Battle of the Soul

by Carl Alves

  “I had such high hopes for you. When I discovered what you had become, I became despondent. My disappointment turned to anger, and I realized I had to eliminate you. I wish it could be different, but you left me with no choice. Prepare to die.”

  Andy shook his head. He would try to figure out this demon’s cryptic words later. Right now, he just had to survive.

  He sprang to his feet. This demon might be incredibly powerful, but it had to be easier to take on one than to go against three. He had already gotten his ass kicked enough by them.

  He charged at the unknown demon. When he was within a few feet, the demon raised his hand, bringing Andy to a complete stop. He struggled, but could not move. Sweat poured down his face. No matter how hard he strained, he could not break free from this paralysis. The demon flicked his wrist and Andy flew backward, falling in front of the unholy trio.

  Asmodeus jumped, laughing and pointing. Andy got to his feet and gave Asmodeus a backhand strike that silenced the demon. It was bad enough to get beat down; he couldn’t tolerate getting taunted as well.

  Andy retreated, pondering his next move. Then he realized there was no next move. The unholy trio was too much for him. With this new demon in the mix, he had no chance.

  Still, he was no quitter. He went after the new demon once more, attempting a flying side kick. Andy got closer this time, and for a moment thought he would connect. Then the demon held up his palm, stopping Andy in mid air. Another flick of his wrist sent Andy flying backward to the amusement of the demonic spectators.

  He tried to look up, but could barely lift his head. The new super-demon stood in front of him. He held out his left hand, and Andy levitated. He struggled and strained but could not stop himself from rising. When he was close to his tormentor, Andy tried a different tactic. Instead of fighting it, he went along with the pull that had enwrapped his body. Raising his fist, he smashed the demon’s forehead.

  The demon’s head rocked back, and his control over Andy dissipated.

  A scowl covered Baphomet’s face as he took out his axe. Asmodeus clenched his fists. Malachai bared his fangs.

  It was hopeless. He had to get away. What other choice did he have if he wanted to live?

  He turned and ran. Not far from him was the top of a hill. He extended his arms and soared to that spot. He couldn’t fly, but he was capable of jumping inhuman distances. He landed with all the grace of an elephant trying to stand on its hind legs.

  Exhaustion seeped through every pore on his body. He couldn’t think straight. He stared at his four foes, then glanced at Kate, who had a lost look on her face. He desperately wanted to help her. He had thought himself invincible, but this experience had shattered that illusion.

  His eyes locked with Kate’s, and his heart felt as if it would shatter. I’m so sorry, he mouthed. With the unholy trio and this new badass demon advancing on him, he did the only thing left to do. He abandoned Kate and exited the world of the soul.

  Chapter XI

  Andy woke up screaming, his entire body convulsing.

  Holly’s eyes were wide, her jaw clenched. She grabbed his hands. “What’s wrong?”

  He pulled back and fell off the bed where he had been sitting, his back landing hard against the carpeted floor, his head narrowly avoiding the edge of a nearby desk.

  Holly looked on the verge of tears. “What happened?”

  Andy shook his head. He tried to stand but doubled over from an incredibly sharp pain in his abdomen. It felt like he had been stabbed by a knife. He gasped for breath.

  Holly put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “No.” It came out like a whisper. He couldn’t look at her perfect face. He had failed her. He deserved twice the pain he felt. Staring at Kate lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully, Andy felt like crying. How could he leave her behind just to save his own ass?

  Holly leaned over and put her hand to Kate’s forehead. “Is she going to be all right? She looks better.”

  Andy shook his head. His legs wobbled, and he collapsed, knocking down a lamp from the desk.

  Holly helped him to his feet. “What’s going on? You don’t look so good.”

  He stared at Kate. This was a false façade. She might look better, but she wasn’t.

  As if reading his thoughts, Holly frowned. “Is Kate going to be okay?”

  Andy turned away. He was about to speak until an explosive pain jarred his head. Pressing his fingertips against his temples, he felt as if he had just wrestled an alligator. When the pain in his head subsided, he said, “She’s not all right. I…I couldn’t get rid of them.”

  Holly’s lower lip trembled. “What do you mean you couldn’t get rid of them?”

  “I’m sorry, Holly. Your daughter’s in serious trouble, and I can’t help.”

  Holly shrieked. “No! You said you could save her.”

  “I wish I could. There’s just too many of them. I failed you. I’m sorry.” He ran out of the room. His rubbery legs couldn’t support him and he tumbled down the stairs.

  “Wait,” Holly called after him.

  He got to his feet and hesitated for a moment. There was nothing he could do. If he returned to the world of Kate’s soul, they would kill him.

  He tore out of Holly’s house, not closing the door. He reached his Mustang and turned on the ignition. Although Asmodeus, Baphomet, and Malachai were major demons, he didn’t think they had the ability to pull off this multiple possession. It was that new demon. He had never encountered one remotely that powerful. Somehow that demon had manipulated Kate’s soul to allow passage to the unholy trio.

  As he sped out of New Jersey, Andy began to cry. If he couldn’t help Kate, then no one could. She was as good as dead, and her life would be one of incredible torment. Eventually the demons that possessed her would wear out her body. She would go into cardiac arrest or have a severe stroke. That was how the demons worked. They used a person up until their body had nothing left. He had even seen cases of possessions where the victim had died of internal hemorrhaging. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

  He kept thinking of Kate, not the little girl sleeping on the bed, but the helpless child he had abandoned in the world of her soul. When he first saw her, she told him he could not save her. She had known just how grave her situation was. Being an arrogant bastard, he told her he would vanquish the demon inside of her. It would be as easy as snapping his fingers.

  Andy cursed to himself. Why did they have to pick that little girl? She was so young and innocent. Why couldn’t they have chosen some loser who was strung out on crack?

  As he drove, his guilt wore on him like a pounding thunderstorm, eating away his mind. He was her only hope and he failed her.

  When he crossed over the Walt Whitman Bridge, he came to the realization that if he could not do something to help Kate, then there was no point going forward. He had no other skills, no other purpose in this world other than to exorcise demons. This was who he was. If he wasn’t willing to help that precious little girl than he might as well drive off the bridge and end it right here.

  He caught sight of a non-descript van in the rear-view mirror. He was pretty sure he had seen this van back at Holly’s house.

  After paying his toll, he pulled his car to the side of the road prior to the entrance to I-95. He smashed his fist against the steering wheel. Fuck it. He was going to exorcise the demons from Kate or die trying. If he couldn’t accomplish this one goal, then his life was not worth living.

  He took out his cell phone and dialed Monsignor Curran, who answered on the first ring.

  The anxiety on the priest’s voice was apparent. “Andy. What is it? I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

  Andy took a deep breath. “It was a complete disaster.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other end. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll go into detail later, but I need Holly’s number.”

  “Where are you?”

  “On the road,�
� Andy replied. “I just crossed the Walt Whitman. I ran out of there like a little bitch. I was scared shitless.”

  “But why?”

  “There were four major demons in there. They ganged up on me.”

  Monsignor Curran gasped. “Four? How’s that possible?”

  “I don’t know. I have to call Holly. I abandoned her and I feel horrible about it. I’m going back to help Kate. There’s got to be a way.”

  “Hold up, Andy. What you’re telling me is astounding. Maybe you should come home.”

  “Look, Monsignor, I’m going back, and that’s all there is to it. I’ve already decided that, and there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.”

  “What if they kill you? Are you hurt?”

  Andy felt like hell, but that was beside the point. “It doesn’t matter. I have to help her.”

  “I can’t let you get killed.”

  Andy yelled into the phone. “I don’t give a shit! I’m going back.”

  Monsignor Curran lowered his voice. “I’m not saying you should abandon her. All I’m saying is you shouldn’t go right now. Come to the rectory. We’ll have dinner and talk about this. I need to know everything that happened. Then we can devise a reasonable game plan.”

  Andy stared at the cars passing him on the road. He couldn’t argue with Monsignor Curran’s logic. “All right. We’ll do that, but I still want Holly’s number, so I can you know, tell her that…”

  “Fine. Give me your word that you’ll drive straight here so we can sort this out.”

  Andy promised, and Monsignor Curran gave him the number.

  He called Holly before hitting the road again. The phone rang five times. He anticipated voice mail picking up the call, but instead she answered.

  “Holly, it’s Andy.”

  “Oh. Why are you calling?”

  Andy wiped the sweat off his brow. His shirt was soaked. “Listen, I just want to tell you that I’m really sorry about what happened.”

  Holly let out a sob. “You convinced me you could do something for Kate. Then you just left.”

  “I know. I’m not going to make excuses for what I did. There are multiple demons in your little girl’s soul. I’ve never seen anything like it before and I ran away like a scared dog. That’s not going to happen again. Look, I’m not going to tell you I’ll succeed because I’ve never seen this before, but I can promise you one thing, I’m going to do everything I can to exorcise those demons, even if I die trying.”

  Holly drew a long breath. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get my hopes up again and let me down.”

  “You have no reason to trust me. If you’ll have me back, I’m going to do this. I don’t know how, but by God, I’m going to help Kate.”

  “Okay, Andy. I don’t have much choice. Nobody else has been able to do a thing for her.”

  “Thanks. I have to talk this over with Monsignor Curran so we can come up with a game plan. I’ll call you, if not tonight than tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay.”

  “How’s Kate?”

  Holly paused. “She looks fine now. She’s back to her normal self.”

  “Good. Keep your faith. I know it’s probably not too high right now, seeing all the shit you’ve been through, but you know that whole business about God working in mysterious ways, well I’m living proof of that.”

  He said goodbye and hung up the phone.

  For the first time since he left Holly’s house scared out of his wits, he felt better, if not about the situation, at least about himself. He was going to get past his fear. Monsignor Curran was right. The best thing to do was to go back to the rectory and regroup. The Monsignor would come up with a plan. The man was friggin’ brilliant. He knew how to speak four languages and had a wealth of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. If he hadn’t chosen the priesthood, he would have succeeded in the business world or whatever endeavor he tried.

  As he drove into Philadelphia, Andy replayed the events in Kate’s soul. The pain he felt after waking felt like a buzz saw cutting through him. His muscles and head still throbbed like a bastard. When he returned to Kate’s soul, he would have to go through it all again. He had a high pain threshold, but the prospect didn’t excite him.

  As he approached the Girard Avenue exit of I-95, he stared at the rearview mirror. What the hell? The same van had been driving behind him back in Jersey was still behind him. It had tinted windows and a sinister look to it, if that was possible for a vehicle.

  Andy switched lanes and floored the accelerator. The son of a bitch picked up speed. Andy swerved through traffic. The van was still on his tail.

  Andy thought about outrunning the van, but his Mustang was such a piece of crap that if he pushed it hard, it would probably break down on him.

  As he was thinking about his options, the van hit the back of his car.

  “What the hell?” Did he owe this dude money or something?

  Andy accelerated his Mustang. Just as he put a little separation between his car and the van, the rear windshield exploded. Shards of glass ripped into the back of his head and neck.

  “Holy shit!” Andy lowered his head. They had actually shot at him. He wasn’t a saint, and often did things he regretted, but what could he have done for someone to shoot at him?

  Breathing hard, blood pouring down his neck, he glanced back. The van accelerated and smashed his car.

  He mouthed a quick prayer. The only thing in his mind was that he had to somehow get out of this mess so he could see Holly and that girl who so desperately needed him.

  Chapter XII

  If he could get off the highway, maybe he could lose them on the side streets. He was familiar with the city; hopefully they weren’t.

  He approached the Girard Avenue exit, which would take him into North Philadelphia. He swerved into the exit ramp, hoping the van wouldn’t make it. He looked in his rear-view mirror. Damn. Still behind him.

  Once off the exit, he raced to the side streets.

  Two shots came from his pursuers, but the bullets sailed over his car. One hit a stop sign and another hit a building. Normally, gunfire would arouse attention. Not in this neighborhood. Gunshots were commonplace, and the police would be slow to react, if they responded at all.

  He pressed the accelerator, and his car sputtered. This piece of shit was going to get him killed. He made a sharp right turn, and his car fishtailed. The van remained in pursuit, closing ground before bumping him from behind.

  A jolt sent him forward, and he banged into the front windshield. He gritted his teeth. “Bastard! Just leave me be.”

  Another hit from the rear, this one not as severe as the previous one. He could only imagine what the back of his car looked like.

  He tried to accelerate his car. “Shit!” Another vehicle was crossing the intersection in front of him, going as slow as a turtle. He was going to smash into it. Tapping the brakes, the van crashed into him again. His car skidded forward past the slow-moving car. He regained control and turned onto another side street.

  A glance in the rearview showed the van still behind him.

  They shot at him again. The bullet buried into the front passenger seat. Another few inches, and it would have clipped him.

  He hit the accelerator, and the Mustang squealed. “No.” His car roared back and shot down the street.

  A kid bouncing a basketball looked at them wide-eyed as they passed. The last thing he wanted was for an errant bullet to kill an innocent person. There was enough of that around here without him contributing to the problem.

  The van gained on him, so he hit the accelerator.

  Two more shots from his attackers. One hit the front windshield and another the dashboard.

  Andy saw an opportunity to lose them. A car was coming from the cross street. Andy made a sharp turn onto the street the car was coming from. The woman driving the car hit her brakes as he screeched past. Her car swerved and smashed into the van.

  Andy glanced back an
d pumped his fist. “Yes!”

  He made a quick left, went down the street and made a right. The street he had turned onto was a dead end. A junkyard surrounded by a large fence stood in front of him. He slammed the brakes and nearly rammed into the fence.

  Andy was breathing hard. His heart raced. What the hell was he going to do? He put the car in reverse and hit the gas, but his car stalled. “Goddamn, mother of a whore!” He tried to start the car, but the engine wouldn’t turn. He tried again with no luck. The sound of screeching tires came from behind him. He tried to start the car one more time, but it still didn’t work.

  Not wanting to stay here like injured prey waiting to be eaten, he got out of the car and ran down an alley.

  The sound of a car skidding to a halt came from up the street. Andy didn’t look back. He needed to hide. In the background, doors slammed shut. Up ahead, two young girls were playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. He raced past them and turned onto a bigger street that had a corner store, a tattoo shop, and a bar. He needed a drink. Maybe he could hide in the bar. He shook his head as he ran past it. They would look for him there. It wouldn’t take much incentive for the patrons to give him up to his pursuers.

  Andy gasped when he spotted a man in a navy coat at the end of the block he had just come from. The guy had a sharp chin and cold eyes. His sinister look suggested he was one of the people chasing after him.

  Andy ran to the end of the block, sucking wind. He had never regretted being out of shape as much as he did now.

  When he reached the next alleyway, inspiration struck him. There was a big dumpster behind the bar. He ran to the dumpster, looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and climbed inside.

  He held his breath. It smelled like rotten eggs and spoiled meat. He wasn’t squeamish, but this was beyond disgusting. Still, it beat being shot at. He buried himself underneath cigarette butts, empty cartons, beverage containers, and goo. Despite his revulsion, he dug deeper.

  After he was underneath the garbage, he wiggled his arms free and pinched his nose shut. He would have to shower for ten weeks to remove the stench.