The Strange Apprentice- Book One

Chapter 10

-Let me be the judge of that.
- Very well... I usually prefer to work alone, but this time i will need some assistance. As you know it wasn't easy to lure this demon to us. Tul'Uth is almost unbeatable in his true appearance, he is to powerful in that form. We need something that can draw him out when he is possessing someone, a decoy that can call him but without releasing his true colors, so to speak.
- Why didn't you do that the last time he appeared?- I asked.
- There were to many demons to handle, my magic isn't strong enough to put that many demons in to the ground at once.
- What do you mean by someone?
- I need someone I can use as bait to lure the demon to us. Since you are the one he wants, i was thinking about you.
- Absolutely no way!- Doc said
- I'l do it- i said at the same time.
- You can't possibly be serious about this, it's madness! How do you know he is not tricking us?
- Doc, listen, obviously this is over our heads, you said it yourself you haven't been able to get close to him for weeks. It's time we take this matter to an expert. This time no one got hurt, but i'm sure some one will if we push this any further and i couldn't bare it. I don't know if there is a better way to do this, but we have to try. We have to trust him. I trust him- when i said this, John smiled at me like he had just won a chess game. His face almost lit.
- You are a brave girl Casey, you have my support.
- Thanks Doc.
- Believe me, Doctor if there was any other way of doing this i wouldn't have hesitated, but i'm afraid we have to do this the hard way.
- We will work on the details of the plan tomorrow, for now we must all get some rest. I think we can all agree this was enough action for one day.
- I believe this is my quew to leave- John said. Doc confirmed with a nod.

- Casey if you please?- I opened a portal back to the street where it all had happened and John got through it. Before entering the portal John handed me a card with his number. That night I asked my mom if i could sleep over at Lyla's house, but all i wanted was an excuse to sleep in the Sanctum, where in that moment was the only place i felt safe. The next morning we all met at the Sanctum to arrange the details of John's plan. Doc opened a portal to a dark alley. I entered it first, followed by John and Doc. Then John started drawing a symbol that i had never seen before, not even in books about dark magic.It was a triangle inside a circle with a bunch of runes in it:
- It is called the Demon Seal, something of my own creation, designed to trap demons in it and then sending them back to Hell, where they belong. Now it's your turn love, step into the circle- I entered the circle.
- Now what?
- Now we wait until that demon of yours finds his way here, Doctor I suggest you go to your position now.
Before he went to his position, Doctor Strange grabbed Constantine's arm and, with a threatening tone, said:
-If something happens to her, if she gets hurt in any way, and I don't just mean physically...not even all the spells, potions or incantations on your books will stop me from coming after you. If that day ever arrives, all the demons and lost souls in Hell won't keep you safe. Are we clear?
- Yes sir- he said with a confident tone, while Doctor went to his hiding place.
I was sitting in the cold floor inside the Demon Seal for a while now, when a shadow appeared outsider the circle out of nowhere. It was my stalker. A poor man possessed by Tul'Uth ( no wonder my stalker didn't look human, it wasn't even alive to begin with). It tried to grab me but i used my shields to take a few punches on it. He was to fast and he knocked me to the ground. He was on top of me and made a cut on my face trying to get inside me,through my mouth.I was just holding him off while Doc used a restraining spell on that thing. It worked. The man was on the ground inside the sea,l and i was out. Doc joined us while John caught fire to the lines that composed the drawing on the floor. The seal was on fire, the demon was trapped in it, no escape. John started to perform the exorcism to expel the demon from the man's body. "The Sacred Cross commands you. The Star of David commands you. The Omkar, the Lotus, and the Shahada command you! Flee this place! Disperges in ventum! Be not, and be gone!" he kept saying repeatedly. It was a horrible spectacle. The man was in pain while the demon inside of it was trying to hang on to his host. He was twitching and screaming loudly, blood coming out of his mouth. He couldn't stop squirming in ways not even humanly possible. All the tales about spirits and demons, all scary stories that i had ever heard, all the horror films that I had ever watched not only had became real ,but were nothing compared to what i was witnessing. Eventually the demon left the dead body and was sucked back to hell. The fire in the seal went out. John fell on his knees exhausted. Doc was even more shocked than I was. I think that was the first time i ever saw him scared to death, he would never again despise black magic for sure. We cleaned up the scene, someone had called the cops.We fled through the portal back to the Sanctum, after regaining our breath, Constantine complemented us:
- Splendid work everyone, that demon won't ever bother you again,i believe my work here is done.
- I believe so, Mr. Constantine- said Doc.
- Please Steven, there is no need for that, just call me John- he held out his hand waiting for a hand shake, which Doc wasn't'so kind on returning it. He held back his hand disappointed. I confess it made me laugh a little bit.- as for you, I will see you around love- he took his time passing through me while he said this words. Doc was clearly not comfortable with this moment, so he insisted in walking Constantine to the door. When they got to the door Doc began to speak:
- I owe you an apology Constantine, you are ,in fact, a talented young man and a powerful sorcerer, and I truly appreciate what you did for me and for Casey.
- Thank you Doctor, it's an honor to hear that from you- he pulled out his feast. Doc didn't move.
- This does not makes us palls, I still despise your kind and what you do. This does not invalidate what we have already discussed. Take care of her John, I don't have much left- John didn't answer right away, he felt the affection that man felt for Casey, despite not being able to say it sometimes.
- Yes sir- he walked out the door, which was quite surprising:
- Doc, you let him leave through the door! Now he knows where this place is, aren't you concerned?
- No, because if the Sanctum ever gets compromised, I will know for sure who the responsible is. Plus i'm pretty sure that boy is not after anything from here.
- Hum, that's clever I guess. Wait what do you mean, how can he not be interested in the things you keep here?
- Believe me Casey ,that boy is only interested in one thing, and it's not an artifact, unfortunately.
-Seriously Doc?- in that instant my phone rang. Thank god because I really didn't want to continue this conversation."Hey it's me, listen it's about your friend, there are some things here you definitely need to see" It was Peter. He called to tell me about what he had found on John. He sent a bunch of files to my computer. What I saw really surprised me:
-Son of a bitch!