by Tiana Laveen
“Cruz, that’s risky,” Lawrence warned telepathically.
“Melius est ut pugnemus … me tangere,” Cruz taunted in Latin, urging the demon to fight, and daring it to touch him.
“Oh really, my little pony? You try to dare me? I will wrap your girly hair around your neck and fuckin’ strangle you with it, like the cum you gag on when you suck your own little dick!”
Cruz grinned from ear to ear. Whatever was going on, he’d gotten the response he wanted, and Saint earned a brief wave of relief from the beast’s hold on his body.
Oh, I see what he did. He’s distracting the demon so I can catch my breath…
“A goat is going to fuck your first-born son on his 13th birthday, Cruz, and impregnate him in the ass!!! A special gift from me to you!”
Cruz’s expression didn’t change. He simply kept on speaking telepathically to the demon, as if nothing was happening.
Saint was thankful, for he had no control over the vile things that were rolling off his tongue and it sickened him that his vocal chords had been borrowed to produce such abominable utterances. He’d seen exorcisms before. Typically, the possessed host had no idea of what was happening to them, and recalled none of the experience when it was over. But Saint knew he was different—this would be recorded on his soul for as long as he lived.
“Asmodeus got into his head before he could get away from that gas station, and Saint has been fighting it ever since. He’s been torturing Saint every second of the day. Now that Saint’s energy is back up, I imagine thanks to Xenia and some much-needed rest, the demon is trying to wear him back down so he can use him,” Lawrence stated out loud, forcing the demon’s attention on the Indian sitting on the floor.
“That fucker is trying to kill him since he wasn’t successful the first time?” Jagger questioned telepathically.
“Yes,” Cruz and Lawrence answered at the same exact time.
“Lawrence, guess what?” Saint guffawed. “YOUR WIFE IS A CUNT! Donna is a fuckin’ big-mouthed, dry-pussied, flat-assed slut!!! She cheated on you … you know that, right?” the demon within laughed.
“Don’t listen to him,” the priest warned. “Lies, it’s all lies. Demons spout falsehoods. They do not speak the truth. They incite the people we love and warp the few facts that are mentioned. Never trust them, ever.”
“Do you incite little boys, priest?” The demon hissed, then threw its venom at Lawrence once again in a rant filled with expletives.
“The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”
“If I had to go home to your wife, I would kill myself!” Saint continued, ignoring the priest. “Admit it, you daydream about slitting your wife’s throat! Nice boys finish last. Ahhhh!” Saint rocked hard in the chair, the damn thing almost toppling over as more holy water hit his face like shrapnel, sizzling upon contact. He didn’t know how much time had passed but it seemed like an eternity, and he began to question his sanity.
“I WILL KILL YOU! ALL OF YOU!” he raged. His body filled with inhuman power, the muscles and limbs taken over and moving violently.
“Shit!” Jagger yelled when the demon managed to free one arm from the chair. A flurry of activity commenced, blurs of movement and light and darkness, frantic utterances and curses. Lawrence was on his feet and all the men in the room rushed towards him like a gang out for blood.
“He’s too strong!” the priest called out. “Hold him harder!” Cruz, Lawrence, the minister, the priest and Jagger could barely keep him contained as he gnashed his teeth and damn near chomped his tongue in half during the melee.
“We have to try something else!” Cruz screamed telepathically. “If he gets the upper hand, we’re all dead!”
“He is receiving the cleansing, but I think it’s not sticking because he needs to purge,” Lawrence stated. “Saint, tell us what you saw through the demon that night. Tell us what’s in your head! You cannot keep their secrets, no matter how horrible they are. Purge it all! You have to!”
He shook his head violently, his body convulsing as he fought with everything he had. With one swoop of his arm, he tossed Jagger and Cruz aside as if they were made of nothing but air. Lawrence placed the incense dangerously close to his eye, then managed to knock him back down, giving time for the others to scramble to their feet and resume their attempts to contain him.
“Jesus Christ!” Jagger blurted, sounding out of breath. “I have never felt strength like that in my entire life! Saint! Come on, man!” he pleaded, rubbing his sore shoulder. After a brief respite, the priest began again, reciting scripture and walking circles around him.
“It’s the demon. It merged strength with Saint. It wants Saint’s power,” Cruz explained, speaking telepathically again. “Saint sacrificed himself to save those people. The demon got nothing and is hell bent on taking Saint with him. I saw and felt the whole thing when it happened. It is trying to do a full-fledged possession. Believe it or not, this isn’t it.”
“Shut up!” Saint spat, tasting blood as he grinded his teeth into his inner jaw.
“TELL ME WHAT YOU SAW!” Lawrence screamed.
“My baby girl!” Tears flooded down Saint’s cheeks, mixing with the blood. “It wants to hurt my daughter … my little girl, Isis. It… It walked in her room, where she was sleeping… It looked at her like she was a woman, a prostitute. It flung the sheets back and… and then it… I CAN’T!” Saint shook his head as more hot tears flowed and his heart threatened to explode.
“Keep going!” Lawrence urged.
“It wants to destroy my marriage … showed me Xenia cheating. It seemed so real! She was at work, and a new guy came. He told her I am away from home too much, that I don’t care about my family, and he fucked my wife… in our bed! And she laughed! And she loved it. She came over and over! And then I saw Hassani and Dakarai, both dead. Blood was everywhere! He reached into their chests and pulled their hearts out!” Saint yelled out at the top of his voice, making his throat burn with rage and sorrow. “He dumped their body in the street, right next to where my mother was killed. All because of my legacy. Burned bodies of Angel Children all over New York, because of me! But it kept me here to see it all … and then I could never die, but had to live with it all, day in and day out.”
“Those are false prophesies, Saint!” Jagger warned. “Keep fighting it, please! I know it seems real, but the terrible things he showed you are fake!” Saint’s body violently shook as he foamed at the mouth. He dug his fingernails in the chair, causing the wood to splinter and bubble from his mere touch.
“Move,” the priest commanded.
Everyone stood back. Sweat rained from each of Saint’s pores; he went cold then hot, while resisting the urge to pass out.
The priest kept speaking, and he kept fighting…
Jagger kept yelling out words of encouragement, and he kept fighting…
Lawrence kept praying and holding him close telepathically, and he kept fighting…
Cruz sent secrets his way, telling him how to keep going, and he kept fighting…
The room drew quiet. He slumped down in the chair, panting, feeling lighter than ever. Then, he heard a burst of laughter from Jagger, the kind that comes from pure joy.
“The demon is banished,” the priest announced.
Feet raced up to Saint, and several hands worked to untie him. A soft, cool cloth was swiped over his lower lip, cleaning him up. He could smell soap and feel the love around him. Saint blinked his eyes several times and stared at his wrists. They were blood red, burned from the ropes. He could feel the tingle in his eyes dissipating. He was whole again.
“Let’s get you home. You need to rest,” Jagger whispered, using his body as a crutch to help Saint get to his feet.
“Please … please don’t tell Xenia what happened today.” Saint rested his weight on the big man, feeling sudden trepidation.
“Saint, she already knows. We had to, man. You’ve been gone for a while. It’s been two days.” Jagger gave him a side hug as
he helped him towards the church exit, the other men following. When they walked out, the fresh air felt like the best thing that had ever happened to him. The wind greeted his body with a cool kiss. He couldn’t wait to get in the shower and clean up his soiled body. He yearned to talk to and play with his children, eat a decent meal, and then sleep. Lawrence got on the phone with someone and the priest, the minister, and Cruz huddled up in conversation, every now and again giving him glances during their discussion.
In no time flat, Xenia pulled up in front of the church in her red Ferrari, Total’s “Kissing You” playing out of her car stereo speakers. He could barely breathe when he locked eyes with her. Hand clasped over her mouth, she shook her head, clearly fighting tears. She broke their gaze as she leapt out the car, raced towards him, and threw herself into his arms, not caring a whit about the stench of his clothing, and his ruffled appearance.
“Oh my God, Saint! One minute you were home, the next you were telling me you needed help. You wouldn’t say much more and then, Lawrence took you away. I’ve been so worried!”
Jagger stepped away from him, allowing him to freely embrace her. Kissing the top of her head, he inhaled her sweetness, loving her in ways she’d never completely understand.
“I know you were worried, baby. I’m sorry.” He ran his hand up and down her back.
“Let’s get you home.” She kissed his cheek and led him to the car, helping him inside. “Guys, I’ll let you all know how he is doing later tonight after I get him settled,” she said to the fellas. They waved at them while she pulled away from the curb.
“Xenia … baby, I love you.” He leaned against the passenger window. Taking a deep breath, he tried to ignore the aches and pains in his body.
“I know you do. I love you too, Saint, and I know what happened.” She kept her eyes on the road, but the tone in her voice let him know she’d had enough of his secrets.
“Thank you for giving me the energy for this exorcism. I … I should have told you that this was a bigger situation than the ones in the past, that uh… I needed to commune with you specifically for an exorcism, get my strength up so I could have a chance to survive it.” He rubbed absently along his jaw. “I knew that was what I needed soon after I’d gotten home from Saratoga. It had split apart, leaving a trace of itself within me… it had possessed me. I couldn’t tell you that though, I didn’t want to scare you…”
“Saint, I’m human. I’m going to get scared sometimes, okay? That would happen if I were married to a civilian like myself, let alone an Angel Child. I have a stressful but wonderful career. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend. This means I have responsibilities, and I’m going to feel things, and sometimes those things won’t be very nice. But regardless of all of that, I’m always going to love you. Quit trying to be your own savior all the time. It doesn’t work that way.”
“But I was just trying to—”
“Saint, I don’t even want to hear it.” She shot him a brief menacing glance. “Just stop it, all right? You can’t be your own salvation; you need help. That’s what God is for, baby. That’s why you have me and your family and friends… to help you. I can take all of this that you come with. You were not sold exclusively; the craziness is included, whether I wanted the package deal or not wasn’t even an option.” She chuckled without mirth. “I can take you reading minds and telling me what I am thinking before I even formulate the thought. I can take you fighting and killing evil people and demons … as strange as it sounds, I can because it’s your calling, just like Raphael told you all those years ago.
“I understand it. What I can’t take, Saint, is you holding all of your pain close to your heart, shutting me out, and me almost losing you because you use it as an excuse. You say you’re protecting me from the ugly truth, but that’s just to hide the fact that you are too prideful to allow me to see you at a weakened state. What if you were unable to control what was going on inside of you and ended up hurting me? You would have never forgiven yourself, and if I would have at least known something was wrong I could have watched you more, looked for the signs. These secrets have got to stop.”
“But you said—”
“I’m not finished talking! You always say in your conferences that your wife is your rib, your helpmate. Well, treat me like it. Let me actually help you. We’re in this together. Despite all the gifts you’ve been blessed with, Saint, you’re human. I am going to see you cry, I am going to see you break down, whether you like it or not. I can’t take it anymore!” She slammed her fist against the steering wheel as tears streaked her face. “You won’t always have some bathroom you can run in to hide those emotions from me. If you really want some salvation, if you really want to save somebody, start at home!” His eyes glossed with fresh tears at her hard truth, and all he could do was nod in agreement. The woman reached over, took his hand and squeezed it.
“You’re right, all of it … every single word, Xenia. I’m sorry, baby. And you already taught me about salvation.” He smiled sadly, his eyes growing heavier. “You saved me, baby. Your love always saves me.” Those were the final words he uttered before falling into a deep, dark sleep…
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A few days later…
“I wanted to beat the daylights out of you,” Lawrence peered at Saint from across his desk. “I know it wasn’t you talking, but it was wearing your face. If I had slapped you around a bit though, I’m sure you’d understand.”
Saint laughed nervously, feeling mighty bad about it all.
“Yeah, I know. That was a doozy, and I never want to go through that again. I’m just glad it’s over. When I got home, I must’ve squeezed my kids to death with hugs. Of course, Xenia and I didn’t tell them what had happened, but I think Hassani kinda knew something was up. I think I need to take him to the movies and dinner or something. He and I need some more alone time.”
“He’s a good kid, and smart. I’m sure he’s more aware than most give him credit for.”
“That’s definitely true, but it’s like he is developing spiritually faster than in any other area, and that concerns me. I’d like to discuss that with you more later on. Just like last year, and the year before that, he’s developing at a rapid rate. He’s not supposed to be able to do this sort of stuff yet. He’s nowhere close to thirty-five.”
“Remember I told you a couple years ago, Saint, that Hassani was developing faster because somewhere, it was determined that he needed to.”
“Yeah, but he’s just a kid.” Saint grimaced. “He deserves to have a healthy, happy childhood, Lawrence. He’s doing well in school. He’s got a nice girlfriend. My son actually thinks he is in love.” He smirked. “He’s got friends. He tutors first graders in Reading and Math, and Dakarai and Isis look up to him and depend on him. That’s the life Hassani leads, that of a child, not the one of some youth crime fighter… That’s not right, and I need this to be known. I won’t have my son out here fighting people, experiencing his first kill at such a young age, and God forbid, wrestling with demons. It’s too soon! I won’t stand for it.” His voice rose in anger.
Lawrence nodded in understanding as he moved his finger across the tracking pad of his laptop. The two were burning the midnight oil, doing a bit of research on a town called Cedar Key in Florida. An interracial couple that dwelled in the tiny community had endured recent harassment that was receiving no concern or assistance from law enforcement, or even from family and so-called friends. Saint checked out the time on his computer and yawned.
“It’s two in the morning, man.” He snatched up his bottle of water and chugged the last gulp. “Let’s roll out of here and come back at, say, 9:30 a.m. Does that work for you?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Lawrence yawned and got to his feet. Don’t forget there is a 10:00 a.m. meeting.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Saint shut down his computer and placed it inside his briefcase.
Lawrence slid on his coat. “Let me text my wi
fe and let her know I’ll be home soon.” He waited while Saint placed a few more things in his bag. The two were soon heading towards the elevator, doing small talk.
“Don’t even bring that up!” Saint cackled. “How could Gaspar do this to me, man? If I hear about how wonderful my mother-in-law is again, I’m going to be sick!”
Lawrence burst out laughing and shook his head. “Pam seems quite nice, Saint. Just a little rough around the edges.” He grinned. “I must admit though, I have never seen Gaspar smile so much. He’s floating when he comes into work now.”
“Please,” Saint spat as they got onto the elevator. He pushed the first floor button. “He’s floating like It, the Stephen King clown, man. We all float down here bullshit.”
“Aw, man!”
“Check this out, she came home the other night and uh,” Saint said, disgusted. “I can’t even say it. Let’s just say, she and Gaspar got familiar. I overheard her talking to Xenia. The two of them were laughing like two hyenas. I thought I was going to throw up … talking about how she put it on him.”
“Shit, this is gold!” Lawrence couldn’t hold back the giggles.
“It’s not funny, man.” Saint chuckled. “She’s supposed to be going back to L.A. soon, so I’m not sure what their plans are. In all seriousness, though, I’m glad they both seem to be enjoying one another. Keeps her out the house more. That’s always a plus.”
The double doors opened and they stepped out into the desolate lobby, their shiny, black dress shoes slapping against the floor. Saint loosened his tie as they approached the exit, and the instrumental version of “Come Go with Me” by Teddy Pendergrass serenaded them out the door.
“Erika’s baby shower is coming up soon. We should do something for Cruz,” Lawrence announced.