From Satan with Love (bxb)

Chapter 4 You Are Special

Leon woke up at six to do his morning prayer and then went out to jog, just as he always did every day. He came back at around 7:30 and took a shower, and when he finished and came out of the bathroom, still drying his hair with a towel, he found a full table of food waiting for him.

The espresso was still steamy, and next to it was orange juice and grapefruit juice. A plate fully loaded with a butter croissant, two sunny-side-up eggs, two strips of crispy bacon, and some jam and butter. There was also a yogurt parfait and a small bowl of sliced fresh fruits sat next to a white rose in a small vial, under which was a note written in elegant handwriting:

Hope you like the food I brought you. The breakfast buffet ends at 8:30 here, didn't want you to miss it :)

Love, Angel

A small smile climbed up Leon's lip corners as a tiny flutter woke up in his chest that he knew he probably shouldn't have. No one ever brought breakfast into his room after his mother died and his father disappeared, and it was also the first time someone gave him a flower.

It was a very sweet gesture.

Leon usually didn't eat much in the morning, but that morning, he ate as much as he could.

He met Angel in the lobby. The young man was leaning over the front desk, chatting with a receptionist, and from the way the girl giggled and twirled her brunette locks around her finger, it was obvious that she had been utterly charmed by the pretty boy.

Leon cleared his throat unimpressively. Angel instantly dropped the topic with the girl and ran to him.

"Good morning, Father Solari!"Angel said with his usual brighter-than-sun smile.

"Already making friends?"Leon adjusted his disguise glasses a little and eyed Angel skeptically.

"Just trying to find a bit more information about this town." Angel said eagerly, "I told her that I'm a horror fan and on a road trip to find haunted places. And guess what? She told me that this town has a history of worshiping pagan gods. Ten years ago, the police arrested a group of Satanists who gathered in an abandoned house and tried to perform some sort of ritual. They started a fire that almost burnt half of the town down, and one old woman, who was possibly a sacrifice, was killed in that fire. They say sometimes people can still see the stooped shape of that old woman wandering around the area where she was burnt to death."

"Intriguing story. But how is this related to our case?"

"I remember you said in one of the interviews that, prior to demonic possession, the victim often has contact with some 'tainted' place or objects. This sure sounds like a tainted place, right?" Angel said with his big eyes wide open like a nerdy student trying to show his teacher how smart he was.

Leon wanted to tell him that there are ghost stories in every town, and most of the time they were just stories, but looking into those scintillating gray eyes, he didn't have the heart to douse Angel's enthusiasm, so he just nodded and said, "good work, Angel. But we need to go see Mary Collins first."

Leon didn't regret it when Angel beamed at him like a puppy just got a treat.

Angel drove them to the address Mary sent them. An indistinctive white house surrounded by dozens of other equally indistinctive houses. The grass before the house was well-maintained, though lacking character. A regular middle-class home.

Leon took off his glasses before he knocked on the door. A young woman similar to Angel's age answered it, and she gawked at Leon for a few seconds before exclaiming, "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU LEON SOLARI!"

Leon put on a professional smile, "Good morning, miss. And yes, I am Leonardo Solari, and I..."

He was interrupted by her exhilarating shriek before she managed to grab hold of herself and smiled sheepishly, "s...sorry...but I love you! I watched all your live streams and the episodes, and you are so great and brave and...I'm sorry I'm rambling. It's just so unbelievable that YOU ARE HERE!"