Delroy stared at the creature, paralyzed by the effrontery and the anger it evoked.
“What?” The creature looked at him with a big grin. “You thought I wouldn’t be able to step into this hovel because it’s supposed to be some sacred place? I’m not a vampire, Preacher. I’m something much, much worse. I’m the dark side of you that never learned to be afraid of God or of living your own existence.” It clenched a fist and started for Delroy. “Now, since you are so stupid, I’m going to finish that beating I started in the cemetery two nights ago.”
Delroy raised his hands. He was still sore and bruised all over from the struggle in the graveyard. He knew he wouldn’t last long against the creature, but he couldn’t run. There was nowhere to go.
Even as the creature drew its right hand back to swing, Delroy felt a force pass over him, under him, and around him. Some of it even flowed through him, jostling him a little and turning him cold for an instant.
But the force hammered the creature like a nuclear weapon. It staggered back three steps, then exploded into a swirl of flaming bones and burning, tattered clothing that blew through the double doors like a comet.
“Get out!” yelled a voice Delroy immediately recognized.
The voice belonged to Josiah Harte.
“This is the house I served my heavenly Father in,” the voice continued. “You will not taint this place with your foul filth, you unholy thing. Nor will you harm my son in this place. This place is sacred, an’ it is protected.”
The spinning, blazing tumble of bones and cloth blew out into the middle of the church courtyard, then rolled into one of the weedchoked flower beds. A heartbeat later, the flames extinguished and left behind charred bones and cloth.
“Daddy,” Delroy whispered, staring into the dust storm that had risen around him. Nothing moved. There was no answer, and he was already wondering if he’d only imagined the voice. Stunned, he walked outside and stared at the smoldering heap of bones in the front yard.
The bones shook and shivered as a skeleton pushed itself up from the ground. By the time the creature was standing, it wore flesh and clothes again and looked none the worse for wear. It turned its darklensed gaze heavenward and threw up its arms in disgust.
“You can’t protect him,” the creature yelled. “He’s weak. He can’t make it on his own. He can’t be what You want him to be. He’s afraid, and he’s filled with doubts. He’s going to be mine.” The creature lowered its gaze and pointed at Delroy. “You’re mine, Preacher. You’ll slip and fall, and when you do, I’ll be waiting.”
“Delroy?”
Turning toward the voice, Delroy saw Walter holding up the handset of his walkie-talkie. He wanted to tell the deputy what was going on but somehow knew that Walter wouldn’t see the thing even after he was told about it.
“Got some business to do,” Walter called from the cruiser. “Shouldn’t take more’n fifteen or twenty minutes. You gonna be all right here while I’m gone?”
Delroy struggled to find his voice. No matter what else happened, he knew that at the moment he didn’t want to leave the church. For the moment the building offered security against the creature; he knew that because it didn’t even try to come back up the steps. And Delroy wanted to know if it had really been his father’s voice he’d heard inside the church. “Aye,” Delroy croaked as fear continued to tighten his throat. “I’ll be fine.”
Walter waved and climbed into the cruiser.
When he glanced back at where the creature had been standing, Delroy was surprised to see only the weed-choked garden.
The creature was gone.
Slowly, Delroy turned and walked back inside the church. He stared at the walls, picturing how the church had looked before the vandals had struck and sprayed graffiti everywhere.
Surprise filled him as he realized he was looking for his father. “Daddy?” Delroy stumbled through the debris on shaking legs. It had been his father’s voice he’d heard. And something had blown the creature out of the church. He raised his voice. “Daddy?”
No one answered.
God, I’m not going crazy. I know that was my daddy I heard. He’s the only man I ever knew that had a tone of voice like that.
Overcome with doubt, frustration, and fear, Delroy walked to the small raised dais where the pulpit used to stand in front of the small section that held the choir. Both of the pulpit’s wooden arm railings were shattered.
He knelt in the dust. “Daddy, I know it was you I heard. I know you chased that thing from God’s house. And from me. But I need answers, Daddy. I swear I need answers in the worst way. I need to know what I’m supposed to do. I can’t keep going like this without direction. I need a rudder, Daddy, Lord. I need a rudder, or I fear I’m going to be lost forever.”
Resolutely, making himself do something that once had been so easy, Delroy took his hat off and shoved it under his left arm, then clasped his hands in front of him and started to pray. He could not believe how badly his hands shook. He kept the prayer simple.
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” Delroy felt more calm as he repeated the prayer that had been taken
