Apocalypse Soldier Read Online Free PDF Page B

what lay ahead.
    He removed a Bible, vials of holy water and a golden cross, which contained bone fragments from nine different saints. These were essential weapons in the arsenal he’d bring against the vile creature residing within Nicole.
    “I see you came prepared today, Father. Finally convinced yourself you aren’t dealing with some head-case with daddy issues?”
    “There is no sanctuary for you here.”
    Cabrera flipped open his Bible and began to read. Nicole squirmed and writhed on the padded floor.
    As Cabrera’s voice picked up in speed and volume, he splashed Nicole with holy water. A monstrous howl exploded from her throat and the orderlies backed away, their terror growing.
    “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
    Nicole’s seizures gained in intensity. “The child belongs to me,” the inhuman voice proclaimed.
    “…Deliver us from the evil one.”
    Cabrera held up the cross and Nicole reared back. Her hissing ceased and gave way to a nerve-shredding bellowing sound, more animal than human.
    Words of prayer flowing from his lips, Cabrera approached the writhing young woman on the floor. This was the most dangerous part of the ritual. It necessitated direct contact. Timing and focus would be crucial. One single misstep, and the exorcism would falter.
    He raised the cross, which was his most powerful weapon against the inflicted, and pinned it to Nicole’s forehead. There was no sizzling flesh, as the movies would have the public believe, but the contact triggered a violent reaction in the possessed. Nicole began to snarl and spit, nostrils flaring. Her eyes rolled back, revealing black sclera.  
    “The power of the Almighty commands you!”
    Nicole’s head reared back, accompanied by the cracking of bones. Her mouth widened and something dark and inhuman slithered from between her bloody lips.  
    Cabrera fought back revulsion as he watched a black scorpion crawl from Nicole’s open mouth and slither up the wall of the padded cell. A shrill scream exploded from Nicole’s throat and she slumped forward, completely spent.  
    Cabrera’s heart hammered as the fast-moving scorpion scurried away from Nicole. He couldn’t let the demon escape. Even though he was in his mid-forties, Cabrera kept himself in peak physical condition. Running and boxing were part of his daily regimen. He depressed a switch on the cross and a blade snapped out at the bottom. Moving with the speed of a man half his age, he drove the blessed blade into the escaping scorpion. The entity squirmed but couldn’t resist the crossblade’s holy power for long. Stinger flailing helplessly, it dissolved into thin air.  
    It was over. Once again he’d racked up a victory against the forces of darkness…
    Sudden movement behind him made him wheel toward the two orderlies. They glared back at him, their faces now transformed into snarling, demonic masks.
    A powerful pair of hands sprouting claws snapped out at him and closed around his collar, squeezing. A choked garble escaped from his lips as this vise-like grip cut off his oxygen supply. The world grew dark around the edges, reduced to the two red-skinned devils with obsidian eyes.
    Like the soldier in the church…
    Cabrera screamed.

    ***

    His eyes snapped open and he awoke inside a hospital bedroom that only vaguely recalled the padded cell from his nightmare. A narrow beam of sunlight trickled through a curtained window to his right. A clock informed him that it was around five thirty and he spent most of the day asleep. His throat felt parched and he reached for the water bottle resting on the nightstand.  
    “Father Cabrera, we have to talk.” The male voice startled the priest and he almost dropped the water bottle. Cabrera turned toward the stranger, who cut a dark silhouette in the dimly illuminated hospital room. Though he wore scrubs, the steel in the stranger’s eyes didn’t promise a good bedside manner. Cabrera’s instincts told