“Don’t take another step or I’ll blow your head off!” I say and she laughs at my proposal.
“So you’re the one they’ve been talking about, huh? Interesting to finally see you in the flesh. You’ve caused quite a ruckus.” She continues to move closer, calling my bluff. “I’m curious to see what makes you tick.”
“Well, why don’t you come a little closer and find out,” I say as I scowl beneath my clenched teeth. She turns her head to the side with a smirk and continues to march my way.
“For some reason, I doubt that.”
I shimmy against the wall and lead her into the kitchen, away from Ben who is still at the top of the stairs. One good shot between the eyes and I could be done with her for good, but that would be too messy. A gun shot in broad daylight and a bloody floor. It would only make things worse. Plus, Morgan is inside there somewhere, and I’d rather not add another notch on my belt if I can help it. If worse comes to worst, I’ll shoot but only if it’s me or her. The only way for me to walk free from this is to get whatever is in her, out.
“What do you want from me?” I ask as I continue to back further and further into the kitchen, weaving through an array of suspended pots and pans that hang slightly above my head.
“Oh, me? I simply want to talk. First to you, then to Benny. What a lovely boy he is. He’s been helping around the bar as of late. He’s a very hard worker. Oh, and that goes for you too. Such blazing potential. Something inside of you is growing. Something sinister. I know you feel it. I see that look on your face. Don’t try to hide it. Embrace it. Holding onto humanity does you no good in this day and age.”
I reach for a pot and fling it at her head. Her head snaps back with the sound of metal hitting bone, yet she remains unfazed. “Stay away from me. I don’t want to be your pet!”
“Well then shoot me,” she taunts. “Shoot me and live to run another day.”
The look in her eyes is foreign to me. She holds a conviction that I’ve only seen on rare occasions. She’s no lesser demon, no doubt about it. She’s capable of a lot more than she’s letting on. The smart thing to do would be to kill her now, but I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger. I can only stall and hope that my alternative buys me some time.
“What’s wrong, hunny?” she asks as she gains ground on me.
I backpedal as she approaches until suddenly a wall greets my back. I’m cornered, with her on the offensive. I try my best to remain calm despite the anxiety that pours into me from Alfonse’s side.
“Trapped, like a rat. And here I thought you would put up a better fight than this.” She scoffs at me and sizes me up with analyzing eyes. They lack human essence, they’re dead, glazed over, null. Devoid of any life whatsoever, capable of striking fear in the hearts of even the strongest of souls. Staring into the eyes of a demon is equivalent to staring into the eyes of death. Within them, there’s no hope, only darkness.
Foregoing the formalities, I lunge at her with my knife drawn. The emptiness in her face lingers even in the midst of my offensive. I go for a couple quick stabs, but she is quicker than me and parries them all. A pale fist blinds me as it lands flush into my nose, stunning me, and sends me to the kitchen floor. When the tears clear, all I see is her face hovering over me, smiling and blocking the light that shines overhead. She’s toying with me.
For some reason, with demons, they all seem to enjoy the thrill of the hunt. A common instinct found in all predatory creatures. As far as prey goes, the more challenging the hunt, the more rewarding the kill. I can tell she was expecting more. The lust that oozes through her pours is evident all around. It was in their nature. The unquenchable thirst for violence.
As I lay on the floor, I realize that something is stirring inside of Alfonse, and therefore, within me as well. I wipe the blood from my nose as she watches me. Her crooked smile widens as she realizes that my will has been far from squandered. I point my gun at her abdomen but she kicks it out the way, propelling it to the other side of the room. She goes for another kick and connects with my side, but I grab her leg and stab her calf with my knife. She yells in pain as I plunge my knife deeper into her wound and she falls to the floor. I go to stab her again, but she flips her body and kicks me in the face until I let go. She crawls away and uses the island in the kitchen to brace herself as she stands up.
“That’s more like it,” she says as she pants. “I knew there was more to you.”
I rise as well, not nearly as hurt as she is. I lick the blood that pours out of my mouth and ready my knife once again. Alfonse is alive and kicking now. Though he’s weak, I can feel him healing me from the inside and numbing me from most of the pain that I feel. The blood that drips from Morgan’s body continues to fall onto the floor. The Holy Water my blade was soaked in keeps her wounds open and prevents her from healing as easily as she normally would. I flex my fingers over the handle of my blade as I watch her, testing my grip. Between my adrenaline and Alfonse, it’s considerably stronger than before. I can definitely take her now. I’m sure of it. If not for the kill, at least enough to free Morgan’s soul trapped inside.
I charge at her again, focusing on her weaker side. She’s fast, but with her injuries, I’m faster. After a series of exchanges, I nick her in the cheek with my blade, drawing blood. A blood curdling scream erupts from her vocal chords as her skin sizzles from the open wound.
“You bitch!” she yells as she backhands me. My neck twists unnaturally from the impact and my body soars to the other side of the room.
My head and back slam against the wooden wall and I immediately fall to the floor.
“Casey! Casey, Are you all right?” I look up and see Ben emerge from the bottom of the staircase in the other room. Morgan shifts her attention to him and begins to hobble his way.
“Help…help me. She’s crazy!”
Ben hesitates as the waitress moves in closer. I try to yell at him but the wind is still knocked from my lungs. I sluggishly turn my head to the right and see my gun on the ground. I reach for it, but my ribs scream at me as I overextend my arm over my head. Ben begins to back away from the waitress, but it’s only a matter of time before she closes in on him.
“I’m sorry, I—I,” Ben stammers as he backpedals. He knows that something is wrong, but he isn’t sure what. I try to stand, but my body is drained from the lack of oxygen. I grip my knife and use it as a brace as I struggle to prop myself onto my forearms. I then raise my knife to eye level and take aim at Morgan’s lower back. With the flick of a wrist, the knife drives deep into her. She bellows as both her hands reach behind for the blade that is crammed inside her. Ben jumps away from her, shocked to see the true nature of the demon in Morgan.
“Casey! Casey, are you okay!” he yells as he attempts to rush past her to my aid.
“Stay back!” I finally force out as I lethargically stand to my feet. “This isn’t over yet.” I check inside my coat pocket and find one of the syringes I stashed away before my trip. It’s still intact and ready to be used. I rush in and deliver a chop to Morgan’s injured leg from behind. She falls to her knees, still wailing loud enough to wake the dead. I grab her neck and tilt it to the right as I ready the syringe. A barrage of swipes and swings come my way as she flails her arms at me, aiming to rip my skin from my face. With my knee, I put pressure on the blade, coaxing her to remain still. I look up at Ben and he’s still watching in shock, amazed at how relatively calm I am. The face of a killer is probably what he sees. I pay him no mind as I plunge the needle into her neck and proceed with my mission to free Morgan’s soul. I push down on the plunger until half of the Holy Water is well within her system. Morgan instantly falls forward and begins to convulse spastically on the ground as the demon within her rejects God’s blessing. I cringe when she involuntarily slams the knife deeper into her back as she tosses and turns, but I hold firm to my resolve. The blood that springs from her open wounds paints a picture on the floorboards as the thrashing continues. I don’t intervene, nor do I l
ook away.
I back away as the thrashing continues, silently hoping that the end is soon to come. She gasps, screams, and cries all at once, as her body tries to eject the spirit that resides within her. I want to help but I know I can’t. All I can do is watch as she fights the greatest battle she will probably ever have to face in life. As she contorts, I lose sight of all sensation that binds me to this earth. Detached, void, empty. I feel all of those things as I watch her battle for survival. And then, it stops. Just as suddenly as it started, it ends.
From the fetal position, Morgan throws up a black tar that sticks to the ground like a fine plaque. It simmers for a second or two before sinking into the ground, presumably returning to wherever it came from. Considering that it wasn’t able to hold its gaseous form, I doubt it’ll be back anytime soon.
“Morgan! Morgan!” I call out to her as I shoot my eyes to Ben, warning him to stay at the other side of the room. “Morgan!” I say again, but she’s unresponsive. I run to her side and crouch next to her as I check her pulse. “Morgan! Morgan! Can you hear me?” She opens her mouth to speak, but I can’t hear the words she desperately tries to say.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Ben asks as he runs his hands through his hair nervously. “We should call an ambulance. They’ll know what to do.”
“No. We handle this on our own.” Ben’s nervous energy rubs me the wrong way, but he can’t help the way he feels. I was once like him, even worse, if dare to be realistic. “Morgan, stay with us. Everything is going to be fine,” I say firmly as I examine her eyes. The glint is there, but so is the look of shock. “Does anything feel broken?” I ask her as I scan her body. “Can you move?” Morgan slowly turns her head to me as she musters the strength to speak up. I know we can’t stay long, but I’m desperate to get her out of this alive.
“I… I can’t feel my legs.” My heart sinks as I realize that I’m the cause for her paralysis. “I can’t feel my legs,” she says again, this time fully aware of what she’s saying. A stream of tears trickle from both sides of her face as her pale lips quiver. I feel for her loss but I find the strength to hold my composure, despite the sadness that tugs at my soul. “Are you an Angel? Thank you for saving me.”
“Far from it,” I reply. “And don’t thank me just yet. We have to get you out of here. Ben! Lock up the doors and make sure no one gets in,” I yell. He complies in a heartbeat, darting off to the front of the store. I reach for Morgan’s hand and hold it in mine as I monitor her condition. By her breathing, it’s hard to tell if she’ll make it, but judging by how far she’s come, I know she’s a fighter.
“Was I possessed? W-was that thing a demon?” Still looking down the hall, I stroke Morgan’s hand with my thumb, comforting her as I remain observant for any other threat. My barrel is fully loaded and my thirst for revenge is at an all-time high. I momentarily take my eyes from the stretch of space in front of me and turn my head to Morgan. She’s fading but she’s holding on. It’s hard to tell how bad she’s messed up internally. Her nervous system is shot for sure, but the blood loss is also something to be considered. The way her body convulsed when I expelled the demon could have done a number of things, and for what it’s worth, I didn’t even kill the demon inside of her.
“Save your strength. We’re going to try to get you some help.”
“What’s Heaven like? I’m scared…I’ve done so many things. Bad things. Will He forgive me?” It breaks my heart to see her so terrified, even though I just met her for the first time today. She’s scared out of her wits, but who wouldn’t be? The supernatural graced her life just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now everything she knows has been turned upside down. Her final moments weren’t even her own. They were taken from her by a spirit foreign to her body.
As I look into her eyes, I feel for her. I’ve never seen someone so broken and confused in all my life. I want to help her, but I am helpless, unable to do anything. I tuck my gun away and caress her forehead, parting the stray blonde hairs that fall over her eyes.
“God must have sent you, right? For me?” Her eyes grow wide as she anticipates my answer. She’s looking for answers but I’m not the one to give them. I’m no savior. I’m no messenger. No angel, nor demon…I’m just a normal person searching for my own truth in life, just like her.
“Yeah… He did. He sent me to save you,” I say donning a fake smile, pushing my emotions further down.
It’s funny how fast they turn when they are at death’s door, isn’t it, Sailor? They suddenly see a glimpse of what remains hidden, and they run with their tail tucked between their legs to Daddy. Regardless of what’s true, she made her decision long ago, with her actions and her life.
“And of course God forgives you. He loves you, Morgan. I—I’m sorry things had to go this way. You didn’t deserve any of this, and if you—”
“But it’s worth it, right?” Her voice is almost like a whisper, barely audible over Alfonse’s laughing.
“Of course.”
His laugh makes me feel like my attempts to console her are a bad joke, but neither of us knows where she’ll go when her time comes. When a soul is saved, the angels rejoice, but the devils dismiss it. When a soul is lost, Heaven cries and Hell carries on. Hell was originally meant for the angels, but its gates still remain open to mortal souls. If it were up to me, I would have closed it ages ago and prevented this disaster that we know as day to day life, but I’m not God. It’s all meaningless. An invisible war that I have no part in, but I give myself away freely, even knowing I only make the smallest of a difference.
I saw God in all of His glory, and I still turned away from Him. Don’t you think that stands for something, Sailor? Has that ever crossed your mind? Humans are like chess pieces. Pawns. Disposable. We only hurt them because it hurts Him. Outside of His suffering, you all are nothing. The King is who we want.
I try my best to tune Alfonse out as his ramblings continue on. His behavior is a far cry from his usual calm demeanor. I stay with Morgan as he continues on about creation and how God’s love is false as well as everything else that I’ve come to know as true. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Al’s jealous. Angry. Something. But I suppose being disowned by your father would do that to anyone; even the best of us would get a taste of bad blood.
“Hey, Morgan, I’m going to go check on my friend real quick. I’ll be back for you, okay? I just need to see if he’s safe before we try to get out of here.” I try to gently put her hand down, but her grip fails to let me go.
“They’re coming! They’re coming for you! You and your friend!” She squeezes my hand tight as the look of terror overtakes her. I try my best to follow her eyes but they dart from side to side as if aware of an unseen evil. Her hand binds me tighter despite the tremor that is now running through her body. She’s shaking now, her eyes look past me as she looks into the unknown. No doubt, reliving the life she lived only thirty minutes ago. “Please don’t let them take me! Please! I can’t go through it again!” Her words stun me as they brush across my face, numbing me to the core. It’s an ill omen that even Alfonse pays heed to.
“Morgan.” I calmly try to retract my hand but she refuses to let go.
She’s right you know…they’re coming. Now go on, tell her that everything is going to be okay.
“Morgan, listen to me. Everything is going to be okay.”
Ah, good girl.
“I’m not going to let them get to you. I need you to trust me. I’m going to go for a minute to warn my friend, but I’m going to come back. I promise.” Morgan reluctantly releases my hand, allowing me to stand to my feet once more. An all-out fight against multiple demons would be Hell on Earth. Two innocents in the vicinity; one hurt, one clueless. They’d mess with them to get to me. They’d do anything they could to get what they came for. I rearm myself, grabbing the gun I stashed away, and smile at Morgan before leaving the room. When she can no longer see my face, my smile crumbles.
You
look so cute when you frown. There’s no way you can make it out of here with her, you know. You should just leave her. Then you and the boy can at least have a chance. Sticking with the girl will only ensure your death. Don’t let your emotions blind you.
“Can it, Al. I’m not leaving anyone,” I mutter under my breath, still on the hunt for Ben. As I walk the halls, I look left and right, searching for any traces of him or where he could possibly be. “Ben! Ben! We need to group up!” I call out as I search with a heightened sense of urgency. “Ben?” I stop. I feel my heart booming inside my eardrums as the blood rushes through my veins. Everything’s silent within ear shot; a deathly gloom that is almost always tragic in the course of mid-day. Aside from my own pulse, the shop is still. I wait for what feels like an eternity as a myriad of questions and scenarios come pouring into my head. Why he isn’t responding? Did he run? Were there others hiding in the house?
I grip the handle of my Beretta as my mind speculates—half on what’s happened and half on what’s to come. Outside of my racing breath, I hear footsteps coming in my general direction. Fuck. I post up against the wall nearest to the doorway and harbor the courage to do what comes next. I told Ben not to let anyone get in. No one means no one. You’d think witnessing an exorcism would be enough to drive that point home.
“Yeah, she’s over here guys. Ms. Gertran! Ms. Gertran!” How could he be so clueless? “Two people just came down from the station. They got your distress call and they’re here for backup.” Idiot. I never sent a distress call. Oh well, at least it’s only two of them. Doable, but Ben is their hostage without even knowing it. If I try something, it’ll have to be fast. They’re most likely armed and ready to shoot. I know for sure they want Ben. Me, I’m not too sure. “They said an ambulance is on the way, as well.” I shake my head silently as I bite my bottom lip. This is stupid. I’m going to be done in by a bartender. Never thought I’d see the day.
Oh…this is getting good. They know you’re here, you know. I suggest you kill them before they kill you.
Sailor Ray and the Darkest Night (The Pact Book 1) Page 7