The Devil's Carriage
The Devils Carriage
Priest Angelo’s carriage clattered along the old cobblestone road, he could feel the vibrations from the stones below surge up through the carriages aging frame against his back. He had been sent for by Mrs Thoroughgood the wealthy dowager from Hikes Manor for reasons unknown. It was his servant Lemarr who had taken the call from the old widow. He exclaimed she had not said much other then his expertise was urgently needed, he also noted a great deal of fear in her voice. He had seen Mrs Thoroughgood at mass and she had seemed in high spirits. “Ahh El viejo en la necesidad de la dirección” He thought to himself. The old in need of guidance.
A violent jolt shook Angelo from his own memories; he peered out the rain-splattered window to see they had stopped. The door to the coach burst open and Angelo’s coachman Walter could be seen. “Sorry for the stoppage me`lord but we hit something back there on the road and its busted the wheel. You might want to ave a look at what we hit sir, but I warn you it aint pretty.” He held the coach door open for Angelo as he exited and handed out an umbrella and a lantern, It was obvious something had disturbed him. “My dear Walter your positively drenched and you look as though you had seen a ghost.” “I surely wish I had seen a ghost me`lord. I’ll get to fixin this ere wheel” Walter handed the priest a lantern and pointed out towards the darkness of the middle of the road. “Its just over there, I figure its your area or expertise me`lord”
The wind hit the priest sideways as he left the shelter of the coach; the umbrella tore itself from his grip and sailed into darkness of the towering trees. He sheltered the flickering flame of the lantern with his hand and made his way to where Walter had pointed. Angelo took tentative steps towards the motionless corpse huddled upon the rain-covered cobblestones he knelt down beside the body that appeared to be partially covered by a dark sheet. In the dimness of the lanterns light the priest could see the mouth of the victim, contorted in a still emotion of terror and fear, Angelo swore he could also make out the beginnings of a grin forming in the same expression. A deep breath was taken as Angelo braced himself to remove the corpses sheet so as to identify the poor soul.
Mrs Thoroughgood stared back at him through the one eye she still had left in her head. The other appeared to have been ripped out. Angelo swung the lantern over the rest of the body to reveal a pair of bloodied fingers, they where clenched tight and appeared to be holding something. He pried the old woman’s fingers open to reveal her missing eye. Angelo was no stranger to death but even he could not help but feel his stomach churn and the need to vomit as he saw the glossy eye glare back at him from the palm of Mrs Thoroughgood. He turned away in disgust and found himself staring at the legs of Walter the coachman. He had not heard him approach, as he looked up towards Walter’s towering body he saw a look upon the coachman’s face that he had seen just a moment ago on Mrs Thoroughgood. He tried to back away but his legs caught the corpses sheet and tripped him up causing to fall bottom first on the cold wet cobblestones.
Angelo was at a loss as to what to do and in his panic he revealed his cross to the coachman and began to chant “Vayan al diablo el señor Jesús que Cristo me protégé.” Devil be gone, May the lord Jesus Christ protect me.
Too terrified to move he stared in disbelief as the disfigured corpse of Mrs Thoroughgood rose to its feet and stood beside Walter. They began to chant in unison “Somos los muertos. El diablo guarda nuestras almas y hemos venido para el tuyo” We are the dead. The Devil keeps our souls and we have come for yours.
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