11.
‘How did you get in here?’ He dashed for his phone on the counter - the shadow was faster, and it too lay in pieces on the floor.
‘We cannot delay this any longer. I will tell you why I am here. Why I have chosen you, this time, you will remember what I have said, and you had better follow it verbatim.’ He paused allowing the words to sink in.
‘Who are you?’ Jonathan stuttered.
‘Patience all will be revealed at the correct time. To the study!’ A dark shadow resembling an arm pointed toward the study. Jonathan obeyed trembling.
‘Please don’t touch my family. I have money anything, just don’t hurt them.’
The shadow bellowed a large deep and forceful laugh. Jonathan was sure his family would awake to the sound and be captured by this shadow. He wanted to run, but he was frozen to the ground he stood on.
‘There is nothing in this world you can give me that I cannot take for myself.’ His presence was overwhelming, and Jonathan began to feel woozy ‘Can I sit down.’ He asked already holding onto the chair.
The shadow remained silent, and he took his chance to sit hoping it was not the wrong choice. He could not bear the sound of that laughter again it made his brain and his inside want to explode.
‘You will conduct an interview with me.’
‘What?’ Jonathan was perplexed. ‘An interview? All this just for an interview?’
‘There are of course stipulations which if not adhered to – well you can use your imagination on what I will do to you and perhaps your family.’
Jonathan stiffened.
‘I’ll meet you on set at three o’clock. That gives you just over an hour to make sure there is no one present in the studio or anywhere near it. That includes the usual crew in the control rooms. It MUST be just you and me. All the cameras must be pre-set to run automatically. I believe you know how to do that.’
Jonathan nodded.
‘The interview will run from three o’clock – not a minute later – to six o’clock and again not a minute later.’
‘What then?’ Jonathan hesitantly asked just in case he overstepped his mark.
‘The editing staff, producer and directors, you know, the ones in control, may enter at six fifteen. The show will go on air throughout the world at eleven o’clock. You need not worry as to how the world will know about it. They just will!’
Jonathan had no words, and when he focused his eyes again, the shadow was gone. It took him a few seconds to gather himself before he dashed to his room and changed into the first suit his hands touched.
Within minutes, he was speeding in his sports car toward the studio, this time without holding back on the power of the engine.
He arrived on the set fishing the security staff out with a lame excuse of needing privacy. They admired him so much it did not cross their minds to question his requests.
He phoned Gertrude, Suzanne, Mr. Eckenberg, the director and producer within minutes. They certainly did not appreciate the early phone call but got the gist of importance and urgency and agreed to be there on time.
He felt bare. It was the first time he sat in his chair without makeup, without his hair brushed, without the spotlight.
He waited. It was two fifty-nine.
The nerves on his back stood up when the shadow seated himself in the chair next to him.
‘Everything set as I requested?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then we can begin.’
Jonathan shuffled in his seat; this was such an uncommon ground for him. He usually read from the teleprompter or instructed via his ear piece. He cleared his throat then spoke.
‘Ladies and gentleman, this is a different show today. I have been requested to host this interview privately to which I have obviously agreed to do. I hope you will enjoy the show.’
He turned to the shadow that was now no longer a shadow but a grave-looking man with hard features and black, the darkest black imaginable, eyes. He sat in the chair like a human and yet he looked to be afloat in the chair.
Jonathan shuddered with fright and lost his words as he stared in horror.
‘Continue Jonathan.’ He instructed with a coarse gruff tone in his voice.
He cleared his throat and simultaneously coughed a few times very aware of the cold, clammy sweat that was piercing his skin. ‘Who are you?’ He finally asked still unable to shake the quivering inside of him.
The man replied ‘I am Satan or as most like to call me the devil; the accuser or fallen angel of God.’
Jonathan gasped and sucked in a gulp of air almost choking himself in the process.
Satan waited while Jonathan composed himself almost fully. ‘What questions do I ask him? But can it really be him?’ Jonathan’s mind ran rampant as he fought to restrain the thoughts and concentrate.
‘Satan.’ His voiced came out too high revealing his fear, he coughed again and spoke again, trying with all his might to keep his fears in control. ‘You say you are Satan. Can you prove that you are?’
‘I could tell of all your indiscretions, that poor girl Linda but that would not be fruitful, so let me do this.’ He paused and with it an evil, terrifying grin smeared across his face.
‘I asked you to make sure that no one was to be here, is that so?’
‘Yes and I did.’
‘No, you did not. Alex, do come on out from behind the wall in the back of the studio. I know you’re there. You see Alex is one of my devoted followers, a Satanist at heart and worshipper of note. You humiliated him and while you believed he forgave you he has been plotting his revenge all this time. He never left the building last night but hid in a closet. Once he was alone, he began planting bombs around the studio with the plan of setting them off as soon as the show began today. Hence killing you, the staff, the audience and himself, is that not right Alex.’ He turned his head eerily to where Alex had come out from behind the wall.
Alex took one look at Satan and started run for the exit.
Satan laughed that grotesque loud bellowing gaff and shot his hand out toward Alex.
Alex caught alight and fell writhing in pain and anguish, screaming until the flames overcame him and when he died he turned to black ash. Nothing around the burning body of Alex was affected, touched, melted or disturbed in any way. The black ash slowly disappeared into nothing.
Jonathan cowered into his seat crying for mercy, mortified at the sound of Alex’s painful screams, terrified that he was next.
‘I will not harm you - Yet!’
Jonathan wiped his face of the tears swallowing down his sobs, his heart hammering against his chest as the adrenaline flushed through his body. He took another few minutes to compose and recollect his thoughts and his nerves that were by now shattered.
He continued in a croaky voice ‘If Alex was one of your followers, why?’ he paused to prevent the burst of sobs from escaping ‘Why did you do that to him?’
Satan cracked another horrendous laugh ‘Got your attention did it not. Anyway, he was going to land up that way in the end, so it made no difference.’
‘Why do you want this interview, I am very confused.’
Satan exposed that evil grin of his and almost hypnotizing Jonathan ‘That explanation will come later. First don’t you want to know how I came to be?’
‘Yes. Let’s start with that. Will there be any more dramatics, please I couldn’t handle it.’
‘That depends on you, but for the moment there are no other people in the building, and I have secured all the locks. So we can continue.’
‘Thank you.’ Jonathan moved his body position once more to a more professional pose, thinking if he sat more correctly he would feel more like the interviewer and not his guest’s puppet. ‘Please explain how you came to be who you are?’