Page 10

What do you mean?

I will test his faith,she murmurs,and then we shall see. Before I can say or do anything to stop her, the windows darken with shadows that seem to be pouring out ofmybody. Father Benjamin has his eyes closed, but they snap open as the lights begin to flicker and the shadows start to take shape in front of me.

“Holy fuck!” he yells, dropping the bottle and throwing an arm up over his head.

“Stop it!” I shout at Annoth. Her looming form and burning ember eyes hover in the middle of the room between me and Father Benjamin, and he scrambles away as she extends a shadowy, clawed hand toward him.

“Now do you believe,priest?” she growls.

“Oh my God…” he gasps, his eyes wide and glassy with fear. “Oh my fucking God, it’s real…” Annoth suddenly lunges toward him and he scrambles toward the door of my apartment. She wraps a shadow around his ankle and jerks him backward, slamming him into the floor. He rolls over, looking dazed, and I move to stand between them. I’m not sure exactly what I can do against a demon, but I’m not willing to be responsible for his death, so I put my hands up and scream at her to leave him alone.

6

Annoth

Clambering to his feet,the priest lets out a string of words in another language, shielding his face with his hands. Theodore stands between us, and I can see that he is willing to put himself in harm’s way for this stranger, even as the priest backs toward the door. Theodore turns and sees him attempting to escape.

“Please, don’t go!” he yells. “It’s not done yet! I need your help!”

“I-I’m so sorry!” Father Benjamin sputters, his jaw slack and his eyes wide. “I didn’t think…I didn’t realize…this isn’t…”

“Do not allow him to leave!” I cry. “He sees the truth! He can complete the ritual!” But Theodore is shaking now, and braces himself against the wall while the priest seizes his bag and wrenches the door open, then disappears into the hallway. Theodore will not move. His breathing is rapid and shallow, and I withdraw back into his body, which is laced with physical pain, but not enough fear or panic for me to take control. Even now, his emotions are dulled, and I let out a scream of aggravation, which causes him to clutch his head.

“Wh-where did he go?”

He took your money and fled,I growl.You ought to go after him and exact revenge. Force him to complete the exorcism and then I will rip his–

“I’m not going anywhere!” Theo gasps. “That hurt so fucking bad…why did that hurt me?”

The connection between host and demon is strong, I answer.Your physical body has not yet adjusted to being my host, and my powers will affect your well-being, just as your emotions affect me.

“I-I don’t understand,” he coughs, slumping down to the floor and leaning against the wall. “What went wrong?”

He did not believe. He did not think that I was real and was attempting to steal your money. When I showed myself, he fled like a coward. It is appearing less and less likely that I will be able to rid myself of you, Theodore. You must go after him and force him to complete the exorcism. Now that he has seen the truth, it ought to have the intended effect. Afterwards, I will punish him for his insolence myself.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Theodore groans, pulling himself up. “And I don’t blame him for running. He probably forgot all about the money when he saw you like that.”

You are soft!I tell him.Weak!And I will not endure this foolishness a moment longer. You will go after him!I move to the back of his mind and begin to scratch again, but he merely walks over and slumps down on the couch, holding his head.

“If you don’t quit doing that, I’ll go up on the roof and throw myself off,” he mutters. I desist immediately. If Theodore perishes, I do too, and given his current emotional state, I do not think that he is bluffing.

What will we do now, then? I cannot remain here with you.

Theodore picks up his telephone and begins typing on the screen. “I’m going to look for other…priests…exorcists, I guess. There’s a couple Catholic churches around here. Maybe they’ll know someone.” He makes several phone calls, and I listen closely. No one at the first church is trained to perform exorcisms. The priest who answers at the next church is apparently a friend of Theodore’s father, and Theodore immediately ends the call without a greeting. There is no answer at the third church. No luck. No exorcist. No way out of thismess. No way, except, perhaps…to approach the problem from a new angle.

In the final phase of my training, we were taught that some human hosts, particularly males, might be more responsive to…gentle treatment. A slow, smooth seduction, rather than a forceful terror campaign. Theodore has recently parted ways with his female lover. He is clearly lonely, in need of companionship. I am not a demon of lust, sent here to seduce and beguile with such feminine wiles, but perhaps I can improvise. I soften the shadows I have threaded through his body, trying to make my presence warmer, more soothing. He has ceased his search for another exorcist and is lying still on the couch with his eyes closed.

“What are you doing in there? I can feel that. It’s weird.”

I am doing my best to build your strength,I answer in a softer tone of voice.If you are weak, you may not survive another exorcism attempt.

“Well, quit it,” he snaps. “I don’t trust you.”

Perhaps youshouldtrust me,I murmur, coiling my heat lower in his body.Perhaps, instead of fighting one another, we could become…allies, if not…friends.

Theodore jumps off the couch and squeezes his head. “Nope! Stop it! You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? Get your slimy self out of my stomach and back into my head, at least.”

What about something even better?I offer, then pull myself out of him and manifest into a physical form: A human body, soft and feminine, one I believe he will enjoy. He blinks for a moment, taking in the sight of me, then laughs out loud.