And All The Devils

Chapter Four

 The boy was still shuddering in the pew, his eyes cast down as though in prayer, when Father Robinwood led Eugene away.

"It's nothing to worry about," Father Robinwood insisted. "We get these sometimes... usually just pranks. Boys being boys."

Eugene hesitated, looking back and seeing the wild desperation on the boy's face. It certainly did not look like a prank.

"Go on home," the priest said with a smile. "Talk to your parents. You cannot avoid it forever. I will take care of this."

"I will," Eugene replied. "In... in just a minute."

Father Robinwood gave him a knowing look but said nothing else. He nodded his head in farewell and hurried back towards the boy. Eugene watched as he ducked his head towards Kendrick and said something that caused the boy to pale. The priest said something else and the boy nodded, rising on trembling legs. They made for the front doors.

Eugene stared after them, his curiosity peaked. Part of him--the impetuous part of him, the part that fled to Korea in a desperate attempt to learn Buddhism--wanted to follow them. The more sensible half of him won out and he moved to sit in the pew, intending to rest a few moments before journeying home to face the inevitable.

He heard the church doors creak. A chill wind, a wind that almost felt foreboding, rushed in just before the doors shut; it swept past him in a great arch, blowing straight through him and shuddering the candles.

Eugene felt an ache in his legs, as though they yearned to follow the priest out of the church. His feet were already straining to step forward. He did not hesitate; he had long ago learned to listen to the inexplicable when it called to him. He trusted his instincts; they had led him to Buddhism and they were leading him now.

He grabbed his jacket from the pew and shrugged it on. Rushing out the doors, he did not notice the last of the candles being extinguished behind him.

. . . . . . . .

There may have once been a time when Edward Robinwood wanted to be a priest, but that time was long gone. It had been more of an inherited title, with his father being a priest, and his father before that. But while he inherited the title from his father, he had not inherited his passions for the faith. He loved God, true enough, but it was not the soul-consuming, all encompassing way in which his family had loved Him.

Father Robinwood was a priest for his family, and he did his priestly duties with quiet diligence. He helped to maintain the church, sweeping the floors and dusting the pews. He gave sermons, led choir practices and listened to confessions.

He knew the basics of exorcism, of course, as all priests were expected to. While Father Robinwood didn't personally believe in possession, he was not one to dismiss everything he could not see. So despite what he had told Eugene about boys and their pranks, he couldn't ignore the (albeit slim) possibility of encountering an actual demon tonight. How could he, as a man of the faith?

And so it was that he found himself standing outside the house at the end of Krueger Crescent . He was armed with his Bible, several vials of holy water and a rather large silver cross (the end of which had been sharpened into a dangerous point, because he might be a holy man but he wasn't stupid), all of which was tucked into the folds of his black jacket.

The house seemed normal enough, with its red brick exterior and large bay windows. The only thing that struck him as a bit odd was the silence. There were no crying children, barking dogs or chattering neighbors. Only the occasional siren sounding from afar broke through the stillness. A single street lamp flickered overhead, casting a wavering light over the road. The unsteady light was starting to give him a headache; it made it look like the shadows around him were moving just beyond his sight.