The Soul Healer

by B. Groves

  “I believe you,” Alison said.

  “What? How can you believe that thing?” Kyle asked, but Alison ignored him.

  “I’ll let you go, but are you willing to tell me where you’re hiding the rest of the missing people?”

  Clara shook her head. “You found the cabin, and that’s where I took the ones who first entered the bodies, so I don’t know where they take them after that.”

  Alison thought for a moment and said, “He has to have another location.”

  “If he does, he never told me about it. The ones who never integrated fully after months of my trying to help them were taken away. I never saw them again. The ones who did integrate… well… some run away and others are already back in town, you just haven’t found them yet because they’re helping Samuel.”

  “Who was Samuel? Before?”

  “I don’t know. He recruited me to watch the cabin where you found Billy.”

  “What’s the end goal?”

  Clara’s face changed expressions as if she debated on what to say. “I was never up there with the hierarchy, but all I can tell you is they chose Wolfpine as a test for an eventual unification of us and the human soul. This has happened before, but you hunters are always in our way.”

  Alison nodded. “They tried this in New Mexico once. I was there for months with a team sweeping you out.”

  Clara smiled. “That’s not the only time. Some were successful, you haven’t come across them yet.”

  “How can I stop this, Clara?”

  “Take out the source of who can pass us through the veil quicker. When we don’t have a beacon, we can’t pass as easily,” Clara answered.

  “Samuel Manes,” Kyle muttered.

  Clara shot Kyle a deadly glare, but answered, “Yes.”

  “That’s all I needed, Clara. Thank you for your information,” Alison said stepping aside to let the woman through.

  Alison gripped Simon’s leash. He growled at the woman, but Alison reassured him that Clara wouldn’t harm either of them.

  Kyle struggled to step in front of Clara angrily. “Wait. Are you going to let her go?”

  “Yes. Get out of the way,” Alison said. “She’s too far gone.”

  Clara brushed past Kyle and stepped back into the church. She turned around one last time and said, “Samuel has had enough of your games, Reverend. You’ve been warned.”

  Kyle kept quiet and Alison saw fear cross his features.

  “Is there anywhere you can go? We can try to help you escape,” Alison suggested.

  Clara gave Alison a bitter smile. “No. I just hope one day I can return to Earth. I like it here.”

  Clara turned around and limped out of the church leaving Alison and Kyle standing there in silence.

  Alison turned back to Kyle, who was approaching her his face showing exasperation. “I can’t believe you’re letting her go. Just like that. Are you out of your mind?”

  Alison watched Kyle struggle to stand and said, “Since you still want to argue. I’ll be better off on my own.”

  Kyle breathed in and flinched. “I made a huge mistake, but I didn’t expect you to let her go.”

  “I told you I have to sometimes,” Alison said. “I wish I had made that decision in the past. Do you need to go to the hospital? You might have some cracked ribs.”

  “I want to go back to the house,” Kyle said with a look of defeat.

  Kyle turned down Alison’s offer to help him return to his house. It wasn’t until he almost tripped down the steps when he accepted Alison’s offer.

  “I can guess why you lied to me about leaving town,” Kyle said as they approached Kyle’s front door.

  “You ought to be grateful I didn’t,” Alison said.

  Kyle groaned in pain but didn’t answer. He handed Alison the keys and she checked to make sure Simon was behind them before opening the door. Simon was more relaxed now and sniffing around the grass.

  Alison helped Kyle sit down in the dining chair and said, “You should get some X-rays.”

  Kyle shook his head. “How would I explain it?”

  “Do you have ice packs?”

  “In the freezer.”

  “Pain killers?”

  “Advil. In my medicine cabinet,” Kyle answered.

  “I have stronger pain killers if you want them,” Alison commented.

  “Of course you do,” Kyle answered. “I might need them, but we’ll try Advil first.”

  Alison made sure Simon relaxed and went to grab the painkillers and towels.

  She found Kyle leaning against the table with his face contorted in pain. She placed the medicine and the ice packs on the table and helped him out of his collar and shirt. His midsection was turning a deep purple color from bruising.

  She found a glass and filled it with water. Kyle thanked her and swallowed the pills but only after choking on the water.

  “Oh, God,” he muttered.

  Alison carefully placed the ice over Kyle’s injuries. He jumped and cursed, but she heard a sigh of relief after the initial shock.

  He turned to look at her. His features changed from anger to one that Alison didn’t want to acknowledge. They stared at each other for several seconds before Alison had to break away from Kyle’s deep blue eyes.

  She tried to busy her mind and not think about the Reverend’s muscular chest and back or his broad shoulders.

  Alison cleared her throat and said, “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “I fucked up,” Kyle answered. “I thought taking Clara and bringing her soul back would show you’re wrong when you leave them alone.”

  “Was I wrong?”

  “Did you know pride is a sin?” Kyle shook his head. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “I have plenty,” Alison said, trying to hide a smile. “But with the shadows, I’ve learned it’s sometimes better to let go.”

  Kyle sniffed. “I guess so. I was wondering why she kept looking around as I trapped her in the church and Samuel Manes showed up with Jason.”

  Alison let up on the pressure of the ice when Kyle protested. “Was he a blondish guy? Kind of short? Looks like a high school quarterback?”

  “That’s him.”

  Alison nodded thinking back to her earlier surveillance. She debated telling Kyle what she knew, but he needed to know.

  “I saw him today,” she said.

  Kyle turned to stare at Alison. “You what?”

  “Kyle, do you know about Emma?”

  Kyle took the ice pack from Alison’s hand. Their fingers lingered and the staring started again. Alison turned away from Kyle. She didn’t know how to deliver her bad news, but he deserved the truth.

  “What about her?”

  “She’s not one. I already told you that, but she… helps them.”

  Kyle met Alison’s gaze again in disbelief. “There’s no way. No. I don’t believe it.”

  Alison could see Kyle’s anger building again. “Emma may be a lot of things, but she’s not evil. She’s my biggest donor, part of the church council, and donates her time to good causes. No one is perfect, but she wouldn’t do that.”

  Alison knew he wouldn’t believe her. She reached for her cell phone and swiped to the pictures she’d taken earlier that day.

  “I don’t know what this guy gave her but she wasn’t a happy camper,” Alison said.

  Kyle stared at the pictures for the longest time. He then took Alison’s phone and swiped through the rest. He handed the phone back to Alison. She felt terrible for telling him but he had to know.

  “She followed me to a grocery store and warned me to leave town,” Alison finished.

  Alison took the phone and showed Kyle her last snap of Emma leaving the parking lot of the grocery store.

  Kyle took the ice pack and threw it on the table. His eyes turned to the ceiling and he mumbled something about God helping him.

  “She’s been watching you. That’s why she still attends your church,” Alison said.
“She also said your exorcisms were amusing but after you contacted me, they had to act. That’s the reason for Samuel’s visit today.”

  Kyle’s face showed his betrayal as he handed the phone back to Alison. He sat staring into the distance.

  “I’m sorry,” Alison said.

  “It’s not your fault. I don’t know what I will do now. I’ve lived here for a long time, I know almost everyone here, and I feel like they’ve all been plotting against me ever since I discovered what’s going on,” Kyle said.

  “It’s not all of them. It’s a select few trying to keep a secret. We can only do so much. Hunters sometimes have to make hard decisions. I had to let Clara go. I sensed only the demon’s soul, but if I pulled out the demon, her body would become a vegetable,” Alison explained.

  Kyle looked at Alison in surprise. “How?”

  Alison lowered her head. She thought of the time the demon possessed Heather and the tumultuous years that followed. She wished she’d done things differently. Alison could have lived with the demon inside her sister as the demon lived within her.

  She thought about her time with Brady and the lives they couldn’t save.

  Alison debated answering and said, “There are many that I regret. Including one of my own family.”

  Kyle stared at her in surprise. “It hit you? Personally?”

  Alison nodded. “My sister.” Alison looked away and tried not to think about the night she found Heather. “My family hasn’t been the same since.”

  Kyle softened. She could see he was still struggling with how Alison approached her exorcisms but he seemed to understand her reasoning better.

  “I don’t know if I still agree with it, but I understand better now,” Kyle said. “I hope you remember you do God’s work, even if you don’t think so. Look what you did for Olivia.”

  Alison smiled. “Helping one person gain their freedom never gets old.”

  Alison felt the touch on her fingers. She looked down to see Kyle’s hand inching over hers. She didn’t pull away. It’d been a while since she felt any kind of human contact.

  “I hope you tell me your story,” Kyle said with a smile.

  “I will, but for right now I think sleep would do you a lot of good,” Alison said.

  Kyle pulled his hand away and shuddered in pain. “Why, Emma? Why? Can you tell me that much?”

  Alison rubbed her eyes and said, “I’ve seen people like her before. They shelter them, they help them into society, all on the premise of promises the demons will never keep.”

  “What kind of promises?”

  “It could be anything from money to power, even a promise of staying young forever,” Alison explained. “It’s all bullshit.”

  “And, she fell for it.”

  “Who knows what promises Samuel made to her. Don’t get angry with her. Feel sorry for her,” Alison said.

  “A friend has betrayed me. I can’t help it,” Kyle said.

  “I understand.”

  Kyle turned his head towards the cabinets and flinched again. “I need a drink.”

  “Good idea,” Alison said.

  Alison stood up and walked to the cabinets. She remembered Kyle’s liquor stash. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Kyle was trying to hide his pain while he adjusted in his seat.

  “You should lie down,” Alison said, pouring the amber liquid into the glasses.

  She turned watching Kyle running a hand through his hair in frustration. “How am I going to explain that closet? I still have to clean up the basement, buy a new bed—”

  Alison walked over with the glasses and set one down in front of Kyle. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Kyle swallowed the whiskey and laughed. “How many people do you know?”

  Alison laughed and took a sip of her whiskey. The liquid warmed the back of her throat. “We have a lot of help.”

  Kyle leaned his head in his hand. He tried a few times to take a deep breath, but every time he would flinch.

  “Where are you staying?” He asked.

  “I rented a cabin at the Valenza Cabin Rentals, but it looks like I won’t be going anywhere tonight,” Alison commented.

  Kyle shook his head. His eyes kept closing and he had to blink several times to keep them open. “Alison you don’t have to stay on my account, I’ll be fine. Besides, those are nice cabins. Nicer than this place.”

  “I think I’m good, and Simon looks comfy,” Alison said looking down at the dog at her feet.

  “I won’t argue,” Kyle said with a tired smile.

  “Good. Now, off to bed with you,” Alison said.

  “What if something happens?” Kyle asked as he stood up from the chair.

  “It won’t. Samuel has plans, but I have a feeling he won’t execute them until later.”

  Kyle nodded and walked over to Simon. He tried to bend down to pet the dog, but it was too painful. Simon stood up for a pet, but Kyle still struggled to pat him on the head.

  Kyle stumbled towards his bedroom and Alison followed close behind in case he slipped. She thought about asking him to go to the hospital again, but she knew he wouldn’t. She had more plans forming in her head, but those discussions could wait until morning.

  Kyle sat down the edge of the bed, breathing heavily. Sweat formed at his brow while he struggled to take his shoes off.

  “Are you going to let me help you?”

  Kyle dropped his foot back down on the floor and muttered yes.

  Alison kneeled, took his shoes off, and helped Kyle lie down.

  She went to turn off the light when she heard Kyle speak.

  “Alison?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you.”

  Alison turned off the light and closed the door behind her.

  Simon was waiting for her at the front door. He wasn’t tense and didn’t bark, and that meant he needed to go to the bathroom.

  She had extra supplies for herself and Simon inside the car for sudden changes in plans.

  Alison eyed Kyle’s cigarettes on the coffee table.

  Fuck it, she could try to quit again later.

  She grabbed one and the lighter and opened the door to take Simon for a walk.

  Alison lit the cigarette while she walked Simon. The nicotine made her dizzy as it rushed through her blood, but then the comforting smoked took over and she relaxed.

  She walked close to the church to make sure she locked it up while she and Kyle were walking back to the house.

  Satisfied, she turned to come back down the steps when Simon growled lowly.

  Alison stopped and listened for any kind of movement or any odd sound. The sun had set behind the mountains, but small beams of light still lit up the area.

  Her senses were on high alert. Birds chirped to her left and she heard the humming of cicadas coming from the forest.

  “What is it, boy?” Alison asked. “Where do you feel it?”

  Alison walked around the property. She felt the oppression; however, it was far away.

  There was a crop of trees beyond Kyle’s house and when a car passed by its headlights shone on the vehicle sitting behind the trees.

  Simon growled again in that direction.

  “There you are,” she whispered.

  She looked down at Simon and said, “Want to go say hi to our visitor?”

  Alison reached for her switchblade as she made her way closer to the vehicle. She grinned as she heard an engine turn on and headlights shine over the road. The car sped off before Alison could identify the make and model.

  “I thought so,” she said. “You’re not winning this one.”

  Chapter 30

  Kyle was groggy when he awoke the next morning. The pain in his sides was even worse than the day before, making him want to turn over and go back to sleep. He didn’t care for how long either. It could be days or weeks, and he wouldn’t care. It was the only relief he was getting from the pain.

  Alison had asked him if he wanted to go to the
hospital but he was too sore and tired to even make the trip.

  Kyle struggled to roll over and when he finally did, he was staring into gold eyes.