“It’ll be a dangerous task to retrieve it, though. I’m looking for volunteers,” said Steve.

Someone shouted, “I volunteer Jerry.”

Jerry looked around.

“Fuck you, Tommy.”

But Steve was looking at the boy.

“What do you say, Jerry? Are you ready to make up for this Crunchero fiasco?”

“I guess,” he said sullenly.

“Damn right you guess.”

Steve pointed at the group.

“The boy can’t do it alone. Any other volunteers?”

Not a single hand went up.

“Nice, everybody. Really nice. Caleximus is very proud of each and every one of you pussies, pardon my French. That’s it, then. Everybody goes. Got it?”

Whispers of “Oh man” and “You pay for the damned sitter” could be heard.

Steve unzipped his robe. On the back was a sequined lightning bolt and eagle with a boar’s head. Susie had made it for him on their third wedding anniversary.

“I think we can officially call the invocation over for the night. Someone hit the lights.”

Fluorescents flickered on in the double-wide trailer parked on a construction site in Glendale. The desks and filing cabinets had been pushed back against the walls to make room for the ceremony.

As Steve folded his robe he said, “Jerry.”

“Yes, Dad?”

Steve upended a couple of hard hats and poured in the rest of the chips. “I swear to Caleximus that if you bought chips and you didn’t get guacamole and salsa, I’ll skin you alive myself and we’ll eat you at the next meeting.”

From the look in the man’s eye, the kid wasn’t so sure if he was kidding.

“They’re in the car,” he said.

“Go get them.”

Steve looked around until he saw his wife. “Susie, darlin’, break out the Bud. That’s it for now, people. Can somebody take down the candles? The Apocalypse can hold on for a couple of days. As long as we’re ready by the new moon we’ll be fine.”

The others started disrobing, too. From across the room, Jorge—Steve’s partner in the small construction firm—called, “So, where’s the Vessel of Invocation?”

“In an office downtown. We’re going to break in and take it.”

“How are we going to do that?”

Tommy, who’d heckled Jerry earlier, said, “My brother-in-law is a janitor there. He can get us in.”

Steve raised his arms to the ceiling. “To Caleximus and the destruction of mankind.”

“To Caleximus and destruction!” shouted the rest of the group.

Steve smiled. “These suckers aren’t going to know what hit them.”

“And they’re not going to know it for very long!” said Jorge.

Everybody laughed happily as they moved the furniture back into place.

Susie came over with the beer and ruffled Steve’s hair. “Don’t be too hard on the boy, dear. He tries his best.”