It stood alone, in the middle of vast forgotten field, far away from the city, its bright lights and its noises. There it stood, dark, lonely, ominous, like some beacon long forgotten and out of use. The only light giving away its presence was coming from the sign that read MOTEL and nothing else.
The two storey building was all that was left in that area, in the old highway. Since the new one had been constructed, every shop or motel in the old highway had closed. No one passed this way any more; no one. It was a wonder how this dirty, half collapsed building still stood let alone worked. Adam couldn't see it at first. Clouds covered all star light and moon light. Then he saw the sign from a distance and his heart sank deeper. A foreboding and dangerous feeling overtook him and without thinking he tightened his arms around Rey.
The car came to a halt a few feet away from a dim lit room were they figured the reception should be. They didn't have to go there though because as soon as Chris got out he spotted another car parked at the far end of the motel. Immediately he guessed it ought to be Mark's rental car.
Adam carefully stepped out of the taxi, still holding the small luchador. He took a few steps towards Mark's car before he had the chance to take a closer look at the motel.
If there was any colour on the walls it had faded long ago. The walls were greyish and at some spots he could still see the bricks underneath. The fact that many rooms had the windows boarded up and the glasses broken left him with no questions unanswered. If there was any place on earth where they could do what they were about to, this was it. He was amazed to see there was still electricity around this area.
He could hear Chris walking behind him.
Eddie was just getting out of the taxi. Before sending him away he stopped and looked hard at the driver. He took a few more bills out of his wallet and gave them to him.
"You never saw us coming here… ok?"
The driver took the money and quickly counted them. It was a lot! He smiled at Eddie and winked at him cunningly.
"Sure mate… whatever…" and drove off in a hurry.
He jogged and met the others.
"Tell me esse, did you look long for this shit hole?"
Chris didn't bother answering. He knew Eddie by now well enough to know that he had said that to lighten to air a little. But the look on Adam's face didn't give him much choice. They came in front of a closed door. The windows too were barricaded as well but through the cracks of the wooden planks a dim light was coming. Mark had to be there.
He opened the door before they had a chance to knock. Mark greeted them with a nod as each man stepped inside. Adam came in first and proceeded towards the bed where he placed Rey upon the empty mattress. He noticed straps, black leather ones tied to each pole. Four of them to tie up his arms and legs, he thought.
Rey didn't give any sign of waking up yet. He still slept; his skin colour though had changed from ashen to yellow. His breathing was coming out faster and shorter, each time making a husky sound when he took in some air. Breathing, it seemed, to come with much effort. And he was sweating.
Mark didn't like it. They were running out of time. Soon Rey would wake up. But he had to prepare the others too. He didn't want any of them freaking out in the middle of the process and ruining everything. Asmodai had to be sent back. His heart went to Adam though when he saw the blond man kneeling beside Rey and caressing his front with so much love and care. He didn't want to leave his side or his sight.
Adam would be the solution and the problem; depending on his reaction.
The door closed and locked behind Eddie and all three stood in the room looking at Adam and Rey. Mark's voice broke the silence.
"Listen now carefully…" he waited until he had all three men's attention. "I want you to listen what I am about to tell you because it is important to understand … I know it is difficult to accept but you're gonna have to try and as soon as you do that the better our chances will be…"
They nodded. Mark paused for a while to think a way to begin what he had in his mind. Finally he decided to begin the way his mentor had done when he had first met him years ago.
"There are some who believe that an inference of the existence of evil spirits can be drawn from the magnitude of evil in the world. They say that human malice and depravity even at its worst is not sufficient to account for it, and it must be concluded that the devil is a real entity and that his sway is tremendous. According to the Christian Teachings when God created angels, he offered them the same choice he offered humanity: follow, or be cast apart from him. Some angels chose not to follow God, and instead chose the path of evil. These are not the fallen angels, but are the pre-human entities known as demons. The fallen angels are the host of angels who later rebelled against God, headed by Lucifer and Satan, who was talked into rebelling by Lucifer. And later the 200 angels known as the Grigori, led by Semyazza, Azazel and other angelic chiefs descended to Earth and cohabited with the daughters of men…"
Again he stopped. He knew what he had to say next would be difficult to hear. He felt sorry for them… but not as much for them as for Rey.
"Rey is possessed by a demon called Asmodai or Asmodeus. According to the Malleus Maleficarum, a book of the Roman Catholic Church concerning demons and witchcraft, he is considered the demon of revenge whose adversary is St. John. He has seventy-two legions of demons under his command, and is one of the kings of Hell with Lucifer being the emperor… Asmodai is not certainly unknown to the Christian Church… however in the Books and Scrolls the times when he has possessed a human are very rare… and badly documented… To the best of my knowledge, the only way to draw this demon out of Rey is through a special rite of exorcism."
"I get all this, but what I don't understand is the reason. Why now? Why Rey?" Chris interrupted.
"Well… I can't be sure… I'll tell you what I think. Asmodai like I said is the prince of revenge. Vengeance presupposes hate and hate in its turn requires pain and suffering… He possessed Rey because he has suffered and he has ached… because he had faith and he has been questioning it for some reason… isn't that right Adam?"
The last question caught him off guard. He hadn't seen that coming. He avoided looking into Mark's eyes from fear of revealing what he truly felt, what he knew and believed.
"The same goes for all of you" Mark said to all of them. His tone of voice wasn't accusatory or hateful, but calm and compassionate. "From all of you in this room, I am the only one who hasn't been told the reason of Rey's suffering, am I not? But I have I pretty good idea what is causing it."
They all remained silent; their faces didn't look but the floor. Guilt was starting to loom its ugly face amongst them. All three men knew what Rey had been through, every detail of what had happened back then, but they didn't know that he was still carrying all the pain. Maybe they suspected it, but they didn't know for sure. Eddie for one had suspected that Rey still hadn't shaken off his nightmares and he had tried talking to him once. But Rey had assured him that everything was going fine. He seemed so happy being with Adam and the presence of the Canadian had a miraculous effect on him; so he had taken his word to be true.
Adam on the other hand knew that Rey was still scared and very much so. But he also knew how hard they were trying to put it behind them. And for a while he really thought they were actually starting to live again, free from the pain and happy.
"I don't understand" Adam muttered. "I mean, yes, Rey was in pain, and maybe he is still suffering inside him, and maybe some of the nightmares will always be in his heart but… I don't understand... after we got him back from Jacob, it was very difficult for him… for both of us… he had nightmares… horrible dreams that made him wake up screaming from his sleep… he couldn't stand the darkness … he was unable to sleep alone… every time he closed his eyes he saw… him…" he choked. "But after much effort and patience, we were finally making progress. The nightmares were receding and we were starting finally to live again. Last time I saw Rey was before leaving for Mexico to visit his sick uncle… I looked into his eyes and I saw hope, love and so much strength that I hadn't seen in him for months…"
"I think Rey had all of us fooled." Mark walked slowly and stood next to Rey. "A wound this deep can never fully heal. We should have seen passed through his façade." He leaned over and looked at the sleeping man with concern. His eyes glittered as they searched. During the last minutes Rey's condition seemed to get worse and worse. His colour had changed from yellow back to grey, his skin was beginning to look like a dry desert and his lips were turning blue. His breathing was picking up pace and his sweating body was starting to shake slightly.
"We don't have much time" Mark announced. "Listen carefully now" he gathered the others around him as he took Rey's left hand and started strapping it to the upper bedpost. Adam did the same with his right hand and Eddie with Chris attached his legs to the lower bedposts making sure it was firmly tied. Mark proceeded with a silent prayer and took from his bag a small bottle of what the others figured was holy water. He came and stood in front of each man individually and after tracing the sign of the cross over them he sprinkled them with the holy water. "Every invocation I speak, you must also repeat. I don't have the time to fully explain you what we are about to do, so please try and follow my lead and do exactly as I say. EXACTLY! Am I understood?"
All three men nodded and tried to be brave as this nightmare was unfolding before them. Neither of them knew how this would end; they weren't sure how this had started.
"Um… Mark… I have one question…" Eddie added.
Mark looked up waiting for the question.
"I realize what you told us… I think… but what I don't get is how this Asmodai found his way to Rey. I mean, there are many people in this world who suffer, and many who have suffered worst… then why him?"
"Usually the suffering is enough, the questioning of one's faith can be kind of an invitation to a man's psyche… but there are times when the possession is incited by an object of evil origin. If this is Rey's case, we shall have to find it and remove it from him. If we fail to retrieve it from his possession, then all our efforts will be in vain." He fell silent as he took a black book from his bag. When he lifted his head again the look on Adam's face was enough to stir feelings of hopelessness.
"What is it?" Eddie asked.
"Rey… he… he told me his uncle had given him a gift… something he had found in Brazil… a rosary I think…black… he had bought it for Rey a few days before his heart gave out…"
Mark turned his head and worriedly looked at Rey, his eyes searching frantically for the black rosary that was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe he doesn't have it with him" Eddie suggested.
"No… he has to have it with him all times. Without it he knows we can easily exorcise him. I can't touch him yet" Mark continued, "so Adam, you'll have to search him and remove it. Alright?"
Adam nodded. He seemed out of breath, mostly because things were moving too fast for him to process. He knelt beside him and reached his hand, only to be stopped by Mark warning words.
"Adam… careful… whatever he says, he is not himself. Right now, there is no Rey, there is no love, no happiness, no hope in him, just evil and deception."
Adam showed no signs of listening to Mark's words. His eyes looked for the black rosary. From first sight, he couldn't see it, so he figured he must either have it in a pocket or wear it under his shirt. He reached his hand deciding to look under the shirt first. He was surprised how cold his skin was under his fingers, it was like he had no temperature at all; as if he was dead… the thought gave him the creeps. He lifted the shirt and there it was; a black rosary, around Rey's neck, resting upon his bandaged chest. A small silver cross with fine carvings was attached to the end of the rosary. As Adam's fingers moved closer to take it, a familiar voice startled him.
"Adam? Is that you?"
All four men stayed silent and immobile at the words they had heard coming out of their friend.
"What are you doing?"
For a moment Asmodai had receded and he had let Rey one moment of lucidity.
As he tried to move, he found himself unable to. He realised his hands and feet were bound to the bed, and that is when fear took over. With pleading eyes, he looked at his friends one by one, only to let his gaze rest upon Adam.
"Why am I tied up? Adam… please… help me…"
His colour was different now. It appeared to be normal, but somehow they all knew it was fake. Asmodai was still in there waiting… and somehow they all knew they had to act fast. Adam came closer to Rey and caressed his sweating head.
"I'm sorry…" he only mumbled as his other hand blindly grabbed the rosary and yanked it powerfully.
At that moment Rey changed again. He let out a harsh loud cry, like someone was tearing his heart out with his bare hands, a cry of utter pain and malice. His skin became grey and cracked, his lips blue and his eyes… before Adam could see more, Rey turned and bit Adam's hand with all the force he had, until he bled, until he could savour the strong taste of blood flowing in his mouth. Adam was more surprised than anything from the sudden attack but soon he felt pain coming from his hand in waves. With a scream he jerked his hand away and fell back. Rey had managed to bite off a piece of flesh from his wrist but Adam stood up totally ignoring his painful wound. He had succeeded in taking the cursed rosary away;
One thing down, one to go.
Rey was laughing feverishly.
"Did you really think that is all it took?" he spoke with a vibrating, deep, iron voice. Somehow he sounded different than what they were expecting. Maybe influenced by the movies, they waited the demon's voice to be low and gargling, almost sickening. But they were mistaken. Rey's voice, his laughter, it was sweet and melodic. The mere sound of it blurred their thoughts, like a winter's early morning mist cast upon a vast valley. Mark's voice reminded them their task.
"We don't have much time. We must do this now when he is weak. I'll say this again. You must do exactly what I tell you otherwise you risk your own life greatly!"
He didn't wait for them to nod or speak.
"I want you to go at the four corners of the bed. Eddie, kneel at the left side down at the feet of the bed and with your right hand, the hand of the heart, hold him from his left ankle. Chris, you kneel on the right side of the bed and with your right hand hold his right ankle."
A small pause. A small breath.
"Adam, please come over here."
Still ignoring his bleeding hand, he approached Mark who stood above Rey's head on the left.
"The left side is the side of truth, the side where the heart lays. The Virgin Mary always holds baby Jesus on Her left bosom because that's where Her heart is, that's where Her Love comes from. Kneel down here, to his left side and with your right hand touch his heart. I will stand on the right side…"
They assumed their positions, numbly kneeling down as Mark placed the holy water, the Bible and the dagger on the night stand
"During the rite, Asmodai will try to trick us. Do not give in. Think only the good things about our friend, your fondest memories and most importantly, your true feeling for him. Words are only words, only You can save him with the help of Our Lord."
Adam went to wipe the blood off his hand when Mark stopped him.
"Don't wipe it off. Your blood is good. It is pure and as long as your feelings are true, it can only do good. It will help us in our cause agai…"
Mark didn't have the time to finish what he intended to say. Rey began a creepy childish laughter that made Chris' skin crawl. They all went silent waiting for it to finish.
"Oh… Adam… my beautiful Adam… do I sense fear in your heart? I have tasted your blood and I know what lies inside you. Are you questioning your feelings for Oscar? Or is it me that you are afraid of? Loosing your precious lover perhaps."
Rey licked his lips like he was savouring them most delicious thing in the world. Adam could only stare as Rey's tongue traced its way on the cracked rotten lips making a dry sound.
'Just like dragging a dead body on the desert sand' Eddie thought.
Another laughter. This time voluptuous. A little mocking as well.
"Eddie, your mind is a treasure. How I would love to have inside me... Fucking me!" another lick around his lips, exposing teeth, smiling. His body arched in pleasure above the bed sheets.
Eddie could only stare. He had never heard his best friend talk like this before or speak such evil thoughts. It broke his heart to pieces to have his mind filled with all these dirty feelings. Suddenly an image came to mind, just for a spit second… nothing but an image that he could help but seeing with his mind's eye. Like a reflection, a mirage that somebody had put there… that didn't come from him.
A huge bed in the middle of desert. The moon hidden behind clouds and the air as cold as he could remember, freezing his lungs. His eyes wondered downwards. He was naked and his body was on fire. Sweat beads rolling down his muscles as his hands grabbed flesh. He had never felt this kind of pleasure before. He was surprised to see Rey writhing underneath him from the pleasure he was receiving from the Latino Heat. Despite the feeling of wrongness and sin, he found himself receiving so much pleasure from this sexual intercourse. It felt as he didn't have any control over his actions. His movements the faster they got, the more he got lost in his trance. The next time he looked down he saw a pair of dark eyes drilling his mind… and blood… so much blood… Was he bleeding? No, the blood did not come from him. It came from Oscar. Suddenly he felt dizzy and he felt like he was falling..
Laughter. Mockery.
"Your imagination, my brother, reaches the limits of perversion."
A grin. And those eyes. Those eyes bore holes in him. He somehow knew he would never be the same after this.
"Eddie, stop it!" Mark bellowed.
This brought Eddie to his senses.
"Don't!"
Eddie looked around and saw Chris and Adam looking at him fearfully. He never found out if they knew what his image was about. He would carry it with him wherever he went, to the end of his days, remaining silent as a grave.
Mark took his rosary and wrapped it around his hand.
Chris gave one last look at the discarded cursed rosary with disdain and with determination grabbed Rey's ankle ready for his faith to be put to the test.
The dark eyes were on him now… they were cold…so cold… he closed his mind and thought of Rey as he knew him before this… he searched his memory and found it. It was one night some years back. Rey was backstage the WCW and he had just found out that his wife had given birth to his first born child… a boy… Dominic… He remembered Rey's face light up with happiness and tears of joy. He had never seen his eyes shine so brightly or his heart fill up with so much love. He found this image, this feeling of Rey and held on to it. He knew he was in the right path when he looked down at the tormented man and he received a howl instead, a long streak of curses and names! But he didn't care. As long as he had this feeling, this true memory of Oscar, he somehow knew he was sheltered from Asmodai.
"Remember, you must repeat the first invocations with me… but while you have to touch Rey, make contact with his flesh, like Chris, bring your fondest memory of our friend in your mind and keep it as long as you can. And Keep your eyes closed. No matter what happens, don't look into his eyes…"
A pause to underline the importance of the last words.
"Do NOT look into his eyes"
The four men knelt in silence and for the briefest moment that seemed to last forever they looked at each other's eyes. Adam could only guess what his friends were feeling, but something inside him told him that they probably didn't feel much different from him.
He looked at Eddie whose eyes mirrored so much fear, doubt and disgust and he looked back his expression changing to sorrow and hope.
Then he looked at Benoit. His face was cold as ice and hard as a stone. If there was any sign of fear or doubt, it was well hidden behind the memory his sanity was holding onto.
He didn't have to look at Mark to finally understand that he seemed to know what he was doing. There was no uncertainty no fear, just those deep eyes focused on the task ahead. He had no idea what thought passed through the Undertaker's head and he wasn't sure he wished to know either.
Lastly, he turned his glance upon the object of his love. It was so painful to see him like this. He tried to understand where he had gone wrong. Was there something he could have done to prevent it? Maybe he didn't love him enough! Maybe he had unconsciously believed that the nightmare with Jacob was finally over because he was tired of dealing with its consequences. But how can such a terrifying battle be really over? Is it ever over? Is he strong enough to stand in front of the gates of hell and defend their souls? Their feelings? And win?
A firm fist seized his trembling hand and shook him rather violently. He looked up and met Mark's determined and angry stare. He half expected him to roll his eyes backwards like his did on the house shows. He was surprised to see those angry eyes soften up and blend with his own sadness.
"Please… don't doubt yourself… or your feelings… you are strong… The connection of your spirit, your essence, you psyche is ONE. I can feel it… I know it and He knows it… he will try to break it… don't let him. Hold on to your heart. We Will Win!"
It was Adam's face that changed this time. Mark's words sunk in and he found himself believing in him. He just nodded confidently, trusting him in this final moment of doom… or salvation… he couldn't tell which one. He took one last look at Rey and closing his eyes placed his hand on the luchador's still beating heart.
"Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; They will be done on earth as it is in heaven …"