Battle of the Soul

by Carl Alves

  Shouts rang out. He remained completely still, even though his arms and stomach itched like crazy. He fought off a monstrous urge to vomit.

  He held his breath as footsteps came toward him. They slowed. Somebody was looking around. He mouthed a silent prayer that they wouldn’t look in the dumpster. He thought about the cuts on the back of his neck and head. Had he left a trail of blood? He continued to hold his breath until the footsteps became softer and more distant.

  Long after the shouting and footsteps were gone, he stayed put, fighting nausea and terror. This was by far the worst day of his life. He still couldn’t believe these men were trying to kill him. Like he did anything to deserve that.

  Cockroaches crawled up and down his leg. He vomited into the garbage that surrounded him, making the already horrible stench smell like death. He shook his leg, but that only seemed to invite more cockroaches. He had to get out of here. What if the men were still around? It seemed like a long time, but it probably only had been a few minutes since they had passed.

  He cringed, trying to take his mind off the filth and the bugs squirming on him. The hell little Kate was going through had to be worse than this. That made him wonder about her states of remission. Where did the demons go while she was in a lucid state? He hoped she had some peace during those times.

  Something bit him just below the groin. He couldn’t take it anymore. He began to count to one hundred. When he was done, he was getting out of this dumpster. He fought the temptation to count fast. It would be over soon. Until then, he could endure a little more misery.

  He slowly pulled away the trash that covered his body and hoisted himself out of the dumpster. The sight of three rats crawling by his sneakers made him ill.

  He scanned the alleyway but could not find his pursuers. They must have moved on in their search, but he couldn’t rule out that they were lurking around the corner ready to strike.

  He had a terrible itch on his leg. He hiked up his pants and found a nasty cockroach that looked as if it had been pumped up with steroids. He flicked it off and stomped it with his sneaker.

  Returning to his car wasn’t an option. He had to navigate on foot through this neighborhood and avoid getting shot.

  He only had one real choice of where to go. Walking to the end of the alleyway, he peered in all directions, then set off, flinching every time he saw someone.

  He moved quickly through the streets without attracting attention, not an easy feat considering he smelled like a sewage pit. Thankfully, he was only a few blocks from his destination.

  A couple of kids who looked like gangbangers in training approached him. They made comments about his stench but passed without incident.

  With a sigh of relief, he turned onto Balkman Street. A white van drove in his direction. His heart beat rapidly. He was about to turn and run when he saw that the driver was an older man with gray hair and a mustache, not one of the people chasing him. Andy stayed still as the van drove past. Much more of this and he was going to have a heart attack.

  With weary legs, he walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. His shoulders sagged and he felt like collapsing when the door opened.

  Sister Margaret put her hand to her mouth and gasped. “Oh my! What happened to you, Andy?”

  “I’ve had a bad day.” Andy sighed. “People are trying to kill me. I need help.”

  Sister Margaret grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, then locked the door behind her. “What happened?”

  “It’s a long, painful story. People were shooting at me and ran me off the road.”

  Sister Margaret hugged him and put his head against her shoulder. “It’s okay now. You’re safe here.”

  Andy lingered for a while. Sister Margaret’s embrace felt like heaven. He pulled back. “Thanks. I needed that.”

  “You have to tell me what took place, but first you need a shower and change of clothes.”

  Andy chuckled. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”

  “I’ll get a towel. I have clothes that should fit. Should I call Monsignor Curran?”

  “Definitely. He’s going to need to hear this.”

  After Sister Margaret gave him a towel and fresh clothes, he undressed and stepped into the shower, hoping the worst was behind him, although in his heart, he knew it was just beginning.

  Chapter XIII

  Andy sat huddled in the passenger seat of the Honda Civic as Monsignor Curran drove back to Our Lady of Good Hope parish. He thought about his Mustang, all shot up and smashed to hell. Good riddance. Of all the things that had happened today, he felt the least amount of regret about that.

  At Saint Cecilia’s, neither he nor Monsignor Curran spoke about the botched exorcism while Sister Margaret skillfully pulled out glass from his chest, shoulders, face and head, then put ointment on his cuts and bandaged him. When she had pressed him on who might have run him down, he told her they were probably gangbangers. In this neighborhood, that was a plausible explanation.

  Very few people knew about his role as an exorcist, and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t know how Sister Margaret would react. She cared about him, and that was all that mattered. She certainly had enough to deal with in her life without him complicating matters.

  Andy was starving. They stopped by a pizza place owned by a parishioner of Our Lady of Good Hope, who always gave Monsignor Curran a significant discount. He wolfed down six slices of pizza and a liter of soda, feeling much better by the time they arrived at the parish. They went to Monsignor Curran’s office, and he closed the door behind them. Hardly speaking during the car ride, Andy used the time to gather his thoughts.

  Monsignor Curran sat behind his desk and folded his hands. “Is there anything you left out about the car chase when we were talking with Sister Margaret?”

  Andy shook his head. “That was pretty much everything.”

  “All right. Tell me everything that happened today from the time you arrived at Holly Dodson’s house.”

  Andy gave him a detailed account. The only thing he left out was the overwhelming effect Holly had on him. He had never had such intense feelings about a woman. Remembering how he let her down was eating away at him.

  Monsignor Curran stroked his chin. “So Kra-lex was the first demon you encountered. He must have been a pawn to get you to relax your guard.”

  Andy nodded. “I should have realized that right from the jump.”

  “I think this new demon must have allowed entry to the others. Relay the conversation you had with him again.”

  Andy tried to repeat his conversation with the demon.

  “Hmm. Why would he say he was disappointed in you? Enraged that you would harm his kind, but disappointed, that sounds almost…”

  “What?” Andy asked.

  Monsignor Curran shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Andy looked at the floor. “He said he had to kill me. Do you think, like, if I died down there I’d be dead up here too?”

  Monsignor Curran closed his eyes. “I’m certain of it. After all, they have killed many priests trying to perform exorcism rites. Why should you be any different just because you enter the person’s soul instead of using prayer?

  “Listen to me, Andy. I realize you harbor guilt for leaving Kate behind, but you did the right thing. They would have killed you if you stayed, and I can’t afford to lose you. The world can’t afford to lose you. I love you like a son, and more importantly, humanity would be in grave danger if you weren’t around.”

  Andy clenched his fists. “Screw that. I’m going to help Kate.”

  “I want to help the child as well, but it’s not worth your life.”

  Andy’s voice rose. “I risk my life whenever I do this. I just always come out on top. I’m going to help her, and I don’t give a damn what you think.” He immediately regretted his words. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We’re going to get through this together. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side.”

  �
��Thanks.”

  Monsignor Curran folded his hands. His eyes looked weary. “Let’s go back to the car chase. Do you know anyone that would have any reason to kill you?”

  For a moment Andy thought about Cesar, Malik’s enforcer. He owed Malik money, but it seemed unlikely Cesar would try to kill him since he had only warned him yesterday. Andy shook his head.

  “I believe the people who tried to kill you are in league with the demons you faced in Kate’s soul.”

  “Say what?”

  “It’s too coincidental. If you look at each incident individually, it may not seem so, but looking at it collectively in a big picture, it becomes obvious.”

  Andy frowned. “Talk to me in language I can understand.”

  “Fine. Let’s break this down. Kate’s exorcism was a trap, a ploy to lure you in.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They chose a target close in proximity to Father Christopher. If you had not gone to see Kate at first, they ensured you would eventually attempt to exorcise her after they killed Father Christopher, since he was someone you knew well. It also doesn’t hurt that Kate’s mother is young and attractive, making you all the more willing to help her.”

  “It’s not like that. I would have tried to exorcise Kate anyway.”

  “They made sure they would encounter you in the world of Kate’s soul and swung the odds in their favor by devising this scheme of a multi-demon possession. This new demon you told me about truly concerns me. If he’s as powerful as you suggest, this could be problematic.”

  “No shit.”

  “You managed to escape Kate’s soul, but they were not willing to take any chances. You said you had originally spotted the van in New Jersey. That means it was waiting for you after you left Holly’s house. I see a larger conspiracy at work. The demons and the people in the van are working together to take you out of the picture.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Andy buried his face in his hands. “That sucks.”

  Monsignor Curran nodded. “It certainly does.”

  “But why?”

  Monsignor Curran’s eyes radiated intensity. “The old Latin rites have lost their effectiveness in combating demons.”

  “You mean they actually worked before?”

  “You’ve been able to thwart demons time and time again since you started performing exorcisms, which was about what eight, nine years ago?”

  Andy tried to think back. He had just graduated high school when he did his first exorcism. “That’s about right.”

  “If you weren’t around to stop them, these demons with their newfound strength and brazenness would run rampant on humanity. Nothing could stop them. I don’t profess to know their end game, but they could do a great deal of damage without your presence on a scale the world has never seen before.”

  Andy was silent. He had never considered that they had a larger plan in mind other than destroying people’s lives. The thought chilled him.

  When he next spoke, Monsignor Curran had a distant look. “They want you dead and will accomplish it by any means necessary. If they can’t kill you in the world of the soul, then they will do it here.”

  Andy ran his hands through his hair. “That really sucks.”

  “But we can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.”

  Chapter XIV

  Andy slumped onto the worn sofa in his apartment. He closed his eyes and yawned. Craving a beer, he was having a hard time getting his carcass off the sofa. He stumbled into the kitchen. Thankfully, he had beer in the refrigerator. It was only Busch, but it would suffice. After popping open a can, he took a long swallow. Ah, that hit the spot.

  He looked at his wall clock. It was too late to call Holly. He didn’t want to disturb her. She had enough on her plate. With a few beers in hand, he slumped onto the couch. He would call Holly first thing in the morning. Hopefully, she didn’t think he was a total loser. God knew he gave her no reason to think otherwise.

  He finished his can of Busch and tossed it to the floor. As Andy cracked open his second beer, he was going to turn on Sports Center, but his mind couldn’t escape the big demon he had encountered in Kate’s soul. Something about the demon was hauntingly familiar, yet he was certain he had never met him before. He sure as hell would never forget the bastard.

  He opened his third beer. The exhaustion from the day’s events combined with the alcohol took its toll. He passed out on the sofa, but his sleep was hardly restful, haunted by terrifying dreams he could not escape.

  ***

  When he awoke the next morning, he was stunned to see that it was nearly eleven o’clock. Looking at his littered floor, he had only drunk three beers. That shouldn’t have been enough to do him in like that.

  He had to call Holly. She probably thought he had abandoned her again. He scrambled for his cell phone.

  She answered on the second ring. “Hello.”

  His heart fluttered at the sound of her voice. “It’s Andy. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, but all hell broke loose after we spoke on the phone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He was surprised at the concern in her voice. “Um, it’s not something I want to get into right now.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Andy stretched his sore muscles. “I’ll live.” He went to a mirror and looked at his bruised face. It had several nicks and cuts. “How’s Kate doing?”

  There was a pause on the other end. “Better. Much better, actually. She’s up and about like nothing happened. This is one of her remission periods. I don’t understand it.”

  “Me neither. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to see Kate again. Maybe if I’m around her, I can get a better idea of what’s going on.”

  “That would be fine.”

  “Cool. I can be there in like an hour.”

  “Sure. I’ll make lunch for the three of us.”

  Andy smiled. “That would be great. I never turn down an offer for food.”

  After saying goodbye, he hung up the phone. Despite the hell he had been through yesterday, he felt great. He was going to see Holly, and Kate was doing better. What could be better? Except that Kate’s improvement was temporary. Still, he remained upbeat as he took a shower and got dressed.

  His stomach grumbled as he was combing his hair and shaving, tasks he did irregularly at best. He looked around the kitchen but couldn’t find anything edible, so he decided to wait until he reached Holly’s house. After all, she was making food for him. When was the last time a totally hot woman cooked for him? He frowned. Never.

  He was about to head out of his house when he realized those thugs had obliterated his Mustang. He had no idea how they were going to explain that to the authorities. Monsignor Curran had told him he would handle everything.

  He dialed Monsignor Curran.

  Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Kaseman, who worked at the rectory on Tuesdays and Thursdays, picked him up. When they got in the car, she said, “Monsignor Curran would have driven here but he said he was working on something important.”

  Andy hid his disappointment. He needed to talk to the monsignor.

  “I understand you were in an accident,” Mrs. Kaseman said.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, um, it was like real bad.”

  “I can see,” Mrs. Kaseman said. “Did you go to the hospital?”

  Andy shook his head.

  “You should.”

  At a red light, Mrs. Kaseman turned and stared at his bandaged face.

  “It’s no big deal, really. I’m all good now.”

  Mrs. Kaseman asked additional questions about his accident, but he was purposely vague in his replies.

  Monsignor Curran was on the phone when he arrived. Andy waited in the kitchen, helping himself to Mrs. Kaseman’s chocolate chip cookies. After what he had been through, he needed these cookies in a bad way. He polished off a dozen by the time Monsignor Curran finished talking on the phone.

  He and Monsignor Curran exited the rectory
. It was a pleasant spring afternoon, not a cloud in the sky.

  “So what’s the deal with my Mustang? Did you talk to the police?”

  Monsignor Curran nodded. “It’s all taken care of. I’ve spoken to the police officers handling the case. Everything will be dealt with discreetly.”

  Andy raised his brows. “Even with my car being shot up?”

  “The officers will be in contact with you to take a statement, but the police department has agreed to let this matter be handled quietly. It helps to know people in high places. The Cardinal has intervened on our behalf with the police commissioner.”

  Andy pursed his lips. “The Cardinal? He knows about this.”

  Monsignor Curran nodded. “I’ve kept him fully abreast of the situation. He has a keen interest in you. He asks for regular updates on your exorcisms. Not just the Cardinal. Members at the highest levels of the Vatican receive regular reports of your activities.”

  “Yeah?" Andy didn't even want to think about that. That meant they knew all about his many screw-ups. "I’m going to need some wheels.”

  “I’ve arranged a rental for you. Mrs. Kaseman will take you to pick it up. Because you were working on official business for the archdiocese when this happened, and we have no interest in getting the insurance company involved, we will replace your car. Try not to beat up your next car.”

  Andy took a deep breath. “Yeah, sure. I got my eye on this Dodge Challenger.”

  “Maybe you should get something with a little less horsepower. That way you won’t be tempted to try to drive it so fast.”

  “I’ll think about it. In the meantime, I’m gonna go down to Jersey to see Holly and Kate.”

  “How are they doing?” Monsignor Curran asked.

  “Kate’s doing better, but they’ve been down this road before.”

  Monsignor Curran wiped his glasses with his shirt. “I don’t like these remissions. I can’t figure out why they’re happening, and it bothers me.”

  “What difference does it make? Not being tormented by demons is a good thing.”

  “There’s something sinister at play. It’s a big puzzle. Now we just have to put the pieces together.”