Anything For A Sister

Note:

I've been thinking a lot about Batman issue 227: The Demon of Gothos Mansion and how creepy the story looks. I sort of built this one around it.

The road was slick with the torrential rain. Cars passed by splashing walls of water on the old '72 Fiat that had broken down on the side of the road, rocking it slightly. Michaela Schell, a young woman in her late twenties stepped out of the vehicle, holding a newspaper over her head in a vain attempt to shield herself from the rain as she quickly went to the passenger side of the vehicle to avoid being splashed by another passing car.

She was just heading home after a Beta Lambda K sorority reunion which had been a bust. When she arrived at the meeting room at the posh hotel, most of the sisters had canceled on the reunion, leaving only a few of them left doing nothing but waiting for others to arrive. After a few hours of waiting around, they all left

Now, she was on the side of the road shivering in the rain as she stood by her car, looking around at the long road ahead. She clutched her top coat together with her other hand as she started walking along the side of the road, rain soaking her. Just as she had gotten a few feet, a pick up truck pulled over a yard in front of her and a man stepped out, wearing a poncho.

“Ma’am? You need help?”, he called out. “I got another poncho and some hot coffee.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her natural instinct was to not trust a stranger on the road, but the sound of a hot drink was welcoming. She ran to the passenger side and got in, breathing a thank you to the man.

“Name’s Ben”, he said to her. His kind blue eyes seemed to smile all by themselves beneath the bushy gray-white eyebrows as he poured some coffee from his thermos into a spare cup. She took the orange cup, gratefully, still shivering. “Michaela”.

“Well, Michaela, nice to meet you. I saw you break down back there”, indicating the Fiat. “Sounds like you could use a ride somewhere. There’s an old inn up the road here. They should have a phone so you can call for a tow. I can get ya that far.”

Michaela nodded, still warming herself with the coffee and smiled. “Thank you so much, Ben”,

He pulled the truck out into the road and headed towards the next exit. Michaela sat in the truck watching the road pass by and started noticing the way the road seemed to wind and weave.

“You come this way often, Ben?” she asked casually.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I sometimes make some deliveries this way. Also do a little handyman work too. Keeps me busy.”

“Ah”, she said taking another sip as the little pickup continued its climb up the winding road, lined with twisted and barren trees. “I’m glad your the one driving”, she commented.

“Hah! Yeah, it gets a little scary, this road. Do it enough times and it kinda stops being so bad.”

At long last, the road opened wider to reveal a three-story house with a bell tower sitting on top of rocky hillside. Ben drove the truck further up a gravel driveway until he finally came to a stop beside a stone walkway. He reached in the behind him and produced another poncho and gave it to Michaela as she stared at the old dark house in front of her.

“Here ya go”, he offered.

She looked at the poncho and took it from him and thanked him again for the ride as she stepped out on to the stone walkway.

The little truck backed out and went back down the road, leaving Michaela alone in front of the house. Her eyes gazed upwards at the house, while carefully navigating the stone pathway to the front porch. She nearly tripped on a protruding stone stone on the path, but managed to catch herself as the wind changed direction, spraying the rain directly in front of her. As she steadied herself and moved towards the porch, the wind seemed to utter mournful lament.

Michaela finally reached the covered porch and removed the hood from her already soaked head and rang the door buzzer. The front door itself was large with an ovoid window in front that was made from colored stained glass. It opened gently inward as a dark haired young woman in a maid’s uniform greeted Michaela and invited her inside.

The foyer was brightly lit with a carpeted floor and an old fashioned front desk with cube shaped cubbys behind it with room numbers.

“Oh my word! You come inside, hon”, a matronly voice called. “Look at you all soaked to the bone!”

Michaela turned and saw a middle aged woman with graying hair tied up in a bun eyeing her up and down while Michaela stood in the foyer, her hair still dripping rain water.

“Hello Ms..”

“My name’s Ethel, hon. You don’t worry about a thing. We’ll get you a room, get you some dry clothes and you can sleep good tonight.”

“Umm.. well I was just wanting to use your phone so I can call for a tow…..”

Ethel stopped her eyes wide

“Call for a tow? In this weather? You’ll never find one at this night! It’s the devil of storm out there right now. No, no no. You’d best stay here for the night, and we get you fixed up with a tow in the mornin’ after you’ve had a nice hot breakfast.”

“Oh,, thank you. How much…”

“On the house, hon! On the house! Anything for a sister!”

“A sister?”, Michaela frowned.

“Beta Lambda K. I saw the pin on your jacket”

Michaela looked down and noticed the pin. She had just received the pin at the botched reunion and had forgotten about it.

“Lisa will take you to your room, so you can get settled.”, Ethel called out.

“If you’ll follow me?”, the dark haired girl said with a polite curtsy.

Michaela followed the girl up a flight of stairs wondering how in the world she had found herself in the one Inn that was being run by a sorority member.

*******

After she settled in to her room, Michaela got ready for bed, feeling exceptional tired after the car broke down on the road.

“On the road to the only Inn for miles and miles and is currently being run by a sorority sister whom I have never seen..”, she said to herself as she yawned, laying down on the red satin sheets. As her eyes fluttered, she barely caught a glimpse of the bathroom mirror that had the words “GET OUT” finger written on it steamy surface.

The wind howled outside while Michaela fell asleep. The dark shadow figure appeared by her bedside and reached out touching the blonde strands of her hair.

Michaela found herself inside a darkroom, surrounded by her sisters each one dressed in white robes, a single lit candle in the hands of each one.

The leader stepped forward from the circle and stood behind the blindfolded Michaela.

“Sisters of Beta Llambda K. This girl has pledged herself to the order! Do you accept her sacrifice?”

“Yes, first sister” the exclaimed in a chorus. The flames of the candles flickered towards Michaela.

“The initiation”, she thought to herself. “I remember this. I’m dreaming…”

The first sister turned and went back to her place in the circle and lifted her hands high

“Accept this new sister into the fold, oh most powerful one!”, she chanted. “Our lives, our souls are pledged to you, oh Ballk!”

“Ballk? I don’t remember this part. Who is Ballk?”

A sudden howl filled the room drowning out the chanting.

“Away fowl spirit!”, the leader cried as the howl suddenly ceased.

Michaela opened her eyes. This was no dream. She was in dark room, bound by ropes to a wooden pole.

“What’s going on?” she screamed. “What the hell are you people doing?”

The leader stepped forward to face and removed her hood.

“Edith”, Michaela breathed.

Edith smiled. “Oh yes, Michaela yes. You have come home, sister to take your place amongst the many sisters before you as sacrifices to Ballk, the All Powerful!

Michaela’s breathing grew shallow as she tried to free herself from the ropes.

“Don’t bother, Michaela. The drug you had in the coffee, that old Ben gave you weakened you just enough to suit your destiny.”

She turned away and began the chanting ritual

“Ballk the all powerful! Come to us Ballk!”

“Come to us, Ballk” the others in the circle chanted.

“Nnoooo!” Michaela screamed.

“NNOOOOOOOOOO!!” a new voice boomed. With the sound, the candle flames snuffed out at once and the people screamed and fled.

Michaela’s bonds suddenly loosened enough for her to get free and she ran towards the open door along with the others.

She looked back towards the house and watched as the entire structure went up in flames.

The dark figure appeared beside her, stroking her hair again and faced her.

“Anything for a sister”, it said before vanishing leaving Michaela alone on the dark hillside lit only by the light of the flames.