Fall 1978, Near an Appalachian mining town
Driving up a narrow and curvy country road she is apprehensive. Her fiance had proposed only a month ago, in a few more months they’ll be wed. She has the same questions that most young women have before making the big plunge. Maybe a few doubts. The fact her mother and sister have been less than thrilled with her choice in husbands, hasn’t helped her nerves. Her friend told her about a psychic, a good one the friend assured her. She thought about it for a few days, having nothing pressing at the moment she convinced her fiance to go.
They arrive at a large and well maintained house, that looks out of place in this depressed community. The woman who greets them at the door certainly doesn’t look the part of an old witch. She is late twenties maybe thirty. Introducing herself as Deana, she asks them for only two pieces of information. Their first names and their birthday. She asks them to not reveal any specific information. The naive looking young blonde woman introduces herself as Lisa in a sweet voice. Her fiance, several years older and looking like he had been around a bit, introduces himself as Tony.
She led them to a cozy room, in the center of which sits a heavy wooden table, surrounded by four heavy, padded wooden chairs. There are glass cabinets against the walls, which hold figurines depicting various birds and among those are figurines depicting serpents. One curious object, about the size of a baseball rests on a metal stand. Not quite round more egg shaped, not quite clear, a little dark, Deana called it a witch’s eye, after Lisa commented that it was pretty. They each take a seat around the table. Deana offers her guests tea, served in inviting mugs. In the center of the table, is an old set of tarot cards. She asks Tony to pick them up and shuffle them. Tony gives his birthday June 6, he said he couldn’t think of much to ask. “Oh, tell me if I will get that promotion at work.” he said sarcastically.
His attitude is one she has dealt with before. A little mocking tone, sly comments she’s heard from men dragged to her table by jealous wives, nervous brides to be and grieving mothers. It is something else though, that causes her to distrust and dislike him. She describes his childhood home perfectly. Describes a boy who always got into trouble. She mentions that he was sent to live with a relative as a result. He comments snarling, that they are lucky guesses. Deana smiles and asks him about his children. He tells her he has no children, somewhat nervously. He shrugs at Lisa. She looks at the cards, which are arranged in a pattern unfamiliar to the couple, then glances up at Lisa, then back to him. She asks this man for whom she has nothing but contempt now, “The woman and the two kids out of state, what happened to them?”. With a look that told her he doesn’t care much for her either, he says “I don’t have any kids lady, I’ve never been married”. He is shifting in his seat. Deana is clearly seeing this woman and young children with this man. She asks him about another young woman. She mentions a dark haired gypsy girl, in the hospital. She can see that this woman is hurt. She asks him if that is why police officers are questioning him outside the room. Incensed he jumps up and demands they leave now, Barking at Lisa, “Let’s go this
stupid bitch is crazy”. Lisa horrified, gets up from the chair. Deana grabs the woman’s hand, telling her, “Your mother and sister are right”. “Get away from this man now. Or he will hurt you. Do not get in the car with him”, she pleaded. Lisa asks, tears rolling down her cheeks, “How could you know they told me that? No one knows that. How can you know all this stuff?”. Deana, looked up into her eyes, still holding her hand and said, “I know it, because the demon who followed both of you here, just showed it to me”.
Tony lunged at Deana, her eyes took on a mysterious darkness. He quickly froze. Looking at him with eyes cold and destructive, she says “I would leave, while you still can.” Tony heads out the door. Lisa sobbing, looking into Deana’s face, which is now full of concern for the young woman. “I am going to tell you one last time, don’t leave with that man.” Deana says. Frightened, Lisa rushes out the door. Tony screaming obscenities and threats as Lisa gets in the car. They drive away quickly. Lisa sobbing, Tony continuing to call the woman who revealed his secrets, crazy. “But those things she knew, like my mother and sister being worried about me. And…and those women, Tony who are they?”, she asks sobbing. “There are no Goddamn women. I told you that woman is crazy” he shouts. “If there are children, I’ll understand” she says sobbing. He draws his hand back to slap her, as a dark form appears on the road, just in front of them. He swerves to the left, trying to dodge the apparition.. Losing control, their car tumbles over the steep creek bank landing on its top. Tony is killed instantly. Paralyzed her neck and back both twisted and broken. She is unable to move as the car fills with water. As the freezing water pours in Lisa thinks of the woman pleading with her not to leave just moments ago. Thinking too about how her mother and sister were right, and how she lied to them about how wonderful Tony is to her. As the water takes her, the last thing she sees is the unholy face of the thing that ran them off the road.
The knock on the door she expected. Sheriff Jack Bennett was let into the house and offered a hot cup of coffee. “Thank you Miss Linden, it sure is a cold night.”, he said in a thick Appalachian accent. “As you can imagine, we have been busy. The man fit the description of a fella named Charles Byrd, over in Ohio.” he continued. Deana filled the Sheriff in on the events at her house that evening, while he thoughtfully listened and sipped coffee. “Did they have any information on the woman and children?”, she asked thoughtfully. “He was wanted for the disappearance of a woman and her children. Just like you said he would be.. He apparently stole a vehicle and beat another woman half to death a few years ago”, he said. “ The woman, I saw in the hospital.”, she said. “Ma’am, I honestly don’t know how you know these things, but it seems so. I guess death followed Byrd around at least a few states.”, he added. “It was Vengeance in this case Sheriff. The young gypsy woman in the hospital, set Vengeance upon his trail, and he couldn’t outrun it. I begged that poor girl not to leave with him” she lamented as the Sheriff finished his second cup of coffee.
