Chapter 4: 2-1 Confrontation
Eden was able to find some relief inside the church for a few days. For the first time in years she was able to sleep without having nightmares. When she first arrived she was amazed at how beautiful the church was inside. It didn't seem like much on the outside; just an old stone building with a few stained glass windows and a large cross on the steeple. Once inside the church she noticed several colorful paintings and wall hangings depicting several different scenes; all surrounded by angelic figures. The walls were lined with candles and statues that were carved with great detail and care. The floor leading to the altar was covered in a deep red carpet.
She had been greeted by Father Gabriel who, upon finding out that she had been directed to the church by Abe, offered to set up a place for her to stay in one of the small outer-buildings on the church property. It was a small room containing a cot with a metal frame and hard mattress. There was a small writing desk and wooden chair in one corner and an old beat up dresser in another. It had one window that faced the large wall around the back of the property. The bathroom had no mirror and it seemed like it took ages for the water to heat up.
Meager as it seemed, she found it quite pleasant. For all the things it may have lacked there was so much more that she appreciated, like the wood burning stove that kept the tiny room very warm and comfortable. The view out the window may not have been pleasant, but when she walked outside she was pleased to see that she was standing in a beautiful garden full of flowers and a few tall trees with long branches, and a large fountain in the center of it all. She couldn't believe that there could ever be such a place hidden in the middle of such a vile city full of crime and violence. The best part of all was the sleep. The few days she had been there she had awoken each morning feeling refreshed and at ease.
Eden spent most of her time in the garden playing with the stray cats that would wander onto the church property. Sometimes she would sit at the writing desk and read some of the materials that Father Gabriel had given her about different prayers that could be recited for protection and comfort in times of hardship and distress. Each night before going to bed she prayed to St. Michael for protection, not just for herself, but for Abe as well. Though she finally felt safe, she couldn't stop thinking about what Abe had said before he left. She felt a sense of regret that she had not run after him and demanded that he explain to her what he was talking about and how he seemed to know so much. She figured she must have been so overwhelmed with all that she had learned in that short time period and the things that had happened that day that she wasn't sure if she could handle anymore at the time. She just wanted to forget all that had happened and pretend everything was Ok again. It seemed that she had been granted that luxury since entering the church. That was, until the fourth night when the nightmares started again.
It was early the next morning when she woke to the sound of screams. At first she thought the screams had been in her nightmare and had just echoed through her mind as she woke up. Then she heard it again. She quickly got dressed and proceeded out to the garden to find out where the screams had come from. She was worried that the person may be in trouble and need some help. She walked across the garden toward the screams; she was greatly troubled when it seemed that they were coming from inside the church. The screams got louder as she walked over to the door that led inside the church and tried to pull it open. It was locked.
She stood there for a moment trying to think of another way in when suddenly the door creaked open. She felt the fear creeping up her spine again, but she heard another scream, it sounded like a young girl. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. She looked around to see who had opened the door, but saw no one. She searched the inside of the church trying to figure out where to go next and felt drawn to the door behind the altar. As she approached the door she noticed a flickering light shining underneath. Her hand was shaky as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door slowly and discovered stairs that appeared to lead to a basement. Candles had been lit all along the wall. Taking another deep breath she began to walk down the stairs. There was another scream. She knew she was headed in the right direction because the screams were even louder, but there was something she hadn't noticed before. The screams had become strange and deep. They sounded almost animal.
Once she reached the bottom of the stairs she found herself in a large candlelit room with two hallways off to the sides. She stood in the center of the room among old furniture that had been covered with sheets and several wooden crates, and looked down both hallways. One was dark and she couldn't see very far down, but the other was lit by more candles and appeared to have about 3 doors on each side that were closed, and one open door at the end of the hall. That was the room that the screams were coming from.
She was now able to make out other sounds coming from the room; low growls and angry words being spoken in a strange language. She then heard voices and noticed shadows moving in the room. There were two male voices, one she made out to be Father Gabriel and the other was unfamiliar. She also heard a woman sobbing. She walked cautiously towards the door and peeked in. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was a young girl bound at her wrists and ankles to a large wooden chair that had been bolted to the ground. The girl appeared to be squirming and trying to break free. Father Gabriel and what appeared to be another priest were standing in front of the girl asking her questions about who she was…what her name was…and the woman was kneeling off to the side of the room holding a rosary and praying in between sobs.
Eden was enraged by what she was seeing. She stepped into the room and shouted, "What is going on?! What are you doing to this girl?!" Everyone stopped and turned to face her. It was then that Eden realized the mistake she had just made. She hadn't seen it before; the girl's eyes appeared black and devoid of any human qualities. Her veins were dark and visible around her forehead and eyes. Her fingernails were yellow and sharp. She hissed as she looked at Eden.
Father Gabriel told the other priest to get her out of there and he quickly ran to Eden and led her out of the room. He told her to wait outside and went back into the room and slammed the door shut. Eden heard the sound of wood cracking and the two men began yelling. There were sounds of a struggle that quickly subsided. Eden heard strange laughter from within the room. Then she heard a familiar voice speak her name, "Eden, why do you hide from us. He doesn't like it when you hide. You're being very bad Eden! Very bad indeed!" with that the laughter started back up and Eden heard the voice of Father Gabriel yell at the demon in Latin.
Again feeling terror rise inside her she reached in her pocket and squeezed the rosary that Abe had given her. Then she was filled with a different emotion entirely. She was angry; angry that she had been tormented for so long; angry that this girl was now being tormented; and angry that this demon had found her here, where she finally felt safe for the first time in her life. She reached out and pulled the door open and walked towards the girl with a strange glow in her eyes. As the priest was about to remove her from the room again she told him to stop, "I know who this is. He seems to get a kick out of pestering people," she said looking at the girl. As she was walking she began to pull the old rosary out of her pocket. "Nybbas isn't it?" she said. "I remember you. You came to visit me."
The demon's laughter stopped and its wicked smile slowly turned to a frown, its eyes followed Eden as she paced back and forth in front of it. The two priests stood staring with great confusion in their eyes and the woman stopped praying. The demon looked at the rosary in Eden's hand, "you think your little toy necklace is going to help you?"
Eden looked down and inspecting the rosary she was holding, "you mean this necklace? I thought I might share it with you. Maybe we could play a little game. It's called you go back to Hell and leave me and this girl alone!" She lunged at the demon and pressed the crucifix that hung from the string of beads against its head. It began to scream as steam rose from its skin and the smell of burning flesh and sulfur filled the room. Father Gabriel and the other priest began to address the demon by name casting it out of the girl's body. The woman began to rock back and forth as she began to pray again, even faster this time while tears rolled down her face. Father Gabriel began sprinkling the demon with holy water as it screamed in agony. The demon appeared to be weakening and just as it seemed it was about to leave Eden leaned in to whisper in its ear, "You tell whoever sent you that I'll be coming after him soon and I won't be playing games." At that the body of the girl went limp and there was no more reaction to the crucifix.
Eden stepped back and the girl lifted her head. She was tired, but there was no longer any sign of possession. The woman who had been praying leaped up and ran over to the girl in tears hugging her and kissing the top of her head. The two priests looked at each other, then at Eden who was watching the woman untie the girl. She was relieved that the girl was back to normal and could go home with her mother. At the same time, she felt a sense of dread about things yet to come. She felt as though she was losing all control. She had never done anything like this before. She had never confronted anyone, let alone a demon! She wasn't quite sure what to think. Although it was invigorating to finally stand up against one of the monsters that haunted her dreams, she didn't understand exactly how she did it. Where did this boldness come from? She began to feel light-headed and weak. Her vision began to blur and the voices in the room became muffled. Finally her knees buckled beneath her and just before she hit the floor everything went black.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone