Diego's finger stopped moving and he opened his eyes, reciting the passage that he had landed upon. “Jeremiah 2:13. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.”
Carter furrowed his brow. He still didn't understand what that had to do with them finding the demon, but Monsignor Torrez nodded knowingly. “Ah yes. Like all creatures of the dark she has turned to the world below. She is in a sewer, a dark lair for a dark soulless creature. Our search must take us into the bowels of the city.”
Then Carter remembered the news report he had seen a few nights before. “There's a stretch of the sewers that's under repair. She must be there.”
“Then that is where we must go,” Torrez said. All the other monks were in agreement. As they left the morgue Carter felt the weight of the gun in his holster. It felt good to be carrying a gun. He felt naked without it. He only hoped that he had enough bullets for what he needed to do.
Chapter 15
M oving away from the city, Carter hoped that by the time they returned the riots would have calmed down and control over the city would have been regained. It was better that these matters were kept out of the public eye as he didn't want any more innocent people to get hurt. However, when they approached the sewers they saw that there was a crowd of people waiting there. The sun had dipped below the horizon by this point and they were cloaked in darkness so Carter could only just make out the shuffling, shambling forms of the crowd.
“They must have come here to try and get to safety, away from the city,” he said, and then went to call out to them. “You're in danger here, get out of the way,” he said. They turned slowly, although none of them seemed to be in a hurry to move. Behind him Constantine shone a flashlight on them. Carter recoiled in horror. Their sagging, rotting flesh hung off their bodies. Their limbs were at unnatural angles and their eyes were hollow. Their lips were dry and cracked, and they made guttural, unintelligible noises.
“Destroy the fiends!” Torrez cried. Around him the monks leaped into battle. Knives sliced through the air and the undead started smoking as their flesh was seared by the holy weapons. Javier ran into the midst of battle and sliced through the living corpses with his sharp blade.
With great agility he twisted and turned through the massing crowd as they all groped at him with their hands. Javier seemed to take great delight as he cut their legs out from under them and saw them fall helplessly to the ground.
Lucas was the next to charge in, swinging his censer like a mace around his head, then letting it fly all around him. The blades left huge gashes in the enemy and it hit them like a battering ram. Carter was ashamed that he had scoffed at the monk's choice of weapon when he first saw it. The three of them were a formidable fighting force and they needed little help in taking care of the undead. Diego ran forward to retrieve his knives and then threw them again immediately. Carter didn't see him miss the target once.
Stunned by the scene before him, Carter took a while before he moved into action. Drawing his gun, he picked out a target and fired. The bullet cracked right through the head of one of the undead and left a smoldering hole. There were so many of them though, and the Brotherhood of Amity was so few. Some of the zombies managed to make their way past Carter. He turned, ready to fire, but then saw Monsignor Torrez slam the butt of his staff into its stomach. The flesh burned away, leaving a huge, gaping hole. The eyes of the serpents seemed to glow.
Carter smiled and finally felt powerful now that he had allies such as this. However, a look of concern came upon Constantine's face. He looked into the sky. Carter knew what it was before he looked. The screech filled the air and the succubus went straight for Carter. Again. The others were too busy with the hoard of undead to help him. Carter was on his own and he hoped that this time a bullet would do the job as he wasn't planning to go hand-to-hand with the succubus again. Carter held the gun steady as the succubus came hurtling towards him. It had the face of Anja but it wasn't Anja. This was an evil demon and as much as Carter wanted to save the woman it possessed, he knew he couldn't let it live.
He fired and the silver bullet streaked through the air. He'd aimed straight at the demon's head but it was so agile that it managed to twist slight. The bullet embedded itself in the demon's shoulder. Its wings flapped more slowly and it howled in pain. Carter aimed the gun again but the demon turned and fled. Just as he was about to fire he heard a warning and saw one of the undead creatures shuffling towards him. Then it suddenly stopped. The point of Javier's epee struck straight through the skull and protruded from an eye socket. The corpse sank to the ground.
Carter looked with frustration at the sky but with the undead around them they had no choice but to stay and fight. All of them fought valiantly, aside from Constantine who stayed by Monsignor Torrez's side.
Eventually the hoard was defeated and the ground was littered with smoldering bodies. The smoke rose through the air and the stench of rotting flesh was worse than that of the sewer.
“We have to go after her,” Carter said, and he was already stepping through the sea of dead bodies, feeling hands and fingers crack underneath his boots. The gun never left his hand and he searched the scene for any sign of the succubus. The Brotherhood of Amity followed him, equally as vigilant. Then, against the bright lights of the Sepulveda dam, Carter spotted the silhouette of a flying creature making its way up to the top. He pointed in the direction and ran as quickly as he could.
When they reached the top they found the succubus bleeding heavily, its dark blood seeping out of the wound Carter had given it. Its strength was weakening but its anger was still as furious as ever. It raged at Carter and he almost shot it again, but at the last moment he stopped himself.
“Why do you not shoot?!” Javier yelled and stepped forward, brandishing his sword.
“No!” Carter yelled, pulling him back. “It's not her fault she's possessed. Can't you do something to get the demon out of her body? We can't win this war if we're going to kill innocent people.”
“You were right,” Torrez murmured to Constantine, “he is indeed a worthy soldier.”
Javier glanced back at Torrez, who nodded towards Lucas.
“I may need your help,” Lucas said to Father Constantine.
“It would be my honor,” Constantine replied.
The two men stepped forward. The rest of the Brotherhood and Carter had their weapons ready to strike in case the succubus attacked again. The two priests began chanting and reciting Latin verse. They held their crucifixes towards the demon, who raged with all her might as she tried to resist the inexorable force of God's light. Constantine pulled out some holy water and showered it upon the demon. The succubus shrieked in pain and moved away, but there was nowhere to run. The chanting of the priests grew louder and louder. Carter felt a tingling sensation ripple through his body. Anja's body shuddered and convulsed. Constantine and Lucas were relentless as they drove the demon from Anja's body back from whence it came. Carter rushed forward as Anja collapsed to the ground.
“It's okay, you're safe now,” he said, cradling her in his arms. She looked tired and weary. Sweat matted her hair to her scalp and the bullet wound was still bleeding. Carter wiped his own brow and looked up at the other monks. “Is there anything else you can do?” he asked. She looked so faint. There was barely any life left in her.
“Unfortunately we can only cure matters of the soul, not of the body. We are not healers of wounds. Our specialties lie in other areas,” Torrez said.
“Dammit,” Carter groaned. He caressed Anja's cheek until she looked up at him. Her eyes were glazed and she was too weak to even struggle. She coughed, and spat some blood on the floor. “You're okay. We drove the demon from you. You're safe now. I need to know some things though and that's the least you can do considering all you've put me,” through he smiled at her grimly. She nodded, offering no resistance whatsoever. “Did you becom
e possessed when you were working for Seth Aguilar?” he asked. Anja coughed again as she tried to summon the strength to speak.
“I was working for the Lords of Baal,” she said. “They're the ones responsible for the riots.”
“I don't understand. Why were you going to free Aguilero if you weren't working for him?”
“That wasn't Seth. Not the real Seth. The Lords had him replaced with a golem. The real Seth has been dead for...” and then her head lolled in Carter's arms. He tried to shake her body and make her wake again but it was no good. The life had been drained from her body and there was no way to get it back. Carter let her fall to the floor and sat beside her, trying to understand how he could have interrogated Aguilero and not known that he was a golem, but then caught himself. How could he have possibly known about such things then? After all he was only a mere human.
“We have to stop them,” he said in a hoarse voice. “They're trying to tear this city apart and the worst part is they're succeeding.”
“Stop them we shall. You acquitted yourself well today and you will prove to be a worthy ally,” Monsignor Torrez said. “The Brotherhood must leave now for there are other battles to fight but if you need us we shall always answer your call.” Still a little dazed, Carter offered the gun back to him. “You keep it. You may find you have use for it.”
“What about the bodies?” he asked.
“We shall take care of them. You return home to your wife. I hope that the city is calmed soon,” Torrez said. Constantine helped Carter to his feet and the two of them returned home. There were so many questions Carter wanted to ask that he didn't know where to start. All he wanted was to sleep, and for eight hours or so forget about all his problems.
Chapter 16
T he following few months were tough. The riots were quelled and to his surprise there was no mention of anything happening at Sepulveda dam. When Nicky returned he flung his arms around his family and told them how much he loved them, then, after Robbie had gone to bed he sat down with Nicky.
“I have to tell you something,” he said, and then proceeded to tell her everything that happened during the rights, about how Aguilero was a golem and the Brotherhood of Amity. “If I didn't tell you I think I'd go insane. But the end result is that I'm not going to be a cop anymore. There's no evidence of the truth and what really happened, and nobody will believe me without it. I don't know what I'm going to do.”
“You'll find a way. We'll find a way. I love you, Robbie loves you, and I know you'll find your place in this world. But Carter, is this the end of it? Does it end with that demon?”
“I don't think so. The Lords of Baal are still out there. I don't know who they are or what they're plotting next but I'm going to have to find out. I wish that I could walk away from this for your sake Nicky but I can't.”
“I know, and that's why I love you. We're in this together Carter and we'll face anything that comes together,” she said, and took him to bed.
****
His hearing had been delayed due to the recovery of the city after the riots. Many buildings had been decimated and it was a grim sight to all those who lived peaceful lives, but from the ashes rose hope. Carter often walked through the city and saw good people working together to rebuild that which had been destroyed, and that unity he knew would carry them through whatever challenges faced them. The Lords of Baal may have been able to sow chaos and discord for a short amount of time but reason had prevailed. Carter imagined that God was smiling upon his children, proud of how they eventually overcame adversity.
When it was time for the hearing, Carter was called in before a review board. When asked if he had anything to say in his defense he remained silent. Without any security footage to back up his story he knew there was no point telling the truth. However, since the evidence was only circumstantial he was stripped of his badge and placed on probation for a year, rather than be fired completely.
After the hearing, Chief LeBlanc approached him and pulled him aside. “That was the minimum we could get for you Carter. After what happened we're going to need good men like you on the force but it's going to take time for you to come back and if I'm honest I don't actually know if you'll be allowed back. A year is a long time but people's memories can go longer. They're already angry at us because of everything surrounding the riots. If we let you back on the force people might suggest we're pardoning a murderer.”
“I…” Carter started to protest, but the chief held up his hand.
“Don't even start. The hearing is over. It's done. You're a good cop Carter, you always have been. Maybe you should find a way of continuing to serve justice; a private investigator maybe. Hell, maybe you can help some of the people we can't. God knows there are plenty of people out there who need help. And on a personal note, I understand what you did. We have lines, we have rules, but sometimes there are people who keep slipping through the net. I'm sure that with Aguilero off the street you've made our jobs a lot easier, but every action has its consequence and this is yours. Thank you for your sacrifice.”
“Yes chief,” Carter said, and watched the gruff man turn his back. A year was a long time but Carter had a sinking feeling that he would never return to the police force again. There was a man who held the position Carter had coveted for such a long time, and now it was moving quickly out of his reach, but regret was not the most overwhelming feeling Carter was feeling. He was more burdened with guilt about the man he had killed. The man he had assumed was Seth Aguilero. It was probably some innocent person who had been transformed into a golem by the Lords of Baal. Anger smoldered inside him. How many more people had to die before they were brought to justice? Hundreds had died in the riots and who knew how many more because of their nefarious plans? And they were all cloaked in darkness and mystery. Carter was going to tear away those cloaks and shed light on the Lords of Baal. It was time that they learned who was on their trail, and Carter definitely had the time now.
He was left with a feeling of anger and a hunger for justice. The Lords of Baal seemed so powerful that there had to be a trail somewhere. He would scour the streets until he found that trail and then he would follow it to the end, wherever it may lead.
Garrett came up to him and offered his support, as did Nicky and Robbie. Father Constantine was there too. There had been a time recently when Carter felt as though he was facing everything alone. Now he realized that he had the support of others and he wasn't the only soldier in the war. The Brotherhood of Amity were out there, ready for his next call too, but until then he would work with Constantine to find the malevolent force that was still spreading through the city like a cancer. He looked down at Robbie and reflected on the conversation they had had about morality. Carter didn't know if he would consider himself a good man when all was said and done, but he was going to do the right thing. He was going to serve God in this war, and that was not a false promise.
****
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Published by Richard Alanson©2018
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TAINTED SPIRITS: A Carter McBride Supernatural Thriller (The Demon Wars Series Book 2) Page 7
