The first thing Dovecrest wanted to do was make coffee.
“That’s really not necessary,” Erik said. “We’ll be fine.”
But the Indian insisted, saying that he needed a strong cup of black coffee, so Erik tried to be patient as he sat at the kitchen table, exchanging worried looks with the pastor. Finally, Doverest placed a cup of coffee before each of them. Erik added cream and sugar, and waited for Dovecrest to sit down. Once he had, Erik slid the file with pictures of the altar stone and the accompanying story across the table to him.
Dovecrest looked at the pictures without showing any surprise, then nodded as he looked over the newspaper clipping.
“I think you know what this all means,” Erik said. “And I’d like to hear about it.”
Pastor Mark nodded. “I’m interested, too.”
Dovecrest looked back and forth from one to another, and Erik could tell from his expression that the man was having an internal struggle about what to say next.
“I don’t think you’ll believe me,” Dovecrest said.
“Just tell us what you know,” Erik replied. “At this point I think I’m ready to believe anything.”
“OK. First of all, let me begin by saying that I’m an old man.”
Mark nodded. “We’re all getting older.”
“No,” Dovecrest corrected. “I’m an old man. But I’m not getting any older. I was born just about 350 years ago, right here in this forest.”
“That’s impossible…,” Erik said, and Dovecrest held up his hand.
“See, I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
“OK, ok. I’m sorry. Go on with your story.”
“I was born about 350 years ago in this forest, and I became the medicine man for the tribe. Mostly I’d heal cuts and bruises, and give out herbs to women trying to have babies. There wasn’t much too it, really, until the Evil Ones came.”
“The evil ones?” Mark asked.
“Yes. The evil ones. You see, the founder of this place, Roger Williams, said that anyone could live here and worship whatever god they chose in whatever way they chose. So people from all beliefs and all faiths were drawn to this place. That’s why the Evil Ones came. So they could worship their evil god and his demons.
“Only worshipping the devil wasn’t exactly what Roger Williams had in mind. His idea of religious freedom didn’t go that far, so he drove the Evil Ones away from the city and into the forest. They came here, to this place.”
“So you’re saying that a group of devil worshippers lived here in the late 1600’s?” Erik asked.
“Yes. But their ways of worship were evil and included death and suffering. This stone in the picture is real-very real. They built it from a rock that fell from the sky, and they would sacrifice living men, women, and children upon it.
“The tribe didn’t like what was going on. We worship a good god, a god of life who cares for his people, not a god of pain and suffering. Even so, we might not have interfered if our own children did not start to disappear.
“So we sent a messenger to the city to Roger Williams. We did not want war with the city or with the white man, but we could no longer tolerate the Evil Ones. Roger Williams agreed that these Evil Ones must be stopped. Some white men came and helped us. We rounded up the evil ones and put them to death. There were twelve of them and their leader. The twelve were killed swiftly. But the leader was infested with a powerful demon that had to be killed by fire.
“The men from the city told us we would have to build a huge fire and tie the leader to a stake in the center where he would be burned alive. So that is what we did. As he burned, we could hear the demon within him screaming. And the demon promised us that it would be back, and be more powerful than ever before. The burning didn’t kill the demon; it only drove it back into the pits of hell. And it has been waiting for a chance to return ever since.
“As the medicine man, I was given charge to watch over this place and make sure the demon did not return. And since that time I have watched. God has entrusted me with this duty, and after I reached my 60th birthday, he granted me the gift of never growing older.”
The Indian stopped for a moment and smiled. “I only wish I could have been granted that gift at the age of 30.”
Erik and Mark forced a small laugh.
“And so now the demon is coming back?”
“I am afraid so, my friend.”
“These Evil Ones,” Erik said. “What happened to their bodies?”
“They were buried along with the ashes of their leader, and markers were put in place to keep them dead.”
“The historical graveyard,” Erik said.
“Yes.”
“The graveyard was disturbed by a bulldozer when the new road was put through. That’s what started all of this.”
“Yes,” Dovecrest said. “I feared that is what happened. Now I know it for sure.”
“The altar stone,” Erik said. “Why wasn’t it destroyed?”
“It cannot be destroyed. It was formed with powerful magic from beyond the earth itself. We have tried to destroy it, but it cannot be destroyed.”
“So what, exactly, is happening now?” Mark asked.
“The demon is trying to come back. It feeds off of the pain and suffering of others. It demands a sacrifice, and grows stronger with each one. After it has grown strong enough, it will appear on earth in the flesh, where it will kill and destroy.”
“The missing girl-was she….”
“She was sacrificed tonight. The demon has a new group of followers and they took her to the altar. I thought I could stop them, but I failed. She was killed.”
“We’re going to have to call the sheriff,” Mark said.
“It won’t do any good,” Dovecrest said. “The law won’t help us now. The girl is dead and they won’t find her-unless it wants her to be found. I wounded the leader and I may have killed one of the others. But it will find replacements easily enough. No. We’re going to have to handle this ourselves.”
“But how?” Erik asked. “Do we burn the leader at the stake again?”
“That won’t destroy it. That only sends it back to where it comes from. Then it will come back again. I think the only way to destroy it is to go to where it comes from.”
“In other words, you need to go to hell,” Erik said, and then realized that what he said might sound flippant.
“Yes,” Dovecrest said. “I think that’s exactly what has to be done.”
“Ok,” the pastor said. “Suppose you’re right. Suppose the only way to destroy this thing it to go where it lives, even if that place is hell. How do you get there?”
Dovecrest swallowed the last of his coffee and thought for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I just don’t know.”