Fight for a Village

"Wake her up. Take the bag off her head." The priest commanded.

A bucket of water was dumped on her head, with the bag still on. She started gasping. The bag was taken off her head.

"Where am I?" she gasped. The priest struck her across the face.

"You're in front of MY church." She spat the blood that pooled in her mouth at his feet. "Show some respect, wretched girl. You are about to witness greatness." He opened the double doors to the church and began to enter. The two people carrying her by each arm followed close behind.

"I thought demons couldn't enter a church of God," she said finally catching her breath.

"I told you: This is MY church. If God was anywhere in this town, you would not be in this situation and I certainly wouldn't be here." They walked into the church near the first row of pews. "Well, perhaps I would. Just to cause trouble."

"Demons burn upon entering a church."

"Child, who told you that?" They stopped in the middle of the church. The demon turned to face the stained glass at the front of the church.

"The Archangel I've been in touch with." He turned back to face her.

"We do. Mostly on the inside, only looks like we're sweating on the outside." He sneered.

"Why are you here, demon?"

"I could answer that question with another question, but I won't. Honestly, I'm so desperate to tell someone my plan, I might as well. The knowledge dies with you. See, we demons sow seeds of chaos anywhere and everywhere. Any souls we lead astray only help further our cause. Our lord Lucifer grows more powerful with every soul."

"So every soul counts."

"Yes. But not everyone thinks so. Perhaps they have a moment where they realize they do matter right before it's too late. Not to say, we don't need anyone finding that out while something can be done."

"And leading a whole town down the wrong path is a big deal."

"Lucifer promises a raise in power once the village perishes in fire started by "accident." The entire village dead with one grand act."

"What makes you think the village will let you start a fire and not do anything about it?"

"They worship me. They worship a false idol, a false God. They are worshipping a demon with the power equivolent to an Archangel."

"Unknowingly!" She tries to break free from her bindings but to no avail.

"Whether they know or not, Lucifer does not care. A soul is a soul."

"Whatever demon spell you have them under, I will find a way to break it!"

"Spell?" The demon turned to the stained glass window again. "Is that how you think I gained their unconditional obedience, through a spell? First, demons don't really do spells. We have powers. Secondly, it was my powers that gave me their unconditional obedience. I simply showed them my powers and they built this church for me to preach to them." He walked towards the stained glass.

"You used your demonic powers to control them, didn't you?"

"No. I gave them everything they ever wanted. They wanted food, I gave it to them. They wanted water, I gave it to them. They wanted shelter, I gave it to them. You call them villagers? They were simple colonists before I came up from the depths of Hell. Now, they give me power with their lives when they worship me and when they are dead they will give power to Lucifer. A glorious plan, is it not?" He turned back to face the girl.

"I disagree." She said stoically.

"Of course you would."

"I have a friend who also disagrees." Suddenly, a beam of light shined through the roof of the church to the floor. Something came rushing through the light and broke the roof. When the dust and debris settled, a man stood there in the beam of light. A pair of wings extended from the man's back. The beam faded. The demon took three steps back, then two steps forward.

"An angel."

"Archangel. I told you I was talking to one."

"An archangel he may be, but he is still no match for me, wretched girl." The demon snapped his fingers and three men appeared in a burst of fire. "Meet three of my friends. They are just like me, except they lack some of the powers and ambition I have."

"You may have the same strength that I have, demon" said the Archangel, "but I have greater faith in the one I serve. My lord and savior is stronger than Lucifer." The Archangel drew his sword.

"Perhaps so." The priest snapped his fingers again. "But they aren't here fighting this battle, are they?" At that moment, all of the colonists came running to the church, seemingly on command. "Here are the ones who will fight this battle."

"Having mortals do your dirty work, demon? How could you use their meaningful lives this way?" Said the Archangel.

"They would gladly die for me. Can you say the same about the bound girl you used to talk to, Angel?"

"Spare her." The Archangel placed his sword in front of her.

"No. Please, excuse me. I have a young girl to kill." The demon and the three like him shed their human skin and showed their hideous true form.

The Archangel grabbed the girl and flew her through the opening in the roof, freeing her from the gasp of the two people holding her. They flew towards the shore of the island the colonists were on and landed.

"Run, child. Run towards the ocean. Get as far from here as you can."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to free the people from that demon's thrall."

"Don't hurt them, please. They did not know."

"I will free them without hurting them. If I can take down the demons then the colonists will be free. But if I cannot, then you must carve something into as many things as you can. If you do and I fall, then the word will signal to the Heavens to cleanse this place. The people will die but their souls will be saved. The demons will die and go back to the depths of Hell they came from. I am hoping it will not be needed."

"I will carve the word so the people can be saved. What word do I carve?"

Just then, the demons appeared. The colonists were behind the demons. The Archangel turned to face them.

"Half of you attack the Archangel. The other half kill the girl. Brethren, you know what to do." The demons stood back until all the colonists ran ahead, then began their assault. The Archangel turned back to the girl.

"The word is Croatoan. Now run. Go! Don't look back!" The girl ran and the Archangel turned to face the colonists and the demons.

"You'll pay for the roof, Angel!" screamed the demon.

The Archangel started to pray, "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; ..."