No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter Thirty

Cassidy whipped around, raising the rock she had in her hand above her head at lightning speed, ready to strike without hesitation.

"W-Woah! Easy there!" The man who she was now facing exclaimed, putting his hands up in surrender.

Cassidy stared at the figure in shock and confusion with the rock still raised above her head. She wasn't looking at the devil, in fact she was looking at the last person she was expecting to see at such an hour:

Pastor William.

But who was she to say that she wasn't looking at the devil? The man who had attacked her had been wearing a mask after all, it could have been anyone beneath the disguise. Why on earth would the pastor be here this late at night anyways? Not to mention Mia had firmly believed the devil was the pastor...

And now Mia was dead.

"Oh my word, your neck!" The pastor seemed more concerned about her state of being than the rock she was threatening him with, beginning to reach out towards her neck.

Cassidy's thoughts were interrupted as he intrusively placed a hand gently against her throat, feeling of the injury she had just gotten that was now slowly becoming more and more visible.

Cassidy immediately recoiled from his touch, backing away from the man with the rock still firmly grasped in hand. She jumped as her back hit the wall behind her, causing her to flinch. She still held up the rock, staring at him with wide and frightened eyes. He was still a suspect; she couldn't let her guard down just yet.

"D-Don't touch me." Cassidy managed to get out, trembling slightly against the wall as her grip increased on the rock.

The pastor backed away, putting up his hands again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just... your neck... what on earth happened?"

Either this man was a really good actor or his concern was actually genuine. She slowly began to lower the rock, but made sure to keep a firm grasp on it just in case.

"I... the devil..." Cassidy was trying to speak, but her thoughts were jumbled and her throat was still extremely sore from having been strangled just minutes ago.

"The devil!?" The pastor gasped out, a look of fear spreading across his face. "He's here!?"

"I don't know." Cassidy rasped, feeling her anxiety begin to rise again at the thought of the devil still being around.

The terror in the pastor's eyes was genuine. Maybe he wasn't the devil after all.

"Did... did he do this to you?" The pastor whispered, the look on his face growing more and more troubled.

Cassidy nodded weakly, now leaning against the wall for more support.

The pastor cautiously approached her again, trying to keep his movements slow so as to not startle her any more than he already had. "Goodness, you're bleeding too." He noted quietly, looking down at her hands.

Cassidy looked down and finally noticed the small rivers of red trickling down her arms, blood seeping from the gashes she had gained when she grabbed onto the broken glass along the windowsill. Her clothes were stained with dirt and fresh crimson, her hair a mess of tangles and leaves from rolling around on the ground so much. The rock she was holding was now coated in blood as well, her injured palm turning the surface a dark red.

She realized she probably looked insane right now, also noting that the rock she refused to let go of was doing her no justice.

She finally dropped it to the ground, watching as the bloodied rock rolled slightly, now settling amongst several shards of glass that were scattered across the floor. Cassidy stared, unable to look away from the bloody rock surrounded by broken glass.