The Devil's Touch

'But you hit him!' Monty yelled. 'It was a good hit. I saw the slugs dot the back of his shirt. But—Jesus! There was no blood!'

'Bullets won't kill him,' Sam explained calmly. Monty stood with an astonished look on his face. 'Jimmy Perkins has been dead for almost a quarter of a century.'

'What?' Monty yelled the question. 'That's not possible, Sam.'

'Oh, it's possible. I'll tell you about it later. Let's get this gear into the house. Joe? Check out the house. If there is anybody in there—kill them.'

'With pleasure,' Joe drawled.

TWO

'Put the vehicles in the big garage around back,' Sam told the group. 'Secure the garage doors with chains and locks. Find some boards and nails and make damn sure what you build is sturdy enough to keep people out. We're going to be needing those vehicles. When that is done, start going over the nomenclature of the weapons of your choice. You've got to learn how to use them. And we don't have much time to teach you people.'

Sam then prowled the big house, inspecting each room. He forced himself to enter the bedroom where he and Desiree had made love. He stood for a few moments, feeling the dark force attempt to cloud his mind and wriggle like a snake into his rational thinking process. Sam fought the Dark One's mental manipulations and smiled victoriously as they fought back each mental thrust from Satan.

'You can't get to me that way,' Sam said aloud. 'Not anymore. Never again. Not to me, not to Nydia, not to Father Le Moyne, not to Noah. So leave me alone.'

'You didn't mention the others, though, did you?' the sinister voice whispered in Sam's head. 'Oh, no. Because you can't be sure of them, can you?'

'How can I be?' Sam questioned.

'Then I'll just be on my merry way,' the voice spoke cheerfully. 'All my magic to perform. Ta-ta, Mr. Balon.'

Sam felt the force leave the room. He left swiftly and located Father Le Moyne.

'Satan just attempted to influence my thoughts,' he told the priest. 'Upstairs. When he found he could not do so, he suggested the others who did not have our faith. He's going to try to shape their thoughts.'

'Mille and Joe will stand firm. So will Jeanne. I'm certain the ministers will do the same. I can't be certain about Monty or Viv, Desiree. We'll have to keep close watch on them. I—am hesitant to tell them of Satan's plans. It might prove detrimental; make them so nervous they would be vulnerable to his influence.'

'So all we can do is watch?'

'I'm afraid so.'

Sam left the priest and continued his inspection of the huge mansion. He saw Barbara Morton sitting alone in a small drawing room. She lifted her eyes from the Bible she was reading and looked at the young man.

'We'll make it,' Sam assured her. He could tell the woman was badly frightened. 'I won't tell you not to be afraid; that would be foolish. But I can tell you with enough faith, we can make it through this thing.'

Barbara was a very pretty woman. In her late thirties, Sam guessed. A knockout when in high school or college, he thought. Cheerleader type. Big blue eyes, soft honey-colored hair, very fair complexion. And a good figure, too. She looked like the picture of a Southern girl. Sam said as much, trying to take her mind off their present danger.

'I'm originally from Tennessee,' she told him. Sam picked up just the faintest trace of an accent. 'I met John in college. Cambridge. He used to kid me because 1 never took the Devil very seriously. I used to laugh at horror movies. You know, about possession and Devil worship—things like that. John would never watch the shows. He said it was just too real for his tastes.'

'And now?'

She met his gaze. 'It's—real enough. John told me all about you. He's spoken at length with Noah and Father Le Moyne. You're quite a young man, Sam Balon.'

Sam shrugged off the compliment. '1 did what 1 had to do, Mrs. Morton. Just like now—with all of us here. We're doing what has to be done.'

'Barbara, please. And I think you're being much too modest, Sam.'

Sam began picking up vibes; and he didn't much like the message in the silent pulsations. 'All right. Barbara it is, then.'

She closed her Bible, laid it aside, and stood up. A very good figure. Sam readjusted his original estimate of the woman. But something in the woman's eyes sent warning signals flashing in Sam's brain.

'I'm so frightened, Sam,' she said. Her voice was small in the room.

Just as she stepped toward the young man, Joe called from the foyer. The shout was faint in the huge mansion.

'Excuse me, Barbara,' Sam said. 'You just take it easy. Everything will be all right. Bet on it. And,' he added as an afterthought, pointing at her Bible on the table, 'keep your faith.'

Sam was relieved to be leaving the woman's presence. Barbara Morton was disturbing to him. Sam said as much to Joe.

'She spreads her legs from time to time,' the man informed him in a low voice. 'But she's real discreet about it. She don't give it away to just anybody.'

'The priest's wife!' Sam was shocked and made no attempt to hide it.

'Yeah. She's human, Sam. 'Way I get the story, she likes more action between the sheets than her husband does. But she tries to be faithful to him. But John has what the doctors call a low sex drive. Barbara's in high gear all the time. But when that woman kicks it into overdrive, look out, 'cause she's gonna find her a man and get him in