by Jason Davis
“I understand,” the priest said, letting his eyes wander. They seemed to just drift away, looking at the stained glass windows. Rob couldn’t help but follow his gaze.
It was an interesting pane of glass. He was so used to the standard ones—either Jesus or Mary, bright inspirational panes, often looking up to the sky in worship. What Rob looked at now was much darker. He couldn’t imagine what it would look like with the sun shining through it, but what he saw was a dark, nearly black pane at the base, varying layers of red flowing from what looked like a demon being eviscerated by an angel with a sword.
“He was a friend of mine, or I guess I should say I was his friend. He really didn’t have many because he wasn’t the easiest person to like.”
Rob pulled his gaze away from the window to stare at the priest. He had that faraway look again to somewhere Rob couldn’t see.
“He had many demons. Many, many demons in his soul. I think he might have been a good man once. I’d heard stories about how he and his childhood sweetheart were good for each other. Yes, I believe he was a good man. Once.”
“Pastor Amery?”
Father William nodded and turned to look back at Rob, but he didn’t look at Rob’s eyes. He seemed to look at his chest.
“Do you believe in that?” He nodded at something.
Rob looked down to see the cross on his chest. This was becoming the most bizarre conversation he had ever had with the man. He was always boisterous and jolly. This melancholy man sitting in front of him, who seemed to be all over the place, bothered Rob.
“This?” Rob asked holding it up, looking at it for the first time in a while. The cross his grandmother had given him. One she had since she was a little girl. It was old, but nothing special. Just a simple cross. A cross that, even though he never went to church, he still wore.
“Yes.”
“I guess so.”
“You guess so?” the priest asked, the first sound of bitterness Rob had ever heard from the man in his voice. “That seems to be everyone’s problem now, doesn’t it? ‘Guessing’ just lets in the darkness. It grows and festers, gaining a foothold in even the most righteous of men.”
Rob had not came here for a sermon, and he had been lectured at enough today. If he wanted to listen to more people badger him about what he needed, he would go back home so Robyn could drone on about how he needed counseling. He didn’t need any of this…or any of them, if all they were going to do was hound him.
“I’m sorry, Father, but I really do need to be going.” Rob started to stand. The man quickly reached out, putting his hand over Rob’s on the back of the pew.
“Rob, do you know how to fight back the darkness, the evil?” Father William asked, finally meeting Rob’s eyes. Those blue orbs glistened, burning into Rob. He sat back down.
“Belief in God?”
“‘Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.’ Do you think those words alone would stop a demon? Is it just like in The Exorcist where quoting scripture would push a demon from a host?”
“That never seemed to make sense to me. No, I don’t see how scripture alone would. Scripture is just transcribed words from another language. How can it?”
The priest nodded. “It’s not the words that have the power. It’s the belief. You don’t need to believe in God, but you do need to have faith and believe in the good and the power of the light. Do you understand me?”
Rob shook his head, feeling it throb a little. He wasn’t able to follow what the young priest was saying, and he really wanted to get out of there, finding himself unable to move.
“Faith is an army.” Father William reached out and touched Rob’s cross, holding it between his fingers. “This is a symbol of faith. Believe in it, and the army of angels are with you.”
“And God?”
“If you wish.”
“You don’t seem to put much stock in the big man. I’ve heard you talk more about the army of angels, but you seem to shy away from the man upstairs.”
Father William let a little smile crease his lips as he let go of the cross. When it fell back to Rob’s chest, it seemed to burn with a flaming cold so hot, Rob thought it was going to sear into his skin. He reached for it when he heard the priest stand.
“Belief can move mountains. Words just help us channel that belief. Remember that. Symbols and words.”
Rob grabbed the cross, but it had stopped burning. He lifted it, but didn’t see any marks, nor any damage to his shirt. He looked back up to see that the priest had stopped in the aisle, looking down at him.
“Have you noticed the darkness outside?” Father William asked, looking out the window again.
“It’s a little gloomy. Fall’s easing in.”
“Really? Have you seen any clouds?”
“Well, of course there are clouds.”
“Are there?”
“Well, yeah.”
Father William nodded and turned away.
Rob sat there, not sure what he should do. That had to have been the oddest conversation he ever had. God, but no God…believe in faith…an army was behind him. What the hell was the man talking about? The priest wasn’t making any sense.
Why didn’t these religious types just come out and say what they wanted to say? Why all the damn games? He could have just said, “Hey, Rob, there’s this thing going on and, well…you need to believe in this to do what you need to do.”
And why did Rob even toy with the possibility that something else was going on, other than just some kids playing a prank? Why? Because it felt like things like this happened more and more in his corner of the world, and that damn priest always seemed to know something about it.
Someday, Rob was going to have to ask him about it. Someday…
"‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’" The priest stood at the front of the church, his arms outstretched, as though giving a sermon to a full congregation. "‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’” The voice boomed through the room, echoing off the walls, but the priest’s eyes locked on his. For a moment, Rob couldn't look away.
Then the moment passed and Rob found himself standing back at his car. He had no memory of leaving, the time lost. There was something the priest had said, something more about what was going on, but it was lost.
It was all happening again. There was more than just a bunch of missing kids. He knew that now.
He looked up to the gray sky, but couldn't see any clouds. The dullness stretched far to the horizon without any signs of life or color.
* * * *
Father William watched Rob leave, feeling that he should have said more. He always walked that fine line, always afraid of slipping and saying more than he should. How did he know what was too much? What would violate the rules and banish him from this plane? It was a juggling act, and he felt like he was constantly on the verge of losing his balls.
He chuckled, the potty humor not escaping him, as he stepped back into the cathedral. It worried him. That thing last night hadn't been what he thought was spreading through town. When he had felt it, he felt the darkness upon it, as well as the hunger pulling at him. The thing was very old and must have slept for a long time, but what had awakened it? Why now? Why, when others plagued his thoughts, did he have to worry about this dark beast.
He didn't like it, knowing it was an unnatural distraction meant to keep him from preparing Rob. Rob was the guardian and had to be ready. Father William was sure the time was coming. He couldn't foresee it, but he could feel the powers building.
This was all wrong. What if Rob couldn't defeat this darkness? It wasn't like the other. This was darker, and he could feel how it twisted things.
/> Father William walked up to the bowl of water he often used to bless followers during his services. He had blessed it that morning, as he did every day, but as he neared it, he could hear the water boiling, bubbling, steaming, shaking with the ferocity of an earthquake. It rattled in its fastenings until it broke free and crashed to the floor, the water spraying out across the wood.
He watched as it darkened and slipped into the floorboards.
What did this mean? Did he have any power against this thing?
No... To think that would be questioning him, questioning his own faith. Where would they be then?
They would defeat this evil. The darkness came for them, he felt it, but they could defeat it. They had to. But how many times do they have to fight? The dark would just keep coming for them. Its reach had touched so many, it would only take them failing once to doom them all.
He picked up the bowl, the silver ice-cold to his touch, and placed it back in the font that normally held it secure. He would have to refill it and bless it again.
The darkness was here, but what else was in their future? He feared something coming. Something that would be far more than Rob could handle alone.
CHAPTER 25
“Come on, Alletto. It’s been well over an hour,” Weiland grumbled, looking at his watch. The large round display kept ticking as he leaned against his squad car. Alletto wasn’t there yet, and while he wanted to question the son of a bitch, he also didn’t have anything new to spring on him. Palmer had been silent for the last thirty minutes, and the lab techs were still looking for evidence down in the hole. So far, nothing else had been found.
He was tired of standing around. He wanted someone to drill, to question. There was too much of this waiting around shit. It was part of the game, but this was always the hardest part. He knew there were people out there he needed to talk to, but he had to wait.
He wasn’t known for being a patient man. Calm down. You’re always rushing to anger. That was what his ex-wife would always say. That might be the case, but he believed his rush to anger was one of his best attributes. Scare the hell out of someone because then they are afraid you’re going to kick the shit out of them. It got results when asking questions.
Well, it seemed like Alletto stood him up. Maybe the sick bastard actually ran. Weiland hadn’t taken him for a runner, and he sure as hell didn’t think he had showed his hand when talking to him. Maybe Alletto was just paranoid, which he probably had every right to be. Still, Weiland kicked himself for not just driving over there to his house to talk to him.
Damn, he hated waiting.
“Palmer, anything yet?” he said into the little two-way radio he held, the grip damp from sweat, even in the cool morning.
Nothing. No reply. When had he heard from her last? A half-hour ago, he had asked her for an update, and she had sounded curt when answering. Nothing since then, but it wasn’t like he would expect it.
“Palmer, you find anything down there yet, or are you just digging another hole to China?”
He started up the hill. Around him, it seemed to be getting darker, the woods growing denser. He couldn’t help but shiver as the closer he moved to the opening in the ground, the more the temperature dropped.
Where were all the techs? There had been three or four of them there earlier. Not all of them were supposed to go down there. Two should have been monitoring from up above and looking for evidence. While he was sure most of the surrounding area had been picked clean, they still should have been there to monitor in case anything happened below.
“Palmer?” he asked, taking another step toward the pit.
* * * *
David was not sure what he was about to walk into, but he knew he wasn’t looking forward to it. Both he and Ally had been out all night…her not wanting to go home, and him just enjoying having her back with him. He had forgotten how good it felt to be around her. He had missed her, but missing a particular feeling is an abstract. You never truly know how much you miss something until you have it back.
Her head cradled in his arms, the hours had just flown by as they sat there quietly, time just being erased outside of their existence. The world had faded away, the pain they had both felt disappearing while they were together.
But when the sun came up, time woke them out of their interlocked bodies. They had both been fully clothed. There were too many emotions and too much history for anything more to happen. They had just held each other for comfort.
Neither of them wanted to go back. They had tried the night before, but couldn’t bring themselves to do it. They had made it halfway back to town before she looked at him. He saw her eyes, her fresh tears, and nodded. They had turned on the next back road.
He wasn’t sure how many roads they had gone down, how many twists and turns he had taken. He wasn’t even sure where they were half the time. He just kept driving, thankful he had filled up earlier that day. The night just let them wander, avoiding what they didn’t want to return to.
David wasn’t sure at what point he had grown so tired, he needed to pull off. He didn’t know where they were at the time. It wasn’t until the sun was up and he looked around that he saw they were in a cemetery. At least it was one he knew and could find his way home from.
But they still didn’t want to go, so he told her he’d take her to breakfast, finding a little diner in the country. Four Corners, a little auspicious place he had to guess barely stayed open as the two highways that converged there were nearly abandoned, lost to the interstate.
When they couldn’t put it off anymore, he brought her home. They stood there, staring at the front door of the house. Neither of them moved to get any closer than the start of the sidewalk. She didn’t want to see her mother, he didn’t want to get a lecture for keeping Ally out all night. No matter what, going into the house was not going to be pleasant.
“She never called?”
Ally pulled out her phone and showed him the blank screen. “Died, no charger.”
He vaguely remembered her asking him if he had a charger for it sometime during the night, but she had the latest model, and his was a couple years older. The chargers weren’t the same.
That meant they had no way of knowing if there was news about her brother. If he thought about it, though, he would have guessed that if they had found him, there would be a bunch of people at the house. It was odd that there hadn’t been more people out looking. All they had seen on their drive through town had been that unfamiliar cop standing at the edge of the coal dump path. Where had Officer Alletto gone? Why hadn’t they seen him there?
When Ally took a step toward the house, David quickly moved to follow, staying a step behind her. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to do this alone. If she did, he would stay outside, but close enough to go in if she wanted.
They reached the front door, Ally taking in a deep, long breath.
“It’ll be okay,” David heard himself say, knowing she wouldn’t believe him. He didn’t even believe it himself. Sometimes you just had to say something stupid to fill the silence. You didn’t have to believe it, but the words just had the power to make it better.
She didn’t turn to look back at him, but he saw the shifting of her shoulders, the almost unnoticeable drop to them. She had relaxed, even if it was just a little.
She opened the door and took a step in. David made a move to follow her, but stopped when she raised her hand, motioning for him to wait. He took a step back, feeling as though he didn’t only need to wait, but to get out of the line of sight. He knew they were probably going to need some space, and Ally wanted him to stay out there until she needed him.
And he stayed there, listening, looking around. Everything seemed so quiet…until he heard Ally’s scream.
* * * *
Rob’s feet had a mind of their own. They carried him away, his mind lost in thought, not paying any attention to the world around him. As he walked, he couldn’t help but remember what the good Father had told him. There was
definitely something off about the man.
Rob had noticed it years ago when the priest had followed him into that house. Wait… Hadn’t he been the one to suggest Rob go in there? It had, hadn’t it. Rob never would have known any of that was happening. He might not have been able to stop it had Father William not come to talk to him.
So just what did the Father have to do with all of this? There had to be things Rob wasn’t being told, but he didn’t think the Father was behind any of it. He should be questioning the man, but there was something telling Rob to trust him.
He thought he should mention it to that state trooper when he saw him. Rob wasn’t sure how long it had been since he had talked to the man, but he’d promised him an hour, knowing it was long past that.
He hurried up a couple steps and stopped at the top, his hand resting on the metal railing. Where was he? He looked around to see he stood in front of the flower shop. Next to it was the old shop, the dirty window representing how long the place had been part of the town. It was a stark contrast to the new flower shop—its window shiny, the bright pink lettering of the store’s name across it, the glowing fluorescent light of the open sign.
It was odd how dark the shop was beyond the window. He hadn’t remembered the place having tinted glass, but it was dark enough that he could only make out vague shapes inside the store.
What was he doing there? He should be going to see the trooper. He was waiting, and what if they had found something?
He couldn’t pull his hand away from the door. He held the cool handle firmly, but didn’t let go. He turned it slowly, his mind continuing to tell him he needed to get out of there. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something about this wasn’t right. He didn’t know why he was there, didn’t really feel the desire to go in, but he struggled with some pull.
There was a click, the door pushing in ever so slightly.
“There is a darkness that pulls you. You need to find your way to turn from it.”
