Does Your Soul Remember Mine

Chapter 7: The World Beyond the Veil

“Well, here's our headquarters!” Tony gestured around the room. “Some guys have a Man Cave but I've turned my basement into an office for my ghost hunting hobby.”

It was impressive. Elyse noticed expensive equipment, the kind you would see on TV reality shows about the paranormal. There was a speaker that produced white noise that a spirit could speak through, EMF detectors, night vision cameras, thermal cameras, Polaroid picture cameras, lots of battery packs and a few other things that she didn't recognize. But what required her immediate attention was the people sitting around the room waiting to introduce themselves. “Hello everyone! My name is Elyse Cabrera and I'm a psychic medium.”

A heavy set man with a beard and coke bottle glasses grinned with an outstretched hand. “Sheesh, Tony wasn't kiddin', he said you were stunning, an eleven on a scale of one to ten.” He winked at Tony who cleared his throat awkwardly. “But anyway, I'm Alex, the tech guy. I run all this stuff and fix whatever breaks. My day job is pretty much all the same thing.” He laughed like a jolly old Santa, making Elyse smile. “I work for a large chain electronics store and fix people's electronics for a living.”

“Seems like you're the perfect guy for this job then.” Elyse shook his hand.

Next was a priest in a white collar. He looked young, his light brown hair was thinning only a little on the top. His kind blue eyes regarded her with the mysterious sense of wisdom that often accompanied those with the Holy Spirit. She could see his soul's aura…and it was beautiful; so full of love and forgiveness. “I'm father Thomas.” His smile was genuine. “You can just call me Tom.”

“I've heard about you.” Said Elyse, happy this person was part of the team. “You're an exorcist.”

Tom waved his hand in dismissal. “I took an exorcism class in Vatican City during Seminary school and received a type of… certification, I guess you could call it. No different than Tony with his Associates Degree in Criminal Justice or Alex's Bachelors in Computer Science.” He gave her a humble smile. “I'm no more important or impressive than anyone else.”

“Well HE may not be impressive, but I am.” Said a woman with a smug smile inspecting her nails in the corner. She was lounging on the counter, one leg propped up with her arm slung over it and the other one dangling. This African American woman wore her hair in dreadlocks, hanging down past her bosom just like the many beaded necklaces she wore that twisted around each other. Her white summer dress was loose but cinched at the waist with a belt of patterned fabric. “I'm a voodoo queen, just like my mother before me and her mother before her.” She smiled with confidence but what Elyse really saw was her giant ego. “I run a little shop of spells, magical items, and potions with my sister out near the Bayou. So if you ever want to put a spell on your enemies or steal someone's soul, I can help you with that.”

Steal someone's soul….

This woman…this imposter was no more than a charlatan preying on tourists, even if she believed in her own words. Elyse remembered the Voodoo witches of Haiti, she remembered the terrible things they did trying to steal souls and summon demons. The flashback came unbidden….

The year was 1960 and Haiti was a land of disease and disorder. The ruling tyrant was a French voodoo witch by the name of Papa Doc who claimed to “steal souls” in order to create his army of zombies. Elyse and Constantine had been protecting several communities from the wrath of his militia and the wrath of the demons he summoned like dogs. Most of Haiti suffered natural disasters and famine. Historians would call it “bad luck” but Elyse knew better. She saw the giant demons scraping the ground with their claws at Papa Doc's request, poisoning it, and she saw the demon birds that flew through the skies with their terrible bat wings stirring up storms that leveled villages.

There was, however, a small pocket of villages that remained untouched. When the militia of self-proclaimed “Zombies” prowled close, Elyse would ask Constantine to blind them from seeing their communities; she would ask him to make the people invisible to evil seeking eyes. Zombies would walk right past, looking to r**e and murder at their boss's request, enjoying it at the request of the invisible demons that held them captive without their knowledge; the luscious fields and orchards with nearby sturdy homes would fail to capture the zombie's attention. Instead they would wander by as their demons growled at Constantine and his army of the civilian's guardian angels who were helping to keep the place safe.

“Do you think they can handle it on their own now?” Elyse had asked Constantine one warm night by a community fire. Music played and smiling faces danced, sang, and visited their friends. Flowering orchards were in bloom, kissing the wind with their pedals. Fire light flickered off of buildings, casting shapes and shadows that glowed orange, competing for space with other shapes and shadows created by the moonlight that shone blue.

Constantine's white wings glowed in the starlight. He let everyone here see him, but after so long, no one found it unusual to have an angel walking amongst them anymore. “The people's faith in God has grown strong, which has given strength to their guardian angels. Blessings will continue to rain down on their crops and their health for a few generations at least once we leave.”

Elyse gazed out at the peace they had helped create, she drank it in, knowing that this would be her last night here. “Papa Doc has murdered so many people, so many souls in purgatory are being held hostage by his demons, tormented.” She looked at her friend with desperate eyes. “You and I will be outnumbered but we have to try and free them so they can find their way to heaven.”

Constantine stared at her with a guarded expression for some time. Stoic, he nodded. “If that's what you want.”

She could tell he disapproved, but she couldn't leave this country knowing that there was such a giant pool of lost souls so close, and nobody else was going to help them. “He has a home about 100 miles from here. I could travel there by bicycle or by horse, but we may not always be on roads so a bicycle for me could be a little impractical.” She sighed. “You could make a horse appear for me, one that wouldn't need water or food. Or…” She raised an eyebrow at him. “We could do this the easy way and you could just fly me there?” She hoped he would say yes. “I know you don't usually agree to let me do things the easy way….”

“But I'll make an exception this time.” He said, smiling with a twinkle in his eye. “So get some sleep, we fly away in the morning.”

During the sunrise, Elyse said her goodbyes to all her tearful friends. “You knew I couldn't stay forever.” She said with matching watery eyes.

“Why not!” Said a young female minister, only sixteen years in age. “You said you had to move to prevent people from realizing your secret, but we all already know your secret!” Her bottom lip trembled. “Your home is here. You never have to leave. You can stay here forever and watch over my future kids and grandkids.”

Elyse stroked the girl's face. “My dear, you have been blessed with the gift of healing. When you prayed, a man's arm that had been cut off by a zombie grew back in a matter of minutes without the help of Constantine. You are wise beyond your years and you have a very long life ahead of you being a shepherd for your flock.” Her eyes could see right through this girl. Her aura was showing fear. “I know why you REALLY don't want me to leave. You're scared, aren't you.”

The girl's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. Closing her lips, she only nodded.

Elyse smiled. “You don't need me here anymore but there are many places out there that do. You and everyone else will have great success, I know you will. This place will not crumble under your leadership, I promise.”

Constantine swooped in and picked her up from the ground. His able wings took them high into the clouds where Elyse's hair became damp with dew. Above and beyond the floating puffs of vapor was a never ending sky of blue. He carried her up just in time to see a second sunrise. Instead of watching the Earth's star rise from the horizon, she now watched it peak out from below the floor of clouds; reflecting colors onto the white mist below so thick and powdery that it looked like you could almost walk on it. Of course, Elyse knew better. He held her close and she whispered “thank you for this” in his ear.

“My name's Vita.” Said the voodoo tourist attraction, dragging Elyse's attention back to the present day. “It's nice to meet you.”

Elyse's flashback faded away and she reached out to shake the woman's hand. “Nice to meet you too, Vita.”

“Well, that settles the introductions.” Said Tony with a glance around the room, pausing at Elyse for a bit longer than he intended. “Let's get the van loaded and take off.”

“Aye aye captain!” Said Alex with a mock salute.

Elyse quickly grabbed the first thing she saw that looked like it could be useful and followed everyone else out to the vehicle. After the gear was loaded, they piled in; Tony in the driver seat, Alex sitting shotgun, and the priest, voodoo queen, and Elyse the psychic ghost sat in the backseat.

“Did Elyse get the e-mail with all the information about the site?” Asked Vita. “Or are you sending her in blind to see if she's the real deal or not?”

Tony didn't answer right away and made a left turn. “She'll be going in blind.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at Tony and pointed out his window. “Aye, buddy, we're going the wrong way. Our clients live down that 'a way.”

A smile crept across Tony's face and his eye winked at Alex. “We're not going the place we planned. I called them and said we'd postpone until tomorrow. Tonight we're heading to a new place I just picked out today from our pool of e-mail requests.” He glanced in the review mirror, meeting Elyse's eyes and saying a bit loudly. “Just in case Elyse here has been playing me for a fool, I didn't want to give her any chance to research the property and family to make up a*********s. If she is in cahoots with someone spying on me then I couldn't trust e-mails which could be hacked or phone calls that could have eavesdroppers.”

“You don't think you're being a little harsh?” Said Father Tom. “It all sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory to me.”

Tony shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a detective! We have hundreds of e-mails from potential clients, she couldn't plan for them all, and I contacted these ones by knocking on their door. No calls, no e-mails.” He produced a pile of papers, three copies of the same stack, to be exact; and handed one to Alex, Tom, and Vita. Reaching over to his glove compartment, he pulled out a blindfold which he handed to Father Tomas. “Hey Tom, do you mind blindfolding Elyse for me please?... Thanks!... And for everyone else, these are my detailed reports of my interview with our clients today, as well as a history of the property that I got from the library computer. I avoided using my own personal laptop.”

The priest rolled his eyes before sending an apologetic smile Elyse's way. “I'm sorry about this.”

Elyse allowed him to tie the blindfold tight, making the world completely dark. “It's okay. I don't mind.”

Talk about going in blind….

Tony didn't remove the blindfold, not even when they had arrived. “Take my hand, “ he said. So Elyse reached out her hand, not knowing where to put it, just trusting he would grab it; and he did. His hand felt warm, a little sweaty like he was nervous. She had to smile, with his big talk in the car and bold plan, he obviously knew how to fake confidence, that's for sure.

“There's a step here.” Said Tony, kindly in her left ear. His left fingers were grasping hers, while his free hand was sometimes on the small of her back, ushering her forwards or holding open doors. “Do you feel anything? What can you tell me about this place.”

Elyse concentrated on the energy, just as Constantine had taught her to do. “A married couple lives her…no kids.” She couldn't see his reaction but she could feel his right hand tense through her shirt. “There was a murder here. A husband killed his wife in a fit of anger.” She saw the victim before her; after all, she didn't need her eyeballs to see the spirit world. The only disadvantage to the blindfold was that the sad spirit appeared to be a white picture drawn on a black background instead of a figure standing somewhere in the room she would have been able to see. “What year were you born?”

“I hardly see how my age is relevant at the moment.” Said Tony.

Elyse turned slightly in his direction. “I wasn't talking to you.”

“1972” Said the disembodied ghost. Her voice a sad whisper that made Elyse's heart go out to her.

“Oh you poor thing.” Said Elyse. “Tell me more about what happened.”

The woman put her hands up to her face as if to weep, but pulled them away a moment later; revealing a smashed in cheekbone, broken jaw, cut up lips and two eyes swollen shut.

“He beat you to death.” Elyse's voice was low. “I'm so sorry this happened.”

Now the victim truly began to weep, choking on her sobs. “I don't know what to do now. I'm going insane, day in and day out just screaming “why me! Why me!” Her face returned to normal. But now her expression was one of fear. “And still it comes for me…”

“What comes for you?” Asked Elyse.

“It's dark! It's Evil! I hide but it sniffs me out! It wants to devour me but I'm good at hiding.” As if on cue, the ghost woman faded away until Elyse could no longer hear her, only feel her residual energy.

“A demon has set up its home here.” Said Constantine in her right ear. A flash of a smile occupied her face for only a moment, despite the tragedy she was unraveling.

Constantine's here….

He continued. “The demon influenced this woman's husband to become angry. Every day, as the beast's hold got stronger, the anger progressed until he was so filled with irrational rage he hit his wife repeatedly until his adrenaline subsided and he was too weak to throw another punch. His hand was broken but he didn't feel it until after the cops dragged him away from his wife's corpse.”

“Well?” Said Tony's voice in her left ear. “Don't leave us hanging…what's coming for her?”

Elyse wanted to listen more, to feel more, but she knew they were all waiting for her to tell them what they couldn't see or hear.

I'm wearing the blindfold but they are the ones who are blind….

She sighed. “The victim says she was born in 1972 and that she haunts these walls while saying 'why me, why me'. Also, there is a demon here, although we haven't come across it yet, and our ghost lady says it searches for her but she hides from it.” Elyse gulped. “The demon was oppressing her husband when they lived here and filled him with immense anger.”

She heard Father Tomas gasp and Constantine spoke again in her right ear. “The very same demon has attached itself to the husband who lives here now. He tries to fight it but he keeps getting bombarded with rage over the tiniest things…any little thing the demon can use for an excuse to anger him is used.”

Elyse repeated exactly what Constantine was saying, word for word like a parrot; knowing that they couldn't hear her angel speak either. Well…that is…not unless he wanted them to.

She felt the fabric of her blindfold pull and relax, falling away. All the other faces in the room, besides hers, came with dropped jaws. Tony held the black cloth she had just been wearing although she secretly wished he was still holding her hand instead…she would have put the blindfold back on so long as it meant she could put her hand back in his.

“I don't think we'll need this anymore.” Tony's eyes were more sincere than she had seen them yet in this life. His walls were crumbling. He knew now she was for real. “Our clients contacted us because the husband keeps feeling angry, but only when he's home. When they stay somewhere else, the man feels fine.”

Tony put his hands in his pocket and looked Elyse in the eye. “They also said that they hear wailing at night in a lady's voice. During my research I found an old newspaper article about a husband who murdered his wife in this home.”

“Ya, that's nothin'.” Alex scoffed. “You said she told you she was born in 1972? Well check out what I caught on the audio recorder.” He tapped a few keys on the laptop he was holding and his speakers let out a buzzing noise that indicated they had been turned up as high as they could go.

“1972…” Said a lady's disembodied voice over the speakers. It was sad just like Elyse had remembered it, but far more quiet.

Alex was smiling with excitement. “I literally got her on audio saying the exact same thing you said she said!”

“I'm more concerned about the demon you said was here as well.” The priest looked at his companions. “I think that's the real problem here. If we get rid of the demon then the husband won't be oppressed any longer.”

Tony tilted his head. “That still leaves the issue with the female spirit. We can't exactly let her keep this couple up every night.”

Elyse frowned. She didn't like how Tony and the others were treating the victim as if she were just a nuisance, like a rodent infestation or something.

Constantine must have been thinking the same thing. “They have no idea what they're talking about.”

Vita sauntered over. “Let MEEE take care of the spirit. I'll capture her in a doll and carry her out.”

Elyse gasped. “You'll do no such thing!” All eyes turned to her. “This is a human being with emotions. She's lost in purgatory and needs to find God so she can get to heaven.”

“Purgatory doesn't exist.” Spat Vita. “Spirits are just orbs of power to be used by the living.”

“Purgatory does exist.” Father Thomas had come to stand by Elyse's side.

“Jeez guys. “ Interrupted Alex. “I thought we discussed this. Just agree to disagree.”

Tom straightened and rested his arms behind his back. With a slight nod in Vita's direction, he said, “yes…agree to disagree.”

Vita only snorted in response, looking him up and down before turning her steely gaze to Elyse. “You've been here less than a day. You'll do things my way! Which means we're capturing her in a doll!”

Elyse balled her hands into fists and returned Vita's steely gaze with a fierce one. With an intimidating step forward, she spoke in an icy voice, contesting the fire in her eyes. “I've known more dangerous voodoo practitioners than you; ones that would make you cower in fear. I've seen how you treat the dead and the way the worst of you treat the living isn't much better.” She stared Vita down. “They didn't scare me and neither do you. I may have been here for a day but this poor woman has been here for years and I intend to free her. YOU intend to hold her hostage just like the demon that had a hand in her murder and now torments her on a daily basis.”

Vita dropped her arms and, for the second time since they stepped through the door, she looked surprised. “What other voodoo people have you known?”

She felt Constantine's warmth behind her and heard his wings flutter with agitation. She had said too much. Now she couldn't back up her words without revealing at least a part of her secret. She couldn't tell them about Papa Doc and how she approached him in his own home.

She remembered sitting at his table while poor Constantine battled demons outside. She had winced every time she glanced out Papa Doc's window and saw another flying bat demon rip at Constantine's wings while they spun through the air; bloody feathers falling away from her guardian angel. He kept them at bay while Elyse's job was to stop the voodoo witch. She had to turn away from the window to stop herself from getting distracted, to keep herself focused on the man before her with the wide open eyes and the unnatural smile. “You're not even a man anymore, are you?”

The body of Papa Doc took shallow breathes, his grotesque smile was far too wide. She knew why…she also knew that no one else in the room could see the claws hooked into the corners of his mouth, stretching them back into his cheeks. The demons held his eyes open too, that's why he didn't blink and the whites of his eyeballs were blotchy red. “WE are Papa Doc!”

She counted six…six demons all perfectly possessing the man known only as Papa Doc. “Who were you before, I wonder? I know you were some rich Frenchman who came to Haiti years ago in search of power. So tell me…is THIS the type of power you thought you'd find?”

“Yessss.” Said Papa Doc in a growling voice, but she could see tears in those eyes, perhaps the Frenchman was looking out still, simply unable to move. He was going to be a difficult one to kill….She had never faced six demons by herself before. “Get HERRRR!!”

The zombie slaves lining the room jumped for her. She dashed this way and that, sliding over tables and tripping many of them with a curtain rod she had broken on accident while trying to swing over a man wielding a knife. The struggle lasted for several minutes but soon they had her. Several men tried to strangle her while another man shot her ten times throughout the torso. She fell unconscious all while thinking….

This has got to be the worst idea I've ever had….

She awoke several days later, her clothes soiled and her legs chained together. The room was dark but she could tell she was propped up in a chair, unable to focus. The bullet wounds brought her pain in waves that made her cry out no matter how hard she tried to stay quiet. She didn't want to give Papa Doc the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

“Elyse….” It was Constantine, but his voice sounded weak and pained just like her. The room was still spinning, blurring in and out. Through the watery darkness she could see a figure of light. The longer she stared, the clearer his face became, than his body, claw marks tarnishing his perfect appearance, then his wings. The wings were missing about half their feathers, bloody bumps showing where each one had been ripped out.

Elyse cried again, but this time with joy, despite the pain. He was alive! ALIVE may be a subjective word when it comes to angels and demons. Truthfully, they could never actually die, but they could be defeated, and if so, then they were banished from Earth forever…or in an angel's case, until the apocalypse when God would lock hell away forever but create a metaphorical bridge between Heaven and Earth. Elyse just couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him again for so long if he were to get banished to Heaven.

“Elyse…” He said again. “Don't take the deal…”

“What deal?” She croaked.

A single lightbulb hung from the ceiling. A demon tail lashed out and slapped it; causing it to turn on and begin to swing. There were no zombies there, but if there were, she knew they would have only seen the bulb turn on and move back and forth by itself. The six demons known as Papa Doc walked their host into the room. “Hello.”

Elyse only glared in response.

Papa Doc spoke, somehow growling all while maintaining that dreadful smile. “We want your soul!”

Elyse did her best to look bored. “Tell me something I don't know.”

Papa Doc ushered in a few of his zombies. “You see them here? You see my slaves? They are my slaves because I have captured their souls!” He pointed a finger at where Constantine was kneeling. Elyse noticed two things. One, that Constantine was actually being held by three long tailed demons, each with pointy ends directed towards her angel's body. Second, the zombies looked confused, meaning that they couldn't see Constantine or the demons that held him. “If you agree to be one of my zombies, I will let your angel go.”

Elyse raised an eyebrow. “You can't make any promises, you all are liars. There is nothing you can say you'll do that I'll believe.”

Papa Doc stood still for an awkwardly long time, his arm still parallel to the floor, the way it had been when he first pointed to Constantine. “A contract…I must do what is in a contract.”

And with that, he walked forward; his outstretched arm moving towards his front, still straight, but now it presented an upturned palm to his chained captive. As Elyse watched, a contract appeared, written on a scroll of paper. It was simple; if Elyse agreed to drink the zombie potion, he would let Constantine go.

She understood the process by which voodoo witches created zombies. They fed them a poison they called a potion which held a chemical called tetradetoxin. The chemical came from one of the ingredients, a special type of puffer fish. The chemical slowed the heart rate and breathing to almost imperceptible levels, making any onlookers believe that the person was actually dead. Then the witch would perform a ritualistic burial, digging them up later that night. When the seemingly dead body was pulled from the grave and woke up (as the chemical wore off), it was believed that the person had come back to life…a zombie.

Since many of the people suffered brain damage from the reduced respirations, they often acted different, simple or childlike, making their friends and family believe that it was not truly them and that their body had returned but not the soul that gave them their personality. Zombies served their master as slaves because even they believed that their soul had been taken by the witch.

“Okay.” Said Elyse.

Constantine struggled against the claws that held him. “NNOOOOOO.” He was too weak to free himself and his cries were full of anguish. “It's not worth your soul Elyse! We'll see each other again someday! You don't have to do this.”

Elyse ignored his protest and pricked her finger, signing the contract with blood.

Tony stepped in between Vita and Elyse as if he were breaking up a fight on the school playground. “Tell you what, Vita, I have to say I'm with Elyse on this one.”

Vita looked hurt; like Tony had just slapped her across the face. “But I've always been the one who took care of the haunting spirits! It's why you recruited me!”

Tony shifted on his feet uncomfortably. “Yeah, I know, but it seems like Elyse may know more about all this stuff than we do. I think we should take her lead on this one.”

Elyse exhaled a sigh of relief. “Okay guys, first, we get rid of the demon, then we talk to the ghost and tell her all about how Jesus died for her sins and that if she turns to God, accepts his mercy and forgiveness, then she'll get a first class ticket to heaven.”

“Does it really work that way?” Tom was looking at her with great interest.

“Not quite, but more or less.” Elyse smiled. “The basic principle is that souls in purgatory don't have a personal relationship with God and haven't accepted Jesus' sacrifice for their sins. If we can achieve that, then they can be allowed in heaven.” She turned around to address everyone in the room. “Once a soul is allowed to go to heaven then their guardian angel comes to take them there.”

One corner of Tony's mouth turned up into a half grin. “Ya know, that's the second time I'm heard you talk about guardian angels.”

Elyse could hear Constantine chuckle behind her. She couldn't help but smile.

Vita huffed. “Can I at least lead the séance to bring the demon around.”

Elyse nodded. “Sure, that should work.”

It was dark outside by the time the circle was set up. Vita burned sage and said some words in another language with a terrible accent that made Elyse laugh to herself.

Vita probably doesn't even know what she's saying….

Finally, it was time. Vita jingled her beaded bracelets and called upon the demon that occupied this house. She didn't really need to go through so much trouble, those bad boys tended to show up fairly easily if they're being talked about. But Elyse kept that to herself.

A chill encompassed the room. Tony pulled his coat tighter before pausing. His hand moved as if to take his jacket off while he leaned over to Elyse and asked, “are you cold?”

And they say chivalry is dead….

“No.” She lied, giving him a knowing look from beneath her black eyelashes. “But thank you for your concern.” He smiled a small nervous smile; looking like he wanted to say more, but didn't.

A black mass appeared in the center of the circle. Pulling all the energy from the room…heat, light, electricity…everything. She recognized that feeling only too well. Looking over to Tom, she met his gaze, he was the only one who looked MORE awake; the lines his face tensed with anticipation. He couldn't see the dark mass like she could, but it was clear that he recognized the feeling just as well.

“It's here.” She mouthed, tilting her head towards the middle of the room. He nodded that he understood while everyone else was yawning.

“Why are none of my cameras working!” Said Alex, hitting a couple of cameras with his hand as if that would suddenly make them work. With an exhausted sigh, he grabbed a couple of spare battery packs but as he fumbled with switching out each one, his eyes became more and more alert. “Hey guys! I think the demon's here, it's sucking all of the energy from my electronics.”

Tony checked his phone. “Well, let's hope all goes well because my phone is dead….Which probably means all of yours are dead too.”

“So there's no way to call for help, is what you're trying to say.” Elyse was the calmest one in room and even nudged Tony with her elbow, smiling. He seemed to relax a bit.

The dark matter began to take shape. Elyse watched it carefully; there was no need to frighten anyone else around her so she didn't bother letting anyone besides Tom know that she was staring right at it. Claws appeared, three of them as usual….. One head…. Scales like a fish…. The body was fairly oblong and there were six limbs, two with claws and four that seemed to be for walking purposes only. She smiled.

I recognize you now. I know your name….

“Abutor. “ Elyse spoke with authority. “Show yourself. Move something in this room without touching anyone here.”

Everyone except for Tom looked at her with a shocked expression. They were in the dining room and Elyse watched as the demon snarled, angry at having to obey the call of his name. With a reluctant step, he walked over to the cabinet, flung the door open, and with a great claw pulled a whole stack of plates out, hard enough that not a single one was left unbroken on the floor. Vita and Alex both screamed while Tom got to his feet, unafraid. Tony instinctively grabbed Elyse's shoulders, pulling her close to him and wrapping his arm around her as if he could protect her from the shards of glass.

“Everyone out!” Said Tony, wrestling Elyse to her feet and trying to drag her towards the door. “Everyone, leave your stuff and get out.”

Elyse pulled herself away, not unkindly. The action made Tony stop and stare at her with fearful surprise. She sighed and looked at Father Thomas, who was watching his friends scatter with a raised eyebrow. “This is why I didn't tell them when it first appeared.”

“Hmmm.” Said the priest. “Maybe we should let them go.”

“I'm out.” Said Vita, rushing to the door and throwing it open without closing it behind her.

“Sorry man.” Said Alex to Tom. “Make sure you guys grab all my stuff, okay?” And with that, he was out the door behind Vita.

Elyse turned to Tony. “You said you'd encountered demons before. I take it they weren't very exciting.”

Tony scoffed. “They were exciting to us! We saw scratches appear on people and they spoke in different voices.” She shivered, partly from the cold, partly from the fear he was trying to suppress. “Nothing ever just moved on its own.”

Abutor snarled again, this time it must have been audible because both Father Tomas and Tony reacted with surprise. “I knowwww YOUR naammmmeee tooooo….MY SWEET!” The snarling voice clipped the words “my sweet” like a staccato note. Elyse frowned at the use of Constantine's pet name for her. Lucifer was the first to do that and, since then, many demons had mocked her with it.

Papa Doc had mocked her with it as well. When he handed her the vial of zombie potion; he had laughed and said, “drink this MY SWEET.”

She remembered it tasted bitter and rotten all at the same time, nearly making her gag. It stank like rotten fish and there were chunks of bone in it. Coughing and scrunching up her face afterwards, she said, “okay, there. Now let Constantine go!”

If it was possible for that hideous smile to grow any wider, it did. With a maniacal laugh, he snapped his fingers and his three long tailed demons with Constantine disappeared. “He is free! Hahahahahaha, but you are not! Hahahahaha.”

Elyse was just trying not to barf, wishing for the drug to kick in so she could at least be relieved from the pain of her wounds. It felt as if it took forever! But finally, she felt a tingling in her lips, her breathing became labored and her fingers and toes turned numb. The last thing she saw as the potion took its effect, was two of the six demons inhabiting Papa Doc step away to get a better look at their greatest bounty as it receded into a state close to death.

I see you two…. I recognize you two….

Tony put his hands on her upper arms, bringing her attention back. “I think we should leave Elyse.” He gulped. “But I'm not going to leave you here.”

“I can tell you're scared, Tony.” She brought her hands up, bending them at the elbows to grip his upper arms like he was doing to her. “But I'm not…. And that should tell you something.”

His face relaxed and he nodded. Courage was coming back into his blood. “Okay, let's get rid of this guy.”

Father Tomas pulled a book out from his pocket. The rite of exorcism, and began to read. Elyse watched as the creature writhed in pain, growling obscenities, some of which Tom could hear, some of which he couldn't. The priest wandered in circles around the room, not able to see the beast for himself.

“Ahem…” Elyse cleared her throat. “Tom?”

The Exorcist paused his reading. “Yes?”

Elyse pointed to where the demon was panting rapidly, sprawled on the floor. “It's right there.”

“Oh….” He smiled at Elyse. “Thanks.” Standing next to the evil being, he continued to read, saying the demon's name that Elyse had spoken earlier.

Traditional exorcisms usually take hours, Elyse didn't feel like waiting that long. About 30 minutes into the rite, Elyse began to pray. She asked God to be with her and felt the holy spirit surround her. Constantine was there too, glowing so bright that, to her, the room no longer seemed dark; even though it was nighttime and the demon had sucked all of the power from the lights earlier. It was hardly moving now; only yelling obscenities and occasionally lashing out with a clawed hand in an attempt to scratch the priest. It was weak enough that Elyse knew it wouldn't take much for her to banish it her own way.

One foot in front of the other brought her to Tom's side. He stopped reading and eyed her curiously. Bending down, Elyse stuck a hand into the demon's chest as it squealed; lashing out with its last bit of energy but Elyse used its name to order it to “stay still” and then said, “I command the power of the name of Jesus Christ, I command that you be banished back to hell for the rest of eternity. Do not step foot in this place again, do not attack any human being again, do not cast anger out into anyone again.” She always added extra commands in case, somehow, the beasts were able to break her command to stay in hell forever and clawed their way back up to Earth. It had been known to happen.

There was a flash of light and the demon disappeared. With a start, Tom dropped his book and she heard Tony stumble and yell “what the…!”

Elyse turned around to stare at the two men. “What? Were you guys able to see that?”

Tony ran over and hugged her as if she had just dodged a train. “I saw a black light form in the shape of this…this animal-looking thing with arms, claws and…and….”

“And a human head.” Father Thomas finished. “That is what you were seeing, wasn't it.” It wasn't a question, but a statement.

“And what language were you speaking?” Tony still hadn't let her go.

Elyse met his eyes. “I was speaking a different language?”

“You were speaking in tongues.” Said Constantine from across the room. “You always speak in tongues when you banish demons.”

“Oh!” She said, addressing Tony. “I was speaking in tongues.”

“Oh.” Said Tony and Tom in unison.