Dead and Horny Ch. 20

"That doesn't really narrow things down."

Legion dismissed her with a wave. "It's no matter. We are offering you in the werewolf's stead. It is suboptimal, but needs must."

"Behold!" Deacon declared, and the curtain rose to reveal she was sitting in a church amphitheater, just off to the side of the pulpit. The men and women in the pews turned their attention in her direction, and Lily held up her hands to block the spotlight, doing her best to look vulnerable.

"Please, somebody help me!" she shouted, stumbling around in the cage. "These people are--"

She was doused from the side with liquid, and the holy water raised blisters all along her skin. Crying out in agony, she tried to reach through the bars, but was driven back by the sigils. The people watching cried out in fright as Lily was doused again.

"It's acid," she yelled, falling to her knees and covering her eyes. "It hurts so--"

The sigil above her activated, and she felt a blast of divine energy tear through her. Against her will, her horns and wings manifested, causing an eruption of panic from the congregation.

"Have no fear," Deacon said from his spot in the pulpit. He was wearing an actual frock right now, and clutching a Bible that looked ancient. "All it can do is speak lies to you. You've already heard them. A demon is but a wolf in sheep's clothing, ready to pounce once the flock has bedded down for the night."

"Ugh," Lily responded, her head pounding.

"And this here is the truth, my friends. The end times are coming, and the creatures of Hell now walk the land, desperate to claim a few more souls for an eternity of torment in a lake of fire." Osgrove's eyes were shining in the light and he held his hands up toward the sky. Lily finally noticed the massive wooden cross hanging above and behind the man. She wondered if the universe would do her a solid and drop it on the man.

"What can we do?" shouted a man in the back. The sentiment reverberated through the crowd as they turned their attention back to Deacon.

"How much do you need?" shouted someone else, a woman this time. People were automatically reaching for purses and pocketbooks.

"It isn't about money this time, my friends." He gestured for silence with his hands. "For the time has come for you to be pressed into eternal service for the Lord. You see, the fact that you stand here today is proof of your devotion, of your love for His words. Tonight you shall bask in His glory and know the truth. You are His chosen people."

Deacon turned to face Timotei, who emerged from the wings holding a large chalice full of wine. The vampyr kept his gaze neutral, his gaze hovering just above the crowd.

"Some of you may be familiar with Communion, whether from your church or your television set." A few people chuckled. "For those who aren't, this is when we drink the blood of Christ and partake of his body that we may have his blessings conferred upon us. Unlike what you've seen or experienced before, this is the real deal. The spirit is strong in this place and I can feel it watching us even now. I promise you, my friends, that this is a very special Mass and that is no ordinary wine. Please." He gestured toward someone in the front row, a woman who was in a wheelchair.

The woman rolled forward, her eyes fixed on Osgrove. Lily wondered if she was a demon, but didn't think so. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, Deacon stepped around the pulpit.

"Mary Anne here has been paralyzed from the waist down for almost twenty years now. I'm sure many of you have seen her story and her struggles on social media. Her accident was how she found her faith in the first place, then lost it when her life took a turn for the worst. Yet here she is, ready to believe and be loved. God loves those who come back to Him, even after the darkest of times, for His love is eternal, as yours should be." He walked down the steps and his daughter appeared to meet him, holding a small cup.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Lily muttered to herself.

"We aren't exactly orthodox here, so some of you may notice the process differs from what you've seen before. But please bear with me, you'll understand soon enough." Deacon took the cup from his daughter and moved toward the edge of the stage, where Timotei tipped the chalice, allowing the thick red liquid to flow. Once the cup was half full, Timotei leaned back, his glittering eyes on the congregation. Deacon's daughter handed him a piece of bread and stepped back.

"Now, Mary Anne, I have three questions for you. I am about to ask you to drink the blood of a man who lived hundreds of years ago, died, and then was resurrected. Do you accept this?"

"I do," replied the woman in a shaky voice.

"And will you obey him as you would the Lord?" Deacon's smile was beatific, his eyes now scanning the crowd.

"I will." Mary Anne looked like she was about to cry.

"This is his blood." He held out the cup. "As he accepts you, you must accept him. Please, drink it and be saved."

Mary Anne took the cup and drank from it, then coughed violently. Deacon patted the woman on the back while handing the smaller cup back to his daughter.

"Can you feel it, Mary Anne? Can you feel his blood moving through your body?"

"I...I..." Mary Anne's whole body twisted to one side and she let out a cry of pain. A few people nearby stood, but Deacon had his hands out to calm them.

"Tell them!" he cried. "Tell them what you feel!"

"My legs. They hurt so bad." The woman let out a sob, then shrieked in pain once more.

"That's right, Mary Anne, your legs! Those legs that haven't done a damned thing for you in two decades feel like they're on fire, don't they!" He raised his hands triumphantly as his words seemed to dawn on the woman.

"My legs hurt. They hurt!" She was sobbing now, and reached out for Deacon's hand. "But why do they hurt?"

"Because you haven't used them in twenty years!" And like the showman he was, he pulled the woman forward, up and out of her chair. She sagged at first, but strength soon filled her as she staggered to one side where Deacon's daughter grabbed her around the waist. The congregation gasped as Mary Anne held her hands out to the side, fighting hard to gain her balance.

"No fucking way," whispered Lily.

"That's right," Deacon cried. "You are one of his chosen, and you have been healed!"

Mary Anne turned in slow motion, her eyes scanning the room in awe. Though some would claim it was just a trick of the light, Lily immediately recognized the glint in the woman's eyes.

She had become Timotei's thrall. That wasn't wine in the chalice, but the blood of a very old vampire capable of restoring a person's body at the cost of their mind and potentially their soul.

"You sick fuck," she whispered. Was Deacon going to turn everyone into thralls?

Mary Anne took a few steps toward the crowd, gesturing at her legs and speaking rapidly. The congregation was noisy now, everyone craning their heads to get a look.

"Now this isn't a scam, and there is no trick. Every single one of you in this room will experience what this woman has. No more aches and pains, no more sickness. Your body shall be renewed, but that's not all! No, it's not all. Mary Anne, can you feel it in the air?"

Everyone went quiet again. Lily, sensing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, pushed her lips into her elbow and blew a massive raspberry. When everyone looked at her, she grinned.

"I felt it!" she declared. "It was a massive crock of shit!"

Deacon laughed, and the congregation laughed with him. "Do you see that, folks? Satan's bride talks tough, but she finds this upsetting. Turn your back on the demon and watch Mary Anne."

And that's what they did. The woman was staring around the room, eventually pivoting around until she was gazing up at the cross on the wall behind Deacon. The room became silent as Mary Anne gazed at that holy symbol and trembled.

"It's okay, Mary Anne, I know it's frightening. You're in the presence of the divine, and it is powerful." Deacon placed a hand on the woman's back and held up the piece of bread. "But we aren't finished yet. As new strength flows through your body, the spirit seeks to revitalize your mind that you may serve him. So Mary Anne, my third and last question during this most momentous occasion in your life. Will you partake of his body so that you may become a part of him forever more? Will you let the spirit in that it may work its wonders through you?"

Lily's eyes widened as she watched Mary Anne struggle. The woman looked scared, like a rabbit caught beneath the gaze of a lion.

"I...I..." Mary Anne looked at Deacon, who gently encouraged her. The room started a chant of "Let him in!" while everyone stomped their feet. Lily looked up at the cross, but didn't sense anything there.

"What the fuck is she looking at?" she asked.

"Me." Legion chuckled by her side. "I can be quite intimidating."

"So, what, is the bread one of your vessels, ground up into a paste and baked with flour?"

Legion snorted. "No. Just some day old dinner rolls that were on sale, I think. It's the symbolism I want, there's no need to be gross about it."

Mary Anne took the bread and popped it in her mouth. Lily felt Legion enter the poor woman's body, wrapping around her soul like a blanket of fire. With the promise of eternal love, they had tricked the woman into giving up control of her mind, body, and soul.

"It's my own version of the Holy Trinity," Legion declared. "Why possess people when they'll just give themselves up willingly? Deacon claims their minds while Timotei gets their body. But me? I get their souls."

Lily could only stare in horror as Mary Anne officially became one of the Damned, spinning around to hold her hands high in the air.

"I am reborn!" Legion declared triumphantly in Mary Anne's voice. The whole room cheered, and people pressed forward, begging Deacon to be next.

Lily felt like she was going to be sick.

So if you're a demon looking to inhabit multiple human bodies at once, you're welcome!

Thank you all so so much for sticking with me thus far, it's been an absolute blast to work through my demons while putting this story to paper. Most days, writing is my stress relief, and I get to go a little crazier with the D&H storyline.

I'm afraid my time is short, so will sign off with this: never sit around waiting for good things to happen. You should go out and make them happen! Or just buy ice cream if that's way easier.

Don't forget to leave some stars and comments, I will see you again soon!

~Annabelle Hawthorne