The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) (9 page)

Sighing, she stood and went back downstairs to watch TV before dinner. At that point, she really didn’t care if she had homework. There was no way she was going to be able to focus to finish it anyway.

Mom sat next to her on the couch and placed a hand on her knee. “You doing all right, Katie? After you went upstairs, I realized we haven’t really had a chance to talk about what happened yesterday.”

Katie shrugged and focused her attention on a string on her pants. She appreciated that her mom wanted to know how she was feeling, but what was Katie going to tell her? She couldn’t exactly tell the truth. Mom wouldn’t believe it. The story Katie told her mom about the warehouse and the stray dog explained her injuries and some of Wes’s, but not all of them. Mom didn’t question the other injuries, but maybe she didn’t know the extent of them. Katie needed an ally, but would she find one in Mom?

“Must have been pretty scary, huh?”

Katie nodded but didn’t raise her head. “It was.”

Mom nudged her with her arm. “Sounds like you’re lucky to only have gotten bit on the arm. And you saved Wes’s life by attacking the dog with a pipe. What made you think to do that?”

Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. Just acted on impulse, I suppose.”

Mom wrapped her arm around Katie’s shoulders. “It’s a good thing you did. Wes is lucky you were around.”

“Mom, how well do you know Wes?”

She stroked Katie’s hair. “Not as well as I used to. When Randy fell into his depression and locked himself in the house, he took Wes with him. I tried to reach out to him, to make him feel loved, but he seemed afraid of getting too close. I don’t know. Maybe he thought I was trying to replace his mom. Deep down inside, maybe I was. It killed me to see him so sad. He had been such a happy, carefree boy. A smile always came easily to his face, and he joked often. That went away after his mom died. It broke my heart.” She laid her cheek on Katie’s head and pulled her closer. “Sometimes, when he’s around you, I see glimpses of the boy he used to be. The carefree and happy child. You bring out the best in him.”

“Do I?” Katie sat up and stared at her mom. “If he’s so happy around me, why can’t he stand to be around me? You don’t see what happens at school. How he pretends to be my friend, comfort me when I’m in pain, making promises he never keeps. He’s broken my heart more times than I can count.”

Sympathy crossed Mom’s face and she brushed her fingers across Katie’s cheek. “I know. I’ve seen the pain on your face. The way you longingly stare out the window. That broke my heart more than anything. It’s hard to love someone who’s so damaged.”

Katie set her jaw. “I don’t love him.”

“Maybe not anymore, but you did at one time.” She pulled Katie into a hug. “I know how hard it is to care so deeply for someone and not have them care back. Given enough time, your heart becomes hard; your sympathy disappears. I don’t blame you for how you feel toward Wes. And I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but I don’t think he was trying to hurt you. I don’t think he knows how to show his love.”

Katie snuggled closer to her mom. It felt good to be in her arms. Even though she couldn’t tell her exactly what was going on, it was still nice to be comforted. “Or maybe he’s harboring deep, dark secrets.”

Mom stroked her hair once again. “That could very well be, honey. No one knows what went on at the Akers house but Randy and Wes. Neither one of them dealt with Maureen’s death in a healthy way.”

“So what should I do?”

Mom clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “I don’t know. That’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own.”

Katie grimaced. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Mom was supposed to tell her to stay away from them. That they were nothing but bad news. Mom was supposed to tell her that if she remained friends with them, she’d only wind up getting hurt. That would have made things so much easier.

“What would you do?” Katie wondered.

Mom sighed. “The same thing I’ve been doing for years. I wouldn’t give up. I would continue to let them know they were loved and I was there to help. I would keep hope and faith that one day they would break out of their depression and let their friends back in.”

“What if they don’t?”

“I’m sure they have their reasons for doing it. But it’s not my place to judge, and I will continue to pray that they find their way back to happiness.”

Katie scowled. Leave it to Mom to see the good side of everything. Would she feel the same way if she knew the truth about what was going on?

“No matter what you decide,” Mom stated, “I’ll support your decision.”

The timer in the kitchen went off, and Mom stood from the couch to check on dinner. Before she left the room, Katie stopped her with a question.

“What if I decide I don’t want to help Mr. Akers tonight. Would you support that?”

Mom smiled. “Unfortunately, no. Randy never asks for favors. It’s not going to kill you to help him for one night.” She turned and headed into the kitchen.

Katie’s shoulders slouched. Mom didn’t know what she was talking about. It could possibly kill her to have contact with that family. It almost already had.

KATIE STOOD ON WES’S PORCH
, wondering why she was there. Various images of what lay beyond the door ran through her mind. She imagined a living room with no furniture and the carpet covered in plastic sheets. As soon as the door closed behind her, Randy would overpower her and lay her on the plastic sheet and cut her apart a piece at a time. Either that or the house would look completely normal, with a couch and a TV and pictures of him and Wes hanging on the wall, and then he’d take her down to the basement, where she would be taken to a room with padded walls that had thick chains waiting to be clamped around her wrists and ankles. He would secure her before subjecting her to torture and eventually killing her. Katie shuddered.

Why hadn’t she told her mom her arm was sore? Surely, she would have let Katie stay home if she were in pain. At the moment, her arm was aching. She glanced across the street at her house. Multiple lights were on, making the place look warm and inviting. Unlike the house she stood in front of. The porch light wasn’t even on. Katie was bathed in shadows. Who doesn’t turn on the porch light when they are expecting someone? It added to the chill that already crept across her skin. She turned back to the door and sighed. Might as well get it over with. She knocked on the door, a soft tap that she hoped no one would hear. If Randy wasn’t home, how could she help it? At least she tried.

Almost immediately the door swung open. Katie’s heart skipped a beat. Orange light from the foyer spilled onto the porch. Randy leaned against the door frame, smiling. A garbage bag hung from his hand.

“I wondered how long it would take you to knock. I’ve been waiting for five minutes to take this out.” He lifted the bag.

A million different excuses of why she hesitated ran through Katie’s head, but she didn’t say one out loud. Instead, she pointed to the trash.

“Can I take that for you?”

He cocked his head to the side and stared at her through narrowed eyes. You plan on running away afterward?”

She huffed. “No. I’m trying to be nice. I saw how much effort it took you to walk from my kitchen to the front door.” She stepped to the side and held her arm out. “But if you want to take it yourself…”

In response, Randy handed her the bag. Katie walked to the side of the house, where the can was, and placed the bag inside. As she turned to go back to the house, she glanced longingly across the street. The thought had crossed her mind to leave and go home, but she didn’t want Randy to tell her mom. She could only imagine how much trouble she’d get in.

Randy gestured for her to enter and she stepped across the threshold, bracing for the worst. The door clicked shut behind her. Oh, God. What am I doing? She fought back the urge to run. Glancing over her shoulder, she once again took in Wes’s dad. This close, the extent of his injuries became more apparent. She noticed the swelling and how raw and painful the wounds looked. He stepped past her and farther into the house. His limp was noticeable, and he held his left arm at a ninety-degree angle close to his body. He wasn’t a threat. Katie could take him if she needed to. The thought didn’t make her feel better.

She followed him cautiously into the house. It comforted her slightly to know he walked in front of her. At least that way she knew he wasn’t going to knock her out from behind. From the door was a short hallway. Pictures of sunsets and mountains lined the walls, along with a cross on each side. A table sat in the middle on the left; mail was piled on top of it. The hall opened into a living room, the kitchen was off to the right. On the very back wall was the sliding glass door that led to the back yard. The stairs were on the left wall. It looked exactly like Katie’s house but reversed. She hadn’t expected that. Randy gestured toward the tan couch that sat in front of the entertainment center.

“Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

Katie shook her head and moved around the couch to sit. Randy lowered himself into the recliner on her right. He grimaced as he adjusted in his seat.

“Did you really get into a car accident?” Katie placed her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands. She tried to portray an air of confidence, even if she didn’t feel it.

Randy waggled his head from side to side. “A car was involved, but it wasn’t your typical accident.”

“So what happened?”

He leaned back in his chair. “Wes and I were out on patrol.”

Holy crap! He was actually going to tell her the story! She thought for sure he would tell her a pile of lies or that she wouldn’t understand, but he just launched into the narrative. She leaned forward.

***

Wes was still agitated from the events that had transpired earlier that day. He couldn’t sit still in the car. His leg bounced up and down, and his gaze darted everywhere but on the house in front of them. They were parked under some trees, camouflaged by darkness. The house was off the main road, private but not really hidden. It lay in a community of other cabins, all close enough so no one felt isolated, but far enough apart that the owners could be alone.

The rumor was that the house was being used as a portal for demons to cross into the human world. As Praesuls, it was Randy and Wes’s job to check it out and shut it down if necessary. The job was dangerous and required concentration. If a portal was involved, there was no telling how many demons were there—or how many could be summoned in a short amount of time.

Wes slammed his fist into the car door. “I should have taken him out. Right then and there.”

“And told Katie what?” Randy’s voice was even and calm.

Wes threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know! I would have figured something out. You didn’t see how he glommed onto her. How receptive she was to his advances.”

Randy turned his head to look at his son. “You can’t blame Katie. For all she knows, he’s human.”

Wes punched the door again. “I don’t blame Katie. I blame that parasite. And myself.” His mood softened, and he lowered his gaze to his lap. “I’m losing her, Dad. You should have seen the hate and anger in her eyes, in her soul.” He looked at his dad. “I really hurt her.”

Randy placed a hand on Wes’s shoulder. “No one said this life would be easy. We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good. You know that.”

Wes nodded and dropped his gaze back to his lap. “I do. But I’m not going to let Josh have her. She can hate me all she wants, but I won’t let him turn her.”

Randy squeezed his son’s shoulder. He wanted to tell Wes that the battle wasn’t his to fight, but he didn’t get the chance. The door to the house slammed shut, drawing their attention forward. Randy squinted into the darkness. The only light came from the moon, and the porch was covered, shrouding whoever in shadows. From the silhouette, Randy could tell the outline was human, but the black tint on the soul let him know it was actually a demon in disguise.

Wes leaned forward in his seat. “What do you want to do?” he whispered.

The car was far enough away that the man—or whatever it was—couldn’t hear them, but neither wanted to take the chance.

Randy shook his head. “Nothing yet. We need to find out for sure if there’s a portal in there.”

The man stepped off the porch and walked to the truck parked on the side of the house, twirling his keys on his fingers. The engine started with an obscene roar in the quiet night, while the headlights harshly cut through the darkness before the truck disappeared down the road. Father and son stared into the darkness for several long moments before reaching for the handles. Stepping out, they stood by the car and stared at the house.

“In and out,” Randy whispered. “No telling how long he’ll be gone or if others are in there. After a quick reconnaissance, we’ll get the tools out of the trunk and take care of this.” Wes nodded.

Randy was sure he’d find a portal inside the house. In his line of work, rumors were never wrong. Besides, it wasn’t hard to mistake a portal as anything but a portal. Still, they needed to find out exactly what they were dealing with. There was no sign or schedule for when demons came through the opening. And there was nothing more dangerous than being in the room when they decided to come through. Plus, they didn’t know if anyone else was in the house. Just because they saw a guy leave didn’t mean he was the only one who was there. A quick walk around would give them all the answers they needed.

Closing the car doors softly, they made their way down the hill. Randy took the lead, and Wes hung back to keep watch. Randy tiptoed to the side of the house, and Wes took position in the trees a few feet away. Randy signaled to his son to make sure he was ready. Wes nodded back, and Randy drew a gun from his belt. He sidestepped to the nearest window and peered in. A pulsating blue glow met his eyes. As he suspected—or already knew—the portal was active. That meant one of two things: a demon had just gone through to the other side or one was getting ready to enter the human world. He could only see a sliver of light, which meant the portal was just out of his line of sight. He’d have to find a window with a better view to get a better idea of which way the demons were moving. He wasn’t going to waste his time doing that, though. He knew the portal was there. Whether or not a demon was coming or going didn’t matter. What mattered was closing the portal quickly. If demons were coming, closing the portal would keep them out of the human world. He pushed himself away from the wall and hurried back to the car. Wes took up position behind him and followed.