No, He Needs To Get Back

“Oh no. I mustn’t.” Theo happily replied, concerned to leave Fred in the dark about just what was going on. Could this be why those people were so on edge? Some neuro whatever. “I must head back and share this with my peers. Please see that a medical team gets to my church urgently. Perhaps those people were exposed to those uh… what did you call it?” Theo inquired, casually backing away.

“Neurotoxin. It means it affects the nervous system.” Annie replied, trying to suppress her surging predatory instincts as they tugged on her to strike the man backing away. “I really must advise you take a seat in the car. I’ll radio the ambulance to come and you can ride in with them after a quick check up.”

It wasn’t just instincts, Annie realized as the sensation grew within her. The Idol did NOT want this man returning to the church.

Holy ground.

Suddenly realizing that the inherent threat she sensed from the priest was little next to his potentially getting beyond reach of the Idol Annie felt her mind go blank. Time seemed to slow as she reached out for the priest.

“I’m sorry father, I must insist you sit in the cruiser and wait for the ambu….AHHHH!!!” Annie felt strangely restrained, her actions controlled and not of her own choice. A strange thrill going through her mind as she quickly realized the Idol itself had taken control of her.

Her mind raced with eager twisted ideas of how she was helpless but to submit to her god. Her whole existence being a simple tool for that which she had given her soul and free will to become.

Until the pain started. Until the old pain started. Not the pain of her new existence, where each pang of hurt resonated with its own twisted euphoric pleasure and desire. No, this was the senseless unabating agony of burning, searing up through her arm from her hand where she had reached out to touch the priest.

Father Theo dropped his jaw. The sudden burst of flesh into sizzling flame conflicting with the lack of heat he felt emanate from the woman’s arm.

Followed by his realization. This was no woman. As her arm burst into momentary open flame her shirt shred into pieces, wings thrusting a gust of wind knocking Theo over as the police office launched herself up, and back.

Her illusion shattered.

The devils were real, Theo thought, scrambling to his feet and rushing to the rightfully chosen sanctuary that car had fled too. The shock and surprise fading quickly from the rest of the cops as they abandoned their misperceived duty.

The one car being turned around had its driver ripped free through a rolled down window as the other cop at the front of the road closure moved to stop the next vehicle further up out of view of what just transpired.

Annie’s partner had cast aside his illusion, taking flight and moving to cut the father off from the church. His wings thrusting him forward, past the priest easily, his body turned to face the priest he’d cut off, mocking the elderly man as he casually kept pace ahead of the frantic priest before thrusting ahead. Landing powerfully the incubus turned ready to tackle the priest blocking Theo at the edge of the parking lot.

Theo stopped, wide eyed in question of just what to do, hands barely scrambling to pull the crucifix around his neck out to bear as he prayed for protection.

Only to watch in wonder, as the demon before him cried out agonizingly, it shrieked of pure hell filled terror indelibly imprinting on the priests mind as the demon burst into flame.

Casually stepping forward Theo paused to glance at a wooden stake sitting in the grass next to the sidewalk. Kicking it over he marched in shock towards the house of his Lord and Saviour.

The picket lay on its side, in the dawning sun, labelled in black sharpie on bright orange paint. P-Line M. Lot 3567A.

Only one foot closer, and the demon would have been safe.

Fred stood staring at the flare of light just beyond the parking lot.

It made no sense. He had been fretting about what to do when he decided to go after Theo.

The internet was down. The landline out of order. Cell phone signals were absent.

The church was in a communication black out.

But none of that mattered anymore, as Fred tried to reconcile the shadowy human form he glimpsed dropping from the sky, bursting into bright flame, and vanishing from the wake of Theo’s return.

Fred stuttered and fumbled for something to say as Theo marched up looking equally stunned and perplexed.

As Theo paused next to Fred they stood in silence looking opposite ways, both trying to reconcile and communicate just what they had seen happened there.

“Fucking devils.” Theo finally uttered, his voice weighted with a tone of disbelief before a deep sigh. He didn’t know what to do next. They needed to get help, but who or where to call to get serious helpful responses to this.

“God no.” Fred finally uttered, at a loss for what else to say.

“FRED!” Theo cursed, this wasn’t a time to commit even the slightest of sins.

“Sorry… The phones and internet aren’t working.” Fred lowered his head and somberly shared. “What do we do?”

“We wait. We pray. Someone’s going to notice. Confession, weekday mass, parish business. They can’t isolate us.” Theo stubbornly stated, not quite sure if he believed himself. One, maybe two days they could keep curiosity at bay.

Having finally gone in Theo and Fred left their new guests undisturbed. They left Matthew sleep as he had retired after seeing every one of the asylum seekers settled, staring at each other in paranoia.

Turning on the tv in their kitchen Fred frowned as Theo walked in with a bottle of bourbon that made rare and sparse appearance on usually the most special of occasions.

“Isn’t exactly the hour for that.” Fred remarked, his voice not quite as jovial and playful as it usually was.

“I figured I’d toast to the banishment of any debate between the existence of good or evil.” Theo remarked, his years of almost blind faith feeling strangely vindicated and reinforced.

A smirk crossed Theo's face as he considered how the devils revealed themselves, how it was Theo had been warned and escaped back to safety.

Glancing at the tv as a breakfast news program droned on Theo looked to Fred. “You know, they almost had me.” Theo paused as Fred poured himself some bourbon and looked intently towards Theo to listen. “Dressed as cops, strangely attractive cops. Some story about a chemical attack. Asking me to wait for the ambulance that would come check on our guests. Then… They were just plain as day given away.”

“Really?” Fred replied in a bit of shock at the simplicity of the final statement.

“NO! The one cop went to put a hand on my shoulder insisting I wait when it burst into flame.” Theo then remarked boisterously, a sense of excitement and jubilation at his faith as Fred began to chuckle to himself.

“Every laundry day for years I’ve mocked you prattling of prayer while folding laundry.” Fred remarked in astonishment as he put together what happened. “You’ve been blessing all your clothes this whole damn time!”

The moment of laughter soon paused as a breaking news bulletin was heralded by the tv. The camera showed the road block, taped off like a crime scene forcing the news presence even further up the road and out of sight of the church.

“A suspected terrorist attack occurred overnight in the North end involving a hallucinogenic neurotoxin. The attack centered on a hotel as it hosted a wedding reception."

"Authorities are yet to disclose how many are injured, or dead. Federal authorities are reportedly on the way to lead the investigation."

"Some suspects have fled the scene to nearby Our Lady of Sorrows Church, and a crash on the Riverdale Bypass. Identities have yet to be released. Anyone who thinks they might know someone who may have been involved, exposed, or fallen victim to this attack are encouraged to contact Police Headquarters.”

Looking to each other the two priests frowned as the reporter prattled on a list of side effects of exposure.

“… paranoia, hallucinations, morale and cognitive degredation. Again, if you or someone you know exhibits several of these symptoms call emergency services right away.” Theo shook his head, as hard to believe having seen what he had with the cops he clung tightly to it.

“It was real. Lord help us expose these lies.” Theo remarked gazing upward, right hand clenching the crucifix beneath his shirt.

“What are we going to do?” Fred asked, his voice weighted with question as he swallowed heavily. Was this all as the tv said? Some simple chemical attack? How would Theo have possibly been exposed?

How had he been exposed? He had seen that demon burst into flame himself.

Fred contemplated these things in his head over a long silent moment. Contemplating his own next course of action Fred stood up.

“I’m going to introduce myself to our guests.” Fred stated with a connotation of ****. “Hopefully we can put them at ease.”