The Spirit Vampire: Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Confrontation


Eve entered the small, stone church as the last of the parishioners left. For a second, she wondered whether she was making a mistake. The church seemed so confining. She cast that thought aside when she saw the small, old man, who smiled back at her. "Welcome Eve. Please take a seat. We need to discuss a few things before we start."

"Alright. What will we be doing?"

His expression became grim. "I will be performing an exorcism. You see, a demon has been growing inside you, gradually taking control of your mind. We must remove it before it becomes too strong."

Eve's hands gripped the edge of the pew. "That's impossible!"

"Do you remember your experience at the graveyard? It was not your mother's voice, but the devil within."

"But it came from the grave!"

"The devil makes convincing illusions. He created that voice within your mind."

"And how would you know?" Eve shouted, "I've never met you before."

Father Raphael waved a hand over her. "I can feel the vile energy emanating from your body. And Therron was right -"

Eve staggered upright. Father Raphael tried to seize her by the shoulders, but she pushed him away. She turned towards the exit and froze. Standing at the entrance were Catherine and Therron.

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Catherine entered the church just in time to see the priest collide against a pew. He slumped to the ground. She was shocked to see blood trickling from the back of his head. "This must be a serious misunderstanding. How could Mum have pushed him like that?" she said to herself.

She looked at her mother and gasped. Eve's face had become as pale as Therron's. Her bloodshot eyes stared ahead in absolute terror while she barely managed to support herself by clinging onto another pew. Catherine stepped forward and hugged her. "It's alright, Mum. Therron and I are here now. You're safe."

She glanced towards Therron, who knelt beside the priest. "Is your father okay?"

"H-his what?" Eve said.

Therron walked towards them. "He will recover. Could you call the ambulance for me?"

Catherine rummaged through her backpack for her mobile. "Yes, but are you sure the paramedics will come just for a man with concussion?"

"I'm afraid that won't be all." A blade of brilliant, white light materialized in his hand. Before Catherine could react, he sliced open her mother's stomach. Eve cried out as Therron evaded spurting blood. The foetus slipped out, its form perfect apart from a cut that almost split its head in two.

"Therron," Catherine yelled, "How could you -?"

She was stopped by an enraged howl that emanated from the foetus. As she stared, a small, red ghost burst out. Its face was contorted with malice and anger. "You'll pay for this," it said to Therron, "One more month and I could have ruled the world!" It rushed towards Catherine. She couldn't dodge it fast enough.

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Father Raphael was roused by Catherine's screams. He found her writhing on the floor while Therron stood nearby, his face uncertain. The back of Catherine's blouse rippled and strained as if a struggle occurred underneath it. A pair of bat-like wings then ripped through it. On closer inspection, he saw that it was made of human skin so tightly stretched as to be semi-transparent.

Catherine sprang up. Her face had adopted the expression of the demon. A red blade similar to Therron's appeared out of thin air. "How would you like to be killed by your own friend?" she snarled as she snatched her weapon.

Catherine swung her sword, but Therron sprouted feathery wings and flew out of her reach. She threw a ball of energy at him. It missed, crashing through a stained-glass window instead, so she flew after him.

"What was I carrying?" Father Raphael's attention was drawn towards Eve. She sat in a pool of blood, clutching her stomach.

"That was a devil," he said, "I'm sorry, but your foetus never had a human soul. And I apologize for Therron He sometimes overreacts."

"Father, please - help my daughter?"

"I can't. The demon has become so strong that only Therron can help her. What I can do is stop you from bleeding to death."

He placed a hand on her. The wound partially closed, her intestines returned to her stomach and the bleeding ceased. He used his last magical reserve to send Eve to sleep. If Therron failed, the results would be too horrendous to witness.

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Therron winced as Catherine's blade sliced across his cheek. The demon was too strong for him. He could not come close to Catherine without harming himself. His wings ached and he could barely lift his sword arm to defend himself.

Through the demon's fiery eyes, he could sense Catherine's terror. She seemed to plead for deliverance. If he died, the devil would force her to kill his father, perhaps Mrs. Goodman, and then anyone else who crossed her path, until somebody killed her. To free her though, he may have to give her a fate worse than death.

The back of Therron's wings struck something solid. He risked a glance back. It was the altar. At that moment, he realized just how far the demon had forced him to retreat.

Therron made up his mind. He retracted his wings and sword and raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. The demon's harsh laugh echoed around the church.

As he had expected, the demon aimed for his heart. He dodged, but the sword plunged into his shoulder. It took all of Therron's determination not to cry out. He grabbed Catherine's shoulder and planted his lips on her cheek. She shrieked, trying to twist out of his arms. However, once a spirit vampire has started to consume a soul, he cannot be stopped. The red sword flickered, then disappeared. Her wings shriveled back into her body. Therron prayed that he was not absorbing her soul as well as the devil's, even while her screams faded.

Catherine's struggles finally ceased and she sank to the floor, unconscious. Therron sat down beside her. "It's a miracle," he said when he saw her breathing. He attempted to stand when he heard the sirens, but the pain overwhelmed him and he also blacked out.