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As a young priest, newly recruited into a secret order of vicious priests, trained in the act of combat, Francis came to understand that there was more to this world than he thought. He was trained to fight demons and monsters that escaped hell with sacred sacramentals; holy water, crucifixes etcetera. This shadow war against evil, waged by the Catholic church had been going on for hundreds of years all over the world and only members of the order were aware of this. The church couldn’t risk the masses finding out that demons lived on earth as some movies and books portrayed.
All the legends were true, the creatures he used to think were only fairytales actually existed, Witches, Wizards, Vampires, and Werewolves amongst others and he’d encountered all of them. It was during one of his missions that he met Ani. He’d saved her from a fierce hellhound that was about to devour her. Francis did know who she was at that time, he thought she was an innocent lady that needed saving from that creature. It was later she revealed herself as a witch, a Xarnoc witch and somehow they became frenemies.
Now, a new threat had awoken and he needed her alliance, besides she owed him a favour.
There was a boy of about eight years old at the center of the candle-decorated room restrained by two long chains clasped to the wrists of his spread-out arms and connected to the walls on the far ends of his sides. His feet were shackled, his head bent over so his chin rested on his chest as he knelt, knees apart on a perfect circle inside of which was drawn a pentagonal star.
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“Leave us!” Ani said loudly and the black hooded figures who were chanting in one voice around the circle rose to their feet and slowly exited the room in a single file.
“Ani,…what is this?” Francis asked judgementally wondering if she had started an occult of her own.
“Relax. This is not occult,” came the reply as though she knew exactly what he was thinking, but then again the scene did look occultic. “This boy’s parents paid quite a fortune for me to exorcise their son, so stand back and let me do my job.”
“You want to perform an exorcism?” Surprise was obvious in his gaze as he watched her take her jacket off. Clearly, she wasn’t kidding. Nicki’s jaw dropped when the jacket flew freely into a nail by the door at a wave of Ani’s finger. Out of thin air, she conjured an incense stick, burning red at its tip and circled the svelte thread of smoke emanating from it around Nicki’s head, saying it was a protection spell to keep the demon in the child from jumping into her. Nicki glanced at Francis as if asking, what about him? then Ani responded by saying that he didn’t need it;
“He that is in him is greater than he that’s in the world. Isn’t that right, Father?”
He ignored her and gently pulled Nicki a couple of steps back to where he was standing.
Ani matched confidently towards the demon-possessed boy as she rolled up her sleeves in readiness, reciting inaudible chants that soon woke up the evil spirit.
That innocent boy was suddenly nowhere to be found, he’d been completely taken over. His skin became white and cold. His eyes, pale. Black veins lined up his neck like tree roots and his teeth looked decayed. He twisted his wrists, violently flashing those dirty claws that were ordinary fingernails just a moment ago. He struggled, scratched, carving his toe nails into the wooden floor but the chains and shackles kept him bound.
“There you are,” she said, standing outside the circle, her sleeves completely rolled up to her elbows. “What is your name, demon?” she asked but received no response.
It just glared at her, growling dangerously like an apoplectic dog on the verge of attack.
“I demand an audience with the demon that possesses this body. Speak now, I command you!” The authority in her voice wasn’t at all subtle.
It whispered her full name eerily with the sound of many voices, blabbing that it was an aberration for witches like her to perform an exorcism. It laughed at her folly reminding her that Xarnoc witches did not have the power to cast out demons even if they wanted to. They could call upon them, but could not exorcise them. It roughly pushed itself around, fighting against the restraints that held it bound. It angrily threw curse words at her whilst tugging and pulling against the chains like a beast struggling to free itself from a trap.
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Ani McCall said a few more chants and a powerful wind burst into the room, swirling around the white circle like a tornado. With her hair flying backward at the motion of the breeze, she reached toward the boy and placed her right thumb on his forehead. Instantly, all the candles in the room- those arranged in strata by the four walls and those on each point of the pentagonal star- lit up and in spite of the howling wind, none had its flame blown out.
“Tell me your name!” she commanded, burning his forehead with her thumb, now red hot. It wailed, struggling against the pain.
Nicki had faced off against some terrible people but she’d never witnessed an exorcism before, surely she’d seen a couple of movies where it was done but experiencing one up close wasn’t as fun as the movies portrayed.
The demon cried out and said its name loudly although Nicki didn’t quite catch it but that was irrelevant anyway because obviously, the one who asked for the name must have certainly heard it.
“You are no longer welcome in this body, Zhat’hrat. Therefore, I cast you out!”
“In whose name?!” It laughed wickedly, bulging out its eyes at her mockingly.
She hesitated for a while so Zhat’hrat could enjoy a brief moment of victory, thinking it had got her.
A Xarnoc witch couldn’t perform this type of ritual, it just wasn’t done for they were neither with God nor the Devil and only the name of God or the permission of the Devil could cast out a demon, neither of which she had. At least so she let it believe.
Ani looked into Zhat’hrat’s eyes and smirked, adding with a cool tone that gradually began to increase;
“In the name of God almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth…”
The demon got the biggest shock of its life that a Xarnoc witch called on the name of God so conveniently.
“No,… Impossible!” Terror gripped Zhat’hrat knowing what great horror awaited it back in hell should she succeed.
Even Francis did not see this coming, his marrows shook at this shock.
“…master of the Universe,” she continued.
“Ani, we can settle this amicably like civilized people- there’s no need for violence,” it stuttered with nervous chuckles and soon burst into tears, begging for mercy but she paid no attention to its pleas.
“In his name, I banish you from this body. Return to the depths of Hell, from whence you came!” her voice, rising upon each sentence as well as the candle flames.
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Now, the wind was even more powerful and her hair was dancing to its rhythm. Her face became bright and her eyes glowed like a morning star.
“Be gone,… I command you!”
The demon wailed louder than before, throwing its head back to face the skylight above as a swarm of black insects came buzzing out of the boy’s wide open mouth. It left the child and traveled as the swarm towards Nicki who cringed in fear the closer it came. Quickly, she looked away from its direction, hiding her face behind those arms she’d raised in defense seconds ago but the protection spell denied it access. Zhat’hrat knew better than to attempt an invasion at the Priest of God and before it would make any funny moves, Ani willed but a fraction of Hellfire to consume the swarm while an ear-piercing scream was heard. Sooner than later, the screamings eased and silence fell.
The candle flames fizzled out immediately after the wind had vanished.
Free from that fowl spirit, the boy awoke, calling for his mother.
Ani turned to Francis and said;
“Now,… about that favour…” She glinted him a faint smile.
Story by Samuel Francis
Super amazing story line,got me glued almost as if I was seeing a movie💖❣️
Super amazing story line,got me glued almost as if I was seeing a movie💖
Thank you, Miss Okere.
Very good story line and can’t wait to see this in a movie
Thanks a lot, June.
Impressive.
It captivate the reader with suspense.