The Devil's Daughter by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 36

The door of the church had always been left unlocked, as its former priest believed that the tormented soul should always have access to the house of God. With a hurried step, Nelu walked into the dark space of the congregational hall and on his way to the stairs, leading to the priest's quarters stopped in front of the lectern. Behind it, high on the wall hung a large wooden cross and fixed to it, was a life-sized figure of the crucified Christ. The wood was old and cracked, with a yellowish color from years of sunlight and condensation. But regardless of its condition, it hung as a continued symbol of long-suffering, and the people of Gura Haith would always hold fast to it as their connection to Godly life. Staring up at it, Nelu got down on one knee, setting his rifle and shells next to him. He bowed his head in silent prayer, asking for divine guidance and a protective blessing. Just before rising to his feet, he crossed himself and picked up his rifle and shells.

Opening the heavy wooden door at the back of the congregational hall, Nelu walked up the cold stone stairs, and into the priests' quarters. The supplies and luggage from the village's deceased guests were still stacked against the wall, and Nelu took the opportunity of helping himself to the food they brought. But finding it too rich, he chose to make a pot of coffee, knowing that the needed fire would also keep the room warm.

As the small fire burned, Nelu found a window that looked out on where the sheep had been tied at the edge of the woods and pulling a chair over, he opened the window several inches, just enough to aim his rifle through. Their plan involved several other hunters, taking aim from other positions in the village, and as Nelu studied the surrounding houses, he found a few faintly lit oil lamps, glowing against the darkening night. Everything seemed to be in place and Nelu was very confident that, by morning, the village would be back to what it was before the death of Father James. Of course, the dead would remain locked in their graves, and the killing of this murderous creature would, unfortunately, fail to resurrect those who had already fallen to its horrific appetite.

Sitting near the window, Nelu felt the encroaching cold, as the small fire began to die and as its light gave way to the darkness, he began to see more of the tree-line. But the night was not as somnolent as it appeared and as a cold breeze suddenly filled the room, there came the soft voice of an owl, perched high in a nearby pine tree – safe, and out of reach of the creature he was hunting. Nelu shuttered slightly at the sounds of the night, but shortly, there arrived a far more haunting siren. The scream was distant, at first, yet could be heard and for the next few moments, Nelu wondered if some of his fellow hunters may have abandoned their posts. Then, he heard it again. This time, it was closer and even though he had heard it before, he still found it terrifying, regardless of its distance.

Quickly picking up his rifle, Nelu got down on one knee, and positioning the barrel through the window, looked down its sights at the small, distant shadow tied close to the tree line. His fingertip lightly grazed the trigger, as he continued aiming at the sheep he hoped would serve as bait for the creature. However, the quiet of the night, as well as Nelu's concentration was shattered by a sudden scream. But this was different and did not sound at all like what he had heard drifting down from the mountains. Now, suspecting that the creature may have been sighted, Nelu, with rifle in hand, quickly got to his feet, ran down the stone steps, and out of the church. His keen ears had already pointed him in the right direction, and with his rifle ready to fire, he ran to a small house nearby. It stood at the edge of the village, about half a mile from where the sheep remained tied at the tree-line.

Arriving there, Nelu encountered a man aiming a rifle at the woods and behind him, his wife, caught between screaming and hysterical crying.

“Shoot it! Shoot it!”

Looking through the night air, Nelu saw a dark form dart across the cold ground, with a hint of something clutched in its mouth. But as he raised his rifle, he heard a shot fracture the air and looking again, discovered the shadowy shape was gone. He did notice that it appeared to run on all fours, like a wolf, and was strikingly similar to what he'd seen when the priest's grave had been so brutally invaded. But now, the shadowy figure was gone, having vanished into the woods, leaving the woman on her knees, weeping inconsolably.

Gavril and his wife Sabina had recently had a child and having repeatedly heard of the creature's attacks, they kept a constant eye for any movement in the woods, near their home. Now, hearing the shot, those still awake came out fearing the worse, and bringing oil lamps, searched the tree-line. Taking a few steps forward, Gavril stepped in a soft, fleshy substance, strewn over the ground, and getting on one knee, he found a mass of brain tissue, blood and bone shards. Getting to his feet, he was suddenly struck with the realization that he had shot their child. Barely four months old, it had been stolen away by the creature Nelu was hoping to kill. But somehow, the shot had passed through it and exploded out of the front of the child's skull. Even more mysterious was how the creature got into their house in the first place. All the doors and windows had been closed and locked, with barely space enough for a mouse to squeeze through. But that didn't seem to matter anymore. Now, Gavril stood, frozen in shock, as Nelu walked up to him, and calmly relieved him of his rifle, while his wife, Sabina, continued sobbing. A few women from nearby houses had come out, and bending down to her, tried to be consoling. But after her baby had been stolen by the Grozavie, and accidentally shot by her husband, no amount of comforting would be enough.

Soon, Gavril fell to his knees, and knowing he had just killed their only child, began weeping. But had he not fired, the child would have had to suffer the agony of being eaten alive. However, in the heat of the moment, he believed that shooting at the back of the creature's head would ensure a quick kill and an end to what had been terrorizing the village for weeks. After realizing he had killed his child, Gavril quickly fell into a stupor, neither moving nor speaking. Seeing his condition, Nelu asked others for help in getting him to his feet. His wife had already been carried inside, and out of compassion, it was agreed that they would spend the remainder of the night elsewhere. The last thing they needed was to go back into what would be forever the scene of their baby's demise.

After the couple had been shown away, those present looked to Nelu for what should be done next and as he considered their silent request, everyone was suddenly startled by a scream, coming from further down the tree line.

“The sheep,” Nelu said.

The crowd looked off into the darkness, in the direction of where it had been left as bait. Nelu pointed to a young man, carrying an oil lamp.

“Give me your lamp,” he said.

Without a word, the young man handed it to him and as Nelu quickly walked up the hill, along the tree-line, a few others with rifles and lamps, followed. Some thought they could help, while others went purely out of curiosity.

Some of those who had joined Nelu were a few of the hunters, also wakened by the gunshot. As more people followed, Nelu turned and waved them off. “No,” he said. “All of you go home, except the hunters. We don't know where the creature might be, and you'll be safer in your homes.”

The hunters stepped forward and prompted the gathering crowd to withdraw. And as they did, Nelu continued to lead them along the tree line. With rifles in hand and lamps held high, the men walked to the spot where the animal had been tied. There, spread across the ground, lay ripped flesh and blood-soaked wool. Steam rose from its still warm entrails, most of which had been pulled out and carried into the woods. They stood around what little was left. “This thing outsmarted us,” Nelu said. “While we waited for it to take the sheep, it stole another of our children.”

“Then it took the sheep,” another interrupted. “So what now?” asked another. “This...thing...can go through walls! And bullets don't stop it!” The rest of the men stood silent, waiting to concoct an idea that would rid the village of its monster. Now, Nelu spoke up with a rational explanation for something that appeared to be unearthly.

“We don't know that it went through the wall, and Gavril was shooting in the dark. It's not hard to miss something in the dark, you know.”

The men agreed. A rational explanation was easier than the idea of continuing to fight and possibly lose, to something that moves like a ghost. They also agreed that should the village hear of the details of this most recent attack, it would certainly send everyone into a panic. Therefore, the finer points of how the creature got into Gavril's house would be kept quiet.

Without a word passing between them, Nelu suddenly broke away from the group and walked the moderate distance to the church. One of the hunters called out to him, asking where he was going, and what they should do. “I need to talk to the elders,” Nelu replied. Still standing around the mangled, mostly eaten carcass, the remaining men nodded to each other in silent agreement and followed behind Nelu, wanting to attend as well. This time, the subject would be the failure of their plan, as well as an idea for what seemed to be their last option.

On their way to the church, Nelu led the hunters to Ileana's house and just as he raised a hand to knock at the door, she opened it with a suddenness that startled everyone. “Nelu,” she said. “We need to talk. Meet me at the church and send someone to get Aizic and Sabin.” As they made their way towards the church, Aizic and Sabin, having also been wakened by the gunshot, were approaching as well.

“Shall we go in?” Sabin asked.

His voice was hurried as he opened the door.