Page 114 of Hurts So Good
Charlie jumped up excitably and headed out the right side door, which made hope rise in my heart.
Liz was always telling me one person couldn’t make a difference. I told her that all it took was one person to make a difference. Though I have to admit, a tiny part of me was starting to believe her.
Every day, I saw new atrocities on the news. Read about crime lords distributing their merchandise and pimps disposing of theirs. It seemed as if things just got worse, but I never should have lost my faith. Jesus would always show me the way. If I could save just one soul, it would all be worth it. Salvation was the true reward.
I finished up my orders and headed out back to meet Charlie with my bible and rosary.
“What passage would you like to read–”
My bible slipped from my grasp when I rounded the corner.
At first I thought Charlie may be engaged in homosexual activity, but the terror I felt when his eyes met mine told me otherwise. And then I saw the blood streaming down his neck. The large man wasn’t doing inappropriate things to him. He was biting him. Charlie’s demons had come to life!
I held up my rosary and yelled, “Begone, demon. I banish you back to hell!”
The demon feasting on Charlie’s soul pulled away and arched a brow at me.
For just a second, when the moonlight hit his face, my breath hitched. He was breathtaking. Black hair, a chiseled jawline that I’d heard Liz talk about so much, and bright, almost glowing blue eyes. But I knew better. This was how the devil worked. He tempted you and lured you in with his beauty.
When the demon tipped his head, I felt a tingle in the sparkle of his eyes. A strange sliver of cold that shot through my skull.
“You will not possess demon.”
He seemed oddly surprised by my response. For just a second, his brows knit before he released Charlie, letting him fall to the ground in a heap.
Then he took a step towards me.
“I said begone!” I tried very hard to use the same commanding voice Father John did, but it was hard to stay strong when the demon’s bloody lips twisted in a smirk. “Go back to the foul depths from whence you came.”
He took another step closer.
I stood strong despite the rapid beating in my heart. One must not show weakness in front of evil.
“Are you trying to exorcize me child?”
I thrust my hand out, using my rosary as a shield. “Stay back.”
Another step.
The coppery scent of Charlie’s blood dripped off the demons face and clothes, staining the air around us.
“Put those away.” His voice was deep and almost hollow.
I lifted my chin. “I will not.”
I would stand strong and defeat him.
“Do you really think your bible and prayers will protect you?”
Of course they would. It was trying to weaken my faith. “You can’t fool me. I will not fall for your tricks demon.”
He threw his head back and let out a laugh that chilled me to the bone. But when his bright eyes locked on mine, I felt dread in my very soul.
“There are far worse things in this world than demons child.”
Before I could blink, he was standing in front of me. He moved so fast the air itself sucked past my body. Still I held my resolve, until he snatched the rosary out of my shaking hand. That’s when my heart dropped. Demons shouldn’t be able to put their hands on holy items.
Suddenly it was as if the walls of the alley were closing in on me. I could feel the suffocating shadow of his looming presence filling the air. As if his mere existence stole the very light from the sky. Heat radiated off his body, but it felt cold and empty. Like the glint in his eyes.