sever their connection to this world. This can only be done by destroying the object that they are bound to. Break this connection, and they are expelled back to their realm. Because they fear this, they will launch a deadly attack on any stranger who comes near the board.  And will kill even the ones who brought them here, if they sense betrayal.”   “So, that’s why it attacked ‘me.’ It thought I was there to destroy the board,” Steven said with enlightenment.”   Doc nodded in agreement.   “Doc, knowing this… is all the more reason for us to find Esther and beat the hell out of here, don’t you think?”   “Yes. But ‘you’ find Esther. I’ve got to go back down.”   “Way–way–wait; what are you talking about? You’re not going back down there?”   Doc didn’t answer, but pulled out the blueprints and floor plans of the mansion. He got down on his knees and spread the large sheets out over the floor–smoothing out the wrinkles with his hand.   “Now here is the main entrance of the mansion,” he began, “there are only four empty rooms; one of them has to be where Esther is being held. She’s not in danger yet, because these people are very meticulous about preparations and rituals and such. And of course, it’s not midnight yet either. You have only three hours to find her and get out.”   “And you’re staying here to do what?” Steven asked sarcastically.   “Son, you know what I must do. What I’ve always said I would do. These people have to be stopped.”   “You think I’m going to let you go down there alone?”   “I’ve studied and trained years for this. You’ve done all that I’ve asked you to do. Only I can do the rest.”   For the first time, Steven realized his deep feelings for the man. He felt both sad and proud at Doc’s willingness to put his life on the line.   “Doc, let me help you. Please.”   “No. It’s too dangerous.”   “But we both can find Esther and head back here and take care of whatever it is we have to take care of. Right?”   “Son, I know how much you love her, that’s why I kept this from you until now.  She’s a sacrifice, Steve. They’re going to kill her. There has to be a blood sacrifice for the spirits to enter.”   Steven rocked back on his heels. A part of him suspected that, but he just never brought himself to accept it. Now Doc’s words made it his reality. He tried to restrain himself, but his eyes filled up.   “But why Esther?” He asked.   “There isn’t time to explain, Steve. You’ve got to get going.”   He looked up at the ceiling and then down at the floor. He took a few steps forward and snatched up the sheets off the floor and headed for the door. He looked back at Doc very affectionately and spoke to him, he thought, for the last time.   “God be with you, Doc.”  Doc pressed his lips together and nodded. Steven cracked the door and peeked through, then eased out of the room.   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~                                                                     Recognized Author Notes I would like to thank jgrace for the beautiful artwork, "God's Crystal Ball."

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