Black Reckoning

The snow was falling in such a way that the car would not keep the straight line that one would have expected it to keep. He wipes his brow and tells everyone to be quiet while simultaneously switching off the radio and muttering about how un- important birthday’s are. His wife looks at him and then at the road as her heart pounds, her mind races.

The car begins to take possession of the people inside as if it had a mind of its own. Its interior began to close in on them. He can’t see past the hood of the car and yet he knows he has started downhill as the car has begun to pick up speed. He is squinting now trying to see through the enormous snowflakes. He taps the breaks to see if he can slow the now speed possessed car. There are none! Visibility is strained and his heart feels like it will pop out of his chest. He glances at the speedometer only to find that they are now going 50 mph on a 35 mph zone. His heart skips and he has to swallow. By now, every person in the car knows that they are in very serious trouble! His wife starts to pray. The boys are very silent and begin holding on to one another.

Speedometer says 65mph now and he can barely keep the car on the road. Up ahead, there is a glare of a light. It is barely shining through the night sky and the snow that is pounding the windshield.

The light is upon them. He pulls the steering wheel to the right and yet the car does not move! He is desperate now and pulls it to left and there is no response from the relentless steering wheel! He let’s go and grabs his wife’s hand. No time to say anything!

With a crashing bang and a horrendous crunch, they are now airborne as the car leaves the pavement….Turning his head to the passenger side, he caught one glimpse of his wife who was no longer praying or terrified, her head bobbed back and forth through the flight, her body held in place by the seat belt she had so dutifully put on before they left the party. The hit was harsh and forceful! It had broken out the windshield and he could feel the bite of the cold air upon his face when the roof of the car groaned upon landing as it slid for what seemed likes ages on the snow. ….

Just then they saw glowing eyes and heard a growl that sounded as if it were coming from a hungry mother tiger in the depths of hell. It was a black animal, hard to see for the overgrown foliage and gloomy clouds. As it got nearer to them they could make out that it was the largest Rottweiler that any of them had ever seen before! It was coming towards them with a fire in its eyes. It was baring its teeth and they could see that there was meat caught between them. Its jowls were filled with bile and blood as it bared its teeth at them. It moved slow and methodical. Each muscle in its shoulders was flexed as it took another step. It looked old but strong. Denny stared it down, looked right into its eyes. Denny received a message from it.

“You will not pass this point if you want to live”. “I am all knowing”; “I protect this house and all who live in it”. “I am always hungry and you three will make a fine meal for me over the next few days”. The animal said these things to Denny without making a sound.

“Be gone with you”! “You have no place here”. “I should smite you down as look at you”! Do you not know who I am”? Denny spat, within his mind. “I will break you as soon as look at you”. “You work for the weak and evil”; “You are no match for me”!

“Then move a step closer”. “I am hungry”. The beast gave Denny an evil grin and with a slight twitch in its jowl Denny knew that the fight was on.

The dog rose up on his hinds as if they were about to waltz in a dance at the devils ball. Denny lunged forward, at least four inches taller than the huge dog was on his hind legs. He grabbed the dogs massive shoulder muscles and they went down on the ground in a violent wrestle…..

Denny watched with his eyes wide and it too hovered above the ground. Its misty form was reminiscent of a black storm cloud, only it was in the shape of a man. It had rotted teeth and hair that flowed long and stringy, gray and black. Each strand of its hair seemed to move on its own as if they were snakes. Its eyes sat deep into the sockets of its skull and except for their small glow directly in the middle, they were barely visible. They glowed like a red and orange fire as they glared directly at Denny.

Holding out its boney hand, it began to point at Denny as if he were the "accused" in a horrific crime. It began to speak with a sound that rang in Denny's ears as deafening. It did not have a full face. It had only those deep, dark, holes for eyes and it spoke to Denny through its mind as well.

"Marguerite cannot help you boy"! It screeched. "You have chosen your path and it was not the path I had in mind for you"! It continued, "You will become one of us, it is not your choice to go any other way with your life"! "I hold all of the power"! It shouted and Denny felt an excruciating pain in his head.