Things didn’t happen the way I expected.
I thought I would be able to rest.
But a demon that’s loose is not something to take your time with. And half an hour after I got off the phone with Abel, I was waiting in my office blissfully unaware that he meant they would be there THAT DAY. My sleep had been awfully interrupted as of late, so I was using the afternoon to nap. But when my phone rang and startled me awake, I realized it may be quite some time before I felt the relief of closing my eyes again.
I answered the phone, groggy. “…Hello?”
“Yes, this is Abel. We are waiting at the park.”
“W - what? OH! You’re already here?! I’ll be right there!” Abel hung up the phone again and I quickly threw my coat on before running out the door.
Five minutes later, I arrived at the park. Two black vans were idling when I pulled in. I parked, stepped out and immediately got another phone call. This time, it was from Captain Leeman.
“Captain?”
“Cain. I came by your office, but saw you weren’t there. I’ve got some… strange news for you.”
“Yeah, sorry sir. I’m actually at the park right now, following a lead. What happened?”
“The man, the one you brought in? Well… he’s dead.”
“Dead? How?”
Suddenly, a man stepped out of one of the vans and began to walk towards me. He was wearing a black trench coat and a white priest collar. On his head he wore a wide-brimmed black hat with a rosary dangling from it. He appeared to be young, as his face was clean shaven, but as he got closer, I knew he was more my age.
Captain Leeman continued as the man finished his approach. “Well, I don’t know if you’ll believe this. But somehow, branches grew through the concrete into his body. We found him nearly pressed against the ceiling by a thick brush. I thought you should know, if you plan on going into those woods again.”
“That’s… terrible, sir. I’ll be sure to be careful. Thank you for notifying me, but I must be going. Keep me filled in if anything else comes up and take care of yourself.”
“You too, Cain.” He said as the end call sound rang in my ear.
When I put my phone away, I stuck out my hand towards the man patiently standing before me. He firmly gripped it and gave a nod. “Hello, I am Agent Abel,” he said quietly.
“Good to meet you, I’m Detective Avery Cain.”
“Ah, yes. A name I could never forget. Cain and Abel come to stop a demon. Seems rather biblical, dare I say, end times?”
“I don’t know about all that, but it’s definitely a strange coincidence.”
He smiled, “Well, anyway. My team has already begun conducting research of the area. Is there any information you can give me that might help us further?”
“Before I answer you, can I ask how you got here so quickly?”
“Trade secret, Cain. In other words, it’s classified.”
“Something I’m used to. Well, all I know is what I’ve already told you. Some years ago, that being over four hundred years, the colonists of Ridgewood made a pact with a clearing of trees. Turns out, as far as I’ve gathered, they really made a pact with a demon called Amdusias.”
“Hell’s musician,” said Abel confidently.
“Yes, exactly.”
“That’s a tall order. Don’t worry though, our organization will sort this out. Say, you mentioned something about children going missing?”
“Sure, but that’s an understatement. More than five hundred children have gone missing and a strange man I interrogated said they were culled by the trees.”
“Where is he now?” asked Abel curiously.
“He’s dead. Killed by a thrashing of branches in his own jail cell. I was on the phone with my superior discussing it when you approached me.”
“That’s unfortunate. On all accounts. Well, let’s get this over with.”
I was taken aback, “Get this over with? Is it really that simple?”
“It won’t be simple, but it will be done.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“We’ll keep you around to help the children when they emerge.”
Abel began walking back towards the vans and I followed, “Emerge?”
“You’ll see, this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with something like this. Each time is unique, but some aspects remain the same.”
“Okay, well, shall I show you to the clearing?”
“Yes, wait… what’s that?” asked Abel, pointing into the woods.
“What’s, what?…” I asked while tracing the length of his finger with my eyes.
When I saw what he was pointing at, I nearly got in my car and left. Standing at the edge of the forest, was a child.
A dead child.
Not completely dead, though, because she was still standing. But nobody could live with their entire jaw hanging near their chest.
“Demon trickery.” said Abel as he turned away from the visage of death.
“Abel, that’s a child!”
“Just a mockery of one. Purely a hallucination, nothing more. Pay it no mind, or they will get worse.”
I struggled to turn away, but managed to fix my sights on the contents in one of the vans. Instruments, electronics, tools, books and other equipment were tightly packed inside. “Is all of this necessary?” I asked.
“No, just this.” remarked Abel as he reached for an old trumpet.
“A… trumpet?”
“Yeah, you’ve seen one before, right?”
“I’m not an idiot. Of course I’ve seen one, I want to know what it’s for?”
“You’ll see.”
I shook my head, “You’re far too cryptic for me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said as he pressed the trumpet to his lips. He blew two quick notes before lowering it.
“Well, it works.”
“You play?” he asked curiously.
“No, I’m more of a bass man.”
“That’s okay. I planned on being the one to play it anyway,” he began, then he shouted to the other van. “Mary! Get out here!”
“You’re going to play it?” I asked as a young woman stepped out of the van.
“Yes. Amdusias loathes tasteful musicianship. With this, we can drive him away. Well, with a couple of parting words to give the exorcism some extra oomph!”
“I’m going to pretend like I understand any of that.”
“Any of what?” asked Mary, finally joining the conversation.
“Go deal with the apparition in the forest,” said Abel sternly.
“Oh… yes sir!” answered Mary before running off towards the dead child.
“She’ll join us later. I need you to take me to the clearing now, and… do your best to ignore anything you might see or hear,” said Abel nonchalantly.
“Right-o, well, just follow me,” I said, feeling for my gun just so I knew it was there.
We took a circuitous route through the forest until we came upon the clearing. Abel appeared used to this kind of travel as he managed to keep up despite the amount of things he carried. When he saw the twisted oak in the center, he reached for the rosary dangling off his hat. Less than a minute later Mary arrived out of breath. Clearly her experience with field work was minimal.
“Right on time,” said Abel, perturbed.
“Yes sir! What can I do to help, sir?!” she asked eagerly.
“Perform the evocation, Mary. That’ll be all,” said Abel sternly.
“What do I do?” I asked, taking a step back.
“Just watch and learn,” he said as he pulled the trumpet to his lips. Mary approached the oak and revealed a book from the inside of her coat.
Abel began to play a kind of noir tune, like one you hear in those old movies about the mob. It would be pleasant, if it weren’t for the over a dozen faces peeking out at me from behind the trees around us. Each one bled from the mouth; it seemed they had no teeth. Every note Abel played caused them to recoil, like he had forced a sour note against the chalkboard of their minds.
Mary fronted her palm towards the oak and held the book open to around the middle. The sky darkened and the trees shook even in the absence of the wind. Then, Mary began chanting, “Oh, holy father. Please bestow your grace upon my words. Give for me your strength to force this servant of Satan from our earthly realm!” Lightning struck nearby. Abel played louder and the creatures behind the trees advanced. Gangly things they were, like skin-tight skeletons.
I pulled out my gun and fired a single shot into one of them. The effect was minimal; they continued to advance regardless. Abel’s trumpet playing became erratic, like something had possessed him, but he still appeared normal.
Then, I saw it. I’m not sure how else to describe it other than a creature that had a human body with a unicorn head. Trumpets hung from ribbons off its body and its eyes were right on Abel. It was crouched on one of the oak’s branches. I was so entranced by it that I failed to notice the other creatures being nearly within arms reach. Abel pulled his trumpet down and shouted, “Mary, there it is! Keep going, I’ll change the tune!”
He started to play something orchestral and an immediate reaction came from the demon. It howled and pulled its own trumpet to its horse-like mouth and played a dissonant tune that forced me to my knees. Mary winced before powering through the effect and shouting, “You are not of this Earth! Begone, foul spawn of Satan! The power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, compels you! Go now! Leave this plane! Return whence you came!”
The demon continued to play. I noticed the skeleton-esque creatures were responding to each sour note. They would twist and turn like the sound controlled them. Out of some strange impulse, I shot at the demon and put a hole in its trumpet. The sound being produced turned to one of air being forced through a straw. Abel took the opportunity to play even louder, now some kind of jazz performance.
The demon, Amdusias, covered the sides of its head. Mary continued her devout display and Abel played unabated. I merely watched, and when the creatures got too close, I’d move; they were incredibly slow. For some reason, they avoided both Mary and Abel; it must have had something to do with their faith.
What I didn’t expect was an attack from below.
It started as a strange sensation on my ankle, I thought maybe the intensity of the situation was making my body respond in unknown ways. But when I looked down, I saw a small hand gripping my leg. I pulled away but its grip was tremendously strong and it caused me to fall backwards.
Then, another hand emerged from the soft ground. Suddenly, a child’s face appeared and she uttered the words, “Please save us!”
“We’re trying to help you!” I shouted, but the little girl began pulling me towards her all the while continuing to say the same words.
“Please… save us!” she said again. I turned onto my stomach and clawed at the ground, desperately looking for something to grasp.
“Abel, Help!” I cried, but the cacophonous instrument playing and Mary’s shouting drowned me out. My legs began to sink into the ground and nothing I did stopped it.
Mary went on, “This is your end, Amdusias, musician of Hell! Release this town and its children from your grasp! Do as I command; Christ’s power is beyond yours!”
Amdusias answered, “N - no! I will n - never leave!”
Abel played faster with greater intensity. The storm above became looming and the rain started to fall like the very flood that the heavens promised against.
My entire torso had sunken into the ground, but neither Abel nor Mary noticed. I was crying out for help, nearly screaming for mercy, for anything at all. Mary issued one command as she thrust her crucifix forward, “You are compelled to LEAVE! Amdusias, evil, death, wretched and wicked, begone from this plane, begone at once!” After finishing, chains shot out of her crucifix and wrapped around Amdusias.
Abel lowered his trumpet and revealed a crucifix of his own. And his, too, produced a mass of chains that snapped tightly around Amdusias’s gruesome body. I was trying to press my palms firmly against the top of the ground, but it was futile as the earth had become too soft for leverage.
But, just when I thought I’d be swallowed by the earth. A lightning bolt struck Amdusias and he let out a terrifying howl. The chains pulled him from the trees and bore a circular hole in the ground. Within seconds a flaming spire of molten rock and intense heat emerged from the hole and began sucking Amdusias into it.
Abel and Mary held fast. Then, I realized I could push myself up from out of the ground. The grip around my ankles was gone, the creatures creeping towards us from the trees were gone and the storm above had begun to dissipate. Amdusias howled and cursed, “Deplorable humans! You won’t keep me subdued for long, I will be back!”
Then, the hole closed and cut Abel and Mary’s chains with a resounding CLINK.
Silence filled the air.
Abel walked over and helped me to my feet. “Is it done?” I asked.
“It is, for now. We can’t be sure if he will come back.” said Abel.
“What about the children?”
“They should be returning any minute now,” said Mary with a smile.
“Mommy?” asked a faint voice from behind us.
I turned around and saw a little girl who had emerged from the trees. Then another, and another. Soon every child that had disappeared filled the clearing. Immediately, I called the police, who called the news, who also notified each family. In a matter of moments, Argyle Woods was buzzing like a hornet’s nest with question askers, thankful parents and conspiracy theorists.
Abel and Mary took their leave before anyone could interview them. I decided to join them in the parking lot, to wish them farewell.
Mary began packing up their things and Abel turned to me, “Well, that’s that. It’s time for us to leave now, detective.”
“What do I tell these people about their children? I mean, there isn’t anything that will make sense to them.”
“Tell them it was an act of divine intervention. But if they’re worth their weight in salt, they’ll just be grateful to have their children back.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Sure am, this isn’t my first day doing this.” said Abel with a sly smile.
“Judging by how you two handled things, I’m sure it isn’t.”
“Yes, well, we’ll be leaving now. I would say I hope to see you again, but that would only mean something horrible for somebody. So I wish you well.”
“Me too!” said Mary.
“Thank you both. Drive safely, and hey, if there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Can’t say that we will, but weird things happen every day.” retorted Abel as he hopped in one of the Van’s.
Both Abel and Mary sped away, and I got in my own car, eager to go home. It had been an incredibly long investigation and the result had little to do with me. I was sure I would be receiving hundreds of questions, so I wanted to get some rest before they piled on.
Some stories have happy endings, some don’t. Some go quick, and some burn slow. But one thing is certain. NEVER trust a demon, especially one that plays a trumpet, those things can be really annoying if they’re played sour and if their name is Amdusias? Well, he’s the worst player of them all.
-Detective Avery Cain.