The Night Gods II: Let The Games Begin

Google Images... Artist: Ian Joyner

[WARNING] This story will contain strong language... it is NOT for the most part, a nice story about nice people doing nice things and I intend to pull no punches telling it. If you're offended by the "C" word, or the "N" word, or the "F" word... you might want to find something else to read. I tell my stories from the point of view of whatever character is speaking at the time using terms that that person would use... They do NOT, in any way reflect my views whatsoever! This is a work of fiction... any similarity to any persons living or dead- might be unintentional.

Mankind has given them many names throughout the ages... Baal, Moloch, Kali, Satan and they have many minions- Apep of Egyptian mythology, Abaddon- the god of the pit, the Djinni of the Islamic tradition, in the Far East- Pretas... every culture has their demons. But they need no names- they live... they live inside each and every one of us, in our darkest thoughts, inside the hidden recesses of our souls. Our hatred and despair sustain them. Death is their currency... and they spend it wantonly. Wars and the horrors that accompany it are their stock in trade- misery, rapine, genocide...

Feared in some cultures, worshipped in others, these nameless faceless demons have plagues mankind and their dreams since the beginning of time itself. Many worshipped unaware they were doing so... true worship lies in deeds rather than words. Nero fiddled while Rome burned while the Night Gods danced to his tune. Attila sacked and plundered Europe spreading a swath of murder, rape and destruction with the Night Gods riding alongside his Horde. History is rife with the antics of these dark forces whose source of amusement is the misery and despair that accompany destruction.

The Seven Deadly Sins are the creation of these evil entities, steeped in subtlety and stealth, they abide deep in the hearts of men... those driven by the lust for power and greed are but tools for their ultimate purpose- destruction. Envy, fear, hatred and deceit are the fuel that drive this iniquitous perpetual motion machine. Inside every human lies the potential for infinite good as well as infinite evil... life is about choices... choices influenced and affected by a myriad of sources- driving us one way or the other in a never-ending moral tug-of-war.

Is there any such thing as a person who is totally good, or totally evil... completely under the influence of, or in the service of, God, or the evil Night Gods? Hitler has been portrayed as "evil", but he was trying to accomplish an end that he and others deemed beneficial to society. Was Charles Manson and his band of cutthroats "totally evil"... beyond any redemption? Is there a ratio, a cut-off point- some percentage we can use to measure... perhaps 75% evil and 25% good- or 80:20- or 90:10? Does the end in fact justify the means... or does it indeed matter if the outcomes of actions benefit the destructive inclinations of the nefarious demons more than mankind... or does it even matter at all? One thing is certain... never has a beneficial outcome been derived from an evil act... evil begets only evil.

Evil has often been masked as good- it's written that Satan's greatest accomplishment was convincing the world he doesn't exist. The Night Gods possess an army of disinformation agents, busy keeping you occupied with images of Linda Blair spinning her head around while throwing up pea soup. This is not horror- this is merely bizarre entertainment... a Hollywood sleight-of-hand to keep you busy while they cover up the real horror show- "smart bombs" going down the chimney of a hospital halfway around the world, killing hundreds of innocent civilians, many women and children- Now that's a horror story!

We are all faced with two options: Inner-directedness, self love and self absorption, serving selfishness and the forces of darkness OR outer-directedness, love of others, serving the forces of light. There is no gray area, no moral neutrality... a man cannot serve two masters. What if the forces of darkness and destruction permeate an entire culture... one driven by corrupt political forces and a mainstream disinformation machine... what becomes of those heroic individuals who choose light over darkness. Is there any room in this dystopian society for a small spark in the darkness? Or will it be quickly and violently extinguished? What if the Night Gods won? The horror begins here.

It promised to be one of the most contentious primary seasons on record. Alan Denning was a longshot, a governor of a small mid-western state with few electoral votes should he make it to the general election... it would be an uphill battle from the outset. Denning did have a few things going for him... he had gone to Michigan on a football scholarship and could easily have made the pros, but he chose Harvard Law over a career in football. He used this and his charisma to springboard his way into two terms as governor. Now nearly 40, he was ready for the big time... at least that's what he and a few others thought.

He was married but no children. His wife Maureen had miscarried late in her pregnancy due to a fall and was unable to conceive. She was the perfect political wife, attractive, personable, educated and seemingly devoted to her husband's political career. Things, however, are seldom as they seem. At home, they had separate bedrooms- early on Alan's lovemaking had lost its tenderness and turned violent, even sadistic. He had pulled her hair, bit her hard enough to draw blood and beat her buttocks mercilessly causing bruises that lasted weeks. It was during one of these love-making episodes that Maureen suffered her fall that caused her miscarriage. She had endured the pain and humiliation in silence for as long as she could, but now insisted on her own room and absolutely no physical contact.

She didn't mind his affairs as long as he was discreet... it was preferable to subjecting herself to Alan's violent peccadilloes. She had agreed to stay with him for the sake of his political career... and she was afraid of him. In public they were the perfect couple... but among the election staff there were rumors of the Governor's unusual tastes in women.

Denning's opponent in the primary was five-term Senator Warren Ashby- dignified, statesmanlike, majestic shock of snowy white hair, deep reassuring voice... he looked and sounded presidential- a formidable opponent indeed. Ashby was a father, grandfather, almost an institution in American politics. He was going to be very difficult to defeat. How to do so was the primary topic of conversation at Denning Campaign Headquarters. Ashby was far ahead in both the polls and states under his belt with a little over one month to go before the convention... it would take a miracle to pull it off- or so it would seem.

Sean Welbourne, Denning campaign manager was in Denning's office getting an earful.... Dirt... egt me dirt on that cocksucker. Everyone has skeletons in their closet... find them and find them fast or were all going to be fucked" Denning was shouting loud enough that the volunteers in the outer office could hear the tirade so Welbourne got up and closed the door.

"If it's there, we'll find it... I've got our best people on it," Welbourne said softly trying to defuse the situation.

"Maybe he likes little boys... or sheep, or something weird. Nobody is as clean as this asshole appears to be. Look for DUI's or a drinking problem... anything..." There was desperation in Denning's voice.

"He doesn't drink, Alan, or smoke, no drugs... even prescription medicines... nothing," Welbourne said emphatically.

"Well, you need to hurry up. I'm sorry I blew up, Sean, apologize to the kids outside for me, will ya? How about the incest angle? Jesus, we may have to make something up," Denning said running his fingers through his hair. "Do me a favor. On your way out tell that intern I want to see her... you know the redhead, Melissa something."

"Ok," said Welbourne, taking this as his cue to exit. Apparently the boss had more important things on his mind than politics. He got up and went into the outer office.

https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-prologue

GIF by @papa-pepper