The Soul Healer

by B. Groves

  Samuel cocked his head. “No. I’m afraid that won’t work.” His voice was smooth and calm while Emma breathed heavily beside him. “The little girl comes with me until I’m safe—”

  Miguel stepped forward to protest, but Samuel pointed a gun right at him to stop him.

  Carter was lying on the ground and Alison couldn’t tell how badly hurt he was, but it was Emma who spoke up.

  “I?” she asked incredulously. “What do you mean?” Her voice went from the usual low and sultry to a high-pitched squeak. “I thought I was coming with you.”

  Samuel grinned. He approached Emma and drew Olivia away from the desperate woman.

  “Oh, my dear. You know I wouldn’t forget about you,” he said. “You are one of us. I told you all along you’ll see things that’ll blow your mind.”

  Samuel moved Olivia away from Emma and turned to walk the other way.

  Emma stood there confused with her gun at her side, not sure of what to do next. She glanced between Alison and Samuel and followed Samuel as he stepped away.

  Alison’s eyes widened when Samuel turned around with lightning speed and said, “Literally, blow your mind.”

  “Emma!” Alison screamed, but it was too late.

  The pistol discharged before Alison could finish Emma’s name and Alison watched in horror as blood spattered from the back of Emma’s head and she fell onto her back on the ground.

  Carter had been struggling to get up, but his injury made him reel back in pain.

  Olivia screamed and started sobbing again, calling for Miguel.

  “Please, sir,” Miguel said stepping forward with desperation over his face. “Please let my daughter go. She’s all I have.”

  Samuel smiled again and said, “I will, Miguel. You’re a good man, but first I need to disappear with her. I’ve already endured prison in a different place. I don’t want to endure it here on Earth in this body.”

  Samuel held Olivia in front of him while he pointed the gun at the two of them.

  Miguel bounced on his feet, his eyes darting around trying to find anything to free his daughter.

  Alison glanced at Carter, who lay still on the ground. She swallowed again and hoped the man was still alive.

  “I’ll keep her safe, I promise,” Samuel said.

  Miguel stopped and said, “Can I say goodbye?”

  Samuel didn’t hesitate. “No time.”

  Olivia looked between her dad and Alison with tears streaming down her face.

  Alison tried to think of a plan, but nothing was coming.

  She needed help, but if she moved the wrong way, she might end up like Emma and Carter.

  Alison’s thoughts frantically ran through her mind. How long before they could find a working vehicle and how far ahead will Samuel get before they could track him down to find her?

  Alison’s thoughts ran a mile a minute and then it hit her like a brick in the face.

  “Olivia,” Alison called.

  She was in shock, so she didn’t turn to acknowledge Alison’s voice at first.

  “Olivia!” Alison called.

  “She’ll be fine, Alison,” Samuel said, annoyed.

  Olivia glanced at Alison. Their eyes met, and Alison raised her arm to mouth and acted like she was biting it.

  Alison tried to hide her smile. The little girl was smart enough to realize what Alison was doing.

  Samuel placed a hand on her shoulder as he guided her over to the waiting vehicle.

  “Can you hold my hand?” Olivia asked.

  “As long as you keep quiet,” Samuel answered.

  “I will.”

  Olivia reached out her hand and Samuel took it.

  “Get ready,” Alison said to Miguel.

  Olivia brought Samuel’s free hand up to her mouth and bit down hard.

  Samuel yelped in pain and tried to shake Olivia off of him. Olivia held onto Samuel’s hand until he finally pushed her off and onto the ground.

  Neither Miguel nor Alison needed to say another word as they rushed the demon to subdue him, so Alison could do the exorcism.

  Samuel stood up straight, but couldn’t gain his balance fast enough before Miguel tackled him to the ground, making the gun fly off into the darkness.

  Miguel shoved Samuel to the ground and jumped on top of him while he punched anywhere he could around Samuel’s face and chest.

  “This is for my wife, gilipollas,” Miguel yelled. He hit Samuel again. “This is for ruining our lives, you evil fuck!”

  Alison landed on the ground beside Miguel and told Olivia to step as far away as she could as she stood up.

  She watched as Olivia ran off to hide somewhere.

  Alison needed to work fast or Samuel could overpower both of them.

  Alison’s power coursed through her. The energy ran from the bottom of her toes to her fingertips.

  Ancient darkness screamed and cried out inside her mind because Samuel was a powerful demon and while she was trying to exorcise him, he was trying to throw off her concentration.

  Miguel and Samuel struggled, and Samuel’s eyes turned from black to red. Alison had only seconds.

  She placed her hands on his head. A rush of power seared through her veins, and she entered into the mind of Samuel Manes.

  Alison found the path. She knew no soul would be inside the cage, but she still had to open the door.

  Obstacles stood in her way. Smoke clouded her vision, lightning struck right in front of her. It was all an illusion. She’d been through this before with more powerful demons, but Samuel was the most formidable demon she’d ever dealt with.

  Hands grabbed at her from the fog and mist. A branch came out of the darkness and tried to wrap itself around her throat to force her out of Samuel’s mind.

  Alison stopped and tried to free the branch that held in her place as it squeezed tighter around her throat.

  It lifted Alison into the air and she screamed in fear and pain. Voices around her sneered and laughed. They said she would die here.

  Before her, a dark figure appeared with eyes shining crimson through the fog.

  “Alison, I thought maybe you’d listen. I’m not the real monster here,” it said. “I would have let the kid go, but you’ve left me no choice but to kill you all. I don’t enjoy killing humans, we need them for our future.”

  “You bring this world to its knees and still murder as many as you could,” Alison gasped.

  “Perhaps, but we’d leave some alive,” Samuel said. “I have my orders and I intend to follow them, whether in this body or another but until then…”

  Alison felt a weight slam against her chest and the next thing she knew she was flying through the air and landed hard on her back.

  She couldn’t catch her breath for many seconds as pain ripped through her shoulders and back.

  She heard a thump next to her and realized Miguel had landed the same way as he moaned in pain from landing on his shoulder.

  Alison lifted her head from the ground. Samuel stood up, his eyes glowing scarlet in the darkness while the rest of him was cast in shadow.

  Without a word, Samuel reached for his gun and cursed. “I guess I must have some fun.”

  With those words, Samuel opened his mouth and the shadow exited.

  Alison’s eyes widened and she pulled at Miguel to get up and run, but they were too late.

  The shadow wrapped around their bodies. All Alison felt was a skin-crawling fear wrap around her chest.

  Samuel lifted them both high in the air.

  Alison struggled against the dark mist that wrapped around her. She tried to use her powers to free herself, but something trapped her hands behind her back.

  Samuel looked away for a second and said, “I think you’ll be joining the good Reverend soon.”

  Alison looked at Samuel in confusion. “What?”

  Samuel grinned but didn’t say another word because the dark mist started to squeeze the life out of both Alison and Miguel.

  Bloo
d rushed to Alison’s head. Her insides were being crushed. She tried to scream, but the act failed her. She looked everywhere to see if they had any help coming but nothing came out of the darkness.

  Just as Alison and Miguel were weakening Samuel spoke up. “Nice. I will crush your soul—”

  Samuel never finished his sentence. A gunshot rang out from behind him and before Alison knew it she was falling to ground once again.

  She landed with a hard thud on her left shoulder and moaned from the pain that shot through her arm and head.

  But she had no time to feel the pain as she turned to watch as a hole appeared through Samuel’s forehead. His eyes turned dark and his hands fell to his side. His body convulsed and his mouth opened wide and the shadow exited his body and dissipated into the humid air.

  As his body crumpled to the ground, Alison spotted Olivia rising from behind him still holding the pistol in front of her.

  Miguel stood up on shaky legs and stumbled over his daughter. Olivia dropped the gun and ran sobbing into her father’s arms.

  Alison stood up and made her way over to Samuel.

  Dark blood spread from beneath his head. His eyes stared into nothingness. Alison bent over and checked, anyway. No pulse found.

  She stood up and tried to catch her breath, relieved it was over. Thanks to a brave little girl who only weeks ago, could have been something very different.

  Alison watched with a slight smile on her face with the father and daughter reunion.

  Alison remembered that Carter was not far away and went over to check on him.

  “Chief?” She asked.

  Carter’s eyes fluttered and he said, “Is it over?”

  Alison smiled and said, “Yes. I’ll get help.”

  Carter nodded and closed his eyes but his face remained creased with pain.

  Alison heard voices calling her name from behind her. She turned and smiled at the other hunters but the grim look on John’s face made her smile falter.

  John came up and placed his hand on her shoulder. “We need a car… now.”

  Alison’s heart jumped into her throat so fast she couldn’t ask why.

  John squeezed Alison’s shoulder. “It’s Reverend Ellis. He killed Jason but Jason stabbed him too, Alison. He’s still alive. Dennis and Simon are with him. He needs to go now or—”

  Alison didn’t hear the rest of the words, her eyes darted over to Carter who was now sitting up with the help of another hunter.

  His and Alison’s eyes met, and he said, “Go. I’m fine. Get him out of here.”

  Alison heard yelling behind her, but she ignored it. She had one thing, one person on her mind.

  Alison tried to bite back tears as she ran through the forest towards the barn.

  She ignored the brush scraping at her arms and kept her balance when she tripped over a root in the path.

  She came out to the other side where the barn sat, and she frantically looked around for Dennis and Simon.

  Alison heard a small bark to her left. Dennis had moved Kyle against a tree and was pressing down on his abdomen.

  Simon came over to greet Alison but her mind was on one thing.

  She skidded into the dirt and said, “Kyle. Kyle, wake up, please.”

  “Is someone bringing a car?” Dennis asked.

  Even in the darkness, Kyle’s face had gone pale, his skin was clammy, and his eyes only opened and closed twice when Alison said his name. Blood stained the whole front of his shirt and the top of his jeans.

  Dennis had removed his shirt and had been stopping the blood flow. He checked on it and said, “Someone needs to get their ass over here.”

  Alison pressed her forehead against Kyle’s. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks. “Hang on,” she said. Her voice became panicky. “Remember, we’re supposed to walk the beach in Clearwater.”

  Kyle opened his eyes and blinked a few times before closing them again.

  “Where’s the fucking car?” She cried out.

  Alison raised her head when an SUV skidded around the corner of the forest and pulled up in front of them.

  Out jumped Miguel and John, along with Olivia.

  “This is Carter’s truck. The hospital is not far,” Miguel said, opening the back door.

  Alison ran around the other side and hopped into the backseat while the three men lifted Kyle into the SUV, and Alison pulled him so his head sat on her lap. Dennis handed her blood-soaked shirt and pushed Kyle’s legs in. Miguel let Simon into the back area, and Olivia jumped into the front seat.

  Alison looked at Olivia. “Olivia, maybe you should stay here. You’re safe now.”

  “No,” Olivia said. “I won’t leave Reverend Kyle.”

  Alison checked Kyle’s pulse. It was weak but there. His breathing became shallower and he was delirious, mumbling things Alison couldn’t understand.

  “We saved some of them, but we need to burn the rest,” Alison heard John say. “We’re calling in the other team and Carter’s calling for help.”

  Miguel hopped into the driver’s seat and Alison jerked when he placed the car in gear.

  Alison reached over and turned on an overhead light, so she could keep an eye on Kyle.

  “How far is it?”

  “Not far. About four miles,” Miguel answered.

  Alison kept the pressure on the wound. Kyle cried out in pain and tried to push her hand away.

  He opened his eyes to stare at her, but she didn’t know if he saw her.

  “Stay with me, okay? We’re almost there.”

  Kyle opened his mouth to say something as they sped along the streets. Alison caressed his face and his hair.

  “You lost your glasses. We’ll buy you a new pair,” she said.

  Kyle kept trying to talk, but they only came out in whispers or grunts.

  “It’s okay,” she said with a smile. “We’ll talk when you’re better.”

  Alison jerked against the door and looked up to see the red emergency room sign and an arrow pointing to the doors.

  She said another prayer when Kyle closed his eyes again.

  Miguel skidded the SUV to a halt in front of the emergency doors and barely put the truck in park before he jumped out and ran inside.

  Alison looked down at Kyle. His mouth hung open and his eyes were half-closed.

  She tried to hold back her sobs because Olivia had turned around to gaze at him over the seat.

  “Is he going to be okay?” She asked. Her voice was so innocent.

  Alison’s lips trembled as the door flew open and a bunch of nurses and what Alison thought was a doctor were running through the doors with a gurney.

  Simon barked a few times, but Alison made him quiet down.

  They pulled Kyle through the door and set him on the gurney while the doctor gave orders, and the nurses pushed him through the doors.

  Alison was left staring at her bloody hands.

  Chapter 53

  Alison waited outside on a bench with Olivia sleeping next to her and Simon resting at her feet. It had been chaos since they arrived at the hospital with the other victims coming in for medical help.

  Police officers and other law enforcement were in and out along with other medical staff and families.

  There were others that showed up as well. What John called the “Federal Team” were their helpers on the government side of things to give them cover for incidents such as this.

  Alison wasn’t allowed inside because of Simon and she refused any medical attention while she waited on news of Kyle’s condition.

  Miguel had come out to tell her they’d rushed him into surgery and that was all he knew, and then went back inside because they wanted to examine him. Olivia decided to stay outside with Alison and refused any medical attention.

  A nurse was nice enough to bring Alison some towels and other toiletries so she could clean up, although her shirt and jeans were a lost cause.

  Then the same nurse brought them ginger ale and chicken salad sandwiches l
eft over from the employee cafeteria. Alison couldn’t eat so she let Olivia take her share of the sandwich, but drank two cans of ginger ale.