It That Has No Name III: The Beginning

By P. S. Kessell

Amber, Christian, Jay, and their friends are back to face the challenges of confronting It to save the life of their friend, Katie, who is being held captive in Hell. Before they can face the challenge of traveling to the depths of darkness where only the souls of the tortured and dead stir, they must use witchcraft to view the past and learn as much as they can about the murders of the Hamilton family. After witnessing these horrific murders by It, they learn vital information that helps them to prepare to rescue Katie from a place where dark witches, demons, and the devil call home. Once they have learned this crucial information from the past, Amber recruits the help of Jay and other vampires to train and guide them through the darkness below. Their powers and abilities as a team are strengthened as they travel to Hell to save Katie. Amber is warned early on, though, that not everyone she trusts can be trusted. What secrets are revealed in the house on Highway 89? Can they rescue Katie from Hell and keep everyone alive while doing so? Let your fingers carefully travel the pages of this book to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637107843

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It That Has No Name III: The Beginning

P. S. Kessell

Copyright © 2021 P. S. Kessell

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2021

ISBN 978-1-63710-783-6 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63710-784-3 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Survival in Salem

Life Goes On

Battle of Wills

Battle Preparations

Spell Travel

Attack on Lucy Hamilton

The Past Informs the Present

More Death, Old and Young Alike

Secrets Taken to the Grave

Salem’s Secret

Revelations

Family Ties

Enlightenment

Intensive Training

Fast and Fearless Rescue

New Beginnings

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, Patsy Green and Philip Nielsen, and my best friends: Chris Hamilton, Melissa Davis, Maya Edwards, Angela Gammage, Le Ann Johnson, Tina McClary, and Melinda Parker, all of whom have made my life happier and healthier.

I love all of you!

Special thanks to my beta readers, Danny Raye and Patty Fitzwater, for their valuable contributions to the completed work.

Chapter 1

Survival in Salem

There was no time for this. The sun was about to rise. Jay pursued Elena fiercely. He had to get to her before she got to them. As he was chasing her into the yard, he saw many figures standing there hidden just outside the early morning rays. They caught Jin, Christian, and Snake and shielded them with their bodies. Another larger, taller male figure grabbed Elena and held on to her just as Jay reached her. Elena wrestled and groaned with frustration. The male figure just tightened his grip to match her power and strength. Jay immediately recognized who they were, and he walked to the one he knew was responsible for bringing them there.

Charles, you shouldn’t be here. None of you should. It’s almost daylight, Jay said.

When it got late and you didn’t return, I knew you needed help, so here we are, Charles said. But now, we must all go before it is too late.

While they were talking, Jin, Christian, and Snake were becoming increasingly aware of the danger that surrounded them.

Christian, Snake said, what are these things?

My best guess is more of the likes of Jay and Elena, Christian replied.

Which one, Jay or Elena? Snake said. Because there is a world of difference between the two of them right now.

If I have to guess, I would say Jay since they’re protecting us from Elena, Christian said, but I have a feeling that can change rather quickly with their kind.

The figures who had been protecting Jin, Christian, and Snake stepped aside and began leaving for their home. The strong male figure who held on to Elena took her with him as he left with great speed. Christian barely had an opportunity to thank Charles before Jay and he would also be gone.

Thank you for coming to our rescue, Christian said.

No need to thank us. We came for Jay and Elena, Charles said. We’re glad you’re safe.

Yeah, man. We probably wouldn’t be here without you, Snake said, as he held out his hand to bump fists with Jay.

Jin echoed their gratitude.

I’m glad all of you are okay, but I really didn’t do it for any of you, Jay said. I did it for her. His words were an emotional reminder that Katie was now lost in a world far different from theirs.

I think we all know that, Jay, Christian said, but we still appreciate everything you did.

Jay turned to leave.

Wait! Where or how do I find you? Christian asked. This isn’t over. I still need to know how to rescue her.

You don’t, Jay said. And if I think you need me, I’ll find you.

That answer isn’t good enough. She gave everything to protect us, Christian responded.

Jay stepped forward and stood face-to-face with Christian.

And she carelessly risked her own life for revenge, Jay said. She is dead to this world now, and you must accept that.

Christian reached out and grabbed Jay, and Jay pushed him backward. Then, just like that, Jay was gone.

No, I won’t! I won’t fuckin’ accept that! Christian yelled into the night. What if we need you?

*****

Amber rushed to them from the house after helping Cindy to her car.

Jay responded to you in my head, Amber said. I guess I can hear witches and vampires.

What did he say? Christian asked.

He said that he’ll know if you need him, Amber said.

That’s bullshit, Christian said.

The group began to feel perturbed and desperate.

I need to get Cindy to a hospital, Snake said, but what do I tell them when I get there?

I certainly don’t know, Jin said.

Damn it! Christian said, still angry over how Jay left without a word about how to contact him. Don’t ask me. I don’t know what you should tell them, Christian was pacing back and forth and mumbling expressions of anger and discontent.

Katie told me I have the ability to contact the sisters of the craft, Amber said. Let me reach out to them and find out what to do.

Amber focused her attention on communicating through mental telepathy to other witches like her. Soon, she received a response from a nurse working at the hospital. She gave specific instructions to Amber on when and where to bring Cindy for care. Amber communicated those instructions to Snake.

Before they left for the hospital, Christian said they should have a story in place for the police because they all needed to be on the same page. Christian shared with them that Katie had said a man in a long black robe with a skull mask had committed the crimes from three years ago. Since what they had seen was consistent with that description, it only made sense for them to stick to that story. Only this time it would be more than one man, though, which was consistent with what police believed about the crimes three years ago. All of them agreed to stick to that story and say nothing else.

Now, Snake had his instructions and set out to follow them accordingly. He helped Cindy into Amber’s car to drive her to Cornerstone Memorial Hospital’s emergency room.

With a story for the police in place, Christian had to decide how he would get Captain David Stone to assign him to this case. He was already a detective, but he was too close to this one. Captain would never allow him to investigate a case in which he was also a victim. Then again, he does have the knowledge and experience of having worked the previous case. More dead bodies and more missing persons tied to the house on Highway 89! And like all the previous cases, there would be no one who would be held accountable once again. Christian discussed the situation with Amber and Jin.

It would be better for all of us if you were assigned by the police department to serve as the detective in this case, Amber said.

Yeah, that would be ideal, Christian said. It would enable me to keep my eyes and ears on the investigation without there being any questions about my ability to handle the case.

Sounds like a good plan then, Amber said. Snake, Cindy, Jin, and I will be the only surviving victims. You’ll leave now, and no one will ever mention you were here.

We’ll need to let Snake and Cindy know not to mention to anyone that you attended the party, Jin said to Christian.

Will both of you be okay here by yourselves until the police arrive? Christian said.

Yeah, now take off and let us make this call, Amber said.

You can’t call from here, no cell service. You must be a few miles up the road before you can call, Jin said.

Drive yourselves a few miles up the road and pull over to make the call. We must move quickly, though, Christian said. I must be careful that no one sees me leaving here in my car.

He observed as Jin and Amber got into Jin’s car and drove off to a location on Highway 89 that would enable them to call the police.

Christian was content with the plan. Even if there were a few hiccups along the way, he could bury them deep in the files as long as he was assigned as lead detective in the case. He felt that making lead detective was inevitable considering his experience with the previous case. Everything would go just as planned. He imagined what Amber would say to the 911 operator, but he would have to wait until he was called in by the police department to find out exactly what she said. Ultimately, he knew she would not stray from the description of the perpetrators as decided among them.

Amber and Jin placed the call, and an officer was dispatched to their location on Highway 89. After hearing their story, the officer called for backup, and the captain was notified about the case. The captain ordered them to dispatch Detective Christian Benton to the scene.

Within an hour, Christian arrived at their location on Highway 89. He began his investigation immediately by asking Amber Lee Nicholas to repeat the information she had already told the responding officers. Their eyes spoke untold truths to one another. He was not surprised to hear that she had mentioned the men in the long, dark robes with the skull masks because they had decided that description beforehand. Jin Ho described the suspects in the same way. That is good, he thought, just as we discussed. That would send the police department on a wild-goose chase once again. He had not thought to mention any other information from previous cases to them. The less they knew and said, the better off they were.

Officer, I don’t have any further questions for Ms. Nicholas and Mr. Ho. They’re free to go, Christian said. Ms. Nicholas and Mr. Ho, I just want to remind you that the department may have additional questions for you as we investigate, so please let us know before you take any out-of-town trips.

Of course, Detective, Amber said. Jin nodded his head in agreement.

Is there anyone we can call for you? the officer asked.

No, Officer, my car is here, Jin replied. I’ll take Amber home.

Certainly, the officer said as he walked over to the car to which Jin pointed.

How did we do? Amber whispered to Christian.

Just fine, Christian whispered back. Now, contact Snake and let him know that I was not at the party last night.

Christian had one clear objective at this point. The police did not need to get close to the truth. There was no way humanity could live knowing that two very different worlds coexisted in the same place and time. It was so much more than good versus evil, reality versus fantasy, natural versus supernatural. Living in these coexisting worlds was like being stuck in the deepest, darkest realms of your own imagination. This is where you would find Hell. So what did all this mean for the survivors Cindy Johnston, Chris Snake Simms, Jin, and Amber? Christian thought. He knew that answer already. A statement from an officer interrupted his thoughts.

Detective, we have several dead bodies at the house down the highway, if you are ready to check out the crime scene, the officer said.

Yes, I’m ready, Christian said. Has the captain been contacted? Is he coming out to the crime scene?

Yes, he has, but it’ll be a little while before he can get there, sir, the officer replied. He stated you were in charge until further notice, Detective.

Christian drove the three miles to the house on Highway 89, got out of his car, looked at the house, and grinned just before he stepped inside the doorway. He was crossing that threshold as if he knew nothing of the deaths of those who were lying there. He breathed the rank air and inhaled the smell of death as he entered that house again.

The responding officers described each victim in detail as they escorted him from body to body, but the only voice he really heard was the one in his own mind.

Maria Perez received more than one hundred shots from her head to her feet from a nail gun. She lay there with her eyes wide open and ribbons of dried blood that streamed from every nail in her body. Christian fought the temptation to just push those nails even deeper into her flesh while staring her right in the eyes.

Roshelle Moore was completely gutted by a hooked utility knife that tore her gut wide open. She lay on the floor with her intestines spread out beside her and her hands cupped around them as if she died trying to put them back inside. This just offers more temptations, temptations, temptations, Christian thought.

Ricky House’s cause of death was not immediately known but was determined later by the coroner. His tongue had been bitten off, and he had been drowned. Autopsy reports would show later that Maria Perez had bitten off his tongue. Everyone believed he had been moved to the living room floor after being drowned. That was their only explanation for how water from the sink pipes was used to drown him but his body was left on the living room floor. His mouth lay open enough for Christian to see where his tongue had been bitten off. Oh, what little strength it would take to pull out the remainder of his tongue, he thought.

Carlos Chubbs Campanello also had an initial undetermined cause of death but was determined later to be necrotizing fasciitis, a far cry from what Christian and Jay witnessed happened to him. There would be no indication from autopsy reports, of course, that piranha had attacked him and eaten away at the organs and flesh around his waist. His partially eaten flesh was like touching strawberry jam, Christian thought. It reminded him that he had not had anything for breakfast, yet.

Rodney Mack suffered from multiple bone fractures and spinal injuries that included the neck area. He sat there like a rag doll with his legs open and his upper body slumped over. The view of one eye could be seen peering out from under the edge of his hair. Christian knelt down beside him and stared into his open eye that was visible from under his hair, and he thought, How’s Hell treatin’ ya? Christian chuckled to himself.

In the basement, they found Thomas Franklin, who had suffered from blunt force trauma to the head. A deep dent had been formed on the top of his head from where his skull had been compressed. There was nothing in the room to help explain how his head could be flattened on the top the way it was. The coroner’s educated guess was that his head had been pounded into the wall multiple times, crushing the head and skull and puncturing the brain. Sometimes, we have to learn our lessons the hard way, Christian thought.

Kiara Kingston was found upstairs with trauma to various points of her head and face. Her face was flattened and almost unrecognizable as she bled from her ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. Facial bones protruded through her eye sockets. Her face had been pounded into the hardwood floor repeatedly with no apparent self-defense wounds. What a waste of such a beautiful face! Christian shook his head in what appeared to be remorse to others but was just pure disgust and utter disdain.

Rebecca Hamilton was found in the grass outside on the right side of the house. She suffered injuries from multiple cuts of the same size through the torso of her body. The cuts were deep enough and the blades had been sharp enough that they cut straight through her. Nothing was found in the area that looked like it could have caused such an injury. A powerful witch? Ha, yeah, Christian thought.

Amber had explained that Elena Perez and Katie Carrollton were present at the party also, but they were nowhere to be found. Eventually, they would be listed as missing persons until they could be located, which Christian knew was not going to happen. Jin had reported to an officer that his friends, Chris Snake Simms and Cindy Johnston, had also survived the attacks. Jin had explained that Snake had taken Cindy to the hospital due to her reaction to multiple scorpion stings.

By midmorning, Christian had checked out the crime