This week marks the five-year anniversary of my Dead Mall series (woo-hoo!). Rather than focus on a monsters someone else created, I’m going to talk about one I made up all on my own. Those of you who have read the books will recognize this person as the first named villain in the series. For those that haven’t, it’s my great pleasure to introduce the good Reverend Arthur Lawrence Fludd, founding father of Halcyon, Nevada, a residing evil at Edensgate Shopping Center, and our current Monster of the Week.
NOTE: In Veiled Threats, I refer to him as Reverend Lawrence Fludd. In every other book, his name is Arthur. Rather than pick one and make previous versions of the books invalid, I have updated the text to have his name appear as Reverend Arthur Lawrence Fludd–or, as in this article, simply The Reverend. There, ret-conned. Boom! Happy now?
Seriously though, I’m sorry for any confusion that may have caused. I love you all, your patronage truly means a lot to me, please don’t stop reading my books 😀
Origins of Reverend Fludd
The Reverend first appears in Dead Mall Book #2: Veiled Threats. After witnessing the reality-altering events of the previous night, misfits teens Cari Hembert and Rex Ranganathan start their new jobs with the custodial service/secret evil-fighting force, Virgil Security and Maintenance. This begins as many first days do: with an orientation PowerPoint presented by head janitor Grace Henry and chief surveillance officer Simon “Specs” Mackie.
They open with a story about how Halcyon (the town they live in) came to exist:
While on a westward expedition to California, a group of unfortunate sojourners contract an intestinal illness. Unable to continue, they make camp in a desolate and barren mountain valley. In a fit of delirium, their leader–our good Reverend–envisions a hideous creature in his tent who promises him and his people decades of health and safety in exchange for the Reverend’s signature in his book. Believing this to be nothing more than a fever dream, the Reverend agrees and signs the page just before slipping into unconsciousness. When he awakes, everyone in the camp has miraculously recovered. Not only that, but they find gold nuggets among the silt in the nearby river. They found Halcyon that very day.
Over the years, as the town prospers into a mining settlement and the founders’ wealth grows, more and more of them have contact with this creature, which calls itself the Courier, and trade their names for boons and windfalls. Eventually, every one of them finds their way into his book, where upon their deaths, their souls remain bound for all eternity.
Cut to 2011.
When the power of the Courier’s book fuses within the structure of Edensgate Shopping Center (as illustrated fully in the prequel story, An Original Sin), the trapped souls transfer as well. Now the Reverend and his fellow founders find themselves able to occasionally cross over into the realm of the living. If they could only make it out the front doors, perhaps they would be free. So, what’s stopping them?
Well, that’s what the series is all about, people. Guess you’ll just have to read it and find out.
Oh, and one more thing…
That little illness everyone “suddenly” came down with? It’s likely some kind of parasite they got when the Reverend, after failing to convert a group of indigenous people to Christianity, killed the tribe and stripped their flesh for sustenance for himself and his fellow travelers. So don’t feel too bad for these guys. They *definitely* had it coming.
Powers and Abilities (in and out of the Dead Mall)
In life, the Reverend had very limited powers. He was a ruthless zealot (for whatever that’s worth). And his fear of death must have been quite powerful, since it’s well documented in the series that the Courier only appears to the most hopeless and desperate among us. Aside from being a callous, overbearing coward, he didn’t have much going for him. Death and the subsequent assimilation into the mall was probably the best thing that could have happened to him.
After his soul fuses with Edensgate, the Reverend is back in command. Now, he has monsters and magic at his fingertips. He can build armies from the muck of the underworld and send them into battle; conjure veils that spirit people from the realm of the living into one of his creation; and even be in two places at once. Granted, he can only manifest in our realm as a decomposed corpse. But that can be quite effective in the right time and place.
Defeating the Reverend in the Dead Mall
When it comes to battling any of the Dead Mallwalkers, brute force is always your friend. If you can get to their soft, gooey center, all it takes is a couple hammer hits or shotgun blasts to dispatch the problem. The challenge is breaking through their defenses, and that can require different skills depending on the specific foe. And the Reverend, I’m sorry to say, has got a big bag of tricks. Literally. He can manipulate the ether, which means he can create the perfect killing scenario just for you.
If you find yourself standing toe to toe with him, beware: he’s a smooth motherfucker. He’ll wheel and deal, make pledges and promises. He knows exactly what and how to say the things that will make anyone turn against their own interests. He also has no qualms about threatening or even mildly injuring you or someone you care about if it helps him put a finer point on his argument. Finally, he knows when to cut his losses–and by losses, I of course, mean you.
If you can avoid entering his mind-bending pocket dimensions, that’s always best. But if you do find yourself standing in front of this cruel, unfeeling despot, always remember that, no matter how slick and powerful he may look, he’s really just a bag of flesh slowly rotting away into nothing. Hold on, because even if you can’t see it, the cavalry is coming, and they will make sure you live to see this monster collapse into a quaking flesh-puddle at your feet.
Sources:
- https://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Threats-Dead-Mawl-2-ebook/dp/B07PKFMGW
- My own freakin’ brain!
To learn more about the Dead Mall series, check out the My Books page.
