Nothing To Fear ....

Urgency

      Crane and Jenny both stared at Hawley , open - mouthed , and everyone else glanced at each other in confusion . Faith spotted Jake Pitts turning to Andy and Blasko , mouthing , "Purgatory ? The fuck ?"

      Before anyone could respond , Hawley continued , saying , "Nobody would have called that 'advisable' , but it didn't stop you , and it didn't stop Abbie from going with you . So you can't exactly argue the point with anybody else , can you ?"

      Crane stared at him for several seconds , then gave a slight nod . "No , I suppose they wouldn't , Master Hawley . The same could likely be said for my foray into the Catacombs ." He then turned his attention back to Faith , and said , "I believe I understand now . But I must insist that you do as Master Hawley asks . Stay close to him , or to one of us , if that is not possible . Do not attempt to venture off by yourself , Miss Faith . To the best of my recollection , that old house does not come equipped with an arsenal of fire - prevention devices ."

      Raising an eyebrow , Faith replied , "So Jenny told you about that , huh ? Don't worry , I'm pissed off , not stupid . What I know about fighting demons would fit in a bottlecap , so I'm okay with you guys taking the lead , but I don't intend to sit here on my ass not doing anything to help ."

      "Understood ."

       Alex spoke up then , saying , "I have something that might be able to help , at least with that floating thing . I'll just need somebody to help me with the setup ."

      "You're talking about that gizmo you almost wrecked the vault with , aren't you ?" , Diana inquired , as everyone made their way inside to gather what they needed for their attempt to rescue their friends . 

      "Yeah , but I've got the control problem solved , and there's a chance it could mess with the ... whatever it is , enough to at least slow it down , if not ground it . And if that doesn't work , I'll fight the thing by hand , if I have to , but the ugly little bastards are not getting Jake !"

      At that moment , Diana's phone rang , and after a glance at the display , she answered the call . It became almost immediately obvious that she was speaking to Chief Potter , and after a minute , she moved to the coffee table and picked up one of Andy's notepads , pulling a pen from her pocket . "Can you repeat that ?" , she asked , then scribbled on the pad . After another minute or so , she ended the call , and passed the paper to Crane .

      "Chief Potter says that while she was talking to Vance Logan , he remembered something he heard the demon say , but she couldn't make any sense of it . I just wrote it down like it sounded , so I have no clue if I spelled it all correctly . See if one of you can figure it out ."

      Jenny , Alex , and Hawley all moved to look over Crane's shoulder as he read , and while Alex looked as perplexed as Diana , the other three reacted very differently , which instantly made the group uneasy . Crane's face set into hard lines , while Jenny let out a low whistle of surprise , and Hawley raked his fingers through his hair , muttering , "Ah , shit !"

      "What is it ? What does it say ?" , Alex inquired , her gaze bouncing between them , as if willing one of them to answer .

      "With those reactions , it can't be anything good ." , Joe responded . "So you may as well lay it on us . How bad is it ?"

      "I will not attempt to whitewash the situation , Master Flanders , it is dire indeed . But , it also works in our favor , to a small degree , and gives us a bit more time to prepare ourselves , because what the demon has in mind cannot be accomplished for several more hours , until well after nightfall ."

      "What the hell is it , then ? Stop tiptoeing around shit and just tell us already !" , Faith shouted .

      "Yeah , dude , what she said ." , Jinxx added .

      Crane sighed , then glanced around the room , making sure that he had everyone's attention . "The phrase that Chief Potter relayed to Agent Thomas was Sumerian , of course , and roughly translates to : 'We shall become one .' It seems that the demon intended to divest itself of Gregory Horton's body , and transfer itself to Master Logan's . And now that this has become impossible , it is my guess that it intends for one of our comrades to serve in his stead ."

      "Oh , fuck that shit !" , CC interjected . "Let's go kick some demon ass !"

      "While I appreciate your enthusiasm , Master CC , we still have preparations to complete . So I suggest that we get to work . The first order of business is to arm yourselves ."

      As he finished speaking , the group began to disperse , with everyone scattering to various corners of the house , in search of a likely weapon , while Crane , Jenny , and Hawley began gathering the books and other items that would be required .

      Speaking softly , so none of the others could hear , Crane glanced at Hawley . "Should I presume that this explains what Miss Faith was heretofore unwilling to divulge ? That the demon used the form of one of our stolen compatriots in an attempt to feed on her ?"

      "I don't know for sure , but that would be my best guess . I think the only ones who really know the answer to that are Faith and Alex . But her reaction awhile ago tells me that she has a bit more of an investment in the outcome than just being concerned about a co - worker . And going by a conversation I was involved in , if it's the one I think it is , it's pretty mutual ."

      "So you're gonna seriously need to keep an eye on her , Hawley ." , Jenny chimed in . "We all know that the quickest way to forget the plan is to see someone we care about in danger . We've all done it , so we can't be surprised if she tries to break rank . Or any of the guys , for that matter ."

      Hawley acknowledged this with a nod as they finished  gathering the books , and moved on to the items in his rucksack , setting aside anything that they deemed useful . As they divided the items between them , they were interrupted by Andy , who said , "Could one of you explain something to me ? When Diana read that guy's journal the other day , it sounded like he actually let the demon take him over . Now , I know none of the guys are gonna go for that , so how is this supposed to happen ?"

      "Yeah , it's easier if it can find a willing participant , but not necessary ." , Jenny responded . "There are rituals that can be performed to overcome the person's will , and take control , and some of the more powerful demons can simply force their way in ."

      Crane added , "When this happens , however , there is rarely a physical transformation , such as Master Horton underwent , because the higher - level demons prefer to be hidden , most of the time , and work through manipulation and subterfuge ."

      Upon hearing this explanation , those who were still within earshot instinctively began to move with a greater sense of urgency , realizing that not only did the lives of their friends depend on the outcome of their mission , but that the very humanity , and soul , of at least one of them was at stake . 

      "Crane , if I understand correctly , our guns aren't really going to work that well on these things , am I right ?" , Faith quizzed the occult expert .

      "You are indeed . Mundane weapons may distract a demon , or irritate it , but they will cause no lasting harm . The creature likely suffered more by making contact with your necklace than it would if all of you emptied your weapons into its body ."

      She gave him a rather fierce - looking grin , and pulled an object from the pile they had formed . "What if we put some of this on the bullets ?"

      They turned their attention to the item she held , and saw that it was the flask of consecrated oil . A proud smile spread across Hawley's features , and the others all exchanged surprised looks , before starting to smile themselves .

      "That is a capital idea , dear lady !" , Crane responded . "Everyone , bring your weapons and let us get started . The sooner we fortify ourselves , the sooner we can have the demons destroyed or contained , and our friends back among us ."

      Everyone surged forward , weapons in hand , eager to rescue their companions , and , hopefully , to finally end the demon's reign of terror .