The Temple of the Incubus Promo

The Temple of the Incubus

         

         Shannon woke up and screamed while rising up from the bed. The fifteen year old was in a cold sweat. She endured six months of nightmares and it was tormenting her. The name Incubus filled her brain while bits and pieces of the temple rummaged such mind. Shannon Anna Lewis didn’t believe in the high lord, but she thanked God to be awake. It had been the fifth nightmare this week and they were getting more violent .       Shannon had read books on dreams and tried to interpret them, but the information she applied failed. There was the idea to seek out a dream catcher, but when she hung it up above her bed it failed. The teenager asked a good witch to cast magic to protect her. She was told to ask Arch Angel Michael for protection, but it failed.  She even went to great lengths to get a statue of Mary and a painting of Jesus. It seemed strange, but it gave her room a sense of power. It grew to her attention that after the nightmares the statue of Mary was crying and tears in the form of blood fell upon Jesus’ cheeks. Like everything else they failed, the night continued with the onslaught of nightmares and Shannon lost faith. Her mother asked her what the problem was, but when Shannon told her mother she received criticism from her mom that they were only nightmares. Like everything else in Shannon’s life her mother failed. 

             The teenager checked her clock to see that it was just after 4:30 A.M.  She let out a yawn while lying back in bed to relax. Her dark blue eyes turned to the most recent school picture of her in a soccer jersey with her team mates. She was beautiful with long blonde hair that was quite often high lighted with blonde streaks. Her natural hair color was dark blonde, but unlike most dumb blondes she was smart, but not a straight “A” student. Then she looked at the black and white picture of her mother with the baby, the baby was Shannon. She missed the old times when she wanted to be just like her mom, but now those days were gone and she could only be herself.    

            Shannon rose out of bed and looked into the mirror to see how she looked. The troubled teen tried to remember the dream that scared the hell out of her. As she crept close to the mirror she saw how pale she was and felt sticky from sweat.  It was a gross feeling and she didn’t want to endure it any longer. Shannon wiped the sweat off her forehead and thought about the nightmare. The name Incubus once again emerged from her mind.

            She took a deep breath and turned around to her dresser. A change of clothes would do as well as a new attitude for a fresh new day.  Shannon selected the clothes that suited such needs as well as her sense of fashion. She not only had to please herself, but her classmates as well. After making her choices along with the make up bag there was the trip to the bathroom. Shannon opened her bedroom door and looked around to see it was dark in the hallway. She was scared of the dark and since the nightmares persisted to take over her body and soul it became difficult to take the steps.

             “Come on Shannon get it together,” she said to herself and began walking to the bathroom.  Each step of the way she took deep breaths, but heard the Incubus whisper her name in the night. Shannon turned around, but saw nothing and resumed to the bathroom.

            Once in the bathroom, Shannon shut and locked the door. With a deep breath she walked over to turn on the water in the shower. It was a simple adjustment to turn the knob to get the right temperature and she removed her clothes as she looked at herself in the mirror. She thought about the love she needed from her mother that was gone a few years ago. The comments of being called a slut from kids at school and her mother constantly devoured her self-esteem until she was now an empty shell. A flashback emerged with the voices of her piers, “you’re never going to get a boyfriend because your not beautiful.” Then the sound of her mother’s voice, “you were out last night with that slut weren’t you? What’s the matter with you?” Shannon began to sniffle and cry when she remembered as a child how her mom used to be fun.

            Shannon took a deep breath as she wiped her eyes with her hands. It would be easy to sob over this, but it was getting old and she had to overcome this diminished relationship by leaving it behind. Her mother was damaged beyond repair and she had to accept that.  

            She was hungry, horny and unsatisfied with life. Shannon thought about what was important to her while she brushed her teeth and washed her face to clear her skin. She looked at her tooth brush with Miss Piggy on the handle. Some things from the past you can’t forget about, but why was she having these nightmares? Were they warnings of terrible things to come? For all she knew they were warnings of getting pregnant but that didn’t make sense because Shannon was still a virgin. She was curious to explore her sexuality, but she was also scared. She didn’t want to prove her mother’s point of view and immediately becoming a whore. When girls her age got laid everyone in school spread rumors about what whores they were. Shannon had got dumped by her boyfriend a couple of weeks ago because he wanted to have sex with her. Shannon didn’t want to do it because she wasn’t ready, but because he was refused he made her life a nightmare.           The asshole had spread terrible rumors that she had crabs and herpes. Many of the girls laughed at her and singled her out during social hours. Maybe that was why she was having these nightmares. Her only desire was to find a guy to fall head over heals for her so she could feel loved. Most girls didn’t care about losing their virginity, but for her it was a sacred moment in two people’s lives that was shared in intimacy. She dared to dream as she saw steam coming from the shower and turned the CD Player on to slip a CD in by REVERSE to a song that fit such mood of her ex-boyfriend which was left on repeat, Driving Nails Down Your Spine;   

if I could get even with you

for all the things that you do                                                  

I would be driving nails down your spine

if I could take a knife and stab your heart

I would be driving nails down your spine

I do my best to please you

you strike me down

plain as a child

you know I would murder you,  for what you do

I hear you laughing at me

treat me like a clown

now I will make others see

of what I mean

you threaten my life

I’ll smoke you away

and I’ll be driving nails down your spine

you lie to my face

I’ll make you a disgrace

I’ll be driving nails down your spine

you break my heart

I’ll fucken blow you apart

I’ll be driving nails down your spine

            The water ran hot on her face as steam filled the bathroom and fogged up the mirror. She felt the water run near her mouth while her eyes closed.  Shannon’s hair was wet with shampoo and she massaged her scalp.  She fantasized about making love with a hot guy from school and couldn’t wait for it to happen. She imagined him strong and picking her up with his hands on her ass. Even though she never knew what it felt like having a man inside her she had the imagination. It felt good to imagine him sucking as well as biting her neck and massaging her breasts. She opened her eyes and realized it was time to get out.  The bathroom was fogging up and she already could imagine her mother banging on the door.

            When she got out of the shower the feeling of unrest filled her with fear because the nightmare had fog in it as well. The experience of the Incubus’ appearance re-emerged from her nightmares and into her mind as she wiped the mirrors with the towel. For a split second she saw a mask and the face was laughing at her. Shannon shrieked and then it was gone. She saw in the mirror how disgusting she looked, her face was pale and her eyes were puffy from crying about the break up. She was not taking care of herself since the break up of Michael, “the asshole”.  She continued listening to the heavy metal song that was on repeat. Her fingers feathered the foundation and eye shadow around her eyes. She had tricks to hide the undesirable look from her mom, but she would be called a slut and feel even more empty. 

            In the past few weeks her mother had become concerned because Shannon appeared to be on drugs. She wasn’t on drugs and after more exhausted fights that were about how Shannon looked or who she hung around with. Shannon’s mother withdrew from being tender and understanding. Her mother became cold and would use other people’s achievements to put her daughter down.  It was Shannon’s Freshman year and even though she hadn’t lost her virginity she wasn’t going to give up her curiosity.  Her best friend Tammra, a Sophomore, explained to her what it was like and what the risk was.  Shannon was ready now, ready to pursue her dream and to become a woman.

 

            Shannon walked back into her room with the cordless phone.  She was all dressed up, her face full of make up and her hair blow dried.  Immediately after the door closed she dialed Tammra’s phone number and waited for her to pick up.

            “Hello,” replied a tired voice.

            “Tammra?” asked Shannon.

            “Shannon?” Tammra groaned.

            “What do you want?  It’s five in the fucken morning. School starts in a few hours and I went to bed at twelve! So this better be good.”

            “I had that dream again,” began Shannon.

            “Dream?” asked Tammra.

            “Yes, that dream! You know, the one with the evil guy, who wears the mask and is chasing after me in the house. I don’t know what to think any more because this has been the fifth time this week that I’ve had this dream and it’s really bothering me,” said Shannon.

            “Stop watching Friday the Thirteenth and Halloween,” replied Tammra.

            “I’m not watching TV,” declared Shannon.

            “You’re probably thinking about asshole,” said Shannon’s best friend, but then there was an uncomfortable silence and Tammra realized she touched an emotional moment. “Ok, I’ll tell you what; I’ll pick you up in my car and since today is skip day we’ll do some catching up.”

            “Oh, I can’t skip today,” said Shannon.

            “Why not? Today is Friday! We’ve got to catch up and talk about guys. We’ve been invited to a party tonight!” exclaimed Tammra.

 “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to pass my English class! Not to mention I’m close to being truant,” replied Shannon.

            “I’m close to being pregnant,” joked Tammra.

            “What?” asked Shannon.

            “Oh nothing I was making a joke. Listen, life’s a bitch if you can’t live a little!”     “My life is already fucked up with Michael harassing me at school, my mom calling me names and now the Incubus wants my virginity,” replied Shannon as she suddenly heard Tammra laughing.

            “I’m serious, I’m having nightmares of this demon chasing after me in tunnels and trying to rape me. I bought a statue of Mary and put her in my room, hoping that she would protect me, but all she does is shed tears. So I bought a painting of Jesus and he starts crying tears of blood. It’s like no one gives a shit about me,” replied Shannon.         “Well I’ll tell you what, I’ll be over at your house around seven and we’ll go bust the asshole’s balls ok! My mom calls me a slut all the time so it’s nothing new to me. Your mom is just going through a rough period in her life. As far as the demon in your dream that’s all he can do is visit you in your dreams. What you need to do is get a change in attitude and maybe turn on the Christian radio station,” suggested Tammra.

            Shannon started smiling and giggled, “Yeah right, me and Christian music.”

            “I’ll talk to at seven,” repeated Tammra.

            “Ok thanks, see you here,” Shannon answered and she hung up the phone.

             The teenager was depressed about how things were going.  She had to get out of this place.  Shannon thought about running away or committing suicide because she was at a breaking point. Finally she rose out of bed, grabbed her head set and CD’s. She walked to the kitchen and turned the coffee maker on. After carefully selecting her band “Slave Dancer” she clicked to a song that suited her interest. The song was called Love Triangle. It fit the description of how her life was a big dump.  First, there was the active guitar strumming and the pounding of drums. Then the masculine vocals of a man describing what it was like to be in a love triangle.

you thought it was getting dark out there

he never wanted you at all

after you turned your back on me 

all I ever wanted from you was one last kiss

and to tell me you never wanted to see me again

When the day grows darker

I can see you love him more

If I could have just one more wish

I’d wish you would scream out my name

and come back in to my arms again

when the days grow longer

I understand you want him more

oh when the days grow stronger

my heart rips and tears from the core

I know its been hard on you 

I know he told you lies

It angers me to see that you prefer the abuse

I sleep at night and I hear you calling my name

I leave the phone ringing because I know its you 

the thought of your betrayal leaves my chest in pain

            Shannon nodded her head up and down to the rhythm of the song. The sad part of all this that was she ignored a guy who was interested in her while she was navigating blindly in the love triangle relationship. Shannon was pissed off because not only did she lose the guy who was the asshole, but the guy who was interested in her as well. As she cracked open a couple of eggs and put some bread in the toaster there was a pain in her chest, a broken heart.

            Before long it was a quarter to seven and she sat at the table eating breakfast. Shannon took off the head set and turned off the music because she thought she heard something. The teenager was sipping her hot coffee when her mother walked into the kitchen. Shannon’s mother Sharon was a tall, forty year old woman with a medium build. Her hair was blonde like Shannon’s, but it was shoulder length and permed. She was a good hearted lady with only the right intentions, but her opinions of good intention always crippled Shannon’s self-esteem. Right away Shannon felt the tension in her shoulders as well as the restrictive energy in the room unfold. Then her mother began talking and it was like the sound of fingernails on a chalk board.

            “You left the coffee pot running yesterday,” she said.

            “Oh did I?” answered Shannon.

            “Yes you did, please don’t do it again. I don’t want to have a fire in the house.”

            “I could have sworn I turned it off before I left yesterday,” replied Shannon.         “Well you didn’t, so don’t deny it.”

            Shannon began sulking and continued to eat and thought about the day. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to skip school. Who cares if she got truant or failed English.

            Her mom sat down next to her and started in, “you know, our next door neighbor’s kid who’s the same age as you passed her SATS with a 133 score and they’re sending her off to Harvard.”. Shannon turned her eyes away and ignored what she just said.

            “Did you know that your cousin Emily made the Dean’s list,” began her mother as she smiled. “Emily’s only a year younger than you are. Did you hear? She has the opportunity to get into any college she wants.”

            “Maybe I don’t want to go to college,” replied Shannon.

            “Nonsense, college is a necessity. You can’t stay home for the rest of your life and hang around your slut friend.”

             “That slut is Tammra,” replied Shannon.

            “Well she’s a slut and look at how she has you all dressed up. You look like a skanky raccoon.”

            Shannon got up as the sound of her chair rubbed up against the manolium and slammed the mug of coffee on the table. Her mother looked up at Shannon all surprised and threatened. The two had fights before, but this was the first time in a long time that Shannon fought back.

            “Mind your own fucking business! Maybe I don’t want to be like you. All the girls at school dress like this and put make up on the way I do. This is how I fit in.”

            “Don’t you dare talk that way to me in my house!” exclaimed Shannon’s mom.  “I’ve been at your school and not all the girls dress like a bunch of sluts. I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t care. All the girls that give in to peer pressure have bad parents that let their girls run around half naked with make up on when they’re twelve years old.”

            “As opposed to pressuring me to give up my friends. Compete with the neighbor next door and my cousin. I’m not smart!” exclaimed Shannon.

            “All you have to do is apply yourself. You’re not even trying to get ahead!” yelled her mother.

            “Don’t say that,” cried Shannon.

            “You don’t know what I’ve been going through,” she sobbed.

            “Is it men?” asked her mom.

            “My friends mean a lot more to me than you do,” said Shannon as she began walking away.

            “Well tell me, I’m right here!” yelled Shannon’s mother as she got up and followed Shannon.

            “Fuck you bitch!” shouted Shannon as she walked out and slammed the door in her mom’s face.

         

            The old Pontiac Sun Fire rolled up the black top driveway.  Shannon ran out of the house upset and in tears. She slammed the door after getting into the car

            “Well what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” exclaimed Shannon.

            “Shannon, what happened?” asked Tammra, but Shannon didn’t answer so Tammra backed out of the driveway and peeled out with the music turned up.

I hurt myself this time

were you there for me again?

this time like you said you’d be

I come on home from living hell

all I hear from you is what you hate

what you can’t get

what you don’t have

you call a living horror

Mother  Bitch

you think your great

but your nothing

but a god damn bitch

Mother Bitch

shut your mouth

because what you need is

is a good damn slap

Mother Bitch

I hurt myself again this time

were you there for me again

this time like you said you’d be

All I hear from you is what you hear

I come on home from living hell

what you can’t see what you don’t have

you call a living whore

             They were cruising in style with the music blasting really loud while they drove in the car. It was the band REVERSE with the song Mother Bitch. They were singing it on the way to school and enjoying life like any teenage girl.

             Tammra was Shannon’s best friend and they had been friends since Shannon was in kindergarten. Tammra, who was a Sophomore, was a beautiful curly blonde hair hottie who was good at listening to Shannon and giving advice. They had been mistaken as sisters, but Tammra received more attention because she had big breasts. Tammra bragged to other friends that she was going to get into modeling and show off her beautiful body. She found out in most agencies you had to be 5’7” and have the look.   She worked hard in the gym everyday to stay healthy and fit. Tamara’s trade mark was her pretty face especially when people saw her in the year book. She had a white birth mark the size of freckle just above her lip line. It was similar to Madonna’s mole above her lip, but what Madonna didn’t have carried over from what Marilyn Monroe had. Tamara’s light blue eyes and sweet thin lips captured the attention of guys in any room she walked in.

            Tamara turned down the music and looked at Shannon who looked as though something was on her mind.  “What’s the matter Shannon? You look like shit!”

            “That’s because I feel like shit, my life sucks. School sucks, my mom’s a bitch, my boyfriend dumped me, I have nightmares everyday, and I know I’ll never get laid!” Tammra began to smile, “What were you and your mom fighting about?” she asked. Shannon looked at her best friend and didn’t answer.

            “Were you fighting over me?” asked Tammra.  

            “More than you can believe. My mom wants to show me off like a show pony. She keeps bragging to me of all the other girls who are smarter, prettier, gifted and so forth. I’m so sick of it and when she brought you up and the other girls I like to hang out with as a bunch of sluts I got mad. I fucken stuck up for myself and you.”

            “Your mother is totally psycho and over dramatic. I don’t sleep around with a bunch of guys and aren’t you still a virgin?” Shannon looked away and preferred not to answer.

            “Well, your mom obviously doesn’t know you,” continued Tammra.

            “Stick with me girl and you will go places,” answered Tammra as she continued to watch the road and was about to turn the music back up when suddenly Shannon started talking.  

            “So what’s the check list with the guys at school?”

            “I don’t know, Greg has been having his eye on me at every party I’ve been at,” began Tammra.  

            “Greg, you mean the guy that only has one thing on his mind?” asked Shannon.     Tammra nodded, “Yep,” as she rolled her curly long blond hair over her ear and looked into the rear view mirror to see if there were any cops.

            “Why is it you attract the men who want to get into your pants and I don’t?” muttered Shannon.

            “Maybe because I don’t look like shit,” laughed Tammra as she watched Shannon give her a dirty look

            “I was just joking. Look, even though I’ve done it and I know what it’s all about, I’m going to wait until I get married, but because the guys at school know that I’ve done it that is why Greg has his eye on me.”

            “Yeah, whatever,” replied Shannon.

             “It’s true, it’s not that hard to get laid. All you have to do is your homework on the men who are interested and those that aren’t. Once you do it a few times it’s like eating a Banana Split,” smiled Tammra as she licked her lips.

            “Please tell me you’re joking about the Banana Split part,” said Shannon with a confused and discouraged look on her face.

            “You really do need to get laid and learn to relax,” replied Tammra.

            They continued to drive and both girls were quiet. Intuitively Tammra recognized it was the same silence that Tammra realized Shannon might be angry with her. Her best friend was able to hide behind the façade of make up and eye shadow from other people, but it wasn’t enough to fool her. Shannon couldn’t fool Tammra and she could feel the weight of stress on her shoulders.  Finally, Tammra pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.

            “What’s wrong?”

             “I’m scared Tammra,” began Shannon as she turned around to face her best friend.

            “Scared of what?” asked Tammra.

            “The Incubus,” answered Shannon.

            “What’s the Incubus?”

            “I don’t know, a demon that rapes me in my dreams. In my dreams, he knows who I am and the little experiences I have and sends his followers after me to bring me to him.”

            “What does he plan to do with you?”

            Shannon looked at Tammra and was hesitant to talk about it. She felt awkward sharing such personal information, but she had to tell someone. Tammra was the only one that would lend a friendly ear. They had shared so many adventures together, Shannon felt safe telling her the truth.  

            “Shannon, tell me what’s going on in your dream,” demanded Tammra as she watched Shannon lick her lips and prepare to speak. 

           

            Shannon looked around the strange room she was in. The room was black and she was lying on a bed that was black with blankets to match. The walls were painted with a strange resin that looked like there were bones and bodies stuck in the walls. Shannon began to shriek at the sight of it and got up from the bed.

            There was a strange eerie feeling that she felt was invading her space. The corner of her eye caught movement in the wall. There were faces looking at her, but when she turned around to see what it was, it was only a figment of her imagination. Shannon felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The teenager walked over to the door and opened it to see what was there.

            Shannon found herself in a long hallway with doors and behind each door she heard noises. The noises were the sound of men and women having sex. The sound of breathing polluted her ears as well as the high pitches of women having orgasms. It seemed very strange to encounter such an episode.  Every step of the way the paces of screaming and yelling persisted. Shannon felt embarrassed because she didn’t belong there and wondered what she would say if the occupants caught her.

            All the doors were closed except one and she became interested in what was behind the door. There was screaming, shouting and a woman having an orgasm. Shannon carefully slid open the door and walked in to see what was going on. She could see a short hallway with white paint and what looked like sunlight coming in from windows that were draped.  Even though they were draped they allowed a crack of sunlight to come through. Shannon could see there was a small kitchen and finally came across the living area. She saw a white bed with white blankets and bed spread. By the way the blanket moved she knew that there were two people having sex, but then the blanket moved aside revealing the two people. Shannon was shocked to see herself naked and all sweaty with a man with long black hair on top of her. She saw the man turn his head to face her and she realized that he was the Incubus. It looked like he was wearing a mask that was attached to his face. He revealed an `evil smile with sharp teeth,             “Shannon you belong to me!” he growled.

            Tammra stared at her best friend after hearing about the dream. Shannon looked scared and turned to stare out the window. The two friends were quiet until Tammra broke the ice, “wow I don’t know what to say?” 

The Temple of the Incubus is available at local venues and you can contact the author at ryanjohnsoncmps@yahoo.com or purchase the book for $9.99 at your local bookstores or get it on Amazon Kindle for $8.99.