Taina stood at the window of her hotel room looking out into the darkness of the Toulouse streets. France was very different from England. The days were brighter and the nights were dry- something that was considered a blessing to have back at base. She listened to the muffled sounds of Olivier praying in the next room over, and she began to wonder what things he prayed for. Listen... Taina shook her head, "No." It wanted her to hear, but why? Didn't prayer cause these things to grow weak? LISTEN, it commanded even louder. Her head snapped towards the wall where Olivier's voice came, and her legs began to walk over against her will. Taina now stood in front of the wall. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears as fear shook through her. She dropped to her knees and slowly leaned against the wall pressing her ear to the sheetrock.
"...et pour protéger Emma car je suis loin d'elle. Amen."
Taina smiled to herself. He sounded so genuine and calm. A bit like Dominic when they were alone together. Why it wanted her to listen was beyond her until it began to whisper to her again. She grimaced as it said vile and very rude things about Olivier.
"You don't know what you're talking about. Be quiet." Taina said with a wavering voice. Her ears burned and ached as the voice inside her head grew louder, screaming at her with enough power that it physically affected her. Taina screamed falling to her knees and gripping her ears and pressing her palms to them as hard as she could. It didn't help. What could you do when the overwhelming sound was inside your head? She felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see Olivier standing in front of her with Father Durand's rosary. She lifted her arms to him and he helped her up placing the rosary swiftly around her neck. The yelling in her mind went silent as quickly as it became loud.
"Thank you, Olivier..." Taina whispered running her hands through her hair.
"Do you need a prayer?"
Taina sniffled nodding her head slowly, "It would be appreciated." Olivier pulled his own rosary out from beneath his shirt and took hold of one of Taina's hands. He held onto his rosary with the other and bowed his head to pray, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..."
Father Durand opened his Bible as Olivier finished strapping Taina in.
"Remember to show him," Taina said focused on the floor.
"Ah, ouais, thanks for reminding me," Olivier said grabbing the beaded chain that hung around her neck.
"Show me what?" Father Durand asked looking up from his Bible.
Olivier held his fist outwards and Father Durand presented him with an open palm. The rosary Father Durand had bestowed to Taina for protection outside of his home was intact except for one new detail. The crucifix on the end was bent backwards and covered with ash.
"She found it that way when she woke up this morning."
Father Durand stared at it for a long while as he slowly nodded. "I've never seen anything like this before. I must say, I was skeptical of these things, but now I- I don't know what to think." Olivier said looking over his shoulder at Taina.
"Just because you don't believe in the Devil it doesn't make him not real," Father Durand said placing his rosary aside. "Now, let's get to it once again."
Taina's eyes rolled upward as Olivier turned towards her wrapping his rosary around his hand. Father Durand hastily flipped through his Bible to the book of Mark as the air grew heavy around them. He had seen entities make themselves known before the commence of an exorcism, but never bringing the weight of their full power beforehand. He motioned to Olivier, and they began to read from highlighted scriptures, causing Taina to cringe and writhe in her seat as she had done before.
"For he said unto him, 'Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit!'," Father Durand read aloud as Taina growled and snarled. "And Jesus rebuked him, saying,-"
"Hold thy peace, and come out of him..."
Father Durand and Olivier simultaneously paused as they stared at her.
"In my name shall they cast out devils.." she seethed following with a gruff laugh. "Woe is Jesus, woe is me- release her Satan, releaa-ase herrr-rr!" it mocked through her.
Father Durand grabbed Olivier's attention to continue reading from the scriptures when his phone began to ring.
"Olivier, I have to take this- keep reading from where I left off. Don't speak to it if it speaks to you, alright? The Lord is with you," Father Durand said handing the Bible over before slipping out of the room. Olivier stared at Taina who now watched him. She was dark around her eyes, and they seemed sunken- as if she hadn't slept in years.
"Uh... And forthwith, Jesus gave them leave-"
"Pourquoi ne pries-tu pas encore pour Emmanuelle?" Taina said in a low voice.
Olivier stopped reading to look above the pages at Taina. All the time that they've had to spend together so far, she had only spoken in English or Portuguese. What were the chances she would be fluent in French?
"What would the little Priest think of your devotion to your faith if he knew how bad you coveted your rival's woman?"
Olivier had started to protest, but he closed his mouth afraid of what consequence would be bestowed upon him for not listening to Father Durand's command. Taina twisted in her seat and stood up, snapping out of her restraints like they were no more than licorice tied poorly around her wrists and ankles. Olivier opened his mouth again to call out to Father Durand, but he was paralyzed with shock.
"What's the matter? Afraid of being denied his good graces if you speak to me? What if he knew about how you watch her without her knowing? How you don't even have the decency to look away. What if he knew how bad you wanted to get into her bed? How you long to hear her moan your name while your between her legs." Taina asked before lying down on the floor and spreading her legs. She drug her tongue across her lips, smiling up at Olivier before moaning, "Oh, Olivier, viens en moi."
Olivier fell backwards, scooting away from her against the wall beside the door. That last sentence didn't sound like Taina's voice. That last sentence sounded as if it had came straight from the mouth of Emma herself. The door to the room swung back open and Father Durand re-entered.
"Olivier! What happened?" he asked looking between Olivier and a giggling Taina.
"Sh-she spoke to me in French and another woman's voice."
Father Durand helped Olivier stand and took back the Bible.
"Stay strong, don't let it mess with you," he said before reading more scriptures.
Olivier joined back in on the reading, making the sign of the cross with the rosary around his hand. Taina's body arched as if she were writhing with excruciating pain. She turned over, and began convulsing as sounds of retching escaped her. Olivier could see where blood had begun to pool on the floor. Father Durand began to read louder as the creaking wood of his house begun to drown out their voices. Taina rolled back over, and Olivier watched as her throat bulged and rippled. His gaze moved upwards towards her mouth where blood steadily flowed. He could see something black making its way past her lips before falling next to her face. It happened two more times before Taina fell motionless.
"Taina?" Father Durand called to her. She didn't move. "Taina!?" Father Durand called again.
The creaking of the wood became overwhelming as heavy knocks sounded everywhere from the roof, to the walls, and even the floor. Olivier stepped forward and placed two fingers lightly on her neck to check for a pulse. The flutter was there, but it was lighter and slower than it should have been. Olivier looked down beside her at just what it was that fell out of her mouth. He took a shaky hand and reached down, picking one of the black objects up and holding it close to inspect it. He swallowed hard. It was a nail. He turned to Father Durand and waved him over. He presented the nail to Father Durand who took it to inspect it as well. It was thick, heavy, and very jagged. He looked down to see two more covered in blood lying beside her. They had made leeway. She was almost free, but now that she was unconscious, she risked being taken over once again.
Taina opened her eyes to a warm, bright white hallway. A few feet in front of her were a flight of stairs leading up and another off to the right leading down. This all seemed too familiar to her. As if she had been here before. The faint strumming of a guitar caught her attention. She turned around and saw a white door about a hundred feet away. Even the music behind the door seemed familiar. Taina began to slowly walk towards the door, the music growing louder as she made her way to it. She reached out with one hand and her fingertips grazed the cool metal of the knob. She should have been frightened, but her hearth instead pounded with excitement. She took a deep breath and turned the knob to push open the door. The first thing she saw upon opening the door was a single window on a dark brick wall. The sky was a vibrant blue, and the light shining in indirectly from the sun lit the room just above being dim. She walked over to the window and looked outside to see tires, targets, and cones scattered around a partly fenced and partly walled-in yard. Hereford?
"I've been wondering when you'd get here."
Taina turned around and looked towards the bed that sat against the wall. She smiled, sighing heavily as tears fell from her eyes. Her voice quivered as she softly spoke, "I've been looking for you this whole time..."
Olivier says: "And to protect Emma while I'm away. Amen."
Taina asked him: "Why don't you pray again for Emmanuelle?"