PRELUDE-

Halloween, 2000.

The night's cool breeze flows into the back room of an old storefront, gently touching the shoulders of a middle-aged woman sitting on the floor. In the middle of a chalked hexagram, she has placed several candles and books.

The air has a sense of foreboding. There seems to be an underlying tension that is invisible to the naked eye. But she can see it. She can feel it. Feel it all around her. It has been building up for years.

Her name is Florence Nightangel. Born Florence Williams, she renamed herself Nightangel (a play on Nightingale) after learning of her magical nature. She now runs this shop, selling and buying curious and strange things.

Ding

"Lady Florence?" a voice calls out from the front of the store. "Lady Florence, are you here?"

"Just a minute," she says as she scrambles to get up from her books and papers.

Stepping into the public room, she sees one of her regulars, Eddie Anderson, looking over some ancient books. They're not the really good ones. She keeps those locked away in the back.

"Hello, Eddie."

Eddie looks over to her, putting the Ancient Book of Mummification back into its proper slot in the shelf. "I was wondering if you were gonna be open late tonight. Seeing that it's Halloween and all."

Lady Florence smiles at him and says, "No, Eddie. I was just putting some stuff away and forgot to close up. You know how us kooky, old ladies can be..."

Eddie laughs. He never could understand how he came to admire this woman when everyone else he knows is so afraid of her. Some say she must have cast a spell on him, but he's positive that it's a genuine feeling of trust. He likes talking to her. He enjoys listening to her stories of weird and exciting things. Things that no one else would understand.

"Well, Eddie... Are you going out tonight?"

"Anna Jo wants to go to a party not far from here and I thought I'd come by for a few accessories."

A thought crosses Lady Florence's mind that maybe he had another, more impulsive, reason for coming by. Maybe he does have magical aptitude, or at least a sense of it. She has suspected as much.

"Feel free, Eddie. I wouldn't want to put a damper on your date."

Minutes later, Eddie is running off to enjoy the night in his own way.

After seeing him out, Florence locks the door, puts up the "closed" sign, turns out the lights and heads back to the back room.

"Now... Where was I?" She says to herself, as she returns to her position in the center of the hexagram.

She grabs a nearby book, entitled "Spirits of the Void".

"Oh... Yeah... That's it..."

"Halloween 2000, convention of the bodiless spirits."

The Moon Knight is familiar with New York at night. The way things change when the sun goes down and the moon comes up. The moon calls him out to protect the city. Or actually Khonshu, the Taker of Vengeance moon god, does the calling.

It seems weird this time of year, he thinks to himself. Halloween tends to give an open invitation to all the freaks and loonies out there to cause terror and loot the unaware. But tonight's different. Aside from a gang fight that he broke up about an hour ago, nothing else has happened. Of course with the moon now beginning its waxing phase, his strength is at its lowest. He doesn't really care to involve himself in anything tonight.

It's nights like this that make him wonder. Wonder what is out there brewing. It's like there's a force of despair and darkness in the city. And when he's out here on the street, it runs and hides. It waits in the shadows for him to leave, satisfied that the city is safe, before it strikes.

Sometimes he can't get himself to go and call it a night. He's afraid that the moment he turns to leave is when the evil force will rear its ugly head. But a man must sleep.

"Maybe it is about time for me to call Frenchy," he says to himself. Filling the empty streets with sound. "Marlene's probably out of candy by now."

He reaches for his mini-radio and begins to turn it on. He stops.

"No." he says, "It just doesn't feel right."

A chill runs up his spine as he ponders.

Suddenly, he hears something in the distance. It's coming towards him. Voices.

Hiding in the shadows of an alley, he waits.

The voices get louder and closer.

It's a woman's voice. It's followed by a man's voice. Then... laughter.

Relief settles in.

It's just a couple out on a stroll, he thinks.

He realizes how on edge he is and begins to call Frenchy. This time for real.

A scream!

Moon Knight puts the radio away and steps out into the dimly lit street.

Looking toward the direction from which the scream came, he sees the couple he had previously heard talking. The woman was squatting near the man who was now lying on the sidewalk. Behind her he made out the figure of another man running from the scene.

Stooping by the injured man, he asks the woman if she's all right.

"Yes," she replied. "I... I think so..."

"What's your name?"

"Anna. Is Eddie..."

"He's gonna be fine. Call the police and get him to a hospital. Hurry!"

Moon Knight runs off to find the one who had attacked them.

After running for several blocks, Moon Knight finds the man he's looking for. But there's someone else with him now. He looks just like the first guy. They appear to be identical in every way.

He decides to stay back and see what they are up to. Maybe he can find out something that will give him an upper hand.

There's something strange about these men, he thinks. Like they aren't all there. Something in the eyes. Like they're hollow.

Wait...

Someone else is approaching them.

It's another one. He also looks the same as the others.

Moon Knight wonders at the strangeness of this situation. How can there be three of these men who look exactly alike? And what is it about their eyes that disturbs him so?

They're moving now, going north up the street. He decides to follow them quietly in hopes of finding the answers to his questions.

After about ten minutes of trailing the men, they arrive at the front of a curio shop, named "Lady Florence's". The glass door has been shattered.

He watches as three more men meet them. They, too, look just like the first man.

As they are making their greetings, another man appears from inside the shop. After a few words, they follow him into the darkness of the store.

"Hmmm..." Moon Knight thinks out loud, "This is seriously odd. Now I'm not quite sure which one attacked the man, but I see a greater mystery developing. I wonder if there's another way in..."

Darting into the alley next to the shop, he searches for the rear entrance to the store. Once found, Moon Knight attempts to unlock the door without arousing any attention.

After he successfully picks the lock, he slowly opens the door.

Glancing in, he sees a small room with boxes and various other packages lying around. It appears to be used for storage. At the other end of the room is another door.

Quietly making his way across the room, he hears voices.

"Tell me or I'll let you live your life out in pain and misery."

It was a deep and commanding voice, full of power. It makes the threat seem plausible.

The door was shut but not locked. Carefully turning the knob, he opens the door just enough to see into the next room.

What he does see in there is a site not soon forgotten. In the corner of the room, lit by dozens of candles, stands a woman. She seems frightened. He could also see three of the men he was following. They're standing around a chalk hexagram on the floor looking at old books, ripping out pages. Then there was him. The one who Moon Knight believes made the boisterous threat. This one was different from the others and had an aura of assertiveness about him.

Lady Florence looked at the man before her and said, "I'll tell you nothing, demon!"

Demon? Moon Knight thought to himself, what have I stepped into?

"Really?" the one called "demon" replied, "We'll have to see about that..."

Taking one of the candles, he goes to torch some papers.

A crescent dart finds itself stuck in his wrist and he drops the candle. Surprised, the "demon" turns to see who would do such a thing. He sees nothing but a half open door.

Not wanting to leave his prey, he sends the other three men to find the cause of the interruption.

Outside, Moon Knight watches from a fire escape as the men go searching for him. When they are far enough away, he reenters the building.

"Now, Lady, " the demon-man begins, "you will tell me what I need to know."

"I will not!" she exclaims, "It was a mistake to even go this far. You cannot hurt me. I've seen to that."

"You did well to cast a protection spell upon yourself, Lady. It was the only wise thing you did, I must say. However, there are others who do not share your gifts. One in particular, A budding new flower that I shall cut down before it's grown too big."

"Eddie..." she says, realizing who he is talking about, "You will not harm the boy!"

"Ah... But if you do not be more cooperative, I will have to do unthinkable things to him. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Do you wish to see? Would you like to try me?" the demon-man looks at her with an evil grin, "I really have nothing else to do."

Well, let's see if I can find something for you", Moon Knight says, making his presence known.

"A follower of Khonshu." The demon-man says, "You will be easily dealt with. Especially on a night like this, when your strength is at its weakest."

He lunges at Moon Knight, "And mine is at its fullest!"

Moon Knight finds himself overwhelmed by the sheer force of the demon-man's attack. His foe is more powerful than any normal man. Could it be, he thinks to himself, that the man he fights truly is a demon? And how could he know about Khonshu? Unless... He is a demon!

In the midst of their fight, Moon Knight sees the three men return from their search, followed by the others he had seen previously. They look on. He thinks he hears one of them call the demon, "Master".

Knowing now that his opponent is not human, he begins to use more deadly attacks. Taking one of his crescent darts, he slashes the demon's face.

"Aaarrggh!"

It appears to do nothing more than aggravate the demon.

"The anchor!" Lady Florence shouts out. "Destroy the anchor!"

"What!?" Moon Knight exclaims as he gets a severe punch to the left side of his face.

"The crystal pendant!" she explains, "It's keeping them here. Like an anchor."

In his fight with the demon, he searches for the pendant. Seeing it hanging from his neck, Moon Knight reaches for it.

The demon quickly catches his hand, and says, "Not that easy, Fist of Khonshu!"

The demon squeezes. He can feel the bones in his right hand begin to break.

"Destroy the anchor!" Lady Florence says again, "Do it now!"

"Shut up!" the demon says, glancing over to her.

With his hand screaming in pain, Moon Knight butts his head against the demon's. Reaching up with his other hand, he grabs the pendant and snatches it off of his neck.

Seeing this, the demon goes to grab his other hand. Moon Knight drops the crystal pendant to the floor and crushes it under his foot.

"Nooooo!" the demon screams.

Immediately the demon's strength began to wane. Moon Knight could feel himself overpowering his foe now. When the other men see that their "Master" is losing, they all join in to save him.

He feels swarmed by these men. Their punches come from every direction. He feels them crushing against his back. He can feel the air being knocked out of him. He can feel the punches getting faster and faster. He can feel the punches getting harder and... softer?

Moon Knight tries to focus his fight dazed eyes. Looking more closely at his foes, he discovers that they're starting to disappear. They are fading into nothing.

When his foes are completely gone, he stumbles over to Florence.

"Thank God you happened upon me." She says, "If they had stayed in physical form past midnight, the spell would have been irreversible."

"What... What were they?"

"Demons from another realm. From what I gather, the leader's name was Valcur. They had intercepted an attempt of mine to find someone." She explains, "You see, I have been studying about Houdini and the seances that he and his wife performed to talk beyond the grave. They weren't successful, mind you, but I think I might have found something. Or so I thought."

"Everything seems alright now." Moon Knight said. "Might I suggest a bit of caution before doing something like this again?"

"I figured the protection spell was all that was necessary. But I was mistaken." Florence looks at his broken hand. "I'm truly sorry."

"Damn you, woman! Why don't you listen?"

"Huh?" she looks at his face. It seems distorted. Twisted. Almost as if... He's changed.

He goes to grab her but is held back by an invisible force.

"Lady," he says to her, "you don't know what you've done to this man. The Fist of Khonshu. I might not be able to harm you with that spell you have up, but he is a different story."

"No!"

Moon Knight's face goes blank and his body falls to the floor. She could see tears begin to roll down his face. She feels that she can hear his soul cry out.

Darkness... Everywhere... Complete darkness.

His hand hurts. He can't move it. There's a pain in his chest.

"Where am I?" he asks.

No one answers.

He reaches his arms out to find what he cannot see. He finds nothing. He reaches farther. And farther still.

Nothing.

His arms ache as they go out even farther. They feel as if they are being pulled. Pulled out into the darkness.

Suddenly they fly up and to his sides. His legs are pulled out to his sides, as well.

"I'm being quartered!" he screams. Pain flashes through his body.

"It's... unbearable!"

"Ah, but you will bear it, Fist of Khonshu!"

Valcur, the leader of the demons, appears before him. With his entrance, the darkness is consumed in flame.

Moon Knight can now see the demons pulling at his arms and legs. They laugh hideously as they strive to torture him.

Another demon materializes before him brandishing a sharp instrument in his hand. It looks like one of his crescent darts. The demon begins to carve on his chest.

"Aaarrggh!"

"Don't squirm so much, Spector... Or is it Lockley... Or... maybe it's Grant? Even you don't know the truth about that mystery, do you?" Valcur taunts him, "It's a shame one should die before knowing who they truly are..."

The demon with the dart, after licking the blood from the tip of the blade, slices into him once more.

Moon Knight screams again in agony.

He could hear his own scream echoing through the caverns of the underworld. They sound almost like...

Marlene.

She's trapped by the demons. Her blonde hair is being pulled out, one strand at a time. He can see her reach out for him. She wants him to save her.

The demons touch her face. Their hands leave behind a liquid, burning her skin like acid.

"Marlene! Noooo!"

Again he is drawn back to Valcur and the demons as the one with the dart makes another slice.

He screams in horror as the blade cuts him.

Moon Knight's scream makes Lady Florence jump. Well aware of what's going on before her, she runs over to her books.

"Help me!" he screams as he convulses on the floor. "Help... Me..."

Florence finds a book and begins thumbing through it, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."

Finding the page, she begins reciting an ancient incantation over him. His body writhes in anguish as she begins to weave a spell.

In the otherworld, Moon Knight can feel his joints giving out. The next feeling he feels will be his arms and legs being ripped off. He's sure of it. Death can't be too far now..."

"The Fist of Khonshu dying at my feet. I would have never expected such a prize!"

Another scream rings out into the flaming halls.

"Huh?" Valcur looks up, surprised.

That last cry was not his victim's. It was one of the demons. They begin to lose grip on their prey. Fearfully, they run to hide behind their master.

The Moon Knight tries to regain his senses. He feels as if he has been renewed. His wounds are healing.

Valcur stands before him, startled by what is taking place. "What manner of trickery is this?" he asks.

There was something different about Moon Knight. It's almost like he is someone else.

"It appears you have made a mistake in toying with me, Valcur," he says in a deeper voice, "Khonshu has ordered vengeance to be done."

All the demons flee except Valcur.

"You shall feel his wraith, Demon!" Moon Knight lunges at him.

They struggle in the flames of the abyss. Neither one appears to be the better in the fight. Moon Knight now equals Valcur in strength and will.

A pit opens up beside them. It begins to pull at them both. Their clashing has upset the forces of the plane.

After what seems to be an eternity, Moon Knight overcomes the demon. Valcur screams as he is tossed into the pit.

The flames grow higher here now, with a greater intensity of heat.

The Moon Knight, depleted of all his energy, falls to the ground.

Lady Florence is standing over the Moon Knight when he awakens.

"I hurt," he says.

"Shhh... It's midnight now. It's over." Florence tells him. "They've lost their power here."

He looks at her. She's holding a tarot card in her hand. The Moon.

Getting up, he asks her, "What happened to me? Where did I go?"

"You were possessed. I gather you were wherever they had you. Most likely, you were in their realm." She puts the card down on a nearby table. "I had to perform an exorcism. I invoked the power of Khonshu to help me. The demon had mentioned him. I figured you two must have close ties."

"I can't believe this." Moon Knight shakes his head. "What about Valcur?"

"I can no longer sense his presence. He must have been banished by you or Khonshu."

They walk outside.

The moonless night sky hangs over them.

"What do you know of Khonshu?" he asks her.

"What the books tell me," she replies. "I have several books that I have read that mention him. Stuff about his powers and the traits of the moon: deceptions, illusions, and mystery. Things like that."

"You'll excuse me if I leave now," he says to her. "I will be wanting to talk to you again. I might actually have need of you and you're abilities."

"I'll be looking forward to it, Fist of Khonshu."

He pulls his radio out as he walks away.

"Frenchy?"

"Oui, Marc?"

"I think I'm ready to go home now. Hold for location."

He looks back to the shop to see Lady Florence walking back in through the busted glass door.

Lady Florence is organizing the books in her shop when Eddie comes in.

"Lady Florence," he walks over to her, "What happened to your door?"

She glances over to the new wooden door and then back to him.

"I felt it was time for a change, Eddie," she says. Noticing the bruise on his face, she asks, "What happened to you?"

"I had a little trouble with this weirdo last night. Anna woulda got it, too, if it wasn't for the Moon Knight. He scared him off."

"The Moon Knight," she repeats, looking away.

"Eddie," Florence says going over to the counter, "I'm so ashamed. I made a terrible mistake last night. If it wasn't for the Moon Knight's appearance, things would be in a horrible shape today."

"Huh?" Eddie looks at her in astonishment.

"I can't always rely on myself. There's only one person that I've known who can keep me from making any more mistakes."

She pulls out a leather-covered book from under the counter.

"I have something to tell you, Eddie."

THE END.

Moon Knight is copyright 2000, Marvel Comics; Night of the Demon and all other characters are copyright 2000, Lee Stone.