Chapter 36

Suzi stood in the aftermath, the adrenaline fading, leaving her with a mix of exhaustion and relief. Ricky’s smooth-talking had worked wonders with the officers, allowing the CIA to take control of the evidence and allowing Suzi to reabsorb the orb. Detective Wilson would be able to interrogate the men before they conveniently slipped through the agency’s fingers.

Becca, ever the practical one, assisted the paramedics. Suzi winced as they bandaged her arm and set Phineas’ shoulder.

At Tom’s store, Phineas remained silent and distant as the others told Alanna exaggerated stories about Suzi’s celestial transformation. Suzi approached him, her hand resting on his good shoulder.

“You okay?” Suzi asked.

Phineas’ eyes held a storm of emotions—fear, sadness, regret, and sorrow. He shook his head, swallowing back tears.

“Tom’s okay,” Suzi assured him. “This is why I didn’t want you all involved. I knew it was dangerous.”

“I saw that demon in my head,” Phineas confessed. “I felt the knife plunge into Tom’s stomach. Hatred—I’ve never felt anything like it. How do you handle this every day?”

Suzi hesitated, searching for words. “I don’t know. I’ve learned to deal with it and compartmentalize. Hey,” she met his gaze, “you’re strong. Tom’s okay. And I’m getting rid of the knife so it can’t hurt anyone else.”

“But there are demons out there,” Phineas said, voice raw. “I’m struggling with that more than anything.”

“I get it,” Suzi replied. “I struggled too when I realized what it all meant.”

“What did you do?” he asked.

She hesitated, knowing this might be hard for him. “I talked to a priest, then an angel.”

Phineas sobbed, grappling with the concept of angelic forces. Tom put his arm around his brother.

“Hey, bro. Come on.” Tom led his brother up and outside.

Becca stood behind the chair Phineas was sitting.

“Their mom’s name was Angela. Their dad always called her ‘Angel.’” Becca explained to Suzi once the brothers were outside.

Suzi’s emotions swirled as she listened to Becca recount Tom and Phineas’ tragic family history. Both parents lost while the brothers were deployed. Angela, their mother, lost to pancreatic cancer, followed by Benjamin’s heartbreak only a few months later. The brothers returned, tears still fresh but laughter in their eyes. Suzi surveyed her eclectic group of friends—Alanna and Ricky discussing CIA logistics, Becca’s adoration for Tom, and Kyle, the physically imposing presence, casually lifting weights while munching on a leftover doughnut. She felt like she was part of a quirky ensemble, akin to the ‘Goonies’ or an ‘A-Team’ sitcom. Yet, she questioned her own role and skills within this makeshift team.

After exchanging pleasantries, Suzi left. Other tasks awaited her, and she wasn’t sure if her friends should be involved. But she knew what she needed to do; she just wasn’t sure how.

“Judas,” she asked her warrior self, “how do I destroy the knife?”

“Destroying the knife will release the demon bound to it,” Judas advised.

“It’s too dangerous,” Suzi reminded herself. “You even said that.”

“I would suggest putting it somewhere it would not be found.”

Another idea struck her. She called Father Gil.

“Hello, Sister Suzi! How are you?” he answered.

“I’m good,” she replied. “How are you doing?”

“Getting ready for mass,” he chirped.

She had forgotten what day and time of day it was.

“David – can I get some Holy Water?” she asked.

“I’m sorry?” he replied, surprised.

“I need some Holy Water, please. Also, another St. Joseph pendant if you can. The one you gave me… is full.”

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She faltered as she did not know how to explain to him that she had bound a demon to it.

“Okay,” Father Gil agreed, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “I can get them to you after mass. Or would you like to join us at the church?”

“After is fine. Thank you. Can you meet me at the funeral home?” Suzi requested.

“That will be fine. I’ll see you then,” Father Gil responded, unwilling to turn away one of his flock.

At the funeral home, Suzi entered the empty building, disabling the alarm. In the embalming room, she laid out the knife and the broken St. Joseph pendant necklace. Her gaze fell on the cooler, and she found the young girl she sought. Suzi removed the girl’s clothes, regret gnawing at her. The girl was barely in her twenties—a cruel twist of fate.

“Just a vessel, just a vessel,” Suzi reminded herself. She touched the girl’s chest, invoking her name, and stepped into the emptiness within.

“Shall we bind a demon to this vessel?” Judas asked.

“How many can we bind here?” Suzi inquired.

“Most inanimate vessels can only hold one.”

“Fine. Bortis, I bind you to this vessel.”

The pride demon writhed, held in place by Suzi’s unyielding will. She saw it as it truly was for the first time—disfigured, grotesque. Its massive right arm dwarfed the left, its legs twisted and weak. The face bore a pronounced chin, recessed eyes, and tiny horns protruding from the forehead. No hair adorned its scalp; just thin skin wrapped tightly around its brain.

Suzi withdrew from her mental battle, tears streaming down her face. She tied the St. Joseph pendant around the girl’s neck and moved her to the aquamation room. The bathing chamber accepted the body, and Suzi placed the knife on the girl’s stomach before sealing it shut.

As she awaited Father Gil, Suzi decided to go all in. She bound the remaining two demons in her head to two other bodies awaiting burial—Mr. Bill Endicott the following day and Ms. Kaycee Asher on Tuesday. She reminded herself that these people were already at peace, and she was re-utilizing their old, left-behind property for the greater good. Funerals were for the living, not the dead.

Once free of the demons, Suzi felt weightless and liberated. Her phone rang, ‘Keeping the Faith’ by Billy Joel—the priest’s ringtone. She answered.

“I’m here. Did you want me to come in?” Father Gil asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be upfront in just a sec to let you in,” Suzi replied.

She discarded her PPE, unlocked the door, and met Father Gil.

His concern was evident. “Whoa! Are you okay?”

Realizing she had a bloodied bandage on her wrist and likely looked like hammered shit, Suzi tried to deflect. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a few days of trouble. It’s all worked out now, though.”

He handed her a small jewelry box containing an identical pendant and a glass vial of clear liquid. “Should I ask what this is for?”

She hesitated. “Well, I plan to bathe and excise three demons in the Holy Water,” she said matter-of-factly.

Father Gil chuckled. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Have you come to terms with your little crisis?”

“Yes, I think I have,” Suzi assured him.

“And how is Aiden?” he inquired.

“He’s been quarantined since you saw him last. He actually died briefly, which interestingly has given me insight into the power of redemption.”

“Wow. Damn. Wow,” the priest responded. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad it renewed your faith. I’ll continue to pray for him. If you or he need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.”

“Thank you, David.”

Suzi hugged him, and he left.

She put on the new pendant and returned to the aquamation room. Pouring Holy Water into the reservoir, she initiated the process.

“Brutal!” her Spike personality exclaimed as she realized what would happen.

“Excellent,” Judith said. “For the next four hours, those demons will be getting slowly cleansed and dissolved by a bath of Holy Water,” she explained. “Pure torture for them, I’d imagine.”

“Still not sufficient for the one that shot Ygritte,” James said.

“Or the one that hurt Aiden,” Suzanne added.

“Only the girl’s body will dissolve. The knife and necklace are just getting a bath. They won’t get destroyed,” the J persona added.

“True. But they still feel it.” Judas reassured the collective. “They are reconsidering all of their choices right now.”

Suzi smiled.

* * * * *

Suzi recovered the bones from the bathing chamber and laid them on the drying tray, where they would remain for several days. She had hoped that Bortis would still be bound to those remaining bones but was not. She assumed he reset to Hell as the body dissolved. She only hoped that he lasted long enough to get some of what Rotic’al got lasting the full four hours as part of the pendant. The knife and pendant gleamed with almost an otherworldly light. She removed them from the bathing chamber and laid them on the prep table.

Malphas, the rage demon bound to the terror blade, seethed within, its fury unmistakable, radiating. Suzi wrapped the items in gauze, concealing their malevolence, and placed them beneath the padding of Mr. Endicott’s casket. Tomorrow’s funeral would be her chance to ensure their imprisonment—consecrated ground, a sanctuary against their wickedness.

She returned to her apartment and showered, delighted that the wound on her wrist was already healed, leaving now a red, raised, jagged scar. She wrapped it anyhow and loved on Ygritte, satisfied to have found her vengeance on the creature responsible for shooting her dog, then went to the hospital to be with Aiden.

She stood by the ICU window, her breath fogging the glass. Time stretched, each second an eternity. Hope clung to her like a fragile thread, and she whispered silent prayers for his recovery, willing him to be alright.

“Why don’t you ask for the favor to save Aiden?” Judas asked.

Suzi’s surprise rippled through her. Judas was present despite the absence of demons. There were no malevolent forces lurking in the hospital, yet Judas remained.

“I don’t know,” Suzi murmured aloud, her words swallowed by the sterile air. “I suppose I could have, but…” She hesitated, torn between faith and practicality. “I believe Aiden is strong. He’ll pull through this. The situation with Tom seemed a bit more urgent.”

Judas’s response was measured, “Faith is a good thing to have.”

And so, alongside her other personas, they pressed their hands against the glass, extending their collective will toward Aiden.