"A king of men, it makes no sense. When I bow to the priest, while I worship the witch."
***
Sheriff William Baker stood in the center of Braintree commons with his arms crossed, watching as the mystery stagecoach they'd found only a day before was being taken to the police station. It still made no sense, why someone would just abandon it in the middle of the road. Especially around that area, where there was nothing but woods.
"I told the boys to keep it nearby until we can find the owner. They have to be around here somewhere, right, sir?" The deputy asked, looking over as his boss continued to ponder.
"Let us hope, Billy. Let us hope," William replied, watching as the horses came to a halt. The two men driving it climbed out and unfastened the horses, making sure they were taken care of. "I'll be inside if anyone needs me."
"Yes, sir," The deputy replied, turning to walk in the other direction.
"Oh, and Billy?"
"Yes?"
"Stay vigilant. I have a really bad feeling there's something bad going on around here," William noted, stroking the end of his beard as he looked out at the town limits.
"Certainly, sir," The deputy waved before continuing on, heading off to meet the others. William nodded and turned back towards the sheriff's office, striding over to it. His mind was running through everything that had happened the previous day, trying to understand why he felt like something was wrong.
As he reached the front door, he suddenly sniffed, smelling something odd. The scent of flowers was in the air, dancing around his head and making his senses accelerate. It smelled heavenly, and he found that the closer he got to the door, the better it smelled.
He needed to find whatever was creating that smell, and not just from an investigative standpoint. He took hold of the doorknob and suddenly felt his entire body beginning to tingle, as if he were being tickled by a thousand feathers. His trousers were becoming tighter too, a byproduct of whatever was happening.
A confused smile spread across his face as he turned the knob and opened the door, eager to smell more of the heavenly concoction inside.
"Come inside...achieve your destiny, Sheriff..."
The voice filled his ears with sweet contentment, and he just had to hear more of it. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, the tingling becoming better and better.
"That's it, just a few more..."
"Sheriff Baker!"
William spun around to see someone running down the street, nearly out of breath. He stepped back outside and shut the door, eyebrows raised as the young boy stopped a few feet away from it.
"What is it, is someone hurt?" William asked, resting his hand on his pistol.
"Yes, sir, Father Edwards took a spill last night and hit his head. Dr. Graves wants to speak with you, he says it's urgent," the boy replied, pointing at the hospital behind them. William sighed, picturing the angry Pastor making a fuss inside.
"Fine, take me to him," William replied, to which the boy took off running. William followed, heading into the hospital.
The town's doctor, Dr. Robert Graves, stood in the inner doorway. His large spectacles made him look like a scientist, his long grey beard neatly trimmed and presentable.
"What is it now, doc?" William asked, stopping next to the messenger boy.
"It's the Pastor, William. Apparently he fell last night wandering in the woods, hasn't stopped mumbling about some god damn demon since he woke up," Dr. Graves replied, letting out an exasperated sigh as he looked into the room behind him.
"I'll take a look at him," William said, following the doctor into one of the small rooms in the back of the building. The messenger boy tagged along, peering over the side of the Sheriff to get a better view.
The back room contained a row of beds, most of which were empty. Several of them were occupied by people dealing with the effects of last nights party at the tavern, fresh into their hangovers. Father Edwards could be found in the bed at the end against the wall, staring up at the ceiling and mumbling something, his lips moving rapidly. He had white cloth wrapped around the top of his head, covering what appeared to be a head injury. Dr. Graves stopped next to his bed.
"Father Edwards, the Sheriff is here to check on you," Dr. Graves said, stepping back to let William get a view of the Pastor.
"Father Edwards, it's me, Sheriff Baker. Is everything alright?" William asked, leaning over the bed. The preacher of faith remained silent and nonchalant, his gaze still locked on the ceiling as if it were a Rembrandt painting.
"Father Edwards?" William asked, leaning in closer. The Pastor was quiet a moment, before he suddenly sat up and slammed his head into the Sheriff's.
"Ow, fucking hell!" William cried, clutching his head in his hands.
"The lady in the woods, she lives in our souls! Can't you all see, she's here to take us all! The trees are ripe with the sounds of death!" Father Edwards screamed, far from his normally quiet and reserved personality.
"I'm so sorry, Sheriff, I thought I sedated him enough," Dr. Graves replied, inspecting William's head. "It doesn't look like he did any significant damage, he's just not himself."
"No shit he isn't himself, you've got him all doped up on morphine!" William yelled, rubbing the side of his head.
"Oh no, Sheriff, I had to give him the morphine to stop the screaming."
William looked over at the Doctor, eyes wide.
"You should have seen it a few minutes ago, he was like a man possessed. This is minor compared to that," Dr Graves said, looking down at the disgruntled Pastor, who was now staring back up at the ceiling.
"Well whatever the hell happened to him in the woods has really screwed him up. Do you think you could have him tied down until I can get some deputies in here?" William asked.
