Sunday's Serving - Lilith's Return

 

Devon suddenly appeared, hurrying out of the back door to approach Lilith.  His downcast eyes darted nervously at the dozens of succubi who lounged on his patio.  Feminine trills rose around him, along with appreciative calls inviting him to enjoy his guests in a carnal fashion.  A fashion that Devon knew full well would get him killed in a hurry.  The fear in his eyes revealed he was all too aware of the danger his life was in.

As if a multitude of words would shield him from the destructive attentions of Lilith’s daughters, he began jabbering before he’d even rounded the corner of the pool.  “Security cameras have picked up several vehicles outside the property.  Two men are screwing around with the front gate.  I think they’re trying to disable the system to get in.”

At last.  Lilith stretched lazily, as if her foes were only a minor distraction, as if her heart wasn’t suddenly pounding in anticipation.  “Our enemies are here,” she announced. 

Devon reached her side.  With a solicitous if trembling hand, he helped her to her feet.  His flesh was sweaty on her skin.  “Should I call the police?  Have them arrested?”

She laughed.  “Not at all.  Let come in so I and my children can welcome them.”  Her army of succubi, though not as great as she’d hoped, still outnumbered the Segreto. 

Lilith’s confidence in her offspring came through in her next statement to her daughters, all of whom had risen and waited for the word to finish the ancient war once and for all.  “This world is ours.  We claim it now.”

 

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Sunday's Serving - Lilith

 

            Enough light filtered down the hall to see Lilith when she appeared in the doorway. The demoness’ exaggerated body swelled against her sweater and slacks. Despite her impressive proportions, the sharp-toothed snarl that twisted her face ruined any semblance of beauty. Malevolence pulsed from her in noxious, malignant waves. It was as if a cancerous tumor had taken human form.

            Alex battled the urge to bolt. She kept motionless in the shadows as her enemy stalked into the room.

            Lilith walked past her. She passed by, not seeing Alex hiding there in the shadows. It was as good a chance as the Segreto could hope to get. Alex flung the vial towards the demoness and prayed that something remained in it.

            A sound like bacon sizzling and the sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh filled the already rancid air. Lilith’s shriek rebounded off the walls.

            Alex stepped out of the shadows. She shouted, “In the name of God, I command you to depart this world!”

            Lilith twisted to face her. Before Alex could react, the demoness charged at her, talons reaching. Lilith crashed her body into the Segreto with the force of a runaway train, hurling her into the hallway. Alex flew backwards, and her head bounced off the wall. White spots exploded before her eyes. She crashed to the floor. She lay stunned, unable to move. 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

 

Alex’s face filled with torment, and for the first time, Lena really saw her mother.  Not the demon killing, bloodthirsty warrior, but a woman filled with doubt and fear and guilt.  “You don’t take any life without dying a little inside, Lena.  Even when the life you end is an evil one.”

“You kill demonkind all the time.”

Alex bowed her head.  “I know.  But in that case it’s the same idea as killing Hitler to stop him from killing millions of innocents.  Killing one to save many.”  Drops fell from her eyes, spilling over her clenched hands.  She was actually crying again, though her voice remained steady.  “Once upon a time I killed demonkind indiscriminately.  Don’t think it doesn’t haunt me to this very day.  Who knows how many of my victims were like you?  Like your father and Uncle Jacob?”

Lena had never realized the burden Alex had carried all her life.  It was a revelation to see that the tough woman felt every bit as vulnerable as she.  That she was in need of the same support that Lena sought.  Maybe needing even more.

 

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Sunday's Serving - Lilith

           Despite her best efforts, Alex dropped right on top of the dead man. The body squelched beneath her, and the air went muddy with the scent of spoiled meat. His blank eyes stare into hers, the windows to his soul looking into a bare, unfurnished room.

           She controlled an urge to scream – barely. Her stomach heaved, and she scrambled off the bed. The ripe odor of death hung about her. Alex held her breath as she hurried to the door. There she paused, willing her galloping heartbeat to slow to a trot. Panic edged back but kept a hungry eye on her.

            Alex pulled the vial of holy water from her coat pocket and unstoppered it. With a shuddering breath she cracked the door open.

            A powerful thrum slammed through her body. The force made her stumble backwards. Demon recognition hit her with the force of a tidal wave. She tried to scream, but only a whistling hiss of breath escaped.

            Alex staggered in a drunken pirouette to the middle of the room. One hand outstretched to ward off the demonic presence. The other pulled back the holy water as if she readied to throw the first pitch of a baseball game.

            Alone and small, Alex had indeed blundered into the lair of the Beast. A moaned litany escaped her lips. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t...”

            Staring at the dark hallway beyond the open door, she wept the tears of a terrified child. Who was she to confront such a monster? Lilith would surely annihilate her within seconds. With all that power, she couldn’t be stopped, couldn’t even be slowed. Lilith would destroy them all. Such malevolence would crush everything in its path. Alex’s puny arsenal of prayers and spells would be like pebbles thrown at a tank. Incantations would be no more to the ancient demoness than nursery rhymes.  

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

Lena’s shriek rang through the room, and Alex almost grabbed Father Jackson, ready to fling him far away from her daughter.  Instead, she gripped her crucifix so hard it cut the palm of her hand.  The pain steadied her, as if inflicting damage on herself could somehow bleed it away from Lena.

The younger Lasham’s face twisted, as if to distort itself into a parody of her child.  Then the hazel eyes flew open.  Her gaze found Alex and stared at her with an expression the mother had never seen on her daughter’s face before:  utter hatred.

Through gritted teeth, Lilith snarled, “You would destroy your own child to get to me, Segreto?”

Alex’s jaw clenched tight enough to hurt.  She had to, to stop the scream welling up from her guts to fill her throat.  My baby, my little girl, don’t hurt my Lena! 

Father Jackson waved his crucifix before Lilith’s eyes.  “I order you to depart this child of God, Lilith.  You have no claim on her body, and you must relinquish your influence now.”

Lilith winced but gave no ground.  “Child of God?  She is of my blood, watered down as it may be.  She is not human.  She belongs to the sisterhood of first woman, descended not of Eve!”

Alex couldn’t hold back.  “She is descended from Eve through me, and it is the greater part of her.  You have no claim on her.  You will let her go!”

The priest drew the sign of the cross over Lena’s forehead.  “You are commanded to return to whence you came, Lilith.  God commands you.  Christ commands you.  The Holy Spirit commands you.”

Lena’s body writhed, held in place by her bonds.  Her eyes rolled back until only the whites showed.  Lilith’s voice still sounded strong as it issued from her lips, however.  “Fuck you.  She will die.  The Segreto will die.  All children of the black-hearted Adam and the usurper Eve will die, and I will take what was rightfully to be mine!”

 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

            Colwyn sped down the streets. They reached Henderson Avenue within five minutes.

            “Oh shit,” Jacob said, letting him know he’d spotted the truck two blocks down. The older demi-demon said nothing as he parked behind Alex’s Ford. His chest felt tight. The Mercedes’ rearview mirror reflected his grim face back at him.

            Jacob looked at the house they’d parked in front of. A ‘For Sale’ sign whipped back and forth in the gale. “This isn’t it. That house is empty.”

            Colwyn peered through the driving rain at the house number. “It must be the house up there.”

            As soon as they got out of the car, a tremendous jolt of demon energy pulsed against him. His mouth went dry. Jacob’s face whitened to alabaster.

            “I think we’ve found what we’re looking for. This is very bad,” the younger Planter said over the torrent. “I hope Alex hasn’t done anything stupid.”

            Colwyn pushed aside his own terror. “We’ll go to the back door and surprise Lilith. Hurry!”

            They raced across the yard and around to the rear of the house. The rain beat against them like hundreds of tiny fists, as if desperate to make them turn around. They reached the back door. Colwyn peered into its window. The interior of the house was dark but for one room lit at the end of the hall. He saw no movement. He tried to open the door.

            “It’s locked.”

            “Do we break it down?” Jacob suggested.

            “It looks quiet in there. If Alex is still alive, we’d be better off sneaking in. Let’s check and see if any windows are unlocked. If we can get in quietly—” Colwyn broke off.

            His brother’s eyes widened. “What the hell?”

            A second incredible surge of demon power startled both men. A coldly amused voice spoke from behind them. “Well now, what do we have here?”

            They whipped around. A woman, her black hair plastered down by the rain, stood at the bottom of the steps. She looked them up and down and licked her lips.

            “My, my,” she whispered, her voice husky. “Two big, strong halflings sneaking around the back door. Breaking and entering is a crime, boys. You’ll have to be punished.”

            The brothers recoiled from the succubus as she closed the distance. Their hands flew up too late to ward her off. She touched them. 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

The priest stared into Lena’s eyes.  “I call you forth, Lilith, first woman, first demoness.  I call forth the one who turned your back on the most high God.  Come forth and show yourself to us.”

Lena broke out in a sweat as the room suddenly blasted furnace hot.  She felt out of breath, as if she’d just run a mile.  The pain in the middle of her head returned, and she had an image of a rusty fish hook buried in there.  Trembling broke out over her body.  Yet Lilith didn’t come forward to challenge them.

Alex handed Father Jackson a vial of holy water.  Lena squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what would come next, anticipating it would feel a lot worse than the oily sensation she’d gotten at the little chapel nearby.

The priest’s voice rose, hard and commanding.  “I have your name, and therefore control over you.  Come forward now, Lilith!”

The water hit the exposed flesh of Lena’s face and arms.  A sound like bacon sizzling on a griddle filled Lena’s ears.  The pain hit an instant later.  Before she could scream against the vicious torment it faded away.  The alien mind that lurked within hers roared forward, eclipsing Lena in utter darkness.

 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

           Once she felt safe from curious eyes, she crossed from that backyard to the next.  Right away she saw one window at the back of the demoness’ house was cracked open about an inch.  When she reached it, she found the window was over her head.  Alex looked about for something to stand on.  A child’s tricycle stood on the back porch of the house on the other side of the demon’s lair.  She edged towards it.  No one seemed to be home.  She grabbed the tricycle and hurried back to the window.

            Alex placed the tricycle beneath it.  She listened for any sounds within.  Only the far-off hum of traffic and the drum of her heart disturbed the stillness.  Gripping the windowsill, she stepped onto the toy’s seat and peered inside. 

            Alex looked into the wide open eyes of a wasted man who stared up at her from a bed beside the window.  His face betrayed a horror unimaginable.  Alex froze.

 

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Sunday's Serving - Lilith's Return

 

When all the pure human members of the Segreto returned, Lena permitted them to tie her to a chair with a few lengths of scarves, most of which came from Stella.  Apparently, no one had thought to bring rope or duct tape to the hunt for Lilith.  Her stomach squirmed sickeningly to hand herself over to the Christian portion of the group.  She had no fear that any of them would harm her, at least not on purpose.  These were friends who had watched her grow up, came to birthday celebrations, babysat her when needed during her childhood, and refused to let her take their family portraits for gratis.  They were family, almost as much as those who shared Lena’s DNA.

As the Segreto bound her, they whispered things like, “You’ll be okay.”  “We’ll take care of you, Lena.”  “Stay strong, sweetheart.”  Everyone had tears standing in their eyes.  A couple wept openly, trembling with sobs even as they rendered her helpless.

They didn’t want to hurt her.  Like her, they were afraid they would have to.  Lena saw her own fear in every face surrounding her, along with grief that the worst might happen; oceans and oceans of grief.

After Lena had been trussed securely, Alex stepped forward.  Mother presented her crucifix to daughter, holding it so that only a bare inch separated the icon from her face.  “As a token of your purity as a child of God, kiss this symbol of his Son, who gave himself on the cross so that man, his greatest creation, may live forever.”

Lena did so with a frightened grimace.  The cold metal felt as if it squirmed against her lips, as if the crucifix had morphed into writhing maggots.  A dagger of pain sliced through her head, making her gasp.  As soon as Alex took the crucifix away, the pain relented.

Her mother’s relieved expression that Lena had successfully embraced the Christian talisman without coming to harm let the young woman know just how worried Alex was.  Alex next brought out a small drawstring bag; a voodoo gris-gris.  She pressed it into Lena’s hand.  “Don’t let it go.  This will shield you from the exorcism rite so that only Lilith is driven out.  Remember, your faith in God is absolute.  He has deemed you worthy of life.  Believe in that and you will not be harmed by this rite, even though you possess demon blood.”

 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

 

            Alex’s mouth dried.  A tremor overcame her.  She’d faced many demons, but none looked as predatory as this creature.  The demoness moved with catlike grace, and her eyes scanned her surroundings as if searching for prey.  This was no Christmas-loving Stella Foster.  This was a voracious beast hunger-bright for something to snack on, something that would shriek and bleed.

            Run before she sees you! Alex’s instincts screamed.  Her heart hammered as if to burst from her chest.  But her legs quaked and refused to hurl her back into the truck.  Even though about twenty yards separated them, her talent drummed with insane violence, a sure indication the demoness possessed considerable power, more than Colwyn and Jacob combined. 

            The fiend’s head turned towards her.  Alex looked away and pretended to study the house for sale.  Her hands clutched at the gris-gris and holy water in her pockets as she watched out of the corner of her eye.

            The demoness stalked to the driver’s side of the BMW parked a few feet in front of her truck.  Alex glanced over and met a cold stare from eyes like black holes.  It was as if twin pits had been bored into the flesh of the demoness’ face, destroying the first impression of flawless beauty.  Alex feared if she looked too long she’d be swallowed in the dark depths.  Was Hell as bottomless and black as those eyes?   

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

Colwyn clenched and unclenched his fists several times, obviously trying to find a way out of the situation.  A way that wouldn’t threaten Lena’s life.  His struggle was so apparent that it brought fresh pain to Alex’s heart.  Losing Lena would destroy him.

Alex cupped his face in her small hands.  “Trust me, my love.”

At last his shoulders sagged in defeat, and he nodded.  “I do.  If anyone can get her out of this, it’s you.”

Colwyn’s strength still failed him.  It became obvious he couldn’t make himself walk out, leaving Lena to her fate.  He hugged both her and Alex hard until Jacob was forced to pull him away.  With his younger brother’s arm around his hunched shoulders, Colwyn joined the exodus of demonkind from the room.

The human members of the Segreto had already dashed out to gather the holy implements needed for the exorcism.  Alone for the moment, Lena glanced at Alex and blew out a breath.  “This is going to hurt like hell.”

Alex swallowed and was forced to remind herself she had no other option.  She couldn’t show a moment of weakness; not to Lilith who would pounce on any sign of wavering, and not to Lena who needed her strength so badly right now.

To her daughter she said, “It probably will hurt.  And it’s going to be a lot more dangerous to you than we let your father know.” 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

            Alex imagined a shadowy female figure tearing first Jacob then Colwyn apart while she stood by, unable to move.  She pictured it clearly, seeing the blood flowing from the brothers’ gaping wounds and Colwyn looked at her with accusing eyes that glazed over.

            Alex shook herself out of the terrible fantasy.  She trembled all over as she rooted through the pockets of the jeans she wore yesterday.  She transferred the items she found from those to the jeans she wore now:  a small gris-gris bag, a vial of holy water, and the rusted nail from Holly Hutchins' coffin.  She held the nail in her palm for a moment and stared at it.

            “What did you know?” she asked the nail.  “What was it that helped you defeat Lilith so quickly?”

            When the nail failed to gain the power of speech and subsequently refused to offer her sage insight from the long-dead Segreto, Alex stuffed the nail in her pocket and came to a decision. 

            She’d go after Lilith without the brothers.  Reaction to so much demon strength might hinder her. 

            “And let’s face it,” Alex said to herself.  “I don’t care to see them killed, demonkind or not.”

            She glanced at the clock in the den before walking out.  Almost one o’clock.  They expected her in an hour.  If she hurried and didn’t get pulled over for speeding, she could get to the house on Henderson Avenue in forty minutes.  By the time they realized she’d gone without them, they’d be too late.                          

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

Alex was as startled by Lena’s sudden outburst as everyone else.  However, she knew in an instant that something had gone terribly wrong with her daughter.  She didn’t hesitate to rush towards the distressed girl.  Before Alex realized on a conscious level what was happening, the alien sneer on Lena’s face stopped her in her tracks. 

Her words dripping with hate, Lena said, “Ridiculous creatures, all of you.  Watered-down demon blood and weak offspring of Adam.  Do you really think you can stand against my might?”

Colwyn and Jacob drew close, their faces confused and worried.  The younger brother said, “Lena?  What—?”

“It’s Lilith,” Alex interrupted him.  Molten rage poured through every vein of her body until she thought she might burst into flames with the force of it.  “Leave my daughter alone, you fucking bitch!” she screamed at the monster hiding inside Lena.

Lilith taunted her from within her precious daughter’s body.  “Or what?  What are you waiting for, Segreto?  You know where I am.  Come and get me!”

Alex carefully stepped closer to Lena/Lilith.  Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling with the need to pound the bitch for daring to touch her child.  “Oh, we’re coming.  You can bet your infernal ass we’re coming.”

She plunged her hand into her collar, pulling out the crucifix so that the gold shined in Lilith’s eyes.  Lena’s body jerked back, her arms rising to shield herself from the sight.  She snarled for an instant, like a rabid animal held at bay.  Then the hateful facade subsided from Lena’s face and she was herself again, falling to her knees at Alex’s feet.

Colwyn shot to his daughter’s side to cradle her shuddering body, wincing as he did so.  However, a thousand Christian relics couldn’t have kept him from Lena.  Alex put away the crucifix before it could harm him. 

As soon as the talisman was hidden behind Alex’s white button-down shirt again, Colwyn stared up at her with mingled fury and horror.  “Has that bitch been in Lena all this time?  Does Lilith know everything we’re planning?”

Alex’s heart thudded painfully.  She looked helplessly at her husband, without any idea of what to say. 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

            Alex automatically prepared her usual breakfast by heating a couple of toaster pastries and microwaving a cup of instant coffee.  Nibbling at her breakfast, she stared out the kitchen window, not seeing the abandoned house decaying creepily across the road.  Her thoughts were far from that eerie sight.

            She mused over Colwyn’s strange behavior the night before.  What had he wanted to ask her but been unable to?  To see such a huge, confident man so unsure of himself fascinated her.  In that moment, she’d almost forgotten his demonic side.  Despite the thrum of his presence,        he seemed wholly human and someone she could genuinely like.  His smile softened his strong features and made the granite face attractive.  Seeing him unguarded like that made her wish for ignorance of his ancestry.

            Her thoughts startled her, and Alex almost dropped her cup.  Coffee sloshed onto the tile floor and splashed her bare toes.  She swore at the sudden burn. 

            She grabbed a handful of paper towels and wiped up the spill almost savagely.  What in the hell am I thinking?  He’s a demi-demon for God’s sake!   

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

 Lilith rose from her seat in the study and stepped over to stand in front of the fireplace.  She’d meant to address her audience several minutes ago, but the stupid little demi-demon Lena had walked into a church.  The shock of where the young woman had gone, that she actually crossed the sanctified space’s threshold, was still fresh. 

Lilith had to afford her enemy’s daughter grudging respect for her ability to enter a chapel.  That someone descended from her bloodline, no matter how watered down, could withstand such surroundings spoke volumes about Alex Williams Lasham’s faith.  The Segreto bitch had somehow transformed profane energy into a child who could negate holy power.  Lena’s immunity to the sacred frightened Lilith almost as much as the church itself.

Lilith had withdrawn as much of her consciousness as possible from Lena while still maintaining contact with the girl’s mind.  She had been swept by nausea and pain nevertheless, and it had taken all her control to hide the agony from the others in her presence.  Finally the hateful little bitch had left the chapel.  After another five minutes of collecting herself, Lilith felt strong enough to take center stage before the hearth. 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith

 

 

            They relaxed — a little.  Colwyn flicked wary eyes at his surroundings.  “Interesting decor.  It looks like a shrine to every god ever thought up.”

            “This stuff is my idea of a home insurance policy.”

            Jacob stood frozen except for his eyes which rolled around taking everything in.  “This won’t harm us then?  I mean, I feel okay, just nervous.”

            “It can’t hurt you because I’m not using anything as a weapon.  Faith invokes their properties.  You should be able to touch most of them without injury.”

            They moved further into the room, their steps cautious.  Jacob touched a tentative forefinger to a small statuette of a goddess.  When nothing happened to him, his tension eased.  He picked up the plaster figurine to examine it closely.  “You’re right; it doesn’t bother me at all.  How about that?”

            Colwyn walked to the center of the den and turned around in a circle, looking at everything.  “Am I to understand that belief is your greatest weapon?”

            Alex nodded.  “Both mine and any demon’s I face.  Holy water would have no more effect on you than tap water if we didn’t both believe it could hurt you.”

            “What if I believe and you don’t?”  Colwyn watched Jacob handle the statuette.  A muscle twitched in his jaw.

            “Then it would depend on which of us has the greatest faith.  What religion do you fear the most?”

            He glanced at the crucifix over her computer and quickly looked away.  “Christianity, of course.”

            Alex motioned to his brother.  “That piece Jacob is holding is an image of Isis, an Egyptian goddess.  I use it as part of my protection against demonkind.  Because I decided it wouldn’t hurt him and he didn’t perceive it to be a Christian threat, he can touch it without injury.  If he touched a crucifix, it might hurt even against my wishes simply because he thinks it’s harmful.”

            Fascination helped Colwyn relax a little more.  “Is that why the Segreto uses so little physical force against demonkind?”

            Alex gave him a wry grin.  “You withstand physical injury too well for them to defeat you that way.  I’d guess you two gorillas in particular can handle more pain than most.  Since we can’t shoot, stab, or beat demonkind to death easily, we’re left with using metaphysical weapons.  That expression ‘faith can move mountains’ is very apt.” 

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Sunday’s Serving – Lilith’s Return

 

She thought it one of the most warm and welcoming churches she’d ever set foot in, but Lena still experienced a heaviness in her stomach.  She was demonkind, supposedly not welcome here.  Alex had lectured her about the strength of faith, that the trappings of religion were nothing without intent present in those who used them.  She’d preached her own gospel time and again until the words were nearly burned in Lena’s brain.

“This crucifix can’t hurt you.  This holy water can’t hurt you.  They are only objects, nothing to be feared.  I have faith my daughter is good.  I cannot harm you with these baubles.  And Lena, if you do not believe in their harm, they really are only baubles.”

There had to be truth in that.  Through the years, Lena felt nothing more than slight discomfort touching such things.  Yet she’d seen Alex destroy demi-demons with those same objects.  Alex’s faith that she performed holy work made the icons destructive weapons that no demon could stand again.  In her hands, the symbols of the Church won every battle that Alex waded into.  Conviction was an unstoppable force, and Alex Williams Lasham wielded it like the Archangel Michael’s fiery sword.

Lena sat down in the backmost pew.  Her temples ached fiercely.  She bowed her head and closed her eyes to pray as she’d done countless times before, often without her parents’ knowledge.

She believed in God.  One couldn’t face the reality of demons and not be a believer.  Being one of the profane herself, Lena had more faith than many she knew who attended services regularly.  She hoped the Almighty could forgive her condition since she’d had no control over it.  Though she’d rejected the bloodbath of being a full-fledged member of the Segreto, Lena believed she’d conducted herself with basic decency.  Surely she couldn’t be damned because of an accident of ancestry.

Dear God, I am not evil simply because my existence can be traced back to Lilith and the Fallen.  You have to know this.  I am as good as any human.  In fact, I am kinder than many who have no demon blood in their veins.  I don’t want to hurt anyone except those who would destroy us all.  I don’t like feeding on misery.  Tell me I’m more than the sum of my parts.  Tell me I’m not doomed to hell for all eternity simply because I’m descended from those who do delight in the pain of others.  I’m begging you for a sign.  Something I can show my mother so she’ll see she has nothing to fear from me. 

Lena had lost count of how many times she’d sent out that prayer.  This time, as with all the others, she received no answer.  Perhaps there would never be one, and Alex would go to her grave in agony because she’d brought one of demonkind into the world through her own womb.  Lena didn’t like thinking such things, but she’d learned to live with the notion.  Still, she couldn’t help but plead her case yet again.

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