Father Francis gently guided me back to my pew, patting my shoulder. “Faith is what you need.”

“I used to have faith. It's hard when everyone tells you that your death is inevitable.”

“Death is inevitable for us all,” the priest said.

Bex looked up, his eyes narrowing.

“What?” I asked. “Is it Shax?”

“No,” Bex said, his eyes fluttering. “They've been crowding us since we got here, but they're....,” he opened his eyes, “all gone.”

“But...why?” I said, incredulous. The theme of the night had been that Shax had let us get away with his precious book far too easily. Their retreat only set me on edge, wondering when he would decide to put up a real fight.

Suddenly the door opened, cracking against the wall. Bex stood up, pulling me with him, using his body as a shield.

“You got a bathroom, Father?” Kim asked.

Father Francis scurried down the aisle, shutting the door behind Kim. “Of course, child. Just through there,” he gestured.

“Not funny,” Bex said, frowning at her as she walked past.

“What?” Kim said, oblivious. “Just because you're being chased by hundreds of demons, a girl can't pee?”

Bex just shook his head, laughing once, absent of humor.

I collapsed into the pew, exhausted. “Something is wrong. They should be here by now.”

Bex glanced at me, and then turned a page of the book, choosing to ignore my words.

“I should have helped him. Ryan was dragged to his death, and I just ran away,” I said, feeling the sting of salty tears well up in my eyes.

“I'm trying to read,” Bex grumbled.

A door slammed down the hall, and then Kim's loud footsteps announced her arrival before she came into view.

“Oh, geez. Are you crying?” she asked. “And where is everyone? They go out for ice cream or what?”

I dried my tear-stained cheeks with my sleeve. “Jared and Claire stayed behind to give me and Ryan time to get out. When we got to the alley, something took Ryan.”

“Something?” Kim said, eyebrow raised. “Like what?”

“I don't know. I couldn't see it. It was kind of like a shadow...but it was more...,” I trailed off, unable to find the appropriate word to describe it.

“Shadowy?” Kim said, unimpressed.

I rolled my eyes. “Not everything's a joke, Kim. Ryan's dead.”

“No he's not,” she replied, confident.

Her words peaked my attention. “Why do you say that? Have you heard something? Do you know where they are?”

Kim nodded to the door. “He looks like crap, but he's right there.”

I turned, gripping the top of the pew. Ryan, Claire, and Jared all stood near the entrance, dirty, blood-stained, and badly beaten. Before I registered that I was moving, my legs were carrying me down the aisle at full speed, and I crashed into Jared's chest. He wrapped his arms around me tight, and sighed with relief.