Chapter 3

Day after day, Angie kept getting those business cards from the abandoned church in her mail and she saw that dark figure everywhere she went. She had gotten so used to it by now that it didn't scare her, but it definitely still annoyed her. She was the only one who could see the figure and read the card. She had no on to talk to about the phenomenon and that was the worst part. She felt alone and one day, just about a week after first receiving the business card, she had had enough of this.

She was going down to the church and breaking in.

Of course, she was going to do it in the middle of the day. She wasn't about to sneak into a creepy, old church with a black figure possibly waiting for her inside to… to… to do whatever it is that it wanted from her! She would rather be caught by the police breaking in then be caught by that figure. At least in the day time, she could find her way around the church for the closest exit.

Angie had gone through the back alleys to avoid being seen even going onto the church's property by anyone on the main street. She came up to the tall, wooden fence that surrounded the property, rubbed her hands together, and leapt with all her strength towards wherever she could get a grip. It did take her a couple of tries, but she eventually was able to haul herself over the fence… and with a hard drop on to the ground. She whined, rubbing her butt and thighs, then shook it off and snuck towards the church.

"Entrance, entrance, entrance…," Angie mumbled to herself, searching for a back door of some sort. Nothing of the sort, which she thought was weird, but she did find an open window she could shimmy her way through.

Angie pulled herself up onto the window sill and peered through the opening. It was dusty, dirty, and really dark for a church in the middle of the day. She contemplated aborting this mission, but without thinking, jumped through and into the church. Angie pinched her nose and scowled immediately. What was that awful smell? It was as if an active volcano and a fart had a baby.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for," She mumbled to herself, slowly making her way deeper into the church.

It was cluttered from floor to ceiling with some unusual things that you wouldn't really see in a church. Statues of naked women. Paintings of symbols that definitely did not look holy, but didn't really look demonic either. A wall of mirrors on the west side and some broken ones in a pile just below them. Angie gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth upon finding the skeletons of animals. She was quick to walk past them. Brass bowls all over the floor. Some seemed to be catching the rain water leaking from the ceiling.

"Okay, I think I've seen enough," Angie told herself and twirled on her heels towards the window that she came through. "No one is obviously here. Maybe I do need to see a therapist."

"Or, you just didn't look hard enough."

Angie screeched and dashed for the window. "I'm not hearing anything! I'm not hearing anything!"

"Wait! I'm sorry I scared you! You're in the right place!"

Angie tried to scramble up the wall and get a grip on the window sill, but it was too high and her jumping skills were not up to par. A slender hand gripped her shoulder, making her yelp and even more hysterical. She cried for the hand to let go, moving her shoulder this way and that, but the hand held its grip and managed to pull her around to come face to face with the person connect to the hand.

Angie continued to wail for a moment, trying to maneuver herself out of the person's grip, then her wails turned into heavy pants and sniffling as she examined the man in front of her. Blonde, straggly hair. Slender. Very fair skin and brown, chocolatey eyes that seemed to gleam even in the dusty, dark church. Her eyes were still watering, but by now, Angie was calm and gazing at the stranger.

"There," The man sighed contently and took his hand off Angie's shoulder. "Again, I'm really sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to."

Angie hesitantly nodded as a way of forgiving him, and proceeded to stay quiet.

"Uh." The man scratched his neck awkwardly. "You're… Angie, right?"

Angie nodded.

"I'm Jasper," The man grinned and stuck out his hand for her to shake. "You've finally come after all these days."

Hand trembling ever so slightly, Angie took his outstretched hand and gently shook it. "W-well… it kind of put me off…. I-I mean, abandoned church. Dark hooded figure following me everywhere. That business card that only I could read. Y-ya' know… it was just a tad creepy."

"Just a tad?"

"Just a tad."

Jasper threw his head back and boomed a laugh. "Well, if it was just a tad creepy, why did you come?"

Angie shrugged. "Thought everything would stop if I came. Didn't expect to find anything or anyone."

"Well, Mother really wanted you to come, so she'll be glad."

"Right… who's Mother?" Angie asked, gaining more confidence as they talked.

"She's not anyone's Mother, per say. She's just the head of our cult and prefers-."

"Hold up!" Angie said abruptly. "Cult? Did you just say cult?"

Jasper nodded. "But it's not-."

Angie hastily shook her head with a disgusted look upon her face. "Nah. No. Not into that. Sorry. Goodbye-."

"It's not what you think," Jasper snapped, making Angie shut her mouth. "Will you let me explain before talking again?"

Angie opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and snapped her mouth shut.

"Alright. I'll make it short and sweet," Jasper began. "This place houses a cult of demons that fights an infectious spirit that latches on to human's souls making them evil. Mother is the head demon of our cult that is the strongest of all and recruits' beings to fight this infectious spirit plaguing the mortal world, and Mother has decided on you."

Angie blinked once. Then two times fast. Then three times fast before she burst into laughter. She didn't know if it was out of how ridiculous the explanation sounded or if she was laughing out of fear. Maybe even a little of both. Jasper looked at her with a smirk on his face which made her laugh even harder.

"What's so funny?" Jasper asked, amused by the woman before him.

"Y-you!" Angie said. "Your whole e-explanation! D-demons! Human souls b-being infected!" She wiped tears away from her eyes. "That's the b-best laugh I've had in a w-while!"

"Okay, but it's all true."

"Right," Angie retorted. "And you're not just some stalker that has been following me in a black outfit with a hood and I'm the Queen of England!"

"I'm an actual demon," Jasper replied with a defeated sigh. "Would you like proof?"

Angie moved out of his way with arms outstretched. "Alright! Go on! Let me see!"

Jasper looked to the floor and mumbled something under his breath, then brought his eyes up to meet Angie's only this time, they were black. Angie's mouth dropped to the floor and she started to quiver as Jasper's muscles bulged. His skin turned black with bright red veins. His teeth grew four times in size and so did his nails which grew sharper as well. Angie thought she was going to shit herself.

"Alright, enough! Enough! Enough!" Angie screamed, looking away from him and waving her hands in front of herself. "I believe you! I believe you!"

Jasper quickly ended his transformation. He shrugged and chuckled at Angie. "You know, human's reaction to that gets funnier and funnier throughout the eras."

Angie snorted and grimaced. "Yeah, yeah. Okay. You're a demon. This is a cult of demons. What do you want from me again?"

"Mother has decided to recruit you. She believes you have the skills needed to be one of us."

Angie stared for a moment, processing his words then spoke. "So… she wants… me to become a demon?"

"Yes-."

"She wants to turn me into a demon?!" Angie screamed. "She wants to kill me then?! I knew I should have gone to church all these years! I knew it! I'm sorry God-!"

"Angie!" Jasper barked, having none of her frantic outbreak. "Stop with the screaming! It's getting too much for my ears!"

"Oh! Oh! Poor demon!" Angie cried, striking a dramatic pose with one hand over her heart and the other hovering over her forehead. "His ears hurt from my wailing about some demon killing me and making me one of their own! Oh, woe is he!"

"You are the only human I've known that has dared to make such sarcastic and snotty comments towards a demon," Jasper uttered with a shake of his head and a smirk on his lips. "I can see why Mother wants to recruit you."

"Sorry, but no," Angie said, turning around to try and scramble up the wall again. "But I'm not interested in being killed. Not today anyway."

"You don't have to die to become one of us."

"It's still a no," Angie said. "I mean, what are the benefits of becoming one of you guys besides immortality?"

"You get to help people more than you have been recently."

That made Angie stop and think for a moment. Her art used to make people happy and hearing how her art would really impact them in a positive way made her happy in return. Her last art exhibit didn't really go according to plan. Her customers were confused on what her art represented. They would stare so long at one that they couldn't even think about looking at the others. They would leave after seeing one or two pieces. You could say that she was in a rut with new art.

"You'll be able to see the infestation taking place in this world and will be able to help us fight it off for good," Jasper spoke again, positioning himself so that she could see him through her peripherals.

"Not to mention, it might help you with your new art."

"It's like you were reading my mind," Angie grumbled, taping her nails on the stone wall in thought.

"I… I'm still not sure. Why me? Why not anyone else in this forsaken world?"

"There are factions all over this realm," Jasper replied. "So, Mother is recruiting others, but she is particularly interested in you from this area. Mother decided on you for many reasons that I don't know, but the strong personality of your soul would be one of them I assume."

"My… personality?"

"That's the reason why you haven't been infected and that makes you an excellent candidate for being a hunter."

"…I'll be able to help people when my art could not…."

Jasper nodded. "Yes. You will."

Angie bit her bottom lip and gnawed on it. It was stupid. The reason she was leaning toward the offer was stupid. She could just become a doctor or a fucking policeman if she wanted to help people so bad. She didn't want to be those things though. This offer wasn't something that normal people could just choose to become. The fact that she was chosen to help people really reeled her in… Maybe she was just selfish. Just a tad anyway.

And, the thought of having a new muse for her artwork was a good deal breaker.

"Shit."

Jasper cocked his head. "Hm?"

"I said shit!" Angie snapped. "Shit meaning I'll do it! I'll become one of you!"