BELIEVE in DEMONS

by Richard Alanson

  ****

  "Let's start again Tanaka. I know there's something you're not telling me. You failed to mention the Lords of Baal when we last talked. Was Hernandez mixed up in it? I heard a theory that he was a sacrifice. I always thought you were a lowlife but are you really dabbling in human sacrifice? Are you really going to attack a priest? You've done some crummy things in your life Leo but I thought you had some standards. Come on, give me something on the Lords of Baal and we'll see if we can work out a deal. There's gotta be something you want."

  "There's only one thing I want," Tanaka said, and then began speaking in Latin. Carter knew that something was wrong but before he could do anything Tanaka was changing before his eyes. His skin darkened into an obsidian color. His flesh cracked and his limbs lengthened. A hollow scream wailed in his throat as his head snapped back. The eyes that looked back at him were crimson. A long sharp tongue dripped with saliva. Where Tanaka had been standing there was now some devilish creature, an indescribable demon. His long slender arms easily slipped out of the cuffs and in one stride he was across the room.

  Carter had been so shocked that he had delayed drawing his gun, but now his hands were around his weapon and he fired blindly into the black mass that had been Leo Tanaka's body. Carter yelled as he emptied his weapon. The demon staggered back. Black ooze seeped over the floor and dripped from his body but it was still standing. Carter's gun clicked. His eyes widened with fear. The creature brought back one of its terrible arms and sent it crashing down. Carter felt pain lance through his body as the black nails tore through his clothes and his skin. He collapsed to the floor trying to wrench himself away from the grip of this ghastly creature. The demon screeched once more and then slipped through the door. Carter crawled to follow him and grabbed the door before it closed. He flung it open and saw that the demon had changed back into Tanaka.

  "Get him!" Carter cried. He tried to pull himself up, but he was useless without a gun. The pain in his body was intense. He looked up and saw Sosa leap into action. For all of his and Sosa's differences they were still cops, and Sosa was a good man. Sosa ran after Tanaka. For a moment Carter felt hope, but that brief flicker was quickly extinguished when Tanaka wrestled the gun away from Sosa. Tanaka held it to Sosa's back and held him hostage, walking out of the station. Carter staggered forward and pushed his way through. He called out to Tanaka not to be a fool, that there was no way out, but Tanaka smiled.

  "You know so little detective." Somehow there was a car waiting for him. Carter clenched his fists as the door opened. Before anyone had any time to react, there was a shot and Sosa slumped to the ground. A hole punctured his forehead. Screams echoed around and Carter's throat was raw from screaming. It took all his effort, but he ran down. The car screeched away. Carter fell to Sosa and cradled his dead body in his arms. Carter's face was a picture of pure rage as he stared at the car that was escaping. His heart burned with anger and fury but the chase was already underway. A fleet of cars were in pursuit and the blades of a helicopter chopped through the air. Nobody killed a cop and got away with it.

  Chapter 12

  T he last thing Carter wanted to do was leave Sosa's body alone, but he wanted to be part of the hunt. He grabbed a replacement gun and checked that it was loaded before he jumped in a patrol car.

  "I'll get him my friend," he said to the lifeless Sosa before he left. Carter wished that he had a chance to make amends. The last thing he had said to Sosa was to challenge his faith, and he hadn't even been able to tell Sosa that he understood why he believed what he believed. Carter was still struggling to understand what he had seen in the interrogation room. He didn't know what Tanaka had turned into but it was something inhuman, something terrible. It was a monster and although he had emptied his gun into it, the demon was unharmed. Carter looked down at the scratch marks on his stomach and tried to ignore the pain. He could suffer later when Tanaka was behind bars, or dead. This case had just turned upside down and if he thought about it too much Carter would lose his mind. He had to focus on justice. That was the only thing that mattered. Whether Tanaka was human or some weird creature, he had still killed Sosa, and that meant justice was coming for him.

  The car slalomed through the city. Tires screamed as they made tight turns. Tanaka's car was followed by a snaking line of wailing sirens and flashing lights. Pedestrians jumped out of the way. Other car screeched to a halt. Carter looked on with grim determination. It was only a matter of time until they cornered the car and then Carter would make the arrest and drag Tanaka back to the station. He smiled with anticipation as the police cars split up to catch Tanaka in their net. The car soon had nowhere to go. Carter slammed the door behind him and, with a satisfied smile, he triumphantly flung open the door, only to find that Tanaka wasn't there. He kicked the tire and slammed his hand down on the roof of the car. The driver was dragged out.

  "Where the hell did he go?!" Carter growled.

  "I...I don't know! I swear! What's going on? Where am I? I don't remember anything."

  Carter didn't believe him at first but after someone else took over the questioning it was clear that the man was telling the truth. Carter looked out at the fleet of cars and the helicopter in the sky. Once again Tanaka had escaped without anyone seeing where or how. He didn't know how he was going to explain the demon either. There was only one man in the entire city who would believe he was telling the truth; Father Constantine.

  ****

  The priest was looking in better spirits although Carter was haggard.

  "What's happened?" the priest said, immediately knowing that something was wrong. Carter told him all about Sosa.

  "There's something else...something unbelievable. I don't even know how to say it but Tanaka changed...he turned into this black thing...this creature. I'd never seen anything like it and I know that nobody would believe me, but you do. Don't you? This whole thing has been real this entire time. The Lords of Baal, everything...nothing is what it seems."

  "It's the demons they channel into their bodies. I know this is difficult for you to accept Carter but you must. You are one of the warriors in this war and we need you. Carter. You are special, you have been blessed. Please try to keep your mind on the task at hand."

  "I just saw a man transform into a demon in front of my eyes! I shot him with a whole magazine of ammo and it barely fazed him! How the hell are we supposed to fight these things?!"

  "With faith," Father Constantine said. He wasn't joking. Carter threw his hands up in the air and then placed them on his hips. He blew out his cheeks in frustration. "There's something else Carter. Tomorrow is the festival of Samhain. It's a pagan celebration where the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. I am afraid that they are preparing a ritual to bring more powerful demons through into this world...perhaps even Satan himself. Dark times are upon us indeed and we have seen the truth all too late."

  "This is crazy..." Carter said in disbelief.

  "Yes it is, but that doesn't mean it is any less true. I am so sorry that I have been proven right. All this time I was hoping that you were correct in thinking it was as simple as a man who refused to fight, but there are darker forces at work."

  "How can I fight this, Father? How can I stop them? There has to be a way. They can't just win..."

  "There is a way," Father Constantine said gravely, "you received the protection of Christ when I baptized you"

  "Well, it didn't work very well did it?" Carter said sarcastically, looking down at his wound.

  "It did. If you were not protected, the wound would have been far more severe. In order to take them on you are going to have to accept Christ and cleanse yourself of sin. You must fight them with a pure soul, your own strength of will allied with the will of God."

  "No, I...I can't," Carter said.

  "You must," Father Constantine said, wide-eyed. Carter hung his head and groaned. His mind was in conflict with itself but in the end, he knew what he needed to do.

  "Forgiv
e me father, for I have sinned..." he began, and proceeded to bear his soul to Father Constantine, mainly about his hatred of criminals ever since Eddie died but also now driven by a need to understand what was happening to the world he knew. When he left Carter felt calmer than he could ever remember.

  He was prepared to fight the darkness. He was a weapon of the light.

  Chapter 13

  O fficer Garrett was working the night shift and told Carter that there had been a sighting of Tanaka. Carter was wary of going into battle against the man who could turn himself into a demon but he had to stop this ritual from taking place. There was no denying the truth anymore, he just wished that he had a chance to talk to Nicky because he had a strong sense of foreboding. Sosa had already died and Carter had a feeling that he was going to be next to lay down his life for a good cause. Father Constantine claimed that he was protected but Carter wasn't sure how long that protection was going to last if indeed he was protected at all.

  There was a massive bust happening at the warehouse. Carter joined in. Many of Sosa's vice squad was there, wanting to get vengeance for Sosa's killer. Carter wished that he could tell them the truth of what they were facing but none of them would have believed him. He was alone in knowing the truth, except he wasn't really alone. There was a feeling inside him that had been there since he had confessed to Father Constantine. He almost didn't want to admit it himself but it was as though someone was walking the same path as him like he had a guardian angel. He could only hope that it was true and that he made it out of this alive. If he failed, he had no idea what would happen, aside from it being something bad. The Lords of Baal could not succeed.

  The night was dark. There was barely a star in the sky and it seemed colder than usual. Carter could feel the presence of evil hanging around the city. It made him nauseous. This feeling was stronger as they approached the warehouse. The red and blue lights of the police cars sliced through the darkness and their wailing sirens pierced the air.

  The warehouse loomed before them, like a fortress. The full might of the police force fell upon the Lords of Baal who were congregrated there; waiting to begin the ritual that would bring more rampaging demons through the veil that separated this realm from the next. The lines between reality and fantasy were blurred. Carter was caught in the middle but he kept telling himself that all he had to do was his job, his duty. Find the criminals and make the arrest. That was all he had to do.

  It wasn't long before the air was alive with gunfire. Shots echoed around. The police ran forward. Carter saw a few of them fall to the ground but he saw more of the Lords of Baal fall. They were not wearing armor and seemed to be eager to run headlong into death. Their bodies littered the blood-stained ground. When he saw an opening, Carter grabbed a few men and ran forward into the warehouse. The Lords of Baal were all wearing ceremonial cloaks, and they swarmed across the warehouse. Carter ducked down, narrowly missed by a bullet that streaked past his head. He roared as he showed himself and took aim, quickly shooting a number of them before they escaped. The attack outside had been a distraction while others escaped through the back into the night. Carter told the other men to hold down the warehouse while he ran out the back. Most of them had gone but there was one man left. Tanaka.

  "Don't try your little trick again," Carter said. Tanaka merely smirked and before he could do anything else Carter shot him in the leg. Tanaka yelled in pain and fell to his knees. He started to speak in Latin. Carter wasn't going to let it happen again. He rushed forward and whipped his pistol around Tanaka's face. Tanaka's mouth filled with blood. He spat out a cocktail of blood and enamel then glared up at Carter.

  "Don't you say another word," Carter said and rammed the gun straight into Tanaka's mouth. As Carter looked down at him he felt the strong urge to kill him there and then, to get revenge for Sosa's death. Sosa had family, a wife, and children. He was a good man that had been killed so cruelly, so malevolently.

  Tanaka deserved to die and Carter could have been the one to end it all there and then but somehow he knew it was wrong. There was something greater at play. Tanaka was the key. He knew things, and he had to pay for his crimes. Justice. That's what Carter believed in, not revenge. So he tore off part of his shirt and gagged Tanaka to make sure he couldn't speak before he hauled him back through the warehouse and left him to be processed.

  "Don't let him say a word," Carter ordered, and then he wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to the station, placing a call on the way.

  Chapter 14

  T anaka was in a few layers of restraints and as soon as Carter reached the precint, he pleaded with the Chief to give him exclusive access to the demon Asian, or whatever he was. The Chief said that he would turn a blind eye, thinking that Carter would be handing out a beating as payback for what Tanaka had done to Sosa; but Carter had another plan. He welcomed Father Constantine in.

  "I'm glad you got my call," Carter said. The two of them stood before Tanaka. Two warriors of the light in front of a ranting minion of darkness whose voice was muffled through the gag.

  "What do we do now?" Carter asked.

  "We pray," the priest said. He pulled out his Bible and rosary beads and then started to recite a Latin prayer. He walked around the room. His voice was hollow and ethereal, almost as though something else was speaking through him. Carter felt something in his own heart although he wasn't sure what. Father Constantine walked around the room and then ended up behind Tanaka. He placed his hand on Tanaka's forehead. Tanaka's eyes went wide and his head snapped back. Father Constantine's voice rose higher and higher. Tanaka began to jerk in his chair, but the restraints held fast. Carter's heart pounded in his chest.

  "Is it working? What do I do?" Carter said.

  "Remove the gag," the priest said. Carter tentatively walked up to Tanaka and pulled away the gag. His tongue lolled out and drool seeped along the sides of his mouth. Father Constantine now had both hands on Tanaka's head. Sweat poured along the priest's brow, exerting so much effort that his face was turning red.

  Tanaka shuddered more and his head twisted this way and that. For a moment Carter wasn't sure if they were winning or not but then Tanaka screeched and howled and black claws stretched out of his mouth as the demon emerged. But before it left it had something to say. It spoke in Tanaka's voice, yet it was not entirely Tanaka's voice. It rippled and vibrated with a monstrous, unearthly sound. It was unlike anything Carter had ever heard and it made a chill run down his spine.

  "Tell me your name demon," Father Constantine bellowed.

  "Haagenti," the voice said, and then it started to speak Latin saying "Ego quidem baptizo vos in sanguine peccatum, qui autem post me venturus est, fortior me est, cuius non sum dignus calciamenta portare ipse vos baptizabit in matutina et igni."

  Tanaka's body jerked wildly as the black demon crawled out of his mouth. Carter trained his gun on it but Constantine shook his head. Just as he started to fear they'd failed there was a crackling, incandescent light and a powerful sulfurous odor which was instantly followed by a burst of total inky darkness. A few seconds and the light returned; stunningly bright and totally welcome. The demon had left the body and was gone.

  Father Constantine staggered back, holding his head and leaning against the wall for support. Tanaka's head lolled. He was still alive but unconscious.

  "What did that creature say and what the hell does all this mean?" Carter demanded, still in shock at what he had just witnessed.

  Constantine gasped that the demon had spoken a perversion of Matthew 3:11 and the preachings of John the Baptist which translated as "I indeed baptize you with blood unto sin: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you under the Morning Star and with fire"

  "A great evil is coming," the priest said gravely to Carter.

  "You must prepare child. This is but the beginning and you are a soldier of God now. I will be at your side to help you. Together we can prevent the darkness from
swallowing the world.

  As soon as the exorcism had been completed Carter had helped Father Constantine home and then returned home himself. On the way, he had seen the vagrant again. There were so many people who didn't know what kinds of darkness were lurking beyond the veil of this world. Just a few days ago he had been one of them, but now everything had changed. He returned home and kissed Nicky on the forehead. She stirred a little but didn't wake.

  "I'll keep you safe," he promised, and then he looked out at the stars, "We'll keep her safe," he said. It had been a long time since he had spoken with God but he decided that it was about time he started again although it would be a long process to break the habit of a lifetime.

  ****

  The trial of Leo Tanaka was rushed forward because of the nature of his crime. Carter was called in to testify. Tanaka looked a pitiful man on the stand. So weak and fragile, a lot more vulnerable than when he had had a demon living inside him.

  Carter rose and addressed the judge.

  "Leo Tanaka's crimes are deplorable, but it is my strong belief that he was a pawn in a greater plot and the sentencing should be merciful, as long as Mr. Tanaka is willing to provide information that will lead to the capture of the greater power that controlled him."

  Carter was talking about the demon that had possessed Tanaka but the rest of the court assumed he meant the criminal organization. Criminals always made mistakes and bad decisions. Tanaka's had been to sell his soul to a demon, and even though he wasn't completely responsible for his actions while under the possession of the demon he had still made the bargain with the devil and now he had to pay the price.

  Despite Carter's plea for mercy Leo Tanaka was sentenced to death for the murder of Mick Sosa. There were no other appeals for mercy.

  After the trial, Carter returned home to find Nicky waiting for him.