This assignment had been drawn out for weeks. Everyone on the team was getting disillusioned about investigating the same thing over and over again. There were a cluster of demon possessions in this little town and they had banished many weak demons, demons that would have needed help possessing people. So they were looking for a source. A demon strong and influential enough to convince the weak or absent minded individual to harbor small demons in their being. They were following up on their last exorcism lead. The source was a woman that had said she was possessed by a strange man that had whispered in her ear at the grocery store. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the warehouse downtown a week later.
Early in the morning, the team had set up for a watch inside the warehouse. They had been there all day and it was nearly nine o'clock in the evening. Regina, a skilled dragoon and aria was the team leader on this mission. She armed herself with a sniper rifle high on a catwalk out of site. She rubbed her pregnant belly feeling her baby follow her hand back and forth with its kicks. Karol, also a dragoon armed with his pistols was reclined in the abandoned warehouse's office. Aurora his pregnant wife was their medic. She had already made sound checks for their earpieces and was lazily lounging about the office with Karol. Lewin their Jack of all trades (knight, aria, tamer, and medic) anxiously paced the warehouse floor looking for anything that would lead them in the right direction.
"Sound check to the Angel of Death."
"Damnit! Aurora don't call me that. You know I hate that nickname." Regina scoffs kicking the railing on the catwalk making it ring throughout the warehouse.
Aurora laughs. "It could be worse. You could have Lewin's nickname."
Lewin smiles looking over at the office window. "People can call me what they want. As long as I get the job done who cares how I do it."
"Well I for one would prefer them not to call you the Torturer. It not only makes you look bad but me as well. There are other ways to interrogate people." Regina's voices says over the earpieces. "Plus," Her voice gets sultry. "I'm the only one that gets to call you that...'Torturer'."
Lewin hums as he looks up over his shoulder to the catwalk with a wink.
"Ewe gross! I can't unhear that." Aurora says and then changes the subject. "Is everything all set for the wedding next week?"
"Aurora this is not work related." Her husband chastises her.
"Oh… but Karol nothing has happened since five a.m. when we scared the birds out of the rafters." Her voice cute and whiny.
Regina sighs with a slight chuckle. "Yes, everything is set for the wedding. I'm so happy Lewin's dad said he would preside over it."
"Are either of you getting cold feet about it?" Asks Karol.
"Now that Regina is knocked up her feet are always hot." Lewin says teasingly.
Karol laughs nervously. He didn't approve of the way Lewin and Regina's courtship started at first. Even though he was the one who encouraged Regina to tell Lewin how she felt he was upset when she told him that they were copulating outside of marriage. As a strong Catholic man it just didn't sit right with him. The only reason Lewin had asked Regina to marry him at all was because Karol told him that it was the right thing to do, especially after Regina got pregnant.
"Well it wouldn't be such a big deal if you weren't so warm and fuzzy all the time." Regina teases Lewin back.
"Ew! Gross TMI." Aurora says.
"What?" Lewin asks. He presses on his ear. "Mic check!" He listens but no one answers him. He fidgets with his earpiece. "Damnit!"
The large door at the front of the warehouse opens revealing the street lights from outside. A sharp looking business man perhaps a door to door salesman, walks in closing the door behind him.
Lewin darts behind a stack of pallets trying to stay out of site. "Shit!" He whispers to himself. He presses on his ear piece. "Torch…I mean Groundhog to Guardian Angel. What's my position?"
No answer.
He looks up at the catwalk where he knew Regina was and motions to his ear. He sees her pin light on her sniper rifle flash on and off quickly signaling that she got the message. She flickers it again in Morris code telling him the coordinates of the salesman. "He's at my three o'clock." Lewin whispers to himself. Peeking through the pallet stack he sees the man is obviously possessed as a black plume of coaltars flutter about him.
Regina's pin light flickers again signaling that Lewin was good to engage.
Confidently he walks around the corner and speaks to the demon possessed man. "Nice night isn't it?"
The man jumps startled by Lewin's boldness. "It is." The man says.
To the untrained and untainted ear the man's voice would have sounded normal, but to Lewin he spoke in three distinct tones. The natural tone of man, the tone of a man's soul, and the tone of the demon. The last sound, the demon, was a gravelly sound like a smoker's rattily cough, or the voice of someone just getting over a bad cold.
"I hear that you've been getting into trouble in town lately." Lewin says sauntering over.
"Who told you that?" The man walks over to the windows of the warehouse office where Karol and Aurora were. He looks in but seems to see nothing. He then proceeds to walk towards Lewin closing the gap between them.
Lewin engages in some witty banter. "Oh you know how it is. When there are multiple demon possessions in a concentrated area the Vatican has to get involved and then people like me have to go investigate."
"Is that right?" The demon's voice gets louder nearly covering up the other two tones completely. He steps forward again now nearly arm's length from Lewin. The demon seemed flustered. Screaming silently within the calm man's face. Lewin could only guess it was because the demon was unable to possess him.
"Yep." Lewin looks at his nails and picks at them with his teeth. He then looks back up to the demon possessed man. "So, have you been making trouble in this little town?"
"I would never."
A sound comes from the other side of the warehouse and Lewin turns to look at where the sound came from.
A swarm of coaltars buzz around him going up his nose and into his eyes.
Lewin paws at his face and starts to chant an aria to banish the coaltars.
"Now why would an innocent little child of Gehenna like me cause a ruckus in this quaint little town?"
Lewin looks up to the catwalk and the demon follows his gaze as the coaltars slowly start to cover all of Lewin's body.
"Got a friend with you? Let's bring them down here!" The demon sends another swarm of coaltars up along the catwalk. They disperse along it and then come back chirping in the demon's ear. "Perhaps not." He looks back at Lewin scratching down along his leg. His nails become talon like as he leans centimeters from Lewin's face. "I can see that you are a strong willed individual, and you like to work alone."
Lewin finishes the verse to banish the coaltars as he reaches for his sheathed demon sword. "Screw you demon!"
The demon's face smiles within the man's face sinisterly. Lewin feels a sharp pain just under his rib cage, and then a warm trickle of blood ooze down his stomach. The demon smiles wider lifting its blood soaked fingers to its mouth. Licking at Lewin's blood its forked tongue curls around its nails. "Mm… Your soul is strong exorcist. I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
Lewin smirks adrenaline rushing over him. "You're the one that will be breaking today demon." He stabs the demon with the small pocket knife that he uses for summoning, cutting it deep through the belly just under the rib cage. "An eye for an eye!" Lewin says his voice in a trance.
The man the demon is possessing bends down in pain.
Lewin kicks him over. "A tooth for a tooth!" He then unsheathes his demon sword and jumps on top of the man. "A hand for a hand." He cuts off the man's left pinky finger.
"Please have mercy!" The man's voice cries out. No demon to be traced in it, but Lewin carries on grabbing the man's collar and pulling out his demon slaying blade placing it against the man's neck.
A hand reaches up from behind Lewin grabbing his forearm pulling the demon blade away from the man. Lewin pulls his arm back lowering the blade to the man's neck once more. Reaffirming his stance over the now nearly comatose man.
"Lewin stop! There is a big difference between being a human and being a demon. I know you don't naturally feel empathy, but you need to try and understand that a person possessed by a demon is still human! If we torture them to death we won't get any answers of why these demons are possessing these people."
Lewin loosens his hold on the man's collar as he listens.
The voice carries on. "I will stand behind you in everything except for torturing humans. We are demon Hunters and Exorcists. We are not the right hand of God."
Lewin turns to look at the person talking behind him.
Regina's nineteen year old frame looms over him. Her slim face and long brunette hair add a beautiful glow to her pregnant skin. She smiles. "Let Karol and Aurora take care of the rest. We will subdue him and then question the demon."
Lewin nods and stands.
The man under him grunts in pain. "Thank you for having mercy on me."
Regina looks down at him with gritted teeth. "You are lucky Lewin got the better of you or I would have ended you myself; human or not!" She looks back up at Lewin. Her face softens with concern seeing him grimace in pain. Looking down at the wound by his ribs she can see its still bleeding. "Come over by my post Lewin and let me check that wound out." She and Lewin turn away from the man.
"Don't you turn your back on me exorcist!" He says with the demonic force taking hold of him once more. It stands with cat like speed and shoves its fingers into the wound under Lewin's ribs.
Lewin screams out in agony.
Mocking the Divine Chaplet the demon speaks. "Oh blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of the son of the most high." It then widens its fingers and twists at the gash at Lewin's side tearing it open. Blood trickles from the wound in his abdomen staining his white tee-shirt on its way down.
He cries out again raising his sword.
"Lewin!" Regina lunges forward hands raised towards the demon possessed man's neck as she starts to chant an Aria in Latin. "Corpus Christi..."
The possessed man grabs her using her momentum to shove her onto Lewin's unsheathed blade just above her left hip bone.
She screams out to God still speaking Latin. "Deus!"
Lewin could hear the pain and anguish in her voice. "No! Regina!" He hollers.
The demon smiles through the man, staring in to Lewin's eyes. "There will be no successor for you demon hunter. He will have no mercy on us..."
Karol's voice comes up beside the demon. "You cited it wrong." He grabs it by the head pulling it away from Lewin and Regina. "This is how the Chaplet of Devine Mercy goes demon. Oh blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of 'Jesus'"
The demon screams at the name of 'Jesus'. "Shut your filthy mouth Wolf!"
He invokes the name of the Son of God again. "'Jesus'! Have mercy on us and on the whole world."
A soft click from Karol's pistol hammer being pulled back makes the demon possessed man shake in his arms. "I'll tell you what I know."
"You better!" Karol growls. "And I want nothing but the truth. You slime covered serpent."
The demon quivers and nods.
Tightening his grip Karol begins to question him. "Why are you causing trouble here? What is the purpose of all these small demons possessing people?"
"The reign of man over Assiah is coming to a close. We are building up an army and the gates of Gehenna will open within it." The demon hisses loudly through the man's voice. "The dark one Satan has found a human to bare his child." It smirks. "An exorcist to be exact, such as yourself werewolf."
Karol starts to feel the demonic force rise within the man. "That's enough about me and mine demon." He tightens his grasp on the man even more shaking him a bit. "I know where I stand! When was the babe conceived?"
"Due in December to mock the son of Jehovah, or at least on the liturgical calendar's account of it. Born with the fire of Gehenna it will be the destroyer of this world!"
"Over my dead body." Karol grumbles.
The demon turns its skin twisting Karol's uncomfortably tight as it limbos to look Karol in the face. "That has already been arranged. Much like Judas, one you hold dear will betray you. They will die and your wolf will be the culprit. The noose is already around your neck Wolf."
Karol grits his teeth growling and seething as the hair at the back of his neck stands on end.
The demon hums thinking he had an in presses on. Smiling it shows pointed teeth along an abnormally wide mouth. "Have you chosen a name for your daughter yet... exorcist?"
Karol screams, losing control of his anger he pulls the trigger on his gun. A loud bang rings out from his it as the demon possessed man slowly slumps to the ground, nerves still twitching though he is dead. Karol releases his choke hold on him as blood oozes from the gunshot wound from the demon possessed man's head.
He stares into the darkness with gritted teeth. His body tense, muscles spasming and his breathing erratic.
"Karol!"
He shakes his head and looks to Regina as she calls out to him again.
"Karol! My baby!" She becomes labored as she starts to go into shock.
He runs over to her and Lewin, turning his head behind himself and yells out. "Aurora!" Karol touches Regina's face. "It will be okay Regina nothing will happen to you or your baby. I promise." He softly brushes her cheek, then looks at Lewin and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Hang in there buddy. Okay? Just hold still."
Lewin nods pupils dilated under his dark shadowy bangs.
Karol turns his head to call out to his wife again after he sees the wound Lewin's blade was making in Regina's side. "Aurora hurry!" He sees Aurora struggle with her equipment waddling over with her pregnant body. "Oh geez Honey I'm sorry." He gets up to aid her leaving Lewin and Regina for the moment.
Regina looks at Lewin. "Lewin, save our baby. Whatever it takes! Save our baby." She falls to her knees and the blade moves out from the wound cutting it deeper. "Oh God!" She screams in pain.
Lewin falls to his knees too keeping the blade from doing any further damage, holding it as still as possible.
A soft hand reaches up and touches Regina's face turning it towards its owner. "Everything will be okay Regina. I need you to calm down."
Regina fixes her eyes on the owner of the voice. "Aurora, save Lewin and I's baby. Please…Please…" She starts to hyperventilate.
"Regina calm down. Take a deep breath." Aurora then looks over at Lewin grabbing his hand and placing it on Regina's pregnant belly.
He looks over at her. His face inquisitive.
She looks into his eyes solemnly. "Touch is comforting at times like this."
Aurora bothered him. Even though she was smart, beautiful and a talented exorcist there was something about her that he didn't like. Perhaps it is because she treated him like a child or the fact that she treated Karol like a lap dog instead of the magnificent creature he was. Either way her touching him made him uncomfortable. He swallows hard looking at his hand and turning his thoughts back to Regina. He knew he liked having her around. Why else would he feel compelled to marry her and protect her, but he had no emotional attachment to the baby growing inside her even though he knew it was his. Regina had been his conscience for years. Telling him when he was doing something morally wrong since he had a hard time connecting empathetically with people. He looks up at Regina. "I don't want to have to learn to live without you Regina."
This calms Regina, her body becomes less tense. "I love you too Lewin." She reaches out and touches his face.
He feels her fingertips run along his stubbly cheek. 'How does that translate into her loving me?' He wonders.
Her face grimaces and she grabs at his shoulder squeezing it. "Ouch! So much pressure."
"Where do you feel pressure Regina?" Asks Aurora.
"In my back. Tsk!"
Aurora talks over Regina and Lewin to Karol. "Karol, I need you to run and get as many clean rags as you can. Bring any first aid supplies you find and or alcohol. Rubbing or otherwise. Hurry!"
Karol nods his head. "Hang in there Regina." He says looking down at her and then rushes off to find the supplies requested by Aurora.
She then looks to Lewin. "Listen carefully to me Lewin." She scoots in towards him and whispers in his ear. "I think Regina may be going into labor. If we try and deliver this baby Regina will probably bleed to death. The chances of the baby surviving are slim since she is only twenty six weeks along. You are both the father of the baby and Regina's fiancé. What do you want me to do?"
Aurora's eyes burned a hole in Lewin's cheek as he grits his teeth mauling over the decision. He wanted to do as Regina asked of him and save their baby, but only because she wanted him too. At the same time he couldn't understand why she wanted the baby to live over herself. An intelligent beautiful woman such as Regina should know that children can be made over and over again. Why was this one so special? He wasn't, or at least not to Lewin. He turns his head to Aurora. "Save Regina." He whispers. "Save her."
Nodding Aurora pulls a needle from her bag and administers it to Regina in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Regina looks over.
"Sh! It is okay Regina this will help with the pain. Now take a deep breath and start counting back from twenty."