Errand
Carl was in his room, saying the Rosary, when there was a knock on the door and Gabriel walked in saying, "We've got a little errand for you."
"Who's 'we'? I all my time here, I've only seen you and Akiva working here," replied Carl.
Gabriel looked at him for a second, and then his eyes moved to the crucifix above Carl's bed, "Why do I ask these questions?" Carl said.
"Anyway," said Gabriel, "Do you know who Maria Altartez is?"
"Only what Akiva has told me," answered Carl, "She makes regular donations and is in our most frequent visitor."
"She was also making investigations into a Satanist cult, led by Alfred van Brode, which was acting suspiciously over the last few months," said Gabriel.
"What do you mean 'suspiciously?" asked Carl.
"Meetings were becoming more frequent, they were recruiting more and more members and several assassination attempts on people close to us," replied Gabriel, "Anyway, Maria has missed four meetings in the last two weeks and we need you to go to this address and find out what happened to her."
Gabriel handed Carl a card with an address scribbled onto it, "Now get going," Gabriel said, and left the room.
Carl pulled on his coat and left the library and walked toward the building, the card told him to go to and all the while he had an eerie feeling that something evil was watching and following him, every step of the way.
He knocked on Maria's door and waited, but no-one replied, he tried again and again, but met with no response, "Ms Altartez," he said, "My name is Carl, I work with the Archangel Gabriel." All of a sudden, he heard a voice say: Totus iens mortis. and it seemed to echo in the dimly lit corridor, then the voice came again:
Is mos adveho.
"Who's there?" Carl called out, grabbing the Crucifix and the Star of David around his neck.
The voice replied: Deus est non hic, Deus est non hic.
"Who's there?" Carl demanded again.
The voice came one last time: Vos can non lucor.
Suddenly, Carl became aware of the fact that the voice was coming from inside the apartment room, so he kicked down the door and was met with a horrifying sight; a young lady was tied to the ceiling with her digestive system hanging out of her stomach and her small intestine lying in a heap beneath her, her face was a mask of horror with the number 666 carved onto it. Carl hunched over and threw up…twice. When he lifted up his face, he saw a little boy sitting on the window sill, staring at him; the boy reeked of piss and what scared Carl the most, was the evil, inhuman look in his eyes, "Are you okay?" asked Carl.
"Carl McAdams," said the boy, in a voice that sounded as if it was made of a hundred voices, scrambled together.
"How do you know me?" asked Carl.
"I know everything about you," replied the boy, "You can't stop him. He will slit your throats, you and that piece of shit you hang out with."
"Who are you?" asked Carl.
"My name is Legion," the boy replied, "For we are many."
And the boy threw himself out the window, "NOOO," screamed Carl as he ran to the window sill and saw the boy fall ten stories and hit the ground.