THIRTYSEVEN
Darrin was trying desperately not to forget a line of the exorcism, while keeping the nausea at bay, when the cavern was filled with an inexplicable red glow. Without breaking from his recitation he hauled himself up using the pile of belongings on his right. His words became more laboured, as did his breathing, but he continued not wanting Dean's efforts to be in vain. As he rose over the stack he could finally see the scuffle taking place between demon and man. Of course the radiating light helped with that; the flare was making its way across the cavern, illuminating its carrier as it came. Darrin wasn't surprised to see the other three hunters, just filled with overwhelming relief. It gave his words strength.
"Imperat tibi excelsa Dei Genitrix Virgo Maria, quæ superbissimum caput tuum a primo instanti immaculatæ suæ conceptionis in sua humilitate contrivit. Imperat tibi fides sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et ceterorum Apostolorum."
Maybe things would turn in their favour. Or not… Camazotz finally manage to wrench Dean from his back and then, with a howl of fury pitched him into the rock face. Darrin's voice faltered as he watched Dean loose his battle. crap. In another minute the exorcism would have been complete. As much as he wanted to rush to his fallen comrades side it would do them no good if the demon was still around. He had to finish.
If the other three could only distract it… and for a second it looked as if the demon was about to take them on. But it changed its mind and whirled around to face Darrin instead.
"Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare: desine Ecclesiæ nocere, et ejus libertati laqueos insincere," he continued as he backed away, back into the recessed haven.
The demon was barking angry, aggrieved staccatos that rung through Darrin's head as it approached, muting all other sounds, even his own voice. He closed his eyes and turned his head as the monster took a swipe at his face, just barely missing.
Across the cavern Jack had stopped and yanked his own satchel from his back. He began furiously digging through it with one hand as he held his bitten hand close to his chest. Gordon skidding to a stop beside him.
"Keep that thing off Darrin!" He shouted and shoved Gordon onwards.
Although a little baffled, Gordon didn't hesitate and readied his shotgun as he raced towards the demon. It was frantically tearing away at a stack of discarded backpacks, screaming as the exorcism continued from somewhere underneath its towering form. As he drew closer he slowed slightly, taken aback by the slabs of carcasses - nasty.
Sam, too, sprinted passed Jack, who was now flipping madly through a small leather bound book. His only target was his fallen brother, all other thoughts currently chased from his mind. Not that he wished any harm to come to the other hunters but a little part of him prayed that they would keep Camazotz distracted until he could get Dean out of harm's way. He lit the flare he was carrying and threw it forward to extinguish more of the dark and free his hands.
He was almost on top of Gordon's heels when the other man decelerate to a jog, then stopped all together. He cautiously came up beside Gordon wondering what had made him hesitate. As he drew even with the other hunter he saw the rows of mutilated bodies - geezus. Besides the grotesque exhibition that lay before them, it became obvious that Sam was not going to get passed the livid demon to offer any help to his brother. He prayed that Dean was at least breathing, but there was no way to tell for sure, not from where they stood.
"Fucker," Gordon hissed and levelled his shotgun towards the demon. He let off a round which connected with the demon's shoulder.
It turned and let out a vicious, screeching wail before turning back to Darrin. In the now lighted corner of the cavern it spotted a pile of small boulders to its right and snatched up one of the larger ones.
"Ecclesiæ uni, sanctæ, catholicæ, et apostolicæ, quam Christus ipse acquisivit sanguine suo." He was so close to finishing… Darrin flinched as he saw a watermelon sized boulder lofted above Camazotz's head. He only had seconds to shield his head before the rock came smashing down upon him.
Gordon let off another shot but it didn't prevent the demon's critical blow. "Darrin" he whispered as the cave lay silent, void of screeching, roaring, and Darrin's voice. However, the demon wasn't going to pause for its victory and it wheeled around to face the last remaining hunters.
"Jack," Gordon called, maintaining his sights on the demon. "We're in some trouble here. What the hell are you doing?"
"I found the exorcism," he answered as he scurried up behind them, looking haggard and pale. "Keep him busy, I'll finish it."
"I don't think it's that simple." Sam eyed the scene of Darrin and Dean's sabotage and spotted the net, discarded at Camazotz's feet. "We have to trap it or weaken it, otherwise it'll just take us out." He wondered how the net had been rigged up to debilitate the demon. If only they could get their hands on it, it had obviously been working for Dean.
"I don't think there's time for that." Gordon took a step backwards as the demon stalked towards them. "Just keep the exorcism going, Jack. And stay out of the way."
Jack began exactly where Darrin had left off, feeling a little ashamed that he hadn't memorize it after all these years. He pushed the burning sensation in his hand from his mind and began to read. "Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge.'" Camazotz growled at the trio and bounded forward, closing the distance between them by half. It was not the type of sound that came from a demon being exorcised. Something in the ritual had been broken.
"That doesn't sound like it's bothering him anymore," Gordon said nervously and took another step backwards, reloading his shotgun as he went.
Sam shook his head at Gordon, knowing that firing at the demon would just encourage his anger. He glanced behind them, intending to find them some cover, but they were in the middle of the chamber and the blood covered slabs would not provide much protection. Instead, a deep blackness immediately to their left caught his attention. He shuffled warily passed Gordon and then a couple meters further left until he was standing near the brink of what appeared to be a profound chasm.
Gordon glanced nervously at Sam, who had just kicked a loose stone into the pit. Beyond the demon's irritated huffs the stone could be heard bouncing off the walls of the pit, gradually fading away to silence.
Camazotz snarled as Sam kicked a larger stone into the trench. This one's echoing bounce lasted for longer but eventually faded away as well. The boys turned to look at each other as the demon took another leap towards them, landing only feet away.
"Give me the book," Sam insisted and reached for the leathery text, eyes flickering between the demon and his brother's fallen form. He was going to end this one way or another so he could get to Dean.
Jack passed it wordless to Sam, hoping he would be more useful with it. The demon breathed heavily down upon them, its breath putrid with decay. Sam looked at the end of the exorcism and committed one of the lines to memory. He didn't need it to work, just to provoke it a little. "Gordon," he muttered, "you need to shoot it and then get the hell out of the way, both of you."
"I don't think…" Gordon began, but stopped when Camazotz stretched to his full height and emitted a deafening scream.
" Now! Do it now," Sam roared above the noise.
In the intensity of the moment Gordon became instinctual and let off a blast directly into the demon's chest. As Camazotz stumbled backwards Gordon dove sideways into Jack, knocking them both to the ground.
Sam stared directly into the blazing eyes of the demon and yelled, "Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine." Camazotz recoiled and then, with lightening quickness, sprung towards Sam. He tried to duck out of the way as the monstrous form launched towards him, but it was too quick. Sam was caught in the tumbling form of the beast as it tried to stop before the edge of the chasm. As he had suspected, its momentum was too great and despite its desperately grasping claws it plunged headlong into the pit, dragging Sam with it.