over me, sweaty and stained with dirt and grass
clippings. He was holding a large sword in his hand.
“Thanks.”
“We really have to get going. The demon is
getting closer.” Ivar forced me up and ushered me back to the car.
He got in and brought the car to life. As he peeled out onto the
street, I looked back at the house and then back to Ivar.
“Where did you get the sword?”
“I keep a stash of weapons handy at all
times.”
We drove for another couple hours in
silence. After having nearly being murdered by a lawn, I didn’t
feel much like talking. The scenery blurred by me but I didn’t
care. I didn’t pay much mind to the oncoming traffic signs
either.
“You know where you’re going?”
“Yes.”
“How do you do it?”
“What?”
“You cut me out of a blood thirsty grass
field and it’s like it was nothing to you.”
“You were possessed by a demon and now it’s
hunting you down and you act like it’s nothing.”
“I am definitely acting like it’s something.
I admit I’ve had my share of weirdness over the years, but nothing
close to all this. Do you deal with this shit on a daily
basis?”
“Not daily, but it does have its regularity.
You get used to it.”
“I don’t think I could. I’ve just wanted a
normal life for so long. That demon cost me so much. It took my
parents. It got me bounced from more foster homes than I could
count.”
“Not every path is an easy one. It is
unfair, but your family’s destiny is...”
“Stop! Don’t talk to me about destiny! There
is no destiny. You just get a bunch of shit dumped on you from day
one and you deal with it. I’m done dealing with this weird shit. I
just want some regular shit to deal with.”
“It’s a shame. Many of the Corbas, over the
years, have done incredible things.”
“That was them. Not me.”
The vacuum of silence was profound and I
felt an awkward moment approaching. I just opened my mouth and let
the first thought that came to mind out.
“You think he’s helping?” Ivar looked back
up at me with interest.
“Who?”
“Sam. You think he’s helping the demon?”
“It’s possible. He could be offering the
demon more power in order to find you.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Sam is a twisted, evil man. His only goal
is to attain power. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume
he’s made some kind of deal with the demon. Perhaps if he helps
destroy you, he will be given some demonic favor.”
I then slipped back into silent mode for
another couple hours.
Chapter 7
Road Trip
I looked out the window of the car and saw
the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. We were zooming along
some old back road it looked like. There were very few buildings
around and the ones that we could see were wrecks. Old businesses
that had failed years ago and were left to rot like corpses along
the lonely highways.
We turned into a large bank of tall trees
and something familiar came over me. We started around a long curve
and I felt my stomach begin to rise in anticipation. As we cleared
the bend, I saw the ruins of something that once was a large
structure to the left.
“Stop!” I shouted. Ivar pulled over and I
leapt out of the car as it came to a stop. I blindly ran across the
highway and headed to the burnt remains that sat in the middle of a
large, dead field. I stopped and looked at the mess. It looked like
piles of burnt wood and broken concrete strewn about randomly.
Pipes jutted out from the ground like dead veins. I entered the
ruins and explored like a holy man visiting a sacred temple.
“What’s this?” Ivar asked.
“This was the church.” The words didn’t even
feel as though they were coming from my lips. Every part of me felt
numb as I walked along what once was the main aisle of the church
leading to the altar. Even though I was a baby, so much of that
night stuck in my head. I could feel the warmth of the
congregation. The crisp air from outside. I could hear the