“No!” she screamed. She turned the pistol at the girl who didn't seem to notice her presence and squeezed off two rounds of ammunition at her direction, but the bullets seemed not to have hit their mark.

It seemed like an invisible shield had been created around the teenager, protecting her from the bullets. Carol turned her pistol at the skeleton as it emerged and fired at it also getting the same result as with the teenager.

Her eyes fell on the book the girl was reading from. She lunged forward hoping to grab the book, but a strong whirling wind seized her before she could get her hands on the book and slammed her hard on the wet ground, knocking the pistol out of her hand.

She stared helplessly as a skull emerged from the hole in the ground and attached itself to the skeleton. The skeleton rose out of the hole and stood suspended in mid-air.

Gradually a reddish mass started covering the skeleton and slowly, flesh started forming. Carol tried to get up and run but a strong force held her down where she had fallen making it impossible for her to move.

Flesh slowly covered the entire exposed skeleton and soon she was staring at a naked Karl Finch, looking as young as he was the day he was murdered. He was suspended in the air as a blue light radiated from him.

Carol stared at him in horror as the transformation gradually completed. She already knew what fate would befall her and it was too late to do anything. Frantically, she tried reciting some of the incantations used for summoning demons for assistance and a ray of hope flashed in her eyes as two dark forms appeared in a cloud of thick black smoke.

Her guardian demons where in the form of two burly men dressed almost identically in biker jackets and black jeans and were suspended in the air just like Karl Finch. The ground, she remembered, was sanctified and demons could not step on it and rather remained in the air above it.

“Stop her,” she screamed at the demons. “Stop him.”

The demons started to advance and at that moment, Karl Finch opened his eyes. His eyes shone a bright golden blaze and the demons stopped momentarily.

He raised his right hand towards the demons and the two demons froze in mid-air. A look of great pain was written on their faces as they struggled to pull free from whatever power Karl Finch had over them. Carol's mouth dropped open and the look of fear overtook her momentary relief.

Karl turned to look at her where she lay pinned to the ground and unable to move. He glided through the air to hover over her looking down at her. A smile touched his face; a smile Carol remembered just too well even after several years. It was a cruel smile.

“I remember you Carol,” he spoke. His voice was like rushing waters. “I remember you all too well, my bright and misguided student.”

“Karl…I…” she stammered.

“You were deceived,” he finished for her. He sighed. “But that is unacceptable and you know that don't you?”

Carol started trembling feverishly as tears started running down her eyes. She knew Karl too well to understand the meaning of his words. Karl Finch never forgave anyone and she saw no forgiveness in his eyes as he stared hard at her, the smile still playing on his face.

“You,” he said casually turning to look at the two demons who were still struggling to free themselves from his hold. “My most trusted friend, my student. You, I would never have believed could stab me in the back. I always had the impression that of all the others, you were the only one who could die for me should the need arise but alas, you joined the jackals and hyenas and plotted my demise. Do you know how many years it feels like when you're in Hell? I guess you don't. Every day on earth is like sixty in Hell and you know how many years I've been there. Of course you do, you and your real friends, my enemies, killed me so you do the math.”

His eyes flashed as he spoke and Carol saw flashes of Hell and torture and people screaming in pain in her mind. She knew Karl was projecting the images into her mind for her to have a full understanding of what he was talking about.

“They are not my friends,” she finally managed to say. “Yes, they deceived me, and I was a fool to have joined them and probably deserve whatever punishment you deem fit for me.”

“In deed you deserve it and shall get it,” he laughed. “You and all the rest of you will get the punishment you deserve to the fullest.”

His eyes blazed again as he stared at the struggling demons and suddenly they calmed down. Their eyes turned a reddish glow as they turned towards him and approached, still gliding in the thin air.

“I want you to have a feel of what it looks like when your allies become your enemies,” he said turning back to Carol.

Without another word, the demons advanced on Carol. They worked on her for a long time torturing her in ways she never knew existed. She screamed till her voice went hoarse but they did not stop and nobody came to her aid.

She could barely move a finger when Karl finally stopped them. Blood ran from the numerous wounds all over her body. They had ripped her clothes leaving her almost naked.

Karl raised his hand and she felt a constriction around her neck. She could not raise her hand as she started to choke. Her heart started to beat very fast and she felt something like claws tearing into her chest and scratching at her heart. She could not shout as her throat closed and even if she could, the demons had tortured her till she couldn't muster the strength to make a sound.

Karl watched as the life slowly slipped away from her. A bright glow rose from her broken body and was instantly drawn into Karl's body. He closed his eyes as he assimilated her soul.

He turned to the demons who were now covered in blood and waiting meekly. A sneer crossed his face. The glow went out of their eyes and they became aware of themselves again. They stared at the mangled body on the ground and realized what had happened. Karl had taken control of them and used them for his purpose.

“Tell your master I am free,” he said. “Tell him he has no hold over me and soon, very soon, I will be coming for him. Tell him that.”

His eyes blazed and the demons started descending towards the consecrated ground. They struggled and tried to break free but without success and they were slowly forced to the ground they dreaded.

They let out loud unearthly screams as smoke started to emit from their bodies as they touched the ground. Suddenly fire broke out and consumed them as they struggled and screamed. They were soon reduced to two black moulds of ash.

Karl smiled. He took a deep breath enjoying the fresh air as he turned to the teenager. Martha had collapsed on the ground after reciting the incantations from the book. It seemed like her strength had been drained from performing the ritual.

His eyes blazed yet again and she was aroused from her unconsciousness now fully in control of her senses. She started crawling away as she saw the naked man suspended in the air and froze when he realized where she was.

“Have no fear,” Karl Finch said with a soothing voice different from the voice he had used earlier. “You have done me a great service and shall be rewarded when all is done.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Karl Finch,” he replied, then laughed. “And soon, I shall be God. Have no fear my dear, you will understand everything in due course.”

The teenager started trembling as her eyes fell on the corpse of the woman sprawled on the ground some meters from her.

“Think nothing about her my dear,” Finch said. “Pick up your book and follow me.”

She hesitated for a while then slowly picked up the book where it lay closed and followed the naked man as he glided ahead. The trees and grasses seemed to fall away as he approached creating a path to the road.

They were soon at the road and the man slowly descended to the ground. He was a very handsome man she noted. A woman dressed in white was standing beside her rented Fiat as they approached and she instantly went down on her knees as he approached.

“Onoskelis,” he said with great pleasure. “My ever faithful Onoskelis.”

“Welcome back, my lord,” she said raising her face to him.

“Thank you Onoskelis,” he replied. “Thank you for everything.”

Onoskelis rose to her feet and produced a package she was carrying. It contained some clothes made in an ancient fashion with a cloak and Karl donned on the clothes.

“What about her?” Onoskelis asked nodding towards Martha who stood there watching them and wishing she had the willpower to run but knowing it was useless trying and might annoy the man.

“She's very valuable to our plans,” Karl replied. “She'll come with us.”

“But…my friend…she's gonna be worried…” Martha stammered a protest.

“Then she'll come as well,” Karl replied.

He opened the door of the Fiat even though Martha had locked it and sat in the passenger seat. Martha stared at Onoskelis and reluctantly got in behind the wheel.

“I shall meet you at the appointed place my lord,” Onoskelis came over to stand near Karl.

“You do just that,” Karl replied. “I'll take a few days to get used to things around here then our work will begin.”

“Remember we have to work fast,” Onoskelis said cautiously. “Our enemies won't be sleeping and waiting for us to strike. They'll be working to stop us even now as we speak.”

“I know and I have everything under control,” Karl smiled closing the door. “Trust me on this my dear faithful Onoskelis.”

The fallen angel nodded and slowly faded into the night before Martha's eyes. Karl turned to the bewildered teenager and flashed a winning smile.

“Why don't we begin with you taking me on a spin?” he said beaming at her. “It's been a long time I rode in a car, well you don't get to ride in cars when you are locked up in Hell, makes you appreciate some of these simple things we usually take for granted like a car ride. So shall we?”

The small English village was still asleep when Martha drove the small car through the narrow roads and away from the village. A chilling silence fell over the old church and the cemetery and even the night creatures seemed to obey the silence that gripped the place. The remains of Carol Pike lay there beside the now empty hole that once contained The Warlock. A blue light emitted from the grave after a while then died away. The worse kind of terror has just been unleashed on the inhabitants of the earth.