"The Coming of the Culling Men"

Enoch's back!

"The Coming of the Culling Men"

I’ve always loved the stories of Conan the Barbarian. Mostly the parts where he crushed monsters and demons under his bootheel and growled like a maniac, but also, I loved the mythology that was woven from story to story. One tale, he’d be a thief, another, a king, and every so often you’d get some idea of the connective tissue of those events, but many times, you’d have to fill in the blanks yourself.

When I created Enoch the Preacher, one of my ambitions was to bounce around in time, showing him at various periods in his life, to give the stories an epic feel. So, after I wrote the first story of Enoch’s origins, it seemed only natural to jump to the future, almost to the end of his adventures, to give some hints of the battles to come, and establish that these stories wouldn’t be told in chronological order.

Once again, this story is read by the effervescent Craig Sechler. I highly recommend you click that purple button below to listen to the audio version, because his reading always elevates the material.

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THE COMING OF THE CULLING MEN

(Excerpted from The Gospel of Enoch the Prophet, 1881)

Verse 1

¹ And so it was, in the time of the blood-red skies, in the year of the ash rains, they came, with their skin like shadow, and their touch like fire. Under the blanket of night, moving two by two, through the streets of Copper Hill. And the people had marked their doors with the blood of their firstborn, for it had been a year of plenty.  They came in their black cloaks, the Culling Men, the stink of blood in their nostrils, and from each of the bloodied doors, took their offering, as it had been vowed. And the screams of the firstborn filled the night, and mothers shut tight their eyes and clutched their hands to their mouths, for to cry out was to break The Vow.

²But there was one who did not keep silent. Addie, daughter of Thomas and Humility, mother of Jennie, betrothed of Josiah, he who had been crushed underneath the hooves of his very own horse. Addie, blessed among women, did not hold her tongue when the Culling Men came, screaming curses at them, and clutching her only daughter to her breast.

³And the Culling Men were terrible angry, gnashing their long, sharp teeth. And their king, who had once been the man George Crackstone, approached the woman Addie, and with but a stroke of his long thumbnail, cut Addie perilous deep across her neck.

⁴And her blood did run.

⁵And the creature born George Crackstone did drink of the blood, ‘til Addie, blessed of women, lay dead in his arms. And he took her to the town square, and screamed in a voice cursed by the Morningstar, “See what I have wroth! By the breaking of The Vow, your lives become forfeit!”

⁶And then did the woman who was once Addie rise, under the swollen moon, with a lust for blood, and a taste for flesh. And before the eyes of all, bit into the throat of her only daughter, and drank of her blood.

⁷And the town did burn.

Verse 2

¹With the dawning of the morning sun, did come the Preacher.

²He rode a pale horse of grey, his hair long and white, his single eye blue and cold, a patch upon his other. His cursed right hand was gnarled into a white fist, the scars on his face beyond counting.

³And in his holy hand, he clutched an old Bible, and on his body he wore his guns, which were blessed by the LORD.

⁴Then did the Preacher unman his horse, and look before him at the slaughter and fire. “Who has done this terrible thing?” he demanded, to the men of the town, kneeling prone on the earth. “What demon dares to defile GOD’S children thus?”

⁵And the townsmen gave a cry, “’twas he who was George Crackstone! He who has been consumed by the bloodlust! He who would feast on his fellow man!”

⁶And the Preacher was sore angered. “Where hides this George Crackstone?” sayeth he.

⁷“In the caves,” the men said, “Where the creatures and demons occupy! There do they take our firstborn, there to feed on their blood for all the years to come! So was made The Vow to spare our lives and grant us bounty!”

⁸The Preacher spoke with a voice of power, saying thus, “Lead me to these caves, for I would destroy these vile creatures, and return the children to their homes! For am I not the LORD’S holy weapon? Am I not he who stands between mankind and the abyss?”

⁹“Have a care, Preacher!” the men did say, “For if you should feel their bite, then you must put yourself to death by the fire, for theirs is the power of life upon death, and to feast upon your blood is to become one with them!”

¹⁰And the Preacher did hear them.

¹¹“Pray with me brethren,” he did say, “For today thou shalt be freed of your burden, and the evil will be cleansed from your dominion.”

¹²And the men knelt on the earth, and the Preacher did read from the Book. And they could see the pages were stained with blood.

Verse 3

¹And the Preacher did lead them into the valley astride his horse, toward the caves where the demons dwelt, and the men did follow, for they were in awe of him. For a full day did they ride, for the way was long, and beset by stones and the twisted beasts born to this land of ash and red sky.

²And so it was that they came upon the river. And the Preacher did leap from his horse, and dip his hat into the river, and then bring the water to his lips, and thus did he drink. And he blessed the water he drank from, and poured it into a skin roped around his neck.

³And then did he wipe the sweat from his brow, for the day was hot, and the road long. “Tell us a tale, Preacher,” the men did say, “Tell us of salvation, and the road to redemption.”

⁴And the Preacher did look upon them, for he was a man of great thought. “Would you hear of redemption? Then hear the tale of the man Enoch. A wicked, callow man in his youth, who took his pleasure from drink, and murder, and the sins of flesh. A prideful fool who hunted GOD’s children for coin. A GODless man who mocked GOD e’en as he spoke HIS name, and blackened his soul with his every word, for all of his words were lies.

⁵“But he was touched by GOD. Hallelujah! And his sin was stripped away with his flesh.”

⁶And it was that the Preacher held aloft his right hand, white as bone, gnarled as oak.

⁷“And as the years passed, as the skies were sliced and bled, and the demons made their dominion on the earth, the man Enoch saw the unfolding of GOD’s great plan, and the evil in him was flayed, burned away. Every filthy part of him stripped away, so only the holy bits remained.”

⁸And it was that the Preacher stripped to his waist, showing scores of marks, hard scarred tissue, and lean muscle. A map of human misery, circumscribed on his body.

⁹And it was that the Preacher pulled off his patch, to reveal the empty socket that once held his sinner’s eye.

¹⁰“’If thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out, it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of GOD with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell.’ So sayeth the Book.”

¹¹At this, a great weariness overtook him. He closed his clean eye, and knelt by the river. “Praise GOD,” whispered he, “Praised be HIS name.”

Verse 4

¹And so did they come upon the demon caves, there to find the man born George Crackstone and his company of Culling Men.

²Here the Preacher did stop them, handing his Bible to the men and saying unto them, “Here thou shalt remain, for the battle ahead is perilous, and blood will be shed.” Saying thus, he did make the sign of the cross, and draw his pistol, though even to hold it in his cursed hand was an agony.

³Then he did stop at the mouth of the cave and say unto them, “If I should return with the bloodlust, I charge thee with cleansing me with the fire, and purifying my soul.”

⁴And they heard him, and did agree. And so it was the Preacher entered the cave of the Culling Men alone, with only a single lantern for light, and GOD as his protection.

⁵And the darkness of the cave was terrible and cold. But he was not afraid, for he knew the LORD was with him. And as he drew through the tunnels and corners, he did come upon the bones of the children, those both fresh and those long passed. And he was saddened unto tears, and he did beat his breast, and he did gnash his teeth, and he did say a silent prayer for their souls. And when he could pray no longer, when his anger had passed, then did he go forward.

⁶There did he come upon a great wide cavern, where no sunlight could peek, and there he beheld the Culling Men, and there were three score and six. They turned and saw him, and snarled with fury, baring their long bone teeth. “He is come! An instrument of GOD’s fury!"

⁷And they were truly frightened, for even the devil’s creatures fear HIM.

⁸But then did step forward he who had been George Crackstone, and said to them, “Brothers! This is no man of GOD, but rather a self-proclaimed cleric!  His witness is false!”

⁹But the Preacher was not moved. “True, I have been a man of pride and lies, and I have bore false witness. But have I not seen the light of the man Jesus? Have I not been bathed in the blessed waters, and sung his name, and given myself to HIM?”

¹⁰And as he spoke, deftly did he draw the skin from around his neck, and open the skin. And as he who was Crackstone laughed, then did the Preacher hurl the blessed water unto the Culling Men.

¹¹And their flesh did crackle and boil, and they screamed, for they had been touched by the LORD’S liquid fire. The Preacher hurled his lantern at them, and it smashed upon them, burning their skin with flame.

¹²But the demon Crackstone was not touched by flame nor water, and he did set upon the Preacher, leaping the distance between them like a beast. His nails did rake the flesh of the Preacher’s cheek, and left trails of blood, peeling away the Preacher’s skin.

¹³And the Preacher did run.

¹⁴And the demon chased the Preacher through the cave, and though he was afraid, he did not stumble, for the LORD did guide his feet.

¹⁵And he came from the cave, his plan to reveal the demon to GOD’S light, but the day had fled the night, and the land was dark all around.

¹⁶And the Preacher was sore distressed.

¹⁷And he ran toward the river, to receive more blessed water. But the one born George Crackstone was upon him, nails tearing the flesh from his back, and the Preacher did stumble. And with his fingers digging into the earth, just as the demon’s dug into his back, he did claw toward the river, but he was weary, and could pull himself no further.

¹⁸Then did the Preacher call out, saying, “LORD! I beseech thee, grant me strength in the face of thine enemies, that I may smite them from this earth!”

¹⁹The demon laughed, and mocked him. “Preacher!” sayeth he, “Pray you to a GOD who does not hear? Or is it that HE does not care to listen to your cries? Look upon me and know the face of your GOD! HE is a hunter of man! An eater of flesh! Only by man’s death is HE sated! So pray then, Preacher! Raise up to HIM your best, most earnest prayer, and tell me if he listens!”

²⁰And the Preacher said, “Okay.”

²²And unloaded his guns in the body of the demon Crackstone, for he had drawn his pistols, whilst the demon had spit his blasphemies.

²³The demon was angered, as the bullets tore flesh from his body and organs, but he did not die. He was a creature of evil, strong against the weapons of man.

²⁴But the weight of the demon had been lifted from the Preacher, and he dropped his pistols and dove to the river, filling his skin with water, and uttering a blessing as it flowed. But the Culling Man struck the skin from the Preacher’s hand, and the blessed water spilled on the bank of the shore.

²⁵And the demon did shove the Preacher into the river, and the Preacher struggled mightily, swallowing the waters of the river, for the Culling Man had the strength of the dead, and the fury of the bloodlust. Under the water did he push the Preacher, then out again to torment him, then back under again, and the Preacher feared he would surely drown.

²⁶And the demon brought him up again, for so great was his pride that he wanted the Preacher to hear his taunts.

²⁷And with his last breath, did the Preacher bless the waters of the river.

²⁸And the demon George Crackstone did despair, for he was wet with the river’s water. He screamed as the skin sloughed off his hand, burning as if afire.  And the Preacher yanked with all his might, and pulled the demon into the river.

²⁹And the demon screamed, for the water was as fire to him, and his skin dissolved to bones, and his bones melted in the water’s ebb.  And the demon was gone, consumed in the blessed water of the river.

³¹The Preacher pulled himself from the water, and lay on the banks. And the men gathered around him, having witnessed his terrible struggle, and tried to give him aid. And the Preacher said unto them, “This is the LORD’S holy river, and it shall be forever sanctified.”

³²Then did the Preacher fall unconscious.

Verse 5

¹And time did pass.

²And so it was that the Preacher was slowly made whole (but for where he had been marked upon the cheek and back by the beast who walked as George Crackstone), and on the third morning he did rise from his bed, and give communion to the people of Copper Hill, which he re-christened as New Damascus. "For Copper Hill was a place of sin and weakness," sayeth he, "and all ye in the sound of my voice stand rebirthed, strong and righteous in the eyes of THE LORD."

³And the people of New Damascus were grateful, for now they did sorely regret having sacrificed their firstborn to Satan's disciples.

⁴And when the sermon was done, and the people went forth in the sunlight of GOD's love, the Preacher did sit heavily in a pew, for he was weary from his battles with Satan.

⁵"Do you hear the LORD's voice?" spake a child, of four and one years, and the Preacher was surprised, for he did not see her there. But his surprise did turn to delight, for did not the man Jesus say, "Suffer the little children come unto me?" and he put a hand on the child's shoulder.

⁶"Once I thought I did," sayeth he, "for I was still young and brimming with self-righteousness, and touched with a hint of madness. But the Lord does not make his mind known to his servants." He held up his Bible. "It is only by HIS word that we know our path."

⁷And the child was sore confused. "But Preacher," sayeth she, "If thou were't mad, how wouldst thou know when GOD had lift'd the madness from ye?"

⁸And the Preacher did pause in reflection. 

⁹"Mayhap," said he, "HE has not chosen to lift such a curse from me."

¹⁰And the child bore the look of confusion, which is common among men. For she knew that faith required she must feel relief at his words, but in truth, she felt none.

¹¹And the Preacher did rise, and kiss her upon the forehead, and slowly walked out of the church into the light of the sun.

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