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Malik's spine arches, his body bowing back as he howls. His mouth cocks open, and a black cloud starts shooting from his mouth.
The walls shake.
It feels like the world is about to come down. It feels like the church and entire school are about to crumble around us. We grab onto each other, and the guys in the front pews take a step closer to each other as well.
The podium at the front of the room glows, with a gold cross about eight feet in height, standing tall and ominous, glaring down and creating a brightness around Malik.
The black cloud—the same black cloud that entered Malik that day in the library—pours from his mouth like a flame.
Father Moran continues his prayer, shouting at the top of his lungs so loud that even I can't hear over the roaring in the room. Sister Mary presses her palms together, bowing her head as she begins to pray.
"I command you to hell!" Father shouts at the smoke in the air.
It swoops down, flying toward us so fast that we drop to the ground. Then it shoots to the window, breaking the stained glass into tiny pieces as it disappears into the night.
And then, there's only silence.
We sit there for so long, only our heaving breaths filling the space of the church.
"Is it over?" Atticus asks from the front of the room. His voice shakes, clear terror in his words.
"It is done," Father Moran says. We all get to our feet, and the father walks to Malik, praying over him silently. He presses his hands to his chest, and Sister Mary quietly walks over, handing him the glass vial.
We all watch silently as Father Moran continues to pray upon Malik's unconscious body.
"He'll never be the same after this. Not after what he did to his dad," Levi says.
"It wasn't him," Felix snaps.
"Not like his dad was a good person, anyway. Whether that was Malik or the demon, whatever the fuck his name was, he was right. Samuel was a piece of shit through and through," Atticus grumbles.
I ignore the guys, my gaze focused on Malik. "Is he okay? Why isn't he waking up?"
Father Moran picks up Malik's wrist, feeling for a pulse.
"His heart is strong. After what he's been through, he might be out for a while. We can let him rest here, where he's safe," Father Moran says.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing my mom's name light up the screen.
I silence it, wincing.
"I don't know what I'm going to tell my mom." My eyes start filling with tears. Samuel wasn't my dad, and he might not have been the best man, but my mom obviously cared for him. I don't want to see her go through another round of heartbreak.
"Do you want me go to your house with you?" Hazel asks, walking up to me with tears in her eyes. She squeezes my shoulder, her voice cracking and shaking with her words.
I glance over at Malik, seeing his pale skin damp with perspiration. I turn to look at Samuel, but Hazel grabs my chin, steering me away from that general direction.
A tear falls from my eye, trailing down my cheek. "I don't know what to do."
She brushes the tear from my face. "You go home. You take care of yourself and your mom. We will take care of everything else."
My chest hiccups. "But what about him? What about Malik?" I cry out.
"We'll take care of it, Vera. Get the hell out of here. Go home," Levi says, his face completely distraught.
I nod, sadness dripping into each bone and limb of my body. It feels like my legs weigh one thousand pounds, or they're filled with sand and water. I can barely move as I trudge from the church, making my way to my mom's car that's hidden in the trees.
How will we ever survive this?
