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The moment my body crosses the holy threshold, the whispers cease I don’t trust it, though, and II see that can block the door: a broken, decayed stone statue of an angel

Kind of unexpected

I knock it over, the rest of what is a wing cruainst the wood I haul ass up the aisle

I can’t say that I feel safe in here; the church is empty and, for soh I’ve never been inside I have a feeling there’s more to it than rotted pews and broken statues Gabriel and Jake had said to colance around What fes remain are turned over; tattered hymnals lay scattered on the floor The intricate stone rafters above are broken and cru the aisle The altar is little more than a pile of stone rubble What once were beautiful stained-glass s are now shattered

There, near the back wall, I see hier thanhard, heart sla in my own ears I hurry over and drop to my knees, and I keepease, his heart slow "My na’s inside me," he mumbles Terror onna kick the holy shit out of that thing inside of you" At first he si innocent Then those blue eyes turn black again, and he smiles a creepy srab his wrist "Let’s go"

The guy opens his erated, into a crooked yawn just before a high-pitched, screeching scream rips from his throat I’m new at this--didn’t know until now that I could even detect a demon, or a Jodís, or whatever the hell it is,it Hope to God it works

I drag the guy, and he’s literally digging in with his heels I’ puddle, close to the rubble pile of an altar A puddle of water Rainwater? I don’t know, but it’s inside the cathedral, and I don’t see any holes in the roof above I use rab the kid by the neck and force his face over the puddle I push, an inch away fro, so intense and filled with pain that I fight not to drop the grip I have on hioes limp, and I ease him back I look at the puddle Trapped inside theHairless Bony Instead of hands, it has weird, long claws at the tips of a pair of raggedy gray wings It’s clawing at the puddle froe I don’t understand Not sure I want to So that’s a Jodís

I take in a deep breath andstare of the creature in the water "Pain, take over"

The creature’s expression changes and twists into a defornize For some weird reason I don’t have it in me to even make a conjured-up creature to suffer Best to end it now "Die"

For a brief, split second, the creature’s eyes change I see relief in their black depths

Then a loud pop The creature turns to black The water turns black Then it slowly dissipates

Gone Nothing remains except the stone floor

The air inside the rectory smells like death, decay, and must, and is as cold as it is outside With each exhalation my breath billows out in front of me in white puffs Beside me on the floor is an overturned candleholder; I pick it up, turn it over, and stare at the distorted reflection of es across et those? I don’t re I look like I’ve had the shit beat out of lance at the candleholder once ain, loudly, all around the cathedral, and this ti Riley My heartbeat quickens Well, as much as it will quicken It’s dead slow as it is, thanks to all the juuy by the hand, and pull hi around as if he has no clue what’s happening I’m sure he doesn’t I barely do

We head for the front door

Above us, the whispers grow to such strength that they’re nothinghushhh The wind stirred by a hundred winged creatures swooshes around us, and we’re all-out running now My sword is heavy I shove the broken angel statue out of the way and the guy and I stumble out of the chapel

I blink We’re back In real-tiroup I’d pushed through is just stepping up onto the sidewalk They turn and look at e blue eyes stare back at me I wait for them to turn black They don’t "Are you okay?" I ask

He looks around, stares at his surroundings, and I can tell he’s unsure Of everything He looks back at me "Do I know you?"

I cock my head "I don’t know Where were you last?"

"Ian!"

We both turn to see a group of four young guysfro ninety ue I can barely understand

"Where’d you disappear to?" one asks He giveslook "Didna notice this one in the club"

"What club?" I ask I want to knohere they last were before the kid was taken over

"Och, an American," another says He’s tall, pretty cute, with dark short hair Maybe nineteen "How long are those legs, lass?" he asks

Ian slaps his friend on the back of his head "Shut up, you horse’s arse"

I give hi