Storm
You’re not going alone.
I can take care of myself.
Storm
I know you can, but I’m coming. Besides, if paladins are the target, you could be in danger.
Nathan smiled. It was nice to know he cared.
I’m always in danger.
Storm
Just be careful.
Nathan set his phone down, taking a long drink of his ice water to cool the flush working its way up his neck. He couldn’t believe a demon was getting this kind of schoolboy reaction from him. When he’d wrangled his body’s stupid reaction, he picked his phone back up.
Always.
When the sun drew long shadows on the ground and the cloak of night chased away the dying rays of light, Nathan met with the rest of his squad in front of the administrative building. The mood was a somber one. News of Zeke’s death had spread through the compound like wildfire, uttered in solemn whispers and punctuated with desperate prayers.
Judah, the youngest and newest member of the squad, folded his arms tightly over his chest and broke the heavy silence hanging over the squad. He’d been in Zeke’s graduating class, although Nathan didn’t know if they were friends or not. “What if we see more of those things tonight?”
Nathan nodded. He’d expected questions. “You were all taught an exorcism, weren’t you?”
“An exorcism?” Aidan repeated. “I memorized those rites ten years ago for history class, but there’s no way I still remember it well enough to attempt in thefield. Possessions are things we read about in textbooks, not actual things we’ve ever had to deal with before.”
The others all gave various agreements—except Judah, who’d taken that history class just last year and probably still remembered the rites better than any of them.
“It’s not just a case in a textbook anymore. You all need to run to the library and print off a copy, because we might need it tonight,” he said bluntly. “We have reason to believe those people were possessed, and yes, they might not be the only ones out there. We need to be prepared. It’s no different than any other monster we’ve faced, except this time the human life is right there in the middle of the fight. We’ll need to be able to hold them down and perform an exorcism. I’ve stocked the SUVs with extra med-kits and holy water. We can do this. We just have to be ready.”
Aidan’s face was pallid, but he steeled his spine. “I’ll go to the library and print off copies of the rite for everyone. Give me ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes we can manage,” Nathan said, waving him away. “Thanks for doing it. I’d rather have them and not need them.”
While they waited for Aidan to rejoin them, the rest of them piled into the SUVs and started the engines to let them warm up. It was the tail-end of winter, and the nights were cool this time of year. Judah huddled in the passenger seat, his hands stuffed into the big pocket of his hoodie. Frederic was quiet in the backseat, and a few minutes later, the door behind Nathan opened to admit Aidan.
“I passed four to the other car,” he said, handing out pieces of copy paper. “Do you need one, Cap?”
“No, I’m good. I refreshed my memory this afternoon after meeting with Sloan,” Nathan replied, guiding the SUV out onto the long driveway and checking the rearview to make sure the other car was following behind him. “I suggest you all look over it while we drive, see if you can get it memorized before we stop, but bring the paper with you just in case.”
“Hell yeah,” Frederic murmured gruffly, flicking on one of the overhead lights and ducking his head to read, whispering the words under his breath.
They found the deserted parking lot of a darkened shopping mall and circled the metaphorical wagons, emerging from their vehicles and arming up. They were pretty close to the college, so they would patrol the outskirts of the campus as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. Nathan partnered them all off, instructing Judah to come with him. Just like he’d been with Alex, Nathan was protective of him.
After a quick comms check to make sure all their radios were in working order, they branched off. The distant hum of cars beyond their quiet bubble reminded Nathan that they weren’t actually alone. A city like LA never really slept.
“You know, when I was a kid, I wanted to come to this college,” Judah said conversationally as they followed a well-maintained sidewalk past a manicured lawn dotted with trees.
“Oh, really? How old were you when the guild picked you up?”
“Seven. But I used to ride the bus to school, and it would take that road right over there.” He pointed across the darkened campus toward the distant road, where street lights and passing cars were visible. “I always thought the buildings looked so huge and cool, you know, like something out of a movie.”
Nathan understood, though the buildings reminded him a lot of the brick façades of HQ. The domed student center and the glass-walled library were impressive, though. They probably looked like castles to a seven-year-old. Buttery yellow light glowed from within the windows, and the wide sidewalks were lit with wrought-iron lamps, casting streaks of light across the mown lawn.
“It looks like you found your way here in your own time, after all,” he pointed out, smiling lightly.
