Demons Ascension - Pentagram

[Posted by Ted H]

Vacation time bitches!
...also, this is apparently the 200th post of TNW. Not all of them are stories/poems and not all of them were by me but it's still a nifty accomplishment. Here's to the next 200!

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[Demons Ascension - Pentagram]

            James and Amanda spent some time together before he left to join John, Lyle and some other officers by Bradford's desk where a radio was set up to listen to the cops out waiting by the apartments. The wait began around 3 but by 5:30 many of the officers grew bored or had better things to do. Eventually it was just Lyle, James and John left.
            "According to the ritual timer," James said "We still have half an hour before Croatoan returns or makes any kind of move."
            "Assuming the next murder takes place in the apartments," John said.
            "We've assigned two beat cops for every person in that complex who refuses to leave their home for the night," Lyle said "Plus we have every forensic person possible tearing through this guys apartment. Even if he had the balls to return there, he won't be murdering much of anyone."
            "Guy stood up to a barrage of small arms fire," John said "What makes you think a few beat cops can take him?"
            "Because these guys have tactical gear; shotguns, assault rifles and the like. I don't care what kind of armor that guy has backing, he ain't getting up from a close range shotgun blast."
            "I shot him in the head, twice, and he just kept coming."
            "You're full of it."
            "He leapt over cars and overturned Bradford's. Hell, Bradford tried to run him over and he stopped the car bare handed."
            "John, I don't know what happened in that alley, but I know a human can't stop a speeding car. You need to lay off the crack."
            "You weren't there."
            "I'll believe it when I see it for myself."
            "Are you two always like this?" James asked as both men glared at him before resuming their argument. James rolled his eyes before he walked back over to Bradford's board where he had the big map. On it were the markings of the first four murders. James decided to go ahead and mark the empty lot where Bradford died, completing the star points. He then noticed a different mark due south of the church and due east of the Williams alley.
            "What's this?" he asked as he pointed to the map mark. "That's the park," John said "Approximately where they found the guy who killed the priest." James looked back to the map. The man who killed Father Brooks was later left in a precise and perfect location compared to the location of their crime.
            James grabbed a marker and circled two additional points on the map. This grabbed the interest of Lyle and John. "What are you thinking?" John asked. James had circled a point due south of Stephanie's murder and due west of the Williams alley. He also circled a point directly between the church and Stephanie's house, due north of the Williams alley and the apartments.
            "The guy who killed Williams and Allanson is here," he said as he pointed to the second mark. "John, the guy who killed your sister is here," he said as he pointed to the first mark. They're both dead, I bet just like the guy you already found. It's all part of the ritual."
            "So it's not a star," Lyle said as he looked at the map.
            "Oh, it's still a star," James said "Note how the murderers mirror the location of their victims. Croatoan murdered the last two, hence why they both mirror outwards from the apartments. His little conduit is made."
            "Conduit?" John asked.
            "Conduit," James repeated "His power comes from a flow of energy made possible from the sacrifices."
            "Every conduit needs an end point," John stated "It's like a pipeline. Without an end point, most of what is transferred would be lost."
            "That would be the center then," Lyle said as he walked back to the radio. There was chatter, but it was trivial.
            "It needs to be a circuit," James said "An infinite loop of energy."
            "Well, it looks circular," John said as he traced a circle around the star from one point to the other. He then returned to the desk with Lyle while James studied the map some more. "Everything about the rituals has a reason," he said to himself as his eyes darted between all the marked points. "The people...the locations..." His eyes went from each murder location in order before they went wide and he stepped back "...AND the order!"
            "What was that?" John asked, taking notice of James' words.
            "It's not a star," he said as he spun around and pointed to the map "He didn't make a star, he's drawing a pentagram."
            "Isn't that the same thing?" Lyle asked.
            "No," James said, talking fast "A star can be any number of sides and angles. A pentagram isn't so much a star as it's five intersecting lines that form a five point star. He hasn't closed the conduit yet because he hasn't finished the pentagram. I know where the next murder will be."
            James grabbed the marker and began drawing lines on the map, first from Stephanie's murder to the alley, then from the alley to the church, then to the Hapdale facility, then to where Bradford died. Finally, he drew a line from Bradford back to where Stephanie died. "Why would he go back?" Lyle said aloud before everyone realized. "Twins," James said as he placed the marker down "John, call your sister. Tell her to get out!"
            "I keep getting voicemail," Lyle said as he held up his phone. John tried the house number but it kept ringing. "Are we too late?" he asked, an almost paralyzing feel of terror in his voice. James shot a look to his watch. "We have about 25 minutes," he said as he made for the elevators "Lyle, I need you to drive fast." Lyle nodded and ran for the exit. "Let's roll," John said as he grabbed his coat and went to follow.
            "No, John," James said as he put his hand up "A blood descendant is all that's really required. You come, and you'll just double Croatoan's chances of succeeding."
            "You're not stopping me," John said as he shouldered passed James and followed Lyle, who made no effort to stop his partner. James bit his lip and followed, along the way the young cop with Amanda stepped out. "You're not suppose to leave," he said with wide eyes. "Tell Monroe I'm taking a really big dump," James said without stopping. Amanda didn't notice him leaving, and James knew he didn't have a second to spare to tell her goodbye.
            Lyle drove like a man possessed while John frantically kept alternating between calling Brittany's cell phone and house phone to no avail. Lyle grabbed a radio and called for all available units to converge on the house, knowing that no one was even close to the area because they were all at the apartments. Besides that, no one said a word, the deafening tension driving all three men mad because they knew what was at stake.
            "I don't mean to sound pessimistic," James said at last "But we're about to try and mess with a demon in the midst of his centuries planned ritual armed with two pistols and desperation."
            "So what are you saying?" John asked, not taking the phone away from his ear as he listened to the endless ring-back of the house number.
            "We need a plan or they'll find four dead people in that house."
            "What do you suggest?"