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In the 1890’s a train station was built to service the railroad running through the Appalachian foothills of East Tennessee. It marked the birth of the Powell Station community, and with it came the arrival of Ezekiel Emory, the appointed depot master. A young man with an enigmatic aura, Ezekiel—affectionately known as Brother Zeke—quickly became a prominent figure in the community. Despite his occasional aloofness and eccentricities, there was an undeniable charisma about him, a magnetism that drew people to his teachings. Brother Zeke soon found himself to be somewhat of a spiritual leader for the community. While not officially ordained by any particular church, Ezekiel took it upon himself to shepherd the the people of the area. Brother Zeke would hold meetings at the depot to share his thoughts on sin, redemption, and other matters of the soul.
Some of Brother Zeke’s methods were unorthodox, such as midnight sermons that included elements of mountain magic and pagan rituals. Some in the community questioned his methods but his followers would not tolerate anyone condemning their practices.
Rooted in the special nature of the area, strange encounters and happenings would occur in and around the train depot. Brother Zeke told his followers that these signs meant that they were on the right spiritual path. Clearly the ghostly visions, the nightmares, the call of the void, could only mean that the devil was frustrated and trying to lead Brother Zeke’s flock astray.
Then there were the disappearances. It was not uncommon for residents and travelers to go missing. Community members would speculate as to the fate of the missing persons but Brother Zeke always had a ready explanation for their sudden disappearances. He claimed they had become “restless souls” seeking a new life out west, and he had personally placed them on trains heading in that direction. The people would nod in understanding and praise the leadership of Brother Zeke.
This went on for many years, Brother Zeke leading the congregation to explore stranger forms of spirituality, and practice progressively more bizarre rituals and ceremony. People vanishing from time to time as though it was natural and expected.
Then disaster struck! In the darkness of night a passing train derailed and took out Powell Station depot. There were no survivors. The engineer did hang on for three days but he suffered fevered dreams and was incoherent. He deliriously mumbled of horrors on the tracks before succumbing to his injuries.
With the depot gone a labyrinth of passageways and tunnels were revealed beneath the surface. These led deeper into the earth revealing veins of a strange crystalline substance embedding in the rock walls. When these veins were followed they converged on a cavern. In the center of the cavern was a pit? A hole? A portal? It was seemingly only filled with blackness. No lamplight could penetrate the darkness and when all was quiet, subtle whispers and a low thumping could be heard emanating from the dark void. But that wasn’t the worse thing they found.
What could only be described as cells or cages were small chambers caved into the earth. They were home to hideous and grotesque… people? Creatures? There was a hint of humanity left. Just enough to reveal that they were some of the poor souls who had gone missing.
Further searching revealed a study and laboratory filled with religious texts, arcane tomes, and scientific journals. A discovered diary made it clear that it this was the work of Brother Zeke. I seems he was obsessed with purging sin from his followers. He saw sin as a physical entity that could be removed through the use of spells, alchemy, science, and prayer. But instead of removing evil, he had only succeeded in drawing forth the darkness that lurked within, creating monstrous beings corrupted by the very evil they sought to eradicate.
In the wake of this revelation, the community sealed off the underground passages, burying the horrors that lay within beneath the rubble of the ruined depot. They vowed never to speak of Brother Zeke or his atrocities again, consigning his legend to the realm of ghost stories and cautionary tales.
Yet, despite their best efforts to bury the past, the memory of Brother Zeke and his dark legacy lingered like a shadow over Powell Station, a reminder of the horrors that lurked beneath the surface of their once-idyllic community. And so, his name became synonymous with fear, whispered by the elders as a warning to those who dared to tread too close to the edge of darkness. “Beware the wrath of Brother Zeke,” they would say, “He is waiting to claim those who stray from the path of righteousness.”
Today, we believe the community still lives with the presence of Brother Zeke. Strange things continue to occur. Shadowy figures lurking in the dark, voices calling out when no one is there, a sense of dread that comes when you are alone.
Recently, an old wooden box was discovered at an estate sale. The contents were very old and included instructions for playing a children’s game. The game was called “Brother Zeke”. The instructions describe a ritual that can summon Brother Zeke (or whatever he has become). Once summoned you must follow the rules and pass through every room in the house. If you can do this before Brother Zeke (or his creations) catch you, you are free. If he gets you first, you become one of his experiments.
Is Brother Zeke just an urban legend created to scare children into behaving, or is there a core of truth to the stories? All you have to do is play his game to find out. If you dare.
