by B. Groves
Alison ran a hand through her hair. Her quiet life would be uprooted again, but she knew deep down she could never run far from her calling in life.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. Her eyes had bags under them. She needed rest to think straight, but she already knew her answer.
Once she started the car, she would turn around and drive back into Wolfpine.
She needed to talk to Kyle.
Chapter 15
Kyle was winging it for his sermon. He’d been winging it for the last three weeks, but this week was especially tough to convey his message. The day before he’d driven all the way to Charlotte, spoke with a demon hunter, drove back to Wolfpine, witnessed a miracle when the reluctant hunter showed up and exorcised a demon from a child with her bare hands.
How did one process that? How did one get up in front of a crowd of hundreds and try to speak God’s word when he was still in shock over what he saw?
Kyle usually took great care when writing his sermons. He always cleared his schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to have his privacy and write them.
This morning, he was running on pure adrenaline and his congregation picked up on his stuttering. He felt the tension in the room as he stood in front of the crowd and read a passage here and there from The Bible.
He saw frowns, the faces scrunching in confusion. Miranda was in a downright panic, her eyes darting back and forth. Her face was red and she kept fanning herself with the program she printed out that morning.
Kyle turned the page and found he only had ten minutes left before his first service ended.
Only one more, he thought. A few niceties, eat some lunch and have Miranda tell the congregation you’re not feeling well.
It’s almost over.
Kyle looked back to the crowd when he heard a noise. The doors opened and some people turned around and whispered when a blonde-haired woman walked through the doors and slipped into the pew in the last row.
Kyle stumbled over his words, recognizing the woman who tried to slip into the church without notice.
Kyle hid his confusion. What made Alison come back to town? She’d been so eager to leave that all he got that morning was a note.
The crowd was still whispering about the stranger who entered their church at the last minute.
“When you’re in need of the Lord, it doesn’t matter when you show up,” Kyle said, meeting Alison’s eyes.
The crowd snickered and Kyle grinned when he saw Alison shooting daggers at him from her seat.
Kyle talked through the last ten minutes of his sermon without further interruptions or hiccups. He couldn’t wait to find out why Alison had returned to town. He hoped it wasn’t about Olivia, because Miguel sent a text to him right before his first service and said Olivia was doing well despite grieving over her mother.
Did she spot more demons and exorcise them? He hoped so because he was tired of fighting this battle alone. Now he can confess everything to Alison, and he hoped she would be receptive in joining him to rid this town of demons.
The first service ended and Kyle made his way to the doors to greet everyone as was his usual practice every Sunday. He told everyone that morning the “busted pipes” were fixed and lunch returned to the church hall.
He and Alison met eyes as he walked past her. She didn’t move from her spot at the back of the church. He turned when he was at the entrance and waited for his congregation to exit and talk to him.
But most people walked up to Alison first. His first service always contained the most elderly of his congregation and the nosiest.
Kyle hid a chuckle as the ladies greeted Alison and at first, she looked uncomfortable, turning her head towards him and beckoning him to save her. Kyle didn’t move. Alison was on her own. After a few more greetings, she seemed to settle in and turned on the charm.
Mr. and Mrs. Foster approached him to thank him for the lovely sermon. They were being nice. They always were one of the nicest couples in town and welcomed him with open arms when he first took the job here.
“Your cousin is a lovely young woman, Reverend,” Mrs. Foster commented.
Kyle fought his laughter. So that’s the story she’s using. Okay, that’s clever.
“I don’t get to see her enough. I’m glad she visited,” Kyle said.
Kyle spent the rest of the time talking and greeting his congregation. Saying the usual thank you’s, giving hugs, and handshakes.
His second set was already arriving. He could see cars pulling into the parking lot. He needed a minute with Alison before he walked back to his office with Miranda to make sure everything was organized.
Afterward, he turned to see Alison talking to Miranda. They shared a laugh and turned when Kyle approached them.
“It’s my fault. It was a last-minute trip and I kept him up too late last night,” Alison said to Miranda.
Miranda turned to Kyle and said, “I will give you a moment. So nice to meet you, Alison.”
Alison smiled a bright and friendly smile. “You too, Mrs. James.”
“Please… call me Miranda.”
“Okay, Miranda.”
“Are you enjoying yourself, cuz?” Kyle asked when Miranda walked away.
They waited until she was out of earshot when Alison turned with a grin. “That was the best I could come up with.”
Alison looked Kyle over and said, “Nice suit. No robes? No collar?”
“It took awhile for them to get used to the lack of robes, but I wear the collar when it’s needed,” Kyle commented. “You came back. I'm confused.”
Alison’s mood changed. Her face turned darker, making Kyle worry. Had something happened when she left town?
Alison looked around and pulled Kyle farther into the church. “When I left this morning. I stopped at the convenience store right before exit seven.”
“Okay,” Kyle answered, waiting for more.
“Are you aware of the missing people in town? And how some are found months later?”
Kyle rubbed a hand over his face. “Yes. They don’t remember where they were and how they came out of the forests alive and well.”
Alison’s eyes darted around again. “Are any of those lost and found in your congregation?”
Kyle thought about it and said, “Not that I’m aware of. Did you see anything while you were talking with people?”
“Not in this set, but you have more coming, right?”
“Yes, they’re already out there.”
Alison nodded. “Okay. When I left the store, Simon was barking and growling. There were three near my car. I think they were giving me a warning.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. They threatened Alison? He blinked several times and swallowed. He didn’t have time now, but he needed to tell Alison about his suspicions. It made him angry that they had threatened her on her way out of town. She came to do a job and was intimidated for it. She could defend herself, but to take on three demons could have turned out badly.
“Are you okay?” Kyle asked. “They didn’t hurt you, did they? Is Simon okay?”
Alison’s eyes softened and her facial muscles relaxed. “No. They didn’t try to hurt us, but I have a clue.”
“What’s that?”
“The clerk came outside to check on us, he said one guy was named Justin. This Justin drove a red Ford F-150. Does that sound familiar?”
“Shit,” Kyle cursed and then silently apologized for cussing in church. He lowered his head and shook it. Yet again, he failed.
“Kyle? What’s going on?”
Kyle rubbed his face and said, “I know Justin. His father brought him to me about nine months ago. I thought I expelled it, Alison, I really did.”
Alison nodded and said, “You have an infestation here.”
“Is that what you call it?”
“How long has this been happening?”
“About five years, after the disappearances,” Kyle answered.
Kyle heard footsteps outside approaching. Ma
rkus was coming today and he could introduce him to Alison and they could start from there.
“We’ll talk about his later,” Alison said, her eyes turning to the doors. “There’s one in charge.”
“We will,” Kyle said. “Where’s Simon?”
Alison grinned again and said, “You need a better place to hide your spare key. The planter is too obvious.”
Kyle scoffed. “I’m surprised you didn’t pick the lock.”
“That was my next move,” Alison answered.
Kyle was about to speak when he spotted Emma Leavens walking up the stairs. She looked beautiful as always in a blue and white dress with her flaming red hair styled into a loose braid sitting over one shoulder.
He heard a noise come from Alison when she spotted Emma, but he couldn’t figure out what it meant.
He turned back to Alison to tell her about Emma when she asked, “Who’s the fire crotch?”
Kyle frowned at Alison. "She’s my biggest donor…”
“Yeah, and more than that.”
“A long time ago,” Kyle muttered.
Emma stopped in front of them and smiled her most charming smile. That smile was what Kyle fell for when he was going through his divorce. That smile got Emma everything she ever wanted in life.
“Good morning, Reverend,” Emma said. She was carrying her usual casserole dish, but Kyle knew better, the woman never cooked a day in her life. It was one of Mr. Leavens’ maids who whipped that up for her.
Kyle gave Emma a quick hug. She was wearing her Chanel today. He remembered that scent from their time together.
Emma turned and eyed Alison. Kyle noticed a change in her facial expressions. He caught a look of shock and confusion. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. Kyle wondered what the looks were about, and before he could process them, Emma’s face became stone and she plastered a winning smile on her lips.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before,” Emma said adjusting her casserole dish. She offered her hand to Alison and said, “My name is Emma Leavens.”
Alison side-eyed Kyle but she too plastered a smile on her face.
Kyle placed a hand on Alison’s shoulder before she could speak up. Alison gave him another side-eye but didn’t wiggle out of his grip.
“Emma, this is my cousin Alison. She’s visiting from Charlotte,” Kyle said.
Emma turned to Kyle in surprise. “Kyle, you never told me about a cousin in Charlotte. Pleased to meet you, Alison.”
Alison’s smile never left her face. “My pleasure, Emma. I just moved to Charlotte and thought I should pay a visit to your gorgeous town.”
Kyle tried to hide his eye roll.
“Oh! That’s wonderful. Where did you move from?” Emma asked.
“Tampa, Florida,” Alison answered.
Emma turned back to Kyle with more confusion. “I thought you said all your family lived in Texas.”
“I did but—”
“I only lived in Florida for a few years,” Alison answered. “I’m originally from…”
Alison turned to Kyle for help. “Dallas,” he answered since that was his hometown.
Emma looked between them. Emma may have been a shallow person, but no one ever accused her of being a dummy. She was much sharper than she let on.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” Emma said. “I better put this in the refrigerator. I’m looking forward to your service today.”
“Thanks, Emma,” Kyle said. “We’ll see you soon.”
Both Kyle and Alison waited until Emma was out of earshot.
Alison turned to Kyle with a smirk on her face. “She doesn’t seem like your type.”
Kyle sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “She’s not, she was a rebound.” He turned to Alison when a worrying thought ran through him. “She’s not one of them, is she?” Kyle said a quick prayer that Emma wasn’t.
Alison shook her head much to Kyle’s relief. “Not from what I could see, but she’s shady.”
“She married a rich widower,” Kyle explained. “My friend Markus never believed Emma’s story when she found him dead.”
Alison raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Who is Markus?”
“The local chief of police. He’s the only other person who knows the real deal in this town,” Kyle said. “I’ll introduce you to him when he arrives.”
Alison nodded but her eyes were on another person approaching the church. “You know, your first crowd wasn’t infected.”
Kyle looked over the crowd gathering in the parking lot. He noticed more faces turning towards the church some of them straining their necks. It could be because of Kyle’s “cousin” visiting, but he didn’t like the look on Alison’s face.
He tried to focus on the ones turned towards the church. Mrs. Dougherty kept turning her head in his direction as she spoke with Mr. and Mrs. Layton. Frank Kovacs walked through the parking lot never taking his eyes off the entrance and Deanna Isaac was outright staring at them from her car.
Kyle turned to Alison who stared back, her body tense. Her hand reached behind her back.
“Alison?” Kyle asked. “Are they…”
“I better leave and go back to the house. You can introduce me later,” she said. “There is a back door, right?”
Kyle pointed to the door that led to his office. “Go through my office and down the hallway. There’s an emergency exit. The alarm hasn’t worked in years.” The realization was hitting Kyle full force. Some of his own congregation were demons. These people attended his church, worshipped a God they hated alongside him. He dealt with these demons for a long time but never thought his congregation was part of the infected.
“What should I do?” He asked. He heard his voice raise a few octaves from panic.
Alison looked him in the eyes and said, “Nothing. Do your business as usual. If any of them want to speak to you privately, then text me and we’ll handle it. Keep your cool. They know what you did with Olivia and they know I’m here, but we have to keep calm.”
Kyle nodded and Alison turned to walk out of the church without notice.
Kyle tried to keep his hands from shaking. He wiped them on his suit and started to walk back to his office when Emma appeared in the doorway of his office that Alison just passed through.
“Your cousin said she wanted to check on her dog,” Emma commented.
Kyle didn’t want to talk to Emma right now. He wanted to get through the next hour and make plans with Alison on how to deal with this situation.
“She loves that dog,” Kyle commented.
Emma glanced over her shoulder and turned back to Kyle with a knowing look. “She doesn’t seem like the religious type either.”
“No, she’s not,” Kyle answered.
Emma approached with her heels clicking on the wooden floor. He knew that expression. She showed it many times when they were getting to know each other years ago.
“You look pale,” she said. “Is everything all right?”
She reached out with her hand and tried to touch Kyle’s cheek but he pulled away. “I’m fine. We were up late last night catching up. Thanks for asking.”
Emma sighed and put her arm down. “I don’t think you’re telling me everything, Kyle.”
Kyle’s fear turned to anger. He didn’t need to explain anything to Emma. He knew she had set her eyes on Mayor Manes. Whether they were involved, he didn’t know, and he didn’t care.
“I don’t need to, Emma,” Kyle said. “We agreed to remain friends, remember?”
Emma looked disappointed but nodded. She played with her braid while she turned her gaze outside to the gathering crowd. She turned back to Kyle and said, “I know, but remember, I still care about you.”
Kyle almost laughed when Emma walked out of the church to mingle among the other parishioners. She never gave a shit about him. The only person Emma ever gave a shit about was Emma.
Kyle turned and rushed back to his office. He needed some time alone before
his next service. He wondered how far this infestation went and who was behind it.
Kyle had a hunch, but he needed to talk it over with Alison about what their next move would be.
Chapter 16
Journal Entry Late 2000s
I came so close to confessing my secret life to my mom today. She called me and asked me about my job. My lies are getting hard to keep track of. How do I tell her I can make one phone call and have thousands of dollars transferred into my bank account in seconds?