Requiem

Chapter Eighteen The Mistake

It was my turn to pace.

Father Francis and Bex poured over the pages, searching for something to present to Jared upon his arrival. But it had been almost an hour, and we were still the only ones that had made it to the church.

Every parishioner that entered the large, wooden door was politely turned away by Father Francis. It was harder for me to be polite, because each time the door opened, my heart stopped.

After my hopes had been dashed for the sixth time, anger took over. An older woman pushed her way through the door, only to be startled by the sight of me charging down the aisle. “Can't you see the sign? The church is closed!”

The woman scrambled to reach the door handle to escape.

“We need a bigger sign,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Patience, child,” Father Francis said, approaching me with a look of understanding. “He will come.”

“When?” I said emphatically. “He should be here by now. I feel like I'm going crazy.”

Father Francis gently guided me back to my pew, patting my shoulder. “Faith is what you need.”

“I used to have faith. It's hard when everyone tells you that your death is inevitable.”

“Death is inevitable for us all,” the priest said.

Bex looked up, his eyes narrowing.

“What?” I asked. “Is it Shax?”

“No,” Bex said, his eyes fluttering. “They've been crowding us since we got here, but they're….,” he opened his eyes, “all gone.”

“But…why?” I said, incredulous. The theme of the night had been that Shax had let us get away with his precious book far too easily. Their retreat only set me on edge, wondering when he would decide to put up a real fight.

Suddenly the door opened, cracking against the wall. Bex stood up, pulling me with him, using his body as a shield.

“You got a bathroom, Father?” Kim asked.

Father Francis scurried down the aisle, shutting the door behind Kim. “Of course, child. Just through there,” he gestured.

“Not funny,” Bex said, frowning at her as she walked past.

“What?” Kim said, oblivious. “Just because you're being chased by hundreds of demons, a girl can't pee?”

Bex just shook his head, laughing once, absent of humor.

I collapsed into the pew, exhausted. “Something is wrong. They should be here by now.”

Bex glanced at me, and then turned a page of the book, choosing to ignore my words.

“I should have helped him. Ryan was dragged to his death, and I just ran away,” I said, feeling the sting of salty tears well up in my eyes.

“I'm trying to read,” Bex grumbled.

A door slammed down the hall, and then Kim's loud footsteps announced her arrival before she came into view.

“Oh, geez. Are you crying?” she asked. “And where is everyone? They go out for ice cream or what?”

I dried my tear-stained cheeks with my sleeve. “Jared and Claire stayed behind to give me and Ryan time to get out. When we got to the alley, something took Ryan.”

“Something?” Kim said, eyebrow raised. “Like what?”

“I don't know. I couldn't see it. It was kind of like a shadow…but it was more…,” I trailed off, unable to find the appropriate word to describe it.

“Shadowy?” Kim said, unimpressed.

I rolled my eyes. “Not everything's a joke, Kim. Ryan's dead.”

“No he's not,” she replied, confident.

Her words peaked my attention. “Why do you say that? Have you heard something? Do you know where they are?”

Kim nodded to the door. “He looks like crap, but he's right there.”

I turned, gripping the top of the pew. Ryan, Claire, and Jared all stood near the entrance, dirty, blood-stained, and badly beaten. Before I registered that I was moving, my legs were carrying me down the aisle at full speed, and I crashed into Jared's chest. He wrapped his arms around me tight, and sighed with relief.

“Easy,” Jared smiled, returning my repeated kisses as best he could. He kept his weight on one leg, and his pants were torn.

“What happened?” I said, crouching down to get a better look.

“We won,” Claire said with a tired smile.

Ryan limped slowly down the aisle, his arm around Claire. Blood trickled from the outside of his eyebrow, and he was favoring his bad shoulder. They settled into a pew behind Bex, and Father Francis scurried away, waving back at them.

“I'll get the first aid kit!” he called to them as he disappeared down a dark hallway.

Jared smiled down at me. “We did it.”

I leaned up on the balls of my feet to touch his lips to mine. Jared's words were empty. Winning that small battle was only part of the war we had just started.

Jared led me down the aisle, sitting beside me in the pew behind Ryan and Claire.

Ryan leaned back, holding a folded piece of fabric against his eye. “Next time we get into it with Hell, I get dibs on Mr. Puff.”

Claire smiled, licking her split lip. “Your effort was impressive, even if that thing did hang you in the air by your ankle…and use you to open two doors…and make you scream like a girl.”

“I didn't scream like a girl,” Ryan protested.

“Maybe I was just hoping you would,” she grinned.

“Thanks,” he said, reaching out to touch her dirty face. His thumb gently grazed her cheek. “Again.”

Claire's eyes met his for a moment, and then she pulled away. “Just get used to it. You don't need to thank me every time I save your stupid ass.”

Ryan nodded, and then relaxed against the pew.

I watched Claire for a moment, as she desperately attempted to feign indifference. I could recall that expression well; Jared used it many times in the beginning. Unfortunately for Claire, Ryan was far more confident than I was stubborn, and he was certain she would come around.

My eyes settled on Jared's beautiful, dirty face. His eyes were tired, but bright blue, excited and amazed that we had the book and our lives. Seeing his expression only made it more real that he didn't expect any of us to make it to the church alive. A fact that, to me, was more unsettling than relief.

“Did you find anything?” Jared asked Bex.

Bex handed Jared the book. “Not yet. It keeps talking about the birth, the birth, over and over. How it disturbs the balance and how Hell will stop it and prevail.”

Jared flipped through the pages, increasingly frustrated with each one. “Every prophecy has a loop hole. That is why the Nephilim were created, to try and stop the bloodline from King David to Jesus.” He slammed the book shut. “What did Father Francis say?”

Bex's eyes shifted toward me for just a moment, and then he shook his head, looking down. “He doesn't see anything, either. But we've only looked at it once. We could have missed something.”

“You know my vote,” Claire said.

“Which is…?” Ryan said. His eyes remained closed.

Kim stood and stretched. “Jared, I know you want to find something, but we had a deal.”

“I know,” Jared growled.

I touched his arm. “What is Kim talking about?”

Jared didn't look up from the pages. “The promise I made her. If she helped us get back the book, then we would go with her to Jerusalem…to return it to the Holy Sepulchre. To set her family free.”

I couldn't argue, but Jared had just begun to look it over. Kim was being uncharacteristically impatient.

“What's the rush?” I asked.

Kim waited for Jared to answer, but when he stayed focused on the book, she sighed. “Shax holds my family responsible. He'll retaliate.”

Claire laughed once. “He'll do that, anyway, when you return it and it's out of his reach. Your family's held him off this long. You can wait a few hours, Kim.”

“You don't get it,” Kim said.

“Just let him read the damn book,” Ryan groaned.

Questions formed in my mind, and I swallowed, always hesitant to get the answer. No matter what she might say, at that point I couldn't afford not to understand anything. The days of keeping me in the dark were over. “What doesn't Claire get, Kim?”

After a short pause, Kim took a breath. “I'm not there,” she said in a low tone. I've always been twenty minutes away; Shax knew that. He could have sent an entire legion to my father's house, and within minutes I would be there, and they would have to leave. We need to get on a plane, return the book, and then I need to get home before Shax realizes what we've done. Right now he just thinks you're looking for a loophole to the prophecy. He has no idea he's about to lose the book forever.”

Claire put her elbow on the back edge of the pew, and rested her head on her hand. “You don't think Jared finding a loophole to the prophecy is more concerning to Shax than losing the book?”

“No,” Kim said, matter-of-factly.

“And why's that?” Claire snapped back.

Quiet overcame the group, until Jared closed the book with a clap. “Because there is no loophole.”

I smiled hopefully. “Stop it, Jared. You haven't even read the whole thing, yet.”

“I just did,” he said, his eyes focused on the black seal that branded the cover. “They aren't going to stop until they prevent the birth of our child.”

Kim sat beside me, lowering her chin. “This entire cat-and-mouse Jared's been engaged in has been a game to Shax. The fact that Ryan is still alive should tell you…he's just toying with all of us.”

I shook my head. “If that were true, why the dreams? Why did Jack and Gabe push us to get the book?”

Jared stood. “Because they knew that is exactly what I would do, and the dreams were their way of helping us complete a fool's errand alive.”

“No,” I said, standing next to him. “I don't believe that. If that were true, they would tell me to stay away from the book, not how to get it. Gabe wouldn't have helped my father if it was pointless.”

“Maybe you're right,” Jared said. “Maybe we need a little more time with it.”

“Jared?” Bex said.

Kim held up her hand in frustration. “Shax is a Duke of Hell, Jared. You pretty much walked into his house and slapped him, and he let you just walk out? Do you really think that's how it works?”

Ryan pulled the fabric from his eye, revealing a deep, bloody gash. “We didn't just walk out, Kim, trust me. They put up a fight. I've never seen anything like that in my life, and I hope I never do again.”

“Jared,” Bex said again.

Jared frowned at Bex, and then returned his attention to Kim. “Nina is your friend. Are you telling me you're not willing to wait for us to figure this out before we take it somewhere that we can never get it back?”

“She is my friend, but this is my family we're talking about. We've been dealing with this for lifetimes. It's time to end it. It's time the Pollocks are free of it.”

Jared looked down at the book in his hands, and then back to Kim, his expression stern. “I understand your plight, but you're not getting this back until I'm satisfied there's nothing in it that can help Nina,” Jared said, shoving it under his arm.

Kim took a step forward. “We had a deal.”

“I haven't forgotten that,” Jared answered.

Father Francis came in with the first aid kit, taking quick steps. “I'm afraid it wasn't where I thought it would be….” he said, trailing off.

“Jared!” Bex yelled. “They're coming!”

“Oh my God,” Kim whispered, her eyes slowly rising to the ceiling.

A deafening boom surrounded St. Anne's. Every window burst inward, covering the ground with shards of colored glass. Jared took me to the floor, covering me with his body.

Even after the explosion, it sounded as if a tornado was hovering above the church.

“Not in the House of the Lord!” Father Francis yelled over the noise, his arms extended to the sky.

The priest was lifted high in the air by an invisible assailant, his legs kicking until he was blown back, smashing into the beautiful mural high above the stage. Pieces of the painting came down with him when he fell to the floor.

Bex rolled into the aisle, and then took off toward the priest, so fast his body was a blur. He took Father Francis, limp and lifeless, into his arms.

The wind rushing through the broken windows blew Bex's platinum hair wildly as he felt for a pulse on the priest's neck.

“He's alive!” Bex called.

Another explosion shook the building, and pieces of the ceiling fell in large chunks onto the pews, sending sheet rock and plaster into the air.

“We have to move!” Jared yelled, pulling me to my feet.

The large wooden door blew open, forcing another strong pulse of wind across the room. Had Jared not kept his arms around me, I would have fallen over.

I held my hand to my face to shield it from the blast. When I lowered it, Shax was standing in the doorway.

He wore an all-black suit, shirt and tie, matching his cold, obsidian eyes. A small smirk was on his face. He was finally ready to fight.

Jared stood his ground, positioned in front of me. Claire stood on the other side, guarding her Taleh.

Shax looked to each side of the church in dramatic fashion. “Where is your Samuel now, Jared?”

“He's around,” Jared said, his body rigid.

“I'm afraid you've made yet another mistake, and Heaven won't intervene this time.”

Two shadows that had been lurking behind Shax came into view under the dim light of the church. Isaac and Donovan stood on each side of their demonic master, their expressions anxious and ready. They had come to murder us all.

Jared shifted. “Isaac, listen to me. You don't have to do this.”

“Shut up,” Donovan said.

“I don't want you to die,” Jared continued, “but if he comes near her, I'll kill him.”

Isaac smiled. “Not if I kill her, first. And I will.”

“You're outnumbered,” Claire said, her small yet frightening voice somehow carrying across the room.

Shax grinned, and the long, clawed hands and feet of the night filtered into the room, covering the walls and ceiling. I looked above me, seeing grotesquely malformed bodies of demonic minions scale the crumbling rafters.

The smell of burnt flesh and sulfur was overwhelming, and I could feel bile rise in my throat. Shax's servants weren't screeching this time, but making strange, excited cooing and whistling noises, waiting for the order to attack.

“Give me the book,” Shax hissed.

“No,” Jared said, tossing the leather bound pages to Kim.

“I dare you to come and get it, though,” Kim smiled.

Shax slowly turned his head to Isaac, and then Isaac's smirk turned into a satisfied grin. He pushed the far pew with both hands, slamming it into the pew before it, creating a domino effect. As the heavy benches toppled over and blew forward with the speed of a freight train, Jared and Claire reacted, jumping to the other side with Ryan and I in tow.

Kim simply side-stepped to the center aisle, remaining calm as thousands of pounds of wood narrowly missed her body.

“You're going to have to do better than that,” Kim said.

Isaac leaped the hundred yards to Kim's position, and then wrapped on hand around her throat, lifting her off the ground. “I'm not a demon. You can't control me.”

With a grunt, Isaac threw Kim back, but Bex moved quick, catching her before she collided with the podium. The demons concentrated in the area closest to Kim scattered, afraid of being too close.

Bex looked Kim in the eyes, and after she acknowledged that she was okay, he scrambled to his feet, taking off full speed, slamming into Isaac. When they collided, a loud crack echoed throughout the cathedral.

My human eyes couldn't make out who was hitting who, until Bex hit Isaac so hard that his body sailed across the air, and he landed in the exact spot he started, next to Shax.

“It's like people tennis,” Ryan said, in awe. “Everyone keeps flying across the room.”

Isaac wasn't about to quit. He engaged Bex again, but this time Isaac got the upper hand. Bex was on the ground, and after the second time Isaac landed a blow that would have been fatal to a human, Jared's arm tensed.

“Do something!” I said.

“I can't leave you,” he said. “If I take my attention off of you for a second, they'll attack.”

Donovan walked down the center aisle with purpose, dodging the falling chunks of ceiling. Claire pulled out her firearm, aiming right at his face. Isaac's attention was distracted, then, and Bex head-butted Isaac, and then threw him against Donovan. They both slid across the floor.

Isaac stood, pulled out his gun, and aimed directly at Ryan.

“No!” Claire said, throwing herself in front of him.

Ryan and Claire were face to face when Isaac's gun discharged. Claire's body jerked twice as it was hit, and Ryan's horrified expression matched hers.

Stunned, Claire looked down, and then turned to Jared. “They went through me.”

Claire and Ryan fell to their knees at the same time, and Jared rushed to his sisters side. He pulled me with him, and I fell to my knees just behind him.

Ryan's head fell back, and he coughed, blood spraying up and spattering across his cheek.

“Oh, God, no!” Jared cried, pulling off his shirt and wadding it up, pressing it against Ryan's wounds.

Isaac's maniacal laugh seemed to be all around us. “I always wanted to see that smug smile wiped off your face, Claire.”

Bex glanced at the bloody scene, and then focused on Isaac, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He lowered his chin, then, and his expression morphed into something one might see from a demon rather than an angel.

Claire looked up at her brother, expressionless. “End this.”

Horrified, I watched Claire tend to Ryan's wounds, but within moments, Jared pulled me to my feet.

He took my hand in one of his, and then pulled out his side arm with the other. He pointed it directly at Isaac, shooting one round after another, walking toward him as he fired, forcing me to follow.

Isaac jerked with each hit, stumbling backward. “You son-of-a-bitch!” Jared screamed, his eyebrows and lips pulled in so tight, the skin around them was white.

“Jared!” Bex cried, but it was too late.

Donovan had his gun to Jared's temple. “I suppose it'll take you a while to heal from this one,” Donovan said.

An abrupt blast resounded in the room, and Donovan fell to his knees, finally falling over, succumbing to the bullet hole I had just shot into his brain.

“Shawn!” Isaac said, struggling to reach his Taleh.

It was too late for both of them. Shawn Donovan's life had already spilled onto the floor.

Isaac fell back, already feeling a weakness in his body.

Jared's eyes were wide as he processed what had just happened. “You killed him,” he said softly, looking to me.

“He was pointing a gun at your head,” I explained.

Jared laughed once, momentarily forgetting that we were still surrounded by the enemy.

A quick wind passed by, and Bex and Shax were suddenly in a ball. The sounds coming from their scuffle were horrific. Distracted, Shax lost his control on the demons clustered on the walls and ceiling, and they began descending from their position, and swarming around us.

“Run to Kim!” Jared said, pushing me in her direction.

The hundred yards down the aisle to where she was protecting the book seemed a mile away, but I took off without hesitation.

Seeing that I was running to her, Kim scrambled to her feet, sprinting down the aisle to meet me. I turned, seeing Jared and Bex attacking Shax, and his minions were quickly crawling to the floor in endless numbers. Adrenaline kicked in, and my feet moved faster, desperate to reach Kim before the demons caught me.

“Run, Nina!” Kim screamed, the horror on her face telling me in moments I would be crushed and torn apart by the Hell so closely pursuing my flesh.

Their screeches were almost on top of me when Kim's long arms reached out, encompassing my body as she brought me to the ground. The wailing of the minions experiencing what Kim was capable of was deafening, but the individual howling resounding farther away was most definitely the sound of Shax losing his fight with Jared and Bex.

And then it was quiet.