Kate swung her left hand, aiming her flashlight at Cox’s temple.He lifted his right hand, catching the light just before it struck.She tore her head free, baring her teeth as his thumbnail sliced the skin of her neck.
Cox forced her hand down, sending the flashlight skittering.The light flickered twice, the last flash sparking off of St.Anselm’s eyes before it went out.She bucked her hips, forcing him to release her hands to keep from falling completely off.
She placed her hands on his hips and shoved up, shrimping her hips away as she pushed him off of her.She staggered to her feet and looked around for her weapon.Either one would do.
Cox rolled to his feet and rushed her again, roaring like an animal.Like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.Kate sidestepped the rush and drove her knee into his head.He flinched out of the way, then kicked at her ankles, sending her staggering to the floor.She tried to roll out of the way, but he jumped on top of her and forced her to the ground.
He reached for her throat again, and she raked her hands over his eyes.A nail found its mark, and Cox shrieked and rolled off of her.She got to her feet and when he lunged at her again, she slammed her right knee into his temple, catching him just before he tackled her again.
Pain exploded in that knee, and she limped badly as she staggered away.Cox retreated into the shadows, leaving Kate to guess at his whereabouts in the dark cathedral.It was a new moon tonight, and the overcast sky outside blocked starlight, leaving only the faint echo of streetlamps to filter through the stained-glass windows.Kate could see dim shadows up to eight feet in front of her.Past that, it was dark as coal.
She listened instead, paying attention to the soft susurrus of Cox’s slippered feet as he moved through the pews.Her knee throbbed, but she was able to move it.Bruised, not torn.
“This is pointless, Kate.God’s will must be done.Even Christ couldn’t pass this cup away from Himself.”
Cox’s voice echoed throughout the sanctuary, seeming to come from all around her.They drowned out his footsteps, and Kate cursed and spun wildly around, looking for any sign of him.From the vestry, muffled curses told her Marcus still hadn’t found a way outside.
“There’s an entire team of FBI agents coming here as we speak, Cox,” Kate said.“Thisispointless.Surrender.If you want the world to hear your message, then stay alive long enough to speak it.”
Cox’s laughter reverberated across the nave.“You had your chance to kill me, Kate.God protected me.He kept me alive and brought you to me that we might perform His will.It’s like I told you from the beginning, Kate.This is ordained.You are the scapegoat.Youmustbe sacrificed!”
His soles scraped on the ground, the sound too soft to echo.She turned toward it and caught a blur of motion just before Cox barreled into her.The warning allowed her to sprawl, shooting her legs behind her and dropping her hips to the ground like Marcus had taught her.Cox cursed softly as he struggled with her weight, but before Kate could extricate herself, he used brute force to twist her onto her back.When she hit the ground, Cox kicked her in the ribs.
Pain exploded inside of her, rippling through her body like an electric shock.She gasped and stiffened, breath hitching in agony.
He kicked her again, and she shrieked, doubling over and scrabbling for his ankles.He laughed and kicked her again, this time in the mouth.Her upper lip split, and she spat out blood as she scrambled to her feet.
Cox loomed in front of her, eyes red as blood in the dim light.She thrust her fingers toward those eyes, crying out in relief when they found their mark.Cox screamed and retreated into the darkness.
Lightning speared Kate’s left side, causing her to gasp again and press her right arm to her ribs.That sent more electricity through her, and she cried out.
Cracked ribs, more than one.That was very bad.If she overexerted herself, the ribs could separate entirely.Since the ribs were on her left side, they could pierce not only her lung but her heart.
Footsteps scraped behind her.She spun around, and Cox’s shadow flitted back into the darkness.
“Give it up, Cox,” she growled.“You won’t get me in time.”
“You’re stalling, Kate.Delaying the inevitable.Why?Why fight when you know God has called you to this end?Why struggle against the fate God has planned?”
“You keep repeating the same question,” Kate called back.“I’m going to keep giving you the same answer.You’re under arrest.Surrender now.Acceptyourfate.”
“I have accepted my fate!”
Footsteps rushed her again, and she spun around, throwing a jab that connected with Cox’s jaw.Liquid pain splashed down her ribs, and she remembered that she couldn’t overexert herself.
Cox growled and lunged again, and Kate threw a hard right uppercut.It slammed into Cox’s temple, and he grunted and retreated again.
Something scraped in Kate’s chest, and she gasped.Ice traveled down her legs, and her arms tingled, her nerves overwhelmed by the damage Cox had done.
No more noises came from the vestry.
“My partner’s escaped your little trap,” Kate told Cox, hoping that was true.“You need to surrender now before you give him an excuse.”
“I locked the entry doors too,” Cox told her, his voice once more echoing throughout the nave.“He won’t get in.This is between you and me and God, Kate.”
“Those locks won’t stop a fully equipped FBI SWAT team,” Kate said.“They’ll get in, and they’ll kill you.”This is your only chance to give up before you lose your life.”
“My life belongs to God,” Cox replied, “and when He requires it of me, I will gladly relinquish it.But I still have work to do.And you must accept your own fate lest your soul eternally be damned.”
