breathed in the cold morning air slowly, as if meditating
and finding peace. I canvassed my surroundings, searching
for any sign of a fiend – smell, breathing, blood. There was
nothing. I breathed in quickly and sighed relief. I glanced
around nonchalantly and proceeded up to the front door.
As I came to the doorstep, I reached into my coat
pocket and took out a small bottle of holy water. Using the
bottle, I marked the air in front of the door with the sign
of the cross. Then I carefully twisted the lid from the
bottle – making sure not to spill the contents, and
meticulously poured a small stream of holy water around
the outer sides of the stoop. No fiends may enter now, I
mumbled, by the power of God. I screwed the lid back on, put
the holy water back in my pocket, and knocked on the
door.
“Y-yes, can I help you?” a woman answered a
minute later.
“My name’s Matthias Kade, and I’m a doctor from
L.A. I was told a member of this household was sick and
needed medical attention.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we didn’t call for any help,” she
scowled.
She made to shut the door, but my hand was
quicker than she. Though she tried with all her might, I
pushed the door open and invited myself in.
“You can’t come in here. Herald!”
“Oh, but madame, you will need my help if you are
to save him.”
“Him?”
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