The Scourge

By Tom Mayer

The idea for the story “The Scourge” came to me while I was driving through the Arizona and the California desert one late night looking at the ominous dust clouds filled with circling night hawks against the windy night sky. It looked creepy at best. When I got to my motel room on the side of the table, I read a holy bible about Matthew; Jesus who chased out the demons. I put them together and figured that anyone could be in hell so the selection of characters were almost infinite. Along with this, I would see the rail cars filled with tanks, and other military equipment crossing the desert. On one memorable occasion I noticed a rail car loaded with migrant workers crossing the same area so I decided to use that in my story. This is how the idea of The Scourge was birthed.
Writing “The Scourge” I envisioned what would it take to bring The Legion that was in Matthew back into modern times. This is not a bible study story, it is a deep dark, scary novel. It has lots of violence, action, and sex within the story. Having these elements were necessary in this type of story to show how it resurfaced on Earth once more again. Without them the story would have been lifeless and dull. Plus, taking on the challenge of writing this particular story is considered The Holy Grail of all Horror Stories. The last thing I decided was to tell it from the perspective of two people who were in hell and who were given a chance to change sides. That gave the story a different twist. Many have tried to make this happen but none have really succeeded. I hope that you enjoy my story if you are a fan of the darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665568142

Tom Mayer

Thomas Mayer, I was an educator for 26 years and also an investor. I am also a Mosaic Artist and a photographer. I specialize in large and medium format cameras. I still use film but own a digital View Camera. My education: I Have a Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University in Education Administration, A Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Prescott College in Elementary Education, and Associates Degree in Social Work from Pima Community College. Then I have my Reading Specialist Endorsement and English as a Second Language Endorsement from The State of Arizona. Being retired I wanted to put my education to work so I started to write novels. Life was passing me by and sitting at home watching the clock tick I knew that I must get up and really do something.

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© 2022 Tom Mayer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/29/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6815-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6816-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6814-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915131

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Contents

Introduction

In the Beginning

Jesus Casts the Demons Out of Gadarenes

The Stone

The Doctor and His Wife

Phillip

The New Maid

Anita

The Next Move

The Leader Arises from the Ashes!

The Hunt

The Reward

The Trail

A Change of Management Below

The Trek into the Mountains

The Desert Moves

The Experiments

The Angels Came Down and Put Satan on Notice!

The Caldera!

The War Begins

The Angels and the Archangels Join the Fight

Hell’s Generals Meet

The Journey Out of the Netherworld

The Betrayal

The Incursion

The Battle for Earth

Qin Shi Huang Retakes China

Genghis Khan Retakes Mongolia

The Rise of Nero and the Roman Legions

The Black Hunters from Hell

The Black Hunters and the Second Eastern Front

The Harvest

The Stone of Triumph

The Deliverance

INTRODUCTION

This story is based on events that are found in many places in the New Testament. This is a realistic piece of fiction horror. It is not designed to skew or misinterpret any biblical phrase. However, this is what I envision if this threat came back into our world today. I hope you can sit back and enjoy the story. I do not intend to make any documentaries or argue about any texts. I hope you enjoy The Scourge. If you’re easily offended, please put this back on the shelf and kindly pass it by for another selection. Yes, that means you. If you happen to love horror or the darkness, please do not be afraid to take the ride.

Thanks,

Tom

IN THE BEGINNING

Jesus cast out the demons when he came to the other side and into the country of Gadarenes. Two men met him coming out of the tombs. They were extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out saying, what business do we have with each other Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time? Now there were a herd of several swine feeding at a distance from them, the demons began to entreat him, saying, If you are going to cast us out send us into the herd of swine. And he said to them, Go! And they came out and went into the swine, and the waters. The herdsman ran away, and went into the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold the whole city came out to meet Jesus; they implored him to leave the region.

—Matthew 8:28–34

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JESUS CASTS THE DEMONS

OUT OF GADARENES

Jesus walks into the outer Gadarenes region and notices people huddled in circles. They are doing their best to stay alive. They make his own situation look rather insignificant. Each group comes from a different part of the countryside, and they most likely are related or have been neighbors at one time or another. He walks into the camp, all the men stand up, and look right at him.

Their defenses are high after the robbers pillaged them the night before.

David says, We have little food and water for you here. What is your business with us?

Jesus replies, I just want to sit and warm myself by your fire. It’s been a cold night. He warms himself beside the fire.

The others stay silent.

Beth calmly walks up and kindly offers him some water and food. She is unsure about him, but she offers him some anyway. He thanks her and eats by the warmth of their fire. It is getting cold, he covers himself up, and falls asleep.

The next morning, the people speak among themselves as Jesus sleeps. They know that he is not a threat to them, and he has not asked for anything from them of any real value. The lot of them are unsure about this stranger sleeping beside their fire.

Jesus awakes and says, Why are you here and not in Gadarenes?

Beth responds, You haven’t seen the black evil that has scourged over our fields, livestock, and us?

Jesus nodded and responds, I am here to release you from it all, so that you may return to your homes and lives. Just keep our Father’s commandments. You all have been most kind to me. Your gracious hospitality was greatly and freely given to me when you had absolutely nothing for yourselves.

Another man says, We are quickly heading out to another region. If you go in there, the demons will surely kill you! They are the dead walking and most angry.

Jesus nodded and starts to roll up his blanket. Before he leaves, another woman gives him a piece of bread for the journey.

Her husband says, What are we going to do when there is no more for us?

She replies, We give to those in need; that’s who we’ve always been.

Jesus says, In four days, go back to your farms and return back to your old lives. I am here to rid your lands and your homes of this awful black scourge!

A woman looks at him and says, I know you, Rabbi. I once saw you. You are the true messenger—perhaps sent from God. I know it! She kneels down, but he graciously picks her up.

They were blessed. To show their faith, they pitched in what little they had to spare.

Jesus replies, My gift was meeting you fine people; you are one with the Father.

They wave goodbye and watched him leave.

Jesus walks until he finally sees what the villagers were so afraid of—and for very good reason. He sees four demons staring and growling in his presence. He says, As chaff is burned in the fire, so will you in my presence. Be gone and never return to this place!

A large demon replies, Son of Man, I know who and what you are. One day, we’ll return here and have our way with these pitiful people.

They know they cannot stand or dwell in or near him. Most of the demons flee as he walks closer to the city. Jesus looks on, completely unimpressed with the lot of them.

Another demon says, You very well know that, one day, man will invite us back here once more! What do you expect from a bunch of miserable sinners anyway?

Jesus knows it isn’t over, but his purpose for casting them out so man can see who he really is. Most importantly, he is doing this so man will live within God’s commandments and not break them so easily.

The demons can only look on in horror as they are vanquished from the land and from his very presence.

Jesus approaches a small town outside the main city.

Most of the townspeople who see this are afraid of Jesus. They are set in their ways, and though most claim to follow God, their beliefs are only on the surface. They really worship other gods, including the god of money, the god of sex and sodomy, the god of vanity, and a host of other unclean gods.

As he enters, he is given a cold welcome. A man who is making love to a woman in a corner says, We like our dark demons and spirits. They give us what we want. You offer us absolutely nothing!

Only a few follow the commandments and keep a steady vigil over their behaviors. They alone will inherit the Kingdom of God in the afterlife.

The others, as this man and woman, will only inherit the fires of Gehenna. Jesus walks through their wine, turns it into vinegar. The evil, once there, flees. All Jesus can do is comfort those who keep the commandments or who are most willing to change.

They see the light for themselves, they are no longer beguiled into the darkness, and nothingness that surrounds them. The people see in absolutes and follow God’s laws, and his will, from now on, he will be their light, in this land of complete darkness. That is how many decide to turn toward God.

Jesus continues to walk farther into the mountains, where the city buries their dead, and he sees the dead standing and shouting obscenities at him.

A barrage of stones falls near him. They are trying to stone him to death. One yells, God is an abomination! You have no business here! He’s just a fucking bastard! We kill his kind here! Get out unless you know what’s good for you!

Jesus casts them out of their bodies, and as the black cloud of evil rises, it heads toward Gadarenes. They growl and continue to shout obscenities at him, but he pays them no mind.

The spirits enter the dead and stay, waiting for their day of reckoning to come. They are never still or idle and are always looking for a way to enter the lives of people. What remains of the dead are now littered on the ground, and Jesus continues to travel into Gadarenes. The spirits are now a plague that ravages other people and other places, especially when people drink alcohol and engage in other vices.

What begins as a small trickle grows into a raging torrential flood of evil. The darkness grows and grows until it is a raging flood of sin without boundaries. The only way one can keep it out is to follow God’s commandments and to never sway from them.

This was only the beginning because evil knows that it can never defeat Jesus in battle. The vengeful demons and spirits, which Jesus chased out, they flood into other towns and cities. Their intent is to seize power and control over the people living in the wake of their destructive path. Their wrath includes those who keep God’s commandments and make other people look down at them.

One man, Isaac, always keeps God’s commandments, but the demon spirits enter his home, killing his wife, and children with a large sharpened sickle. The demon says, You have kept God’s commandments rather than breaking them. Your punishment is to watch as we slowly and painfully butcher your family. He is in shock because keeping God’s commandments protects us against evil and grants us passage into heaven. This time, hell comes back and punishes God’s flock. They mercilessly hunt down and massacre them for their beliefs.

Another demon also replies to Isaac, Where is your God now? If you are wise, you will pay homage to me and not anything else! You and your kind are just a bunch of stupid fools!

Isaac replies, Even though you have massacred everyone I have ever loved, you still cannot control me. Even if I die at this very moment, my faith and love in Jesus will never cease—no matter what you might do to me. So, let’s get it over with. I’d rather die than kneel to the likes of you!

The demon slays him right where he stands with a large blade. He breathes his last breath, but he never bows down to the likes of the demon.

Jesus walks into their home, and the demons flee. He frees their spirits. In life, they always held onto God’s commandments. Their spirits are now shown as the brightest lights. Even the demons from far away flee from Isaac and his family. They take all their love with them and rise into the highest parts of heaven. It is their just reward for staying the course and never giving in to the evil.

The dark spirits are still angry and worrisome because they know that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Son of God. He approaches them, and they flee. There is no question about it either. In the process, the walking dead slayed all who stand before them and leave no one alive.

It was their retribution for Jesus ridding all the areas, those around Gadarenes, of the deadly black scourge. They are not going away without a good fight, but their awful wickedness is no match for the Son of God. His power and light reign without question or exception over the lot of them.

The dead continue their march forward; while missing legs and eyes, they storm into the countryside, and even into the farmers’ homes. They mindlessly walk, and the people flee—even though most carried out God’s commandments. The dead are diseased and hell bent on strangling all of the living. Also, many are recognized by their relatives but do not respond to their names.

Fleeing was the only course of action that the living could take against them. The walking dead occupied their homes and killed all of their livestock. After it was finished, one by one, they jumped into their wells, poisoning them all so that no one could ever drink from them again. The living ran for their precious lives, and the dead celebrated their victory over God.

Jesus walked through the hundreds of scores of demons and evil spirits. Even with the evil that they had sown onto the lands and the inhabitants of the region, Christ looked at them. They remained speechless, and in the very sight of Jesus, all their bodies burst into flames. The flames of goodness and heaven consumed them all until they were no more than a heap of charred ashes. The wind picked up and scattered their evil ashes throughout the valley below. Jesus did not have to murmur a single word; with one look and one thought were enough to vanquish his foes. That’s how powerful he was—and still is!

Soon, Jesus came to another small family farm. The walking dead were lifeless and walking, but this type was a different kind of evil. They had butchered the woman, her husband, and her three small children. They were no more. Their souls were held prisoner by the talking and walking dead. They said, You belong to hell, and no man can ever save you from us! Their souls pleaded, but they were shown absolutely no mercy.

Jesus happened along and noticed that their souls were tightly held in hell’s grip against their very own will.

These new walking dead looked at him and screamed, Get out of here, Son of Man. They now rightfully belong to me!

The husband, wife, and children pleaded for their lives. All that remained were their souls in hell’s tight grip.

Jesus looked at them and freed their souls with one wave of his hand. They arose into the sky and the heavens above. One could see their glimmering white souls as they went high into the heavens above. They were free to enter paradise. With one wave of his hand, he also forgave them of any transgressions that they may have committed during their short-lived lives.

They waved and thanked Jesus for saving them as they ascended into paradise.

Jesus arrived at another tomb, and two dead men stood at the entrance and threw stones at him. They yelled, The Son of Man deserves nothing but our stones!

Jesus said, You will be the first to go!

They could only stand by idly and watch him pass by where they were sent next. Jesus had enough of their insults, and their ineffective threats made him decide to do away with the lot of them. They could only stand there speechless, and they both knew it was time to pay for their evil deeds.

They were yelling and screaming at him. A larger herd of swine joined the one already on the hillside. They had belonged to a herder and farmer who had been killed by the walking dead. They chopped him into pieces and fed him and his wife to the hogs. The hogs would grunt and squeal as they consumed their owners. Jesus freed their imprisoned souls because the wife and husband were known for their generosity and kindness towards everyone. Their souls also went into paradise along with the rest. The couple was free from the awful scourge of evil. Larger hogs joined those already on the cliff. Their numbers grew and grew until there were thousands of them.

A very large group of the walking dead with a most sinister laugh gathered and approached Jesus. They said, Please if you’re going to drive us out of these bodies that we found here, then allow us to go into that very large herd of swine grazing on top of that mountainside.

Jesus agreed to allow them to leave the decomposed rotting bodies they possessed while the souls were still alive. A black, ghostly cloud appeared as their putrid bodies fell to the ground, their bones rattled as they fell, and turned into dust. They were no more than dust and rags.

Jesus said, Go!

The black clouds joined in the air to form one big black cloud of agonizing, screaming demons in the air. Their faces and fangs showed through the black cloud in a demonstration of their wicked power. It entered the swine on the hill, and the swine squealed as the black cloud of evil entered their bodies. Even animals can sense evil. They knew that their peaceful bodies had been taken over by the blackest of all demons on the face of the entire Earth. The pigs squealed and screamed in absolute panic. They were rolling on the ground, desperately trying to free themselves, and attacking and biting one another. It was of no use because they had been taken over.

Jesus said, Enter the sea!

The swine listened to him and rushed off a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. The pigs were running and jumping, dozens at a time, until the herd of eight thousand large swine squealed, bit one and another, then drowned in the depths of the sea. The final horrific movements of the pigs and the demons made the herdsman shake with unimaginable fear and terror. The people would never forget that sight, and the stories were retold for countless generations.

A villager entered the city and reported what he saw. They have butchered countless passersby, and they were torn from their corpses.

The elders asked if he had been drinking.

The herder said, No, I promise that I am not drunk. I never drink except to mix a little wine with my water to stay safe. That’s all! I am telling you the complete truth about what happened to the swine. You must go quickly see for yourselves; I am not imagining it!

The village elder said, Okay, gather up everyone, and let’s all go see what really happened there.

All the village elders insisted that everyone go and see.

The people walked out of the city and up to the hill that contained the tombs. On the ground, they saw the two corpses and their tattered ancient burial clothes in rags on the floor.

An elder kicked them and watched the dust fly up. Who removed these bodies from their tombs? It’s sacrilege!

A villager said, No. These were the demons that have tormented us all these years, killed our people, and tore them limb by limb. They are now gone! If you think this is something, go look over the cliff and see what he did to all of those swine.

The villagers quickly flocked over to see the floating dead swine on the side of the cliffs.

Another villager said, We can go down there and butcher all that meat and feed our families! Why allow it go to further ruin?

The elder insisted, No! It is forsaken meat, and it needs to rot and fall to the depths of the sea. Anyone who eats that meat shall have the demons within them. This whole area is off-limits until nature erases it from all of our memories.

The people walked over to a solitary figure on the side of the sea. Jesus was looking out as the sun was setting.

One of the elders said, Is it true that you drove all the demons out and into these swine—and then they all went over the cliff and drowned in the sea? Is this true, Jesus of Nazareth?

Jesus replied, Yes. It is true that they are gone forever from your lands.

The elder said, Please leave our city at once because what you have done is going to bring us more trouble from other makeshift prophets and demons. The disease from the swine will infect us all. We don’t want any trouble here, and you driving these swine into the sea will surely bring to us. Don’t ever come back this way again!

Jesus left, and the elders posted guards around the bloated, smelly carcasses floating in the sea. They also put up a sign: Whoever comes here and tries to eat this unclean meat will be put to death by stone. Whoever gathers up their bones will receive the same punishment?

All the villagers knew the demons would enter their bodies if they ate the meat or the bones. For ten years, the city kept vigil over the site. They would throw stones at wanderers who came into the area by accident. The days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into years, the years turned into decades, the decades turned into centuries, and the centuries turned into millennia—and all knowledge of where and what happened there was erased from human memory.

Everyone thought no more of it except in the biblical scriptures of Matthew and Mark. Some say it didn’t really happen because no tombs were ever found. The city dwellers and the guards destroyed them to erase it all from human sight. They knew the bones could be used to summon the demon Legion back to life. A plague would be released upon the world and open up the very gates of hell. The demon of demons would wreak torment and living hell on Earth to humankind forever. Guarding the site and asking Jesus to leave was just a shrewd way of sweeping it all under the rug.

The Legion of Damned was gone. All that remained was quiet and serenity.

Jesus said, They are gone and they are no more.

The people cheered that he had rid their land of this black demonic scourge.

A few days later, their gas-filled corpses floated up from the depths of the sea. An awful, unbearable stench filled the air of Gadarenes. It was hard to breathe for weeks. The city people had to wear cloth rags over their faces and noses. They were glad that this evil was gone.

At the sight of all the livestock drowning, the herdsmen had fled, but they were still angry at Jesus. They had lost everything in their minds. They talked with each other and said, The evil spirits never bothered us until this prophet or this messiah showed up. How many of these do we see in a year? They were more concerned about what they had lost, and they didn’t have enough intellect to remember the lesson. Their greed and selfish behavior were driving the conversation.

Only a few were wise enough to walk away because they knew what Jesus actually was. They followed him and believed in him, which made the others angrier. In retaliation, they took the remainder of their animals. Afterward, they as well were banished them from their lands. Those who stood against them were punished. I can only imagine what God the Father was thinking about the whole lot of them at that particular moment.

Jesus walked out of Gadarenes, and the people looked at him and said very little because the ordeal was bad for business. They just wanted life to return to normal. They were keeping the commandments in place except when it suited their own personal interests to break them. Many were hypocrites in the worst way.

On the way out, a widow gave him some wine and goat cheese. She said, Jesus, I see you as the Father’s Son. Nothing else matters to me except for you. She handed them whatever little coins she had.

Jesus thanked her, blessed her, and calmly walked away from Gadarenes. His followers now vastly outnumbered his critics.

A mob of people started following him. However, when he started to leave the region, many dropped off. They were more concerned about showing Jesus that they really saw who and what he was. Many called him the Light of God or the Father’s Son. They were not concerned about their own greedy business or even their own pocketbooks. They suffered mercilessly, because of the dark demons and spirits who destroyed their lives, especially their loved ones. No one was going to tell them what to believe or not believe because they had seen it all with their own eyes. Most of them had lost loved ones to the demons that had plagued the region. They agreed that it was a big mistake to ask this wise and noble Son of God to leave their city and the region.

The path and the road led up to hills and trees. The region was to be remembered by the apostle Matthew and would be quoted in scripture. The city people and those in the region would reap what they had sown when Jesus was told to leave the region.

God sees and knows all—even if one only thinks it and does not say it. God knows what is within people’s hearts and within their deepest thoughts. Those who gave up everything, including the widow, inherited the Kingdom of God, and were graciously welcomed into his Father’s mansion. They were rich and not like the others who reaped their greedy ways in the underworld. They would become the agents of darkness and do Satan’s bidding for him. The elders and the wicked would never be granted access to heaven or even entrance into purgatory. Their words and actions had spoken for them. Their intentions and their short-sided actions were the final judgments of themselves, and their time will come when the afterlife arrives.

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THE STONE

He walked down from the mountains after spending several cold nights and hot days away from people. He had been blessed in this solitude and felt like one with everything. As he walked, he happened upon a small village. On the outskirts, a half-buried girl had been stoned to death. She was left outside to show that adultery would not be tolerated.

He picked up one particular stone, and his face said it all. No words were needed.

The elders greeted him.

One of the elders said, She was stoned to death for her adulterous ways!

Jesus replied, She was a virgin. The first stone was cast in a lie. Where is this man among you? Let him speak, but this innocent girl did absolutely no wrong.

The infuriated elder said, You leave our village immediately. You’re just a troublemaker!

He calmly replied, Where is this man who you believed that cost her life? Where is he now? He called out to the villagers.

The man could not be found anywhere.

Jesus replied, You took the word over a demon, you needlessly, and most unjustly took her life. Allow it to be a lesson to you all. Such things are better handled with reason and without the harshness that she was so unfairly dealt. I bid you good day because, looking at the lot of you, my words fall on deaf ears.

He raised one hand, the girl awoke, unburied herself, and scurried off into the mountains. The villagers had never discovered her missing. They were embarrassed and wanted to forget about the whole thing.

Jesus walked down the road.

They lacked the capacity to understand him. He knew their arrogance and willingness to prove someone guilty when they were not was who they all really were. It was their undoing, and none of them would ever enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Along his way, Jesus stopped and asked the vineyard workers for food and water. It was a large vineyard with row upon row of lush grapes. It had several beautiful homes, one for the master and many others for the servants and help. He saw lots of large juicy green grapes. They were not the wild kind; they were the finest ones he’d seen in a while.

The workers all gathered with the foreman in front of Jesus and said, Go away! You’re not welcome here. We have no food or work for you today. Be gone or else! They threw small rocks at him and sent a message that there would be a bigger price to pay if he came back.