Joel Jon FV

Member


posted 03-27-99 01:53 PM

hERETIC, I hope you don't mind but I'd like to try something
with your
thread. I'll start a bit of fanfic


and anyone who feels like it can continue with the next
part. I'm curious
as to where this can go.

Zeke stirred while he woke up to the late morning. He felt
reluctant to
open his eyes. It wasn't so


much because he was tired, after all, he is dead. He dreaded
opening his
eyes because of what he


might see. After where he spent 15 years, it was a great
luxury not to
be able to see, feel, or sense


anything. However, he knew that a certain someo...


"Come on Ezekiel, it's time to rise and shi...Well, rise
anyways."


Zeke thought about telling the devil to go away but what
good would it
do? It's not like Satan is


known for his manners. He opened his eyes.


"All right, who is it this time?" he asked.


"Oh come now, Zeke. You really think I'm just going to tell
you?" admonished
the Devil.


"Why not? It would certainly get our business over a little
sooner."


"All work and no play. That's not my style. However, it
should be yours,
so get moving."


"I'd like to get dressed first if you don't mind."


Zeke got up, turned on the TV, and went to brush his teeth.
When he came
back he saw the Devil


grinning at the TV. On the news, a reporter talked about a
rash of hate
crimes that had grown more


and more violent. A flaming cross flashed on screen.


"Humans are the only creatures that hate because of
something as simple
as a darker skin or a


different idea. I've always found it rather endearing.
Everytime I see
a new Busch I know that


there's going to be some interesting times. He's certainly
having some
right now. Did you know that


World War II had me wondering if I should just move the
business upstairs?
At some times and


places you couldn't tell the difference"


Zeke thought of Busch and his comment on war in the streets.
Just as quickly,
the image of Martin


Genade appeared in his mind. Even then someone was at least
trying to make
things better. He


decided to eat one of his last Reggie Bars to make the
point.


"Looks like I'm going to..."


"Alabama, Georgia,..." the TV reported.


"How am I supposed to get there?"

To continue:

The Devil gave him an annoyed look, but Zeke could tell it
was one of his
many acts.

"Must I do everything for you?" The Devil's hand moved to
his coat and
produced a plane ticket.

"There you are, just throw together an overnight bag and
head to LAX."

"Your making it this easy? What? Having a good day? Finding
plenty of insurance
salesmen to torture

or something?"

The Devil chuckled. "Don't get too excited, Mr. Stone. I
didn't make it
THAT easy. You see by

average traveling time LAX is about half an hour away and
you have..."
he stopped to look at the

clock on Stone's night stand then turned back with that
typical malevolent
glee in his eyes.
"...exactly 19 minutes and 24 seconds."

Before the Devil was even done, Stone was in his street
clothes and out
the door. He raced down

the stairs and came to Max who had fortunately come to the
desk early today.

"Max," he said, "I need a huge favor. Can you drive me to
the airport."

Max looked at him and gave him a smile. "Sure why not?
When?"

"Right now. And can you get me there in 15 minutes?"

"Whoa! Stone, I ain't a miracle worker and I already have a
few speeding
tickets in my glove

compartment as is."

"Okay...uh...I'll pay any tickets you get or I'll fix them."

"Agree to fix the ones I already got and you got a deal,
Stone." She said
this with a smirk at Stone

to which he couldn't help but grin."

"Okay, done."

"Let's go."

Amazingly enough they made it on time and without recieving
a ticket. As
Stone left the car to run

for the gate, Max jokingly gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Have a good trip
hon."

Stone finally boarded the plane and collapsed into the seat
panting. Several
moments later he was

airborn. The seat next to him was empty until the plane
reached cruising
altitude, at which point the

Devil showed himself again. He was wearing headphones which
he removed
and looked over at Zeke.

"Damn. They're playing "Living Out Loud". I was hoping for
something like
"Fallen" or of course,

"Devil's Advocate" Oh that's right you haven't had much
chance to catch
up on recent cinema have

you? Great stuff. We usually win nowadays."

"Funny." Zeke said, "I was hoping for "The Exorcist". I
could use one right
now."

"They're highly overrated. When it comes to demons versus
humans, our scores
are much higher. At

any rate, I could talk movies and ancient religious
practices all day,
but business must intercede. I

came to give you a starting point once you get to the land
of cotton."

"Which is?"

Regina Phelps in Atlanta. She had a run in with a mutual
friend of ours
and amazingly lived to tell

about it. She is pagan and bi-sexual, so she was a prime
target for the
fellow we're after. Nice lady."

"so you're sending me to someone who plays in your court?"

"Plays in my...?" the Devil let out a hearty laugh. "Oh no,
she's not mine
on either count. You really

aren't a ninties type of guy are you Zeke? Well I'll clue
you into a few
things. Dad and I are only

two...corporations shall we say, competing in a vast market.
If people
don't happen to believe in us,

then we can't take their business. They're someone else's
customers. Now
I can't divulge every

secret of the universe to you, but I hope this gives you a
bit of perspective.
Of course I could be

BSing you and sending you on a wild goose chase."

"How am I ever supposed to know with you?"

The Devil smiled. "You aren't."

At that moment a stewardess walked by with a drink cart not
paying much
attention. The Devil

reached out and gave her a swat on the backside. When she
turned to see
him, only Zeke was

sitting there. She gave him a look that could kill and then
hurried along
the aisle as the plane sped

towards Atlanta.

Wolf, I don't want to finish this too soon. I'm having too much fun.

To continue:

After spending a few embarrased hours on the plane, Zeke got off at the airport. He looked around for a phone book. "Let's see," he muttered under his breath, "Phelps...Phelps." He then proceeded to groan as the name Regina Phelps came up 72 times. "What...do they have conventions or something?" He heard an amused sound over the PA but didn't bother to look up, he knew who it was. "Easy enough for you, detective?" "Last time I give you some constructive criticism." It was already nighttime so he decided to check out a room at a hotel. The room was dark, almost barren, and a roach scurried away from the weak light. "Just like home." He smiled despite himself.

In the morning, he remembered it would be a better idea to look in the newspapers of the last few days than go ask 72 women some indelicate questions. He flipped through the pages while eating a few platefuls of any breakfast food on the menu. The headline read "Woman Attacked by Religous Fanatic." "I wonder if Salinas had a brother," he mused. The article further gave information that the woman's name was indeed Regina Phelps and she owned an occult shop in the downtown area. "Bingo."

An hour later Zeke walked through a beaded curtain into the shop. "Can I help you?" asked a young woman. She had a cast on her arm and was using a crutch. A fresh bruise framed her right eye. "Excuse me, are you the Regina Phelps in this article?" he asked simultaneously pulling out the torn paper. "Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" "I'm Detective Stone, here on assignment researching this rash of assaults. Could you recount the events of what happened to you." "Sure, three days ago this psycho comes here all dressed in black. I thought he was a potential customer but then I noticed it was a really old style. Y'know, like the Pilgrims?" "A Puritan?" "Yeah, he came in here looking for witches and said his name was Stoughton. Then he took a look around as if he didn't know what this kind of store sold. Just then my girlfriend came in and gave me a hug. He suddenly gave me a look of disgust and stormed out screaming this was the Devil's house. I didn't think anything about it, you always find people like that occasionally. He must have tailed me because when I got home he was waiting for me. He beat me to a pulp and dunked me in a tub of water! Later, I found out it was holy water stolen from a nearby church. The guy was an absolute loon!!" "Thanks, that's all I'll need." Reading today's newspapers, Zeke saw that Stoughton figured out it was going to take more than holy water and had hanged a filthy rich corporate lawyer, two hookers and their pimp, several riotous gang members, and various other people who broke the seven deadly sins. "Great, a crazed puritan. So, where should I go from here?"

And I ask other posters this same question.

Stone decided that it would be best to know exactly what the man he was searching for looked like. First he would get a bite to eat though, as it was now about 1 PM. Despite the fact that he didn't need it he still craved food. He found a nearby McDonald's and went in to order lunch. He had found that since his time in the pit, even the food that was only "okay" to him had taken on a whole new level of pleasure. Of course it could also just be that old habits die hard.
After lunch he returned to the occult shop owned by Regina Phelps. As he went in he saw Phelps sitting on a small bench set up for glance through the books. She was talking with another woman that Zeke assumed was the girlfriend she had mentioned before. She was not a centerfold, but not unattractive at all, what many would call "pretty in her own way". Upon seeing Stone, she seemed to tense up. He turned his attention to Phelps.

"Hello Ms. Phelps. Sorry to disturb you again, but I was wondering if you might give me a bit more help"
"No problem detective," she turned to the woman, "Michelle, this is Detective Stone. Mr. Stone this is my partner Michelle."

Stone extended his hand, and the woman took it meekly and quickly retracted hers after.
Michelle seemed nervous as she stood up and said, "Uh, Reggie I think I'll wait in the back room. Mr. Stone" She said these last two words with a small nod and a meager attempt at a smile.
Stone was confused. "Did I do something..."

To be continued...

He spun around to face the voice but found nothing. Stone reached up and grabbed the rope above its knot, taking enough pressure off his neck to look up. From the roof above the occult shop a man dressed in black was hoisting him up. He could only dangle helplessly and wait.
“Our lord sent thee to bring me home?” The man’s voice strained, his hands quivered as he lifted Stone onto the roof. “But I am not yet finished with his work.”
Stone reached for his pistol. The pilgrim yanked the rope hard, making Stone stumble.
“Drop thy weapon to the street below,” he commanded, the voice seeming to come from right in front of his nose despite the better than ten feet of taut rope between them. Stone held the fun over where he’d come up, hoping its clatter would alert Regina. He was rewarded with another sharp tug on the rope. “Over yonder, Demon-Hunter Stone. I am no fool.” The direction his voice seemed to come from indicated the alley behind the building. He tossed the gun.
“Thy coat. Give it to me.” He tensed the rope menacingly. “I may not strangle one without breath, but I can assuredly break thy neck.” The voice spoke softly, threateningly, as if whispering in his ear. “Now,” the voice boomed from its natural place, “tell our lord god Satan that I would remain to sow his hate.”
Stone felt nauseous. He loosened the knot around his Adam’s apple and was only slightly relieved. He looked the pilgrim in the eye, weary but defiant. “Tell him yourself.”
Stone had anticipated the leash-pull the pilgrim answered him with. Quickly he grabbed the rope between them and let his shoulder take the brunt of the force. He had an answer of his own…….

> Name: Joel Jon FV
E-mail address: CVilla0826@aol.com
Homepage URL:
Comments:

Zeke quickly swung over to the roof and landed on the ledge. Using his momentum, he immediately leaped at Stoughton hitting him with his shoulder. They both fell to the roof struggling at each other and trading punches. Stoughton by his longer tenure in Hell slowly overpowered Stone on the ground. He pushed Zeke against the wall that led downstairs.
"I will not be such an easy conquest," he whispered.
"What part of this makes you think this is easy," groaned Zeke. He grabbed Stoughton's waist and quickly pushed away from the wall with his feet. He shoved Stoughton over the edge of the roof and took the fall with him. Zeke felt terrible the instant he hit the pavement and couldn't see straight. Stoughton, however, got up almost immediately and looked at Zeke.
"Enough of this foolishness," he cried. "I must end that what I began. I shall destroy the abominations inside. Then I can turn my gaze to you." Then for good measure, he kicked Zeke in the face while he was getting up. While Zeke fell into the street's gutter, Stoughton crashed through the window. Zeke got up and stumbled towards the store. There were sudden flashes of light followed by what could only be gun shots.
Zeke pulled his gun and quickly but quietly entered through the window. Almost every object had been destroyed, there were multiple scorch marks on walls and the ceiling. On the floor was proof that Regina didn't always rely on spells. A double-barrell shotgun lay on the floor half melted and bent. Suddenly, he heard a few bumps at the back. He rushed through the backdoor to see the black figure tying a noose around Regina's neck at super speed. They were in an alley so Stoughton leaped up to a fire exit ladder with the rope in a blue blur. The rope dragged Regina off the ground but it was instantly severed with a well-placed shot. Stoughton threw the other body he was carrying right at Zeke and leaped to the roof. Zeke caught the unconscious Michelle but toppled over at the speed she was going.
When Zeke looked up he saw a shadowed figure looking down at him. Stoughton's hands and eyes glowed red, and he ripped off part of the fire escape ladder and dropped it towards Zeke and Michelle. Covering his head, Zeke stood over Michelle who was lying unconscious on the ground. The ladder hit Zeke's body with what would have been deadly force and nearly knocked him to the ground. Groaning from the pain, he shoved it to the side.
Zeke realized it would be futile to chase the man now so he focused his attention on the two lives he just saved. Regina was still coughing from the noose which she had removed. Her eyes were watering and the cast she had been wearing was broken. She was on her knees and good arm trying to get up. Zeke hurried over and helped her up. "Thanks," Regina gasped, "where did the psycho go?"
"Down the alley," Zeke lied.
"Oh no!" Regina screamed when she saw the other woman. She tripped while trying to run over to her.
"Hey, slow down. She's all right."
"'Chel, 'Chel, wake up! Please, you're scaring me!"
Michelle opened her eyes and quickly hugged Regina. Meanwhile, Zeke leaned against the wall in embarassment. A worried look passed over his face as he discreetly removed a shard of metal that was stuck through his chest. "Um...ladies, we should get you some help."

At the hospital, Zeke talked to Michelle while Regina had her cast reset. Michelle had a bandage wrapped around her head. "You people have to do something!" she screamed. "This is the second time this has happened to Reg!"
"We're doing the best we can," replied Zeke, "But this guy is very resourceful...It's almost like he's got superpowers."
"I don't care if he's the Devil himself, go catch him!"
Zeke smiled at the irony but Michelle took it badly, slapped him, and stormed off to the doctor's room.
"Ezekiel Stone, Ladies Man Extrordinaire." joked a voice behind him. Zeke turned around to see the all-to-familiar face framed in shoulder-length hair.
"What are you doing here?" he said in an annoyed tone.
"Well you heard Michelle. Speak of me..."
"...and you shall appear. You have too much fun with metaphors. While I'm here, could you explain to me why a puritan seems to have become a Satanist."
"Same reason Salinas become a child-killer...Answer: his faith in God. The puritans despised sin, Zeke, even the sinners. Haven't you ever read 'The Scarlet Letter'? Humans are contradictory in nature. For example, look at you, killing a man when by profession you were a man of the law. I guess that unbending faith of his just ended up snapping that staid mind. To defeat sin, he became a sinner. It just goes to show that all work and no play makes people really, really nuts."
"And I suppose this...is part of that grand philosophy," he said referring to the doctor's coat that the Devil was wearing.
"Of course."
"Kidder. Calling Dr. Kidder. You are needed on the 5th floor with students," announced a woman's voice over the P.A. "That's my cue," he said stepping into an elevator.
"What are you teaching?" Zeke asked puzzled.
"I'm teaching proctology...Very poorly," he grinned while the elevator's doors closed. Zeke took a deep breath and exhaled. After which he began walking to Regina's room. After a few moments, the elevator that had just descended to the 5th floor came up again and opened. The man that came out contrasted against all the white lab coats.