HALLOWEEN THREE
Joan arrives at the Arcadia High quad before any of the cops and gasps in horror at what she sees. Three sheriff's deputies, two city police officers and a school guard are all dead, each shot once in the head. Joan recognizes both cops and the guard from when she was a student here. An overwhelming sense of guilt envelopes Joan as she blames herself for not stopping this. Even worse, Joan notices that four of the guns belonging to the fallen officers have been taken. The death demon occupying Dennis Park realizes this will be its' last chance to use that body for its' fun and games, so the quota of 13 is off the table. It plans on a bloodbath.
Joan hears a noise and turns… "Ms Lishack? What are you doing here?"
Elaine Lishack comes closer, seemingly undisturbed by the grisly scene. "I'm a chaperone at the dance and two of our students have gone missing. I came to look for them. But what are you doing here, Joan? Nostalgia for the old school?"
"I…saw all the cops and came to see what was going on."
"And the police just let you through their lines? Oh, of course they did. Being the town hero and police chief's daughter must come in handy."
Joan sighs. She doesn't need her ability to read people to detect the sarcasm in Lishack's voice. Issac Dunn filled Joan in on Lishack's colorful and secretive past.
"Let's cut the crap Ms Lishack, or should I say Agent 66?"
Lishack smiles and retrieves one of the remaining pistols from the fallen cops. She looks quite at home with a gun in her hand…
"And how is I.B. these days?"
"Creepy and borderline psychotic."
"He wasn't always that way. Nine-eleven changed him so much. Before that he was extremely dedicated but still fairly reasonable. Not to mention a more than adequate lover."
"You and I.B.? Eww."
"Don't judge. Back then he was younger and a lot hotter." (Lishack sighs.) "But then, so was I. It didn't end well between us."
"Which might explain why I.B. has it in for you, 66."
Lishack frowns. "Joan, I like you, but you have to accept that Agent 66 is gone forever. I must consider the safety of my daughter. So, use that name again and I will kill you."
Before Joan can respond, all of the lights at Arcadia High go out.
"The killer has cut the power." Lishack comments in the darkness.
"I have to find him before he can kill again."
A noise behind them causes Lishack to spin about, gun at the ready. "Freeze!"
"D-Don't shoot Ms Lishack, it's me." pleads the frightened voice of someone in a skeleton costume.
"Mr. Beaumont?"
The 'skeleton' comes closer, removing his mask.
"Noah Beaumont?" Joan asks.
"Hey Joan."
The two exchange a brief hug.
"Wow Noah, impressive growth spurt. The last time we saw each other you were two inches shorter than me. Now you must be nearly four inches taller."
"I was a freshman then. Now I'm a junior." Noah proudly replies.
Lishack asks, "Mr. Beaumont, you're one of my two missing students. Why did you leave the gym?"
"My date, Roberta Morrison, freaked out and ran away. I've been trying to find her."
"I've been looking for her too, but with no luck. Joan…" (Lishack realizes Joan is already gone.) "Where…?"
"She ran for the stairs, Ms Lishack."
"Stay here Mr. Beaumont, hands in the air and unmoving. The police will be jumpy when they see all of these dead bodies."
Noah, who has missed seeing the corpses in the dark, reacts… "Oh-my-God! Ms Lishack, what happened here? Ms Lishack…?"
But Lishack is gone too. A dozen flashlights suddenly shine on Noah, and he raises his hands…
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot, I'm a student!"
X X X X X
After a fast run up three flights of stairs, guided by Hester Jabert's ghost, Joan arrives at the steel door that leads to the roof. She hasn't been here since junior year when she and Adam use to make out up here. Before Bonnie… No, she must focus. The immensely evil thing behind this door is more powerful than any demon Joan has faced before. No matter how long the odds, Joan knows she must take the risk to rid the world of this monstrous being. Even now, through the steel door, Joan can feel the demon's constant emission of hate and its' glee in the pain and death it causes…
"Come to me instrument of God. I know you are there." it hisses.
Why do demons always hiss? A reminder of the snake in the garden? Focusing on her faith in God, Joan raises her silver cross and opens the door… Dennis Park would be nearly unrecognizable by those who know him. His face is distorted by a level of hate and pain that is beyond what any human was meant to endure. But it is not Dennis Park who is in control of that body. The death demon casually awaits Joan, gun at its' side and supremely confident of his ability to kill God's chosen instrument.
"Foolish child, you actually are stupid enough to face me?" the demon chortles.
"By the power of Almight God, I bind you!"
The demon laughs again. "You? Bind me?"
Joan steps closer. "By the power of Almighty God, I bind you."
Smiling, the evil thing begins to raise the pistol, but the highly trained body of Dennis Park responds with surprising slowness. The demon stops smiling.
"By the power of Almight God, I bind you."
The triple repetition has a spirtitual power of its' own, and the demon is stunned to find it can not move.
"Your faith…is strong, but neither you nor that trinket can hold me for long."
Joan knows it is true. Even now Park's hand is rising again, millimeter by millimeter. Joan's body begins to drain of all energy as her all too mortal form tries to deal with the waves of demonic force that are crashing against her soul. The demon's power and range are limited by the human casing, but Joan realizes she must wrap this up fast before the hate coming from this thing causes everyone at Arcadia High to turn on each other.
The demon snarls, "You little bitch, I will destroy you and all those you care for. I will disembowel your father, I will rape and strangle your mother, I will cause your brothers to turn on each other with knives and I will roast your baby sister alive. All those you love will die cursing your name!"
The accompanying mental images of these threats being carried out enter Joan's mind. She fears and faith recedes. Joan's hold on the demon ends.
"Yes!" the demon shouts as it raises the pistol even with Joan's head. The shot rings out…
X X X X X
Down in the quad, hiding in the bushes, Roberta Morrison remains concealed, petrified with fear. After witnessing the horrifying deaths of the law enforcement officers, Roberta cowered with her eyes closed and her hands over her ears. The trauma she has experienced makes it impossible for her to do anything but shiver…except, now new sensations are overcoming the teenaged girl. An unnatural anger rises to a level Roberta has never experienced before. The face and name of an old enemy comes to Roberta's mind, someone she hasn't thought of in a long time, and hate fills the girl's soul. Murderous thoughts become fixed in Roberta's mind. With surprising calm, Roberta stealthily crawls out of hiding and unnoticed by the distracted cops, she retrieves the last pistol. It belongs to the fallen security guard. Normally they do not carry firearms, but a supply of revolvers are kept locked away in the principal's safe for just such an emergency. Roberta returns to her hiding place, already plotting the where and when of how she will murder the man who killed her father. Will Girardi must die…
X X X X X
Back on the rooftop as the echoes of the gunshot are fading, the demon howls—experiencing physical pain for the first time in its' existence. Standing in the rooftop doorway, Elaine Lishack pauses, wondering if shooting the gun out of this man's hand is enough or should she finish him? He still has several guns tucked into his belt. Normally '66' would not hesitate like this, but it has been years since she killed anyone and she is unsure. Just as she is unsure of how she got to the rooftop. Originally Lishack intended to go to the basement where the power junctions must have been cut, but an irresistable hunch compelled her to go up…
Joan does not hesitate to take advantage of this distraction. Using the angelic fighting methods she has been taught, Joan strikes – one, two, three times. Dennis Park's body falls with two broken legs and a cracked sternum. Joan jumps onto Park, her knees landing on his chest, adding extra pain to his injuries.
"How's that for a sensation, demon?"
Joan's faith is back stronger than ever. She is God's chosen instrument. She stands in His presence, confident of the Father's love. She has been kissed on the cheek by God! What is this thing compared to that? Joan slaps the silver cross onto the demon's face and it howls with a level of pain it could not imagine.
"Death demon, by the power of Almighty God, I cast you into hell!"
It is no contest. With one last writhe of agony and a scream of despair, the vile prince of the devil's kingdom leaves Dennis Park's body and goes…down. But, a moment later a small voice whines…
"Please, please O' instrument of God, have mercy on me."
With the death demon gone, that only leaves the weak amnesia demon to deal with. Joan stands, knowing that even if Park's body wasn't heavily damaged, this demon would pose no threat to her. Joan sighs, realizing she still has a very unpleasant task ahead of her. Joan barely notices the flash of light as Hester Jabert crosses over without so much as a thank you. She addresses the amnesia demon...
"I'll give you a choice little demon. Be cast into hell or voluntarily leave this host."
In a shocked voice it replies, "Break the contract? You know I can't."
"You can on my authority."
"You…would let me go?" (The demon chuckles.) "Oh, I see. If I voluntarily leave, Dennis Park's memories will return in full, including all he has done since he has been mine."
"Choose."
"Yes, I accept! Anything other than the pit."
"Then by the power of Almighty God, I release you from this man. You are cast into the darkness."
Park's body spasms again and Joan senses the amnesia demon leaving the man.
She adds, "I warn you demon, never return to my territory. I'll know."
There is a brief moment of calm before Dennis Park begins to moan in pain from his injuries. Even more painful is the shocking memories of his horrible crimes returning to his mind…
"My God, my God, what have I done?"
Joan coldly replies, "You sold your soul to a demon for the lie of some peace of mind. Now 45 people are dead by your hand, all because you couldn't man up and face your life, soldier."
Tears fill Park's eyes. "You don't understand, I killed a child! How could I live with that?"
"It was an accident of war. Tough to face, but therapy was available. You however, were just too weak to stick with it. You wanted an easy way out of your nightmare, Dennis Park. You knew what the demon was, you knew it was evil, but still you sold your soul. You didn't care what it did as long as you found relief. You didn't care what would happen to others. Only you mattered. You pathetic little coward!"
Dennis Park sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
"Sorry won't bring back the people you murdered. Sorry won't erase the suffering of their families. And what of your family?"
"What…what do you mean?"
"Hear all of those voices down below? The cops are on the way to arrest the famous Halloween Killer. You are facing multiple trials in several states with the death penalty sure to follow. There will be years of appeals and unending headlines for more than a decade. You'll be famous, Dennis. And so will your family. From now on their lives will be hell as the media keeps going back to them trial after trial, appeal after appeal. Your parents, your wife and your children will suffer as their lives are destroyed by the never ending fame of your crimes."
Park nods, getting it. "Unless…my story is just a flash in the pan?"
"Fifteen minutes of unpleasant fame followed by the obscurity of fleeting public attention. Eventually your family will move away, change their names and be forgotten. But only if…it ends now."
Park needs no further prompting. Calmly, he removes one of the remaining pistols from his belt and raises it to his head. Joan turns away and hears the shot…
Bitterly she remarks, "Two birds with one stone."
Joan feels sick. Being able to read Park, she knew exactly which buttons to push, what combination of words and emotions that would end in this result. She may as well have pulled the trigger herself. But she could not allow Dennis Park to be captured alive. At dawn the death demon's short term contract with this human would expire, and a living Dennis Park was the demon's exit out of hell and back into this world. With Park dead, the death demon is sealed in hell forever.
As instructed, two birds with one stone. A dead serial killer to satisfy the authorities, and a powerful death demon banished until the end of time. All in exchange for the life of a man who could not live with what he had done. Joan knows the feeling. Oh God, how had her life come to this? What right did she have to decide who lived and who died? How can she keep doing this and stay sane...if she is still sane. The last time she was on this roof, in Adam's arms, she could never imagine a Joan Girardi capable of prodding a pathetic, broken man into suicide no matter how just or how necessary the cause. Overwhelmed by her feelings, Joan has become too distracted to remember Elaine Lishack.
The knock out blow comes as a complete surprise.
To Be Continued.