The Awakening Read online

  Katarina looked at Liam and he nodded.

  “I’m going to talk to him,” Katarina said, tilting her head at the bedroom.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Maybe we should wait for Saul,” Liam said.

  “If there’s any part of him that’s still in there and can hear me, I want him to know we’re going to try and help.”

  Not waiting to see if there were any more objections, she spun on her heel and entered the bedroom. Liam and Baldwin followed, each of them drifting into a corner to watch. Katarina pulled the hood off and Pettigrew’s eyes grew wide when he saw her looking down at him. Grasping the end of a long strip of duct tape, she tore it off his mouth.

  “Agent Daniels! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Katarina smiled and leaned in until her face was only inches from his. She seemed to be examining every single square inch of his skin.

  “You are one ugly son of a bitch,” she said as she straightened.

  Pettigrew’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t respond.

  “Nothing to say? That’s okay. Listen to me for a minute. I see you and I know what you are. I know you’ve taken over this man’s body, but there’s someone coming who’s going to make you give it back. You hear that, boss? We’re going to help you.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Agent Daniels! Whatever you think you’ve seen or are seeing, you’re making a mistake.”

  “I’m not making a mistake,” Katarina said, shaking her head. “You made the mistake. Tell me. Who else is involved?”

  “Involved? What are you talking about?” Pettigrew’s eyes shifted, taking in Baldwin and Liam. “You have to help me! She apparently thinks I’ve done something I didn’t do.”

  Neither man reacted and Pettigrew’s attention went back to Katarina.

  “I know about the US Attorney,” she said. “But there’s someone else, isn’t there? Tell me who it is!”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Agent,” Pettigrew said in exasperation. “You need to think carefully about what you’re doing. You’re already facing some serious charges and you don’t want to make it worse.”

  “Worse?” Katarina laughed as she drew her weapon and pressed the muzzle to Pettigrew’s forehead. “Two murder charges already. I don’t think a third one will really make that much difference.”

  Liam and Baldwin traded a worried glance but neither made a move to interfere.

  “So, are you going to answer my question or are you ready to die?”

  “Please don’t pull that trigger, my dear.”

  Everyone turned in surprise when Saul spoke from the open bedroom door. He held a thick, leather satchel in his arms and his eyes were firmly locked on Katarina. She slowly lowered the pistol and followed him out of the room when he gestured.

  Fifty-Three

  “You cannot trick a demon, my dear,” Saul said.

  He stood with Katarina and Liam in the kitchen. Baldwin had remained in the room with Pettigrew.

  “I wasn’t trying to trick it.”

  “It does not matter.”

  Saul opened his satchel and removed several pieces of printed paper and handed them across.

  “The ritual specifies a minyan be present. But we will have to make do.”

  “What’s that?” Katarina asked. “A minyan.”

  “A group of ten faithful men. It is their job to recite the Psalm verse printed on those.”

  Liam looked at the paper he’d been handed.

  “Isn’t this from the bible?”

  “Very good, young man,” Saul said with a twinkle in his eye. “Perhaps there is hope for you, yet?”

  Liam blinked in surprise as Saul withdrew a large animal horn from the satchel. It looked very old and was a striking color.

  “The shofar,” he explained, holding it carefully in both hands. “The horn of a ram.”

  “What’s that for?” Katarina asked.

  “Once the Psalm is recited three times, I shall blow the horn. This will shatter the bonds that hold the demon to the possessed and release it.”

  Katarina and Liam looked at each other, earning a frown from Saul.

  “You must believe. Your soul must believe as you recite the Psalm. If you do not, it will not work.”

  “Must believe in what? That the sound of a ram’s horn will pop a demon out of a body?” Liam asked.

  “My dear fellow,” Saul chuckled. “You must believe in the Lord’s power over evil.”

  Liam hesitated for a long moment.

  “Not sure I do, Saul.”

  “Meh. Then do your best.”

  Liam looked at him in surprise as he removed an amulet from the satchel. Pulling Katarina aside, he leaned close and whispered.

  “Not what I was expecting.”

  “Me either, but what can it hurt?”

  Liam was trying to think of an answer when Baldwin suddenly burst into the room. A hand was to his ear, pressing a radio bud deeper so he could hear.

  “Movement in the forest,” he said, quickly turning off lights.

  Liam helped and the house was quickly plunged into darkness.

  “Where?” he asked.

  “Northeast.”

  “That’s where the plane crashed,” Katarina said quickly. “Couple miles more there’s a fire road. That’s how I came back for the...”

  She stopped speaking when she remembered Saul was in the room.

  “Have they got eyes on a target?” Liam asked.

  “No. I’m going out,” Baldwin said, rushing to the door.

  Liam’s first instinct was to go with him, but he didn’t want to leave Katarina and Saul alone with Pettigrew. After a quick, fumbling check of the small house in the utter darkness, he moved into the bedroom. For the briefest of instants, he thought he saw two burning red orbs hanging in the air in Pettigrew’s direction, then nothing. Turning to rejoin Katarina, he stopped when Pettigrew spoke.

  “You cannot win.”

  “I’m not the one tied to a chair.”

  “We are many,” Pettigrew’s voice said. “We shall defeat you and destroy your world.”

  Goosebumps broke out across Liam’s arms.

  “Who are you?” he asked, pushing down the sensation of creeping gooseflesh.

  “My name is Legion; for we are many.”

  Liam was suddenly cold, struggling to draw breath. He whirled, raising the rifle when a muttering began behind him, then he recognized Saul’s voice, speaking in Hebrew. He wanted to turn on the flashlight mounted to the rifle but didn’t want to show a light if there was an intruder outside.

  The Rabbi’s voice rose and fell as he chanted. From across the room, a guttural sound came from Pettigrew. Liam nearly jumped out of his skin when Katarina grasped his arm. He could feel her trembling.

  The darkness inside the house was absolute, but he could track Saul’s position by the sound of his voice as he continued to recite the Psalm. Liam tried the rifle’s night vision scope, but it works by amplifying available light and the interior of the house was as dark as a tomb. He tensed at more sounds from Pettigrew’s position, then Saul’s voice gained power and volume.

  “What do we do?” Katarina whispered.

  Liam shook his head before realizing she couldn’t see him.

  “I’ve got no idea, but this is creeping me...”

  Saul began shouting, repeating the same phrase over and over. An animalistic growl sounded in the darkness and Liam raised his weapon though he couldn’t see anything. The sudden blast of a horn sounded, loud enough to pierce their ears with a searing pain, then a scream of pure malevolence shook the walls.

  Weapon steady on the location of the horrific sound, Liam flapped his free hand in search of Katarina, but she wasn’t there. Saul blew the horn a second time, the blast of sound shaking the old house’s walls. There was an otherworldly scream, then deafening silence.

  Liam froze, his heart pounding as he desperately searched for a target. Any target. For s
everal long moments no sound broke the silence, then a low chuckle began, quickly becoming booming laughter. A thousand voices suddenly cried out in the darkness.

  “For we are many!”

  A blast of searing light lit the room like the sun as Katarina stepped forward with a flaming broadsword held high. Liam’s mouth fell open when he saw the demon standing next to Pettigrew. The beast was easily seven feet tall and armored with scales.

  The instant the weapon appeared, it threw up its hands to shield its face. With another scream straight from the depths of hell, it shredded the solid wood door that covered the window with a single swipe of razor-sharp talons, then was gone into the night.

  The sword vanished, plunging them back into impenetrable darkness. A hand touched Liam’s arm and he nearly took Saul’s head off before the old man spoke.

  “It is I. Saul.”

  Liam fumbled along the rail of the rifle, finding and clicking a switch. A high-intensity light flared, but it seemed weak after the burning sword. Katarina stared at him, a look of righteous fury on her face. The broken broom handle he’d used to shoo away the opossum was in her hands.

  Pettigrew was still secured to the chair, slumped unconscious with his chin on his chest. Frantically, Liam directed the weapon around the room, the beam of light stopping on the door he’d secured over the window. A large hole had been ripped in it, hundreds of splinters scattered across the floor.

  When the lights suddenly came on, he whirled so quickly he nearly sent Saul sprawling. The rifle came to rest on Baldwin’s chest and he quickly lowered it with a deep exhalation.

  “Christ. Announce yourself next time!”

  “What the hell’s going on?” Baldwin asked when he saw their faces.

  “We were successful,” Saul said, sounding perfectly calm.

  “You were... what? What happened? It was supposed to take days!”

  Baldwin stepped past them and looked at the shredded door. Cautiously, he reached out and touched the shredded wood.

  “Or minutes,” Saul said. “There is no specified amount of time.”

  Katarina hurried forward to Pettigrew and gently touched his neck.

  “He’s alive!” She began tugging at the bonds that held him to the chair. “Help me!”

  Baldwin produced a knife and Pettigrew was quickly cut free. Katarina caught him as he slumped forward and Liam helped her gently place him on the floor. She quickly checked him over before turning to Saul.

  “Will he be okay?”

  “That is not for me to say, my dear. Only the Lord knows if he was strong enough to survive when the evil was expelled.”

  “Are you...” Baldwin started then stopped. “You’re really saying that this guy was---”

  The loud rattle of an automatic weapon from outside snapped his head around. He and Liam were instantly in motion, racing for the door as more bursts were fired in the night.

  Fifty-Four

  Baldwin and Liam charged out the door, breaking right towards the sound of gunfire. Fifty yards ahead, in the trees, a long tongue of flame flickered brightly as one of the Marines burned through an entire magazine without letting up on the trigger.

  “Coming in behind you!” Baldwin yelled.

  Liam knew he was on the radio, alerting the man to their presence so they didn’t surprise him and get shot by accident. The firing ceased, an unnatural quiet descending as if the forest was holding its breath. A pale moon was filtered behind scudding clouds and there was hardly enough light to see, but the two men charged ahead, only slowing when they reached the tree line.

  In the lead, Baldwin signed to Liam and they spread apart. There was the sound of something large moving through the undergrowth for a brief moment, then more silence.

  Liam came to a dead stop, rifle tight to his shoulder as he scanned ahead. He peered through the night vision scope mounted on the rifle, seeking a target that he wasn’t sure he wanted to see. The idea that a demon was strong enough to tear its way through a solid slab of wood with a single swipe made him wish for a much heavier caliber weapon.

  Several seconds passed with no additional sounds nor anything visible in the scope. Scanning back to his left, he spotted Baldwin kneeling over a body that was prone on the forest floor. Standing, he glanced in Liam’s direction and shook his head.

  A sharp sound to Liam’s right. He snapped around, searching for a target but there was still nothing visible in the greens and blacks of night vision. Another sound, so soft that he wasn’t able to guess its direction and he realized he was being stalked.

  Taking a silent step back toward the open pasture, he used one hand to sign to Baldwin without lowering the rifle or taking his attention away from the forest around him. He had no idea if the Marine would notice his signal, but they needed to back out to an area where they could see what was coming for them.

  A flash of motion in the scope, but it was too fast for any sort of identification. Starting to retreat another step, the hair on his arms stood on end when the demon screamed no more than forty yards to his front.

  He risked a glance, seeing Baldwin moving backwards, desperately seeking a target with his rifle. The crash of a branch breaking directly to his front had him frantically searching but there was still nothing visible in the night vision. Another cautious step, then he froze.

  Thirty yards away, the demon slowly stood from where it had been concealed in the dense undergrowth. Wicked claws clicked as it flexed its giant hands. Moving his eye from the scope, he saw two burning red orbs hovering seven feet above the ground.

  As the demon leaned forward in preparation for a mighty leap, Liam began firing. Instead of dumping all his ammunition in one long barrage, he fired rapid, single shots, aiming for the demon’s head. From his left, he heard Baldwin begin firing and saw the creature react to the impact of the bullets.

  But that’s all it did. It didn’t fall down or spin away like any man he’d ever shot. Instead, it jerked slightly, absorbing each impact on its scaly hide. He moved farther backwards, maintaining a steady rate of fire. The demon screamed again, leapt to the side and charged. Its razor-sharp claws were fully unsheathed, ready to shred flesh and shatter bones.

  Liam tracked it, continuing to shoot, only ceasing fire for fear of hitting Baldwin who turned at the last instant to avoid the attack. He wasn’t quite fast enough and the beast’s shoulder clipped his body, sending him spinning away into the brush. Liam didn’t see him get back up before the demon turned to him and leapt.

  Scrambling now, Liam tripped over a fallen branch and fell to his back as the creature landed five feet in front of him. Knowing he was about to die, he frantically clicked the rifle’s selector to auto and held the trigger down. At point blank range, he sent ten rounds into the demon’s body with no apparent affect. The weapon’s bolt locked open on an empty magazine as the creature lunged.

  ***

  When Katarina heard more gunfire erupt, she turned away from Saul and started to race for the door. She skidded to a stop when Zophiel suddenly blocked her path. He was wearing another expensive suit and looked at her calmly as he puffed away on his pipe.

  “Help them!” she screamed.

  “That is not for me to do, Katarina.”

  Fear for Liam and Baldwin turned to anger and she tried to rush forward and around him, but her feet refused to cooperate. She was unable to move from where she was standing.

  “Calm yourself,” Zophiel said. “There is no need for haste.”

  She drew a breath to scream that he was wrong, but he silenced her with a raised finger, then cocked his head as if listening. It took several moments for her to understand that it was completely silent. Looking around in confusion, she stared when she saw Saul. He was frozen in mid-stride with one foot hovering inches above the floor, as if Zophiel had pushed a pause button.

  “What’s happening? Did you do this?”

  “Time is an illusion,” he said. “And illusions can be manipulated.”

  �
�I have no idea what that means!”

  “Unimportant. What is, is that you did not listen. As a result, you have released one of them into your world. In its true form. Only death can come of this.”

  “Liam?” she shouted, her blood running cold.

  Zophiel’s eyes bored into hers until she involuntarily looked away.

  “I am undecided,” he finally said.

  Katarina’s eyes snapped back to his, a fury burning in them.

  “You are undecided?” she shouted. “Are you God? Do you make those choices?”

  “I am merely me,” Zophiel responded calmly. “And I have already made the choice to intervene with what has been destined since you deviated from the path I set you on.”

  “What are you saying? That Liam’s supposed to die? That this is my fault?”

  He nodded as he puffed on the pipe.

  “No! You can’t let that happen!”

  “Do you understand the danger, Katarina? The danger of playing with things you do not yet fully understand?”

  “I’m sorry!” she cried. “Please. Don’t let him die! This isn’t his fault. It’s mine!”

  Zophiel stared at her as he weighed her plea.

  “Actions have consequences, Katarina. As you have now become well aware. Do you remember the night in the forest when I first showed you the evil that is coming?”

  Katarina nodded.

  “And what did I say to you as you were taking the bag of money?”

  “You said it wouldn’t solve my problems,” she answered in a small voice. “And you were right. It’s only made them worse. Matt was punished for my mistake. Please don’t punish Liam, too.”

  “I do not punish anyone, my dear child. There is another who is tasked with punishment. In fact, I tried to steer you away from the path to heartbreak and tragedy. But Father, in his wisdom, gave you free will. You made your decision, and the results still have to be dealt with.”

  “Should I give the money back? Will that change things?” Katarina asked desperately. “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it!”

  “One cannot change that which has already happened,” he said with a sad shake of his head. “One can only learn from their mistakes and move forward. The past is the past, never to be rewritten.”