Ashley J. WilliamsBeta

During a weekend at a cabin with friends, Ashley J. Williams uncovered the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (the Book of the Dead) and awoke something dark in the woods. Evil possessed his friends, whom he was forced to kill, and his right hand, which he sawed off. For the next thirty years, Ash ran from his past, working at a Value Stop department store and seducing women in dive bars. But he screwed up one night while being high, when he read from the Necronomicon to impress a woman. Evil found him once more, wrecking the life of those around him. But his coworkers, Pablo who was raised by a shaman and Kelly who was orphaned by the Deadites, helped him put up a fight. While battling Evil, Ash was reunited with his long-lost daughter Brandy, who encouraged him to embrace his role as savior of humanity. After a terrible fight with a fully formed demon, Ash, drawing his last breath, was taken by the Knights of Sumeria and transported into the future.

Ash awakened to a voice, his head throbbing. Since defeating a gang of Deadites a week ago, he had been in a perpetual state of hangover. He heard the voice once more; a woman singing, sensual and inviting.

Stepping into the corridor in his boxers, he strode toward the voice, which lead to the public locker room. As Ash pushed open the door, the singing stopped. There was a rustling of curtains. He called out, entering the change room. His voice reverberated on the moldy tiled walls. He pressed on, reaching a shower that was still dripping wet. Cold, humid fingers ran down his bare back. He turned around.

A woman stood naked, her skin glistening in the morning light that streamed in from high windows. Ash recognized her instantly: Linda Emery, one of his former high school flings. They had gotten back together thirty years later, while saving their hometown from Evil. He had ended their relationship soon afterward, preferring to indulge freely in his new-found popularity.

Linda winked at Ash, who closed the distance between them. He caressed her cheek wistfully: What was she doing here? Did she know anything about the whereabouts of his daughter? And Pablo and Kelly?

A sharp blade dug into his hand, making him jump back. Linda slid a finger across the edge of her blade, collecting Ash’s blood on her fingertip. She smiled, and her skin shriveled, her hair faded, her shoulders stooped, and her curves sagged, aging decades older in a matter of seconds. She attacked Ash, who poorly managed to block, being half-naked.

Every blow she delivered earned him a new wound. She slashed his bad knee and he fell to the floor. As she jumped on top of him, Ash shrieked in disgust, knocking the knife out of her grasp. Her varicose hands wrapped around his neck, strangling him. Gasping, he outstretched his arm, hand landing on a soap dispenser. He spurted out some liquid on his fingers and poked her in the eyes. The elderly woman winced, weakening her hold, and Ash elbowed her in the face, knocking her back. He rolled over and grabbed the knife on the floor. Just as he was about to plant it in her chest, he stopped. There was something else he wanted more.

He pressed the blade against her throat. Let’s make a deal, demon. In exchange for not killing you, you portal me back to my friends. The demon agreed.

She began reciting the incantation, instructing Ash to repeat after her, which he failed to manage. When nothing happened, Ash threatened the demon, who argued back, blaming his poor pronunciation. Their combined exchange of Sumerian words triggered a hiss from the showers behind them. The wet tiled floor darkened, and the pipes burst. A whirlpool of dirty water, shower curtains, and used toilet paper swallowed the demon, while Ash held onto a locker door, which slowly slipped from his fingers.

FFFUUUC—

Ash landed flat on his chest in the realm of The Entity, sputtering grass. He got up, brushing off the dry clothes he suddenly had on. Then he looked around and his grin fell. It was the kind of place that made two things obvious: one, there wasn’t any bar for miles, and two, he was going to need his shotgun and chainsaw, both of which he lacked. As he started to walk toward a glinting light ahead, a scream rippled through the trees.

Groovy.