Episode 0: "The Crooked Mile"
Deep in a wooded area in Colorado Springs...
A group of teenagers; three males and four females, are hiking in the woods. Their group leader, a blonde haired adolescent guy named Jimmy, points at a clearing. "Hey, guys! I think I found a spot for us to set up camp!"
The second one, a brown-haired girl with braces, smiles and nods her head. "Ooh, that does look nice! Clear enough for us to pitch tents, and..."
As they reach the clearing, however, all speech ends abruptly. There, in the middle of the clearing, stands an old, rickety wooden two-story house. The windows are mostly shattered, and the door is sealed shut. The old wooden fence in front of it has a gate that's loosely blowing open and shut.
The girl at the end of the line of adolescents, Tabatha with the glasses, shakes her head. "Uh... guys, we should probably just leave this place alone."
Jimmy smirks. "Pfft. Why, Tab? Scared of the ghosts that haunt this place?"
Tabatha looks away, while Jimmy raises his hands up in a joking manner. "Ooh, or maybe you're afraid of the Crooked Man?"
Janice, the one with the braces, pops him in the chest softly. "Cut it out, Jim! Besides, I'm with Tabatha here. Who knows what kinds of things could be in there?!"
The sound of thunder fills the air suddenly. Before they could even react, a light sprinkle of rain starts to drip over them.
"Ah, come on... really?!" Tomas complains, being the second boy in the group. "Dude, now we've gotta go in there, or our phones'll get wet!"
"Fair enough. C'mon, let's go." Jim says, as the group approaches the house.
As they are about to reach the wooden fence, the tension of the place only gets worse. Then, very slowly, the front door creaks open, causing the group to freeze in place.
But nothing stands on the other side of the door... only the darkness of the home's interior.
"Just the wind. C'mon, let's check it out." Jimmy tells the group. They all, one by one, enter the house. Behind them, the door slams shut.
The group manages to get a lantern lit within the Living Room. At this point, the rain pounds on the ceiling very roughly. A heavy thunderstorm is all that remains outside, with the sunset drawing nearer. In one hour, the outside would be entirely pitch black.
"Well... guess we're camping inside tonight." Jim says to the group. The group, at this time, consists of Jimmy the group's leader, his sister Janice, Tomas the joker of the group, Tabatha the smart one, Ryan the stronger one, Sarah the blonde social one, and Tanya the one that's training in Medical School.
Tom looks at Jim and says, "Well no shit, Sherlock. So... what to we do now?"
Tanya shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know about you guys, but I kinda just want to sleep this whole thing off... this place is creepy as hell."
Sarah just mumbles something as she taps on her phone's touchscreen. "Well, this place isn't in the grid, so we can't just call for help."
"Great, so we're literally trapped here." Ryan complains. "Well, I guess I'll just see if there's any board games in this place, or something."
"Actually, I brought something we all might get a kick out of." Jim says, before plopping his backpack down and reaching into it.
"Is it Monopoly? Because I can kick your ass in Monopoly any day!" Sarah taunts, looking up from her phone.
Jim chuckles, waving a finger at her. "Oh, even better!" He then pulls the box out of the bag and places it on the coffee table, moving the lantern closer to it so they can read the text on it.
"Oh, you must be out of your fucking mind, Jim... is that what I think it is?!" Janice says to him in disbelief.
"You know it! So, guys... anyone else wanna see what crazy things we can uncover from this house's former residents?" he asks as he lifts the lid off of the box containing the Ouija Board.
Four of them sit around the Ouija Board; Jim, Janice, Ryan, and Tanya. They offered Tabatha a shot at it, but she was quick to refuse, due to her skepticism. The others are just sitting around the light, while Tabatha is lying on the couch, in an attempt to get some sleep.
Having already done the opening ritual, they begin their questioning. Jim clears his throat and, hands all on the planchette, he asks, "Right, so... is there somebody with us right now?"
At first, no answer. He chuckles a bit. "See? Nothing to be afraid of, Tab!"
Tabatha just ignores them and yawns, keeping her eyes closed tightly. "Please, guys, just put it away before you call something bad in here!"
Janice looks over at her and smiles. "Don't worry, Tab. We'll be finished soon. We just don't want you to worry over nothing, alright?"
"Mhm..." Tabatha mumbles.
"Guys, guys! It's moving!" Ryan says right as the planchette, true to his word, begins to move in circles on the board. They stare at it in wonder, as their fingers remain on the small device.
Jim chuckles. "Heh... nice try, Ryan. You can stop messin' with us, now."
Ryan looks up at him confusedly. "What? I thought you were moving it!"
Janice rolls her eyes. "Guys, quit screwing around with us."
Jim looks over at her, still amused by this. "I mean it! I ain't doing anything with it!"
"Bullshit." she quips at him.
He shrugs his shoulders and releases the planchette, much to the others' shock.
"Dude, you just broke the rules!" Ryan says, though the planchette still moves around in his, Janice's, and Tanya's hands.
"Well now we know you are the one that's moving it, Ryan!" Jim retorts.
Ryan releases the planchette, and it stops moving altogether. Ryan just stares at it in disbelief, while the other three smirk at him.
"Dude, I'm not joking, I swear I wasn't moving that damn thing!" Ryan says shakily.
Jim rolls his eyes. "Right, sure. You just mention it first, then it suddenly starts moving until you let it go. Makes perfect sense, dude!"
Janice groans. "Guys, quit it! Look, let's just put the damn thing away, alright?"
The rest of them take their hands off of the planchette and stand back up.
"Well, gee, thanks for ruining the fun, you guys." Tanya comments, deadpanning at the boys.
They each walk back around the coffee table and huddle together. "Seriously, guys, I'm not joking! I promise you, I didn't fucking move that thing!"
Tom opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted when a tapping sound comes from the coffee table. He looks over at it and gasps, before pointing at it. "G-guys! Look!"
They all stop arguing and look at the Ouija Board. The planchette is now shaking, causing the tapping sound, as it slides itself over towards the letter "H" on the board.
Jim blinks in shock as he and his company witness it move from "H" to "E" a bit faster.
"He..." Jim mutters, as it slides over to "L". It then moves a little off of it, before being dragged back on "L".
Soon, the Ouija Board spells out "Hello Jim".
Jim stares at it in shock, before shaking his head and turning away. "Nope, fuck this, let's get the hell out of here!"
But something catches the corner of his eye, towards the stairway leading up to the second story... a pair of glowing white eyes looking down at him.
"W-who's there?!" he calls out, causing the others to look towards where he's facing.
Janice grips him by the shoulders. "Jim, don't bother. Let's get out of here!"
Ryan nods his head and approaches the door, only to stop halfway. "Guys... where the fuck'd the door go?!"
They look towards where the door was, only to find nothing more than a wall with a red pentagram drawn on top of it.
Ryan then glares and turns towards Jim. "This was YOUR fucking idea, Jim!"
Janice holds a hand up towards Ryan to stop him from approaching her brother. "Ryan, we couldn't just wait out there! It's storming right now!"
Then the tapping returns. They each look at the board again, as it resumes spelling out a message.
"Welcome" it spells out.
"Welcome?! Welcome to what?! Just let us out!" Jim argues.
It then writes again. The hair on the backs of their necks stand at the next message.
"Tabatha."
They look at Tabatha's sleeping form, covered in the blankets. Jim slowly approaches her. "Tab... Tab, wake up!"
He reaches over and shakes her shoulder. Her head turns to face him, before falling to the ground, rolling across the floor.
They all jump back and scream, before Ryan rushes over towards the tables nearby and picks up a chair.
"Man, fuck this shit!" he shouts, tossing the chair at the window. It merely bounces off, but doesn't even crack the window.
Then an unknown force grabs him, lifts him up, and quickly pulls him towards the stairway. He yells in terror as his remaining friends try to grab him and pull him back down, but it's no use.
He flies up the stairway and into the darkness upstairs. A door slams shut, and then there's silence.
Jim looks over at Janice, Tanya, Tom, and Sarah. "Sarah, get your phone out, and turn on its flashlight!"
She shakily nods her head and does as instructed. He then looks over at Janice and points at her. "Janice, you and I will check the back, see if there's a way out of this hellhole. Tom. You, Sarah, and Tanya look around for anything. Clues, perhaps, something to let us know what the fuck is in this house."
"Like hell! I'm getting the fuck out of here!" Tanya shouts, before snatching the phone from Sarah's hands and rushing into the Dining Room.
"Tanya, wait!" Jim calls, but it's too late. By the time she reaches the stairway, the same unseen force grabs her and trips her to the ground, pulling her towards the kitchen across from there. She drops the phone, and the flash brightens up the room, where the group can see a tall figure appear for a brief second.
The figure is staring right at them, with two glowing white eyes within a tattered hood. Two long appendages stretch out of the jacket, with elongated claws at the tips of its fingers. Its posture is crooked beyond human levels, and its fingers quickly reach over towards Tanya. She screams for only a brief second, before the creature lunges its claws into her eyes, silencing her immediately.
They all stare at it in disbelief, before screaming their last, as the lantern and phone's light dies down. Darkness surrounds the rest of the house, and the crooked creature strikes its victims.
Two Weeks Later...
It's a bright, clear day in Colorado Springs. Within a lively Diner, a few of the locals are having their breakfast for the day, while travelers from out of town also gather around the corners, either enjoying a breakfast as well, or looking through the menu.
For one of these travelers, however, he would be focusing on a newspaper article. The man in question is a tall, brown-haired man with a long ponytail, a short beard, and a plain black baseball cap on. Wearing a black vest over a red long-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, and black steel-toed boots, he flips the page over as another man has a seat across from him.
The other man is also brown-haired, but it's short and combed to the side, with a clean shaven face. He's wearing a similar black vest, but instead of a red shirt, he's wearing a dark green one. He's also wearing dark blue jeans and black boots like his brother.
"Man I gotta tell you, Jason. The food in this place is just off the charts!" the short-haired man says with a chuckle.
Jason nods his head. "Uh-huh... hey Ed, check this out."
He places the newspaper on the table and points at the article that's drawn his attention for so long. Ed looks over at it and hums.
"Huh... seven missing teenagers in the woods. What's that mean for us, exactly?" he asks.
Jason trails his finger down a bit lower in the article. "Twelve officers went to investigate in three different instances. Five came back empty. Seven of them vanished without a trace, just like the teens did."
"Seven and seven. So what's that supposed to mean, exactly?" Ed asks.
Jason slides his phone across the table for Ed to look at. "Seven in English derives from the Hebrew Six. Two groups already went in. Whatever is in those woods only needs one more group of seven, and it could spell disaster for this whole town."
"Hmm... okay, I see your point. That practically spells 'Demon' in my book." Ed agrees, looking at the symbol on the phone again.
"Right. So, tracing the dates back, it was two weeks since the first group went missing. One week ago since the seven cops were abducted. And just recently I got a tip that the local Sheriff is about to send another group in today."
"Did they tell you how many people are going in? Because if it's more than six, then this place is already screwed." Ed inquires.
Jason sighs, shaking his head. "They didn't say. That's what I was looking for in the paper just now."
Ed nods his head. "Well, let's hurry up and finish breakfast already. Can't waste any time on this one."
Jason looks over at his brother. "Maybe we should just order it to-go, then."
Ed looks dumbfounded at him. "And risk getting this crap all over my new seats? Forget it, man. We can at least enjoy a little calm before the storm!"
Jason groans. "Fine, but I'm just going to order something small. And if we're too late, I'm blaming you, for it."
And with that, they flag the waitress down at their table. It only takes them five minutes to eat, before they quickly leave the building. Naturally, Ed left a five dollar tip for the speedy service.
When they reach the entrance to the hiking area, they notice that police tape has been raised over the entrance of the parking lot. Four police cars are parked, and the Sheriff is standing there over the fourth, with his radio in his hand.
They park just outside the police tape, and the sheriff is quick to take notice. Ed, the one driving their silver truck, looks over at Jason and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Now, just let me do the talking for this one, alright?" he asks.
Jason rolls his eyes. "Fine, just don't embarrass us, alright?"
He smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "Relax, big brother. I've got this. Watch the master of Charisma!"
They both step out of the vehicle and approach the sheriff, who holds a hand up to stop them.
They practically feel his eyes looking into their souls, and it begins to make their heart rates rise up a bit, but they pay it little mind.
"Sorry, boys, but until we finish with this investigation, the whole place is off-limits." the sheriff tells them.
Ed nods his head and looks over at Jason. "Oh, that's alright, Sheriff. My brother and I are just reporters, actually. We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright?"
The sheriff shakes his head. "I'm afraid there's nothing more I can say. Just that everything's under control, now. We've got one of the best teams on the force investigating this now."
Jason and Ed worriedly look at each other, before looking back at the sheriff. Then Jason decides to ask a question.
"And just how many officers are in this team?"
The sheriff adjusts his glasses and deadpans at them. "What kind of a question is that? It's enough to comb out the area! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to my job, which is to keep outsiders from comin' in!"
Jason is about to reply, when Ed quickly interrupts him. "All good. Thank you for your time, Sheriff." He then turns and heads back to the truck, with Jason right behind him.
When they get back into the truck, Ed deadpans at him. "Seriously? Just jumping straight to the topic without pressing him for minor details?"
Jason looks back at him and points at the parked cars. "There's four cars out there. Two officers for each one. If the sheriff had someone with him that he sent with the others, then that already makes seven!"
Ed looks around outside, and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, there's no signs of a portal anywhere, so chances are, he only sent six in."
Jason sighs. "Then we have to stop that sheriff from getting anywhere near them. Just how are we going to do that?!"
Ed smirks at him. "Simple! We buy 'em some coffee!"
Jason opens his mouth to reply, but sighs, shaking his head. "If this doesn't work, then you know we're both getting jail time for this, right?"
Ed rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but we can easily break out of it."
"That's not the point, Ed. We've got to at least keep a low profile somewhere. And there's still a few towns that have it in for us, you know!"
As they continue to ride over to the town area, they stop at the Pharmacy for a quick moment. Ed looks at him and deadpans. "Now for real this time, let me do the talking, alright?"
Jason rolls his eyes as they step out of the truck and enter the Pharmacy.
They approach the lady at the front counter and Ed clears his throat. "Excuse me, ma'am?"
The lady working the register looks over at them and smiles. "Oh! Hello, gentlemen! How can I help you today?"
Ed points at Jason and replies, "My brother's been feeling a little constipated today." Jason glares at him as he continues, "You wouldn't happen to have any fast-acting meds for him, would you?"
The cashier points over to her right. "Second row on the right. Should have plenty to help you with your problem, sir!"
"Thanks!" Ed says. As they approach the aisle, however, Jason pops him in the back of the head, not hard enough to cause pain, but enough to at least be heard from across the room.
"Hey, that was for cutting in earlier, bro." Ed says, chuckling at Jason, who continues to glare daggers at him.
"Yeah, but constipated?!"
Ed points up at his brother's face. "Well, when you're looking at me like that, then yeah, it was the first thing that came to mind."
Ed then grabs some of the fast-acting laxative powder and brings it up to the counter. After buying it, they head to the nearest Coffee Shop.
"Hey, welcome to Jives! How can we help you today?" the man working the register asks them, right as they enter.
Ed looks up at the menu and hums. "Hmm... hey bro, want a Cappuccino?"
Jason looks at the pictures on the menu and clicks his tongue a bit. "Uh... yeah, thanks."
Ed nods his head and places the Credit Card on the counter. "Alright, then. Can we get three Cappuccinos, please? One for us, and another for the kind sheriff down the road?"
The cashier blinks in surprise. "Oh, you're buying Mr. Sherwood a coffee? That's nice of you guys! Here, tell you what, how about I just get you both yours, and fix his on the house?"
Ed smiles at him and rubs his chin. "Wow, okay! Yeah, sure, man, thanks!"
After swiping the card, the cashier fixes them their ordered drinks, fixed into a cup holder. They give him their thanks before heading back into the truck.
Ed then takes the laxative powder and pours it into one of the cups. "Right, so here's the plan. We go back to the sheriff, give him some coffee, and wait about fifteen minutes. That should buy us some time, and keep him busy while we go investigate."
Jason smirks, shaking his head. "You know we're going to Hell for this, right?"
Ed casually shrugs his shoulders before driving them back to the scene. To their luck, the sheriff is still standing there, albeit more angry-looking, as he continues to yell at the radio.
Ed looks over at Jason and opens his mouth, but Jason raises a hand to stop him.
"I get it. You do the talking." he says.
Ed smiles, winking at him. "See? You're learning!"
And once again, Jason pops him in the back of the head.
As they approach the sheriff, the sheriff looks over at them and groans. "Look, boys, I told you already!"
Ed nods his head in understanding. "I know, Mr. Sherwood. We just wanted to say thank you for helping us find Jimmy."
This catches the sheriff's attention. "You knew Jim?"
Ed sighs, before looking over at Jason. "Yeah, he was a good friend to my brother and I. We, uh... tried to warn him and his group that it wasn't a good idea to go camping that day."
Sherwood nods his head. "Yeah? Why, was it because of that rain, or that strange house?"
Jason's eyes perk up, but Ed cuts in before he could say anything. "The rain, of course. They were carrying their phones with 'em, after all, so... yeah..."
Sherwood rubs his chin before looking at the three coffees nested in the cup holder. "Whatcha got there, kid?"
Ed looks over at the coffees and smiles. "Oh, right! We, uh, just wanted to show our appreciation by buying you some coffee to help you out on this case." He pulls the Cappuccino separated from the other two out of the holder and offers it to Sherwood.
Sherwood just stands there for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders and accepting the drink. "Oh, well... thanks, fella. And hey, don't worry. We'll figure out what happened to Jim and his gang, then put this whole thing to rest."
Ed bows his head gratefully. "Thanks, Mr. Sherwood. And hey, don't work yourself too hard, right?"
With that, they depart from the sheriff as he takes his first sip of the Cappuccino. When they enter the truck, they back away, with their eyes peeled on the sheriff.
"Fast-acting formula and everything. I'd give 'em fifteen minutes at most." Ed says.
Jason smirks slightly and shakes his head. "I almost feel sorry for the guy."
Ed shrugs. "Eh, just goes to show you should never accept coffee from strangers."
It only takes five minutes before the sheriff's legs start to shake slightly, and press against each other. Then, after giving the radio one last comment, the sheriff hurries into his car and drives off.
"And there he goes. Right, let's get going before he comes back." Ed says. Jason nods his head, and they step out of the truck.
First they head to the back of the truck and open the trunk. They reach into it and pull a large chest over to the edge. Opening it up, it contains numerous tools and weapons, along with ammo-crafting tools and several cross necklaces, ranging from silver and iron, to pure Acadia Wood and a few golden ones.
They take a few of the silver bullets and crosses, then grab a pair of silver crucifixes. Then they grab a pair of flashlights and camouflaging tarp to put over the truck, masking its presence from the common eye by disguising it as a bush.
"Well, let's get going then." Jason says. Ed nods his head and they both holster their rifles over their shoulders.
"So... he mentioned something about a house. That must mean his team have already entered it." Jason says.
Ed nods his head. "Yeah... and from the looks of it, he was quite pissed about it, too. Chances are, they went silent for quite some time, now."
Jason sighs. "Chances are, the bastard's gotten pretty strong. Just... stay on your toes, alright? Who knows what kind of demon this is?"
Soon they come across a clearing. They look at each other and nod their heads before approaching the clearing. Once there, they see the house standing there, fence moving from the breeze, and the door sealed shut.
"Right, then... I'll take point this time." Jason says, drawing his rifle from his shoulder. Ed nods and draws his own rifle, following shortly behind his brother.
As they approach the place, the door slowly creaks open. Ed smirks at this. "Huh... hospitable little bastard, ain't it?"
Jason nods his head. "Yeah... c'mon, let's get this over with."
And so, they enter the house. The door, like before, slams shut immediately behind them.
As they enter the living room, the first thing that stands out is the Ouija Board. Jason approaches it and waves his hand over the board, shining his flashlight over its letters.
"Ouija Bourd. Looks like Jim and his friends got bored. Decided to run their own seance."
Ed flashes his own flashlight towards the floor next to the coffee table, where the planchette lies. "Yeah, well somebody must've broken the rules. Pissed this thing off."
"Right, so the odds are this thing's grown more powerful. Stay on your toes." Jason says, picking the planchette up and observing it carefully. He flashes his light at it to look a bit closer. "Hey, Ed! Take a look at this!"
He tosses it over to his brother, who catches it and looks closer at it.
"Looks like a rune was etched on this thing. Probably a warning. Hold on, I'll go check it out in the notebook." Ed says, turning around... only to stop in place.
"Okay, well nevermind then. Looks like the bastard's got us locked inside." he says, motioning towards the pentagram on the wall, where the door once was.
"Bending the nature of the house? Guess this isn't just a low-rank Demon, then." Jason says, taking a step closer to Ed, then freezing in place. He feels his heart rate go up tremendously... an ominous sign they both know all too well. "Ed... it's close!"
Ed turns to face him, and his eyes widen. "Get down!" he shouts.
Jason quickly ducks and rolls forward, right as the creature's claws slash the air above him. Jason and Ed draw their shotguns and open fire. A burst of rock salt flies out of the barrels, crashing into the creature.
Its body quickly reels back into the wall and it lets out a loud hissing screech, before raising a hand up and grabbing Jason and Ed with a telekinetic grasp. Then it tosses them into the walls, demolishing a bookshelf with Jason's back, and sending Ed onto the opposite side of the room, near the fireplace.
Jason grits his teeth and lifts the barrel of his gun back up. The creature quickly looks at him and its glowing eyes form a glare, before it raises its claw back up, disarming the weapon from him.
Ed takes this distraction to his advantage and whistles, catching the creature's attention. Already aiming at the thing, he fires another salt shot at it, causing it to screech once more, and sending it flying into the kitchen area.
Jason rushes forward and picks his shotgun back up, only for the creature to grip him by the ankle and drag him into the kitchen with it.
"Jason!" Ed calls out, slipping another two rounds into his shotgun while Jason continues to slide past the kitchen and towards the stairway.
"I got this!" Jason calls back, lifting the gun up towards the back of the creature's head. "Watch your back, you crooked fuck!" He fires once more, and the creature releases him, gripping onto its head in pain.
Jason rolls out of the way as Ed fires yet another shot at it. It reels and hisses before vanishing into a black smoke, which quickly floats up the stairs. The sound of a door slamming shut can be heard.
Jason brushes his jacket a bit and stands back up. "Well, one thing's for sure."
Ed nods his head in agreement. "Yeah... we got us a Crooked Man, which means someone's still dangling around here."
Jason smirks. "And I bet you it's in that room it's hiding in. Guess it knows why we're here, now."
"Yeah, so we should stop this son of a bitch before-"
A gun clicks behind both of them. "Freeze! Don't move a muscle!"
They roll their eyes and raise their hands up over their heads, as Sheriff Sherwood approaches them, cuffs in hand.
Jason and Ed are now locked up on a support beam in the middle of the Dining Room. Their hands are cuffed together, and their backs turned against each other.
The sheriff walks around them, rubbing his chin in thought. "So tell me, boys... y'all mentioned that this place is haunted?"
Jason nods his head. "That's right, and if you don't get the hell out of here, that thing'll take you as well, and that'll complete its sick ritual!"
Sherwood chuckles at them, shaking his head. "Ha! Oh, you kids crack me up! You know, if I didn't know any better... I'd say y'all were either crazy stupid, or just plain crazy!"
Ed rolls his eyes. "Well, if you're that willing to die, officer, go right ahead and check upstairs!"
Sherwood slaps him across the face. Ed grunts in slight pain, spitting a bit of bloodied saliva out of his mouth.
The sheriff then grins wickedly at them. "Oh, is that right?"
He begins to back towards the stairway, keeping his eyes fixed on Jason and Ed.
Jason looks up at him, and notices the creature standing right behind him. "Sheriff, look out!" he calls out.
But the creature doesn't do anything. It just stands there, while Sherwood smiles even wider... almost inhumanly so.
"Oh, you foolish little boys... don't y'all get it, yet?" He raises his hands out, and the creature echoes his movements. "This thing's under my control!" he says, before reaching up to his neck and revealing a strange glass necklace filled with black blood inside it. "Long as I've got this thing on, I can control spirits!"
Ed blinks owlishly before shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, you son of a bitch... are you freakin' kidding me?!"
Jason nods his head in understanding. "So you're the one that led everyone here... you've filled those kids' heads with stories to lure them in here!"
Sherwood points at him and chuckles. "See? Now you! I like you, boy! You actually use your brain!"
"Yeah, well I'll blow yours out when we get out of this!" Ed threatens, while the creature quickly rushes him, gripping him by the throat.
"Easy there, fella. Don't wanna waste your last kill on this one. These boys ain't got a soul in 'em, after all... you'd taint the ritual." the sheriff says, looking up at the creature's face.
It turns around and nods, before pulling back, glaring heavily at Ed, who only looks up at it and smirks. "Yeah, fella. You don't wanna make your mommy mad, do you?"
It growls at him in response.
Sherwood rolls his eyes. "You'd best watch your tongue, boy. There's fates worse than death, after all."
Ed looks over at him and chuckles. "Well, listening to you is making me want to put a bullet in my head, so..."
The sheriff puts his gun up to Ed's forehead, leaning in closer to his face. "That can be arranged, you know..."
Ed only keeps his smile. "Well go ahead, tough guy... do it."
The sheriff puts more pressure on his forehead, making his face scrunch up a bit.
"You take me for a fool, don't you, Ed Walker?" the sheriff asks.
Ed raises an eyebrow as the sheriff removes the pistol from his forehead. "Oh, so what, you checked my records or something like that?"
The sheriff nods his head. "Something like that." He blinks and, for a brief moment, his eyes turn pitch black.
Ed loses his smile there, and begins to glare at the sheriff. "Demon... of course."
"Heh... had to spell it out for you. But your brother? Nah, I'm sure he already knew."
Jason looks over at him. "But why, though? Demons usually have some sort of motive behind their actions. Especially rituals like this."
Sherwood approaches him and smiles. "Well, since you're the nicer one, I'll tell ya. I'm fulfilling my end of a bargain... many years ago."
"Bargain?" Jason asks.
Sherwood nods his head. "Yeah... I promised this poor, twisted soul a chance to live forever. Because let's face it, who wouldn't want that? Well... besides you two. But anyways... I told 'em in order to live forever, he'd have to perform this very specific ritual for me. I'd give him a new body, one that wouldn't perish like old human bones, and on this very specific set of three weeks, I'd send 'em seven sacrifices. Sure, after death, he lost control... that's what this necklace is for. Keeps 'em in line, stops 'em from screwing up the ritual."
Jason nods his head. "I'm guessing he didn't want to go through with it completely?"
Sherwood shakes his head. "Nah... when he figured out what I am, he tried his damnest to rebuke me. Thought he could just pray his way out of it... but nope. Too little, too late. He was already on the stool, rope tied to his neck... all it took was a little push."
"And this sheriff guise you've got?"
The sheriff shrugs his shoulders. "Well I figured it'd be obvious. Sheriff gets into a car accident, body loses its soul, but the door to his body remained open. So, I figured why not play the hero for once? And hey, it also gives me protection from hunters like y'all. Ya kill me, I'll just possess another body, and y'all will be charged for murdering a sheriff!"
"I think I get it, now. You wanted to build a new body with that ritual, so that you can possess it after it gains a soul! You're just biding your time at this point!"
"Bingo!" the sheriff says. "And one that's far, far more stronger than a measly human! And hey, there's another reason why the spirit didn't wanna keep that bargain. Ya see... I told 'em he can have a new body that lasts forever. I never said he'd remain alive in it. For all we know, I could just give 'em a couple seconds to live, then pull his soul right back out of it... it's not that hard, really."
"Hmm... and on the last kill, this new, immortal body would be complete?" Jason finishes.
The sheriff claps his hands at him. "Very good! And it just so happens, I've already called in my Deputy! He should be here pretty soon to... check on things up here."
Jason weakly smiles and shakes his head. "Not if we have anything to say about it. Now!"
The demon grins and reaches behind his back, catching Ed's hand before he could douse him in the contents of the bottle in his hand.
"Holy Water... classic. But you'll have to do better than that!" Sherwood says, turning his head to face his pursuer. Ed, however, grins back at him and drops the bottle to the ground.
It makes a hollow, empty noise as it lands. Sherwood looks down at it confusedly before looking back up at him.
Then, Ed spits the water in his face, causing it to sizzle and smoke. Sherwood reels back, screaming in pain as Jason reaches up to his neck and pulls the necklace from it. He then slams the necklace to the ground and stomps on it, shattering the necklace and releasing the blood from within it.
"No! You fools, what have you done?!" Sherwood shouts, before looking up at the creature.
It hisses at him before lunging its hands into his chest and lifting him up in the air. He yells at the creature as it rushes up the stairs, dragging the creature up with it. The door to the room slams shut behind them.
Jason sighs in relief, before looking over at Ed. "Well... I guess our local spirit didn't take too kindly to sharing a body, huh?"
Ed smirks, shaking his head. "It wasn't part of the agreement. Guess he learned what happens when he makes a deal with a demon."
"Yeah... well, come on, let's finish this job and get the hell out of here."
"Agreed." Ed replies, picking his bottle back up and blanching. "For the record, no. Holy Water does not taste good at all!"
"Yeah, I was hoping you wouldn't try making a quip while the bastard was distracted!"
"Oh, come on Jason! Since when did I ever talk when it wasn't necessary?" Ed asks.
Jason deadpans at him. "Should I start writing a list for that?"
They found the body hanging in the bedroom. There were no traces of the victims, the sheriff, or the demon that was possessing the sheriff's body. However, they did see the creature through the window one last time before they lit the house on fire. Then, once the flames reached where the body was, the spirit was put to rest.
By the time the deputy arrived, the place was already close to falling, and nobody was in sight.
Kansas City. Midnight. Three days later...
The brothers are on the road once again. After the incident in Colorado Springs, they received an anonymous tip that something was going on near a small town in Missouri, just East of Kansas. And it was happening in a small town called "Humansville".
"Are you sure they're not just pulling our leg, Ed?" Jason asks, looking over at his brother from the map.
Ed nods his head. "Yeah, they sounded quite sure about it. Besides, we need to clear out of Colorado before they start suspecting us. You remember? Sheriff goes missing after a pair of guys gave 'em coffee, shortly after they went to the pharmacy to buy some drugs. That makes us sound suspicious."
"Yeah, that's fair... so, how much farther until we get to Missouri?"
"Oh, probably a few more miles. Why, you wanna take the wheel?" Ed offers.
Jason shakes his head. "Nah, it's just... there's something off about this whole thing. Like, what if it's a setup, or a trap?"
"Trust me, Jason. If it were, we'd be able to handle it." Ed says, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jason then closes his eyes and is about to start sleeping, when something causes his blood to freeze. He feels his wrist, and looks over at Ed, who also would be taking his own pulse.
Then, simultaneously, they tell each other, "Something's close by."
Suddenly, a blinding flash covers their vision, then vanishes. Ed slams on the brakes, and the truck drifts a bit, before coming to a complete stop at the side of the dirt road.
Their pulses go back to normal instantly.
"Damn it, Ed! What the hell was that?!" Jason asks, opening the door and stepping outside. They both rub their eyes to get the after effects of the flash to wear down.
"I don't know... maybe a roadside poltergeist?" Ed guesses.
Jason shakes his head. "No, they usually don't glow that brightly..."
Ed shrugs his shoulders and opens his eyes back up, looking over at Jason. "Then what? Perhaps just some kid with a flashlight in the car ahead of us?"
"There was no car ahead of us... and besides that, we felt something."
Ed sighs, shaking his head. "Well, whatever it was, it's probably miles behind us by now... wait a second. Jason, look at the road!"
Jason looks down and tilts his head confusedly. "Dirt road? We were literally on the interstate just a second ago."
"Exactly. Asphalt and concrete, but no dirt in-between..." Ed comments, scratching his chin.
"Then we must've been teleported somehow."
Ed deadpans. "So wait, you're saying we're dealing with something that can teleport others? Spirits can't do that!"
Jason nods his head. "Right, so maybe it wasn't a spirit, then."
"Well, I'm all out of ideas."
Flashing his light over to a nearby sign, Jason blinks and walks closer to it. "Hold on a second... Ed, check this out."
Ed walks over towards his brother and leans closer to the sign as well.
"Ponyville, 5 miles ahead."
They look at each other, then look up at the moon. A dark silhouette of an equine can be seen on top of it for a brief moment, before it vanishes.
Jason looks over at Ed. "Well, there's one thing for certain... we definitely aren't in Kansas anymore."
As they close in on the town of Ponyville, the first thing they notice is that, true to its name, the inhabitants appear to be a bunch of ponies... or rather, they look similar to ponies. They're bipedal, though, with a pair of hooves for feet, and a pair of hands instead of front hooves. Their fur is a lot more colorful, and their manes are styled in various shapes and sizes. Their eyes, however, are huge.
But an important thing worth mentioning is that they're all running away from something within the Town Hall.
"The hell's got these things all riled up?" Jason asks.
Ed's about to reply when a dark blue smoke flies out of the chimney, and into the forest in the distance.
Then Ed shrugs. "Probably that."
"Think it might've been a demon?" Jason asks.
Ed shakes his head. "Nah, demonic smoke is usually pitch black. Whatever that was, it wasn't something we've dealt with before."
"Well whatever the case, we should probably follow it."
Ed looks at him like he's crazy. "Have you lost your mind? We don't even know what the hell the thing was, and you want to go chase it already?"
"Ed, for all we know it could be the reason why we're here, and not back on Earth."
"Or, maybe it's an entirely different thing that we shouldn't even bother with, and-"
A screaming female stops them from arguing. They look ahead, and notice one of the mares running away from something, only to trip and fall right in front of the headlights.
Then, from the corner of a house, a figure resembling the ponies rushes towards her, surrounded by a dark blue mist around its body, save for its glowing white eyes.
However, once it crosses paths with the truck's headlights, it reels back and hisses loudly, rushing away from the lights, and glaring back at them.
Ed looks at Jason, who pulls a flashlight out of his pocket, and opens his door.
"Talk later. Let's deal with these things."
Ed nods his head before turning the truck off and pulling out his own flashlight.
They rush towards the creature and shine their lights at it, causing it to vanish in a puff of blue and black smoke.
Jason then hurries towards the mare and helps her back up to her hooves. She looks up at him nervously, but he shushes her and waves his hands calmly.
"Shh. Don't worry, we're here to help."
Her eyes roll up over her head, and she passes out.
Jason sighs, shaking his head. "Well, so much for that."
Ed is about to respond when a bolt of blue light strikes him in the back, knocking him out cold instantly.
"Ed!" Jason shouts, before a similar bolt strikes him in the back as well. Before he falls unconscious, he spots several stallions armored in white and gold approaching them quickly, spears and shields raised up.
Author's Note
I know, it's not my best work. This is an old fossil, of sorts, that I started earlier this year, but lost the spirit to work on. I figured that, since it's October, I should throw in a story that revolves around the things that go bump in the night.
And what better thing than a story inspired by Supernatural?
Thus, did I decide I'd proofread a bit then post this one here on FimFiction!
I'll try to be more active on this story while it's October, but my birthday's on the 15'th, so I'll have a slight delay.
Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this ride! It'll be a bit of a doozy!
