The Last Guardian

Chapter_66: The One called Billy Joe

10 a.m. The Lucky Shop

"He was a farmer, owned a piece of land by the river. He had a newly married wife and he was happy. One day demons attacked his house and murdered his wife when he wasn't home. When he returned and saw what they did, he went crazy for revenge and went looking out for the killers; at that time he had no idea about the supernatural world. When he finally came face to face with the demons, he was beaten and trashed by them and left on the road to die. Fortunately we found him and nursed him back to health. We taught him about the ways of the elders, gave him knowledge about the supernatural and taught him a few tricks. When he was ready, he went looking again for the demons and killed them. Since then he has been a great help to us and our works ..." Brother Farid explained.

Johnathan and Solomon were listening to him patiently, sipping their tea.

"What made him switch sides then?" asked Johnathan.

"Well I guess he got greedy- he has nothing to lose and he has got this lust for immortality and power- I've been watching him for a while and he has changed after we found you-"replied Farid.

Johnathan put down his cup-

"God knows what he's upto and where he's now-" he remarked.

"We will find him, don't worry-" said Solomon.

Johnathan's phone rang- it was Lisa- there was a subtle smile on his face. He went outside and received the call.

"Hey! What's going on?" he said.

"You got anything to do with last night's museum heist?" asked Lisa.

"Um ... no... I don't think so! What heist?" lied Johnathan.

"You know you're a bad liar Sergeant- where's Billy? His phone is turned off! I know you guys have something to do with it- I need to talk to you-" she said sternly.

"Well I'm at the Lucky Shop right now-" he replied.

"Wait- I'll be there in an hour!" she replied and cut the call.

Johnathan wasn't sure what to tell her, after he helped Solomon steal the armour.

He looked at the morning sky, it was gloomy- he hated the rainy season. Suddenly he started to hear a voice inside his head.

"I can feel something powerful nearby- ooh it's close- " it was Azazel's voice.

Johnathan thought he had silenced him but now he's back again.

"Let me out buddy- we had a deal- I can feel a great source of power nearby-" Azazel said.

"No! I'm not letting you take over again!" replied Johnathan.

But Azazel was trying to force him harder and harder. It was exhausting- Johnathan felt dizzy. He rushed inside looking for help.

"Let me out Johnny- let me out or I'll drive you crazy!" Azazel's voice kept repeating in his head.

Farid saw Johnathan and thought he was feeling sick. He rushed to help him.

"It's the demon, he wants out! Help!" he said collapsing on the ground.

"We gotta do something about that thing in his head-" remarked Farid placing him down on the couch.

"I'm afraid it's easier said than done, Brother- it's a part of him- " replied Solomon looking worried.

Far away from the city Billy was driving towards Cooper's Town in a stolen car. He had this crazy look in his eyes and a raging hunger for power..

"Just another couple of days and I shall be invincible- I will show that monk and that good for nothing Johnny what I'm capable of- everyone shall bow down to me..." he kept mumbling.

He still had another four to five hours to drive. He had to perform the ritual to please the gods and earn their trust- the ritual was dangerous but he was willing to take the risks. According to the ancient texts, the ritual was to be performed on a moonless night and it required a fire sacrifice. He had to prove himself worthy of the gifts and for that he had to drown himself in the fires of hell after which he had to sacrifice the blood of a warrior. He could do the first step but he needed to find a warrior for the second one- a warrior could be anyone- a soldier from the army, a fire fighter, an activist or even a brave police man- as long as they truly believe in the cause that they were fighting against, it would work. He had to murder that person and offer their blood to appease the gods.

He stopped his car and began to think how he would be able to get the so called 'warrior'. He took out his phone and saw five missed calls from Lisa!

"Lisa! Yes- she would do! I could use her for the sacrifice-" he said to himself and began weaving a dangerous plan to kidnap and kill her. He still had a few tricks he had learnt from the elders which he could use.

He called her immediately and apologised for not responding sooner and asked her to meet him at a nearby park. Lisa agreed asked him to meet her at 1pm in the afternoon.

Back at the Lucky Shop, Johnathan was asleep on the couch, lying so still that Solomon thought he had stopped breathing.

He checked his pulse to make sure that he was still alive. He had great knowledge on exorcism and knew a great deal of the ancient arts. But he knew that only dark magic could help Johnathan fight the demon in him. There was a certain amount of risk to using such magic on Johnathan- it could feed the demon in him and make it stronger but it could also help him fight it. Solomon wasn't sure if it would really work but he had no time to research and find another cure. The process looked simple, he would first use dark magic to distract and engage the demon and then use the power of God to excorcise it- it might not leave his body but it would atleast knock it out long enough to find another cure.