The train was pulling into the station now. Choo-Choo. Hope you’re ready to board, because I certainly am, or was. Part of me still decorated that small office, never to return. Was it an acceptable loss? Time would tell, but my mouth was sealed shut.
I stepped forth into bland gray; the door shutting behind me and the key somehow dropping to the floor this side. A simple room, plain in design. Small lights on the wall shone upwards, illuminating the drab decor in an almost relaxing way. Not that I was anywhere close to being relaxed.
A single desk to the right side held a rather panicked looking young man. Short brown hair, pale eyes, tanned skin. He wore clothes in a gray that almost blended in with the wall behind.
“Hi.” I waved to him, a mouthful of blood escaping down my front to mar the plain stone floor beneath me. Didn’t actually even wave, but my arm twitched his way slightly. It was the thought that counted.
“Divine’s guide us,” he said as he stood from the chair, still unable to process the overheated mess I had become. “Are you… Eric Redd?”
My reputation proceeded me. I would have said that out loud if I were capable of the movements. No Rodney here, and Wight was silent. Holding me together somehow. A glue that didn’t quite work for this purpose. Barely, I managed a nod.
“No Isaac?” He raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at the closed door.
I said nothing, but closed my eyes. Perhaps I could fall asleep standing up? Despite expelling all the energy using Last Light, I still felt as though there was something rolling around my insides. Slippery like a greased pig - nothing I grab a hold of and push out of the gate. It was just the demonic side of me, threatening to kick up a storm and take me over properly.
No balance.
“My name is David, and...” He stepped towards me in greeting, and was further appalled at my state. “You have a hole in your head. Shit. Shit.” He rubbed at his temples. “We need to get you somewhere safe before the others see you.”
I raised an eyebrow. At most of that sentence and implication.
“I’ll explain soon. Please follow if you can.”
He led me to a plain white door and cracked it open to check the coast was clear. I wasn’t exactly sure how much I trusted this random Church person, but I was in no position to argue. It was only a matter of time before I died, one way or another.
I followed him out, pain wracking my legs despite the full possession still in force. It was an odd split, more akin to the base possession if anything. Questions would have to wait till later, time was short.
The corridors beyond were also a gray, several rooms with closed doors all the way to the left. He took me to the right and into another room. The lights flickered on to reveal something similar to a hospital room - a long bed of black leather sat in the middle. A sink and cabinets of possible tools on one side. He locked the door behind me, which was worrying, but I couldn’t tense my fingers together well enough to grip at my gun.
“Please lay down, Eric. I will do what I can.”
At this point, I was eager to put my fate in the hands of another rather than having to shoulder the burden myself. I did as I was told, pain shuddering through my body as I put weight on my back and laid down.
He made the motion of waving a hand slowly over me, concentration furrowing his brow. “Eric,” he said and sighed, as his hands relented. “You have a broken possession. The demon is keeping you alive, so I can’t do much about that. I’m not a great healer… but I’ll do my best.”
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“Thanks, David.” I grunted out. My brain would be escaping right now if Wight wasn’t holding it in. I understood that. Sad that I left my hat in the office.
“Eh, let’s hope you live first.” He touched my leg and then withdrew his hand as if it had burned him. “Holy… you are an ocean of demonic energy. This will be more difficult than I had thought.”
“You don’t… want to kill me?” Not that I’d look a gift horse in the mouth, but I had murdered Isaac under the expectation that they wanted to sacrifice me to fix Heaven.
“You’re lucky it was me on shift.” Eyes darted to the closed doors and back. He held his hand out again and hovered far enough away to heal without hurting himself. “The Church is in disagreement about that and is in the process of splitting into two factions. One thinks the Last Lantern needs to be killed to bring about the return of the Divines. The other thinks you should be empowered and strengthened to do that job. I’m one of the latter.”
“I like the one that doesn’t want me dead.”
“By the looks of you, we’re one of the few that don’t.” He gave me a worried smile.
I wasn’t sure what kind of healing he was giving me, but it at least made talking easier.
“What happens when the others find me?”
He worked his jaw. Whatever plan he had managed to concoct probably hadn’t gone much further than getting me in here and healed. Perhaps I could take it from there once ready.
“If it comes to violence, don’t forget I helped you.” He exhaled through his nose and shook his head. “How are you this full of demonic energy if you’re the Lantern?”
It didn’t seem like he was doubting my credentials, only surprised at how I was at the wrong end of the energy scale. “I’m meant to be a balance of both,” I offered, unable to perform the shrug alongside it. “But I haven’t been able to awaken the divine side.”
David nodded. “So you’ve been filling up on the bad stuff. Professionally, I don’t advise that. If it’s what makes you who you are, then… well, just don’t go this far.”
“Demons attacked the city. I went through the portal to find out what they’re really doing.”
“No wonder you’re burning up. Did the Organization stop giving the anti-corruption meds?”
“Stopped taking them after they…” I worked my jaw. It probably wasn’t wise to give him all the information. “They changed the ingredients to something I was allergic to.”
I felt relaxed, which wasn’t very relaxing. Briefly, I considered the possibility he was just sedating me in preparation for whatever ceremony they needed to perform to crack my head open with a rock. There was still some fight left in me.
“I’m trying to focus on your head. If we can get your skull patched up, then you’ll just be fighting the corruption. Not much I can do for your hand, I’m afraid.”
With a wince, I lifted up my left arm to see the stump. “It’s fine. Second time that’s happened.”
David nodded slowly but didn’t seem keen to explore how deep the explanation for that went. Something about him reminded me of Rodney, perhaps just his age and the reluctant acceptance of absolute out of the ordinary bullshit.
I wondered how my Blank pal was dealing with the Org after my disappearance and the revelation that there was something much bigger than the portals going on. They were a distraction, just as I thought. Keep us busy while they worked on something even worse. The fact that I just needed to punch the right face to get the answers didn’t make me any less of a great detective.
He turned around to one of the cupboards and brought something out. “I don’t know if you trust me enough to put any drugs in you… but this would really help with the corruption.” In his hand, a syringe.
“Can I… hold it first?” I raised my right hand, my muscles complaining but responsive.
“Of course.” He put it in my hand and stepped away, presumably just in case I decided to try to stab him with it. It had crossed my mind. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on it. It was divine energy, of that I was sure. Something similar to the H-Mix but opposite?
“Will this hurt my patron?” I opened my eyes and narrowed them at him.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” He shrugged and tilted his head.
I exhaled through my nose. “I have a different connection to my patron compared to most Hunters. It’s part of what makes me who I am.”
“If you’re the Lantern… I’ll accept that. The Church is against demons, you understand, so I can’t guarantee similar leniency from others. In fact, you might even be kill-on-sight for some.”
Sounds just peachy. “There’s powerful people here?”
“For you in your current state, and against demons? Yeah. The Council has five members that are experts in demon banishment, and there’s a visiting Exorcist who is a nasty piece of work.” He grimaced. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. His name is-“
A fist banged on the door, and David paused with syringe in hand and panic on his face.
“Who’s in there?”
He looked at me, and I gestured for him to jab me.
“Open up, this is an aide of Exorcist Cinereous, untoward energies are being detected in this location.”
Untoward? I winced as the injection flooded my veins with whatever it was.
A twisted grin cracked across my tired face. I would show them untoward.