The moonlight seeped through the cracks between the boards covering the only window in the room. No lights burned within and the figure inside sat in near pitch blackness. The "Preacher" held a small dagger in his hands, turning it slowly this way and that. The dagger had been hammered from purified gold and bejeweled with several valuable stones hundreds of years ago. To an antique collector the piece was easily worth a cool million or more, but to someone that studied the ancient arts, the knife was priceless.

   Anamelech. That's what he had told them. That would get them all riled up and running in circles. Small town folk liked to find answers. They needed answers. Hell, these people needed something to occupy their boring existance. The fact that Riley ended up here was no coincidence, though. Riley had known that eventually the news of Dionysus' ceremonial dagger showing up in this tiny ****-pit would lead to this day. The preacher couldn't help but wonder how it got here or how Riley managed to talk the town's only museum into letting him hold it for safekeeping. It was just absolutely unbelievable that Riley would just leave it sitting in the safe so haphazardly. The **** idiot didn't even bother to lock it. Maybe he liked to take it out and feel it in his hands as well.

                                           ****************

   Stuart stood before everyone with his arms spread wide as if he were trying to take flight. The others stared incredulously at the graves. No one could believe what they were seeing.

   "Okay, everyone," Stuart began. "Listen up, and listen good. The hours are ticking away and if I'm right, as Samhain approaches, more of us are going to die unless we put a stop to this right now."

    "How we gonna stop something when we don't even know what the ****'s goin on?" Serge threw in.

   "Just listen to me. I did some research..."

   "Research? While we've been worried sick and scared to death, you've been doing research?" Millie piped in, the hurt feelings undisguised in her voice.

    "I have been getting to the bottom of some things. For one, our so-called demon friend. If he really was a demon sent from Hell, why not kill us all at once to collect his souls? I'll tell you why," Stuart continued before anyone could chime in. "Because he is Mor-tal. Just like you and me. He mind-**** all of us, somehow. And we need to find out how... and why."

                             **********************************

   Altair Papadopoulos, the name he was born with, sat perfectly still in the darkness with his memories. Riley had always been the type to want to do right by society's standards. From the time he was a little boy he had gone out of his way to help people. As if he owed those people something. Young Riley refused the teachings that were provided for him and opted instead to bow down to the overbearing control freaks of the Christian faith. But, Altair chuckled to himself, faith in Christianity, however little it may be, leaves people vunerable. He only hoped that of his rag-tag little group of atheists, he could convince one to do as he needed. To turn to religion and refrain from killing hemselves so that he may have his way come All Hallow's Eve.

        *************************************
    The group stood staring at Melanie's mutilated body with horror. Sarah turned and bolted from the hut. She dropped to her knees just outside and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the grass. David ushered everyone out and made a bee-line to his car to call in the incident. He wasn't how it would be handled since everyone at the station was in mourning for good ol' Cap. Stella, the dispatcher, was the one who found him lying behind his desk, his guts charred black and squeezing out of several holes in his blistered flesh. Helluva way to go. The thought of it brought a salty sting to David's eye. He was sure gonna miss the old bastard.

   He picked up the transmitter and was about to make his call when movement caught his eye. Two small children were running along the cemetery fence, hand in hand. The transmitter banged against the driver's door as David bolted after the children. He was going to get to the bottom of this twisted funhouse one way or another.

               ******************************************

   Stuart heard giggling as he stepped from the hut. Two chilren bolted from behind the shed and toward the cemetery gates. He watched as David took chase.

    "Serge!" he shouted to where the young man stood over Sarah. "Get everyone and follow me!"

   Stuart darted off after David, a group of scared and confused townspeople trailing right behind. Stuart watched as David disappeared into the woods.

   "This way!" he shouted as he peeled off to the left in an effort to cut off the children.

    The group did as they were told and followed behind.

                       *******************************

   Altair marvelled at how the dagger began to glow slightly. As the ceremonial hour approached, the glow would be become more intense. The dagger's power was unlocked the moment Melanie Simms took her own life. The power would increase as each hour passed and more lives were lost from his chosen group. Altair was putting his money on that dishrag Stuart to be the last standing, but was hoped that a couple of them would make it through. Stuart would be a more than acceptable sacrifice.  Dionysus would walk the earth again.