by David Paul
The aged nightwalker has experienced such a great deal of macabre and tragic events. He has fashioned his pain and suffering into an emotional shield. David’s rage was set to be his downfall, yet it somehow has become his unlikely savior. The vampire realizes that he can avoid temptation by abstaining from playing the demon’s game altogether.
By remaining somewhat calm, the demon is trying to bait the vampire into an emotional response. Lucifer is using an almost backdoor reverse psychology to keep David engaged in conversation. The longer the encounter lasts, the better the Devil’s chances are at success. Lucifer hasn’t given up, and he will not give up on David until the end of time. The Devil merely wants the vampire to believe that he has been beaten. The demon Prince will play the role of the defeated in hopes of catching the vampire off guard.
“You have nothing to offer me,” David said. “This conversation is over.”
The silence in the room is maddening. Time is grinding like the rusty weathered gears of an old dying clock. No one dares speak. Perspiration drips profusely from the on looking bartender. The background music and characteristic white noise of the casino game room is trapped in a sonic void. You can almost hear the agitation of particles humming in the fluorescent lights.
The vampire gets up casually from the table. His chair legs scrape the carpet below him ever so gently. This creates an unnaturally loud dragging sound that would normally never be heard by the human ear. It is thunderous in comparison to the magic-induced silence. The vampire walks away from the table.
The demon explodes with a quick outburst of fury. He overturns the card table and drinks, along with hundreds of poker chips that fly everywhere in random directions. No one in the room will even dare to look him in the eye. They try to go about their business as if nothing happened. An angry demon will lash out at whoever gives him the excuse to. Last time Lucifer was angered, he sentenced Hitler to five years of non-stop Seinfeld episodes. All the prisoners in Hell are subject to their own personal hells. Underlings and prisoners alike cower like children fearing the demon’s rage. The souls of the damned will suffer tonight.
“You will pay dearly for your insolence!” Flames of anger engulf the enraged demon. A vortex of multicolored flames and fiery stone surrounds Lucifer. The floor opens to expose the bowels of Hell. All the tormented souls dance in the flames consumed by painful fire. Every minion of the demon lord takes pride in bringing the pain to the prisoners in honor of their captor and chieftain. “I will have your soul, David.”
The demon lord spoke in a voice that created a heated hurricane wind that disintegrated the entire casino into burning ashes around the vampire. The grand illusion is snapped. Once again, the Devil created something from nothingness. David walks over an unseen, but flaming ground. The fire has an earthy smell of burning wood.
David can see that he has upset the Prince of Darkness, but he is not fearful. The vampire knew that one-day, he would meet his maker. His impromptu meeting with Lucifer has only strengthened his conviction so far. Lucifer’s almost comical loss of control has strengthened it more so. David has lost all respect for the demon lord. Devin was more difficult to resist than the Prince of Darkness himself.
The vampire awakens from his slumber abruptly. He can hear the sounds of the wilderness. Both Rawley and Detangelo are fast asleep. They have pale white skin, and they are facing their own demons in their dreams.
David smells smoke and quickly wakes up his comrades.
“May God damn you! Such a foul beast you are,” Rawley mumbled. He snaps out of his dream violently. The detective looks like he has seen a ghost in his sleep and is almost happy to be awake.
“This house is on fire,” the vampire informed the group.
Rawley springs up rather groggily from his makeshift bed and cracks the front door. The Sun is in full force. A single beam of sunlight squeaks past the crack, and it skirts dangerously close to the vampire. Outside, Kaye Miller has a lit torch and a soot-covered dagger in her hands. Devin invaded her traumatized mind while everyone was at rest. Under his control, she splashed the porch with diesel fuel and set it afire.
“I’ve got industrial strength fire extinguishers in the truck,” Rawley said to the group. Rawley opens the cabin door to get outside, and a beam of sunlight grazes David’s face.
“Fuck!” The vampire yelled. David jumped back from the beam. Several crevices in the house already have let the sunlight through. Random rays of light shoot through the house like laser beams. The vampire positions himself in the darkest corner that he can find.
Rawley immediately jumps through the doorway and off the burning porch. A deranged Kaye Miller flies at Rawley with the dagger, and she is greeted with a backhanded blow that knocks her instantly unconscious. Rawley quickly puts the woman in restraints and locks her inside of his truck for her own sake and theirs. “I knew that I should have done that earlier,” Rawley said to himself.
He quickly produces two fire extinguishers and puts out the blaze. David hopes that Rawley can get the fire neutralized. The notion of the blazing Sun on his undead skin is not appealing to him. The detective starts to gag on the smoke that is filling the room rapidly. He uses his ripped shirt as a mask and crouches back to the floor. Detangelo is reluctant to leave his circle of protection. Setting the house on fire was a smart strategic move for Devin. David would be severely weakened in the sunlight, and Detangelo would be vulnerable and unprotected.
The detective and the vampire share a long silence. After a short while, Rawley has the fire wiped out completely. The charred porch smolders, and the air inside is heavy with soot. He returns to the inside of the decrepit house with some fresh candles and a handful of ashes. Without speaking, Rawley dips his finger in the ashes and anoints the forehead of Carver after a brief prayer. The possessed man hisses for a while until becoming peaceful again. The vampire shuts the door to avoid the sunshine.
“I can’t take this anymore,” the detective said. Detangelo admits that he is at wit’s end. “We have to get this done.”
“We will,” Rawley assured him.
“Jack,” David said, “get a grip.” The drama died down, and the panic of the situation ended.
“I’m alright,” the cop said. He rubs his face and head out of frustration.
The vampire doesn’t want to share information about his battle with the Devil in his dreams. Neither Rawley, nor Detangelo even want to speak of their vivid dreams. It is the kind of thing that goes unspoken. The most important thing is that they did not succumb to the temptations of the underworld. The fact that they have all come this far is a major accomplishment in itself. Centuries of prophecies and theories have finally materialized into the physical world of the now. This is the nexus point that could possibly determine the outcome of the war.
“Everyone,” Rawley said, “take my hand.”
The vampire relocates so that all three can form a circle without having the detective leave his protective area. Without questions, they oblige the exorcist. Rawley chants in a strange tongue that even David does not recognize. The vampire speaks and comprehends hundreds of languages. This is something unknown to the inquisitive nightwalker. Individually, each member of the group feels stronger as if they received some unknown wealth of power. He chants for several minutes before letting go of everyone’s hands.
“I just bound our energies together,” Rawley said. Rawley opens a leather case filled with new supplies. “The three of us are going to rid the world of this demon.”
The exorcist has Chrism, which is consecrated blessed oil. He also takes out one smooth sided, yet clear crystal. The crystal has a multitude of uneven facets that makes the light shimmer and refract oddly. The vampire suspects that he will use this crystal to trap the demon inside of it. Also, he has the Oil of the Sick, which is sacred oil without the perfumed scent of consecrated oil. A different vial of holy water is bottled in glass with an ornate silver-bottomed flask. A tiny engraving on the silver face says Saint Mic
hael. A silver box has what appears to be communion wafers inside.
The exorcist arranges the materials on the dingy floor and has a look of purpose on his face. Carver is awake and watching the exorcist prepare. The eyes of a madman roll around in the doctor’s head. Devin has the doctor twisted. Rawley mounts an ancient carved crucifix to the wall above Carver using his pistol as a hammer. The nail supplied was previously used to crucify a converted heretic priest who had embraced the Beast.
The wind has died down almost completely, and the Sun is shining fiercely. There is silence in the house. Outside, the incessant chirping of the birds in the trees soon fades. It is almost as if the birds knew to flee the area. All wildlife seems to leave the forest. Without warning, the sun falls down heavily and swaps shifts with the moon. Darkness rules the hour broken up intermittently by the eerie moonlight poking from the clouds.
The second that the Sun is no longer shining, the demon awakens. Carver shakes wildly, and the headboard smashes the wall in disturbing fashion. The demon creates a mighty ruckus, and a fine crack forms in the wall that spider webs out into dozens of different directions. The whole house feels like it is going to come down.
The fierce demon is twisting the doctor from the inside out. Blood trickles from Carver’s nose and ears. Saliva flows like a river from his open mouth like a rabid St. Bernard.
“The demon will continually try to intimidate us with this disgusting showing,” the exorcist said. Rawley reaches for his sacred book.
The De Exorcism is et Supplicationibus Quibusdam is not for light table reading. It is a straightforward Catholic manual for exorcising demons from a host body. The exorcist wanted to prod the demon with his other readings, and now he begins the real exorcism. Often, it is better to weaken the demon with lesser rituals before attempting to imprison the spirit.
Rawley consecrates the weathered doctor with Chrism, followed by an Anointing of the Sick ritual. The demon screams and growls with intensity. In a sense, Carver no longer looks human. His visage has changed to almost that of a depraved beast. A demonic possession is not something that a normal person would ever want to see in their worst nightmare.
“I call forth the Almighty Lord God, our father,” Rawley said. He completes the sign of the cross with the holy water. David looks away. The doctor’s skin sizzles upon contact, and the demon roars from deep inside him. “I implore thee to shine your grace upon this man who was created by your divine hand. He is a man who lived with piety until his soul was tainted by the fallen angel. Dear God, give us the strength to cast this unclean spirit from our subject.”
“I will never set his soul free,” the demon vowed. Rawley does not respond to the demon’s taunts.
“Heavenly Lord, our Father, you have created both the Heavens and the Earth with your omnipotence. Hear our prayers.” The exorcist continues with another splash of the ancient holy water and another gesture of the cross. Carver has foul-smelling vomit dripping from his mouth. David cannot bear to watch the holy gesture, and Rawley’s prayers torment the vampire’s soul.
“Rawley, you fucking pussy!” The demon screamed. The demon tormented Rawley in a wicked tongue. The exorcist ignores the blatant distraction and remains focused on his daunting task. “Your soul is next, and I will tear you apart.”
“I stand before you Lord God in defiance of a deceiver whose earthly name is Devin Schilld,” Rawley said. The demon growled. “The deceiver will answer to the name Asimodeus Lucificarum Vampyrum when amongst his fellow hellions.” The doctor laughs as Rawley calls the demon by his proper name for the first time. “Deliver the beast from this man. Shine your everlasting light upon his dark soul until it seeks refuge outside of his body.” Rawley touches Carver’s forehead with more consecrated oil. The doctor’s skin burns more.
“Take that worthless shit off of me! I’d rather you drown me in rancid piss.” Carver’s forehead bleeds profusely, and he becomes more violent. The bed shakes madly as the vampire and the detective watch Rawley work on Carver. “The doctor is my flesh puppet,” the demon said, “and he will dance in the fire.”
The demons howls are ear splitting.
“Lord,” Rawley said. Rawley places his hand upon the head of the doctor who is convulsing rapidly. “I implore the Heavens for your healing hand.” Carver is attempting to bite Rawley’s hand that is firmly clamped onto his forehead. “Give me a Communion wafer,” Rawley said to Detangelo.
The detective hands Rawley the Eucharist with a shaking hand. Rawley places Dr. Carver in a brief choke-hold in an attempt to have him open his mouth wide enough to accept the Communion. The exorcist carries pre-blessed wafers in the silver case to be readily available for use in these types of situations. He forces the wafer into Carver’s mouth against his will. The doctor’s tongue bleeds profusely and thick blood and saliva drip down his chin.
“Take the Holy Spirit into your body and rejoice in the body and blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.” The exorcist makes the sign of the cross once again. The vampire feels more pain from the religious gesture.
“Rawley,” the demon said, “take the Holy Spirit up your ass.” The iniquitous demon spits blood and broken pieces of Communion wafer everywhere. “I rejoice in the blood of the angels and the pleasures of the flesh.”
“Give me a few more wafers.” Detangelo obliges him instantly. Rawley takes a handful of holy wafers and stuffs them down into the open mouth of Carver. A spike in his anger level momentarily flares. The exorcist maintains his composure even though he wants to shove the silver box and all down Carver’s throat. “Take the gift of Christ into your body,” Rawley said, “and may you walk in his likeness. Through me and the powers granted by the Creator, I compel thee to free the child of this Earth.”
The possessed seems to writhe in pain as more blood is coughed up from his scorched esophagus. A bloody mess is what the doctor has become. “I rejoice in the pleasures of the flesh,” the grotesque doctor mumbled pitifully. Pools of dark maroon puddle up in the bed.
“Hand me the crystal, David,” Rawley said. The vampire picks up the delicate crystal and hands it to the exorcist. “It is getting close to that time. I feel Devin weakening.”
“That is wishful thinking,” the demon blurted out.
“I banish thee into the world of light,” the exorcist said. “May you find yourself bound by the many facets in this crystal.” Rawley holds the crystal high above his head. “I banish Asimodeus Lucificarum Vampyrum, Devin Schilld, and any other name by which this false prophet takes as an alias. I banish thee into the netherworld of uneven angles, confusion, and solitude.” The exorcist makes the sign of the cross over Carver’s body using the crystal. David cannot bear to watch.
Suddenly, Carver breaks free from the ropes holding him down. With a swift accurate motion, the doctor pummels the hand of Rawley, which sends the crystal flying. It seems to sail through the air in slow motion. Everyone’s eyes light up. Even the lightning fast vampire is unable to react fast enough to the demon’s surprise attack. The delicate crystal shatters against the far wall. The team is covered in the doctor’s bloody spray from his open wounds. The vampire strikes Carver, breaking his nose, and this sends him back down to the bed. The demon growls deeply.
Detangelo runs to the vampire’s aide and leaves his protective cell. David uses his power to restrain the doctor as the detective uses more zip strips to bind Carver back to the bed. The detective’s hands have blood on them, and the white zip strips are covered in it. Detangelo makes sure that the bed will break first before the possessed can break loose.
“That’s enough with the restraints,” Rawley said angrily. “A fucking gorilla couldn’t escape from them.” The agitated Rawley regains control of the situation.
“I hope you have a backup plan for that shattered crystal.” the vampire said immediately.
“Actually we are kind of screwed,” Rawley said. “Not unless, you want to imprison him in the rear-view mirror of a Chevy Suburban?” The exorcist
joked halfheartedly.
Rawley makes light of the situation, but they have a huge problem. Mirrors are the least stable of mediums used to imprison a demon. A mirror has three physical dimensions and a fourth window elsewhere. Using a mirror on a powerful evil entity such as Devin could be futile. Crystals are usually superior because of the amount of facets they may have. The facets confuse the evil entities as if they were stuck in a reflective corn maze. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of facets can keep a demon occupied for an eternity. A clear finish gives the spirit a window into the world, but the window cannot be opened.
“What else can we use?” The vampire asked. “We cannot stop now.”
“Another crystal…a gem perhaps,” the exorcist said. Xavier looks around the empty dingy house.
“What about the crystal in this necklace?” The detective asked.
“Jack,” Rawley said, “that crystal already has a different kind of magick inside of it. The opposite forces will not mesh. It would explode if anything else.” The detective steps lightly back into his safe zone within the circle.
“That’s just great then.” Detangelo looked disappointed. “All of this crazy bullshit, and now we aren’t even going to get rid of this evil bastard?” Jack asked.
The exorcist assured Detangelo, “We’ll find a way to rid the world of this demon.” Jack looked defeated, and Rawley’s words help a slight bit.
“Will this work?” David asked. Rawley and Detangelo turn to look at the vampire brandishing a stunning engagement ring with a large diamond in the center. Even in the low light of the flickering candles, the diamond glistens vibrantly.
“That is a beautiful ring,” Rawley said. “That is a genuine diamond, right?”
“It’s real, Rawley,” the vampire said.
“A fake stone will not work.” The exorcist examines the ring. “I was just wondering, David.” The ring is absolutely beautiful. “Does this hold sentimental value?” Rawley asked.