by Cassandra
“Are you sure he said to meet him here?” Roger glanced at the empty pews.
“I’m pretty sure—” he began, but then his words cut off when a loud clang resounded through the church. He jumped, not in response to the sound but to the way Roger yelped and grabbed hold of his arm.
“Seriously?” He yanked his arm out of his friend’s grip and looked at him sideways. “And you’re supposed to be one of my best students.”
The younger cleared his throat awkwardly. “I was only… I…I-I lost my balance for a second, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh.”
“How are you not freaked out by this? What kind of demons show up at churches, for crying out loud? These have got to be some seriously bad—”
“I wouldn’t give them that much credit.” Chad and Roger startled at the same time at the unexpected voice. Footsteps sounded through the empty church and a shadow moved toward them. Seconds later, it resolved itself into the familiar face of Pastor Norman.
Roger swore under his breath and gripped the back of the nearest chair to steady himself.
Chad laughed. “Demons don’t belong in church, and neither does that kind of language.”
“My bad,” Roger admitted. “I was caught off guard, that’s all.”
“I would be too if demons actually were here,” Pastor Norman confessed. “But they aren’t.”
“Where are they then?” asked Chad.
The man jerked his thumb to indicate behind him. “Out back, in the parking lot. Showing off, as far as I can tell. They wouldn’t dare set foot directly in the church itself, but they have no problem getting close enough to make us nervous.” He shook his head. “There really is something unusual about this batch.”
“Well, let’s check them out,” Chad directed.
Hoisting their demon-hunting gear onto their backs, Chad and Roger followed the pastor to the back of the church. He pushed open a huge steel door and they stepped outside.
Instantly a sickening, sulfurous smell invaded their nostrils.
Chad grimaced. “I swear, no matter how much I do this, that is one smell I will never get used to.” He held his nose for a few seconds.
Pastor Norman chuckled. “Wait until you get old, son. I think the stench of demons has burned so many hairs from my nose, I hardly even smell them anymore.”
“Oh, boy. What a wonderful thing to look forward to!” Roger quipped and didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in his voice.
The older man laughed. “All right, boys. Let’s get to it. Split up, shall we? We might cover more ground that way. These things seem to travel in threes these days. There’s bound to be one for each of us.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Chad agreed. “Let’s split on the count of three. One. Two. Three!”
They darted off in separate directions with their weapons raised and eyes alert. The signature laughter of the demons drifted through the air from multiple directions.
Chad and Pastor Norman moved in opposite directions across the dark parking lot, while Roger tiptoed around the church building.
“Come on, you big smelly piece of— Ahhh!” the young man screamed.
One of the demons materialized before him, leapt into the air, and hurtled directly at him. Roger tried to backpedal, but he lost his balance and fell on his butt. Fortunately, he maintained his grip on his weapon and fired it into the air.
The beast moved out of reach in time to dodge the silver holy-water soaked bullet.
“Roger! Stop playing around and get off your ass!” Chad yelled from across the parking lot. He trained his eyes on the shadowy movement several yards ahead of him and reached for his own gun. His gaze remained fixed on the dark creature he had targeted.
The second he took aim, the creature disappeared into a foggy mist.
Chad swore. He yelled to the demon, “Come on out, you coward! I’m not in the mood for games!”
A wet sloshing sound from somewhere in the parking lot behind him caught his attention. He whirled, his gun at the ready but it was the pastor who stood there. Rather than a real weapon, he held a water gun.
A huge demon, bolder than its two comrades, stood proudly in front of the man. It was tall and ugly with skin that resembled bubbling street tar. The beast hissed with rage and opened its mouth to emit a mighty roar. With reflexes that belied his age, Pastor Norman took aim at his adversary and fired a thick stream of holy water into its mouth.
For a moment, Chad forgot that he had his own demon to take care of and he pumped his fist and released a cheerful whoop. “All right, Pastor! Nice one!”
Pastor Norman glanced briefly at his young companion and winked. “After all my years in the field, I’m a pro at this, buddy.” He held his water gun steady and maintained a constant stream of water into the creature’s mouth.
The demon’s roar turned into an unmistakable coughing fit. It clutched its throat, which began to sizzle. Stinking smoke radiated from its skin and made the nauseating sulfurous smell even stronger. When it was apparent that the demon was knocking on death’s door, the pastor lowered his holy water gun.
The monster shrank right before their very eyes and collapsed onto the asphalt where it slowly melted like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. As it died, Chad could almost hear the creature screeching, “I’m melting!”
“Wow. I gotta get me one of those,” he quipped and stared enviously at the holy water gun. His admiration was cut short when the entire side of his face suddenly felt like it had been set on fire.
Chad staggered backward. His demon had resurfaced and had taken advantage of his attention being momentarily focused elsewhere. The thing had breathed on his face, and the air from its mouth was as hot as a furnace in Hell.
He fired his weapon, but the beast deflected the round with the back of its hand. Without hesitation, he fired again, and his attacker tried to deflect the bullet with its other hand. This time, however, the slug pierced the leathery skin and passed through.
The creature yelped and stared at its flesh for a moment.
One last time, he fired and landed a shot between the eyes. The demon fell instantly, convulsed for a moment, and sagged into death. Seconds later, a pile of ashes laid where the creature once stood.
“Piece of cake,” Chad boasted and twirled his gun around his finger like a cowboy. The pistol whirled off of his finger, dropped to the ground, and fired aimlessly into the night. “Oops.”
“Where’s your friend?” Pastor Norman asked.
“Ahh, crap.” Chad snatched his weapon up quickly and glanced around in search of Roger.
In the dark, they both heard him grunt from somewhere on the other side of the building.
Chad raced off with a surprisingly nimble Pastor Norman right behind him.
When they rounded the side of the building, they found the young man wrestling with the third demon. It had pinned him to the ground and tried viciously to wrap its long, snake-like fingers around his throat.
Roger twisted and thrashed beneath it in an effort to keep the creature from strangling him with one hand. His other hand was outstretched and felt blindly for the gun he had dropped just out of reach.
“Head’s up!” Chad yelled, and ran forward to kick the gun over to his friend.
With his hands now finally on the weapon, Roger found a renewed burst of strength. He placed one arm squarely against the demon’s chest and managed to push it off him by several inches. In the same instant, he swung his gun under his opponent and fired a shot into the monster’s stomach.
The demon yelled and an awful stench wafted from it.
Roger gagged as the demon’s stomach juices and blood poured out of its wound and onto his clothes. “What the hell did you eat today?”
“Gross.” Chad recoiled as he watched the scene play out in front of him. “You’ll have to burn those clothes, man.”
The young man shoved the creature aside, climbed to his feet, and finished it off. He fired until his gun w
as empty.
Roger placed his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Once he was able to breathe normally again, he straightened. “Well, that wasn’t so bad, considering.”
Chad shook his head but chuckled, nonetheless.
The three men stood in the parking lot and watched as the last demon shriveled and died.
“Eh, Pastor,” Roger ventured and nodded at the church. “Is there any place I can get a shower in there?” He stared at his clothes and the damage the demon had done to them. Worse, he reeked of sulfur and other more unspeakable horrors. Without doubt, a trail of flies would follow him in a matter of seconds.
The pastor aimed his water gun at Roger. “There’s no time for all of that.”
“Whoa… What are you… Wait!” He tried to protest, but it was too late.
Pastor Norman pressed the trigger and sent a strong stream of water to douse him from head to toe. Roger spat and sputtered and tried unsuccessfully to keep the water out of his face. Even when he turned his back, the man continued the deluge.
“Good as new.” The man beamed and offered him a satisfied nod.
Roger glared at him. “When I said I needed a shower, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He shuddered and the night breeze suddenly felt ice-cold now that his clothing was soaked through.
“On the bright side, you’re clean as a whistle,” Chad pointed out as he tried to hold back his laughter. “Even the demon blood and guts are gone now. You know that stuff can’t survive holy water.”
The young man looked at his clothes and studied the spot that barely moments before had been soiled with demon goo. “I guess you’re right. I never thought about it like that.” Still shivering, he glanced at Pastor Norman. “Thanks, Pastor.”
“No problem. Besides—that thing got a little too close to you, son. I had to make sure it didn’t leave any other traces on you, if you know what I mean. Anyway, you fellas wait here. Let me store this baby somewhere safe.” He gestured to his gun, and with that, he headed back inside the church.
Roger blinked and turned to Chad. “What the hell did he mean, ‘other traces?’ What other traces?”
Chad smirked. “Other traces like possession.”
The younger man’s eyes bulged and he looked at the door the pastor had disappeared through. “That old geezer was testing me? Trying to see if I’d been possessed?”
His companion shrugged. “Hey, he did us all a favor.”
“No—he didn’t think I knew what I was doing.” Roger shook his head and mumbled. “Possessed? Get outta here. Like I would let that happen to me.”
“To be fair, you did look like you were struggling a bit there, man.” Chad snickered.
“I was not struggling,” he objected. “I had that thing right where I wanted him.”
“Uh huh. And I guess your gun was right where you wanted it, too?”
“Oh, shut up! I was only—”
“Caught off-guard,” Chad finished for him. “Yeah, I know. But that’s how demons work. They love the element of surprise.”
Before Roger could respond, Pastor Norman returned. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “Well, I don’t know about you boys, but I sure could use a drink!” He glanced briefly at Roger. “Even though that fight was nothing but a warm-up—for some of us.”
“Go easy on him, Pastor. He is still pretty new at this,” Chad explained.
“Ahh, yes. I forget sometimes.” He walked to Roger and clapped him on his shoulder. “Let me buy you a drink and tell you all about the lifestyle you’re getting into. How about it?”
Roger forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s all right. I’m tired and I’m ready to turn in for the night.”
Pastor Norman frowned. “You sure?”
He nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Pastor.”
The older man looked at Chad, but he shrugged his shoulders.
“Suit yourself, Roger. I’ll catch you tomorrow.” Chad waved to him.
“All right.”
“Wait! Hold on.”
Roger halted and looked back.
His friend held his hands out, the palms forward. He closed his eyes for an instant and took a deep breath. Slowly, a bright orange glow grew from his palms. It floated up, then soared through the air at Roger to strike him squarely in the chest. The glow slowly shimmered and spread over the rest of his body. When the orange glow dissipated, he was no longer soaking wet.
He flashed Chad a thumbs-up. “Thanks. I had a free shower and a dry-clean all at once. You two sure know how to treat a fella. Enjoy your drinks.”
“Do you know where we’re going, Pastor?” Chad asked and surveyed the shabby buildings as they made their way down the road.
“Not quite, but I see a pub coming up. I guess that will have to do. You have to pardon me—it’s not like I go out for drinks often, you know.”
Chad laughed. “In that case, you should have let me choose a place.”
“Next time, then,” his companion agreed with a smile.
They made their way to the pub, where a security guard stood at the front door. As they approached, the man stared at a couple of scantily clad women who grinned, laughed, and no doubt shared some sort of inappropriate joke.
Pastor Norman cleared his throat.
“Yeah, yeah, wait a sec… Oh! H-hello, Pastor.” The security guard instantly straightened his posture and dropped the lustful expression that had been on his face barely seconds before. He took a bow as if greeting a king.
Chad fought hard not to laugh.
“How are you, my son?” the pastor boomed in a grand voice. It was intimidating, but Chad could hear the humor within it.
“I am well,” the security guard replied meekly. “How are you?”
“Very good. Now, if it’s all right, I would like to stop inside for a drink and then be on my way.”
“Of course, Pastor. Of course.” He took another bow and allowed him to pass. When the guard noticed Chad, he held out his hand. “Hold it there. Can I see some ID?”
Chad reached into his pocket and tried not to roll his eyes. Sometimes, looking young had its perks—such as being able to infiltrate a high school. At other times, there were definitely downsides to being a twenty-seven-year-old man who still looked seventeen.
He handed his ID over and watched the security guard’s gaze hone in on his date of birth. He then watched as the man painfully calculated Chad’s age in his head.
Finally, he returned the ID. “All right, sir. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you.” Chad nodded. The man gave one last bow to Pastor Norman, and they headed into the bar.
“What will it be, Pastor?” asked the bartender, a young woman with bright pink hair.
“Bring out a couple of beers for me and my friend.”
“Coming right up,” she chirped.
He climbed onto one of the barstools and gestured for Chad to do the same. “You know,” he began, “can you believe I came to the US looking for an easier life?”
The younger man raised his eyebrows. “And how has that worked out for you?”
“It hasn’t! Quite the opposite, actually.” He shook his head. “It seems that I looked for the American Dream, but all I’ve found is the American Scream!” He laughed at his own joke as the bartender returned with their beers.
“How much I do I owe you?” he asked.
She winked. “On the house for you, Pastor.” She eyed Chad briefly and sauntered off to her other customers.
The older man slid one of the beers to his companion.
“So, where are you originally from?” Chad asked and swallowed a generous sip of beer.
“The UK. They had a nasty demon problem out there too, but it was nothing compared to what’s going on out here.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Beats me.” Pastor Norman took a sip of his beer and grimaced. “From what I know about demons, though, they feed on negativity. The more of it ther
e is around, the weaker a soul can become. That’s why it’s easier for them to possess and take advantage of people who are spiritually weak. It makes them more vulnerable. And I don’t mean weak in religious beliefs. No, I mean weak in heart and mind. That kind of weakness wears out the body, and a weak body is an easy target. That’s why people often behave badly when they feel bad.”
Chad nodded. “That makes sense. Yeah. This country—or the people in it, rather—certainly have their issues. Morally and otherwise.”
The older man took another sip of his beer and grimaced again. “I must say, though—with the crappy beer you have, it’s not hard to see why people are always in a bad mood over here!”
Chapter Sixteen
Jessica’s stomach felt tight after her second round of ice cream. She leaned back in her chair, checked the time on her cell, and ignored her friends as they continued to chat around her.
“Crap,” she muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Erik asked.
“It’s getting late. I should have been home already.”
“It’s not that late,” Sara objected. “Come on. Don’t be a party pooper. Stay with us a little while longer. Tell us more about your hot pretend-cousins.” She grinned and Ashley laughed.
“On that note, it is definitely time for me to get out of here.” She laughed along with them.
No matter how crazy her day had been, she knew she could count on her friends to make her feel better, even if it was only a little. While she would have loved to stay out longer, she didn’t want to push her luck. Her parents wouldn’t think too highly of her coming home late. Plus, she had told Grandma Ethel that she would only stay out for about an hour.
Presenting herself as a responsible adult meant proving herself trustworthy, after all. That entailed keeping her promises.
“Will you be all right walking home?” Erik asked. “I can come with you if you want.”
“So chivalrous,” Ashely teased.
“Shut up,” he retorted.
Jessica considered his offer for a moment, then remembered that she had the voodoo imp doll with her. No offense to Erik, but she was fairly certain the magical protection her grandmother had given her would be more effective than his presence.