WEDNESDAY - THE SEVENTH DAYSam was down mentally this day, the others sensing his depression, but not understanding it."We've beaten them, Sam!" Wade tried to lift his minister's mood. "We can coast now."Sam shook his head. "No, Wade, that's not true. You don't understand the rules of the game.""Game?" Miles said. "Game? Dear G.o.d, this has been a game?" game?"Sam looked around. The others were asleep. "Come on, I want Tony to hear this."They walked to where the doctor stood on guard. "Now all of you listen to me," Sam said. "Very carefully. If-today I make a decision that seems-rash to you, don't don't try to stop me. I know what I'm doing." try to stop me. I know what I'm doing."Tony looked puzzled. "I don't understand, Sam.""It's all over at midnight tonight," Sam explained. "So all rules are off-gone. Satan's dream of a glorious reign in Whitfield has, for now-and remember the word: now-all been destroyed. By us. More specifically, by me. It's me he wants; or something from me, and I think I know what it is. Anyway, don't don't question what I do this afternoon." He glanced at Tony. "Take care of Jane Ann." question what I do this afternoon." He glanced at Tony. "Take care of Jane Ann.""What?""You heard me. She's pregnant. Don't ask me how I know that for a fact, I just do. It will be a son. Help Jane Ann raise him. He's going to have to be awfully strong."Sam walked away, leaving three very puzzled men. He walked to the top of a small rise, to stand there alone, looking up at the Heavens, talking softly with his G.o.d."He knows," Wilder said. "He's made up his mind. Balon is making his peace with his G.o.d, now."Nydia felt desire well up in her. "Then I'll have him?""If all goes well." He willed his thoughts to be heard by his Master, and the Master listened and agreed.Wilder's smile was bittersweet as he listened to his Master lay down the new rules of this game."What does our Prince say?" Nydia asked, irritated because she was excluded from the conversation."You get your wish, Nydia. The Prince has looked into the mind of Balon.""And?""Him for me.""I wish I could say I'll miss you, Black," her smile was full of mockery."You obviously have forgotten the pain of birthing a demon, Nydia.""No. I haven't forgotten, Black. And I don't know if I shall survive the birthing-I'm older now. But whatever price I have to pay, it will be worth it. For both of us."

"Nydia," Wilder's voice softened, and she looked at him. "We have never really cared for one another, but we have worked well together- most of the time. Altogether, you are probably the most beautiful witch I have ever seen. Thoroughly disgusting at times, but that is part of a witch's nature. I must warn you of this: Balon's mate is with child. A boy child. And you know he will be strong, as well as blessed-blessed as much as a mortal can be, that is."Remember this, Nydia, and remember it well, you will have but a few hours to seduce him, and Balon is a strong-willed man.""I won't fail, Black.""I hope not." He took her hand. "Come, it's time.""Sam?" Jane Ann called. "There are two people walking toward the camp-out on the plains.""I see them," Sam was calm. "I've been expecting them.""There is someone else lagging behind them," Miles said, peering through binoculars. "It's Jimmy!"Sam said nothing."h.e.l.lo the camp!" Wilder called, stopping a few hundred yards from the small band of Believers."My G.o.d against your Master?" Sam returned the shout."Something to that effect," Wilder's voice boomed over the rolling gra.s.s effortlessly. "But nothing so dramatic as that. That would be the war to end all wars. And then our G.o.ds could not play their little games with each other. What would they then do to amuse themselves?""I may a.s.sume I'm to be one of the protagonists in this little drama?""Singular, Mr. Balon.""And if I win?""You make me laugh, sir. You can do nothing but lose."Sam shook off Jane Ann's restraining hand and walked out to Wilder and Nydia. He stopped by Tony's side on the edge of the camp. "Remember what I said, Tony." He walked out of the camp without looking back.Sam faced the warlock. "I can't win? Perhaps you'd better explain that?""Surely, sir. You see, Mr. Balon, your G.o.d doesn't make deals. With your G.o.d it is all or nothing. Not so with my Master. By now, sir, you must know that all previous rules no longer apply. I can destroy you all with a snap of my fingers."Sam smiled. "But not me, Mr. Wilder.""Not I, sir, is correct. But grammatical faux pas need not concern us this day. However, you are correct in your a.s.sumption that I cannot harm you-yet.""And your proposition-?"For a very brief moment, Wilder's look was of admiration. It pa.s.sed quickly. "You are a man of honor, are you not, sir?""I like to think so.""And if you give your word?""I keep it.""At all costs?""Right.""How marvelously human. Now hear me, Mr. Balon, I can kill your friends-all of them-in a most disgusting manner. I can turn them into roaches. Remember, sir, we are playing under a new set of rules. I can whisk the women away from this place and have them on their backs as wh.o.r.es before you can blink. I can do anything I wish-with them." He glanced at Jane Ann, alone in the distance. "I will have her first. I will take her in every way known. I will enjoy her wailing as I mount her from the rear. After I have done with her, I shall give her eternal life-as a wh.o.r.e. Do you want that to happen?""You know I don't," Sam said gently.Wilder glanced at Nydia. Her smile was mocking. He sighed. "The moment I knew would someday come, and someday is now.""There have been others, Black," the witch said."I a.s.sure you, my dear, that is but a small consolation." He looked at Sam. "Well, sir, here it is: Me for you.""What's the catch?""Oh, my, sir! You are a suspicious man, aren't you?""Come on, Black-what's the catch?"His smile was not pleasant. "I allow you to destroy me. That is my Master's wish." He shrugged. "It is a small thing, I a.s.sure you. No matter how you go about it, I won't die. I'll just leave here to join my Prince.""Get to the point, Black."This time, Wilder's smile was genuine. "Then, sir, you will be hers," he cut his eyes to Nydia, "to do with as she desires-until midnight.""I can resist if I choose?""Oh, my, yes! I wouldn't have it any other way."Nydia's face darkened with anger. "d.a.m.n you, Black!" she spat the words venomously. "That wasn't in the deal."His smile broadened. "It is now, my dear.""You son-of-a b.i.t.c.h!" she cursed the warlock.Laughter sprang from his mouth. "Of course, I am. Who do you think birthed me, the Virgin Mary?""I'll be back in a minute," Sam said. "You two carry on your war.""We've been doing just that for centuries," Wilder stopped the minister cold.Sam turned. "Centuries?""How old is sin, young man?" Wilder asked."Very old.""Then so are we."Sam walked to the camp, picking up a stake. He looked at Jane Ann. "I'm not going to kiss you or touch you, honey. If I did that, I'd want to stay-and I can't. I love you, don't forget that. And I know you're carrying my child-our child. Stay with Tony when this is over. You two have a lot in common. He'll help you raise our child-our son. Make our son a man, Janey, a real man. Instill in him virtue, but don't make him a pansy. I want him to appreciate fine music, the arts, and I want him in the military to pull his. .h.i.tch. That's important, Janey. I want him in a tough outfit; a hard-a.s.sed special unit. He's going to need all the training he can get.""Sam!" she was crying."Be still and listen to me."But the words would not form on his tongue. Words of more warning; of things he knew would come in the future would not pa.s.s his lips. The minister struggled to speak, but found he could not.All right! Sam silently spoke to G.o.d. Have it Your way. But You will help my son by Jane Ann when he meets my son from Nydia?How weak you must think you are! His voice boomed in Sam's head. His voice boomed in Sam's head.I'm a mortal! Sam returned the silent shout.No more booming filled the minister's head. But as his voice returned to him, he heard a whispered reply: I will help! I will help!"Goodbye," Sam said to his wife, to his friends. He walked into the prairie.Wilder's eyes touched the stake in Sam's hand. "Oh, you would choose that method," he said disgustedly."May we talk for a few moments?" Sam asked.Wilder looked at Nydia, then cut his eyes to Jimmy, standing a few yards away, picking his nose. "Get that buffoon out of here."And Jimmy was gone.Sam blinked."Of course, we may chat for a few moments, sir," Black said. "You may be sure I am in no frantic rush to return to h.e.l.l. It's a dismal place, at best. Depressing.""The Church of the Fifteen-it will continue to thrive?""Certainly! Everywhere there is a cult-of any kind or type. My Master already has plans formulated for the 1970s. It should be interesting.""I don't understand any of this," Sam said, lifting the stake. "Not just this-all of it."Wilder chuckled. "There is nothing terribly complicated about it, sir. It's a game. A high-rolling c.r.a.p shoot between the biggest players at the table. Your shooter gambles on the hope of Love winning for Him. My shooter gambles on what you call Sin winning for him. I can tell you this, sir: A little water and a better cla.s.s of residents and there would be no difference between Heaven and h.e.l.l."Despite what lay before him, Sam chuckled. "I almost like you, Black. Even though you are a double-dealing son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h!"Wilder grinned. "I'm told that if there had not been a most unfortunate slipup nine months prior to my birth, I would be an Angel.""A slight indiscretion on the part of your mother?""Correct. Sam, I don't fear what you're about to do to me. I'm not not going to die. I going to die. I can't can't die! I died almost five thousand years ago." die! I died almost five thousand years ago."For a moment, Sam felt a mishmash of emotions for Black Wilder. Then he remembered the man that destroyed a town full of people."No, Mr. Balon," Wilder read his thoughts. "I did not destroy those people. You You destroyed those people, sir. I gave them what they longed and l.u.s.ted for. And I a.s.sure you, sir, ninety-five percent of them were eager to join me." destroyed those people, sir. I gave them what they longed and l.u.s.ted for. And I a.s.sure you, sir, ninety-five percent of them were eager to join me.""And you tortured and degraded and murdered those who would not join."Wilder shrugged. "A few, perhaps. No matter-that is my job. You will see, Sam, when you arrive in Heaven-if you arrive," he added, smiling, "that Heaven is spa.r.s.ely populated." He sighed. "And h.e.l.l is abysmally overcrowded. The people who came to me, sir? Don't trouble your mind with them. They were greedy, grasping, hypocritical, arrogant, ignorant, bigoted, shallow fools!"Sam recalled Father Dubois saying much the same thing."I think you are of above-average intellect, Mr. Balon, so allow me to tell you something." A flash of irritation crossed his face. "I do do wish we had some proper place to sit-and perhaps some tea. I don't often get the opportunity to discuss matters of any importance with intelligent people. Nydia is really a very vulgar b.i.t.c.h, as you will soon discover." wish we had some proper place to sit-and perhaps some tea. I don't often get the opportunity to discuss matters of any importance with intelligent people. Nydia is really a very vulgar b.i.t.c.h, as you will soon discover."She laughed at him."You see? One can't even insult her. What I was going to say, sir, is this; did you know-of course not!-how could could you know? Well, my Master once tried to make a deal with your G.o.d. Oh, yes! Make a deal and stop all this petty bickering and backbiting that has been going on between Them for thousands of years. The deal went straight down the line. Fifty/fifty. Every other person. Your G.o.d turned it down. Unbelievable!" you know? Well, my Master once tried to make a deal with your G.o.d. Oh, yes! Make a deal and stop all this petty bickering and backbiting that has been going on between Them for thousands of years. The deal went straight down the line. Fifty/fifty. Every other person. Your G.o.d turned it down. Unbelievable!"Sam wasn't sure he was really hearing all this.Wilder looked at the seven people in the camp, grouped together, watching them. "There," he waved his hand, "is a perfect example of what I'm referring to. Out of almost three thousand people, only a handful really resisted enough to beat my Master. That is pathetic, Balon!""I'll admit that a lot of people will be disappointed come Judgment Day.""Many more than you realize, sir." Wilder's eyes touched the stake. "Do it. I'm weary of all this. Perhaps we'll meet again in a few hundred years. Or," he smiled, "tomorrow.""Are you telling me that when man dies, he goes directly to Heaven or h.e.l.l?""I'm afraid, sir, there are certain areas I am forbidden to discuss with mortals. Rules of the game, don't you know?""Well-" Sam raised the stake.Black leaned close to Sam, grinning wickedly, and whispered in his ear, "Nydia is really a great piece of a.s.s, Sam!"Black drew back, roaring with laughter at the astonishment on Sam's face and the hissing from the witch.Sam drove the stake into Black's chest, burying the shaft up to his knuckles.But there was no foul odor. No horrible metamorphosis. Black Wilder was simply no longer with them. The stake lay on the ground. Sam's expression was of utter confusion."Do you believe a mortal man can kill an Angel?" Nydia asked, amused at Sam."What? No! No, of course not.""Then why did you think you could kill a Prince of Satan?""What happened to him?""He went home.""Will he be back?""I don't know. All I know is he failed his a.s.signment.""I see.""No, you don't, darling. You're still a mortal. For a while, that is." She took his hand. "Come, it's growing dark, and I have much to do and not long in which to do it.""You're going to lose this battle, Nydia," Sam said, as he felt himself being pulled into velvety darkness. The darkness was incredibly soft and satiny wet. Like a woman, he thought, and with that thought, knew he was in trouble.Then the darkness changed into a rainbow of blinding hues and Sam felt himself falling.Her voice came to him in the whirling vortex of colors, all tinted with black. "No, darling. No, you lose. You could have sacrificed your wife and your friends, and we would have been forced to retreat.""But then," Sam's voice had a hollow ring to it, "my son would not have been bom-would he?"She laughed. "Correct. You see, this is how we play the game to its conclusion. You're on your own, my darling. Your G.o.d allowed you the option, and you took it."He felt her hands on his body, pulling at his clothes.And they were naked.He fought her.Sam's body was found the next morning. There was not a mark on him. Scrawled next to the naked body, in the earth, was the message: HE MET ME-AND I DO RESPECT COURAGE.The initial S was beneath the sentence."Met who?" Doris asked."Sam signed his own death message?" Wade asked."No," Jane Ann said. "Satan."Miles took his wife's hand. Just before they walked away, he said, "For there liveth no man on earth who is so righteous that he sinneth not."

WINTER - 1958Jane Ann sat in the newly constructed home outside what was left of Whitfield, her hands folded over her swelling stomach. She watched the snow fall, covering the plains just as the governor and federal people had ordered the covering-up of what had really happened in Whitfield and this part of Fork County.A cult killing, was what the press was told, followed by a ma.s.sive fire that destroyed the town. The press was told that by the governor, by federal people, by senior members of the Highway Patrol, by senior members of the FBI, and, most importantly, by Wade Thomas, one of the survivors. For after all, Wade Thomas was a respected small-town editor: no reason for him to lie about it.The cult members, several hundred strong, had put something in the water system of Whitfield. The people went berserk, killing crazy, burning the town.No, it was not yet known what was put in the water. The government lab people were working on that right now.Maybe the Russians had something to do with it? the question was asked.Maybe, was the reply, but we have no proof.The cold war was freezing the world: it was easy to blame the Russians.The press was not told about the bodies that lay rotting under the sun, on the prairie. Bodies that had to be burned by special units of the military; units known for keeping their mouths shut. These units moved in quickly, securing the area, sealing it off, cleaning it up.And no one would speak of the evil. Not for more than twenty-one years.And the boy that would soon emerge from Jane Ann's womb-he would not be told of what happened or who he was. Not for almost twenty-two years.Slowly, a few families were moving into the area: relatives were taking over the burned-out ranches. Whitfield would never be the same, but another town was being built by Army Engineers and Navy Seabees. They were ordered by the president to keep their mouths shut.They did just that. The president was also a five star general.A few buildings had gone up, many more would follow in the spring.The town would need a doctor, so Tony stayed. Jane Ann married him. The town would need a paper, so Wade and Anita stayed. The town would need a department store, so Miles and Doris stayed."What happened?" their children asked."A tragedy," they were told.Not a lie.Less than fifty survivors crawled out of the rubble and picked up their lives, with the help of government psychiatrists. Including a teenage girl named Jean Zagone and several cowboys. None of the seven believed a word Jean or the cowboys said, but they kept their opinions to themselves."Someday," Wade said, "we'll have to kill them.""Or he will," Jane Ann patted her swelling belly.Whitfield would keep its dark secrets for a time.Tons of explosives blasted the area in and around Tyson's Lake. The military believed they finally killed all the Beasts.The surviving seven knew better.The blasts drove the Beasts deeper into the earth, where their Master ordered them to sleep. Sleep, until he called them out. And after the military left, the Sentry surfaced, watching.And the smashed, mashed, non-human thing that Jane Ann had driven over that first night of terror crawled from its sewer hiding place and into a dark, damp bas.e.m.e.nt beneath the rubble of Whitfield. It healed itself, and then it slept. Waiting.Around the county, there were other . . . creatures who slipped into hiding places. Satan closed their eyes, ordering them to sleep until he needed them.They waited for his call.

THE f.a.gARAS MOUNTAINS, ROMANIA - 1958Nydia sat in her villa, looking at the snow fall, her hands folded across her swelling belly. She was more beautiful than ever in her pregnancy.The Demons in her kicked with life.The witch smiled.Jimmy patiently brushed her long hair.NELSON COLLEGE, NY - 1980The card on the door of room fifteen read: Sam B. Williams and Sam B. King. Inside, the two young men met each other for the first time.They were both tall young men, well built. Each of them wore their hair short, just a bit longer than military fashion. They were older than average Freshmen, for each had spent three years in the military."Well, with two Sam's and two B's, that ought to confuse everybody around here," a young man laughed."Yes," the second young man smiled, his black eyes giving away nothing. "What's your initial stand for?""Balon. How about yourself?""Black."Sam Balon King looked at a picture on a dresser. A very beautiful young woman, with dark eves and shining black hair. "She's lovely."' he said. "Your girl?""My twin sister.""Sure! I should have noticed. What's her name?""Nydia."

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William W. Johnstone's Cla.s.sic Horror Favorites:

CAT'S EYE.

CAT'S CRADLE.

THE DEVIL'S CAT.

THE DEVIL'S KISS.

THE DEVIL'S TOUCH.

THE DEVIL'S HEART.