by mike Evans
Joan turned around, her eyes wet. She clenched onto him in a bear hug and whispered. “I don’t know what to say either. I have to admit that I felt instant relief and then guilt for my feelings a moment later when I saw the mail carrier. I just hope that Tony and Billy didn’t get a chance to see this. I can’t imagine getting a scene like this out of your head when you are their age. I don’t think there’s anything that we can do here.”
“We aren’t doing anything wrong not standing around being a bystander. Let’s go check on your boys. They should both be here by now I’d think. We didn’t beat the school rush home.”
Ralph opened the door and hollered from the entryway as he kicked off his boots. “Hey, honey, it’s me, your knight in shining armor. Where’s everyone at? What are you doing?”
No answer came back. Ralph walked into the living room, seeing Tony’s cars sitting un-played with on their windowsill. He saw the radio and television were both off. “Something’s wrong here. I just realized that I don’t smell anything.”
“Smell anything?”
“Around this time, she’d already have supper going. Something is going on here, Joan. I can’t think of any errands she said that she had to go do. If she needs anything, she knows that I'm always more than happy to leave and go get it.”
Joan smiled, but it wasn’t very reassuring. She was thinking of the drapes in the window and trying to talk herself out of what she had seen. “I think I saw something in the window, across the street at my place. I wonder if they went there for something. Tony didn’t remember anything, and your wife had no clue of what we had seen. I wouldn’t want anyone going into that house until we know what it really is; at least until the fathers have a chance to go in and see what they think. Father Joseph seems like the one we really would want to listen to.”
“That man has seen some things; it doesn’t take much to tell that by looking in his eyes. Please, give me just a moment longer and I will run upstairs and see if she is okay. I'm getting worried about my wife at this point.”
Joan could understand and nodded. Ralph made his way up the stairs searching the bathroom first, and then their bedroom. She was lying on the bed not moving. He put a hand on her shoulder shaking her gently. “Hey now, honey, it’s time to get up. You gave me a scare.” When she didn’t move he shook her a little harder. “Come on now, quit screwing with me and get up. Where is the boy at?”
Mrs. Anderson slowly started to come around. The thoughts that he hadn’t been trying to think about—if something happened to her heart, or God knows what else—slowly began to dissipate. Ralph practically fell to a knee when he bent down next to her. He pulled her in and almost off of the bed, squeezing her and kissing her forehead. “I… I didn’t… I don’t even want to say it, but I didn’t think that you were going to wake up. Everything flashed before my eyes, honey, and it was all memories of you and me and the kids. God, don’t ever do that again, my old heart can’t handle it.”
She sat up and Aurora said, “I'm sorry, Ralph, I didn’t even remember going to sleep. The last thing I remember was peeling potatoes in the kitchen, and then everything got all fuzzy, and that was when you woke me. I don’t ever remember having such a bad sleep, but at the same time, I wasn’t able to wake up from it. I had nothing but these horrific dreams, children in the streets everywhere.”
“Children in the streets was your bad dream, Aurora?”
She looked up and tears were beginning to form in her eyes. “Yes, and they were all carrying weapons; and some were holding crosses, but they were upside down, leaving a black trail that looked almost like oil behind them. The ones holding weapons were killing everyone that they came up across. It didn’t matter if it was a man or a woman. They seemed so angry, killing and stabbing people… I don’t know what was wrong with them. They kept saying, ‘your time is soon’. It didn’t matter how fast I ran, I still couldn’t get away from them. They kept saying something… it sounded a little like Italian, but the longer I heard it made me think that maybe it was Latin?”
“Little kids don’t know Latin in Chicago, hell probably nowhere in the states? Never going to happen. Look, you had a bad dream and you can’t remember why, it could be worse. Now, where is the boy at?”
“He was sitting in the living room, what do you mean where is he?”
“I mean everything that it sounds like. His mother and I thought that maybe he’d be upstairs. You both gave us a heart attack when we came up here looking for the two of you. He isn’t anywhere downstairs to be seen, and the door was unlocked at the front.”
Aurora tried to get up but couldn’t. “I don’t feel very good, Ralph. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I must be coming down with something.”
“Sounds like you have something making you not feel very well. Hopefully your guardian angel looks out for you.”
When she sat up with his assistance, her shirt fell forward just enough that he saw a bruise forming on her. The shape of the cross was the only piece of her skin in the small circle which was not bruised. He touched it, and she winced as his rough fingertips braised her skin. He pulled his hand back as quickly as he could. “I’m sorry, honey, I just didn’t see that bruise there this morning at breakfast.”
“It’s because I didn’t have it. I don’t know what happened, but it hurts, Ralph. It feels like when I tripped and stuck my hand in a pot of boiling water. I don’t understand what happened, Ralph… I don’t understand any of this.”
“You don’t try to figure it out, Aurora. I just want you to stay in bed and don't go anywhere. I also don’t want you to open the door for anyone—and I mean anyone—unless they are a priest.”
“Ralph, what is going on today? I don’t understand any of this.” Ralph opened his nightstand, taking out a revolver and an extra speed loader. “What is that for?”
“The Devil’s doers, dear.”
Ralph tucked a holster onto his belt and slid his shirt over it and headed back down the stairs. Joan said, “Was Tony up there? What’s with the gun, are you expecting trouble, Ralph? Was your wife up there? Is she okay?”
“No, he isn’t there, I’m sorry. She is, but she can barely move. She’s got a hell of a bruise on her chest that has one spot not hurt that has her cross outline on it. She doesn’t look too good, and she’s horribly confused of course. I don’t take Bessie here with me too often, but better to have one on you than not. That’s the way I look at it, anyways.”
“Can we go check my house? The thought of him out in the streets by himself with everything going on is just crazy.”
“Do you really have to ask, Joan? Come on, let’s get over there. It’s only going to get crazier when the police and medics come. The last thing we want to do is get stuck getting questioned.”
“Ralph, we don’t know anything.”
Ralph saw the man’s chest and the bruise could be seen from twenty feet away. He gripped Joan’s shoulder pointing to it. “Do you see that? Look right there at the driver. He has the same bruise that my wife did, right here on his chest.”
She felt her own chest, thinking about it, and winced from the pain. Ralph got closer looking at it. “Billy had one of these to, I don’t think whatever it is likes us,” Joan said.
“I don’t think that it cares so much about you, as much as it does about that cross hanging from your neck.”
Ralph was patting at his neck and looking a little nervous. Joan said, “Did you want to run inside and find a necklace with a cross on it?”
“Are you kidding me, I would just barely get my wrist in one of her necklaces; that woman barely has a neck. I don’t know why, but everything I eat goes to my gut, and nothing she eats goes anywhere on her. Luckily, she appreciates this healthy stomach. I won’t have to worry about starving anytime soon, if the you-know-what hits the fan. Just wait here and I’ll be right back.”
Two minutes later a heavy breathing Ralph came out with a black rosary bead clasped in his hand. He slid it on doing the si
gn of the cross and smiled uneasily. “Well, let’s hope that he doesn’t think that I have done too much wrong that I get ignored, when the time comes to it.”
She smiled, and the two walked around the crowd and to her front door. She put in the key and it slid home; when she went to twist the lock, it would not move. She looked at Ralph confused, not sure what to do. “What do you want me to do with it? Stupid thing won’t open? Here let me try. If it won’t open, I’ll put my shoulder through it. We are getting in there though, I can assure you of that. This door ain’t that nice that we aren’t able to bust it down.”
When Joan moved out of the way, the key shot from the lock and to the gutter where it disappeared. The two watched it, and Ralph shrugged gently, moving her to the side. When he went to ram it with his shoulder, a guttural growl came from the house: “Go away, be warned.”
Al came around the corner behind them. “We might need them!” he said to no one that could be seen. Ralph gripped Joan by the wrist to pull her away from the door, but it flung itself open, lifted the two of them, and the door slammed shut.
Chapter 17
Father Michaels sat stunned for a moment as he watched Ralph and Joan head out of the church. When they were gone and out of earshot, he put a hand on Joseph as he tried to walk past and gripped tight. “Are we really going to go to her house and fight demons? What I mean is, were you just trying to help her get some peace of mind until we had a chance to call the hospital to get her some help, or maybe her husband? Not that he’d probably do a lot.”
Joseph sat back down for a moment, looking into his eyes. “You believe in God, do you not? Or I assume that you would not be here. What I mean is, there is a lot of time, schooling, and faith needed to be a man of the cloth. You’ve done all of those things, have you not?”
“You know that I have, or I would not be allowed to be here.”
“Then those things that she speaks of need to be considered as real as the words in the bible. There’s nothing stopping it from being true. Until you see what it is she was speaking about, there’s little to do about your faith.”
“But there is so little known about these types of things.”
“Yes, because the holy mostly record those things that are good. They do not want to give those seeking something darker to believe in an additional object to cherish and to hold. There are enough out there already whom believe in the Devil; it isn’t hard to see that there are bad people. But I am not kidding that we do not need to offer any of our assistance when it comes to the work of the man below. He is bitter and does wrong; all that he wants is to hurt those in-between life and death, and to tarnish those trying to get into the gates of heaven.”
“So, what do we do to stop this, if it is real?”
Joseph did the sign of the cross, kneeling, and said, “Repeat after me, Father Michaels. My lord, you are all powerful, you are God, you are Father. We beg you through the intercession and help of the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the evil one. All saints of Heaven, come to our aid. You think you can remember that?”
“You got a card with it on there?”
“When the demons are fighting you for the soul of who we are praying for, I feel you’ll be just fine. I need to get a few things; can you find a few gallons of holy water to bring with us?”
“Does it really work?”
“We are going to have to work on your faith that you speak so confidently about, Father Michaels. Just remember and do not forget that: just because you cannot see it, doesn’t mean that it isn’t actually happening, or able to happen. I have seen things that you would only pray weren’t true in my lifetime. Many of the things have stuck with me for many years longer than you have been on Earth, I can assure you of that, my young priest.”
“Can I ask you one question?” Michael asked.
“Make it quick, Father Michaels, the demons aren’t going to wait for us.”
“What exactly are you doing in Chicago? I mean, if you know so much about all of this, then why are you here… I mean, why aren’t you telling anyone else what to do, or how to handle these things?”
“Who said that I wasn’t here for that purpose, my son? One day, very long ago, I too was an apprentice with a mentor. I learned more than I could have ever begged to know to be able to help others… I only hope that I am able to do the same thing for you.”
Chapter 18
Ralph let go of Joan just in time to place his hands out in front of him. The two of them hit hard on the floor. He braced his hand but could feel something that he very much wanted not to shatter do so in his wrist. He tried not to yell; he knew that Joan was already losing her mind with all that was going on. Ralph could not blame her whatsoever for all the insanity that was transpiring today.
He rolled to his side using his good arm to push up on. “Joan, are you okay, did it hurt you?”
“Did it hurt me? What do you think it is?”
“I’d have to say more confidently than ever that we are dealing with something from the one place we don’t want to worry about ending up.”
Joan got up, brushing off her knees. “I'm okay, thank you Ralph for asking. We need to get out of here. I had every intention of waiting for the priests to show up before entering.”
Ralph was going to say something but Tony appeared at the top of the steps, speaking before he could be seen. “We wouldn’t have any fun if you waited for the priests to show up. Besides, they aren’t going to do anything for you. I can assure you that there is enough evil here right now, that you will never see the light of day again. You might do yourself a favor and kill yourselves now.”
Joan, who had been a catholic longer than a mother, yelled in excitement, not putting together that it was her son with the elderly sounding gruff voice. “Tony! Tony, oh thank God, you are here! Get down here honey, come on we need to leave. We are going to go back to Ralph’s house, and we aren’t ever coming back here again.”
It took a second for Tony’s mouth to open, but when it did, he looked directly at his mother and neighbor. His eyes were the deepest red that either of them had ever seen. “Did you not hear me, you stupid bitch? Go and kill yourself; you might save yourself some pain. You might be granted a good job in hell’s army for birthing the one that we use to start it all, although father is not the most gracious one.”
“Tony, what is wrong with you? Why are you talking about your father like that? What job are you talking about?”
Ralph placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back into protection. “I don’t think that is Tony, Joan. I'm pretty sure there is something evil in that boy. Now look, Tony, if I go and kill myself that is going to send me straight to hell, do you know that? That isn’t somewhere that I am trying to get into, not anytime soon, or anytime ever.”
“Hell and Earth are going to be of little difference, you meddling old man, in the near future. You really would do yourself a favor, going down the road of damnation. Things are going to grow a little dark. I fear that those who wish for peace will not have joy in their lives very soon.”
“I don’t understand what you are saying, Tony. What are you talking about?” Ralph asked.
“Your weak God can only put up with so much. At some point—one I hope is very soon—he will send warriors to protect what he thinks is so precious to himself and which is his. This earth is not his; this will be the land of the Devil. If you wish to watch angels die in the street, then save yourself until that happens. But regardless of whether you do it now or later, you will have nothing good in your life going forward. Ashes of the dead will float through the streets, and their blood will become the rivers.”
Ralph whispered, “We need to leave, and we need to do it now, Joan. Come on, before we aren’t given the option.”
Tony descended the stairs without ever touching them. Joan cried, “Oh, Tony, baby… why? Why—with all the kids in the world—couldn’t you take someone
else?”
“Because your other son is too old. Besides he wears that joker’s necklace around his throat. I wish very much that it did not have special powers, or I would happily squeeze him until the breath was gone from his throat. He would not know what to think, and his God would not save him. Your dwelling is the pathway to hell; your son is the youngest and most vulnerable. When it comes time for him to meet his demise, it is going to be difficult for God to try to turn him away from his gates.”
“Why would God turn him away?” Joan asked.
“Because by the time he goes to heaven, I will be gone, and the Devil will float in his body. He is going to put the spear that killed Jesus through his heart. He is going to be sizzling when the holy land touches upon his bare skin in heaven.”
Ralph said, “You are insane! Don’t you know that will not work? You would risk the boy over that?”
At this the demon laughed; the sound filled the house. “I would risk a million children’s lives if it gave my father the chance to kill yours just once. You don’t seem to understand what is on the line. I am not talking about one boy’s soul; I am talking about every soul, good or bad, on Earth, and we want them all. We want no questions asked. We want to destroy heaven and move our way towards domination in this life and all the others.”
Ralph turned to run with a hand held tightly to Joan’s. “We need to leave here now, Joan, this isn’t a place we can be any longer. At least not until the priests show up.”
Tony came down the steps faster and when he approached Ralph, picked up speed greatly. He hit Ralph so hard that he threw the man five feet in the air. Ralph hit the wall hard and fell to the ground. He could feel warm blood coming from his neck freely, now mixed with what he was pretty sure had been something broken in his arm. When Ralph tried to get up, the demon in control of Tony was atop of him trying to lift him. The rosary beads fell from beneath his shirt and his young skin sizzled when they touched it.