It was night again before we decided to venture from the barn. The cover of night wrapped us in its blanket and allowed us to travel in relative obscurity. It was a cold night and the air was nipping at our noses but Raine seemed unaffected by the cold. She walked huddled next to my shivering form as if hoping her body heat would warm me. It was odd a demon would have concern for a mere human but I was thankful for the effort, at this I pulled her closer hoping she could feel my love. She may be evil but she was still my daughter and I would move heaven and earth to protect her. She deserved a normal life, she deserved to be happy, she couldn't help what she had become and I decided I would do anything to return my daughter the the happy bubbly child she had once been.
The visions of Hell continued to subside but every so often a vision would drop on me and I would almost fall to the ground but Raine's amazing strength keep me on my feet. We walked through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh trying to keep from being noticed hoping to make it to Father Grey's church undetected. Raine had killed many people and they were hunting her but they would not really notice a child walking with her mother, it probably would not occur to them that she had kept me alive. I hoped this was a worthwhile deception. I don't know how I would handle it if we were discovered and I didn't want her killing anyone else. It would be hard to choose a side in that situation.
After what seemed an eternity we were standing at the steps to the church. It was a giant stone building in the heart of the city, with large oak doors and a bell tower to summon its congregation. it was hard to believe a priest like the man I had met would reside in such a place. It was an old and giant monstrosity reminiscent of the worlds medieval Christan era. Raine and I stepped up to the doors, I reached out and placed a hand on the handle and was surprised when the heavy door swung effortlessly on it hinges. Even at this late hour the building was open for it parishioners. We quietly stepped inside the main hall, There was christian imagery of Christ and God adorning every wall, crosses hung below every stained glass window that depicted biblical imagery. I half expected Raine to burst into flame upon entering, she did grip my hand a bit tighter and was noticeably uncomfortable with these surroundings but she was not outwardly affected by entering the premises.
There were few people here silently praying, we made our way to an empty pew near the front of the church and took our seats. As if by some divine awareness the other parishioners seemed to sense Raine's presence and instinctively moved away from us little by little. My discomfort became noticeable and it was my turn to grasp my daughters hand a little tighter for courage. Raine sat silently staring at the floor, she seemed afraid to look around as if staring into the face of god was shameful to her.
"Raine are you okay?" She looked up at me with a piercing look that soon softened as she saw the genuine look of concern on my face. "Yeah, I'll be OK." She croaked out, she was still having trouble communicating. In the video I had seen, the demon had no trouble talking but it seems after she became full blown demon it became a hardship to communicate almost like a more aggressive animal side had slowly taken over her. She was a beautiful child and I could see in her eyes that she didn't want to live like this. It made me wonder to myself if this was common for demons who had emerged or if Raine was a unique case.
We both sat with our heads down each of us in our own contemplation. I wondered what she was thinking, I hoped I could save her. It dawned on me as I reflected over the past few days that since entering the church the vision of Hell had not haunted me, it was a if upon entering the cloak of God's love had wrapped itself around me shielding me from the horrors I had been forced to witness and for the first time I was able to take an objective look at the things I had witnessed. I could understand how Hell could drive a soul insane and turn them into the animals my daughter had become. I could not understand why such a place existed and why god would allow such suffering. I was contemplating this line of thought when I was interrupted.
"Hello Emily." a voice whispered quietly. I looked up to see the familiar face of father Grey standing over us. He had such a calming face, trustworthy and wise. Those emerald green eyes exuded trust. Raine looked up and I could see in her eyes a calmness upon seeing him that I had not witnessed in her before. Father Grey was a priest but Raine seemed unconcerned by this. "I'm so happy you two were able to make it here undetected. If you follow me to my rectory we can talk." He looked at Raine and gave her a quick reassuring smile. "I'm sure you would like to get out of this area, it cant be comfortable for you." With those words I could feel the stress Raine was feeling melt away as we stood to follow the Father.
Father Grey discretely guided us to the rear of the church through a hidden door that led to his rectory. It was a small office that was kind of off putting due to the opulence of the rest of the church. There was no Christian imagery or crosses in the tiny office. The only thing that stood out was a small worn bible with multiple bookmarks for research. There was a small desk which he took a seat behind and motioned us to sit on a small blue love seat across from him. The office was made smaller by all the books that lined the walls, they were books from all over the world. I could see the titles of most of them and they seemed to all be religious and scientific research journals. He was an avid scholar of all things weird and supernatural.
"Look Emily." He said grabbing my attention. I think I may have found a way to help Raine, but it will not be something easy, this isn't a movie where I dash holy water on her and POOF! shes cured. This is a delicate situation requiring true sacrifice." I looked to the floor, silent, thoughtful. "I have researched this for most of my time as a priest and I have never seen such an obvious case of possession, if you want to save her you must be willing to do what is necessary.
"I will do anything." I said raising my head and meeting his eyes dead on. "I will sacrifice anything to save Raine. I will give my own soul if necessary."
"I'm speechless you would go so far." He looked from me to Raine who was watching the priest with avid fascination. "Raine, I think it's time you and I finally had a conversation."
There were few people here silently praying, we made our way to an empty pew near the front of the church and took our seats. As if by some divine awareness the other parishioners seemed to sense Raine's presence and instinctively moved away from us little by little. My discomfort became noticeable and it was my turn to grasp my daughters hand a little tighter for courage. Raine sat silently staring at the floor, she seemed afraid to look around as if staring into the face of god was shameful to her.
"Raine are you okay?" She looked up at me with a piercing look that soon softened as she saw the genuine look of concern on my face. "Yeah, I'll be OK." She croaked out, she was still having trouble communicating. In the video I had seen, the demon had no trouble talking but it seems after she became full blown demon it became a hardship to communicate almost like a more aggressive animal side had slowly taken over her. She was a beautiful child and I could see in her eyes that she didn't want to live like this. It made me wonder to myself if this was common for demons who had emerged or if Raine was a unique case.
We both sat with our heads down each of us in our own contemplation. I wondered what she was thinking, I hoped I could save her. It dawned on me as I reflected over the past few days that since entering the church the vision of Hell had not haunted me, it was a if upon entering the cloak of God's love had wrapped itself around me shielding me from the horrors I had been forced to witness and for the first time I was able to take an objective look at the things I had witnessed. I could understand how Hell could drive a soul insane and turn them into the animals my daughter had become. I could not understand why such a place existed and why god would allow such suffering. I was contemplating this line of thought when I was interrupted.
"Hello Emily." a voice whispered quietly. I looked up to see the familiar face of father Grey standing over us. He had such a calming face, trustworthy and wise. Those emerald green eyes exuded trust. Raine looked up and I could see in her eyes a calmness upon seeing him that I had not witnessed in her before. Father Grey was a priest but Raine seemed unconcerned by this. "I'm so happy you two were able to make it here undetected. If you follow me to my rectory we can talk." He looked at Raine and gave her a quick reassuring smile. "I'm sure you would like to get out of this area, it cant be comfortable for you." With those words I could feel the stress Raine was feeling melt away as we stood to follow the Father.
Father Grey discretely guided us to the rear of the church through a hidden door that led to his rectory. It was a small office that was kind of off putting due to the opulence of the rest of the church. There was no Christian imagery or crosses in the tiny office. The only thing that stood out was a small worn bible with multiple bookmarks for research. There was a small desk which he took a seat behind and motioned us to sit on a small blue love seat across from him. The office was made smaller by all the books that lined the walls, they were books from all over the world. I could see the titles of most of them and they seemed to all be religious and scientific research journals. He was an avid scholar of all things weird and supernatural.
"Look Emily." He said grabbing my attention. I think I may have found a way to help Raine, but it will not be something easy, this isn't a movie where I dash holy water on her and POOF! shes cured. This is a delicate situation requiring true sacrifice." I looked to the floor, silent, thoughtful. "I have researched this for most of my time as a priest and I have never seen such an obvious case of possession, if you want to save her you must be willing to do what is necessary.
"I will do anything." I said raising my head and meeting his eyes dead on. "I will sacrifice anything to save Raine. I will give my own soul if necessary."
"I'm speechless you would go so far." He looked from me to Raine who was watching the priest with avid fascination. "Raine, I think it's time you and I finally had a conversation."
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