The Hunter

[Otis McNutt 395]

Sandra White was at the end of her rope. The nightly disturbances were taking their toll on her family and straining the relationship with her husband. With nowhere left to turn she sought out Father Mike Hogan, the perish priest.

"I'm afraid I can't do anything for you Sandra." Father Mike said. Sandra broke down and started crying. Father Mike sighed as the woman he knew since she was a girl cried hopeless tears. "But I know someone who can help, he's an expert in these things." Mike said pulling a note pad from his desk. "Call this number, only once!" he said. "He won't answer just leave him a voice message tell him I referred you, your adressand and tell him exactly what you told me, he won't call back but if he agrees to help hell show up." Sandra sighed. "Will he help?" Sandra asked. "I'm not sure." Mike said.

Sandra walked back to her car, closed the door behind her and took out her cell phone. "My name is Sandra White." she said. "I live at 231 Radcliffe Circle in Houston Texas, Father Mike Hogan told me to call you." she said, her voice cracking. "Ever since we moved into the new house we've been seeing things, shadows moving, yellow lights almost like eyes floating in the dark, my teenage son Carl woke up with bloody scratches on his back." Sandra broke down again. "Please I beg you, help us." Sandra hung up and drove home.

"Please I beg you, help us!" Simon Temple sighed as he listened to the voicemail. He got dressed, packed up his kit and left for Texas.

Three days later...

Carl and his sister Lucy wers playing out in the yard when a unfamiliar black SUV pulled up. A man they had never seen before stepped out, a black doctors bag in his hand. "Can I help you?" Carl asked. "Your mother home?" the mysterious man asked, lifting up his wide brimmed hat. "Mom someones here." Carl shouted.

Sandra walked out the door. "Who are you?" she asked. "You called me?" he asked. "Are you him, the man Father Mike told me about?" she asked. "I am, my name is Simon." He said.

"Please come in." she said inviting him in. "Kevin come here." Sandra's husband came in. "This is the man Father Mike told me about, he's here to help." Simon placed his bag on the kitchen table. "So what are you gonna perform, an Exorcism?" Kevin asked. "They never work, only in movies." Simon said. Simon reached into his kit and pulled out a pink crystal. "What's that?" Carl asked. "It's a pink crystal, it's really potent it'll point out any adverse energy in the place."

As he swept it around it began to vibrate, as he drew closer to a metallic sculpture on the wall. "What is that?" Simon asked. "That metal thing?" Sandra asked. "It belonged to Kevin's grandmother, he took it when she died." Simon walked over and brabbed the Metal wheel, a strange figure sitting atop it. "This is a Curse Wheel." he said. "Judging from the markings on it your grandmother was a Blood Priestess." "A what?" Kevin asked. "A Witch, a very powerful one!" Simon said. "Boy, take my keys and go get a silver box from my car, the one with the crescent moon on it." Carl ran outside and returned a few moments later with the box. "Here it is." he said placing it down. "Good, we know it's not you." Simon said. "What isn't me?" Carl asked. "When a Blood Priestess is involved you can almost bet that a ShBor is around too." Sandra looked around. "A ShBor?" She asked. "It's a type of demon, tell me did dear granny live till a ripe old age?" Simon asked. "She was 105." Kevin said. "I thought as much, a ShBor bestows long life on the one who summoned them, as longas it's fed." Simon said. "Fed what?" Carl asked. "Souls, more specifically the souls of the elderly." Simon said. "There were a lot of desthsat the old folks home she was in." Carl said. "No my Grandmother wasn't a witch!" Kevin shouted.

"I need everybody to touch the box please." Simon asked. "Why?" Sandra asked. "The ShBor can't stand silver, if you touch it you're clean." Sandra, Kevin and Carl touched the box. "Come on honey touch the box." Sandra told Lucy, he daughter. "No mommy, I don't want to." Lucy said. "Come on baby touch it!" Kevin said. "You've no where to go ShBor!" Simon said. "It's not in my daughter?" Sandra said. "I'm afraid it is." Simon said lifting the cover on the silver box. A tangle of chains erupted from the box and coiled around the girl. "LET ME GOOOO!" Lucy shouted, her voice deep and dry. "Kevin, hold her down tight!" Kevin ran over and held lucy down. "Whatever you do, don't look at her eyes." Simon handed Carl and Sandra crystals to hold.

Simon walked over, an old warn book in his hands. "Stand on either side of me, hold the crystal in one hand and touch me with the other one. Sandra and Carl did as they were told. "Doxey Pele otrei sept." Simon shouted, reading from the book. "By the words of the ancient Caste's I banish you ShBor, from this innocent vessel." "Mommy let me go, it hurts!" Lucy said. "Don't listen to it!" Simon shouted. "Doxey pele otrie sept, leave this child NOW!" Simon shouted.

A black plume shot from her mouth, coiling around the room wildly. "Hold up the crystals!" Simon shouted. Carl and Sandra complied, and the black coil attached to Carls, turning the clear rock black.

A sence of calm fell over the house, Lucy sat up as Simon removed the chains. "Is it over?" Sandra asked. "Almost." Simon said taking out a wood log from his bag. "Carl make a fire with this." he said. Carl nodded and ran to the fireplace. "What's the fire for?" Kevin asked, hugging his wife and daughter. Simon grabbed the Curse wheel. "To burn this evil relic, and the beast it fed.

When the fire was ready Simon tossed the sculpture and the crystal in. Amid the rythmic popping the crystal and the wheel burned and disintegrated. "How can we ever thank you?" Sandra asked. "You never do, just doing my." Simon said exiting the house.

[Otis McNutt 395]

Simon Temple: The Hunter

Case 2: Apartment Spirit

April Knowles and Rob Thompson were the best of friends, after leavin the small Tennessee town they grew up in they moved to the Big Apple, New York City. To save money they decided to move in together. After searching for the perfect place they thought they found it, a beautiful building, the apartment seemed to expensive but amazingly the rent was right in their price range.

April sat at her desk, struggling to keep her eyes open. A coworker Sam noticed her haggard appearence. "Hey April are you alright?" Sam asked. "I'm fine!" she shot back annoyed. "Are you sure?" Sam asked.

The events of the past month flooded back to her and she snapped. "Stop hitting on me $%#&!" she shouted. Concerned Sam ushered her into the office breakroom. "I'm sorry Sam." April said. "I don't know what to do." she said. "There's...something wrong with my apartment."

April told him of the events she and her roommate Rob were experiencing. The cold spots, weird smells, flickering lights, voices and black figures struck a cord with Sam. "You have a ghost." Sam said. "I know what that's like!"

As a boy Sam worked security at an abandoned Mental Hospital, he needed the money so he put up with the nightly spookiness until he was attacked. "I was about to quit until someone told me about him." Sam said. "Him who?" April asked. "His name is Simon, he's an expert in matters such as this." he said. "I don't know, maybe I'll just call a Priest." April said. "Simon calls those things "Band Aid" solutions, they work for a while but really do nothing." Sam handed her a warn card he kept in his wallet. "Call him only once, tell him your story, if he wants to help, he'll show up."

Simon listened to the message, sighed then packed up his kit.