"Kill it Bill," the boy shouted. "Smash it's brains in!!"
The taller boy raised his louisville slugger and grimaced as he watched the baby pig squirm and squeal.The thing was tied down by it's hind legs and would not be escaping its quick demise.

"Seweee-eee piggie!!!" Bill Snorted.

The bat came up like Bill was ready to chop a stack of
logs with a hatchet, but instead, he would be pounding a soft pink fleshly skull attached to a large snout, which would be bacon by tomorrow afternoon. The bat smashed it's target several times until the pig's head was nothing but a bloody stump; Both boys were covered in splatter and snickered as they wiped themselves clean.

The younger one heckled Bill and nudged him as he tried to grab the bat from him.

"Shucks. I coulda done better. Bash that piggie real good ya know?"

"Hell nah, you too small and scrawny."

Bill curled his biceps pretending like a circus strongman. His grin bigger than his brother's. He wiped the blood from his hands on his shirt and went to pick up what was left of the pig by the leg and then hauled it to the shed where he would let it drain overnight on a meat hook.

"Dinner time boys." Roberta called out from her front porch. "Hurry up, I ain't got all night."

The boys came running from out of the shed. As they passed their mother she held up her nose and made a face as they passed. "What god awful stench are you two wearing tonight?" Roberta held her nose and gracefully whacked Toby's behind. "Don't be coming to my table with those filthy hands you hear."
She flapped the wind away and called out to her husband who languidly sat in the driveway, staring out to space.
"Supper will be on shortly, ya coming?"

As there was no response, Roberta only frowned and felt a heavy sigh in her chest.

"Men",she snorted before she walked in and closed the front door.

* * *

The sky churned a deep purplish orange and the sun started moving behind the thick grey clouds. The air was warm and calm-like; crickets chirped and the fields filled with wheat and tall grass remained still and silent behind the barn houses.

The bell chimed throughout the small town of Salem announcing evening mass. Joe McCabe sat in his truck quietly listening to the radio waiting for the bar to open. The tavern lights came on and the sign buzzed like cicadas; The sign showing some naked woman on a lion or sea monster. Joe put on his red ballcap, fetched his evening newspaper, turned off the radio and locked the door to his truck.

He strolled into the bar for the early evening unannounced.

Karl was behind the bar cleaning out glasses and eyeing his inventory for the evening making sure everything was available. There was no regulars around yet, but they would be shortly; Chubs Olsen,and Teddy O'Conner, which Joe normally liked talking to on recent occasions. He felt like Ted was easy to talk to and was never one to harshly criticize or give blame. Ted was an educated man, which Joe, unlike himself who only got as far as the eighth grade, found some fascination with the guy; or more like admiration because he had been places and done things that he could only imagine.

"What can I do you for Joe," asked Karl. "You early as usual.

Your woman beat you up again with that cast iron skillet?"

Karl fiddled with another glass being amused in his own sense of satire.

"At least I got a woman," Joe fired back as he gave the bird.

"How bout some of your fine spirits and my mug of draft beer, will ya."

"Sure thing, buddy, anything for a pal."

Karl went to the tap and quickly filled a cold mug, then plopped it down on the bar in front of Joe while the head fizzed and overflowed the top; Joe took one big swig already looking for the next.

"So I hear, the old lady down the road had stopped by your house not too long ago,"Karl inquired as he began to pour another for Joe,"what was that all about anyway? The town was talking like you did her in the back of the barn, with your two runts watching." Karl laughed at his own remark reminding himself of his crazed sense of humor that Joe only on some occasions could catch on to. If it wasn't for the keen smile on Karl's face as he busted chops on more than one occasion, Joe would of thought he was plain outright mocking him. Joe nevered fancied that idea at all being some of the old townsmen folk knew better back in the day, as Joe had once, almost literally, took a guy's head off as he slammed
the poor guy's head so far into the cement that he would never ever again come up for air; this was after the guy had called him a flamin retard.

After that day, people in town kept a modest respect for him as well as their distance.

"That old woman you talking about, has been here ever since I was born. She gives me the willies Karl and she is just not right in the head,"Joe remarked as he opened up his newspaper to the classified section.

"I swear that old woman must be some kind of witch. She looks it ya know. Darn scared my kids that day as she swore up and down."

"What was she doing on your porch?" Karl probed.

"Talking gibberish Roberta told me." Joe finished his second round and then got around the bar to where Karl was, picking up the empty kegs to toss them out back all the while keeping Karl entertained on recent town gossip, which he someday would eventually leave behind if he ever got the chance. "That witch must of been drunk with the holy spirit
or something...or worse, talking of something bad about to happen, crazy shit. I don't understand why the sheriff just don't put her away for good, you know what I mean?"

Karl grabbed an empty keg himself and followed behind Joe as he amiably assisted in some of the routine bar chores as he got a few beers under his belt, slowly letting himself come out of his shell, which he knew was hard for Joe, especially around strangers, but as the conversation got going Joe relaxed a bit feeling no pressure at all, but camraderie.

"Right by the corner, next to the stack here is good Joe," Karl instructed. As the kegs were stashed Karl made a mental note to get the place cleaned up a bit as the grass and weeds were getting a little out of hand; he surmised he would one day get the place in good shape to get a back patio going if he could ever get the time to tear down that stinking well that was a sore eye for the bar. When the time was right he would probably consider asking Joe and Ted to help remove the thing.

"Joe, I know you ain't the prettiest mug on the block, but somehow, you got that lady-witch all hot and bothered!" Karl let out a boisterous laugh as he patted Joe on the back. "Tell me the truth, how good was it really?"

"Hell, you know I ain't that sort of man," Joe retorted as he pretended to act all smug and abashed by the statement.

"Yeah we know." Karl stated as he moved to the ice box to get a bucket of crushed ice for behind the bar.

For a moment Karl paused as he swore he could smell almonds. And a whisper that strangly was soft and waning on the breeze like it was coming in stereophonic sound...from the wishing well.

"Need to give up the shrooms..," Karl Idlely told himself as he walked back in with the bucket of ice.

The day faded out gradually to night. Karl could hear the front door open again, as feet stomped in thick and heavy, all the while listening to the sound of bar chair stools being moved. Karl had been so busy he didn't realize the regulars would be rolling in anytime soon and finished hurriedly to keep things as organized as he could without
missing much of a beat.

"What's a man gotta do to get a drink around this rat hole?"

"Well if ya go down to the basement and ask them they may let ya on a little secret chubby," Karl suggested to the man that looked as fat as a whale and a beard larger than long John Silver; but in short most of the locals knew him by Chubs. His laugh could be heard a mile a way which
reflected his gregarious personality.

"Been there, done that old man,"chided Chubs as he patted his chest in homage to nothing special than his fat belly.
"The usual?"

"Yep, that will do it, unless you got some moonshine to go with that scotch."Chub picked the glass up, eyed the content like it was some fine wine, then wet his whistle as he swallowed the contents and slammed the empty glass back down on the bar."Damn!!That is some real good smooth shit, holy jeezus I have been cleansed!"

"Starting your crap again, and most as usual, right on time, ain't that something." Joe sat back down on his stool eagerly amused at the fact that chub never had a loss for words and could belt it out with the best of them when it came to boozing; as much as he drank he would had to think the guy was getting ready to pickle himself for the lord in
the sky as he announced the heavenly father in such whimsical admiration.

"Shit yeah,and proud of it,"announced Chubs as he tried to measure himself just right on the bar stool so he wouldn't fall off. It was the usual joke with him that he would purposely have to sit on two at time to just feel right; it was like looking at a sleeping cow that you so desperately wanted to tip over just to see if any noise would come out of the dumb thing,but certainly, as everyone knew he was just one big old windbag blowing out air by the second and nothing was going to stop him from getting his kicks."How is everything with you Joe? You doing alright?"

"Fine, I guess, you know the same old stuff." Chubs grabbed for his chew and packed one right between his teeth and jaw and smiled lucidly like he knew it sickened Joe to the bone.

"Did you hear about the eclipse coming?"

"What eclipse you talking about?" Joe asked.

"Tomorrow" Chub replied as the brown wad make his teeth look like he was chewing grease oil. "About midday I hear and it suppose to last for like an hour."

"Nope. Not heard nothing." Joe retorted as if he could care less at this point.

"It sounds like a major thing to me, ya know, they only come, what, every 76 years or something like that?" Chubs flickered as if he could of bounced off the chair while scratching his receding hairline."

"uh, that would be a comet, ever hear of one those?" Karl snickered and laughed at Chubs as much as he could bear on some of his sound intellectually dull thinking.

As the laughter gave out, Karl perked his ear from behind the bar as he thought he heard a droning noise; no, more like thunder with a strange buzzing that seemed to get closer and heavier -- the floor seemed to undulate; glasses started clinking and then the lights started going in and out like fireflies giving signals to young children who would
catch them and put them in a mason jar. "What the hell is happening!" Karl Barked in amazement.

"It's an earthquake!" shouted Chubs as he tried to hold onto something while covering his head thinking any moment the roof might fall in and bash his ever loving brains out.

There came a bright glare; almost blinding, Karl got behind the counter and prayed softly wondering if this was it; the end, revelations, the end of time -- karl peeked out the window to see what was behind the eerie force; the window glowed like giant will'O'wisps, first a bright yellow, then a greenish aura.

"It's coming from the sky!!" Chub barked, crawling on his hands and knees, while Joe, silently in awe looked to see what came out of the sky. "If i think that is what i think that -" a big mass flew bye and just as quickly an explosion came from about a mile away; the air smelled like burning earth - charred - Joe could smell it.

"Oh shit!! That looked like a Meteor!!"Chub clamored to his feet feeling the long years of his fat belly anchoring him back down to the floor.

Karl finally got the nerve to get up as they all did and go outside to follow the smoke; the night in Salem became suddenly very lively as the people came out to also look for the ruckus that was made.

Teddy was hanging outside as Joe, Karl and Chubs made their way out smelling the stench of sulphur in the air -- Teddy looked like he was going to shit his pants at any moment -- his mouth agape in shock. "I don't believe it! Did you all see that?!"His faced looked in disarray, his hair all wild in wind, his face looking to be stricken by dust and
fumes making his glasses fog up as he took them off and squinted seeing the faint blurs around him in haste.

"I think everyone here saw it,"Karl pronounced as his eyebrows tensed surveying the fire in the distance."It looks to me the thing landed somwhere in the river valley beyond them woods, a few miles down Churchill's path. we can get in the jeep and ride that way and see this thing."

"Shit yeah!!"Chubs agreed."We can get a piece of that meteor rock and before anyone else does and haul it to the museum or something and make some good ole cash!"

"Don't be so darn stupid Chubs!" Karl smited. "The best thing to do is drive down there and make sure its not contaminating the river bed down there or the surrounding lakes - there may be more to that sulphur smell."

"I agree with Karl," Joe said.

"Okay's lets hurry then," karl suggested while he grabbed his flashlights and jumped into his 4 wheel Jeep cherokee while Teddy and Joe hopped in Back and Chubs in the front as they sped off into the night taking the old backroads.

* * *

In the midst of the street she walked with her cane and black shawl draped across her shoulders; her ivory white hair was luminescent under the moon; her body ached with arthritis and her feet swelled with gout, but this night she heard the call -- she took out her mother's sacred helios talisman and wore it snuggly to her bosoms for protection.
Mother always told her tales of spirits that were always trying to invade humanity as the forces of nature were at work themselves. As a little girl Mother taught her the ways of magick and Wiccan incantations, summoning, necromancy, and had always shown her the path she must choose that most would not follow, as it was so much easier to give in to the ways of magick and live in darkness.

"I can hear you," she hissed,"We will fight you."

There was a sudden shift in the air; the smell of sulfur turned to the smell of almonds; a funny smell since there were no almonds tree for a thousand miles in either direction. The townsfolk looked at her with disdain as they did her mother fourty seven years ago; but her mother was a wise woman no less, and adept in the ways of the old, that not anyone would understand in the face of fear as they claimed their own ignorance and sought physical solace in the graven church with the great crucifix in the sky; the reverend always trying to convince himself that he was doing good for the church by converting her ways; 'evil ways' was what his congregation would always tell him as they gossipped in their pews at Sunday mass. Though she did not make many social gatherings and preferred her solitary to herself and with only the few treasured memories she had of her dear sweet mother that she left behind for her keepsakes. "Watch for him." she once told her," he will be everywhere and become anything, for he is the darkness of the Ego, and only the light of Agnemmon will bind it.I will pray that you will survive the ordeal when you are older child. It is not
many that run into Choronzon and survive, so keep this amulet with you when the time arrives.It will protect the one who wears it."

As the amulet passed to her hand then, she felt its odd heaviness, and weird pulsating energy through it, it felt like magick, and as she smiled up at her mother for the gift, she could only see that her mother was not happy but a deep saddness that filled her heart. As she had caressed her face and hair gently she made one final statement,"remember my child, Choronzon. Choronzon."

The echoes in her head of what once was made her body ache with strange fear that her mother had known then. This was the coming of him and she would have to die to stop him or it was death to everyone.

As she walked down the street, she muttered over and over like a mad woman in heat, "choronzon...,choronzon,...choronzon..."

* * *

To be Continued