Hell's Love

Chapter 11

  "Are you ready?" Dominic asked as he and Declan entered his house after school. 
  "As ready as you can expect," Declan replied and pulled out the necklace. He hung it around his neck the way that Dominic wore his. Dominic took out the book of exorcisms and handed it to Declan. 
   "I'm guessing you don't speak Latin, do you?" Dominic asked while Declan looked through the book. 
  Declan shook his head. "I'm guessing you do."
  "Teaching a language to you in the limited time we have is more than impossible," Dominic said. "I'll just teach you the words. You can bring the book with you. Just be careful with it."
  "What's this?" Declan asked as he held the book for Dominic to see. It was a star with two infinity symbols drawn through it in the shape of an X. "A pentagram." 
  Dominic nodded. "It's the binding symbol that will keep Zorohm in Hell."
  "Good to know."
  "You might want to memorize it. We'll be drawing it on Ava." Dominic announced. He handed the book back and opened the book to the exorcism prayer. 
 "Okay, where do we start?" Declan asked with his eyes staring blankly at the words. He took out a piece of paper.
 "Dues," Dominic said. "God." 
 "Dues," Declan repeated. 
 "Diabolus is devil or Satan." Dominic continued. "Daemonium or Daemon is-"

 "Demon." Declan guessed and Dominic nodded. They continued breaking down the words. As they went through the prayer Declan went back recited every word. He wouldn't mess this up. Ava's life was on the line. 
 "Inferos or infernum is Hell," Dominic said and Declan wrote the final word down. He slid the paper into his pocket as Dominic turned the page back to the binding symbol. "There's something you need to know about Zorohm."
 "What's that?"
 "My dad tried to exorcise him once a long time ago," Dominic admitted. "He had possessed my grandma and she killed my grandpa. When my dad performed the exorcism, my grandma died from the demon."
 "I'm sorry to hear that," Declan said. "There's more, isn't there?"
 Dominic nodded. "My dad has performed many exorcisms in his life and he did everything right then, except he forgot the binding symbol." 
  "So that's why Zorohm came back?" Declan mumbled. "Why isn't your dad doing more to help? He knows what we're dealing with. He can do this a lot better than we can."

  "They were his parents and he lost both of them to Zorohm. He has a lot of pain from that time." 
  "We're dealing with a demon, Dominic," Declan said with his eyebrows furrowed. "Ava isn't going to wake up and be okay if she survives this. She is seeing Hell for the first time. Do you know the effect that'll have on her?"
  "Trust me, I know," Dominic replied. "I can't change his mind and I don't necessarily agree with him, but I understand. I wish it was different for Ava."
  "I just want this to be over with. I want Ava here with me again. She's my world."
  "We'll get her back, I promise," Dominic said. 
  "You're grandma died from Zorohm. How do you know Ava will be okay?" Declan asked. 
  Dominic sighed and closed the book. "My grandma died because it went too far. She killed the man she loved. If you were Ava and you killed the person you loved, would you fight to stay alive?"
 "No," Declan said. "Ava would be the one keeping me alive. I couldn't imagine anything like that."
 "Amor est inferno," Dominic whispered. His green eyes locked on the necklace on Declan's neck. His eyes seemed tired and dim compared to the boy Declan saw a few weeks ago. There was a light in him then, but now something was wrong. Declan couldn't completely tell what it was. 
 "I'm ready to do this," Declan said as he picked up the book. 
 "Then let's do it tomorrow." 
 "Really?" Declan asked with wide eyes. 
 "Yes," Dominic said. "Tomorrow we'll face Hell."