Chapter: IV
Shadow Dragon
Leaving my reminiscing behind I drove most the night to arrive at Belvue in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. The rain had finally stopped about an hour ago, and dawn was breaking as I drove up the lonesome dirt track to Father Ryan’s church. I parked the car right in front of the six concrete steps that led up to the large old dark oak, carved doors. I got out of the car and glanced over at Father Ryan’s house just off to the side of the church, no lights were on so I walked up to the church doors only to find them locked.
Strange, Dominic never locks the church!
Knowing Dominic mainly used the rear entrance I worked my way round the back, noticing several lights on inside the church, and lighting up the many stained-glass windows. As I reached the rear entrance, I remembered the time. Now why would Dominic be in the church so damn early?
I gripped the doorknob, the brass felt cold in my palm, I turned it clockwise and the four inch thick oak door creaked open. Inside was darkness, I quickly felt for the light switch I know is immediately to the left of the door, and turned on the lights. Everything in the vestry seemed as it should be. I quickly moved into and through the sacristy and out into the Nave. The Nave was bright, nearly every light was on, and even the candles were alight.
“Dominic?”
No answer. Again I call, “Dominic?”
The church is in complete silence; a breeze blows through causing the candles to flicker, yet no doors are open. Immediately I took this as a sign, even though my early warning system, the righteous hand, told me otherwise.
“Dominic?” I reiterated as I took a step further, placing myself still just below the upper level overhang.
Something drops, it was only small but something fell past my eyes and caught my attention immediately, I looked down and saw a splatter of red on the highly polished parquet. I knew what it was; I’d seen enough of it in my time to know blood. Yet the hand wasn’t warning me of any danger!
Another drip fell, splashing on the parquet as if in slow motion. I leapt out into the Nave, swung round and looked up to see Father Ryan, crucified on the wooden cross that adorns the overhang. Without really thinking I moved quickly, rushing up the side stairs to the balconies edge. I took stock of the situation, tracing the chains that held the cross in place up and along to find the release mechanism. Unhooking the restraining chain I lowered the cross, and Dominic down; once it was safely secured I rushed back down the side stairs. Dominic’s eyes flickered, I checked his vital signs, his pulse was slow, and his breathing extremely shallow, but he was alive.
“Jesus, Dominic who done this?” I mumbled as I extracted the spikes from his hands.
Not having a medical kit handy, I ripped my shirt to wrap Dominic’s blood stained hands. I bound them tight to stop the flow of blood. I knew Dominic needed medical attention and fast, but I also knew there would be questions, questions from the doctors and from the cops. I pulled out my cell and rang the only other person I knew I could trust with this.
“Mona? It’s Laz; I need your help right away?”
“Where?” was all Mona asked.
“Dominic’s, and hurry.”
I moved Dominic to the vestry, and made him as comfortable as possible on the old moth-eaten couch and waited for Mona to arrive. Mona La Croix, a southern, caramel skinned lady of rounded proportions, a mambo voodoo medicine woman who knows all too well there are things in this life that the everyday person has no knowledge of, and lucky they are too. Mona, had on the odd occasion, fixed me up when I’d taken a particularly hard beating from some relentless demon. She knows her stuff, and more importantly knows to keep her mouth zipped if questioned by the cops.
Time seemed to pass slowly; Dominic mumbled and groaned in a half-aware, half-unconscious state. I tried to fathom what he was groaning in the hopes of gaining some insight as to who or what had attacked him, though I knew it was the work of a demon, but still couldn’t figure how it managed to break the sanctuary of the church. One thing was for sure though; I was going to find out.
I sat with Dominic in the dark, why I didn’t leave the light on I’m not sure. I sat in Dominic’s comfortable, albeit shabby armchair smoking a cigar while waiting for Mona to get here. It was at this time I pondered on what has occurred. I took too long getting here, Dominic was in trouble. If I hadn’t have stopped to let the rain ease, if I hadn’t of slipped off into those memories! I could have gotten here sooner, maybe in time to have stopped this from happening.
My thoughts where quickly interrupted when I heard…”Lazarus.” It was just a murmur, and came from Dominic. Like a shot I covered the short distance, and was kneeling at his side.
“What did this Dom?” was my first question.
I could see Dominic was having difficulty staying conscious; his eyes were barely open as he mouthed something I couldn’t quite fathom. I leaned in real close placing my ear to virtually millimetres from his mouth. I could hear the rasp of this breathing. Two words were all he managed before passing out again.
“Demon…new.”
I returned to the shabby armchair, sat back and drew on my cigar blowing a large cloud of blue-tinged smoke into the air.So, a new demon is on the scene.
Two cigars later and a couple of glasses of Dominic’s whisky, there is a tap at the door.
“Hello Laz honey,” says Mona as she grabs me and almost hugs the life out of me. “Now what’s this problem?”
I didn’t need to say anything, Mona pushed past me as soon as she saw Dominic.
“Damn Laz, what’s been going on here?”
Mona knelt down beside Dominic, felt his forehead and checked his pulse.
“Some demon crucified him in his own church.” I advised as I stood next to her watching.
“Honey, He’s been more than crucified, he’s been mutilated in the mind. He has had a demon sift his memories and the residue is still in there.” Mona said in her strong southern drawl.
“I figured as much, why I called you. Can you clean him?”
Mona let out a small sigh, and answered. ”It’s going to take time sugar, a lot of time. Poor man’s been violated in the worse way,” she sighed again as she pushed herself to her feet, and as she did so said, “Laz, sugar, I’m going to go get a few special things, you know what I mean. I’ll be back in an hour, just keep him quiet and resting for now.”
“Anything I can do to move things along quicker?”
“Don’t think so sweetie, just be there when he comes round. He may be confused and could turn violent.” Mona replied as she turned the door handle to leave.
The next hour passed slowly, two or three times Dominic stirred, one time, he was like he was possessed; he’d grabbed my throat as I leaned close to hear him and I’d had a struggle to break his enhanced demonic grip. Luckily for me he passed out again before doing too much damage.
Mona, true to her word, returned bang on an hour, and she set about working her voodoo magic on Dominic. She pulled this herb and that herb from her cloth bag that seemed to hold everything beyond the impossible; just how she crammed all that stuff in there eluded me. She had the perfect effigy of Dominic, right down to the wounds in his palms, and the tattered clothes he wore.
As Mona worked her magic, mumbling some voodoo prayer I couldn’t quite hear while gently rubbing crushed herb into Dominic’s effigy, was the first time I heard the whisper. It was distant, like outside, but when I checked there was no one there. A few minutes later I heard it again, this time with more clarity, yet distant, like a far reaching whisper.
“Laaazzaaarus.”
I concentrated, trying to get an audible fix on where it was coming from.
“Laaazzaaarus...Laaazzaaarus.”
“Don’t you think you’d better go take care of that sugar?” Mona exclaimed, I hadn’t noticed she’d heard it too.
“Yeah, I guess I should.” I answered as I struck up a cigar.
“You know it’s the one who did this to poor ole Dom, don’t you.” Mona said without turning from her ministering.
“More than likely.”
“Be careful sugar, this one is powerful. Wouldn’t want to have to fix up you too!”
“Not today Mona... not today.” I answered and headed back out into the church Nave.
I saw her as soon as I entered the Nave; she sat cross-legged on the altar. Not what I had expected; a young woman of athletic build, with hair like captured sunshine, and eyes of emerald green. She looked like an angel, but I knew she wasn’t. Her eyes followed my every move as I walked closer, what really had me puzzled was the righteous hand wasn’t recognising her as a demon, it still remained as cold as a penguins ass.
“Well, about time, thought for a moment there you were ignoring me.” She said in a tone sweeter than candy.
“Oh, I wouldn’t ignore you...not you, for you I’ll make some special time.” I answered with more than a hint of loathing.
She smiled a smile that could entice any child to her, “Oh come now Lazarus, we haven’t danced yet.”
“I have seen the result of your...dancing, with Dominic.”
“The priest? Yes well, he wasn’t being too cooperative.”
She slowly slid her long shapely legs down off the altar, her white dress rising up to reveal the top of her thigh, and unashamedly didn’t try to hide it, but I didn’t expect anything less. She took a couple of steps towards me, her hips swaying as if in time to some unheard Latin music; the church candles flickered as she passed.
“Dance with me Lazarus.”
“Oh we’ll dance, but first tell me how you broke the sanctity of the church?”
She looked up and panned round the church taking in its holy splendour before replying, “It wasn’t difficult.”
“So all demons can now cross a churches threshold?” I wanted to make damn sure that she was the only one before I sent her back to whatever hell she came from.
She shrugged with the look of an innocent child about her. I’d been in this game too long to be fooled by appearances; I knew it was only a matter of time before she turned.
“Shall we dance?” she asked, her voice carrying a seductive allure that any normal man would have jumped at the offer.
“Answer the question.”
She took a couple more steps towards me, and I backed away a step each time.
She sighed, "I had the bishop excommunicate the church and so un-consecrate the soil, which means...” she held out her hands as if to say voila!
“Just like that?”
“Well you’d be surprised at how quickly a bishop will do what he’s told when you hold his child’s beating heart in your hand. He didn’t really want to see his other two suffer the same fate.”
“So he removed the sanctity.”
“Yes, and cried when I slaughtered his other children...he died badly.” The look of utter pleasure in her eyes at her words would have shocked most, but not me.
I spat the cigar stub to the floor and said, “This will be your last dance.”
“But the ball has only just begun.” She said and rose four feet in the air, just hung there with arms stretched wide.
“That meant to impress?”
“No!” she answered and on doing so brought her hands clashing together, the force of which caused a rush of wind that sent me flying backwards into the pews. Damn, that hurt.
I quickly untangled myself from the downed pews, and charged towards her...big mistake. Before I’d got within six feet she used her power to lift me from the ground, made a throwing motion, and I was sent flying over her into the altar. I landed badly; I think I cracked my spine on the altar’s edge. The pain was excruciating, but I knew if I didn’t ignore it I was dead.
“So, that it? You just going to toss me about a bit?” I said with more than a little bravado.
“I’m no fool Lazarus; do you really think I will let the righteous hand near me?”
“So you do have a weakness?”
“We all have that weakness, even I, and I was created especially for you.”
“I’m honoured that horn head thinks of me so much that he would create a special demon.”
“You know I am more than a demon.”
“Really...what then if not demon?” If I was to kill this thing I needed to know what it was, and with all of damnation’s creatures they just love to brag.
“I am the fallen one, the saint of darkness, and bringer of death. Queen of the shadows of Hades.”
“Oh, right, you’re horn head’s squeeze!”
She looked at me with confusion.
“Satan sending his whore to do his dirty work.”
She raised her arms taking me with it up into the air; she kept me hanging there unable to get near her as she contemplated her next move. She sent me upward, crashing into the ceiling...the pressure forcing intensely against me. I’m surprised every bone in my body didn’t crumble. Then she released her hold and I fell, I hit the floor like a sack of shit, and she comes close. She reached out; her arm elongated enough so I couldn’t reach her. Her hand gripped my throat and she dragged me up like a rag doll. Her other arm elongated and her fingers burned into my chest as she reached for my heart. This is it Laz, you’re time is up!
Her fingers melted into my skin, into the muscle, she smiled knowing she was inflicting pain. I was helpless, beaten.
“Time to die Lazarus.”
Her pleased grin suddenly turned to a grimace; she released me and I dropped to the ground. I looked up to see an object protruding from her chest.
“Not smiling now are you bitch.” Said Mona as she twisted the spike, “Yeah, damn you just got’s to know this voodoo shit hurts you bad.”
Although I was grateful for Mona’s timely intervention, I also knew this demonic bitch wasn’t going to be that easy to kill. She forcibly dragged herself from the stake, swung round and grabbed Mona, who quickly retaliated by blowing some herb dust into the queen’s face. The queen staggered back.
“Now Laz, do your stuff sugar, send this bitch back to hell!” Mona stated.
I didn’t need telling twice, as the queen staggered back I reached round and planted the righteous hand on her breast. Immediately it heated, searing the material of her dress. The righteous hand sunk deep into her chest seeking out her devilish spark of rotting soul. She fought, fought against the hand like none I’d known before, but the hand had gripped her demonic spirit.
Something wasn’t right though. The righteous hand should have turned her to dust, but the body slumped, lifeless to the floor. Both Mona and I stood over her. We both jumped back when a shadow screams from her eyes, a black cloud of smoke that quickly forms the true shape of the demonic queen. A shadow dragon, four wings and three heads; it looms over us filling almost the span of the church, casting darkness, blocking the light with its murky fluid form.
The shadow dragon just stayed there waiting, and then I heard the whisper inside my head.
“Next time Lazarus...next time.”
The shadow dragon finally dissipated leaving me and Mona alone.
“Ohh, that was some nasty bitch; you ok sugar?”
“I’ve have better days. How’s Dominic?”
“He’s on the mend. Come on sugar, let’s get you fixed up.” Mona said with a smile as she helped me back to the vestry.
