Demon Hunters (46 page)

I make my way across town back to the Corba
Foundation headquarters. The building looks quiet. I see fewer
people milling around. The doors are clearly still open. I walk in.
Thankfully no one notices me. I walk over to the reception desk. A
new cheery face is sitting behind the desk.

“Good evening. How may I serve you?”

“I’m Larissa Corba. I’m here to see The
Savior.”

Prodigal Daughter

I step out of the elevator into my father’s
home. It’s a bit different at night. There are extra lights on that
accent the many fine details of the architecture. I can quickly see
that the breathtaking view is even more so at night, but I’m too
preoccupied to fully appreciate it. I hear some noise come from the
kitchen so I follow it. There he is. Dad. He’s fussing with some
pots and pans.

“Hi.” He says without looking over his
shoulder.

“Hi.”

“You came.”

“Surprised? After that stunt you
pulled?”

“I’m sorry about that.” He says as he comes
around toward me. He tries to hug me, but I back away. “I was
desperate. I had to do something.”

“You have single handedly destroyed my life!
People have been attacking me! I got evicted!” I shout at him. His
eyes seem apologetic, but not nearly enough to suit me.

“I am so sorry. I really didn’t think it
would get that bad, but you’re here now. Safe and sound.”

“But just as angry.”

“I can see that. Have a seat. I just made
some Chicken Parmesan.” I was wondering what that wonderful smell
was. I look over at the dinner table and see two plates set up.

“Expecting company?”

“Yes. You.”

“So, you knew I’d come.”

“Not really, but I had a very good feeling.
Hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Wonderful. Why don’t you go on up and get
washed and we can sit down to a nice family dinner.”

“Sure.” I say as I go on up to the
bathroom.

When I get out of the bath, I notice a set
of new clothes laid out for me. Nothing fancy, a new shirt,
underwear and pants. They’re not bad things. I probably wouldn’t
have picked them out myself, but they look like my style. I quickly
dress and join my father at the dinner table. It’s a long table
with some glass light fixtures hanging just above it. He takes one
of the seats at the head of the table and I get planted right next
to him. I wolf down the food. I was a lot hungrier than I
thought.

“Have you given thought to what we talked
about?”

“Actually, yes. I have.”

“And?” He asks. I set my fork down and take
a sip of wine.

“You win, okay? I can’t take living like
this anymore. I don’t believe the world is going to end tomorrow,
but everyone else seems to. And even if it doesn’t, if I don’t do
this now, I’ll forever be the woman who was going to let the world
die. You can’t come back from that.”

“I’m sorry to have to pressure you like
this, Larissa.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t lie. You’re not
sorry. If you were, you wouldn’t have done it.” I say. I turn away
from him and focus on my food. There’s a persistent silence.

“You wouldn’t be here right now if you
didn’t believe this was all real. There is some little bit of you
that believes. Admit it.”

“No. I don’t.”

“You believe the story behind how the church
came about.”

“No, I accept it as the story you claim to
be true. I never said I believed it. Mom told me all those crazy
stories about demons and monsters. She seemed real sold on it all,
but I just never bought it. I still don’t. Uncle Ivar told me that
he believed your story about being possessed.”

“Honey, there is more in this world than you
can possibly imagine.”

“There are no demons! There are no ghosts!
There are no monsters! None of it exists! You’re just a crazy old
man who’s being used by this so-called church just so they can
squeeze a few million out of a gullible public!” I say. Dad just
goes quiet. He looks down and pokes at his food with his fork. “I’m
sorry.” I say, feeling a pang of guilt.

“Why have you been so stubborn?”

“What?”

“If you didn’t believe any of this, wouldn’t
it be easier for you to just humor me?”

“Because I don’t think you deserve that kind
of consideration. You left me and mom high and dry all those years
ago. Why should I give a damn how you feel?”

“Fair enough. I admit I wasn’t very good to
you or your mother. I miss her. I really regret that part of my
life.”

“Leaving her or meeting her at all?” I say.
Dad jumps up from his seat and his face is burning with rage.

“I do not regret, for one second, any part
of my relationship with your mother! I loved Gwen! I don’t think
I’ve ever loved anyone as much as her.” He calms quickly and sits
back down.

“Okay. Calm down.”

“It hasn’t been an easy life for me
either.”

“Oh, yeah.” I say smartly as I look around.
“You’ve really suffered.”

“I have. Do you think there’s any part of
this life that satisfies me as much as being with you and your
mother did? This is a nice place, but I’m alone here. I have
millions of followers, but not one of them loves me. Not
really.”

“Then why? Why did you do it? You could have
stepped down at any time and come back to us.”

“It’s not that simple. I was given a
message.”

“Oh, right! The message! How could I forget?
Some crazy voice tells you something when you think you’re in some
kind of limbo, and that means you need to be the next Jesus!”

“I am not the next Jesus.”

“No shit.”

“We should really discuss the details of
tomorrow.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.” I agree. Dad presses a
button on the side of the table and a few minutes later, the
elevator opens and Morgan and Damon appear.

“You called, Savior?” Damon asks.

“Yes. Larissa has come back to the
fold.”

“Wonderful! Everything is already running on
schedule.” Morgan explains.

“Good. I was just hoping you two could help
me explain what Larissa needs to do tomorrow.”

“Of course.” Damon says as he takes the seat
across from me. His eyes are weird. The light hits them and they
seem to sparkle with some odd, bizarre color. It’s kind of a
brown-red mixed with green. “It’s very simple. We are going to go
out to an offshore platform where you will recite an incantation
that will open the gate.”

“Run that by me again? Out to sea?”

“Yes. We have pinpointed the exact place
this gateway will appear, which happens to be on the ocean floor.
We’ve built a solid platform in the middle of the Atlantic around
those coordinates. It’s very safe. Very secure.”

“And you’re sure about this?”

“Very.”

“So what do I say?”

“Tomorrow. We’ll give you cards. All you
need to worry about is being ready to go. We’ll take care of the
rest.”

“All right. That sounds simple enough.”

“We should be ready to ship out as early as
eight, Savior.”

“That’s fine. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d
like to show my daughter her accommodations.”

“Of course, Savior. Until tomorrow.” Morgan
says and she and Damon both find their ways out.

Dad leads me upstairs and down the small
hallway to the second door, right next to the bathroom. He opens it
up and a room that looked like a Las Vegas penthouse suite opens up
to me. Wall to wall carpet, a large bed with silk sheets. There’s
even a small sitting area a few feet away.

“Wow.” I say, despite myself.

“It’s nice, right?”

“This is bigger than my own apartment.”

“Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll see you
in the morning.” Dad says as he leaves, closing the door behind
him. I fight every urge to enjoy it, but I can’t. In a fit of glee,
I leap up onto the bed and it’s like falling onto a cloud. I writhe
around, soaking up every luxurious moment. I sit up quickly and
notice a phone by the bed. I grab it and quickly dial Mike.

“Hello?” He says in his sleepy voice.

“Hi. Did I wake you?”

“Larissa? Is that you?”

“Yes. I just wanted to call and let you know
I’m okay.”

“Where are you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Just
know that I’m safe.”

“Okay. Can I see you?”

“Not tonight, but tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Get back to sleep. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay. Good night.” He hangs up and I fall
back into a large pillow.

I wake up the next morning and I hear some
noise outside. I walk out and see my father sorting through some
gear.

“What’s all that?”

“Just some stuff for the boat trip.” He
says. The scent of bacon and eggs is evident in the air. I follow
it down to the kitchen. He walks up behind me.

“Sleep well?”

“I hate to say it, but I think I haven’t
slept that well in years. I feel great.” I say as I help myself to
the breakfast cooking on the stove.

“Good. I’m glad.”

“So why are you doing all this? Shouldn’t
Damon or Morgan be dealing with boat stuff?”

“I don’t see why. I’m going to be aboard
too.”

“You’re coming?”

“Of course. You don’t think something like
this is about to happen and I’d sit it out. I have to be there.” He
says as he goes back to the boat gear. I see some life jackets,
something that looks like some kind of radar device. It all looks
way too high tech to be part of a religious experience.

After breakfast, Morgan and Damon come by
and we start loading the equipment into a truck downstairs. We all
pile in and drive down to the pier. Damon drives the truck down to
a private slip where a large, very elaborate sea craft is
waiting.

“That’s not a boat.” I say.

“Well, technically, no. It’s not. It’s a
hydrofoil. Much faster and energy efficient.” Damon explains. “Why
don’t you and your father go aboard and get comfortable? Morgan and
I can unload all of this ourselves.” I acquiesce to his suggestion.
I follow dad onto the ship and it feels more like coming aboard a
spaceship than a boat. I can see that it’s made mostly of metal.
The bridge is in a small room that stands high over the entire
ship. Dad bypasses it and goes below deck to a very posh living
area. There’s a sunken conversation pit in the middle of the room
with a small kitchenette to the right and a little game room to the
left. I climb down and sit upon the round sofa and just take in the
opulence.

“How did you manage to pay for all
this?”

“Donations to the church.”

“You paid for this with people’s
donations?”

“They knew what we were going to use the
money for. We have been honest and forthright with our congregation
from day one.”

“I just can’t believe this. You could live
on this thing.”

“Ideally, yes, but with the weather as it
is, living here is quite impossible. In fact, I just hope we’ll be
able to get out of this slip in time.”

“What do you mean?”

“The state has restricted boat travel during
this storm. Severely restricted. We aren’t actually cleared to
leave, but we must. That’s why we chose this hydrofoil. We are
certain it can escape any other ship on the sea. The captain has
orders to disregard any police actions.”

“This is just getting better and better.” I
say. Just then, Morgan joins us and sits next to me.

“Are we feeling all right?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

“Good. Here are the cards for you.” Morgan
says as she hands me a set of large index cards. The writing on
them is large and easy to read. “I spelled it all out phonetically
for your convenience.”

“Thanks.” I say. I start to read the cards,
but Morgan quickly slaps her hand to my mouth.

“Not before we get there! Please! These
words carry much power. If you speak these words before we reach
the holy destination, it could be disastrous.”

“Okay. Sorry.” I say. Damon comes down and
takes his seat next to my father.

“We should be getting underway in a few
minutes. There’s a hard cell of storm clouds clearing out of our
way now. Once we’re out on the water, you can move freely about the
ship. For now, the captain requests we belt ourselves in.” I look
down and discover a small seatbelt on my right side. I pull it over
and click it into place. Moments later, a low humming sound starts
and I can feel the whole ship rising up. My stomach feels a bit
disoriented.

“What’s going on?” I ask as Morgan takes my
hand.

“The ship actually runs just above the
water. The hydrofoils raise the hull out of the sea. This helps it
to run faster.”

“Okay.” I say and then I feel a sudden pull
as the ship shoots out of the slip.

“It’s okay. It can startle you the first
time around.” She says.

The Trap Is Sprung

I’m actually getting sick of hanging out
below the deck, but I’m too scared to actually go up and see the
ocean. I look up the stairs that lead to the upper deck and I can
only see the darkening sky. My curiosity is getting too great. I
take a breath and trudge up the stairs. The wind hits me like a
brick wall. We’re going so fast, the falling rain is hitting me
like little daggers of ice. I clasp my coat together and hunch
over. I make it over to the rail on the side of the boat and look
out. The sea is dark and choppy as we zoom by. I see lots of white
foam over dark, black waters. We’re so far out; I can’t see the
city anymore. It almost feels like we’re nowhere. Nothing behind
us. Nothing ahead. I see my father looking out at the front of the
boat. I make my way towards him. He seems lost in himself.

“Hey.” I say as I touch his arm. He looks
over to me and smiles.

“How you holding up?”

“I’m okay. It’s just a little cold. Pretty
smooth ride.”

“It should be. Any other ship would be
tossed around like a piece of paper in this water.”