The Devil In The Details

A bit late, but this is my #FridayFrights.

“Evan, hurry up. I swear, we’ll leave you behind.”

Evan pushed his glasses up his nose and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I think I twisted my ankle back there.”

“Well maybe if you weren’t so clumsy…”

“Be nice, Keith,” Brenda said, reaching out to give Evan a hand up the incline. “Evan didn’t grow up around here, he can’t be expected to know the terrain as well as we do.”

“I think the clumsiness is all an act,” Hannah said, nudging Janine. “to get Brenda to pay attention to him.”

Evan laughed at the joke. “You aren’t serious. You know Brenda isn’t interested in me… no girl is.”

“Not so,” Janine crooned, taking his other hand. “Just get rid of those glasses and I bet girls would be falling all over you.”

“And work on your clammy hands,” Brenda suggested, letting go of him once they were at the top of the hill.

Evan rubbed his hands along his jeans and smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit nervous. I’m the new guy, it’s All Hallows Eve and you guys are taking me someplace secret.”

“It’s no secret where we’re going,” Keith said. “Wolf Road is just over the hill.”

Evan cleared his throat, nervously. “I thought Wolf Road was closed.”

“It is,” Brenda said, “which is what makes it a great hangout for us. No cars and a lot of privacy.”

“Sounds great… but, um, I know I’m the new guy here, but didn’t I hear a story about Wolf Road? Devil worshippers or something like that?”

“The Witch of Wolf Road,” Hannah said. “She and her Coven used to sacrifice babies on All Hallows Eve, an offering to her lover, Satan himself.”

“And this is where we’re going?” Evan looked down the hill towards the river and the broken down bridge that could be seen from where they stood.

“Relax,” Brenda laughed, “the Sheriff and some of the town’s people hunted her down, about 50 years ago or so, and killed her.”

“You’re not telling him the whole story,” Janine scolded, as they began the descent down the side of the hill.  She took Evan’s hand, mostly for balance, but also to make sure he was listening. “She was Brenda’s great grandmother. The rumor is that she comes back every Halloween Eve, looking for a virgin to sacrifice. That’s why we come.”

“We want to join her coven,” Hannah said.

They had reached the bridge. Evan looked around. Candles were placed at different points around the bridge, their flames flickering wickedly in the dark. You couldn’t see the light from the road, but it was evident someone had been there earlier.  His eyes fell on a slab that was stained with what looked like blood. Evan cleared his throat again and tried to sound like he was joking. “Are you saying one of you is a virgin?”

“Well not us… but you are.” Keith was standing behind Evan and didn’t expect much of a fight. The kid was scrawny and clearly not in very good physical shape. He reached out and wrapped his arms around him, intending to lift him off the ground and onto the alter. He wasn’t expecting Evan to throw his head backwards into his face.

“Son of a bitch!” Keith let go of Evan and grabbed hold of his nose. Blood seeped through his fingers and dripped onto his shirt. He glared at Evan and growled. “I’m going to kill you.”

Evan didn’t wait for him to make the next move. He slammed his fist into Keith’s chest. The larger boy fell backwards, surprise spreading across his face. Then he frowned and looked down at his chest. There was a hole where his heart should be and blood was soaking into what remained of his sweater. He looked back up. Evan stood over him, holding Keith’s heart up so the girls could see.

Janine was the first to scream. She ran for Evan, clawing at his face.  Her finger’s raked off the glasses that she had earlier told him would make him more attractive if he were to ditch them. Now she got a clearer view of his eyes. They stared back into hers, red and angry. He dropped Keith’s heart and took hold of her arms.

“Well, what do we have here,” he said, his voice becoming deeper as his appearance began to change. “It looks like we have a virgin after all.”

“Master, is it really you?” Brenda approached him, her appearance changing as well, taking on more aged features.

“Yes, witch, it is I.” He lifted Janine up and laid her on the altar. Hannah was slowly backing away. Evan turned towards her, stopping her with a glance. “I thought you wanted to join the coven.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be real. It was just a prank… we were going to scare you, that’s all.”

“It’s all fun and games, until someone gets their heart ripped out,” Evan said, retrieving Keith’s heart from the ground.

Hannah screamed.  She tried to run but found Keith standing behind her, an undead monstrosity. He took hold of her, waiting for his master’s instructions.

“There’s no changing your mind. You took an oath to serve me. I don’t need you alive for that to happen.” Evan stepped away from the table, letting Brenda take over. She took a knife and slit Janine’s sweater open, revealing small breasts and a swelling belly. Then she covered her with dead roses.

“I’m not a virgin,” Janine screamed. “I’ve been screwing Keith behind your back. So has Hannah.”

“Shut up!” Hannah screamed.

 Janine’s eyes widened. Janine’s voice was desperate. “I’m pregnant, for God’s sake.”

Brenda took the dagger and pushed it into Janine’s belly. She was careful not to cut too deep and damage the developing child. Janine’s screams died as she passed out from the pain.

Evan laughed. “It’s the devil in the details, isn’t it? You aren’t the sacrifice, silly girl. It’s what you carry inside of you…”

Word Count: 1,000