The screams cut through the night air like a chainsaw. Birds took to the sky, dogs howled, cats hissed and the rodents scurried away in terror. The house lights were on as a black car pulled up in front, its engine cut off and its lights fading out moments before the driver side door opens and black leather boot hits the pavement, soon followed by its owner; a young man dressed in black with a white priest's collar, a dark blue long coat and a well worn dark blue and yellow fleece cap, two long threads hanging down from the cap past the wearer's ears and neck. A half burned cigarette glowed brightly in the young man's mouth as he inhaled, standing beside the car and listening to the screams ripping through the cool air.
Looking up at the house, he exhaled a cloud of smoke and slammed the car door shut, taking hurried steps towards the house and bursting through the front door. He found the entrance hall a mess, pictures tilted on the walls, the closet mirror beside him smashed, shoes strewn everywhere and a small chandelier swinging wildly on its chain. Moving further into the house he looked into the living room to see a middle aged woman in the fetal position,clutching a young boy no older than 3 in her arms, rocking back forth, tears streaming down her face as she covered the boy's ears. The man moved to the stairs and rushed up them, the screaming growing louder with each step. He came to a final closed door shaking on its hinges and kicked it open, finding himself now in a girls bedroom. A middle aged man was hunched over the bed, and a teenage boy was slumped against the wall, seemingly unconscious. At the sound of the door being kicked open the older man turned to see the intruder, his eyes wide in terror.
"You are-?"
"Move," the young man said, pushing past the older man and looking down at the bed.
A young girl was strapped to the bed, screaming and thrashing against her restraints, causing the entire room to shake as she struggled.
The young man grabbed the girl under the jaw and forced her to look at him. They locked eyes and he saw what he dreaded; eyes black as obsidian, irises red as the setting sun. He let her go and took a step away from the bed, grasping what remained of the cigarette and inhaling deeply before removing it from his lips and crushing it in his hand.
"What are you waiting for Father?" The older man shouted. "Do something! Please, save my daughter!"
"She is beyond saving." The priest said, tossing the butt against the wall. "Look at her eyes. The demon has already devoured her soul. You daughter doesn't exist anymore. She is just an empty husk for this monster to live in now."
"No…" the man said, his voice weak with despair. "Please… i am begging you…. Do something…. Anything! Please!"
"Only one thing to do," the Priest said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a black 1911 pistol. Before the man could utter a word the Priest clicked the safety off, took aim and pulled the trigger. The gun barked once, and the screaming stopped.
The Priest put the gun away and leaned over the bed to close the girl's eyes, then turned to leave. The older man put himself between the Priest and the door.
"You… you were supposed to save her!" he shouted, tears welling in his eyes as his voice cracked.
"I put her to rest. Had you called us as soon as you realised what was happening, I could have saved your daughter. Instead, all I could do was end her suffering. You want to blame someone, blame the two bit priests you called before us who wouldn't know what to do if someone stubbed their toe."
The man collapsed and began to sob, and the Priest walked out of the room. The house was calm now, the halls silent, hauntingly empty despite there being four other souls within.
The Priest left the house and got back into his car. Leaning back in his seat, he sighed as the man in the passenger seat offered him a fresh cigarette.
"That bad?" the man asked, and the Priest took the offering, quickly lighting it and inhaling deeply.
"Past the point of no return," he sighed, filling the car with smoke. The passenger rolled his window down and waved the smoke away.
"Were you at least tactful in there Craig?"
The Priest looked to his passenger as the moon came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the man's dark skin.
"Fuck off Tolken," Craig said as he turned and rolled his own window down before starting the car. "If you're looking for tact, go find yourself a fucking Youth Pastor."