Luke was running. It was after midnight. He was running away from the darkness, yet it engulfed him. He was running away from reality, yet it was the present. His mind was racing as his thoughts argued with each other over what he had just witnessed.

They're not possessed. Maybe they just have a sore throat and those weird words they spoke was just them coughing up phlegm.

No, the way their voices changed, it was like two separate entities were having a conversation at one moment while Gio and Alex had a conversation at another.

Luke didn't know who to tell. His two closest friends were freaking possessed. And to confront them about it could be extremely dangerous. How did this happen to them? Why them?

Luke ran pass Caldwell and stopped outside Campus Ministry with a sliver of hope that Father Matthew would be inside at work, but the lights were all turned off. He looked up at Caldwell at night, and the building had an ominous stare. Staring up at the sole stained-glass window whose image was interrupted by normal glass was like seeing a giant staring down at you with one eye socket empty and filled with scabbed flesh. It sent shivers down Luke's body.

The Tower articles, a thought passed his mind. The dates—they were both from last semester...

Luke was a Freshman, and so were his two friends. They were all here last semester, and what type of college student would get lost or go exploring where they shouldn't?

A perplexed and lost college freshman.

Could the nameless victims of those articles be Gio and Alex?

Luke kept making many connections, but all were focused on connecting his friends to the demons. There were other questions that fogged the back of his mind like what were they looking for in the Basilica? What was that language they were speaking? Most importantly, who was Lilith?

Luke found himself running pass Leahy Hall and stopping outside. Should I alert campus police about the incident? He quickly flicked that thought aside like a fly that landed on his shoulder. Yeah and become the butt end of a joke for the next week amongst the officers whenever I come in to sign out my Safe Walk gear—no thanks.

But if he couldn't tell the authorities established to protect the campus, then who could Luke really turn to at this time of night?

Luke was too anxious to let this wait. Whatever his friends were looking for, they found it. Tomorrow they were going to get their hands on it, and whatever it was, it could really make these pockets of evil appearing on campus tear open like a sinkhole about to swallow the campus whole.

He looked off into the distance and saw a light flicker on like a candle and then quickly disappear. There was a shadow standing in the dark side of Curley Court, the residence for the priests on campus. The shadow walked into the light and Luke's heart leaped higher than a show dog for a biscuit.

It was Father Matthew. God bless his smoking addiction.

Like a flash flood of anxiety, Luke rushed towards Father Matthew to the point that Father Matthew dropped his cigarette and retreated towards the steps of Curley Court.

"Stay back criminal! I'll have you know the police department is right behind you." When Luke stepped into the light, Father Matthew's heart sighed in relief. "Boy are you mad? Do you know what time it is for you to be rushing an old man like a lioness hunting a gazelle? Are you on drugs?"

"No," Luke huffed as he placed his hands on his knees to get some air. "The demons, my friends, the Basilica..."

"Slow down boy and speak coherently," Father Matthew said descending back down Curley Court's steps breathing heavy himself. "I haven't moved that fast in decades."

Luke regained his composure as Father Matthew coughed and reached for the cigarette on the ground that was still burning. Father Matthew held the cigarette to his lips, inhaled his lungs full of tobacco, and then exhaled more smoke than a factory's chimney.

"Much better. Now are you gonna speak and tell me the news you were willing to give me a heart attack over for me to hear?"

Luke wasted no time,"I spotted two of my friends in the Basilica. They were looking for something inside it. Their voices changed into something gargled, like two voices competing for control. They spoke a language I've never heard before, and said they found some artifact. I think my friends are possessed by demons who are trying to undermine the school."

Father Matthew said nothing. He took another puff of his cigarette and stared off into space allowing the information to work its way through his brain.

"Father, I need help. They're going to retrieve the artifact tomorrow night and they even referenced a third person, some person named Lilith. That means that three people on this campus are possessed."

Father Matthew kept on thinking, and Luke was growing impatient. "Father what should I do?"

Father Matthew inhaled the last bit of tobacco from his cigarette. All that was left was the filter. He bent down and put out the burning tip on the concrete floor and stuffed the cigarette butt in his jacket pocket. The Father was dressed in fuzzy brown slippers as if they were made from bear fur, and long navy-blue pajama pants with multiple crucifixes scattered around the pants. He continued to wear a stone crucifix necklace that draped across his chest.

"Father..."

"Such sensitive matters must be contemplated properly before a decision is made. Haste against a supernatural enemy is not a mistake we can ever afford to take."

"So you believe me?"

"Yes I do. I've been waiting for the day the demon who attacked a century ago to show its face again. It was powerful enough to torment two people to death. One demon was dangerous enough, but by the news you've given me there are three. This is rather difficult indeed."

"Yeah, that's why we need to act fast before they get their hands on whatever artifact they are looking for in the Basilica. Do you even know what it could be?"

"I have some ideas, but the more I think about them, the more I wonder how an artifact from a Church could enhance their strengths."

"I don't think they want to use the artifact, I think they want to destroy the artifact. They mentioned something about burning it."

"Well then that makes a whole lot more sense. Still I can't imagine what specific artifact they would search for in a church that they must destroy."

"It seemed to be hidden behind a wall. They were using some devices to detect it."

As if he was seeing a baby carriage about to get smashed by a truck, Father Matthew's face shrieked back in a dreadful realization, "It can't be..."

"What?"

"But, I thought it was just a legend."

"What legend?"

"Why would they even want to burn it? For what purpose?"

"Burn what? Father you're killing me here."

"I'm not a hundred percent sure it's what they're looking for, but I believe the demons are utilizing their hosts to help locate an artifact that dates back to the very core of the Christian faith." Father Matthew pointed to the scattered crucifixes on his pajamas. "They're going after a piece of the cross that Jesus was crucified on."

"That's crazy. How does such a thing even survive that long?"

"It's an obscure legend, but when Jesus was crucified and died, he was taken down from the cross. Instead of reusing it, the man who requested to bury Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, also bought the cross and had it stored in secret as a relic to commemorate the crucifix where the son of God gave his life for humanity. The early leaders of the church, upon adopting the crucifix as the symbol of Christianity, coveted the cross upon which their savior was killed, and so in order to lend authority to the houses of Christ, they had a piece of the cross implanted in every church ever made. Naturally, the bigger the church, the bigger the piece of the cross they received."

Luke realized, "And the Basilica is the largest church in North America."

"Exactly, so it probably has a bigger piece than most churches which possibly only receive a splinter."

"But why would they want to find it and destroy it?"

"That is where I find it difficult to understand. I mean the legend never attributes divine power to the cross. Then again, anything that came into contact with the son of God holds true worth and significance—hence the eternal quest for objects like the Holy Grail. So, it could be that the early followers knew something that has since been forgotten within the ages. Maybe the cross truly serves as a sanctioned piece of authority that recognizes a normal building as a house of God."

"And to remove that piece..."

"Would strip it of its authority by that logic. But we teach that a mass can be celebrated anywhere there's a priest and a group of faithful celebrants to participate in the ceremony of the transubstantiation. This notion of lending authority places too much power in relics when the real power resides in Christ."

"Traditional teachings, legends, who cares? What matters now is that the demons are after that piece of the cross. And who knows what will happen once they get their hands on it. So, we must stop it from happening."

"There isn't much we can do tonight. You said it yourself, they plan to initiate the attack on Friday—technically tonight. So, you need to go back to your dorm and get some rest. Keep a close eye on your friends. I will need to study up on exorcism methods. I will have to consult some old manuscripts for such practices the church doesn't endorse anymore."

"You really think you can get rid of the demons?"

"I know past priests have," Father Matthew said as he turned towards Curley Court steps. "But, I must get started in my research. Tomorrow, we meet at Campus Ministry by sunset."

"Don't you think we should call in some backup? Like other priests who can help out as well?"

That got a half-hearted chuckle from Father Matthew, "Oh you're looking at the only priest who still believes in that sort of stuff boy. Now go get some rest—but stay vigilant. I'd suspect the demons won't make any rash moves until they have retrieved this artifact."

Luke nodded, "Hopefully my suitemates won't suffocate me in my sleep."

"If they wanted to, they probably would've done so already."

Whether they wanted to or not, Luke slept with his door locked that night; if you consider tossing and turning for eight hours with scattered twenty minutes of closing your eyes sleep. How can anyone sleep knowing that two people you were living with were possessed by demons? One is bound to sleep with one eye open—and sleeping that way is like trying to run with one leg.

*________________________________________________*

Author's Note

Alright, so the assumption is that three people are possessed at CUA. From what Luke has seen, he knows that Gio and Alex are two of them. Who's the third? Any thoughts?

Is Father Matthew the guy you would want by your side to take down demons? If not, who would you want by your side?

We'll see how the duo works together in the next chapter...

Until next week.

- L. A. Rivera