James Anderson - The Altar

He ducked back behind the boulder and wondered what to do. Should he make himself known and try to help his mother escape? Or should he just hide here and wait? Was this man a friend or an enemy?

He peeked around again in the hope that his mother would see him. Then, if things were safe, she’d call to him. And if not, she’d find a way to let him know. She didn’t look his way, though, but merely stared upwards at what looked like a pitch black, starless sky that enveloped this entire world.

Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. The aloneness was too much. The emptiness. The vastness of this place. His heart filled with sudden emotion and he could contain himself no more; he rushed out from behind his hiding place.

“Mom!” he called.

She sat up as soon as she heard his voice, and the look of horror on her face told him he had made a mistake. Her look said it all-grateful to see him but terrified for his life.

By now, what was done was done and he rushed into his mother’s arms, where she held him tight.

“Oh, Todd, Todd. What are you doing here?”

“I came to get you, Mom. I came to bring you back.”

“Oh, my dear boy, my love. You shouldn’t have come. Oh dear God, you shouldn’t have come.”

Then she began to weep so hard that she shook all over. She squeezed him so tight he thought he would break.

“Oh, dear God, oh why did you come here?”

“I had to, Mom,” he said. “I just had to.”

She patted him on the back of the head.

“It’s ok,” she said. “We’re going to be ok.”

Then he felt the man grabbing him by the back of the neck and pulling him away.

“So what have we here?” he said. “Another moth just flying into the fire?”

The man swung Todd around to look at him. He had dark black hair, black eyes, and tanned, almost leathery skin. He looked like any ordinary man.

“Who are you?” Todd asked.

“Your worst nightmare,” the man said, and then Todd saw him for who he was as he looked deeply into his eyes.

“You’re that awful thing that took my Mom!” Todd said. “And you tried to get me back at the rock but I got away.”

“Yes,” the demon said. “I’m that awful thing that tried to get you. But guess what? Now I’ve got you.”

Todd’s trail was easy enough to follow in the loose sand. It appeared to be the only thing that had disturbed the ground in ages.

“Looks like he’s running,” Dovecrest said, looking down at the footprints.

“Hmmm. Is he running towards something….. Or away from it?”

“I guess we’ll know when we find him.”

The two men quickened their pace as they made their way across the large plains.

“So, do you think this place is really hell?” Erik asked.

Dovecrest paused. “It’s hard to say. But from what I’ve read of the Bible, hell doesn’t exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hell is where all of the damned souls go after Christ’s second coming, isn’t that correct?”

“Yeah. I guess so. You’d probably have to talk to Pastor Mark about that.”

“Well, that’s what the Bible says. But Jesus hasn’t returned yet, has he?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Then I suspect this is a holding place for all of those souls who are destined to go to hell.”

Dovecrest laughed. “I’ve read your Bible. A number of times. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands, remember?”

Erik smiled.

“And do you believe it?”

“That’s a tough question,” the Indian said. “I believe many different things. There is truth in many things. The old Indian ways show truth. Your religion shows truth. The ultimate truth is that there is a creator that is all powerful. That is without doubt.

“I do believe in a heaven and a hell. I believe with all my heart that my family is in heaven. Even though they were never able to know your Jesus, they believed in the Great Spirit and they worshipped him with love.”

“And you, do you believe in Jesus?”

Erik realized that he was sounding like the pastor. He found it odd that here, in the very pits of hell-or maybe the holding cell for hell-he was trying to convert this man to his faith. He had never been one to convert people, and had always felt very uncomfortable with the idea. But now, for some reason, he thought it important to know where Dovecrest stood.

The Indian stopped walking and turned to face him. Erik looked into his eyes for what seemed like a long time.

“I believe in God,” he said at last. “I was able to see His power in action through your pastor. I do believe.”

Erik felt a chill run up his spine. All of his doubts disappeared. He knew that, no matter what happened, it would be ok. He loved his wife and child more than life itself, but he felt that they were safe in God’s care. This world no longer mattered to him. It was the next world that counted now. Though they all might die here and now in the very sands of hell, God would not forsaken them. They might all die here in hell, but Dovecrest was right. They would not remain here. They were visitors to this place, not residents. They belonged with God.

Charged with new vitality, they continued forward. It looked like Todd had been dodging from one rock outcropping to another as they followed his path. Finally, after about two hundred yards, they stopped behind a large obsidian boulder.

“It looks like he stopped here for a bit,” Dovecrest said. “He knelt down. See?”

Erik could see where the sand had been disturbed.

“He’s trying to find his mother,” Erik said. “We don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

“I think she’s alive. And when we find her, we find the demon. Remember what we’ve come here for. Above all else, we must destroy that thing.”

They moved forward again. The next rock outcropping was about a hundred yards away. This one was larger than the ones they’d passed so far and Erik had the strong feeling that they would encounter the demon there.

“I’m assuming you have a plan once we find this thing,” Erik said.

“You take care of your family. I’ll take care of the demon.”

Erik nodded. “I think we’ll find what we’re looking for up ahead.”

Dovecrest nodded agreement.

They moved quickly but carefully as they approached the next rock outcropping.

The demon couldn’t believe its good fortune. The boy had come straight to him, like a lamb to the slaughter. It was so perfect it couldn’t have been planned better. Now it had a choice. It could kill the newborn and take over the mother, which had been his original plan. Or it could take over the boy, which might be even better. It’d thought about taking over the newborn itself, but that would leave it too helpless, unable to fend for itself for too long. But the boy offered different, more interesting opportunities. It’d have to destroy the mother, too, of course. But that wouldn’t bother it a bit. Now that it had them all here, it could do whatever it wanted.

“You, boy, sit down over there and mind your business,” it said.

The boy looked at it in defiance. “Why should I? You don’t look so scary now.”

The demon laughed. Then in a quick leap it was next to the boy, catching him entirely by surprise and grabbing him hard by the arm. It squeezed until the bone threatened to break, and the boy screamed.

“I can look any way I want!” the demon said. “And no matter what I look like, I can hurt you. And I will hurt you. So you do as I say or I can break both of your legs and you’ll have to stay put! Understand?”

The boy was in too much pain to say anything.

“Do as he says, Todd,” the mother said. “Please!”