Cadaver Island by Pro Se Press Page B

He stepped outside to give them some privacy.
    “ Hello, traveler!” the
cleric said.
    “ Do you speak English?” Dr.
Stine said.
    “ Yes, I’m fluent in many
languages,” the cleric said.
    “ Why have I been brought to
this place? My friend needs my help and we’re running out of time.
I’m begging you to set me free! We can’t stay in the desert much
longer!”
    “ Do you think this is some
sort of a joke? You’re a thief. You desecrated the tomb of
my ancestors and tried to rob their graves. As punishment for your
crime, you’ll be forced to join us. Ramses will punish you for
stealing from the crypt when you join us in death!”
    “ You’re insane! Ramses died
hundreds of years ago!” Dr. Stine said.
    “ You don’t understand, but
you will soon. When the Hale-Bopp comet becomes visible to the
naked eye in the sky tonight, we will separate from our physical
bodies and bond with the comet! It will take us to a golden palace
in the sky, where the great Ramses will welcome us with open arms!”
the cleric said. When he placed a large, wooden spoon into the
cauldron and stirred its contents, Dr. Stine watched dismembered
hands, severed feet, and swollen eyeballs float to the surface.
Then the cleric whistled three times and clapped his
hands.
    Two guards entered the tent
with their swords drawn. The cleric yelled “Take him to the pit!”
while he sipped a spoonful of soup from the cauldron. Dr. Stine
grimaced when the guards shoved him through the opening of the tent
and forced him to march toward the edge of the quarry. He glanced
up at the sky and noticed fast-moving bursts of light.
    The cleric emerged from the
tent and strolled toward the edge of the pit. He touched Dr. Stine
on the face with his long fingers and smiled. Then he pointed at
the sky, just slightly to the left of a full moon, and grinned. He
said: “The comet has arrived!”
    Dr. Stine followed the path
of the cleric’s finger and gasped. In the midst of the meteor
shower, a blazing ball of light appeared in the sky. A long tail
trailed behind the comet as it streaked from north to south.
Throughout the village, a chorus of voices chanted “Ramses!” over
and over again. Dr. Stine watched several of the cult members
approach an altar, drop to their knees, and place the palms of
their hands on the ground while they prayed. Other cult members
held hands, sang aloud, and stepped to the edge of the
pit.
    “ It’s time to join Ramses!
We’ll ride the comet to paradise!” the cleric yelled.
    The guards shoved Dr. Stine
toward the pit. He peered over the edge and watched dozens of
spitting cobras and horned vipers swarm across the jagged, stone
floor of the quarry. Dr. Stine screamed when several cult members
jumped into the pit. He listened to bones snap and skulls crack
while cobras and vipers coiled back and lashed out at survivors,
injecting them with venom.
    The cleric placed the sharp
blade of a knife against Dr. Stine’s jugular vein. Dr. Stine
glanced at the sky and watched the comet glow in the darkness. More
cult members stepped to the edge of the cliff and dived into the
quarry.
    “ Don’t try to resist.
Accept your fate,” the cleric said.
    Dr. Stine twisted his
wrists, hoping the rope would loosen enough for him to free his
hands. Men screamed, bones snapped, and vipers hissed as more cult
members committed suicide. When the cleric dragged the edge of the
blade gently across the skin of his throat, Dr. Stine wept softly.
Then he stepped to the edge of the high cliff and prepared to join
Ramses in the afterlife.
     
    ***
     
    When Angelique opened her
eyes, she realized that she was strapped to the cold stone of a
rock slab. Someone had fastened her hands and feet to metal loops
with strong lengths of thick rope. She glanced to her left and
noticed a small table. A sharp knife and a metal hook sat next to
Canopic jars. She struggled to move her hands, but she couldn’t
slip free from her bonds. She exhaled a deep sigh and