something.”
“So, I’m stupid.” Curran flexed against the knots again. “You know I can’t let you get away with this.”
Darius chuckled. “Is that a line they teach all law enforcement types to say? I mean, really, everyone says it, even when his or her situation is so obviously poor. There’s no way you can stop me, right now. I have the advantage.”
“That’s your opinion.”
Darius came even closer and Curran watched his face change for just a moment into something his worst dreams couldn’t imagine. Then his face resumed its human appearance. He grinned. “Have you fought many demons?”
“No.”
“Exactly.”
“What have you done with Lauren?”
“Ah yes…the lady friend.”
“Where is she?”
“Do you love her, Curran?”
Curran frowned.
Darius smiled. “No? Funny, I rather thought you did. Especially seeing how much time you two spent together. Rather interesting considering the lady is about to become a nun and all. And here you go corrupting her. Tsk tsk. Not sure how well that will go over with your mighty mighty God.”
“I think he’d understand.”
“You think your God would overlook your transgression merely because the woman happens to be attractive?”
Curran frowned. “How about taking these ropes off of me?”
Darius laughed. “Not a chance.”
“Come on, Darius, let’s settle this like real men. No guns, no badges, no divine wrath. We’ll get down and dirty. Right to the end. Best man wins. What do you say?”
Darius shook his head. “I’m not a real man, Detective. And I’m afraid the advantage in such a situation would be mine all the more. Just ask your friend Kwon.”
Curran bit back the surge of anger. “Tough to do considering you killed him, asshole.”
“For a human, he managed to surprise me a bit.”
“You mean the tooth.”
Darius nodded. “A martial artist, isn’t that what you call those types?”
“I called him my friend. But I suppose that concept is foreign to you.”
“Purely a mortal concept, yes.” He walked over to the sarcophagus, running his hand along the wooden edges of it. “Isn’t this a nice piece of work?”
Curran chewed his lip. “Where’d you get that? The Museum of Fine Arts’ Egyptian Collection?”
“This isn’t Egyptian, you unschooled fool. This is much older than the Egyptians. This one dates back almost a thousand years before the Nile dwellers.”
“So what?”
“This is where my lord will rise. Be reborn on to this plane. Right in here.”
Curran sighed. “And how do you intend to go about doing that?”
Darius eyed him. “Not a believer yet, are you, Curran?”
“Something I’ve been struggling with. I mean, you’ve given me a lot to think about over the course of these past years. But I’m just not entirely convinced this is real. For all I know, you could just be some raving lunatic who thinks he talks to the Devil.”
Darius slapped him across the face. Curran’s head snapped away. He came back tasting copper blood. “Well, put yourself in my position, Darius.”
Darius folded his arms. “Haven’t you figured any of this out? Any of it?
“Don’t know. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on and I’ll see if it makes any sense to me.”
“What have you discovered about the people I’ve killed?”
“Nasty bunch of folks,” said Curran. “Most of them are the most evil people I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing about.”
“Most?”
“Well, not all of them counted. The little mouse, the two nuns, Kwon…” His voice trailed off. He’d almost said Lauren. Was she already dead?
“No,” said Darius. “Her role in much more important than you realize.”
“Get back to your victims. Why kill the evil ones? Why not leave them be, why not let them continue creating havoc?”
“All of them are evil,” said Darius. “But not just evil in actions, their very souls are tainted by evil. They breed evil. Their every thought is of evil.”
“How is that possible?”
“Everything exists in balance in our universe. Without good there can be no evil and vice versa. To assume that every single person is inherently good is an atrociously arrogant philosophy. If everyone was inherently good, there would be no evil.”
“Unless evil is a learned concept.”
“But it’s not. No more than good is. And so, for all those inherently good souls, there are also inherently evil souls. In each generation, in every age, there are souls that are blacker than night. They exist to help balance out the good.” He smiled. “And sometimes, they exist for a more special purpose.”
“Bringing the Devil back.”
“It’s been written about throughout the ages. Most religions know about it. That’s why they preach being good so fervently. And for the most part, the evil souls tend to fall through the cracks.”
“What a shame.”
Darius smiled. “Tell me Curran: when you were a little boy, did anyone ever tell you that Satan looks for a reason to come into our lives? That he looks for the small beginnings of evil tendencies and then exploits those tendencies?”
Curran’s mind flashed back to Church. To the smells of the frankincense, myrrh, and other incense. He saw the priests. He saw Joey. He saw the fear. Felt the fear, the urge to vomit as he witnessed his friend being raped. He saw the look in the priest’s eyes as he came for him, hands outstretched.
“Yes.” Darius smiled. “Taste your fears all over again. Almost as if they’re happening right now.”
Curran’s mind drowned under the wash of terror gripping him. No! Run, Joey! Run! His eyes felt hot. Tears ran out of them. He sobbed. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t get away.
He could hear Darius chuckling. “You see? You do know what real evil is.” He clucked. “Enough.”
Curran’s mind cleared. The images disappeared.
“I can manipulate you as easily as I breathe, Detective. Your mind is an open book to me.” He looked at Curran again. “Satan lives best through the evil of others.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
Darius eyed him. “Ah, yes, that missionary fellow. Westerly.” He smacked his lips. “Troubling sort. I had to take care of him as well.”
“How many have you killed over the years?”
“Since I’ve been among you pathetic humans? Too many to count.” He shrugged. “Anyway, with each evil deed, my Lord’s presence grows stronger. It draws him.” Darius checked one of the candles and then his watch.
“The problem,” he continued, “is that the focus is scattered. My Lord does not have the ability to simultaneously concentrate on exploiting the evil associated with millions of potential evil people. He could not capitalize on that evil and come back here.”
“Which is his real goal.”
“Naturally.”
Curran nodded. “Makes sense.”
“But, if it was possible to harvest the evil souls of people and gather them in one place, then Satan would be
