TALES FROM THE PATCH: THE HORRID'S WRATH

October 30th 2017

THE BRIAR WOOD PUMPKIN PATCH

The ground beneath the lot began to quake. Father Sigmund Reed froze, as The Horrid stopped only inches from the trembling man’s face.

The reaper of the harvest raised his scythe high. reed could see nothing but flames of hell’s berth within the unnatural killers’ eyes.

“.....Dear god in Heaven? deliver us from this evil....”

Vines burst through the surface from the soil beneath The Horrid’s feet. Slithering up to coil about the unholy thing, Something else now rose from the breach.

Father Sigmund Reed grabbed fast for the amulet and for the cross hanging loose around his neck.

“.... In the name of Heaven’s grace what manner of demon are you?”

Lantern Jack was silent as the thorns from the vines tore through the animated horrors’ unnatural flesh.

Jack slowly turned on the preacher, the hollowed eyes within his squash-like jack o’ lantern head burned with ingots of primordial flame.

His arms, they were spindly and pronounced with multiple- rows of thorns, as if they too were vines awaiting his use.

His legs, they were the same; with elf-like slippers, and pointed feet.

...... Demon, not as what you may perceive to be..... I am berthed of the elements of nature’s blessings.... Not of the pits of infernal seas.....

“..... I beg of you spirit? Let me take leave of this foul place in peace?”

..... Yes..... Leave this place.....

Lantern Jack moved slowly back in on the horror of an entity that has spilled innocent blood upon his lot.

..... This unnatural thing..... This Horrid, it is in fact a demon that is berthed of wrath; and lays beyond your approaches of religion’s art...

Lantern Jack laid his gently hands into the soil beneath his feet. Within the vines of the pumpkin patch, he now does reach.

Torqueing and twisting hard at the Horrid’s wicked form in animate, Lantern Jack tore the unnatural thing to halves; gore and blood spilling out from within raised shell with no name.

..... Leave now from this fouled place..... This is the last this evil will ever show its face..... Take with you those human of life that still remains..... Douse the lot with a purging of sanctification by holy flames.....

Lantern Jack slowly returned to the depths. The breach once again sealed.

Buck Leon Krauss, was now by the father’s side. a lighter in the grips of his right hand. Larry and Gregory Bauer had both suffered from wounds deemed fatal.

Pulling the bodies of the two fallen out from the gates of the patch, Father Sigmund Reed located the tools of Gregory Bauers’ original idea by patch’s destruction design.

Relieving the emergency kit of two flare guns, Buck and Reed took to different corners of the fenced-in patch. The gasoline and the drying vines caught quickly ablaze, as the two survivors fired each one flare into the lot.

Father Sigmund Reed stood now by his own considerations, as being saddened of the loss in life; but the man was now finding himself some relief in peace for time being.

The holy man now preached words and cast blessings upon the flames, as Buck worked to draw the bodies of Larry and Bauer further away from the flames.

Something of an unexpected afterthought now began to dwell on Reed’s thoughts. the last words of the primordial elemental influence now known as Lantern Jack, it had demanded of them to leave to burn those that were lost.

For the two men, there was no question. The bodies had to be- removed, and some rational explanation for the police and for the families of the two fallen now must be shared.

The sounds of emergency vehicles fast approaching quickly- reached their ears, and their presence, it was now drawing on multiple eyes eager to look upon the flames.

By the sides of the two fallen, the two did remain. For of their reasons for entering the sealed off patch, that had no intentions of dwelling in shame.

For now, all they can tell the police is that they had confronted a killer, and it was one that had no name.

Father Sigmund Reed, gave in to a tired sigh of mourning. Buck, the scarecrow maker was the first to break the silence.

“..... You did it father..... Buck, he new what he was getting- into, and Bauer; well we are not to blame for him being here in the first place. The kids, they will now be safe to celebrate Halloween in another way....”

“..... Yes..... This, this is true..... You do not have to stay here Buck..... if you want, you may leave the explanation to me....”

Buck shook his head.

“..... Nothing doing father..... We are in this together.....”

The two now fell silent, as they both watched the patch burning with christened flames.

Hell’s reaper, it knows no face.....

Of infernal berth, it fares no grace.....

Of blood spilled, it is foraged.....

This immortal evil, The Horrid.....

Satan’s son, of father’s disgrace.....

Timmy’s father started to feel a little strange. His eye sight was blurred. He looked to his wife, she was fairing no better. All around him, the parents were acting odd as if they had been drugged.

“Louise? Get up! Something’s wrong!”

The woman flopped lazily as the drug quickly took effect. Timmy’s father could barely see around him. The Crows, they were now carrying lethal looking knives as they made their way through the aisles. People were now screaming.

Nathan lifted his wife, the man swaying; his constitution an unexpected defender of the attack on his system.

“Tim? Mother’s sick.... Have to go.....”

“Go where?” Timmy growled in a voice his father had never before seen. Nathan looked on his son now terrified by what he was seeing. The rare and expensive original costume, it had grafted itself around his son tightly.

The evil looking jack o’ lantern mask, was breathing a strange reddish orange smoke. The eyes of the mask ablaze. The costume began to expand. Timmy’s frail structure snapped and cracked; as his body altered itself to conform to the demands of its new host.

“Tim? No! What the hell are you? What have you done with my son?”

All around the three, the costumes children wore were altering their being. Timmy’s father could not believe what he could see.

“It is time for the festival of Samhain..... Of his power are we released..... Of his claim are you his for the feast.....”

The ground beneath the event tent began to crack and rumble. The falling blood from the slain parents gathered breaking an unknown seal that lies beneath.

“Samhain! he rises.....”

“Timmy? No! we have to get out of here! This is not right!”

“..... The name is Jack Lantern Jack..... Timmy is no more..... I am his being in dominated superiority.....”

Jordrain Crow advanced slowly on Nathan and his wife, as he attempted to stumble away from the grisly scene.

“No, no, no..... We can’t have you running away..... The master Samhain, he is wanting of your sacrifice; and you and your wife shall make excellent meals for our feast.....”

Nathan found himself trapped. Lantern Jack for a single moment, looked on the two adults with Timmy’s eyes.

On Jack’s calling, thorn vines burst upward from beneath. Samhain roared on the interruption of his release. The grounds began to violently quake. Thorn vines quickly ensnared the advancing Crow. The thorns bit deep injecting a poison into the freak’s blood stream. The vine crushing his bone.

Jordrain Crow crumpled to the ground motionless.

Neadra Crow screamed.

“No! Fool! Samhain will destroy us all!”

Lantern Jack ignored the words of the cannibalistic freak.

“Leave this place! Never return! Never look for me!”

Thorn vines cleared a path for Timmy’s father and mother to escape.

Tears in his eyes, Nathan did as he was told. His wife in his arms; the man fled through the carnival grounds and out into the partially filled lot, to his waiting automobile. Nobody chasing after him.

Flames carried fast on Jack’s vines. Fleeing victims and advancing Crows forced easily from his path.

The entity known as Lantern Jack, drew himself quietly into a wide breached crack. The earth beneath his feet, the vines at his beck and call; guiding him to the nearest pumpkin patch.

Samhain raged. One boy and an elemental of primordial supernatural influence had defeated him this eve. The Crows were grabbed by extensions of rock and of earth unexpectedly from beneath. Their frail crushed bodies drawn down below, where Samhain may feast of their flesh and gnaw of their bones.