Is there a way back? Can there possibly be any absolution? When the human mind is tainted with so much evil and with so much darkness, does it matter what the heart yearns? Once the soul is touched by the hand of hell, is there salvation? Can a man's spirit ever become clean from the mark of the Beast? Does God still live among us? Is there someone up there who really cares? What is the reason of all of this?

Questions long ago asked by the Dead Man had found their answers but at a high cost. He had been taught by his mentor many things but the bitter and the sweet answers to his true questions he had discovered all alone. Some of them he wished he could share with the whole world… let them see God and His Magnificence, the Glory of His kingdom.

And some others, he wished himself he didn't know. Answers to questions he had paid dearly and he had lost many things to get them; things… and people he could never get back…

Like… her… he would give almost anything just to behold her eyes one last time, just to touch her face and kiss her rose lips.

He had lost many precious things, but he had known from the very beginning the path he had chosen was dangerous and lonely, and one that required many sacrifices. After many years and many losses, he had finally decided that he had not been wrong in his choices. He would forever regret loosing her and he would forever remember her, but he was here now and there was no turning back. If there was a chance to fight back the malevolence and make a difference, this was it.

And this time he wouldn't fail. This time he wouldn't loose him like he had lost her.

In the gathering darkness of the room and the sudden stillness of the night, he knew that heaven and hell were watching. The question was who would win. But for the first time, the Dead Man had something more than faith on his side.

He had love to guide the way.

The love of a dear friend to warm the hearts and chase away the burning touch of damnation…

The love of a brother to guide the way and shed a light even to the darkest corners of their abyss…

And the love of a soul mate; forever ready to destroy all that stands in its way; forever ready to sacrifice itself for the one that matters most.

And he knew, by just one glance at the three men surrounding the possessed body of Oscar, he knew that they could win… this time…

He could wish for no better brothers in arms.

"Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen"

No one looked at Rey but him…

"Repeat the same after me…" he asked.

"May the Lord be with You"

"May the Lord be with You" they said in unison as they felt Rey's body stir under their touch and his skin begin to warm up quickly.

"Lord, heed my prayer"

"And let my cry be heard by you."

"We beg you to hear us.

That you spare us,
That you pardon us,
That you bring us to true penance,
That you govern and preserve your holy Church,
That you preserve our Holy Father and all ranks in the Church in holy religion,

That you humble the enemies of holy Church,
That you give peace and true concord to all Christian rulers.
That you give peace and unity to the whole Christian world,
That you restore to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from the truth, and lead all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel,

That you confirm and preserve us in your holy service,
That you lift up our minds to heavenly desires,
That you grant everlasting blessings to all our benefactors,
That you deliver our souls and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors from everlasting damnation,

That you give and preserve the fruits of the earth,
That you grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,
That you graciously hear us,
Son of God,

Do not keep in mind, O Lord, our offences or those of our parents, nor take vengeance on our sins"

A small pause. He looked up and immediately he regretted it. Rey was tossing and turning on the bed, pulling his restraints fiercely, his skin had changed colour and texture. It was a shade of deep grey and cracked like the dry waterless ground under the desert blazing sun.

And his eyes… they were on fire; feverish red eyes, damp but not from tears… from blood. Mark grasped quickly his cross and blessed himself, the three friends and then he turned his hand on Rey signing his brow, his lips and his chest. He didn't stop the flow of his actions, not even when Rey opened his mouth and regurgitated blood, saliva and puke of his face.

He could only wonder what the others might think. He only hoped they would keep their eyes closed and their hearts warm, untouched by the evil who had concentrated in this room.

"When time began, the Word was there, and the Word was face to face with God, and the Word was God. This Word, when time began, was face to face with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him there came to be not one thing that has come to be. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not lay hold of it. There came upon the scene a man, a messenger from God, whose name was John. This man came to give testimony to testify in behalf of the light that all might believe through him. He was not himself the light; he only was to testify in behalf of the light. Meanwhile the true light, which illumines every man, was making its entrance into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not acknowledge Him. He came into His home, and His own people did not welcome Him. But to as many as welcomed Him He gave the power to become children of God those who believe in His name; who were born not of blood, or of carnal desire, or of man's will; no, they were born of God. And the Word became man and lived among us; and we have looked upon His glory such a glory as befits the Father's only-begotten Son full of grace and truth! Thanks be to God."

He took the small bottle of Holy Water which he had placed previously on the night stand and removing its cork, sprayed some on the wrestlers and the rest he emptied on Rey's body and face.

The sound of infernal screaming echoed in the room and the ground began to tremble under their knees. Asmodai was furious… and strong. He hissed and screamed again, calling in his ancient black speech his legions.

"Alsi ku nushi ilani mushiti

Itti kunu alsi mushitum kallatum kattumtum

Is mass-ssarati sha mushi lipshuru ruxisha limnuti

Kal amatusha malla-a sseri

Ina qibit iqbu-u ilani mushitum"

The Gates of Hell had opened.

From beneath the bed, where the ground still rumbled came the tail of a large serpent thinnest section of which was fully that of the arms of two men, and as it rose from the ground it was followed by another. These were followed by still more, and the ground began to quake under the pressure of so many of these enormous arms. Asmodai's chanting became much louder and nearly hysterical. Mark could not let him continue. They were beginning to loose the battle.

"Lord, heed my prayer.
And let my cry be heard by you.

Almighty Lord, Word of God the Father, Jesus Christ, God and Lord of all creation; who gave to your holy apostles the power to tramp underfoot serpents and scorpions; who along with the other mandates to work miracles was pleased to grant them the authority to say: "Depart, you devils!" and by whose might Satan was made to fall from heaven like lightning; I humbly call on your holy name in fear and trembling, asking that you grant me, your unworthy servant, pardon for all my sins, steadfast faith, and the power — supported by your mighty arm — to confront with confidence and resolution this cruel demon. I ask this through you, Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, who are coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire. Amen."

Time was precious and few moments were to spare. He made the sign of the cross over himself and one over the writhing possessed form of Rey, placed the up side of the cross on his neck, and, putting his right hand on his head, he yelled with a voice filled with confidence and faith

"See the cross of the Lord; be gone, you hostile powers!
The stem of David, the lion of Judah's tribe has conquered.

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I appeal to your holy name, humbly begging your kindness, that you graciously grant me help against this and every unclean spirit now tormenting this creature of yours; through Christ our Lord.

I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every spectre from hell, and all your fell companions; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be gone and stay far from this creature of God. For it is He who commands you, He who flung you headlong from the heights of heaven into the depths of hell. It is He who commands you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind and the storm. Hearken, therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you enemy of the faith, you foe of the human race, you begetter of death, you robber of life, you corrupter of justice, you root of all evil and vice; seducer of men, betrayer of the nations, instigator of envy, font of avarice, fomenter of discord, author of pain and sorrow. Why, then, do you stand and resist, knowing as you must that Christ the Lord brings your plans to nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered in sacrifice, in Joseph sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb, crucified as man, yet triumphed over the powers of hell…"

Wrathful eyes, blue lips and foaming mouth… a tongue came out unusually long and…

Laughter?

Oh no…

They all felt the ground become wet with some substance, and although they had their eyes closed tightly shut, minds focused, the smell was unmistakable. Sulphur and Blood. The smell of the pits of hell.

They all felt sick. Mark had to hurry. He made the three signs of the cross on Rey's brow.

"Be gone, then, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this sign of the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen."

Eddie's head hurt and he was sure he wasn't alone. He wanted to open his eyes so bad. He was hearing so many things, unspeakable things and he felt around him the world disappear giving its place to something else that he could only guess was the underworld.

He had stopped trying to hear what Mark was saying and he was trying to focus all his efforts into holding an image of the Rey he knew. He tried. He focused…

There was Rey with a huge smile hugging him when he had won the Championship Belt from Brock Lesnar back in 2004. The happiness and the tears of joy was something he would never forget as this had been the zenith of a life's hard work. He remembers Rey running towards him, hugging him among those people backstage, leaning towards him and whispering…

'Bitch… you are mine' with a low growling voice.

Eddie's eyes opened up from the surprise despite his unwillingness to do so. This was wrong. That wasn't what he had told him back then. But it was too late. He found loosing his sanity in those furious devilish eyes… those eyes that seemed to widen, grow larger and larger till they became two huge black holes devouring him. He saw the great flames and the burning desperate hands trying to grab him, pull him in, damn him for all eternity.

It was only the deep rasp voice of the Dead Man that gave him the strength he needed. A hollow scream of his name

"EDDIE"

was enough to bring him around and make him shut his eyes. If it was too late, Eddie didn't know. He kept his eyes closed, hoping he hadn't done anything to endanger his 'brother' or themselves. He couldn't shake the feeling however that this had been a very big mistake and hoped to survive tonight so he can ask Mark about it.

Benoit was lost from the start. He had found his safe place and had managed to keep the feeling of love and uttermost respect he held for Oscar. But as the ritual progressed, it was getting harder and harder to remain true to these emotions. Things were taking place around him, words were spoken and his senses told him that this was wrong. He tried to bring back himself to his safe place but as the smell of sulphur became stronger, he bent over and puked on the floor. His hands shook but he didn't break the bond he had with Rey; not even when he felt his knees wetting from the hot blood that was gushing from the ground. He kept his eyes shut, gritted his teeth and once more found the beginning. From there it was easy to find the right path to his true emotions.

"I adjure you, ancient serpent, by the judge of the living and the dead, by your Creator, by the Creator of the whole universe, by Him who has the power to consign you to hell, to depart forthwith in fear, along with your savage minions, from this servant of God, Oscar, who seeks refuge in the fold of the Church. I adjure you again, not by my weakness but by the might of the Holy Spirit, to depart from this servant of God, Oscar, whom almighty God has made in His image. Yield, therefore, yield not to my own person but to the minister of Christ. For it is the power of Christ that compels you, who brought you low by His cross. Tremble before that mighty arm that broke asunder the dark prison walls and led souls forth to light. May the trembling that afflicts this human frame, the fear that afflicts this image of God, descend on you. Make no resistance nor delay in departing from this man, for it has pleased Christ to dwell in man. Do not think of despising my command because you know me to be a great sinner. It is God Himself who commands you; the majestic Christ who commands you. God the Father commands you; God the Son commands you; God the Holy Spirit commands you. The mystery of the cross commands you. The faith of the holy apostles Peter and Paul and of all the saints commands you. The blood of the martyrs commands you. The continence of the confessors commands you. The devout prayers of all holy men and women command you. The saving mysteries of our Christian faith command you."

Adam found that he could not move. From the very start of the ritual, his body had become stone and feverishly cold. Keeping his eyes closed was not a problem; for not one second was he tempted to open them. For him, the need to save his love was greater than any temptation, than anything anybody could offer him in exchange. The problem was that he was paralyzed. From the instant his hand came in contact with Rey's body, all motor functions had abandoned him and he was gone, almost lost in the trance of Mark's powerful words. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing. His suspicion came true when he heard the distinct noise of serpents crawling out from beneath the bed. He couldn't suppress a chill coming down his spine and the taste of disgust flooding his mouth.

He wasn't sure if this supposed to happen, but soon after Mark's last words, he could actually feel they were approaching the end… whatever that may be… the ground was still shaking and the noise of windows, glass, mirrors shattering, of wood breaking seemed to come from a long distance.

Noise appeared to fade away and he had not control over his body. He felt melting like ice placed above blistering fire; becoming one with the object of his affection; and he truly felt happy. In this form, in this place so close to madness and doom, he searched frantically. He didn't feel his body giving up. He fainted; he fell above Rey's sweating body entangled with blood, sweat, puke, spit and the serpents that were now overflowing the bed.

'Oscar?' he yelled in his mind. He knew Rey could hear him here. Somehow, he just knew. It was dark, except for a small dark blue candle light in the distance. He ran towards it expecting to find him there. But there was just the candle, lonely, burning. He felt breath back on his neck and shivered when he realized it was Rey. He slowly turned, scared of what he might come face to face with.

At first he was blinded by the powerful light which surrounded the smiling face of Rey. This light was not however one that made him feel at ease. There was something ominous about it. It was fake light, made to mislead him. Instinctively Adam stepped back from the figure of the man he loved. And immediately Rey's face changed. Instead of the familiar smirk now a mask of sadness spread on his face. He reached out his hands, wanting an embrace from Adam. Only he took one more step backwards.

No words were uttered. No sounds were heard but the sound of Adam's racing breath.

"Who are you?"

Rey's hands fell back on his sides.

"You are not Rey… Who in the name of God are you?"

Rey stiffened. He opened his mouth wider than usual and a screeching sound emanated. Adam covered his ears but the sound was so horrific that brought him to his knees. He waited until it was over. He lifted his eyes up and looked at him. There he still stood; immobile, but angry and calm at the same time. Adam managed to stand again on his two trembling legs and braced himself for the worst.

"I came to find Oscar… and you are not him"

A sneer… sardonic…

Suddenly he was hot. He shook his head, trying to cleat the fog that was clouding his judgement. He remembered the effect that the words he had used had upon this… demon. He clenched his jaw.

"I love Rey and I came to free him from you." His words come out calmer than he thought they would and less menacing than he meant to..

"I am here" the demon only said using Rey's own voice. "You found me… now you can set me free" and a wide smile appeared on his face.

"No… I did not come in hell to find… you… Asmodai…"

The use of his name brought angry fires to the banished one's eyes. He could not hide any more. He was forced to reveal himself to the blond Canadian.

"Do you think that you are strong enough?" he tilted his head to the left making a creepy cracking sound; like breaking bones.

"No… I am not strong enough…" Adam paused and Asmodai smiled in triumph.

It was only then that Adam knew what he had to do.

"I am not strong enough… but I have the one thing that matters to me and Oscar"

Asmodai waited, his malevolent smile growing wider. Soon he would have Rey's soul.

Adam did not remember Rey's eyes ever being so dark. His neck hurt as he swallowed. Rey bit his lower lip in anticipation.

It was now or never.

"I have faith… in us…"

His wiped off his sweating palms on his jeans and took two steps towards the demon.

Two steps to the end…

Or the beginning…

No matter…

Adam clasped Rey's head and with one fast move brought his lips close to a deep exhilarating kiss.

With no hesitation…

With no second thought.

Only with his heart filled with love and one desire. One will.

Save Rey… save him even if it meant dying himself.

Rey had suffered enough in his life and Adam was making sure this would be the end of his torment. He relaxed his kiss and welcomed Asmodai's poison into his body… into his blood…

Drip straight to his heart…

And there it was defeated.

For their soul was two halves of one. There it found not Adam's, the one it was searching for, but Rey's. And he knew how wrong he was. If it poisoned Adam, it would mean loosing Rey's psyche, the one he was so desperately and angrily after.

Hatefully he broke the kiss and punched Adam right in the jaw. He fell back feeling his senses, even here,

In hell?

abandoning him. Asmodai hissed and Adam felt his skin crawl as he saw the demon scream with an animalistic unworldly fury and saw his skin burn. Right there, in front of his eyes, the demon began to tear away pieces of its blistering flesh and throw them away, scattering them around. Blood flew in every direction but Adam did not care. All he cared was his victory.

Or so he thought.

The demon that stood a few feet away was more beautiful to behold than anything. No words could he find to describe him. Adam was certain casting away Rey's appearance, Asmodai would be a horrible nightmare watch…

But this…

"If I can't have Oscar… no one will… NO ONE"

The voice became so terrible, so horrifying and deadly that knocked Adam down on his back, covering his ears with his hands, himself screaming in pain, in despair and agony. He was sure he felt claws digging their way into his eyes, trying to remove his eyeballs. And his ears felt wet from the blood that was trickling.

Before giving into the darkness, Adam final thought was about him… his love.

'I love you. My God, don't let him die. I beg of you…'

A whimper.

Then nothing but the silence and the void.

Mark was still reciting the ritual of the exorcism when he saw Adam faint. He expected it to happen. In fact he was counting on it. He had no idea what fight the blond wrestler was giving now, but it seemed that he was wining. Rey's breathing had become over the last few minutes faster, and the hell speak had ceased. Adam looked dying though.

Quickly Mark took out his rosary and placed it around Adam's neck. The stiffness was removed from the fallen body and it relaxed upon Rey's.

Time was short.

Among the chaos that was coming forth from the opened gates of hell one thing remained to be done. He grabbed the small black rosary, the cursed one and held it tightly in his palm.

"I adjure you, profligate dragon, in the name of the spotless Lamb, who has trodden down the asp and the basilisk, and overcome the lion and the dragon, to depart from this man, to depart from the Church of God. Tremble and flee, as we call on the name of the Lord, before whom the denizens of hell cower, to whom the heavenly Virtues and Powers and Dominations are subject, whom the Cherubim and Seraphim praise with unending cries as they sing: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. The Word made flesh commands you; the Virgin's Son commands you; Jesus of Nazareth commands you, who once, when you despised His disciples, forced you to flee in shameful defeat from a man; and when He had cast you out you did not even dare, except by His leave, to enter into a herd of swine. And now as I adjure you in His name, be gone from this man who is His creature. It is futile to resist His will. It is hard for you to kick against the goad. The longer you delay, the heavier your punishment shall be; for it is not men you are condemning, but rather Him who rules the living and the dead, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire."

One candle was still burning. In this room, only one candle still held its light against the winds of damnation that froze everything in its pass. Mark brought the cursed rosary above the small fire and set it on fire. Its flames quickly engulfed it and with it Mark's hand.

But he didn't seem to register the pain. Instead he closed his own eyes and kept going.

"Depart, then, impious one, depart, accursed one, depart with all your deceits, for God has willed that man should be His temple. Why do you still linger here? Give honor to God the Father almighty, before whom every knee must bow. Give place to the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His most precious blood for man. Give place to the Holy Spirit, who by His blessed apostle Peter openly struck you down in the person of Simon Magus; who by His apostle Paul afflicted you with the night of blindness in the magician Elyma, and by the mouth of the same apostle bade you to go out of Pythonissa, the soothsayer. Be gone, now! Be gone, seducer! Your place is in solitude; your abode is in the nest of serpents; get down and crawl with them. This matter brooks no delay; for see, the Lord, the ruler comes quickly, kindling fire before Him, and it will run on ahead of Him and encompass His enemies in flames. You might delude man, but God you cannot mock. It is He who casts you out, from whose sight nothing is hidden. It is He who repels you, to whose might all things are subject. It is He who expels you, He who has prepared everlasting hellfire for you and your angels, from whose mouth shall come a sharp sword, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire."

The rosary was burnt and Mark let it drop on the nightstand. Nothing remained, not even the silver cross. All was ashes and they were blown away from the hellish wind that was still blowing around the room.

Mark's heart skipped a beat when he opened his eyes and looked down on Rey. His eyes were starring blindly into nothingness and his mouth was wide open, mouthing a mute scream of horror. Whatever Rey was seeing with his own eyes was too dreadful… and too painful.

Adam's hand was still on his heart.

One last thing to do before the final moment of truth came. It would all depend on Adam's fight. Should have known what had happened between Adam and Asmodai, Mark would have been more certain on how to proceed.

But he didn't know. And he had to finish what they had started otherwise he would have to kill Oscar. He took a quick glance at the dagger and turned his attention to the Mexican.

" Almighty God, we beg you to keep the evil spirit from further molesting this servant of yours, and to keep him far away, never to return. At your command, O Lord, may the goodness and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, take possession of this man. May we no longer fear any evil since the Lord is with us; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever."

Rey turned his blazing eyes towards Mark and growled. Mark smiled in victory and relief.

But then a fierce howling reverberated between the walls and so powerful it was that sent three of the wrestlers flying away from the bed and threw them against the rotting walls.

Then he broke his bonds. Mark was surprised to see tears in Rey's eyes, especially when he reached his hand and grabbed the Dead Man by the throat.

"God of heaven and earth… God of the angels and archangels… God of the patriarchs and prophets… God of the apostles and martyrs… God of the confessors and virgins… God who have power to bestow life after death and rest after toil…"

Air was beginning to drain from his lungs and Asmodai's force was too overwhelming to defeat. He had to try. Only a few last words remained. There was no way back now. Either they would win or they would all die and be damned.

"… for there is no other God than you… nor can there be another true… God beside you… the Creator of all things visible and invisible… whose kingdom is without end… we humbly entreat your glorious majesty to deliver us… by your might from every influence of the accursed spirits… from their every evil snare and deception… and to keep… us… from… all… harm… through… Christ… our… Lord... A…men…"

The last thing he did before the end was taking the last small glass bottle of holy water and smash it with the last ounce of his strength hard against Rey's heaving chest.

Bright Light illuminated everything and everyone in the room. There was no shadow.

Rey screamed like a tortured animal being skinned alive.

Then the roaring, the wind, the shadows, the darkness and all the infernal fiends unleashed upon earth all seemed to fade. They were finally starting to wither away, being exiled back to where they had crawled out from. Asmodai, although not utterly destroyed was forced to go back to the deepest corner of hell, licking his wounds.

Like a black hole swallowing everything daring come close too it, the gates underneath them started to close and take up all that had managed to escape. Sobs and cries where heard, screams and screeches, wowing, howling, barks and tearing flesh.

Eddie, Chris and Adam were all knocked out cold splayed on the floor, while Mark was holding tightly Rey in his arms, protecting him from the closing wound that wanted to take him down to the dark. All his strength he used and that seemed not to be enough. Asmodai might have been defeated but the gate was closing and it wanted Rey because he was touched by evil too much. The taint of Satan was too strong and too raw to be ignored, and he had to follow the other fiends into the pit.

Mark was not going to back down. His neck hurt from Rey's choke, his mind was going numb and his body strength was all but wasted. Still he held onto the body of his precious friend, determined to win.

"Lord, heed my prayer. And let my cry be heard by you." He mumbled.

The Gate was almost closed completely and the light grew momentarily stronger in the room. Mark squeezed his eyes tighter. This light wouldn't hurt them.

Then the light faded until there was only the small candle burning, its small flame casting long shadows on the walls. Outside, the night was coming slowly to its end.

'Has it taken us all night?' the Dead Man wondered. It didn't seem so. He felt his arms around Rey's body and looked down.

All traces of evil were gone and his skin had returned to its normal colour. All the bruises and cuts, all the wounds had vanished; all but the two holes on his wrists and the thirty three whiplashes on his back that strangely had fully healed leaving only scars.

And right there, in front of his eyes, Mark watched in awe, as an invisible hand,

Perhaps God's Hand?

openedtwo new fresh wounds…

One was of Rey's side, a long deep nasty cut. Mark touched it with his bare hand, letting the blood drip between his fingers. He could only whisper…

"The Spear of Destiny" as his breath escaped his lips.

Rey, although unconscious, moaned in pain. Mark was barely able to take his eyes of this wound and look at him.

And what he saw made his heart almost stop. Rare were the occasions throughout human history when one man showed so many of the mystical stigmata. And even rarer were the ones who had been previously possessed by evil.

Rey's forehead was bleeding and there was no mistake about it.

These were the stigmata from the Crown of Thorns.

Mark tried to overcome the invading feeling of wonder and awe that consumed him. Seeing this… witnessing such a miracle was truly a blessing. He opened his discarded suitcase and took out the last remaining item. One white cloth embroidered only with small black cross. He brought it on his own forehead, blessed himself with it and then used it to wipe off Rey's blood from his forehead and his side.

When all traces of blood where gone and only the cuts remained, the undertaker folded neatly the cloth and placed it in his pocket. He took one look around the wrecked room and his eyes fell upon the door that now lay in ruins.

The sky outside was still dark but the Dead Man knew that night was coming to an end and he could already see the first touches of the sun's rays coming into view on the horizon. He gently folded his arms around Rey's body and calmly carried him outside covering him with the bed sheet.

The air was clearer than he could remember ever feeling. He sat down at the porch, still holding his precious cargo, just looked into the vast landscape and let his mind wonder beyond.

Rey moaned again from the last remaining traces of his agony and torture. He slowly opened his eyes and found Mark's staring back at him; and for some reason he wasn't surprised to see him. For some reason, he was the one he expected to find. He still felt sore all over his body and his head ached like it was splitting in half.

"I smell flowers" he whispered and Mark could only smile heartily. He had heard that stigmatics often smelled flowers right after displaying Jesus' wounds but had never witnessed one. His smile grew as he realised that this was his first time. This was the first exorcism he had performed where the 'victim' had actually survived. Before Rey, every possessed one he had tried to save, every single one, had died in excruciating pain.

He caressed briefly Rey's cheek but the scared look on his eyes begged to differ. His eyes were silently asking him one question.

Where is Asmodai?

"He is gone…" he spoke softly. "We defeated him" he added emphasizing the word 'we'.

Feeling Rey's strength returning Mark placed him down sitting next to him in the porch the bed sheet still wrapped around him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked casually.

Rey thought for a moment, afraid that Asmodai might return.

"I… I don't know… is he really… gone?" he inquired hesitantly.

"Yes. He is gone… and he is never coming back for you… ever!"

"How can you be so sure?"

Mark laughed at the straight question. Rey's eyes were shining so brightly again.

"Trust me Rey Rey… he is really gone…"

He stood up and asked Rey to stay out here for a while before coming back inside.

He stepped inside and walked towards Adam who was just barely beginning to stir. As soon as he realized his surroundings he shot back up and lost his calm when he found the bed empty. Frantically he turned around and bumped into the massive form of the Undertaker.

"Calm down…" he said coolly. "You did it. He is gone…"

"But I don't understand… how?"

"You went down to hell and you don't know?" Mark's eyebrow raised. Still Adam didn't show any signs of understanding.

"What happened here tonight proves that you and Rey share your soul… your psyche is one… and this is what I was hoping for… this was the only thing that could save Oscar from death and eternal damnation. Asmodai didn't know that. Your sharing is so rare throughout human history that but a handful of times is known to us. What happened to you while you where back in the USA as well as UNDER proves my point. For Him, rey was perfect for his purposes, whatever those might have been. But he just couldn't foresee two things: how strong your love is and how you share ONE soul. In the end having taken Rey meant taking half a soul and he did try to poison YOU… the other half of Rey… should he have completed your poisoning he would have lost Rey… so he stopped himself… and I was there to take advantage of his weakness…"

Adam was just looking with wide eyes, trying to digest what he was being told.

"All that kept him alive was you… and you he couldn't possess…"

"Why not?"

"Because Rey and you were ready to do the ultimate thing for each other… Sacrifice yourselves for the other's survival. This is what it comes to… and I hope you can understand it… someday… now go… he is waiting outside" Mark stepped out the way to let Adam walk out while he busied himself with waking the two remaining wrestlers.

"What about you?" the Canadian asked before taking his first step to his heart.

Mark chuckled and responded somewhat bitterly.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine…"

Adam didn't linger long. He had to resist the urge and ran outside…

Towards freedom.

Freedom at last.