Illumination

Chapter Four

Annabelle could feel the enormous clash of magic. She could not pinpoint its location. The intensity of the power that had been unleashed was comparable to the destructive might of a nuke. Annabelle could feel it explode forward and spread across the campus like a tidal wave. It struck several barrier that tried to stop it and broke them. Annabelle thought she could hear bestial shrieks.

Annabelle returned to her body. It took her a while to regain awareness of her surroundings. Sarah was looking at her with an expression of concern.

"I'm fine." Annabelle said.

She almost lost her balance and Sarah rushed to support her. "We can leave now."

"Did something happen?" Sarah asked.

"I'll explain later." Annabelle replied.

What had happened? Annabelle and Sarah returned to the doors and were able to walk out without being stopped. It appeared that the crisis was over. They could see students and teachers walking out of nearby buildings. They walked slowly and had dazed expressions. Some of them looked at Annabelle and Sarah, pointed at them and said something to each other. Some of their fellow students and teachers waved at them.

A few teachers were shouting and telling them to gather in front of the administration building. The sounds of many heavy footsteps could be heard all around the campus, surrounding them. Annabelle hoped that this would turn out to be a good thing but she could not rely on hope.

Something told her that danger was coming. Some instinct or inner voice screamed at her to run. To run fast and get far away. But that was not possible. Soldiers holding rifles appeared from every direction around them. There were a lot of soldiers, at least a hundred, and there was no way out.

The soldiers were waving them over and the teachers and some of the students approached them. A deep feminine voice spoke inside Annabelle's head.

"What would you do to live?" It asked. "Do you want to die here? Without ever understanding what happened."

Annabelle could feel its infernal power. A demon. It was clear what it was offering her. The teachers were talking with the soldiers. Why were there soldiers here?

"Those soldiers aren't here to help you." The demon said. "They're here to silence witnesses. That includes you. You do know that right?" Could she trust a demon? The presence of the military here at this time was not exactly comforting. How long had they been here? How did they get here so fast? What do they know?

"Only you can save them" The demon said. "If you accept my help. You have no other option." Annabelle looked at Sarah. "Without me she dies." The groups of soldiers around them glanced at each other and performed a few hand signs. Their expressions were grim. "Do you accept my help? Do you accept the covenant?"

Sarah said something but Annabelle wasn't paying attention to her.

"I accept the covenant." Annabelle said.

"Do you make this decision free of unlawful subjugation of your mind and with the understanding that this covenant damns you to hell on the day you die?"

"I do." Annabelle said.

"Then the covenant is hereby forged. I as one born from the fallen accept you daughter of Adam and Eve as my vessel in the mortal realm."

As the demon finished speaking Annabelle felt her body flood with power as demon and human became one. She could feel the things hatred for humanity and its desire to kill. Too late Annabelle considered that perhaps she had been manipulated. She could not control the demon. Annabelle understood that immediately. So she didn't try.

The soldiers around them were all looking at Annabelle. As were the students and teachers. Sarah looked even more concerned than she had before. As far as they knew she had been talking to herself. They might think that she had gone mad. Or depending on what they knew they might suspect something worse. That something worse being the truth. That she had become corrupted.

Before anything could happen a commanding voice took control of the situation.

"I'll be taking command here. Leave the civilians to me. I need you to find and eliminate the targets. Kill them all. A single survivor could be a catastrophe. The contamination must be destroyed here."

The speaker was a man with silvery white hair and the insignia of a general. The soldiers rushed to obey and moved out in groups in perfect unison. They had the grace and efficiency of professional killers. They entered the buildings and were gone as fast as they had appeared. The general approached Annabelle and regarded him with dark sea green eyes and an expression that displayed no emotion at all.

"Do you understand what you have done child?" The general asked his voice also without emotion. "It is unfortunate that you lack your master's wisdom. Nicodemus is too lenient. He is unfit to teach."

"What gives you the right to talk about him like that?" Annabelle demanded. "Who are you?"

"You have no use for that information." The general said. "I am here to clean up this mess. That is all that you need to know. Those who consort with evil do not deserve to live. The corrupted must be exterminated."

"Aren't you glad that you listened to me?" The demon asked. "Kill him."

"By the way." The general asked looking thoughtful. "What kind of terms did you agree to?"

"Terms?" Annabelle asked.

The general blinked and then said after a moment of silence. "You are even dumber than I thought."

"What's happening?" Sarah asked.

The general ignored her. He pulled a gun from within his uniform.

"The fool thinks that he faces a common demon." The demon said. "They all think that they're the ones in control. That they alone have a full understanding of what's happening. That they possess the truth."

The general pointed the gun at Annabelle.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sarah screamed.

There were other screams that blended together.

"They are all wrong." The demon said.

Annabelle cupped her hands before her face and the voice that came out of her mouth was not hers. "What are you planning on doing with that thing?" She asked the general. "You should put it away before you hurt yourself."

Before the general could respond a green flame appeared floating above Annabelle's hands. She blew on it and the flame burst forward and consumed the general. The heat was intense and what was left of the man was a charred mess. Only the bones were still recognisable as human and they had suffered heavy damage as well.

"Never mind. It's too late to be concerned about that." The demon possessing Annabelle said. "So who's next boys?" She asked. "Come on don't be shy. If you all attack me at the same time you might potentially not die. I mean it's not impossible. I think. If you believe you can do anything."

Several rifles were pointed at her.

"That's the spirit. You can do it."

Annabelle raised a hand in the air.

"Why are you hesitating?" The demon asked.

A blast of pure energy struck her from behind and almost made her lose her balance. The demon threw a shield of magic around her as the attack hit and it took most of the force. The remaining force was alarmingly powerful.

The demon turned around. She found herself facing a man whom she recognised from Annabelle's memories as Master Montgomery.

"And a new challenger appears."

"What have you done?" Montgomery asked. "I never imagined that you would do something so foolish. I'm sorry that I got here too late. I failed you and unfortunately that leaves me with only one option."