Nothing To Fear ....

Theories

"Shit ! I was so hoping that wouldn't happen !" , Jesse groaned .

"That makes two of us ." , Joe responded . "Hopefully it'll come back before tonight ."

"I wouldn't hold my breath on that , guys . All of the weather reports said that this storm probably won't blow itself out until late tonight , or maybe in the morning ." , Alex informed them .

"I have a generator ." , a weak voice said , from the couch . "We'll have no lights , but the kitchen appliances and the hot water will still work , as will the heat , and the charging dock in the laundry room ."

"Where's your power source for the generator , Allan ?" , Jon inquired .

"It runs off of the propane tank in the back garden . It should be fine , as long as the tank doesn't run dry . I had it filled just before you all arrived , so unless you've been using the place as a sauna , we should be all right until they can get the roads cleared ."

As he spoke , they heard the sound of the refrigerator and the upright freezer kicking back on , which caused everyone to breathe a collective sigh of relief at the proof that the generator was actually in working order .

With that information given to them , Faith , Jenny , and Yanni went through the lower level , opening the drapes and blinds to admit what little light was available from outside , while most of the others rummaged through the house in search of light sources for later in the day , managing to accumulate four flashlights , three boxes of wax tapers , and one oil lamp , along with a partial container of lamp oil .

In spite of all of the activity going on around him , Crane had seated himself on one of the living - room chairs and begun reading the book that he had removed from the box . Hawley watched him for several moments , and finally asked , "Find what you're looking for , Professor ?"

"I believe I have , Master Privateer ." , he replied , and Hawley grinned at the reminder of their earlier relationship , before they had both learned to respect each others abilities .

Crane offered a small smile in return , and continued , "This volume is a translation of several tablets of Sumerian cuneiform , found during an archaeological expedition in 1903 . There were apparently also some remarkably well - preserved pictograms found , which were copied for this book . Have a look at this one , Master Hawley ."

He offered the book , and Hawley took it from him . As he looked at the page Crane had indicated , he found himself looking at a drawing which bore a noticeable similarity to the thing which had caused the accident . The illustration depicted an emaciated , frail looking , grayish creature , with oversized eyes and an almost timid expression on it's face .

"Looks a lot uglier with its mouth open ." , he observed . "Anybody going by this picture probably wouldn't think of this thing as a threat ."

"Indeed , you are most likely correct ." , Crane replied . "I believe that this is why the demon chooses to appear to it's victims in other forms ."

"Okay , buddy , you need to catch me up here ." , Hawley told him . "What sort of forms are we talking about here ?"

Everyone else began drifting over to where they were sitting as Crane , Joe , and Jinxx recounted the events of the past several days . Hawley's expression darkened as Diana chimed in with her account of the demons attack on Faith , and he looked at her and said , "I'm glad you thought to put on that necklace , kid . It's good to see somebody learn from their mistakes . And everyone else's , for that matter ."

Crane took the book back from Hawley , and held it up to allow the others to see the picture . As he did , Blasko said , "Yeah , that's the bastard ! Only thing different than when we saw it is that you can't see the teeth ."

"I believe I can explain that ." , Crane stated . "It wasn't expecting anyone to be out , and it didn't have the opportunity to create an illusion , which is why you saw its true form . It was also most likely in pain , as it has been injured at least twice . Plus , it appears to be nocturnal in nature , so I would wager that it was attempting to reach whatever refuge it has been utilizing before sunrise ."

"The tablets which were translated for this book detail an account of demonic possession , by an entity which the author referred to as the 'Bringer of Nightmares' . Roughly translated , of course ." , he continued .

"And in the journal , that Greg dude called it 'Aksu' ." , Jake Wells interjected . "Which basically means 'fear' in English ."

"Precisely !" , Crane exclaimed . "Also , Master CC advanced a theory , which this account seems to support , that the creature needs its victims to be in an extreme state of fear in order to obtain what it desires from them . Every victim that we are aware of had been missing the adrenal glands , and even though the Sumerians hadn't the advanced knowledge of human anatomy that is now available , the descriptions of the victims in that instance seem quite similar ."

"So it seems that there is some truth to the old saying , after all ." , Joe muttered .

"Which saying is that , dude ?" , Andy quizzed his cousin .

"The one that says , 'There's nothing to fear , but fear itself ' ." , he answered .

"Teriffic . Now we just have to figure out how to avoid anything that we're scared of ." , Jake Pitts said . "Nice trick , if you can manage it ."

"Remember , Jenny and Crane put wards or something around the house yesterday ." , Andy stated . "That should keep it out of here . I hope ."

"They should do so , Master Andy , or if it does manage to gain entrance , it will not do so without sustaining serious bodily harm , and we will be aware of its presence ." , Crane reassured him . "And before nightfall , Miss Jenny and I will search the house for any weak spots , and perform the incantations indoors , on the chance that the weather should disturb the ones we placed outdoors ."

"I have a couple of flasks of consecrated oil in my bag , if that helps ." , Hawley offered .

"Most excellent , Master Hawley !" , Crane responded . "I applaud your foresight ! We can place some of the oil on the doorjambs and windows , to augment what we already have in place ."

As the conversation went on around her , Alex sat quietly and watched her companions . One of them in particular . While Crane and the others had been filling Hawley in on the earlier events , she had been focusing on Faith , and her subtle reactions to the conversation . Her refusal to speak of what she had seen when the demon had attacked her , along with certain other actions had brought another memory into focus for Alex , of an earlier conversation with Jake , regarding something he had experienced during their battles with Malcolm Dreyfuss .

This information , along with a similarity to her own recent inner struggles , convinced her that she had figured out how the creature had shown itself to Faith . Remembering how difficult it had initially been for her to face her own situation , she resolved to have a private conversation with the other girl as soon as the opportunity presented itself . Given their current situation , she hoped to convince her to confront her fears , before it was too late to do so . She had almost found herself in that position herself , and inwardly shuddered when she thought of how terrible she would have felt if she hadn't forced herself out of her comfort zone and accepted her feelings .

She got her chance sooner than she had expected , when Faith announced that she was going to start putting breakfast together , while the others inspected the contents of Hawley's rucksack . She offered to help , and followed Faith out to the kitchen . They gathered the ingredients for a breakfast casserole , and as she cracked eggs , and Faith used the kitchen shears to chop some green onions , Alex looked at her and said , "I take it that he doesn't know ."

"Huh ?" , Faith said , with a puzzled look . "Who doesn't know what ?"

Then , the scissors dropped from her fingers , and a look of sheer panic settled on her face when Alex calmly replied , "Ashley . He doesn't know how you feel about him , does he ?"