He watched it sail over and smack the beast in its giant balls, heard the thing groan in pain and dip down closer to the ground, tentacles wrapping around and protecting the bulbous sack.

  “Hey!” Steven yelled, picking up another rock. “Stop fucking my house! Stop it!”

  He threw another rock, watched it bounce off one of the huge ungodly eyes, listened to the thing grunt and chirp and hiss.

  “You get!” he yelled. “Get! Go on! Get!”

  The translucent beast turned and faced him, its giant dick tearing up a tract of grass (which fueled Steven's rage even more so)—although, one could argue about it facing him, since it seemingly didn't have a face.

  Steven picked up another stone, threw it at the cock. “I said get! Get the fuck outta here!”

  It hissed at him, the sound of a thousand chainsaws, the sound of a train made of chainsaws, hot on the tracks making a delivery of revving chainsaws to Chainsaw City in Dentist Drill County. It was terrible, the sound, and Steven's hands reached for his ears.

  His eyes felt like they were about to pop, like wasps were burrowing into his brain. Steven screamed and fell to his knees, praying for a quick death.

  Through squinted, tear-filled eyes, he watched the thing stomp towards him. It would be just a moment, and he would be dead. He was certain of that. As the tentacles of the horror reached out, time began to slow.

  This is it, Steven thought. I'm sorry, Dad. Hope I can say that to you when this is over. I'm sorry about the house, about joining the Marines. I'm sorry about that blowjob at your funeral. I'm-

  And then came a voice.

  It cut the air, cut through the terrible hissing of the beast.

  Steven turned on his knees, moving dreamlike, and saw a figure in dark robes standing at the tree line. Both of the figure's hands were held high, and the cowl obscured the face. The words emitting from the mystery figure were not understood by Steven. It was a dialect he'd never heard, but he did understand one thing: the words held power. Immense power.

  The dark figure stepped forward, chanting. Each step the figure took, the more the beast shrank back, as if somehow the monster was afraid; or perhaps the words could hurt or wound it.

  Time moved slowly. Time was thick, the air like water, but Steven tried to stand, realizing the figure in the hood and robe was making its way to him.

  His knees gave out, and Steven collapsed back to the earth. He felt as if he couldn't breathe, as if some invisible weight or all of gravity wanted to condense on this single spot. The hissing sound of the monster retreated, and he did his best to lift his head to watch it flee, or perhaps puff away into a wisp of smoke like a bad magician's trick.

  A look of relief spread across Steven's face as the thing slipped into the trees, shaking leaves and breaking branches as it fled. He turned his heavy head to the robed figure walking towards him and could barely hear his own voice when the hood was pulled back.

  “Melody?!” Steven croaked, jaw dropping.

  Her fire-red hair fell about her shoulders, and she seemed to float overto him rather than walk. He was struck again by her beauty—which now seemed utterly alien—and a sense of dread grew up from the pit of his stomach.

  “Melody,” he tried to say, “what are you doing here? What the fuck was that thing?”

  But all that came out was-

  Muuuh nuh nuh nhuh, muuh nuh muh nuh

  -and slobber from his slack and hanging jaw.

  Her hand reached out to him and her lips peeled back in a pleasing smile, but her eyes were black empty pits. Terror seized Steven.

  This is just too much! I would gladly take a bullet, or a bomb, and die somewhere hot and sandy, die anywhere, anyhow besides this. At least I could understand that, but this? THIS? Oh God in Heaven, please help me!

  As if on cue, there came a sudden, sharp crack.

  I know that sound from somewhere…

  Melody pitched forward, her eyes suddenly normal and her face slack. She landed in a thump just an arm's length from him, face first and unconscious. Behind her, a figure was lowering the butt stock of a shotgun, the very shotgun that had just butt-stroked Melody, and pointed the barrel down at her back.

  It was Lloyd.

  Lloyd Billington.

  He tipped his hat to Steven, who was submersed in shock and disbelief, and then hocked a brown loogie of chewing tobacco onto Melody's robe.

  “Yuh alright, boy?” Lloyd asked.

  Steven moaned, and then promptly fainted.

  ***

  Steven awoke and immediately began screaming. He couldn't see, he did not know where he was, and all that was in him was unspeakable, indescribable terror. He heard footsteps then, and a familiar voice.

  “Stop yuh screaming. I'm coming, I'm coming,” he heard Lloyd's voice echo out from somewhere in the darkness. There came the creak of a door opening, and then the old man hit a light switch.

  I must be at Lloyd's, Steven thought. Oh god, what a nightmare. Oh god, what the hell? Did I come over drinking and-

  “Yuh okay to walk, boy?” Lloyd asked, standing in the door way. His face was weathered, tired. His trademark green ball cap was pushed up high on his brow, which glistened with sweat.

  Steven swallowed, looked about the room, and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think so,” Steven replied and rubbed his eyes. “Listen, Lloyd... I'm sorry I-”

  “Yuh ain't got nothin' to be sorry about,” Lloyd said. “Now come on if yuh able, I got that witch tied up in the other room.”

  The comment was a hard slap. The witch? Does he mean... Melody? What the fuck is happening? Is this real? Was that thing...real?

  “Yuh comin' or not?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Steven said, sat up and realized he was naked. “Lloyd, where are my clothes?”

  Lloyd turned back from the doorway. “Got some fresh ones on that chair for yuh. Had to clean yuh up. Yuh was all covered in some sticky, downright nasty shit. We about the same size, I reckon. The clothes should fit. When yuh done, meet me in the kitchen.”

  Lloyd's footsteps echoed away from the room and Steven began to dress himself. He wasn't happy that Lloyd had set out a pair of bib overalls, socks and a pair of boots, but it was better than being naked. Before he left, he got a look at himself in the mirror atop Lloyd's dresser.

  I look like I've been in a redneck car wreck, Steven thought and stepped out.

  ***

  Steven saw Lloyd through the kitchen doorway drinking a can of Budweiser. He stepped in, questions ready to jump off his tongue when he saw her. Melody was completely nude, arms and legs tied to a chair next to the fridge. A balled-up dirty sock was stuck in her mouth. She looked at Steven and started mumbling.

  Lloyd popped open a beer and appeared at Steven's side. “Here, have somethin' to drink.”

  Steven took the beer, drank most of it in two gulps without taking his eyes off the naked woman, and then burped. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, reaching for the sock in her mouth.

  Lloyd's hand flashed out and grasped Steven's wrist.

  “I wouldn't do that if I was yuh.”

  “Why's that?”

  “She might start castin' spells, boy,” Lloyd said, grave as a tombstone. “Can't be too careful.”

  Steven nodded, finished his beer, sat the empty can on the table and rubbed his eyes again. He took a deep breath, looked at her, to Lloyd, and then back to her again. Then he yelled, “What the fuck is happening here!?”

  “I'll tell yuh what's happenin' here,” Lloyd said. “This bitch is a damned devil worshippin' summoner, summonin' up hellspawn, and they been eatin' up all my livestock, then came and destroyed yuh house, boy. That's what's happenin'!”

  Lloyd turned and spat onto Melody's face. She mumbled something in return and strained against her bonds.

  “Stop it! Just stop a damn second!” Steven huffed. Lloyd and Melody turned their eyes to him. “I need to ask her. Okay, Lloyd? I need to ask her without you spitting on her and god knows what. Somehow she scared that thing off, I remember. She was talking in that language and-

  “See!” Lloyd barked. “Spells, I tell yuh! She's a witch if there ever was one!”

  Mmmmh mmmh mmh, Melody mumbled and shook her head.

  “Okay, okay,” Steven said, putting both his hands up. “Just... just everybody calm down a second... and goddammit, why is she naked, Lloyd?”

  Lloyd cocked an eyebrow up at him. “Had to frisk her, dammit. Don't look at me like that. She mighta had weapons on her. Maybe a wand or somethin'.”

  “You call the cops?”

  Lloyd scoffed. “And tell 'em what? I got a naked, big-tittied witch tied up in my kitchen? That I saved the neighbor from a half-invisible crab octopus with the biggest dick yuh ever saw? Come on now, don't be daft.”

  Steven swallowed hard, and lowered his voice. “So you saw... you saw it, too?”

  “Yup,” Lloyd said, and breathed hard out his nose. “Craziest damn thing I ever saw in a long time, and I've been around a long time. I've been all over this world and I ain't never, not once, not ever, saw a damned thing like that.”

  Lloyd held Steven's gaze for a moment longer, and then something unspoken passed between them. They both turned to the naked woman. She instantly began mumbling through the dirty sock.

  “How 'bout we have another beer, Lloyd,” Steven said, “and figure out what we do from here?”

  “Now yuh thinkin',” he said, walked over to the fridge and pulled out two cans. He passed one to Steven and they popped the tabs one after another, clinked their cans together, and both took long pulls from their drinks, standing side by side, eyes not leaving the witch.

  Steven guzzled the drink til he felt like his eyes would water, caught his breath and wiped his mouth. “Lloyd,” he said.

  “Yuh?”

  “First, I want to thank you for saving my ass. Second, I want to thank you for the beer.”

  Lloyd nodded, and took another drink. “Took yuh long enough, but... under the circumstances, I guess we'll have to pass on the manners, ayuh,”

  “So, here's what I'm thinking.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I say we take that sock out of her mouth-” Steven started, and Melody began to mumble and nod her head yes.

  “Ah no,” Lloyd shook his head, walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed the shotgun. He turned and pointed the 12-gauge at her. “Yuh take that gag outta her and I'm gonna blow her head clean off.”

  Melody mumbled some more and shook her head no.

  “Listen, listen,” Steven said, “we need to ask her some questions, she had some kind of power over the thing, and we need to know if it's going to come back or not. But you have to let me take the gag out.”

  “And what if she starts casting a spell?”

  “Then butt-stroke her again. Jesus, man! You don't have to shoot her.”

  Lloyd pursed his lips together and thought about it. “Nah, too dangerous,” he replied. “I say we take her ass out to the hogs, blow her brains out and forget this ever happened.”

  Steven scratched the back of his head. “Wait, okay. Melody, if you promise not to cast any spells or talk in that... that language thing you did back there—if you promise... Will you tell us what's going on?”

  Her eyes went wide and excited. She nodded her head.

  That's when Lloyd turned the gun on Steven.

  “Whoa, whoa!” Steven cried out, backed up and threw up his hands. “What the fuck, Lloyd?!”

  Lloyd squinted his eyes and kept the bead on him. “Now yuh wait just a goddamn second, boy. How the hell yuh know her name?”

  “I met her, man! Stop pointing that damn gun at me!”

  “Ah, so yuh already met her? Yuh ever plan on tellin' me that, or not? 'Cause yuh already under her spell, ain't yuh, boy?!”

  “Jesus Christ!” Steven yelled. “Listen to me! She was at my dad's funeral. That's how I met her! She worked with my dad!”

  “And I'm just supposed to believe yuh?”

  “Lloyd, I swear it's the truth. I was outside trying to fight that thing. If I was under a spell, why the hell would I be doing that?”

  Steven noticed Lloyd's finger tighten on the trigger. Just a little twitch and he knew the 12-gauge could blow a hole straight through him at this distance;maybe even cut him in half. Sweat gathered on his forehead, his heart pounded in his chest. He watched the old man's face, but the man could've been a poker pro. There was no sign of emotion, just cold hard calculation.

  Fuck, he's going to shoot me. Feed us both to the hogs. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Then the tension eased a little.

  “Hell if I know,” Lloyd said, gun steady. “Maybe yuh a sacrifice or something. I'm not exactly an expert on witchy voodoo, case yuh didn't notice.”

  “Okay,” Steven said, chest rising and falling rapidly. “We can do it your way. I don't want to get shot. I just want some answers, that's all. I just wanna know what the fuck happened here. All I want, swear to god. But if you just want to kill her, then fine. I won't stop you. Drop her right now if you want.”

  Lloyd's eyes were slits. His face scrunched up.

  Fuck, Steven thought. Here it comes.

  Then Lloyd lowered the gun from Steven and leveled it on Melody. “Go on ahead and take that gag out, but yuh listen close, witch…” Lloyd growled. “Yuh start in on any of that funny language yuh was speakin' right 'fore I stroked yuh, I will kill the shit outta yuh, yuh hear?”

  She nodded.

  “Go on, boy,” Lloyd said, “take that sock out her mouth. Wouldn't mind some answers myself. And remember, no funny talk.”

  Steven sighed and stepped up to Melody. Her eyes looked up and met his, and part of him yearned for her. Tied up like she was, naked as she was, hair wild and red like a prairie fire... Damn, does she look good, he thought. Then he remembered her right before he fainted. How her eyes had not just gone black, but disappeared altogether. How her voice was not a woman's, but something old, something ancient. He shivered.

  His hand reached out and stopped at the sock. “Don't make us kill you.”

  She mumbled something in the affirmative. Steven took one last look at Lloyd and then pulled the sock free.

  Melody immediately wretched, and drool seeped from her mouth down onto her bare legs. After a brief coughing fit, she looked up at the two men and asked to have her mouth wiped clean. Steven used a paper towel, then told her, “Start talking. What the fuck was that thing?”

  She swallowed, and said, “I'll try to explain it as simply as I can. And please, Lloyd, you can put down the gun. I understand you're frightened, but I mean neither of you any harm. If it wasn't for my intervention, Steven would be dead.”

  “I ain't scared of shit, witch,” Lloyd said, “and I like this gun right where it is. Now explain yuhself.”

  “Could I have a glass of water, please?”

  Lloyd scoffed, “The United States doesn't negotiate with witches.”

  Melody raised one of her eyebrows, “I think you mean terrorists.”

  “Yup, we don't negotiate with them neither.”

  “I see,” she said. “Okay then... the creature you saw is a sort of hybrid... part of it is human and the other part...”

  “What?” Steven asked. “Part what? Spit it out!”

  “Part alien. I guess you could call them alien,” Melody said.

  Steven and Lloyd looked at each other, then back at Melody.

  “You mean like little gray men?” Lloyd asked. “Same ones probing folks' asses and mutilatin' cows?”

  “Not quite,” Melody said. “These things are not extraterrestrial but extra-dimensiona-”

  Lloyd stepped in close and put the barrel to her head, tightened his finger on the trigger.

  “Whoa!” Steven cried out. “Hold up, Lloyd, that's English. Not a spell.”

  “Certain?”

  “Certain.”

  “Hmmph,” Lloyd said. “Go on with yuh yarn then, witch.”

  Melody nodded and started again. “These things, they exist outside of reality. Now, imagine the universe like a bubble—these things exist outside of it. They're ancient, beyond time in any way we can conceive of it, and they're the farthest thing from being human, completely and utterly foreign in every sense. Until a few months ago, I didn't even believe in them.”

  “So why are they here?”

  Melody closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “We summoned one.”

  “What did I tell yuh?” Lloyd huffed. “Witchy summoner summonin' demons from hell. Didn't I tell yuh?”

  “Wait, wait,” Steven said. “What do you mean, we?”

  “This may be hard to take, Steven,” Melody said, “but... we, as in your father and a few other members of the college.”

  “Don't you fuckin' lie to me,” Steven hissed. “Don't you drag his name into this.”

  “I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Your father came across a book at the college, and between him and a few others, they began... tampering with it. I was brought in because they needed a female to perform a ritual. You have to understand that I thought it was a joke. I thought it was a bunch of perverted old men trying to have a gangbang. Frankly, I went along with it because I was bored.”

  “A witch and a tramp,” Lloyd said and spat on the floor.

  Steven crossed his arms. If it wasn't for witnessing the creature with his own eyes, he would've shrugged the story off. But now…now his father was involved. His dead father.“You expect me to believe my dad was trying to summon ancient aliens? For what reason, huh?”

  “What other reason is there?” Melody asked. “Power, I presume.”

  “I don't believe you.”

  “You don't have much choice,” Melody replied. “Out of the circle, I'm the only survivor. I think some kind of madness took your father first, Steven. It was quick.”

  “Dad died of a stroke,” Steven said.

  Melody went on without acknowledging him. “Paul was next. After the creature was born, he shot himself. Then it was just Edward and myself. Things were happening so fast, spiraling out of control. And the damned thing grew so fast, we lost control over it. We'd been keeping it in a cage on your father's property, but it escaped. Started feeding.”