The Moonlight Assassin

Why do I have to pray?!

Miguel returned to his apartment after Sunday service. There he was able to take a rest for a while, and ponder upon what happened that day. After a short nap, he woke up as his phone was buzzing. It was a call from his girlfriend Tabby.

"Hi Tabby, what's up?", called Miguel.

"Baby, I'm sorry for what happened today. I know you didn't intend to expose what's inside of you," said Tabby, "and I'm sure that Alexander, whoever he is, will not come out for long."

"Yes, babe, and thanks for the prayers," said Miguel.

Tabby continued, "By the way, baby, you knew what my dad told you this morning, right? They will join us in going to Sitio San Roque to investigate who you really are, and what we can do to totally eradicate the evil spirit that's inside of you."

"I really thank Tatay Elijah for adopting me into your family. He's been so kind and concerned about my well-being. I don't even know how can I repay him as much as I did?", said Miguel.

Tabby replied, "You don't have to. You've been a blessing to us, too, being a contributor to our wonderful family. I thank you for providing your impeccable joy to us, and that cutie face of yours is a bonus!" 

Miguel laughed, "Ha ha! I'm flattered."

"That's my man! Well, I need to sleep now. I need to accompany Madam Sylvia tomorrow for her visit to the State Capitol, so I need to say bye-bye," told Tabby.

"Bye-bye, baby. See you soon," said Miguel.

After the call, Miguel sighed in relief. He was never worried anymore about people being cautious about him.

He then prepared dinner for himself: a piece of ribeye steak grilled medium-rare, with a side of mashed potatoes. As he ate his dinner, he turned on streaming on his tablet. Suddenly, a TV news clip showed up on his video app. The video title states: "Evil Spirit in Church?! Male Attendee Choked Pastor During Altar Call." Miguel was surprised, and immediately played the video.

"Are we seeing real demons inside Christian churches like these?", the reporter said on the video footage. "Just this morning, people from outside All Nations Rise Church have witnessed someone possessed with an evil spirit choke the congregation's pastor, Kevin Francisco, after giving an altar call. The male attendee, whom we will just call Alex, not his real name, was attending the church's Sunday service with his girlfriend and a few friends. Then apparently, during the altar call, he approached the pew to receive salvation. Later on, before the man would finish his prayer, he fainted, and suddenly woke up, approaching the pastor, and grabbed him by the neck."

A male interviewee appeared afterward, "We were outside the church building because it was so jampacked that Sunday. We were peeking at what was happening in the altar call. Everything went well when this guy suddenly fainted. We thought he was just in a trance or something like that, but then he suddenly woke up and stood up, then he grabbed Pastor Kevin's neck. Oh Lord, have mercy! We thought he is about to kill Pastor!"

CCTV footage from the church soon came out in the news coverage, repeatedly playing the incident in which Miguel (or at that moment, Alexander) choked Pastor Kevin.

"Alex, the man you see now in this CCTV footage, choked Pastor Kevin for a few seconds when male elders of the church approached the perpetrator to prevent him from harming the minister even further. Later on, Pastor Kevin announced to the congregation through his microphone to pray for Alex's deliverance," the reporter said.

The footage later showed the audience laying their hands towards Alexander, and soon enough there it was seen that Alexander cried "JESUS HELP ME!!!" and passed out.

Another interviewee, a female, said on camera: "Miss, I think this church must be rebuilt to accommodate us, the city's people, to pray to God the Father about what we need. But this incident may force us to leave, because... how on earth be these demonic forces be prevented from showing up?!"

"M News Television has tried to reach out to All Nations Rise Church for an interview, however, they refused to accept the call until they release an official statement. Kevin Francisco will also talk to the press in due time," ended the reporter. 

Miguel was in shock as the report ended. As he checked the view count, the video already garnered 400,000 views that night. He could not believe that the incident went public and viral.

At that moment, Alexander whispered into Miguel's conscience.

"See, my boy?", said Alexander, "You can't escape me... You can't resist me... But why am I feeling so different now? I can't explain why this Jesus man always comes into my mind..."

Miguel told Alexander, "I don't know either, but I am aware of the power that Jesus can bring to each of us. When I grew up, my Papa and Mama always told me to pray to Jesus when I am sad, weak, and helpless. That has kept me going through all these years. Why won't you do that too?"

Alexander was further confused, "Gaah! I could not resist these urges! I want flesh and blood! But why is it I feel I want to pray?! Why do I have to pray?! What do I need to pray for? Help me! HELP ME!"

Miguel could not do anything about Alexander, but that moment led him to utter these words to God the Father:

"Father, I thank You for this opportunity to pray. I know this being inside me wants answers; he needs to know why he needs to pray to You. Right now, I offer Alexander in Your Hands and guide him through his trials. I ask this through the Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen."

Soon enough, Alexander's voice went silent.