The Exorcist's Apprentice
Page 25
Paul struggled to hold on to the box. He closed the lid and latched it shut.
“The wire!”
Paul felt the roll of wire thrust into his hands, but he wasn’t sure who had given it to him, and he didn’t care right now. He wrapped the wire around until all of it bound the box completely.
And then everything was silent.
They all opened their eyes and looked around. Their flashlights lit up their surroundings a little, enough to see that the fog and the dark water on the floor were gone.
Paul looked at Danny. “I’m so sorry.”
“You saved me,” Danny said.
“No,” Paul answered him. “God saved you. And you saved yourself. You fought your way back.”
CHAP†ER FOR†Y-ONE
Hours later the snow-covered parking area in front of the garage was filled with vehicles: Paul’s Ford Bronco, the two priests’ sedan, Robert and Helen’s Dodge Durango, two sheriffs’ cruisers and an ambulance.
Danny had some bruising around his wrists and ankles that a paramedic looked over, but his injuries weren’t too serious.
Paul had bruises around his neck from Danny’s hands. He also had a slight concussion, a swollen jaw, a cut lip, and a few loose teeth.
Father Hopkins, Robert, and Helen were okay physically, but still shaken by the things they had seen.
Father Severino had the worst injuries out of all of them. His right fingers were blistered and he had some deep lacerations on his face. But he would recover over time and the scarring from the scratches wouldn’t be too bad.
The police officers talked to Father Hopkins. They had been called there by the priest—it was protocol once an exorcism was over. The officers and paramedics were members of Father Hopkins’ congregation and they were always advised in advance when an exorcism would be performed in the house.
Father Hopkins watched Danny and Paul as they talked quietly together. This had been the most extreme exorcism he had ever been involved with. He had seen things he would never be able to get out of his mind, images that would haunt his dreams, things he couldn’t even believe. But in the end they had won, they had defeated the demons, and now a powerful demon was trapped inside that black, iron-wrapped box that Paul held on to.
Father Hopkins wondered what Paul was going to do with the box. Was he going to destroy it? Bury it? Save it?
He wasn’t so sure he wanted to know the answer.
At least they were safe for now.
But Father Hopkins knew the demons would be back, infecting someone else, trying to worm their way into someone’s life little by little. They never gave up.
And he wouldn’t give up. And he was certain that Paul and his son would never give up, either.
†
Later, after wounds were treated and statements were recorded, the paramedics and the police left.
Paul and Danny packed their bags. Everyone else had their bags packed, all of them eager to leave this house locked up and alone until another venue for an extreme exorcism was needed.
They all gathered in front of the garage once their bags were stowed away in their vehicles. The house was dark in the early evening light—the night coming so quickly this time of year. None of them wanted to drag out the good-byes longer than necessary, but they all felt like they needed some closure.
There were hugs and handshakes all around, there were good wishes given, promises to stay in touch and to keep up the Good Fight.
“Thank you for all of your help,” Paul told them as he held his arm around Danny’s shoulders.
They nodded, some feeling guilty that they hadn’t helped as much as they could have, but no one was made to feel that way by Paul.
They left the house.
CHAP†ER FOR†Y-†WO
Paul and Danny drove the highway back towards Boston under the cover of darkness.
Danny had slept a little on the way, but now he was awake, watching the front of the Bronco eat up the road under the glare of its headlights. He didn’t know what to feel right now. He could remember bits of pieces of the ordeal, but not everything. He was sure he would ask his dad about everything that had happened, but maybe not right away. Maybe not for a while.
He felt terrible, still aching from the loss of his mother and sister. But he also felt better because he knew the truth now. He remembered the accident, and it hadn’t been his fault. And he knew it hadn’t been his mother and sister who had been haunting him. They couldn’t haunt him because they were in a better place now. They were with God.
Danny didn’t know how the demons had entered him so easily from the blond-haired man. But Paul had explained a little of it, telling Danny that somehow he had pulled the demon into his own body without being aware of it, trapping the demon and his minions inside of him, holding them there.
“Some members of our family line have been blessed with the Gifts of the Spirit,” Paul told Danny as he drove. “These gifts have been passed down from father to child through the centuries. I’ve been able to summon demons, able to draw them into the wooden boxes. But you, you can draw the demons into yourself and hold them there and use their power. But it’s so important for your faith to be strong so that the demon doesn’t overtake you.”
“Can you do what I can do?” Danny asked Paul. “Can you keep the demons inside your body and control them?”
“No,” he answered simply. “I’ve never known anyone who could do what you can do. There have been rumors of it throughout history …”
Paul let his words trail off.
“What about the black box?” Danny asked. “What are you going to do with it? Destroy it?”
“I’ll store it for a while. Keep them trapped.”
“Why not destroy it?”
“Because they will just get back out and start over again.”
“Then bury it.”
“Someone might find it in the future.” Paul paused for a moment. “Besides, we might need the demons again. If you needed one to enter you again … if you needed their powers and strength …”
“You mean I could just let them back inside me and use their powers? What? Like a superhero or something?”
Paul smiled. “Sort of. But you would do that only if you needed to, and only after you’ve completed your training and you were a lot stronger. Only after your faith was stronger.”
Danny didn’t say anything, and they were quiet for a long moment as Paul drove.
“They’re afraid of us,” Paul finally told Danny. “They’ve always been afraid of us. And they will never stop trying to attack us and anyone close to us.”
“How far does our family line go back?” Danny asked as he watched the road.
“A long way.”
Danny had an idea of how far it went back to. He had a quick vision of knights in front of a temple in the desert. But he didn’t say anything.
“The dark forces will never stop,” Paul warned Danny again. “They’ll keep on trying over and over again to attack anyone you love, anyone you care about, anyone you know.”
“But we can stop them, can’t we?”
“With God we can,” Paul said and nodded.
Danny was silent for a long moment as they drove down the highway. The illuminated skyscrapers of Boston were just visible on the dark horizon.
“I want to help you with your investigations,” Danny finally said. “I want to begin training as an apprentice. For real, this time.”
Paul looked at him, studying him for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.
“You’re sure about that?” Paul asked. “God gave us free will, and it’s always our choice.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Danny answered. “I want to learn.”
And Paul could tell that Danny was certain. And he was proud of his son.
“We’ll start training immediately,” Paul told Danny. “I know it won’t be long before Father McFadden has an assignment for us.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you so much f
or purchasing my book, and I hope you enjoyed it. I would really appreciate any feedback you might have. Please feel free to leave a review. I read all reviews, and they are more helpful to me and other readers than you might realize.
I have novels that I’m writing at this moment and they should be available very soon. They include: The Superhuman Gene and Devil’s Island. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for them.
I would love to hear from you. You can contact me at marklukensbooks@yahoo.com You can also reach out to me on Facebook at MarkLukensBooks. And on Twitter @marklukensbooks. My website is www.marklukensbooks.com
Thanks again for reading my book!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Lukens has been writing since the second grade when his teacher called his parents in for a conference because the ghost story he’d written had her a little concerned.
Since that time he has had several stories published in magazines. He has also had four screenplays optioned by producers in Hollywood, with one screenplay in development to be a feature film. He is the author of Ancient Enemy, Descendants of Magic, The Summoning, Night Terrors, Devil’s Island, Sightings, The Exorcist’s Apprentice, The Changing Stone: Book One, Ghost Town: a novella, and A Dark Collection: 12 Scary Stories, most of which are available on Amazon/Kindle. He is also a proud member of The Horror Writers Association.
He grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. But after many travels and adventures, he settled back down in Florida, near Tampa, where he lives with his wonderful wife and son, and a stray cat they adopted.
Please feel free to comment or ask any questions at MarkLukensBooks@yahoo.com and you can find Mark on Facebook at MarkLukensBooks and on Twitter @marklukensbooks, and on his website: MarkLukensBooks.com
He would love to hear from you!!
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHECK OUT ANCIENT ENEMY
Ancient Enemy – it’s been asleep for centuries and now it’s awake. It wants things … and you have to give it what it wants …
www.amazon.com/dp/B00FD4SP8M
AND IF YOU LIKE SHORT STORIES …
… you might like A Dark Collection of twelve horror stories, one for each month of the year.
www.amazon.com/dp/B00JENAGLC
AND IF YOU WANT A SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY TO SOLVE …
… you could try my book THE SUMMONING.
www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNEOHKU
AND IF YOU’RE IN THE MOOD FOR A PARANORMAL THRILLER …
… you might want to check out NIGHT TERRORS.
www.amazon.com/dp/B00M66IU3U
AND IF YOU LIKE A SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR BLEND …
… then SIGHTINGS might be for you.
www.amazon.com/dp/B00VAI31KW