Page 5 of Deliver us from Evil

“’Kay. Thanks.”

“You tried his room?”

“Yeah,” I call back without looking around. Idiot. Why wouldn’t I have—

“Bell tower?”

I stop walking. Turn back. “Bell tower?” Why am I suddenly in a modern-day remake of the Hunchback of Notre Dame?

The kitchen guy puts down the sack of spuds. “Yeah. He goes up there to smoke a spliff.”

Well fuck me sideways. And here I thought I knew all there was to know about twinkle toes.

“I’ll take a look. Thanks, man.”

Kitchen guy nods. “If you find him, tell him Dave says fuck him.” He shakes his head, picks up his sack, and heads off to wherever bags of potatoes are destined during summer break.

It takes me a few minutes to find the stairs leading up to the tower. Another few minutes to climb them. And Christ, I’m fucking done when I reach the top.

Really gotta quit smoking.

But the little shit’s not in the tower either.

“Fuck.”

I pull out my phone, try and call him. It’s probably a lost cause, seeing as he didn’t answer before, but—

I hear it ringing.

Not through my phone. I actually hear Apollo’s Nirvana rip off ring tone rocking it out somewhere nearby. I look to where the sound is coming from, and it feels like every hair on my body is stretching for sunlight.

There, barely visible behind the mass of the bronze bell, is a metal door.

It’s standing ajar. Beside it, smeared on the stonework, is a bloody handprint.

Ice coats me from head to foot, and then I’m running.

Running so fucking fast.

But I know I’m already too late.

Chapter Four

Apollo

I’m going to miss this view. I hope there’ll be enough time to sit up here and smoke a last joint before we leave Saint Amos forever. I could bring the crew here when we’re done. We could all sit up here and stare out at the forest.

Because wewillfind Gabriel.

Hewilltell us where to find our Ghosts.

And then we just have to go and kill them.

I fill my lungs with sweet forest air. I’ll miss this old stack of stones too. Probably the only one who will. The others hate it here. Always have.

I like gloomy places. Even the basement—but only when there weren’t any Ghosts around.

And the forest.

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