An Encounter With Evil (standard:horror, 1785 words)
Author: pjlawton	Added: Feb 06 2004	Views/Reads: 3497/2313	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A young man in seacrch of the bizarre gets a little more than he bargained for.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

“Nein,” he said. “He was not there. He was here at the Berg Hof. I was a
guard at the Hotel Platterhof, the local party headquarters and the SS 
Kaserne, the Army barracks, from December 1944 until the end when 
Berchtesgaden fell to the Americans. I saw him several times.” He 
nervously shifted his gaze to the mountain then continued in a quieter 
voice. “Then, one day he just disappeared. No one knows where he went. 
Many say that still today he roams these mountains.” 

“But, I thought the Berg Hof and hotel area was bombed and destroyed by
the American Air Corps in early 1945.” 

“Yes, it was. However, the Burg Hof was not completely destroyed until
it was blown up by the West German Government in 1953. This was done so 
that it would not become a shrine to him. If you wish to see the 
remains of the house, take the bus to the hotel.  Just below the hotel 
is the location of his Berg Hof. There is a sign that says "Entritt 
Verboten", no entrance, but this is widely ignored. About 20 to 30 
yards along the path you will see some of the retaining walls and part 
of the foundation.” 

Curiosity thoroughly aroused, I thanked the old man and made for the bus
station. 

The actual distance up the mountain wasn't long but the trip took some
time because of the severe winding of the roadway. The conversation 
with the old man had been almost an hour earlier. I had since walked 
down the overgrown path past the no entrance sign to the remains of the 
Burg Hof, the mountain vacation home of the epitome of evil, one of the 
greatest monsters of all time, Adolf Hitler. 

Part of the remaining foundation was still standing and looked to be
part of the sub-basement. Beneath the concrete floor a shrine had 
indeed been erected.  The inside back wall was painted with several 
Swastikas and other symbols. Several slogans had been written in red 
paint with drippings down the wall, I suppose to give it the look of 
blood. Remains from several candles were present and two were still 
burning. I was fascinated by what I saw there. 

Of course, all that had been before the watcher made its appearance. 

*** 

Now just minutes later I was here staring at the unholy shrine with a
mysterious specter lurking over my shoulder. Sudden vivid images 
started flashing into my mind. One after another, images so dramatic 
and so real that my senses were totally dominated. 

Flash: I could feel a cold drizzle as massed troops marched past the Arc
de Triomphe while French citizens stared, tears of rage, sorrow and 
fear pouring down their faces. 

Flash:  The sickly sweet smell of death was everywhere as hundreds of
Russian men, women and children were forced down into a long ravine 
where soldiers with the double lighting bolt uniform insignia began to 
fire and fire and fire oblivious to the screams and moans of the 
dieing. 

Flash: The bright sunlight gave off no warmth as citizens of some
European city listlessly walked the street with a bright yellow star 
adorning their clothing while soldiers of the conquering army stared, 
laughed and jeered. 

Flash:  In the cold morning air I could feel the hard twisted strands of
barbed wire and see the menacing guard towers that held thousands of 
starving scarecrows. Some of the scarecrows were being forced to load 
the emaciated corpses of the dead into wagons like some much old 
refuse. 

Flash: The stench of charred flesh permeated the air as giant
smokestacks bellowed great geysers of grey black smoke from massed 
ovens filled with ash and pieces of bone. 

I couldn't take anymore. I fell to my knees and grabbed two hands full
of earth in an attempt to bring myself back to reality, something, 
anything to break the cycle of images! 

In an instant the flashes stopped. Rising to my feet, I quickly glanced
around. Yes, the figure was still there. As it moved back into the 
shadows for an instant the hood moved revealing the face. Actually it 
wasn't a face at all. It was a death's head mask with its evil toothy 
grin. How strange, I thought, why would someone wear a mask? Then 
another thought, what if it wasn't a mask?  Another shudder crossed my 
body as thousands of goose bumps formed. The figure paused for a time 
staring in my direction then turned and in an instant disappeared into 
the mist. 

I stood in total shock for several seconds. My numbed mind simply would
not or could not explain what had just happened to me.  What were the 
flashes I had witnessed?  What would compel someone to dress and act 
that way?  Was it some type of sick joke or was it . . . more!  After 
all, the images had been so real! 

Something, some part of my inner being told me I had to get off this
mountain. The little voice in my head suddenly shouted, “Go, Now!” 

Without a backward glance I rapidly made for the hotel. As I neared the
bus stop bright sunlight again shone down on me. As suddenly as it had 
arrived the misty fog had gone. 

Securely seated on the bus heading down the winding mountain road I felt
a great sense of relief. Rounding a curve I gave one last glance up to 
where the Berg Hof had once stood. My eyes widened with surprise for I 
could see at the base of the foundation near the spot where I had 
earlier knelt now stood a shadow. It was the silhouette of a figure in 
a long dark cloak! Could it be?  As it again turned in my direction we 
rounded a bend and the ruins were out of sight. 

Safely back in the village I stood for some time staring toward the
beautiful majestic mountain.  Had it actually happened? Had I really 
faced dire circumstances or was it the work of my overactive 
imagination? No, it had happened all right, of that I was sure.  
Although maybe a little out of place, a funny thought popped into my 
mind. Maybe it was time for me to take up a new hobby. 

Turning to move back to the city center and the train station I felt
another cold chill. Whether I got a new hobby or not I realized that 
this day would forever etched in my memory. No amount of time could 
erase what had happened here. Yes, I would always remember this day. 
This was the day I had an encounter with evil. 

End 


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