On the outskirts of Belltower, Virginia!
Dreyfus Bodine sat back in his squad car yawning over an extremely boring night. Hiding behind a billboard promoting a cute attempt at word play to get young people to stop using drugs seemed like a logical spot to take a short nap. With the Belltower police force being so shorthanded he was sadly the only one on duty tonight when the requirements were three officers. There was just no way they could function any other way without outside assistance willing to help. Officer's Eerie Barker and Angela Dare were home in bed until morning when Eerie took point. Dare womaning 2nd shift from 4:00 PM onward. The unfortunate side was that this was the here and now.
Dreyfus had to think of something to keep him awake and his thermos of coffee was just not enough. With no dash cam in his car and his shoulder mic nearly deceased, the 40-year-old knew he was safe. Rolling his seat back for leg room he undid his pants and pulled out his dick. Toying with a timid erection he chose to utilize his cell phone and pull up some sweet old-fashioned porn. He loved a hot brunette 18 to 30. Scrolling through various videos he came upon a girl and a guy. The guy looked somewhat like him, nothing too far departing their physical appearance. Roughly his age and physique, if not his dick size. That actor was hung like a hor... " He accidently elbowed his car horn. "Fuck!" Spooky enough out here in the wilds without that wake-up call.
Relaxing his nerves, he only took note the occasional law-abiding car driving by. Cars he knew were coming from Thorton the next town over where there was a strip club by the name of WITCHYPOO'S. If not for his reputation he might frequent that place, but it just wouldn't look good. Porn was safer. "Daaang! This porn star goddess here reminds me of that Parrish gal the Chief just hired. Hot ass body! After seeing her in nothing but that t-shirt at the hotel... shit." He grew harder by the second recalling Erin's perfect ass peeking out of a devious hemline that was never meant to cover anything that low to begin with let alone a juicy clam with a killer smile. Attempting to fantasize about Erin Parrish was however a burden.
There was just no bypassing the reason he saw her that day at the Belltower Inn to begin with. Overlooking dead goats with blood writing on the walls and mirror, a girl tied to a hotel room bed and sliced up, barely breathing was impossible, forgetful spell or not. Giving up on any joy in his masturbation he sighed and shut off his porno, dick stashed back into his uniform. "How am I going to work around that woman?"
The goats in his mind faded from memory and he shook his head of any lingering cobwebs. "Where did those thoughts even come from?" Witchcraft was never perfect. That or his brain was wired far better than most humans. A spell enacted by Agnes Bloom to conceal the entire Baphomet situation, Isabel Montoya, the hospital, all of it, had an obvious flaw if Dreyfus was seeing...
"You out there Dreyfus?"
"10-4! What's up Kit?" The late-night dispatcher Kit Hendrich to be precise. So gay!
"I just got a 911 call to Thorn Briar cemetery. No idea if it's a prank but you better check it out. I'll call the caretaker and have him take a look too. Be aware if he is out and about."
"Copy that! ETA eight minutes. No siren."
"Thanks, Dreyfus." Seat pulled forward Dreyfus started his car and pulled out of his hiding spot. No sign of cars in either direction he scattered gravel in his lead foot emphasis on being in a hurry. At least he wouldn't be out here bored any longer. Visions of Erin Parrish still on his thoughts he suddenly could only remember her from Brimley Stone's house the day of her reported death. No more t-shirt, no more butt cheeks from Heaven, no more clam chowder. He needed sleep! Only explanation!
Such a vision she was.
********
Thorn Briar cemetery!
"OH, DEAR GOD! PLEASE DON'T HURT US." Brimley Stone stared up at an eight-foot-tall ram. With its antlers the beast was even taller by another four feet, dwarfing the six-foot tombstone Brimley within her daughter's body was spying from behind. Snorting exhales of overheated breath Brimley snatched up her dog Cotton and covered her daughter up in a protective motherly thing to do. Brimley prepared herself to die a second time, only taking her daughter with her. She knew of the Goat Man, the Baphomet through Erin Parrish and her father Ben, this had to be him. It was the only conclusion. She should have just stayed home.
A loud rip of metal echoed the night, diverting certain death. The massive Baphomet peered toward his ewe; the young woman strapped to the metal flatbed. The other woman Ewing Lambert, still possessed by the dark force at hoof remained docile as if nothing else mattered but watching the girl in the golden fleece. A pelt made directly from the wool and epidermis of a long dead sheep, it's reek emanating from the closed trailer that housed them both. Blood of the sheep was trickling down over the girl on all fours. With the shredding of metal coming from the parked GTO the Baphomet walked away on its hind legs like a man and made its way to his obvious sacrifice.
Stepping from the car trunk was Lucas Ramsey, who should be dead from a crushed skull, yet somehow, he had found his way back. Confusion in his demeanor Lucas peered at the standing Ewing Lambert and took strides to reach her. With Herman Shepard, the Baphomet driver of the van and trailer back behind his ewe he growled as if territorial. Lucas exhibited similar behavior while towering over Ewing in a curious exhibit of recognition.
Ewing stared at Herman without waver and out of nowhere began undressing. Lucas ignoring her flesh slipping into view little by little simply stood guard if you will. Once the beauty was completely stripped of her clothing, she mimicked the girl on the cart and dropped to her hands and knees. Eyes still black as the abyss she began baying as if a sheep herself.
"What is going on?" Brimley stood up with Cotton in her arms. While she should be running for their lives, she instead absorbed the sight unfolding before her. With eyes exhibiting the strange sigils, both Brimley and her daughter Jana within Cotton saw the souls of hundreds walking about as if in stress, yet unable to truthfully run away. This was their home. They were family.
"Go!" A voice spoke behind Brimley. "Both of you before it is too late." Turning to hear the familiar voice Brimley and Jana found an unexpected visitor.
"Maxwell?"
"Listen to my words Brimley. Go! You will not... our daughter will not survive this night if you stay. We are dealing with multiple Baphomet's."
"We?" Out of the darkness stepped other living breathing people. "Oh! You brought the entire clan... or should I say coven?"
"We heard its call. Both of them. The souls within this cemetery will be damned very soon. I do not want you to be taken down with them."
"Rebecca! Trillium!" Brimley sneered at her In-Laws, those she had only met once ever in retrieving Maxwell. The Coven ignored Brimley completely, only Max dared communion. Dozens upon dozens of witches and warlocks escaped the darkness and began circulating the cemetery grounds to surround the Baphomet's at a distance. The thing was, they were met with resistance at a certain juncture. An invisible barrier seemed to block their moving any closer. No words amongst any of them they merely looked at one another with uncertainty. "What is wrong Maxwell?"
"Something interferes with our... " Max crouched using his cane to support him as his palm touched the grass. Appearing around his hand was a sigil on the soil. "Where did this come from? A sigil that protects the premises? How did the Baphomet bypass it?" He looked up at both his daughter's eyes then Cotton's. "Your eyes! They share in the sigil. Explain this Brimley."
"No clue. It all occurred at my home when you were there. It comes and goes. I think maybe the sigils protected Jana and I just now. Possibly from even you perhaps."
"Do not be snide with me woman. I convinced the coven to safeguard this town."
