Revenge, Photos and Covenants

Chapter 23: Line in the Sand

The excitement from the charity basketball game had completely subsided as Boon lay perfectly still in the back of an ambulance, his eyes fogged over and unresponsive. His skin had become almost translucent, giving him the appearance of shedding his skin. Kenzie stood by the EMTs, her eyes filled with concern as she watched them work.

"Thanks for your help," one of the EMTs said to Kenzie, wiping sweat from his brow. "We'll load him up and take it from here."

"Actually, I'd like to ride with you to the hospital," Kenzie insisted, her voice firm but trembling slightly. "I'm a nurse and know about the patient's medical history." The EMT nodded along, clearly not expecting her request. Without another word, he helped her into the ambulance, and they sped away from the basketball court, sirens wailing into the dusk. As the crowd looked on, Zack worried about Rob's disappearance and whether Boon would live or not.

-----

Meanwhile, Rob found himself being manhandled down the steps of the parish basement by a large man with a pencil mustache, whose grip on his arm was vice-like. As they descended into darkness, Rob could hear other exorcist making their way through the facility as if it were just another day. The man forced him through a small door at the end of the hall, with a flick of the light everything came into focus, Rob gasped when saw who else was a prisoner.

Kristian and Olivia were trussed up and hanging from a support beam by a tangle of electrical wire. Black Gaffer's tape covered their mouths, their eyes wide with fear as they looked down at Rob. The man remained silent and placed himself between Rob and the door, ensuring there was no escape.

"Nice bit of interior decorating you've got going on here," Rob quipped, trying to mask his horror with sarcasm. He knew he needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to find a way out of this situation.

"Shut up kid." The exorcist's voice was icy and emotionless.

"Look," Rob began, trying to buy some time while he scanned the room for a weapon, "I have been captured by a literal sin, your little hostage operation here isn't exactly impressive."

"You aren't a hostage," the exorcist replied coldly. "Pablo has requested a meeting with you."

Surprise surged through Rob as he stared at the exorcist, he knew about Zack's deal with Pablo to keep them safe, something must have changed. He couldn't let fear paralyze him; he needed to figure out exactly what Pablo's plan was.

"Well, where is he then?" Rob asked, his voice wavering only slightly. "Seems rude of the host to be late."

The exorcist regarded him with a mixture of surprise and mild amusement before breaking into a cruel smile. "He said you were the talkative one," he mused. "He will be here shortly." All Rob could do was wait to get his answers.

-----

The dimly lit gymnasium seemed to shrink around Linsey as she paced back and forth, her mind racing with worry. The cheers from the game had long since faded and no one she interviewed seemed to know where Rob had gone off to. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something terrible had happened to him.

"Zack, John," she called out as she entered the locker room, finding them sitting on the bench in front of their lockers. "Have you heard from Rob? I've been trying to reach him and nobody seems to know where he went."

"Relax, Linsey," Zack reassured her with a small smile as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Rob's probably just freaked out by all the attention after he scored that winning basket. He's probably already back at the dorm freaking out."

"Maybe, but..." Linsey hesitated, biting her lip. "He always answers my calls? And with the attack on Boon, I can't help but think Rob's disappearance could be related. I don't know how many times I told him to stay away from all those crime scenes and now who knows what he has gotten himself into."