POUND7

CHAPTER 14

Nathan saw Kircher’s and the woman’s mouths moving as he approached the river bank, but he couldn’t make out their conversation. Her expression read rage, but his was rather smug, as if he had just told one of those dirty jokes he used to share back in Iraq to ease the overwhelming fear of losing their lives. Confused and unsure of whether to trust his gut: go to the woman or logic: go to the only friend he had left, he stood idle for a moment, allowing the soft waves of the river to lap at his waist. He looked down but couldn’t see through the thick murky water to the bottom, and it reminded him of the chaos of his life in the past two days.

He snapped his head up as he heard Kircher faintly call out his name, luring him with a vigorous waive of a hand. “Come on, bro! Let’s go! She’s trying to kill you!”

Nathan spent a second wondering why his friend refused to come into the water to retrieve him. If this beautiful, peaceful woman was so dangerous, and if the situation was so urgent, what was keeping Kircher at bay? The water was only waist-deep, and Nathan knew, first hand, that he could swim. They’d taken plenty of dips in the pool on the Fallujah army base. Nathan recalled losing his strength and breath just trying to keep up with Kircher as he swam laps like an Olympic competitor. Something about Kircher wasn’t right. There was something about his frantic, almost desperate beckoning that told Nathan to beware. What the fuck is going on?

He took a few more cautioned steps toward the woman. As he inched closer, fighting the weak current of the river, he could hear her more clearly, still reciting the Lord’s Prayer. He didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to do the same. After having the prayer repeated in his head several times like a chant, he’d finally memorized it. He continued his journey toward the river’s edge, and as he recited the words that were so foreign to him only yesterday, he felt an unfamiliar warmth in his heart. “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hollowed be thy name …”

“Stay there, Nathan. Stay where you are!” she called out to him.

Nathan watched in confusion as she craned her neck to the left and then to the right as if she was anticipating someone. Worry warped her fine features, but she still spoke to him, urging him to repeat the prayer in its entirety and to stay put.

“Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven …” Nathan was startled by the feeling of warm wetness sliding its way down his cheeks. He was crying as the powerful words of the prayer overtook him. He wanted to believe that God, whoever He was, could save him, that He could deliver him from evil. “Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us …” He needed for those words to be true, to believe that there was some salvation from this wretched life he’d been living. For the first time in his pathetic life, he needed God. He raised his crippled hand to the heavens and spoke louder, through his cries. “… and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil!”

Nathan was abruptly stifled at the sight of his Aunt Denise emerging from the thick brush that surrounded the river bank. She was running and the strange praying woman seemed to be ecstatic to see her. She heard Aunt Denise call the woman “Finley” as she approached her. She trotted toward her with urgent steps. Nathan immediately recognized the man following his aunt. Although they had never formerly met, everyone in Bracksville knew Rev. Lang from the Bracksville Baptist Church. His regal air seemed to give him more height, more power, and Nathan was relieved to see him.

Kircher stood stunned, staring at the trio, a look of unmistakable fear masking his face. Forgetting his strict orders to keep his place in the river, Nathan moved as quickly as he could to get out of the water and reach his aunt. He waded through the shallow water to get to her.

“No, Nathan, no!” Both Finley and Aunt Denise screamed at him. “Stay!”

“Why?” he screamed back. It was time for him to know what the hell was going on.

“We’ll explain everything later, sweetie. Just listen to Finley. She’s going to save you,” Denise said as she waved the reverend on, signaling for him to join Nathan in the river.

Kicher paced the ground in circles, as if he was waiting for someone or for something to happen. There was too much happening for Nathan to comprehend. His aunt, Finley, the reverend, it was all too much. Reverend Lang stepped into the river with caution, adjusting to the biting coldness that nipped at his legs. He moved slowly toward Nathan with a Bible raised in his left hand.Finley followed but Denise stayed behind, keeping a close watch on Kircher.

“Don’t be alarmed, son. I’m here to save you. Abbadon is an evil creature, but we won’t let him win today. You will be restored by God’s good grace.”

“What?” Nathan looked at Finley. “What is he talking about?”

“Nathan, we don’t have much time. The old woman that’s been after you isn’t actually an old woman. She’s a demon, and she’s after you because you’re missing the mark of God. You need to be baptized, and this will go away. Everything will be back to normal.”

“Gina?” No one responded to his implied question, and they didn’t need to. One look into Finley’s eyes told him that his beloved wife wasn’t coming back, no matter what happened here today.

The reverend twisted his legs from side to side, trying to dig his feet deeper into the dirt beneath them. Finley did the same. “His feet have to be firmly planted on the ground for this to work,” Finley explained. Nathan nodded as if he actually understood.

Rev. Lang opened the Bible and began to flip the pages. Suddenly, they all heard a horrible shriek coming from the river bank. It was hard to decipher whether it was a man or an animal, but it sounded as if something was dying or being tortured. Nathan looked at Kircher and saw that the sound was coming from him. He stood with his arms outstretched and his mouth wide open, releasing a scream that reminded Nathan of a sound a wounded cat would make.

“What’s wrong with him?” Nathan asked Finley.

“Don’t worry about him, Nathan. He’s not your friend. The real KIrcher died many years ago back in Fallujah. Remember? He was shot and he fell onto your lap? He’s gone.”

“Then … then who the fuck is that?!” Nathan immediately felt ashamed for cursing in front of the reverend, but he didn’t seem to notice as he continued to flip through the Bible with trembling fingers.

“He’s one of Abaddon’s minions now. He’s not on your side.” Finley turned to the reverend. “Come on! We don’t have much time.”

“Okay, okay. I think I’ve found it.” Reverend Lang placed a hand on the small of Nathan’s back and began to read from the Bible. “… and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ …”

Suddenly, the reverend was startled into silence as the sky quickly darkened, transforming the sky into one large, foreboding cloud of gray. They all heard and recognized her voice as it echoed through the trees to the left, and then bounced its way to the far right. They heard her cackling to the north of them, and then behind them. The old woman was back, and she was all around them, surrounding them with her evil presence. “This party is far from over!” she screeched in that high-pitched and scratchy tone that had been haunting Nathan since he’d met her at Maria’s. “He’s still missing the mark of God, and he’s mine!”

Nathan watched in horror as the old woman appeared before them, floating above the water, bathed in an ominous glow. Kircher had finally stopped screaming. He lowered his arms and got down on the ground on his hands and knees. Fur sprouted from his hunched back and claws grew from his fingertips. Long white whiskers pushed through the pores surrounding his nose, and his eyes turned from a dull gray to yellow. Within seconds, he had transformed into a cat right before Nathan’s eyes. The old woman lifted her arms and a gust of wind picked up around them. She spun herself in a circle and the wind gathered with the dirt from the ground to form a menacing cyclone. Cats, hundreds, and then thousands of cats closed in as they emerged from the surrounding brush, filling the air with cries and meows. Abbadon, still disguised as Celine Bailey, bent at the waist in hearty laughter. Denise took cover, pushing through the winds to make it to a nearby tree and hang on for her life.

“We have to keep going! He’s only doing it for show. He can’t come into the water. It’ll burn him,” Finley screamed. She dug into her pocket and retrieved the single strand of hair she had plucked from Butch’s head. The reverend handed the Bible to Finley and he placed his free hand on Nathan’s forehead as he prepared to dip him backward into the water. “Cross your arms over your chest,” Finley instructed Nathan.

The cats covered the ground and gathered around Abbadon. He struck his arm outward toward the river and the water began to rumble. It became hotter, with steam rising from the surface as it formed a rapid boil. Finley dropped the hair into the water, causing it to rage violently, clashing into angry waves. Trees began to uproot from the force of the cyclone, crashing to the ground. Still, Finley was unafraid. They had to keep going. Her hair whipped into her face and she turned as much as she could toward the demon floating in the air. She raised the Bible in the air with both hands and screamed the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father, who art in heaven …”

Abaddon screeched in pain and began to convulse. The reverend dipped Nathan into the water. Too stunned by the chaotic scene before him, Nathan had forgotten to hold his breath and a gush of water flushed his nostrils. He flailed about, trying to regain his footing.

“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” Finley continued. Abbadon’s form began to change. The skin of the old woman melted away and her clothes dropped to the ground, revealing the thick, scaly skin of a reptile. The openings of his eyes and mouth glowed with a florescent yellow light. Fangs replaced the flawless white smile that had been Celine Bailey’s most memorable feature. Wings sprouted from his back and horns from his shoulders.

“Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us!”

Abaddon roared as he shook more vigorously. The cats screeched in response. The water began to calm and Nathan emerged from underneath with the reverend’s help. He gasped for the air he’d lost while he was under. The storm Abaddon had created was dying down, just as he was, with every word of the prayer that Finley spoke.

“And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil …”

Denise appeared from behind the tree and stood strong. She, Nathan, and the reverend joined in for the last line of the prayer. “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and EVER!” Lightning streaked, illuminating the dark sky, and thunder rolled from the heavens. Abbadon twisted and convulsed, crying out in pain. His body jerked in awkward spasms until he burst into flames, sending the cats to flee for safety. Everyone shielded their eyes with arms to their foreheads to protect themselves from the heat of the flames. But then, just as suddenly as it had happened … it was gone. Abbaddon had vanished, leaving nothing more than the ashes of his remains on the ground beneath where he flew.

The sky lightened and the winds disappeared. Nathan released the breath he had been holding in his lungs. “What the fuck?!” he screamed. It was all he could manage to articulate thoughts that were otherwise indescribable.

“It’s over.” Finley seemed to be speaking to herself. “It’s finally over!”

Denise ran to the edge of the river. “Thank the Lord,” she screamed. “Nathan, come here, son!”

Nathan pushed his way through the water and out of the river to meet his aunt. Finley and Reverend Lang followed with looks of triumph on their faces. Nathan embraced his aunt. Lifting her from the ground and swinging her around in a circle. He felt free, as if a colossal weight had been lifted from his chest. Yes, his wife was dead, and he had almost lost his mind. He realized that he would still have to deal with the police as a suspect for his wife’s and Tina Knighton’s deaths, but none of that mattered at the moment. God had saved him from damnation, and that was good enough to turn him into a believer. He was saved. And with God’s grace, he’d get through it.

Six Months Later

Johanna pulled the glass door to the gas station open and stepped inside, rubbing her arms with her hands to ease the chill from the wintery winds. She fished around in her purse for her debit card as she approached the bulletproof glass that separated her from the clerk on the other side of the counter. An unwanted thought of her deceased co-worker and friend, Gina, flashed into her mind as she slapped the debit card on the counter. She wondered if the judge had set a trial date for Nathan. She said a silent prayer that he rotted in prison for killing his wife.

The gas station clerk was busying herself with an inventory checklist, counting the stacks of cigarettes that lined the wall. Several seconds had passed before she looked up, and she only looked up because Johanna had loudly cleared her throat. “How can I help you?” she asked with a bored expression.

Johanna scanned her Speedway nametag. “Yes, Tina, I would like to put twenty dollars on pump four.” She slid her debit card through the money slot at the bottom of the glass.

“No problem.” Tina Knighton took the card and swiped it on the side of the cash machine. “Question for you,” she said as she turned back toward Johanna with a crooked and mischievous smile.

“Yes?” Johanna asked only half paying attention as she retrieved her debit card and placed it back inside her purse.

“Do you know the Lord?”

“Wh-what?” Johanna asked puzzled.

“Do you go to church?”

Johanna was suddenly embarrassed, feeling as if this stranger had exposed her. “No, actually. I … I’ve been meaning to get back into it. But you know, I’m so busy …” A cold chill crept across the back of her neck and she suddenly felt extremely uneasy.  Tina was creeping her out, and she was ready to leave. She had to get back to the hospital before the evening shift started. She turned to walk toward the door, throwing a halfhearted “Thank you” over her shoulder.

Tina grinned, and her eyes glowed behind Johanna’s back. “You’re missing.” She cackled loudly as Johanna exited the gas station and nervously made her way to the gas pump. An orange cat leaped onto Tina’s lap from underneath the counter. She stroked his head. “You’re missing,” she repeated.