A voice spoke directly into my left ear. “Looking for someone, my dear?”
A cold shock went up my spine. I whirled around, fists raised, only to stand there stupefied by the sight before me. There stood a Japanese man in a black tuxedo and matching gloves, smiling at me. It was the man from my nightmare. I hadn’t even remembered it until I saw that pale face of his again.
“You…no, that’s not possible,” I whispered, my arms dropping to my sides like deadweight.
The man tilted his head at an angle. “Whatever do you mean, my pet?”
I shook my head. “You can’t be real. That was just a dream.”
“I assure you, Jordan. I am quite real. And like in the dream, I am in need of your assistance.”
“Why? You’re not dead, are you?” I glanced down. Polished dress shoes adorned his feet. The man chuckled, a sound that crawled up my spine like a feather being drawn along my skin. I shuddered.
“Not at all. I am here to offer you a choice.”
My throat went dry. Fear welled up from inside my chest where my heart thundered from the adrenaline.
“What choice?”
“I know the deepest desires of your heart, Jordan,” the man said in his most soothing voice. “You long to be freed of this burden of trafficking souls. You want to live your life free of the Father’s bonds. I can help you take back your life.”
I slipped my hand into the pocket of my duster and gripped the rosary tightly. Everything finally clicked into place.
“Nice offer, but no thank you…demon.”
His eyes narrowed. Another wave of fear washed over me as he glared with those slit-shaped pupils that reminded me of some sort of reptile. I thought he was getting angry but he merely started to chuckle again.
“Well played, my dear. I am indeed under the employ of the Fallen One. Unfortunately, your refusal is unacceptable. I’m afraid I will have to remove you from this alley by force.”
He stepped towards me, still smiling like a serpent. “You may scream if you like.”
I took a deep breath and withdrew my hand from my pocket. “That won’t be necessary.”
I slammed my fist into his stomach with the cross lying across my knuckles. He hissed, pitching forward. Ignoring the pain crackling through my right hand, I kneed him in the chin and then brought the same fist across the side of his face. The force of the blow knocked the demon into the left wall of the alley, doubled over, nursing the wounds. He was still too close to the end of alleyway. As soon as I made a break for it, he’d be able to grab me.
A sudden sound caught my attention. I thought the demon had been coughing. He was…laughing. I took a cautionary step back as he pushed off from the wall. Blood trickled down his chin as a wistful sigh escaped his lips. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt pain in this body. It’s quite delicious, I must say.”
Don’t panic. Stay calm. I tightened my jaw and spoke with confidence I didn’t feel in the least. “Want the second course?”
The demon lowered his hands from his stomach, allowing his voice to take an almost regretful tone. “As much as I do, I cannot stall the ceremony any longer.”
The humor drained out of his face, leaving it clear with malicious intent. I slid my left hand into the other pocket, gripping the vials of holy water. As soon as he stepped forward, I threw two of them at him. He dodged to the right almost effortlessly. I brought my fist up again, but then he vanished. Too late, I felt his breath on the nape of my neck. A horrible, vise-like grip wrapped around my right arm. He twisted it behind my back and slammed me face-first into the brick wall. The vicious blow stunned me. Blood dripped down my forehead, hot and thick.
He ripped the rosary from my sore knuckles and tore off the duster. The demon held my arms behind my back with one hand, sliding the other around my throat and squeezing. I gagged, struggling with every muscle in my body, but to no avail. Tears overflowed down my face as the last gasps of air escaped my mouth.
“You could have made this so much easier on yourself,” the demon murmured against my ear. “Then again, that is what I like about you, dear Jordan. You’re a fighter.”
The world bled out of my eyes and darkness pooled in its place.
A bright orange light peeled back my eyelids, making me groan. The color swirled in unsteady intervals until I blinked a few times. Sunlight. The faint heat probably meant I was outside somewhere. My arms ached with dull pain from being held above my head. I strained my neck upward to see that my handcuffed hands dangled from a hook sticking out of a concrete wall behind me. My aching body swung back and forth when the warm wind fluttered over me. Tiny grey pebbles on the ground shifted as well.
I let my eyes adjust. I was on a rooftop of a building, but not within the city limits. It looked to be somewhere on the outskirts, maybe an old factory in a foreclosed sector.