The Unexpected Exorcist: Episode 23
The Unexpected Exorcist: Episode 23
The Hellhole, Part II
Recap
Last week on The Unexpected Exorcist: Director Kyabse Jinpa and Rabbi Adam Green of the DED went to investigate the Larrabee Fruit Farm. They needed to find out what happened to Father Stevens and Father Andersen.
When they arrived at the farm, they found something most disturbing: demonic familiars—Chet and Janey Larrabee.
Rabbi Green has been shot and is lying in the road. Director Jinpa is hiding in the apple sorting house.
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<Episode 22 | Table of Contents | Episode 24>
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM PDT!!
- Adam Lutzi Rockwell
The Larrabee Fruit Farm - Outside The Orchard House
Janey pulled Toby’s body up the road. She was strong from all the log splitting and farm work, but Toby weighed over two-hundred pounds, short as he was.
As she passed the body of Rabbi Green, she looked down at him and spit on the ground. “I’ll be back for you in a minute.”
She continued pulling Toby and had to stop a few times to take big breaths. Dragging bodies over gravel was not easy work.
As soon as she was out of sight, around the corner of the home, Rabbi Green grabbed his chest and breathed deeply three times. He had been playing possum.
He took off his thick Star of David Amulet and examined it. The nine-millimeter bullet was lodged in it. God had protected him just as he always knew He would. He took the necklace off, kissed it, and slipped it into his pocket. It would make a good souvenir.
“These bastards,” he mumbled, standing. “I’ll be damned if you’re going to take care of me.”
He could hear the sound of shrubs moving as Janey pulled Toby through the unkempt, dark side of the house.
Rabbi Green quickly made his way to the side corner of the house and peeked his head around. Janey had already made her way to the backyard. The smoke from the Hellhole obscured Janey.
Rabbi Green immediately made his move. He went right into the front door of the home, kicking an extremely large, dead crow out of the way. He kept quiet and his pistol holstered. Familiars were not possessed but they were extremely dangerous due to their fanaticism.
Rabbi Green scanned the interior of the home. Father Andersen was nowhere to be seen, dead or alive. He didn’t have time to check upstairs.
Rabbi Green knew he had to get the jump on Janey, or she’d get the jump on him. He knew The Director could take care of himself. Director Jinpa had fought off more than a couple familiars in his time.
He considered his pistol. He put his hand on his Glock under his jacket and unsnapped the holster. Just in case.
He went to the back of the house. The interior had a few lamps on, making it easy to make his way to a big country kitchen. A couple of small windows gave him a direct view of the home’s backyard. He went straight to the window and looked out.
A sign on the wall said, “Bless this mess!”
Indeed.
Janey had set the shotgun in the snow on the ground and pulled Toby to the edge of the Hellhole.
Rabbi Green despised Hellholes. Only a familiar could open one and it was a direct portal to Hell. At least that’s what the literature said. A Hellhole gave power to demons that resided in the area. It fortified them and gave them strength. They fed off the Hellhole.
It was no small task to open a Hellhole and a pain in the ass to close one. It took an arcane knowledge of demonic magic, crushed onyx powder and the blood of a holy man. A priest was usually used in the sacrifice. He knew where the blood was most likely procured.
It was theorized that the gate directly connected the Hell-Realm with the Earth-Realm, but very little scientific studies had ever been conducted. Often, the demonic forces shut them before any analysis could be conducted. They were too dangerous to mess around with.
Why anybody would perform such insane black magic was beyond him.
Rabbi Green didn’t understand where hicks like the Larrabees had procured the knowledge to do such a thing. Anybody could get onyx powder these days on eBay, but what would make seemingly ordinary people open a gate to Hell in their backyard? It defied reason.
He kept watching Janey through the kitchen window. Janey Larrabee placed her heel on Toby’s side and violently kicked his corpse into the hole. The dirty white sulfur smoke increased in a flare and then went back to simply seething.
“See you soon, Toby,” she said.
Janey looked over the side of the hole and then sat down, hanging her feet off the edge. She put one hand on the shotgun and took a deep breath of the noxious smoke.
She was a true believer.
At that exact moment, Rabbi Adam Green knew what he had to do. Send her to Hell. It’s where she would be going, regardless.
A small door led from the back of the house onto a porch and then just twenty yards to Janey.
With surprising speed, the Rabbi leapt into action.
When he pulled open the back door, some chimes on the outside of the door sounded. Janey was alerted and immediately went for the shotgun. He was on her before she had a chance to raise the gun.
Rabbi Green quickly grabbed the shotgun from her hands and tossed it into the Hellhole.
“Janey Larrabee, you are under arrest for murder and conspiring with demonic forces,” he shouted over the hissing smoke.
“It’ll be a cold day in Hell before you arrest me!” she yelled, lunging at Rabbi Green who quickly pulled his gun. She knocked it out of his hand.
She latched onto him around the waist, picked him up, and then slowly started walking him toward the edge of the hole.
“Let go of me, you insane bitch!” he yelled.
What was she doing? She was going to try to throw him into the hole!
She squeezed him with all her might and pulled him closer and closer to the abyss. “I thought you were dead,” she hissed in his ear. “Let’s make that a reality.”
He fought as hard as he could to escape her grip, but she hugged him tightly and when she got him right up to the edge, flung Rabbi Green into the hole.
As he fell, he grabbed onto Janey’s ankle. She fell onto her ass. He got his other hand up and grabbed her other ankle.
He hung off the side of the hole. He looked down, into the Hellhole. The fire lapped at his feet.
“Get your stinking hands off me!” yelled Janey.
She kicked. Rabbi Green held on with all his might. Her kicking pulled her closer and closer to the edge.
And then, the side of the hole collapsed. They both tumbled into the Hellhole.
As he fell into the seemingly endless pit, Rabbi Green chastised himself for forgetting what lengths a familiar would go to in service of their overlord.
He could hear the cackle of Janey as she fell with him to Hell. A familiar WANTED to go to Hell. Be there soon.
Hands reached out from the side of the hole, grabbing at their falling bodies.
They both disappeared into the smoke. The plume of smoke purged violently upward, flashing yellow and purple lights into the night sky.
Then all was still.
The Sorting House
Director Jinpa hid behind a large, polished, steel sorting machine. Conveyor belts, crates and new, silver machinery filled the old sorting house. The place was dark but moonlight seeped in through transom windows.
The Director was an expert fighter but preferred to fight on his own terms, not when he had unexpectedly been put back on his heels.
He centered himself, realigning his Qi to the point of equanimity. His heart rate immediately came back down and his mind was still.
He felt the surge of energy when Janey dragged Rabbi Green into the Hellhole. It would be a loss he would have to bear. He had underestimated the Larrabees. His friends and colleagues from the DED were dying all around him at a startling rate. He knew that he needed to get hold of the situation or Hell would be released on earth.
Chet burst into the sorting house waving the gun around wildly. He put one hand on his knee and caught his breath. He couldn’t believe the mess Janey had gotten him into. And killing Toby! He would never forgive her for that.
He flicked the light switch. The industrial overhead lights blazed to life.
“Where the hell are you?” he yelled. “I’m gonna’ put you out of your misery.”
The sorting house echoed. The Director stayed quiet.
It was so quiet the only sound was Chet’s labored breathing could be heard. Chet listened carefully for the Buddhist monk, but he didn’t make a peep.
“Just come on out. You’re beat!” he shouted, walking between the sorting machines, pointing Father Andersen’s service weapon each time he rounded a corner. He was no military man.
Director Jinpa moved to the southwest corner of the building behind a stack of large empty apple crates. When he moved, he glided. He didn’t make a sound. Decades of training had given him the advantage in most situations such as this.
After considering his option carefully, Kyabse threw his voice, another trick he had learned in India. “Mr. Larrabee, put your gun down. I do not want things to become any more violent than they already have.”
Chet popped out from behind a machine and pulled the trigger twice. Tricked. Both bullets went through the back of the barn and his ears screamed in pain from the report of the bullets.
The pistol held fifteen rounds. Plenty of bullets for Chet to cause more trouble.
The Director moved again from his hiding place next to a small office. There were two big red buttons mounted onto an electric panel. He pushed the buttons simultaneously. Immediately, the conveyor belts from the sorting machines roared to life. The machines provided even more noise and confusion, exactly what he needed.
Chet was confused. He hoped that Janey would be there to help soon. He considered turning the gun on himself. Why did he shoot that guy in the road? Was he a cop killer now? What had he done?
Director Jinpa rolled as efficiently as a cat under two rows of conveyor belts. He lay in the prone position and got a good view of Chet, who looked like a trapped animal at the back of the sorting house.
Chet began searching under the rumbling conveyor belts.
The Director made his move. He rolled out from under his hiding place and positioned himself directly behind Chet. The big guy had his back turned to him and didn’t even know he was there.
He centered himself again, putting his hands together, and rushed Chet. He slid past Chet’s right side, stood quickly, and removed the gun from Chet’s hands in one swift motion. He immediately tossed the gun onto the conveyor belt which carried it slowly away.
Director Jinpa stood in front of Chet but did not move. He put his hands together and bowed a half-bow. Chet frowned and lunged toward him. He simply stepped aside in an easy, quick motion. He tripped Chet who toppled to the ground.
Chet knew he was beaten, but he no longer cared. He was going to jail for the rest of his life, and he knew it. A few days earlier, Janey had told him that God was going to bless them with a child. She had prayed for it. What had she been talking about? Why did he believe her? She was fifty-five years old.
He rolled over and put his hands over his head. The Director motioned him to stand with his index finger.
“Mr. Larrabee, you are under arrest by order of the Department of Homeland Security. I am Special Agent Kyabse Jinpa Rinpoche, and I’m bringing you in. You are charged with conspiracy to further the goals of Hell by acting as a demonic familiar…. and attempted murder. I am going to need you to come with me now.”
“Attempted murder?” asked Chet. “I shot that guy dead center. He’s dead as roadkill.”
“He survived, but your wife finished the job.”
“I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!” he yelled. “I need to see Janey. We need to work all this out. It was all just a big misunderstanding, I swear!”
The Director shook his head. “Unfortunately, there is no going back in time for you, Mr. Larrabee. You need to accept the fact that you will be spending the rest of your life in a maximum-security prison.”
“Why?” he cried.
“There is no more dangerous human than one who would work hand-in-hand with the world of demons. You, Chet Larrabee, are a familiar. You cannot be trusted.”
“But it wasn’t my idea! It was all Janey!”
“Janey is no longer with us, Mr. Larrabee. I am sorry. Now, please follow me.”
“What do you mean Janey is no longer with us?” he asked, about to break into tears. Everything was confusion.
“Janey has removed herself from the Earth-Plane. I need to call my headquarters and get a team of cleaners out here. You have created a real mess, wouldn’t you say?”
Chet looked to his right. The pistol was slowly rolling back toward him on the conveyor belt.
The Director caught him eyeballing the pistol. “Don’t do it, Mr. Larrabee. If you work with us, I can promise you a fair hearing and perhaps leniency. If you help us and tell us what we need to know.”
The pistol got closer. And closer. Chet glanced back over his shoulder at Director Jinpa. The only way he was getting out of that mess would be to take the monk out.
Was Janey really dead? He must be lying to him, just as the demon had said he would!
“Don’t!” yelled Director Jinpa.
Chet lunged for the pistol. The Director ran forward. As Chet bent to pick up the pistol, Director Jinpa ran right up his back, jumped onto the conveyor belt and kicked the pistol to the other side of the building. He immediately back-flipped off the conveyor and stood on the other side over the conveyor-belt eyeballing Chet.
Chet would get no leniency.
Chet was all done. He knew it. He turned and ran towards the exit. His three-hundred-pound frame was substantial, but he moved with pure adrenaline.
Director Jinpa shook his head and chased after him.
Okay, Kyabse, perhaps I’m getting a little old for this.
His knees hurt from all the flipping and fighting.
Chet ran, as well as he could, across the drive and the yard. He spotted the blood trail headed to the back yard and followed it. The Director barely needed to jog to keep up with the big man.
When he got to the corner of the house, he turned to Director Jinpa, huffing and puffing. He jutted his right hand into his right overall pocket.
“Please, stop!” begged Director Jinpa. “There is nothing more for you to do. I need to get a team out here fast. There’s no telling the damage that Hellhole is doing to the fabric of our plane!”
Chet held his hand high, and in a single pitching motion threw a black stone at Jinpa. A circular, one-inch black onyx stone. It sailed fast, right at Director Jinpa’s head. The Director’s reflexes were still catlike. The stone traveled at almost fifty miles per hour. The Director simply caught it in his right hand.
He looked down at the stone. A Summoning Stone. If Chet had known how to use it, he already would have. He placed the stone in his pocket.
“Chet, Stop!” He had dealt with less stubborn demons.
“Is Janey really dead?” A tear fell down his cheek.
“Yes. She dragged Rabbi Green down to Hell.”
“Can you get her out?” he cried in confusion. “It wasn’t us that done all this! It was that damn Beelzebub!”
Beelzebub. The most formidable of human enemies.
“No, Mr. Larrabee, I’m afraid there is no returning from Hell. At least for humans.”
Chet turned and ran up the blood trail straight to the Hellhole. He stood at its edge and looked into the abyss.
Director Jinpa stood at the back corner of the house. “Don’t, Chet! You have no idea the horrors that lay beneath!”
“Tell the news that I didn’t mean none of this. Tell them! Beelzebub made me do it! I swear!”
Chet turned and jumped into the hole… falling and falling into the pits of Hell.
The Hellhole burped. A sixty-bird murder of crows flew up and out of the hole and disappeared into the sky. The ground rumbled and then stopped.
Director Jinpa shook his head.
Why were so many people willing to sacrifice themselves to the fires of Hell all in the service of avarice?
Chet had confirmed his worries by uttering one single word. Beelzebub. The Director had his suspicions, but only Beelzebub would be so bold on the Earth-Plane.
How would this end?
Director Jinpa walked back to the DED car and got out his iPhone. He dialed HQ. “I need a cleaning team out at the Larrabee site. Yes, this is a priority-one. Thank you.”
He hung up and walked up onto the porch and sat down on a swinging chair and waited.
He looked at the moon. The crows in the treetops were no longer present.
It was a beautiful orchard. A crow cawed in the far distance.
Beelzebub. The most ancient of demons, just under Lucifer.
In Tibet, Beelzebub was called Mahakala. The Great Blackness. The Master of Legion.
Director Jinpa had faced Mahakala twenty years earlier, and he had been defeated.
Not this time, Mahakala. No, not this time. I was young then. I shall capture you once and for all.
He needed to get back to Washington ASAP.
He waited.
“MAHAKALA!” he screamed in frustration.
<Episode 22 | Table of Contents | Episode 24>
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM PDT!!