Phantoms

barbed and unbarbed, in a variety of textures and colors, rising from the gelatinous mass.
    “So for about a day and a half now,” Terr said, “I’ve been sittin’ here, watchin’ it, except when I doze off or go into the other room for somethin’ to eat. Now and then it talks to me, you know. It seems to know almost everythin’ there is to know about me, things that only my closest brother bikers ever knew. It knows all about the bodies buried up here, and it knows about the Mex bastards we wasted when we took the drug business away from them, and it knows about the cop we chopped to pieces two years ago, and like, see, not even the other cops suspect we had anythin’ to do with that one. This thing here, this beautiful strange thing, it knows all my little secrets, man. And what it doesn’t know about, it asks to hear, and it listens real good. It approves of me, man. I never thought I’d really meet up with it. I always hoped, but I never thought I would. I been worshipin’ it for years, man, and the whole gang used to hold these black masses once a week, but I never thought it would ever really appear to me. We’ve given it sacrifices, even human sacrifices, and chanted all the right chants, but we never were able to conjure up anythin’. So this here’s a miracle.” Jeeter laughed. “I been doin’ its work all my life, man. Prayin’ to it all my life, prayin’ to the Beast. Now here it is. It’s a fuckin’ miracle.”
    Kale didn’t want to understand. “You’ve lost me.”
    Terr stared at him. “No, I haven’t. You know what I’m talkin’ about, man. You know .”
    Kale said nothing.
    “You’ve been thinkin’ this must be a demon, somethin’ from Hell. And it is from Hell, man. But it’s no demon. It’s Him . Him . Lucifer.”
    Among the dozens of sharply pointed horns, small red eyes opened in the tenebrous flesh. A multitude of piercing little eyes glowed crimson with hatred and evil knowledge.
    Terr motioned for Kale to come closer. “He’s allowin’ me to go on livin’ because He knows I’m His true disciple.”
    Kale didn’t move. His heart boomed. It wasn’t fear that loosed the adrenalin in him. Not fear alone. There was another emotion that shook him, overwhelmed him, an emotion he couldn’t quite identify…
    “He let me live,” Jeeter repeated, “because He knows I always do His work. Some of the others… maybe they weren’t as purely devoted to His work as I am, so He destroyed them. But me… I’m different. He’s lettin’ me live to do His work. Maybe He’ll let me live forever, man.”
    Kale blinked.
    “And he’s lettin’ you live for the same reason, you know,” Jeeter said. “Sure. Must be. Sure. Because you do His work.”
    Kale shook his head. “I’ve never been a… a Devil worshiper. I never believed.”
    “Don’t matter. You still do His work, and you enjoy it.”
    The red eyes watched Kale.
    “You killed your wife,” Jeeter said.
    Kale nodded dumbly.
    “Man, you even killed your own little baby boy. If that isn’t His work, then what is?”
    None of the shining eyes blinked, and Kale began to identify the emotion surging within him. Elation, awe… religious rapture.
    “Who knows what else you’ve done over the years,” Jeeter said. “Must’ve done lots of stuff that was His work. Maybe almost everthin’ you ever done was His work. You’re like me, man. You were born to follow Lucifer. You and me… it’s in our genes. In our genes , man.”
    At last Kale moved away from the wall.
    “That’s it,” Jeeter said. “Come here. Come close to Him.”
    Kale was overwhelmed with emotion. He had always known he was different from other men. Better. Special. He had always known , but he had never expected this . Yet here it was, undeniable proof that he was chosen. A fierce, heart-swelling joy suffused him.
    He knelt beside Jeeter, near the miraculous presence.
    He had arrived at last.
    His moment had come.
    Here, Kale thought, is my destiny.
     

Chapter 42
    The Other Side of Hell
     
    Beneath Jenny, the concrete roadbed snapped with a sound like a cannon shot.
    Wham!
    She scrambled back but wasn’t fast enough. The pavement shifted and began to drop out from under her.
    She was going into the pit, Christ , no, if she wasn’t killed by the fall then it would come out of hiding and get her, drag her down, out of sight; it would devour her before anyone could attempt to save her—
    Tal Whitman grabbed her ankles and held