A twilight had risen through the town. Every lamp, house, and candle was lit in a feeble attempt to push out the deep blackness of night. The moon had hidden itself behind the horizon of thick evergreen trees hugging the edges of the town. The lodgings were boarded so as to not let even a single ant smuggle through a crawlspace. Rays of light poured out the sides of thick curtains, magnified by their milky white fabrics. Down the quiet, dust-settled road, the church bells tolled signaling the march of the Council. The thick doors swung open emitting more light. Hooded figures standing tall glided down the white marble steps onto the sidewalk in single file. The head of the line held a comfortably sized lamp post upon which was nestled a peacefully swaying six-candle lantern from a metal rod. The empty, black cloak was in deep contrast to the pure white under robes visible with each step. Following were twelve other similarly dressed figures holding similar lanterns. But these only went half their bodies length and strung across their backs were rods of silver the length of just over their upper body. The cloaks of which they wore were also not as black as the leader’s. The bell resonating throughout the town, the flickering of the torch light, the line moved in unison. Turning off the main road and onto a sheet rock path, they headed silently into the forest - the bells now a simple echo of the trees.

               Shadows flickered off the ghostly foliage as dense masses crisscrossed from tree to tree. The two-man wide path, now over grown with moss and weeds, was indistinguishable from the forest floor. As the lights from the town began to sink behind bushes and trees, a darkened house rose in the clearing ahead. A chill swept over the path tosseling leaves and cloaks. The lamps along the path extinguished immediately at the touch of the icy wind. The thirteen formed a crescent around the house; a profile appeared at a dimly lit window downstairs. At the same time a black figure poured into the dark second story window.

              A tall, thin man rushed out of the door straight for the black cloak. Hesitantly, “P-Please, i-it only gets worse and worse each night. My wife and I can’t even gather our dearest belongings from the upstairs. An-and there’s no rest in the day, they just stare and mock at us. Slamming doors, dropping china and-“

              “Be at rest,” the hood interrupted. “We have discussed your plea and decided upon the proper method.” A howl from within the house slammed the door shut, “Promptly remove your wife and child.”

              The man’s pale face shot white, “I tried bringing them to the church not four nights ago.”

              “And?”

            “I wrote the plan down. We got our gardening things and headed outside. Once I closed the door we broke into a full sprint for the town,” he began to whimper. “They-a a bone chill swept our ankles. Shadow hands clenched tight and pulled us to the garden shed. We heard loud bangs from the log shed and then the d-door flew open. And the hands dragged us right back into the house. The table I had used to write the plan down on was,” he sobbed. “w-was contorted or crafted into a cross with ‘no’ scribbled in blood. BLOOD!”

            A cloaked figure stepped forward to comfort the wailing man. The leader put his hand on the man’s shoulder, “The Council’s decision would have been more precise had this information been given last hearing. None the less we are prepared enough. James, prepare the shield. I will go in and retrieve the family.”

            A cloak three heads down on the right dropped peacefully onto the frozen grass. The rest followed suit and began following his instruction. They attached the silver rods to their lantern posts. With four they created a diamond, James touched his hand on the lead post and mouthed a prayer. Instantly the candles began pulsing into ever brighter and taller flames. Three focused rays shot out to the other lanterns and four walls of light now connected the lanterns. A ringing clash was heard from inside the house; a moan and two wails of terror later and a thin woman in hand with a young boy darted for the light. The leader was seen backing out of the doorway thrashing the lantern wildly into the house. A shadow low to the ground chased after the family, but was stopped suddenly and writhed. The lantern inside the door had impaled the shadow.

            “Jessica! Roy!” shouted the man as they embraced each other in new found confidence and comfort.

            “James!” Came a desperate shout. The Leader was struggling to keep the shadow pinned.

            “We got ‘em! They’re safe in the barrier!”

            “James, it’s bad! They don’t even bother with the mirrors no more,” a strange confidence filled his fainting voice. The air was rapidly icing.

            “Phineas, head this formation. Double barrier and keep your heart strong,” James reminded him. He turned back to the Leader, “Fear not what He doesn’t fear.”

            The shadow finally dispersed and the Leader dropped his cloak, “There’s no time to remove the windows from the sills. They remember the first incident in the child’s room. Tapping on a clear night if I recall properly. But I’ve never seen such a-such a mess.”

            Almost preppy, “We can do this one. Just as easily as all the rest you guys have down in this town. Be warned that we are dealing with an angry lonely manifestation. Do not give in!”

            Waiting at the door for a square barrier to erect around the house, the front door shuddered on its hinges from powerful blows. Moaning echoed through the place, drowning the distant bells and prayers. Light simmered into the house and all its nooks and crannies. Deep growls and shouts now revolted from the house. The door broke free of hinges, flung inward dragging the two Councilmen inside, and forcefully shutting it again. James toppled into the middle of the room, while the leader was thrust head first into the opposing wall. A deep simmering shadow fought fiercely to blotch incoming rays of light; James arose to his feet clutching his limp arm.

The leader’s nose lightly pouring blood, “James, your arm-“

“It’s fine! It’s throbbing, but I can still use it,” he replied defensively.

     “Right, then grab our…” he looked intently around the flickering room for their lanterns and satchels, “Quickly, look for any candles.” They rummaged through all the desks and drawers on the first floor. When James emerged from the kitchen for the second time with gashes across his robes and the Leader from the den with a limp, they silently looked forward up the stairs. Deep cackling laughter pierced the thick air.

     “Brother Michael,” hesitated James, “We can no longer rely on the devices of our fellows.”

     Still gazing unblinkingly up the stairs, “No, we must face this evil before it permanently maims us. Steady hearts now, lad.”

     They set off up the stairs immediately. The air now pulsating around them as flickering holy light disappeared from the windowless staircase. A mirror hung half way up shaking violently, threatening to fly off the wall. Desperate incantations began whispering the instant they passed it. Pale figures danced their hands in tune with chimes. The corner of the mirror exploded in a small spray of fine glass shards as thick, white fog began crawling out.

     Instantly James shouted, “Silence those who curse Thy name and whose feet are quick to bloodshed!” The fog contracted immediately and the figures dissipated to dust as they were swept away by a sudden chill.

     They reached the top of the stairs. Michael was swept off his feet, “B-bless t-those who keep to the path of the light.” The once long hallway was lined with seven sets of doors (three bedroom doors to the left, one guest room immediately on the right with two closets and the master bedroom at the opposite end) was gone. The lamps that lined the halls were spilling a bright red blood, which they now noticed flowed down the stairs and was ice cold. The six doors were ripped and torn off their hinges; ghouls freely visited and dashed into the holes. The door to the opposing room was replaced with a crimson stone archway carved with skulls. Flowing from the nose and mouths was thick dark blood. Vapor streamed from the eyes.

     The pressure exploded around them as Michael began a prayer. A warmth lifted them as a furious moan of defeat bellowed through the waterfall of blood. The hallway returned. The lamps burned a pure white flame now unchallenged by any shadows. The same demanding light now poured in from the cracks in the doors - all from except the second door on the left. “That’s his room,” exclaimed Michael.

     James peered down the hall on either side as they moved in on the door. The pressure intensified with each step. Disbelievingly, “Michael, I don’t have a right feeling about this.” They paused at the door, “It’s too…It’s too real.”

     Michael slid his hand onto the handle, “Ye of little faith. Do not leave on me this close to the end!”

     “Why, if He cleansed the rest of the house does he leave us to the source?”

     “You dare question,” Michael stood aghast, “Him?”

     “I’m challenging the power of this case. Look!” He swung a pointing hand to the stair case, “It’s still tainted.”

     “We must finish this job,” he grabbed James by the shoulders and shook him, “Doo no-ot gi-ive in! Come to it Brother!”

     A glaze passed from his eyes, “Thank you Brother.”

A distant voice called the sleeping child, “Roy. Royy. Royy!”

The lad tossed in his bed as the mid morning sun swam through the window. Blearily opening an eye, “Yes, Father?” No one answered, “Be down in a minute.” He crawled out of bed and into his day clothes. The after smell of breakfast wafted up the stair case – waffles and fresh brewed syrup. He stopped at the mirror on the stair case to fix his bed hair and proceeded into the kitchen. He greeted his mother as she helped him to a serving of breakfast, “So where’s dad?”

“Out to town again. Honestly, ever since that new Councilman came here, this town has just been flocking to the town every chance they get.” She remembered her agenda, “Why do you ask dear?”

Not wanting to cause alarm and figuring it was just in his dream, “Oh, nothing. Just thought I could ask him to show me how to shoot from horseback.”

“Now what have I told you boys about hunting in these woods!”

“That we may accidently kill an animal we didn’t mean to or even another person, but we set up targets in that old part when we practice.”

“I will not repeat myself. No hunting.”

“Yes mom.”

“Now hurry up and finish eating because I need you to round up all your friends and tell them to stop tossin’ rocks and making that terrible rapping sound on your window. Your father won’t like having to replace something of his grand-fathers.”

“But I told you, mom, they aren’t the ones doin’ it. The farm hands even said so. They don’t know what’s causing the rapping, but it aint my friends and their rocks” He finished his breakfast in silence.