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Luke
I’m aware that Misha and Trine are gone, but my awareness feels entirely intellectual. I’m working—and working means concentrating, focusing on the kid. I didn’t think that it was necessarily a good idea to bring the girl in to see Tom, but I don’t make that kind of decision.
The only decision I make is whether to channel my skills so I can perform exorcism rites. Most of the time, the church has to approve exorcism rites, but I don’t really believe in institutionalism. I know that’s probably a little weird for a priest, but it’s always been like this. I like having the church behind me—obviously I do, otherwise I would have never gone to seminary or gotten ordained. But I also understand that institutions mean that there’s more red tape, and a lot of the people that call for our help are running out of time.
Rei manages to coax Tom back into bed. I don’t understand how he does it, but he slowly manages to do it, and Tom collapses on his back, his pupils dilated.
"Is he having a seizure?" I ask Rei. I know better than to interfere with the doctor’s work.
He considers that for a second, then shakes his head. "No. This doesn’t look like a seizure to me."
"Okay, good," I say. I sit down on the edge of the bed and look down at Tom, who is now in a fetal position, clutching a pillow closely. He looks very young like this, and my heart aches for him. He must be in a lot of pain.
I always start off by praying, and I do the same thing here, cracking open the pocket-size bible I always keep on my person. When I pray, I do it quietly at first, mostly so I can try to gauge the possessed person’s reaction.
Tom barely seems to react, his eyes closing and his legs clamping down against the pillow. He’s shivering, his fingers pressing hard against the pillow as he makes himself smaller.
Rei is sitting on the other side of him, his hand on Tom’s forehead. He’s a steadying presence, even when he’s doing nothing, though most of the time, exorcisms would be performed by a priest on sacred ground. But transporting the possessed is difficult on families and I don’t want to put Mrs. Souter through that.
Plus, that would mean approval from the church. I simply don’t know if we have time for that. I went to confession this morning and I am ready. But not as ready as I should be, because I’m never as ready as I should be. This is always hard.
Rei isn’t religious. He didn’t grow up with religion, and most of the time, I don’t think he believes in any of this. But when I start the rite, he always joins in.
He knows it’s important.
I take a deep breath. "It’s time," I say.
Rei nods. "I’m ready," he says.
"And him?"
"As ready as he’s ever going to be, I think," he says. "We should get started."
"Right. Okay," I say, tapping Tom on the arm, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "We’re going to get you out of this, buddy. I just need you to hang on for us, okay?"
He groans in response, his body spasming. I pick my head up to look at Rei, who looks right back into my eyes. He’s concerned. We’ve done this so many times, and it never seems to get easier.
This is someone’s son. We’re the last people on earth who can help him.
"Lord, have mercy," I start.
"Lord, have mercy," Rei responds.
We stay on the rite for a bit, and Tom looks like he wants to fold upon himself and disappear. This is uncomfortable for him. He’s in pain. He knows what’s coming—well, the demon knows what’s coming. Tom probably has no idea of what’s about to happen, but whatever is inside of him does, because the windows start to shake.
The foundations of the house start to shake. Everything falls out of his shelves at once, books and albums and knickknacks crashing to the floor at the foot of his bed.
"It’s okay," Rei says softly between prayers. He’s trying to soothe Tom, but it isn’t working. Whatever he’s trying to talk to, it isn’t Tom. "It’s okay, we’ll be done with this soon."
Tom tilts his head up, his eyes shooting open, and his body trembles and shakes, his fingers seizing up. "Do you think your mother is proud of you, Dr. Woods?" he says, his voice deepening, reverberating in my bones. "After she worked all her life, putting you through medical school, letting you transfer over and over again until you finished. She always thought you were so much smarter than you were, didn’t you? But you’re nothing like her. You’re just like your father."
I look up at Rei. He’s trying not to smirk. We’ve been through enough of these that, most of the time, whatever the demon has to say doesn’t really land. It’s always tricky when they start to talk about his parents, though. Rei doesn’t like that at all. That’s one of the only buttons they can push, but he’s gotten better at it the more we’ve done this.
We don’t keep secrets from each other. We know every failure, every success, everything we’re ashamed of. That’s the only way this can work.
Demons like to divide and conquer, and we simply won’t let them.
I won’t let them.
