The Night Gods Chapter X: Epilogue

It finally dawned on me how to defeat this ancient evil that has so encompassed my soul and finally win my freedom- it very well may mean prison or even death but it was worth the risk no matter how profound... they must be stopped at any cost.

All the strength I could muster would be required. I had moved from Cambridge to a first floor apartment on Comm Av. across the river in Boston. It was winter and bitter cold... I had gone to the doctor complaining of acute pain from my earlier injury- pain that wouldn't cease. The pills he prescribed weren't as strong as the ones before, but they were strong enough to do the trick. I had to recreate the state of mind that I was in when the demons first made themselves evident.

About a week or so before Christmas I was standing in my apartment looking out the window at the traffic passing by. I had popped several pills and had a glow... I popped a couple more, they were beginning to put me in the proper state required to bring my plan to fruition. There were a couple of cos parked just down the street near the corner, sitting and drinking coffee... killing time, I suppose. A middle-aged woman was walking by wearing a fur coat. I ran from the building clutching my knife, clad only in a pair of jeans. It was bitter cold, but I barely felt it. I jumped her brandishing the knife high above my head so the police could clearly see it.

They sprang from the cruiser, guns drawn. "Drop it..." one shouted. I dropped the knife and lay motionless in the snow. They looked down at me lying there. "He must be fucking crazy," one of them said. "He's high as a kite," said the other.

I was yanked unceremoniously to my feet and cuffed... It was over. They would test the knife and find blood. I was taken in, booked and printed... they had me on assault and battery. It was like I had predicted- there was blood and traces of other evidence, hair and such. The cops began asking me questions. The asked if I wanted a lawyer. My first instinct was to reveal everything and get it over... but how could I tell them? How could I explain what I had done- and why? A lawyer sounded like the best option at this point... maybe he would know how to explain.

My attorney, a "kid" just out of Suffolk Law, stared at me in disbelief. The cops had just thought me a nut with a knife...The Demon Butcher, it was almost too much for him. He was new to the Public Defenders Office and he stood there wide-eyed as I began my story.

Once I started, I couldn't stop. I told him everything- well, almost. The judge had been ruled an accident and I left it at that. I told the story of the Night Gods- everything- right from the beginning. How could I make him understand? I don't think he believed me at first, but the story was so unbelievable... too unbelievable to be made-up. I went on and described each crime in gory detail, how the thoughts came to me from elsewhere and became supplanted into my subconscious. I had to make him believe that I would never do these horrible things on my own. He shook his head as I recounted my actions.

The cops had found some matching prints at some of the scenes that tied me to the murders. I was charged- 15 counts of first degree murder. For the cops it was over, for me it was just beginning. The papers had a field day... The Demon Butcher Murders Solved. The residents of the greater Boston area could sleep at night again. It was dubbed the crime of the century... but then again, aren't they all?

I was locked up in Charles St. Jail and Joe Bellisimo came to see me a couple of days later. They let us use a lawyer's room out of deference to Joe. "I don't believe it Eddie," he looked at me sadly. "You wouldn't do those terrible things they charged you with." I could tell he didn't believe it. That's what hurt. I looked him in the eye and shook my head. "It was me," I said. I told him the whole story, just like I told the lawyer, starting with the long walk down that dark dirt road and the things in the woods. He stared at me in disbelief.

"It's all true Joe, I swear to God...every last word. I'm not trying to cop a crazy plea, Joe, I'm not crazy. I just want it to be over." I could tell he was beginning to believe me and that's all that really mattered...that somebody understood. I'm at least sure that he was convinced that I believed it.

"Who you got for a lawyer?" He asked.

"Some kid from the P.D.'s office," I told him.

"You want me to get you a good lawyer?" He was serious. "I got some money salted away for a rainy day and it looks like it's pouring." I couldn't let him spend his money like that. He was a good guy and an honest cop... he had worked for every cent.

"No Joe. I'm going to cop a plea. I just want this to be over...I just want it to stop."

"You were always a good kid, Eddie. If there's anything I can do...Anything..." He stood up to go and we shook hands. "I believe you Eddie, he said. "You wouldn't intentionally hurt anybody. I don't understand, but I believe you, if that makes any difference. There was a tear in his eye as he left.

"It makes all the difference in the world Joe." I broke down and sobbed like a baby, partly out of sorrow for what I had done and partly from relief that it was over.

The public defender turned out to be all I needed. The state shrink testified that I was sane enough to stand trial. All I needed the lawyer for was to make the plea deal... a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence. A character reference from Joe didn't hurt any. All the state really wanted was to make sure I was off the streets for good. 15 life sentences plus 100 years on death row at Wlapole ought to do the trick. The people of Massachusetts were once again safe.

The prison Chaplain, Father O'Donnell was a pretty good sort. I asked him if I could be saved after the things I had done. I asked about exorcism, but he didn't think that was necessary. He said that my case wasn't the only one that he had heard about and that if I really wanted, we could make the demons stay away together. I told him it was the only thing I wanted. I told him I wanted to get baptized and to go to confession. He was more than happy to oblige. I took the required classes... after all, I had the time.

When the day came for my baptism, I half expected the Holy Water to start boiling or eat the skin off my head like in the movies... but the demons had left. I had no illusions- I was certain they would find another unwitting pawn for their scheme. The priest gave me some Rosary beads and I prayed day and night... I had a lot to atone for. I almost felt good. Joe came to visit at least once a month. He said he could sense a huge change in me... The demons were gone. I told him about Father O'Donnell- he looked pleased.

Prison life wasn't terribly unbearable, once you got used to it. A few fights, but nothing serious. Father O'Donnell gave me a job in the chapel. I assisted in the Mass and cleaned up afterward. Mostly I prayed and the more I prayed, the clearer things became...and the further away the demons became. Why they had chosen me wasn't because I was there as they had told me... it was because I was good. Turning me into a killer was like a trophy to them... it also kept me from reaching my potential for goodness- it had worked, but no longer. I was Ok with it...I was at peace at last.