chapter 17

"There was no reason.

She didn't say half of what she wanted. But in order to speak out, she needed Ethan and the opportunity to yell at him while making a speech.

"And where are you going, brothers?"

At the entrance to the armory, the Bishop stood and pursed his lips in displeasure.

"A reconnaissance mission," Sean stepped forward.

"Is that so?" The bishop folded his hands in front of him. "Lying is a terrible sin. I heard something else. That you want to waste the human and material resources of the Church by going on a suicide mission.

Everyone was silent, and Penny gripped the machine gun so tightly that her hands hurt. It will shoot. One more second of delay and God forgive her.

"The High Inquisitor is still alive," she squeaked and cleared her throat. The next words sounded loud and clear: "We're going to save him. Or," Penny lost her way for a moment, "to give her an easy death.

The bishop grimaced as if something foul-smelling had been thrust under his nose.

"I want to talk to a person. And the fallen one has no place in the camp at all. I will report on this. About the brothel that was set up here.

Oh, you... Demon! Damned demon! How the earth carries you, all black! Black as soot from the inside!

"Report," Penny walked forward, straight at the Bishop, and the others followed uncertainly. "In the meantime, I will do everything to save a person, perhaps still alive.

"You're forgetting, you evil spirits!" How can you accuse the Church of abandoning her lambs? Tomorrow the Archbishop will become aware of what has happened, and we will take action.

"By tomorrow, there will be nothing left of the High Inquisitor. Get out of the way," Penny pushed the Bishop aside with the M4 muzzle. It wasn't loaded yet, but the Bishop didn't know about it.

"Stop!" The Bishop, however, did nothing to detain Penny, only looked warily at the machine gun in her hands. "For disobedience, you should be put on trial.

Penny froze, and then moved forward.

"When I come back, at least burn it."

***

They got to their destination in silence. The squad habitually fit into three jeeps, Penny drove with Sean, Corin, Rick and Jeff.

She herself could not understand how the feeling of overwhelming strength and humiliating weakness coexisted inside her. It was as if she were watching from the sidelines, and some part of her could not believe that it was she who had led the whole squad and almost shot the Bishop, frightening him so much that he did not dare to raise the alarm. Everything seemed like a dream, and as in dreams, Penny felt no doubt or fear. Ethan at the demons. He is being tortured right now. Does Penny have the right to hesitate?

And yet she felt bad, on a primitive, physical level. His whole body was burning, shaking and itching as if from fever, his bones ached, his muscles twisted. Penny only hoped that there would be enough strength left to save Ethan. And then even a bonfire, or death from demonic paws.

"I'm glad we're coming back," Corinne said in a barely audible voice, and Penny couldn't find the strength to sympathize with her or understand her.

A few minutes later, Sean stepped on the brake pedal and said:

"We arrived, then only on foot, otherwise they will notice us. What's our plan, Penny?"

At another time, Penny would have been surprised that everyone else was quiet, waiting for her words, but now she didn't have the strength to do so.

"What a plan. Enter from different directions and shoot at everything that moves. I'll try to break through their defenses to Ethan. To the High Inquisitor. That's all.

"Good plan," Sean nodded.

Demons have taken up residence in an abandoned roadside hotel. The neon sign was not lit, only the letters "o" and "t" remained of it. The windows were shattered and sharded with shards of glass.

"Team A and I will go in from the center door," Sean said, "Group B will go through the back door." And you climb through the window. Anyway, you smell so strong and bright for them that they will not be able to detect the exact location, your smell will clog the whole building.

"Pork chops," Rick snorted. "What?" Haven't you noticed that Penny smells like that?

"Did you lose your sense of smell completely?" Jeff whispered indignantly. "It smells like sweets. Like a candy store.

"Let's go," Sean interrupted and touched Penny's shoulder. "Come on."

The windows of the first floor were located at the level of Penny's waist, it was difficult to climb inside, but she coped, scratching all her palms and tearing her clothes. I found myself in one of the rooms, small and dusty. After waiting for gunfire to sound behind the wall, Penny opened the door and moved forward down the hallway. It's empty, Ethan isn't here. But where is he? In the basement? In the attic?

"Ah-a-angel," came a voice barely audible in the intervals between the automatic bursts.

Penny turned, but the demon behind her had already melted into a haze, and the shot was wasted. A stir behind his back, a sudden weakness - and another bullet was fired in vain.