Immortal Memory (Book One) (9 page)

Zach pinned Azazel to the
floor with the cross over the demon’s heart. The angel cried out in
the Aramaic dialect. “
Lord, thank You for
giving me power and authority over demons. I cover myself, Miles,
and Patricia Hanley in the blood of Jesus. I command you, Azazel,
to leave this area in Jesus's name."

Azazel’s glowing eyes widened in
terror. He shoved Zach away and ran out the front door without
looking back. Their mom and dad were still huddled in the corner of
their trashed home. A deep ache burned inside the angel, and his
parents separated from each other.

Miles and Patricia looked around the
house as though searching for an explanation. No human would ever
believe what his parents witnessed. Zach tried to avoid believing
Azazel’s true intentions of coming to their house.

Patricia turned to her husband with her
wide puzzled eyes. “Miles, I know those were spirits. You believe
the second ghost, who held the cross and chased the other one away,
was…Zach?”

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore,
Patricia. I never believed in spirits until now. Let’s not say
anything to anyone about this, understood?”

“Of course, Honey. Let’s get this place
cleaned up. I hope that thing doesn’t come back for us. I wish Zach
was still alive. Maybe he’d know what to do in this
situation.”

Zach reached out a gentle
hand to his dad and mom as they hugged, but then, he realized they
couldn’t see him. He was torn with his devotion to stay with his
parents
and
to
destroy the demon
.
Hurrying to put an end to his brother’s madness, the angel
raced out of the house. The drug dealer’s whereabouts must be
discovered before Azazel returned.

Zach had to convince Simra to talk to
his parents, and Azazel should be destroyed once and for all. The
demon might come back soon to do something worse. His evil brother
could murder their mom and dad if something wasn’t done fast
enough. Azazel’s corpse needed to be found and burned.
Now!

Chapter 9

"My God, my rock, in whom I
take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
and my refuge, my savior; You save me from violence. I call upon
the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my
enemies."- 2 Samuel 22:3-4

Zach's emotions swarmed in a rampant
rage, and he went to seek the drug dealer. He came to an abrupt
halt upon finding the thug. Quint’s car screeched from where the
angel left the thug unconscious. The drug dealer drove his beaten
up car into the quarters. Azazel’s dented black Dodge Charger stood
in the front yard of Quint’s home.

Zach raced around the area to see if
Azazel’s body was there. But his brother’s corpse could not be
detected. Zach tightened his fists when he realized an angel of God
might not be able to detect the rotten thing due to a spell. People
had countless drugs inside the house and must have bought them from
Quint. Handguns, drugs, and crack pipes were all over the
place.

Some of the people’s eyes were so red
that they appeared to be filled with blood. Their bones almost
protruded from their skin like they hadn’t ate in weeks. The drug
addiction killed them slowly. Several stolen vehicles crowded
around the yard beside Azazel’s. Simra, Jeff, their friends, and
family should never come here. Zach would make certain to keep them
away unless Jeff brought plenty back up from other cops.

In the distance, the angel glimpsed at
a lone man sitting in a nicer car than the rest. The vehicle stayed
parked on the side of the street. Zach tensed after seeing the cop.
Detective Jeff Theron.

Snapping pictures with a camera, the
detective studied the large number of gangsters coming outside the
house. The gang piled into Azazel’s old car. The angel hurried
toward Simra’s friend in attempt to make him leave this dangerous
place. Zach noticed Quint’s friends hiding guns in their pockets.
They would shoot the cop if they knew he came alone.

Jeff cranked the disguised cop car, but
it didn’t get far with a flat tire. This was no place for a flat.
Much too dangerous with gangsters like Quint. The drug dealer
almost murdered Simra and had been involved with Azazel. Not all
dope dealers were killers, but the demon’s friends were
dangerous.

Zach froze when the gangsters stopped
beside Jeff’s car. Quint rolled down his window and confronted the
detective. “You tha' police?”

The angel aired up the tire with a
narrow trail of strong wind seeping into the hole. The dope dealers
continued interrogating Jeff. There were other plans for Azazel’s
car if the detective distracted them long enough. Jeff must be kept
safe for Simra. Zach could never let her down and abuse the trust
she started having in him.

Jeff’s bold gaze remained set on them
without any fear in his eyes. “If I was, don’t you think I would’ve
brought back up? I’m interested in buying some hardcore drugs. A
good amount of them. You know a guy named Quint? I heard from a
fellow drug buddy of mine that he sells good drugs.”

Quint turned his head back in the car,
mumbled something to the others, and looked back at Jeff. “Who ya
friend?”

“Well, I haven’t seen him in a while,
but his name’s Tristan. Tristan Azazel. He sold a few of his drugs
to me once, and I’d like more now.”

“What’s ya name? Ya know if ya lying,
I’ll kill ya? I notice ya have a flat tire. You in a bad
predicament, ya know?”

“Jeff. I’m not lying. I don’t want any
trouble. I realize I have a flat tire. I just came to buy drugs. I
want no trouble, but I’d like to find Quint. Are you
Quint?”

“Yeah, dis Quint. Don’t
ask
me
no
questions, got it? I do all tha’ askin'.”

Jeff stared into his side
mirror at his aired up tire. The detective studied the flat tire on
the back of Azazel’s car. He shot his gaze back at Quint before
they noticed his look of surprise.
“Yeah….sorry… Quint. I’d like to buy a million dollars' worth
of drugs. I can have you the money at midnight at this spot. Can
you do it?”

Quint turned to mumble more words to
the others, and his angry gaze shifted back to Jeff. “I’ll kill ya
if ya bring cops or anybody else. We outnumba' cops out here. You
betta' be tellin’ me tha’ truth. I’ll shoot ya firsthand. I’ll meet
ya here at midnight. Ya betta' show up wit’ it, or I’ll kill
ya.”

Jeff nodded and looked back at their
tire and his own as though making certain he wasn’t hallucinating.
“Deal. Later, guys.” He cranked up the car as they started up their
own.

Jeff picked up speed when they hollered
and remained stuck in place because of their flat. Zach flattened
both of their back tires. Shots were fired at Jeff's car, but they
missed him after he spun out of the quarters. They were left with
Zach in a mess.

Fury ignited through the angel. Simra
must have called Jeff to tell him about Quint anyway. Did she not
realize she was placing them in danger? It was a trap for whoever
came there!

The angel stayed listening to the
gang's silly ranting and raving awhile. They said nothing about the
body of Azazel. In fact, they only mentioned stealing more items to
buy drugs. Quint shot Azazel here.

Then, the crook dumped the corpse in
the woods where it was secluded. Zach saw the place in Quint's
mind. He'd search for it there.

Quint stayed behind from the rest of
the dealers, who stormed back inside the house. The drug dealer
scratched his chin and observed both flat tires of Azazel’s car.
“Is dat Tristan ghost? Who Jeff?”

Zach walked circles around the drug
dealer, and his jaw tightened. Although the guy couldn’t hear him,
the angel still threatened him. “Your fun and games in life will be
over soon, you piece of trash.”

Zach left the quarters in a rush to
find the corpse. The angel ran through the wilderness but tripped
over someone. He landed on his face in the pine straw and leaves.
Azazel hovered over him with his yellow eyes gleaming. His demon
brother raised him up and pinned him against a wide tree. Although
he tried to escape from Azazel’s powerful grip, Zach got caught by
too much surprise.

The demon’s teeth clenched from rage.
“Be careful, brother. Our parents are in a whole lot of danger now.
I know a way to send you away forever, and I’ll do it.”

A deep, dark bitterness fueled Zach as
he stood face to face with evil. Yes, Azazel could send him back to
heaven before Zach got the chance to torch his brother’s corpse.
The angel realized how he must gather all the dying faith within
him to end this demon forever. Protecting his family mattered most
to Zach. And although he despised admitting it to himself, keeping
Simra safe began to be his top concern.

Chapter 10

"Be on your guard; stand
firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." - 1 Corinthians
16:13

Simra felt refreshed after cooking,
eating, a shower, and cleaning the kitchen. She was ready for the
night ahead of her. The meat loaf, homemade macaroni and cheese,
and boiled okra caused her to fall asleep on a full stomach. Where
was Zach? He'd been gone far too long.

The day had been full of surprises. She
discovered a journal in a drawer with her grandmother's handwriting
and name. All the answers were coming together. Everything Zach
said began making sense.

But how did Zach and Tristan stay so
young all these years? How did people not suspect something? Years
ago, her grandmother came here from Farmerville. She came to search
for Simra's great-grandfather. He never came back home to them.
Lucinda fell in love with Zach while Tristan attempted forcing
marriage with her.

Zach tried protecting her,
and Lucinda claimed the angel blamed himself after she got
captured. However, Lucinda wrote that Zach
did
rescue her. She called him her
"earth angel". Lucinda wrote how sad she was when Zach left and
that he would always be her first true love.

Zach loved Lucinda too! That's why he
looked at Simra the way he did. Because they looked and acted so
similar. He saw Lucinda in her granddaughter. What a creep! Both
brothers were no good.

The only reason Simra and
her family would stay at this lake house with him would be to keep
them safe. Period. After Tristan got destroyed, she never wanted to
see the angel again! He hurt her grandmother, and he wanted to do
the same to Simra. She would
not
allow her heart to be broken again!

Glancing outside, she noticed the
orange and pink colors of dusk hovering over the dirt road and
trees. Mandy and Lucinda would arrive any moment to ease her mind.
Keeping herself and her family safe mattered more than anything.
The persistent ringing of her phone startled her.

Drawing her hand back, she hesitated to
answer. Something terrible could have happened. “Hello?”

“Sim, this is Jeff. Meet me at Espresso
Café tonight. They’re performing live music.”

Simra gripped the phone tighter in her
hands. “It isn’t safe for me to leave the lake house. Mandy will
arrive any moment. I should stay.”

“All right. Wait for her, but the drug
dealer’s completely distracted right now. He’s very preoccupied.
Listen. I found stuff out about Zach and Tristan, and I saw
something today.”

He paused and added, “The drug dealer
will be somewhere else tonight. Promise. You’ll be safe. Mandy can
come too.”

“Jeff, I-“

Zach walked into the room and
interrupted her conversation. “Let’s meet him. Tell him we’ll go.
I’ll take you and will protect both of you.”

A strained silence fell between the two
friends until Simra spoke. “We’ll be there, but I have to wait for
Mandy.”

“Great! Be careful, Sim,” Jeff replied
before hanging up the phone.

Simra bolted up from sitting in the
chair and placed her hands on her hips. “It’s too dangerous!
Tristan’s out there and almost defeated you last time. And where
have you been all day?"

Zach’s eyes reflected calmness. “My
parents were in trouble. I had to save them. I spent time searching
for Azazel's body, but I couldn't find it. I read Quint's thoughts
to see where he dumped the corpse, but the body wasn't there.
Someone moved it, and I don't believe it's in anyone's house. The
corpse is hidden well. Have faith you'll be protected. Seek God and
trust Him. He'll protect you.”

Daring to take a step closer to him,
Simra pursued interrogating the angel. “How do I know what you're
saying is true? And God never protected my family.”

Simra’s breath caught in her
throat when he inched closer and placed a few strands of hair
behind her ear. “God's angels don't lie. There's evil in this
world. Adam and Eve made that choice long ago for bad things to
happen to mortals. Bad things
will
happen here, but God sent His Son to die for you.
You'll be saved and have eternal life, and there'll be no more
death. If you believe and trust in His Son, you'll have eternal
life. There'll be no more death one day, and you'll see your family
again. You should start by trusting Jesus.”