Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Halloween season approached the town of Custer Grove, with it came all the decorations, all the nonsensical demons being hung up on every door in every household of the small town. All except on the home of John F. Walker, and not because of any religious belief that those things attracted actual demons, but because he had the infortune of actually seeing them, almost every day of the year.   

It had started when he was 5 years old, his grandmother was taking care of him for the afternoon, she decided to take him walking so he could get exercise, and she could get some sunlight. The thing with small towns is that the way they’re distributed can make no sense, for Custer Grove, it was the fact that the only playground was right next to the cemetery, quite cheerful.  

John had been playing alone with a soccer ball as it seemed no other children were around, that’s when something had caught his eye, near the entrance of the cemetery, a girl, around his age, wearing a long white dress was staring at him. He knew better than to follow a stranger anywhere, but something about her had him hypnotized, curious as to who she was and what she was doing alone.  

She said his name, that should’ve been a warning sign that something was wrong, but without looking back, John ran after her, listening to her call his name as a guide through all those tombstones, he was determined to find her. Unfortunately for him, he did, just not as he had expected. By the edge of the cemetery there was a tree, and hanging from it was a young girl, no longer wearing a white dress, but instead, pink overalls and white sneakers, her hair was in ponytails, a rope surrounded her neck. You found me a voice said.  

John’s screams echoed through the field, his grandma began calling for him, other people also heard, and they began surrounding the area wondering what the commotion was all about. They found John curled up in a ball, hugging his knees, he was shaking violently, the people then noticed the young girl and a mixture of screams and concerned voices filled the air.  

When the police interrogated John, he told them exactly what he saw, of course no one believed him as it made no sense, the sheriff just assumed he was in shock and making up stories. John wished it were his imagination, but it had just been the beginning.\  

Over the next years, he would occasionally see them, people dress in white, appearing anywhere where someone had died, when he hit puberty, it got worse, he then started seeing those shadow figures, and he finally understood that they appeared any time tragedy was about to happen.  

The first time he saw one, Mike Hannigan had been run over by Mr. Johnson’s truck, he was going on his typical afternoon bike ride but had not counted on his next-door Neighbour drunk driving. His head rolled for at least half a block.  

Some weeks later, during homecoming, a pair of shadow creatures were wandering through the football field, at halftime, the goal post broke down, at least ten people hurt, two dead.  

John had learned to ignore them, what else was he supposed to do? He had been in therapy for a while, to the extent of having to take medication, under the diagnosis of schizophrenia, but nothing worked, so he took the decision to just pretend he no longer saw them, this way his parents wouldn't worry, or worse, decide to put him in some mental facility.  

He only ever told his best friend, Lemar, after an afternoon of drinking in his basement, John had just gotten off that damn medication and he was relived, but he felt somewhat vulnerable and decided to tell his best friend, hoping he’d understand.  

“So, you see these things before people die?” Lemar asked, his tone a mixture of sympathy and disbelief.  

“It was on the back of Mike Hannigan’s bike, before that old man ran him over.” Joh responded.  

“Ok, and have you ever tried stopping them from doing what they’re doing?”  

“What? No! How am I even supposed to guess who they’re there for? With Mike it was one thing but when the helicopter crashed, I just saw it staring in the middle of the cornfield, how was I supposed to guess what happened next?”  

“Listen, brother, I know you're exasperated, but could it be that you’re imagining this stuff?”  

“Lemar, I’ve been seeing them my whole life, it’s not just shadow people, at first it was the people that were already dead, it started when I saw that little girl in the cemetery all those years ago.”  

“Man, I want to believe you, but could it be that it was such a horrible experience, for a child to see that you may have created this as a way to cope?”  

John didn’t respond anything immediately, he knows Lemar isn't trying to be an asshole or invalidate his feelings, he’s concerned like everyone else. “You may be right man, I just... I get scared sometimes you know?” There was truth in that, what would happen the day he saw one roaming around his home, letting him know someone from his family was going to...  

Lemar pulls him into a hug, “You don’t have to be scared man, I’m always here, you know that right?”  

John nodded in agreement, he hugged Lemar back, he felt protected, and he knew Lemar would always have his back.  

John was an only child, Lemar and his family moved in when he was around six, ever since then they were inseparable, he was his big brother, no one could say otherwise. That only made the accident a thousand time worse.  

It was about a week after senior graduation; they had agreed to go to the river and fish some trout for dinner like they would do on the weekends, only this time it was in celebration of them finally finishing school.  

John had decided to use his bike instead of taking his dad’s truck, he knew Lemar would take his own, and he’d give him a ride, so it made no sense taking both. Lemar caught up to John just as he was headed down the dirt road towards the river.  

“Hey, I’m gonna take some groceries my mom asked me to pick up, and then I’ll meet you there, deal?” Lemar asked.  

“Deal, don't take too long, and steal some of your dad’s beer, and one of your brother's magazines, you know which one.” John teased, simulating he was rubbing his chest.  

“Asshole”  

Lemar headed into the town, John was about to start going down the dirt road when he saw it, one of those shadow creatures, it was in the back of Lemar’s truck, John’s heart skipped a beat. One of his biggest fears was coming true.  

“No, no, Lemar! Lemar stop!” John screamed at the top if his lungs, but it was useless, Lemar was already far away.  

John hurried over to him, peddling as fast as his feet would allow, but Lemar was going at a faster speed, trying to get home quickly to leave the things his mother asked him to get.  

“Lemar, stop!” John yelled again.  

Lemar started slowing down at a crossroad, for a second it seemed like he had heard John’s screams, that’s when a semitruck impacted him, his truck flew through the air, landing upside down.  

“No!” John screamed.  

Hid mind became blurry, he was so scared, in a matter of seconds Lemar had died...  

Dad?  

Suddenly John came to, he was in his truck.  

“Are you okay, dad?”  

John looked to his left, Dylan, his son, was standing at the door, he looked concerned. John remembered where he was, at Olivia’s house, he had Dylan for the weekend.  

“Hey bud, how was your week at school?” John tried acting normal.  

Dylan gave him a concerned look before responding and getting in the truck. “Great, we started decorating the classroom for Halloween, Ms. Evans showed us how to make paper bats and ghosts.”  

“Great, wait here, I’m gonna say hi to your mom.” Dylan nodded and took his Gameboy out of his backpack while John got out of the truck and heading inside.  

Olivia and John were high school sweethearts, they had known each other since they were about 10 years old, John always imagined a life with her and their children.  But somewhere between the death of Lemar and the birth of their son, things just went south. The constant fighting, not speaking to each other from time to time, they tried couples’ therapy, they really wanted to make it work. But it just didn't in the end.  

They still had love for each other, just no longer in a romantic way, at least not Olivia, she never resented John, she was the kindest soul ever. She made sure John was always aware of how Dylan was doing when it was her week, if she had cooked anything John loved she’d make sure to pack some up for him and leave it at the mechanic shop when she went off to work. She was truly the best, that made John feel worse about losing her, but he knew there was no point in trying to fix things, not anymore.  

“Hi John, how are you?” She asked as she reached for a hug.  

“Hey Liv, I’m good, just a busy day at work. How about you? How are things at the hospital?”  

“They’ve been better. We had an injured patient yesterday, seems to have been a bear or something, poor kid can't even remember what happened.”  

“What? We haven’t had a bear attack in decades.” John responded surprised.  

“It seems he was camping out in the forest, far off west, the sheriff is thinking about taking some precautions just in case. So be careful, I know how you like going fishing to the river by yourself.”  

“It’s not always, just sometimes when I... you know, miss Lemar.” They both stayed silent the warm afternoon breeze in their hair.  

“I’m sorry John, I know you miss him a lot.”  

“Yeah, but don't worry, I’m fine. I’ll bring back Dylan next week, and I will make sure he eats his vegetables.” With that he heads to his truck. “Ok bud, we are going to have a great weekend, you’ll see.”  

“Dad, I know you don't like Halloween, but I was thinking, maybe we could decorate, we don't have to put up anything scary, but I could make some bats and ghosts like the ones I made in school.” Dylan said.  

“I’ll think about it.”  

Dylan didn't say anything else; he knows that meant no.  

On the other side of town, people were waiting by the church doors, the new priest would be arriving any minute, he had been sent out from the congregation after the previous pastor passed away.  

He arrived at 16:00, in a 1967 chevy impala, he was rather young, hair slicked back, good physique, and a very friendly face.  

“Father Reynolds, welcome to Custer Grove” One of the women said.  

“It is my pleasure to be here, in the presence of all of you, I can sense you are a very welcoming town. Thank you.” He replied smiling.  

The townsfolk all gathered into the church so he could deliver a short sermon, as a thank you for the warm welcome they had given him. There were mentions of a small feast in the town hall in honor of his arrival, they know the journey must have been long and tiring, so they wanted to make sure he felt welcomed.  

“If you don’t mind, I would like to first freshen up, the trip here was rather tiresome.” He says to one of the men in charge. The man signals for the boys to take him.  

“Please, let us escort you to your room.” One of the altar boys said.  

He followed through the church, two suitcases in hand.  

“Do you need help with those, father?” One of the altar boys asked.  

“How kind you are my child, but don't worry I can carry them myself.”  

They entered the room where the priests would stay, it was a simple room with a bed, a desk, a small closet and some hanging portraits. The altar boys left him alone and he closed the door.  

He lifted one of his suitcases on to the bed, opening it to reveal an arsenal of weapons, knives, machetes, brass knuckles and two revolvers.  

“May God have mercy on us all.”  

Chapter Text

Weekends with Dylan were John’s favorite, he loved spending time with him, listening to his stories, playing with him and hearing him laugh, it made John feel that everything that happened in his life, good or bad, was worth it, that everything was going to be ok. He knew he screwed things up with Olivia, but he also knew that no matter what, he was always going to be there for his son, he was always going to be strong for him, no matter what happened.  

“And that’s why Carlos and I are gonna be the first boys ever, to go to Mars...” Dylan finished his story.  

“Well, to go to space you need to be the strongest you can be, so eat your vegetables and no buts, ok?”  

Dylan just rolled his eyes, he hated peas with a deep passion, but he did as he was told.  

“Hey, don't make that face... if you finish your food, I’ll help you make some paper bats and we can decorate the windows for Halloween, how’s that sound?”  

Dylan's eyes lit up, “Really?”  

“You bet, now eat your food.”  

John may have hated all this demonic stuff, as small as the decoration could be, but his love for his son was greater, besides, he’ll still see those shadow creatures whether he decorates or not, they haven't gone anywhere for the past 28 years, why would this make a difference?  

He follows Dylan’s orders precisely to make sure he makes a good enough bat or paper ghost; arts & crafts really isn’t his strong suit.  

“I suck at this, bud, I’m not as good as you.” John says.  

“They look ok, plus they’re better than the ones at the store, those are all ugly.”  

John smirks, “You think so?” Dylan nods, “Well, let me get some duct tape and we’ll start putting them on the windows.”  

John heads into his room, he knows he saw some duct tape in his closet a few days back. When he finds it, he starts his way into the kitchen, but he stops when he hears something, a faint tapping, almost like someone is tapping the window, that’s impossible, he's on a second floor.  

He approaches the window, cautiously, slowly lifting the blinds, nothing.  

He lets out a sigh, closing the blinds and thinking he may just have heard something else. But then, there it is again, except now he pays attention and notices it’s coming from the mirror attached to the wall.  

Slowly, he approaches it, as if he knew something bad was gonna happen. But once there, the tapping stopped. John knew he was going crazy; nothing was going to happening.  

Suddenly a face appeared in the mirror, John fell to the floor, his heart racing, it was a disfigured woman, her body covered in scratch marks that were bleeding out; John didn't move from where he was. She seems to have a lost gaze, as if she was scanning the room but not knowing exactly what she was looking at, then she stared directly at him.  

Deepwood  

At least that's what John heard her say, suddenly she was gone, leaving John on the floor gasping for air.  

Dylan entered the room, “Dad, are you okay?”  

“Yeah, don't worry, I accidently fell, umm. Let's go watch a movie, ok. We’ll decorate some other time.” John said as he got up.  

Dylan would normally protest at this, but he had never seen his dad this nervous, as if something was wrong, but that would be impossible, his dad was the bravest man ever. “Ok, can we watch, The cat in the hat?”  

“Sure, I love that movie, let’s go watch it in the living room, ok?” John closes the door to his room; he’s still gathering his thoughts as he follows Dylan.  

When Dylan falls asleep, John takes him to his bed, he makes sure he’s tucked in, he kisses his forehead and wishes him goodnight. Normally, John would leave to his own bedroom, but what happened earlier is engraved in his thoughts.  

He sits on the chair at Dylan’s desk, wondering what that thing was, he'd seen dead people before and the shadow creatures, but they've never looked like that, more importantly, they've never talked to him. Deep into his train of thought, John remembers its words, Deepwood , what did that mean?  

His alarm clock wakes him up, it’s seven in the morning, at some point he had fallen asleep on Dylan’s desk, so much for being comfortable.  

He wakes up and sees Dylan sound asleep, John smiles at that. He heads out to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.  

The advantage of living on top of your own mechanic workshop meant always being on time, then again, he was the boss, so he was never late.  

He made himself some coffee and was ready for getting some work done, Saturdays were a pretty busy day, and John needed the distraction after last night. He thought twice about leaving Dylan in the house, but he had always worked this way, and he thought last night was just a one-time thing, if that thing had intended to hurt him it would’ve.  

He picks up his mug, gets his keys and heads out the door to the stairs.  

As he begins to remove the locks and open the gates, he's approached by one of his mechanics, Yelena, the young blonde-haired girl who was no older than 21 and was one of John’s best workers at the shop, she knew her stuff.  

Her parents were a Russian couple that moved into town about thirty years ago, rumors at the time were that it was due to them being spies that were captured by the American government and settled here so they could be watched 24/7, but that was ridiculous.  

Yelena and her older sister, Natasha, were born in Custer Grove, everyone knew them, especially since Natasha was such a success story, she was a professional ballet dancer and had been the lead in a production of the nutcracker at the Royal opera house in London.  

Because of this, a lot of people had high expectations for Yelena, but she was happy with a simpler life, she wasn't interested in college or anything like that, she loved working on cars, it brings back good memories of when her dad taught them how to fix their old truck.  

“Morning, boss, what do you think?” She says gleefully as she points to her hair.  

“What did you do to your hair? It’s so short!?” John responds, appalled at the sight.  

“Well. I was having trouble washing out the motor oil from it, and Kate suggested this, plus she said it suited me.”  

“I don't like you hanging out with that Bishop girl, rich people always have crazy ideas of what's better for us commoners.”  

Yelena frowns, “Hey, she's not like that, plus I finally asked her to go on a date with me, so don't ruin this for me, ok?”  

The Bishops were one of the richest families in town, probably even in the whole state, John had never really tried to get along with them, to him they were all just stuck-up brats. Especially Eleanor Bishop, the matriarch of the family, she always looked down on the people of the town, she could leave if she wanted to, go somewhere fancier, but John guessed she liked being somewhere where she could feel above everyone else.  

“Yeah, sorry, you look really good, and I'm happy she finally accepted your offer. Where are you gonna take her?”  

“I was thinking of that little Italian restaurant that opened a few months ago, it’s the only fancy thing we have in this town.”  

“Well, it’s what we got, plus, she's lucky to go out with you.” John says.  

Yelena blushes, “Ok, stop it, you’re being way too nice, it freaks me out. Let’s open and get to work.”  

“Well, that’s a great attitude for a Saturday, maybe we should make sure she sees Kate more often.” A young woman says as she approaches.  

“Morning, Ava, nice of you to be on time.” John said.  

“Well, miraculously my alarm clock went off when it needed to. So here I am, ready to work.” She said, her tone clearly noting she was not yet fully awake.  

Ava had moved here with her parents many years ago, they were scientists, and they were investigating a new species of bug that had been discovered near the town, unfortunately, a freak accident caused their house lab to explode, both dead. Ava had spent that afternoon at a friend's house, so she had survived, but with her parents gone, she had no one to look after her.  

Fortunately for her, foster care put her in the hands of Bill Foster, ironic name, and she was able to stay in Custer Grove, she left for college at 18 and finished her career as a financial analyst, but decided that wasn't what she wanted to do, too fancy, she would say.  

When she came back, John offered her a job, he needed someone who was good with numbers to handle the accounting, making sure everyone was paid, that their budget wasn’t going up constantly and that appointments were made. She had accepted and has been great help ever since.  

“Alright, let’s get set up.” John said.  

Ava opened the office and started getting everything set, while Yelena and John opened the gates and moved some of the cars they were working on the day before.  

John was pushing one of the vehicles that had no motor, while Yelena had it on neutral to steer it in the right direction, John struggles to move the heavy piece of junk, that's when he gets a helping hand.  

“On your left, boss.” A young man says.  

They push the car over to where they need it to continue working on it. Yelena jumps out of the car and pretends to look at an imaginary watch on her wrist.  

“Joaquin, are you feeling well?” You’re never on time, I’d expect you to still be sleeping.” she says.  

John intervenes, “Let me guess, your dads are back from their trip.”  

“Hey, how’d you know? They didn't arrive until like 4 am.” Joaquin responds.  

“I know for a fact that when they’re here, you’re on time, Sam isn’t one to let you sleep in on a workday.”  

Joaquin’s adoptive parents are Sam Wilson and James Barnes; the latter being better known as Bucky amongst the town, they formally adopted him a few years ago.    

Back in 2012, Joaquin had ended up in Custer Grove due to his father abandoning him on the side of the road, he had remarried, and his new wife did not want the burden of a child, so she made him choose.  

While any other child would’ve panicked, Joaquin didn't have time to cry about it, he began asking people for a job or work to earn a place to stay for the night or even some change so he could get enough money and find his way back home, if there even was a home to go back to.  

A few weeks into this, he met Sam, who was providing counseling to veterans suffering from PTSD, Sam offered him a place to stay temporarily so he wouldn't put himself in any danger.  

Temporary became forever, Sam grew accustomed to Joaquin, he’d seen him as a little brother, and found himself guiding him to make the right decisions for a better life. One day, they set out to visit Helen, GA on business, that’s where Sam met Bucky, it was also where Joaquin called him dad for the first time ever. Sam never talks about it, but the day he heard Joaquin refer to him as his dad, he felt a contempt that no one could describe, he’d always wanted children, but he knew adoption was hard for a gay man.  

Upon meeting them, Bucky became fond of Joaquin and Sam, he made up the excuse of teaching Joaquin self-defense so he could constantly visit them, and try to get close to Sam.  

It was going horribly until Joaquin himself intervened, he had tricked Bucky into thinking it was Sam’s birthday, so he arrived with a gift, Joaquin invented an excuse that he had somewhere to be and left them alone all afternoon. When he got back, Bucky had already left, and Sam was smiling from ear to ear, Joaquin didn't need details, he knew his job was done.  

About two years after they married, they finalized the adoption process, Joaquin now had his forever home with the two people that loved him the most.  

“Yeah, pops doesn't like it when I sleep in. So here I am!” He extends his arms like he's presenting himself to the world.  

“Perfect, we can get done sooner so you can all go back to sleep.” John says sarcastically.  

The day goes by without issues, every now and then John’s mind goes back to last night, as much as he tries to tell himself that today is just like any other day, he can’t, those things don't talk to him, those things don't give signs of wanting to speak to him. The only time he ever heard words from them was the first time he had seen one, that little girl at the Cemetary. You found me.  

“Boss?” Joaquin calls him.  

“Huh, what?”  

“I asked if we'd gotten the new parts to replace Mr. Beards’ alternator?”  

“Yeah, we did, it's in the shack.”  

“You, good? Want me to get you some water or something.” Joaquin looks genuinely concerned.  

John is clearly sweating too much; he tries to act as normal as he can. “Yeah, sorry, think I might be getting a fever or something, but I’ll live.” He lies, “I’ll be back, gotta check on something.”  

“He’s acting weirder than usual.” Yelena says to Joaquin.  

“Yeah, but he always gets this way around Halloween, I think he might be really religious or something.  

Yelena stares at him, “The man who hasn't been to church in forever? Who swears more times in a day, than a teenager does in a year? I don't really think so.”  

“Now that you mention it, he really hasn't sworn at all today. Weird.”  

“Well Dylan’s here for the weekend, so you know he might want to keep up the good example.”  

“Cool, Dylan’s here? I love that little guy.”  

“Yes, he’s here, like almost every weekend.” Yelena says in disbelief, “Are you on drugs?”  

“Nope, just didn't get my twelve hours of sleep.”  

They shrug and continue working.  

John enters Dylan’s room; he finds him getting changed. It never gets passed John how time moves forward, one day you’re in charge of getting them dressed, the next, they’re doing it on their own.  

“Hey there bud, where you headed to all dressed up?”  

“I was gonna go help you guys at the shop, I bet I could be very helpful.”  

John smiles at that. “Well, if you’re gonna be in charge for today, you might not want to where something too new, it'll get dirty.” He helps Dylan change into something a bit more worn out, a pair of overalls he uses when he paints, he can get him a new pair later on.  

They head downstairs to be greeted by everyone.  

“Well look at you, Darling, aren’t you the most handsome man ever!” Ava says.  

“She’s right little dude, you look cool!” Joaquina adds.  

“So, are you our boss today?” Yelena asks, “Do we get to leave early?”  

“Don’t push it.” John responds.  

John teaches Dylan a few things, they work together to remove a motor form a run-down truck brought in by Mr. West, John takes his time explaining things, making sure Dylan can comprehend as much as he can, though he knows it’s a lot of information to drop on a ten-year-old.  

Ava walks out of the office and heads towards them. “John, I got an email from the neighborhood watch, they wanted to invite everyone to the town square around 2pm, they’re going to inaugurate that statue they’ve been putting up all year. Plus, the new priest will be there to bless it and that stuff.”  

“New priest, when’d he get here?”  

“Yesterday afternoon, they say he’s very young and quite handsome, I want to take a look for myself.” She smirks.  

“Oh yeah let’s go, the statue they were doing looked really cool, supposed to be a tribute to past historical figures here in Georgia.” Joaquin adds.  

“Ok fine, let’s work through the day and we can close early to go see them unveil another unnecessary statue.” John replies.  

Yelena and Joaquin cheer mockingly “Long live unnecessary statues!”  

They finish up and close out, John gives everyone a ride in his truck, Ava gets in the cab with him and Dylan, while Yelena and Joaquin are in the back.  

They arrive to the town square, seems like almost everyone’s there, when you live in a small town of about 8,000 people, things like these become big events, breaking the norm of day-to-day life.  

Mayor Fisk appears on the improvised stage and gives a speech on improving the town, he lets everyone know how important the statue is, and its significance to the community. John just rolls his eyes, just another excuse for money laundering, he thinks.  

“Without further ado, to unveil this gorgeous statue, please welcome the newest member of our community, father Reynolds.” The crowd cheers for him.  

Ava had been right he was very young, probably in his thirties just like John, he was wearing a classic priest outfit, black shirt, pants and shoes, his white collar, a red rosary in hand, it looked very ancient, he was indeed very handsome, hair slicked back, if Ava plays her cards right, she might be a pastors wife in no time, John thought.  

“Good afternoon, to all, today I have the privilege of unveiling this monument which I’m sure will make this already beautiful town shine even more to those who visit and those who live here.” The crowd is eating it up.  

John finds himself clapping as well, the man had a very welcoming tone of voice, he’ll give him that.  

When the statue is unveiled, it reveals multiple figures made mainly out of a cheap looking bronze, it’s historical figures that put Goergia on the map, John only recognized Marthin Luther King and James Oglethorpe, the latter because he had to do a project on him back in high school, his teacher had told him it was one of the best projects he’d seen.  

The crowd was roaring with cheers and clapping hard, Dylan is on Joaquin’s shoulders and he’s also cheering with everyone else. John is concentrated on the faces looming on the statue when they start bleeding out, it drips from where their eyes are, fully covering their faces. It's as if they had gained consciousness with how lifelike they’ve become; John feels a knot in his stomach at the sight.  

He turns around to see if anybody else is watching them, but no one else has noticed, he’s the only one who’s seeing it, of course.  

“Are you ok?” Yelena asks as she taps his shoulder.  

John can barely get the words out, “I... I just felt dizzy.”  

Ava intervened, “Ok, let’s get you somewhere where you can sit down. It must've been the sun and all these people, let’s go, the priest is looking over here.” She fixes her hair while holding John’s arm.  

John’s gaze goes up; he’s met with the priest staring back at him. they’re looking at each other, his expression seems to reflect that he’s trying to understand what is happening.  

They find a bench in the park, John tries to convince them that he’s ok, that they should go and take a look around the food stands.  

“Joaquin, can you take Dylan?”  

“Sure, boss!" He lifts Dylan onto his shoulders again, “C’mon little man, we’re gonna go buy some candy apples!”  

“Don't give him too many sweets!”  

Yelena goes with them, Ava stays behind, “Are you sure you’re, okay?”  

“Yeah, just haven’t been feeling all too good lately, I’ll go to Dr. Strange’s later today, maybe I need me some vitamins.”  

Ava’s known John long enough to know this isn’t health related, more mental than anything, but she doesn’t want to put him on edge, so she agrees.  

“You should go and see if the priest is looking for a wife.” John teases.  

Ava smirks and hits his shoulder, “He’s cute and all, but I don't see myself married yet, and those priests are ones to marry and breed fast, not my thing. I'll go check on the guys and come back in a bit, ok?”  

John nods and she goes her way, he's trying to piece together what’s happening since yesterday, suddenly he’s having visions? Who did he piss off in another life to be suffering these things?  

“Are you okay my child?” A voice asks, interrupting his thoughts, it’s the priest.  

“Yeah, sorry, I um... I just wasn't feeling well.”  

“Do you need me to get the first responders, have them look at you?”  

“No, no, I’m good, thank you, father.”  

He smirks, “Please, call me Bob” He extends his hand towards John.  

In his confused state, John takes Father Reynold’s hand and kisses it in a show of respect. Bob starts laughing “I’m sorry, I should've been clearer, I was trying to shake your hand.”  

“Oh...” John feels his face turn red, he feels so embarrassed, he’s lucky none of the guys was around to see him make a fool of himself. He gets up, and awkwardly shakes his hand, "I'm sorry about that, I’m John.”  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, John, now tell me what has you in this state? Is something troubling you?”  

“No, I um... Fath... Bob, do you believe in demons?” John didn’t know what came over him, but if anyone knew about demonic stuff, it would be a priest.  

Bob’s facial expression changed to that of uncertainty; John had a hard time deciphering if what he said struck a nerve.  

“Well, I believe that everyone has inner demons that influence the decisions they may take. We do read about them in the holy texts, but I personally don’t think that there isn’t anything that can harm us as long as we trust in our lord.” Bob says confidently.  

John just looks at him, this man clearly won’t believe him if he tells him what he saw. “Well thanks for that, Bob, I’m gonna go find my kids. But thanks for checking on me. Here’s my card, in case you need anything or if you have a car, and it needs to be fixed, I can help.”  

“Thank you, John, it has been a pleasure meeting you. Don't let those inner demons get you all worked up.”  

“Thanks.”  

John heads towards the crowd to find the others.  

Father Reynolds stares at him as he leaves, “Oh John, I hope for your sake and those around you, you take very good care of yourself” he says under his breath, heading towards the church.  

Chapter Text

As John laid in his bed, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was really off, he began to wonder why he was now seeing all of things he was seeing, and his mind began creating hundreds of scenarios, however, the thing that made his heart race more than anything was considering that all of this was a premonition, of something catastrophic, like Nostradamus or those other psychic freaks that always talked about the end of the world. Sure, they were usually wrong, and nothing happened back in 2012.  

One thing was clear, this is going to keep on happening to John, who knows if for the rest of his life or until he gets an exorcism done.  

One thing that had been on his mind was something that Bob had said, about inner demons. John had already been to a psychiatrist and was drugged on a lot of meds, so he discarded the whole it being mental thing a long time ago, but what if this is more of a bad conscious kind of thing? John wasn’t the purest human being in the world, but he also wasn’t evil. Hell, if this was caused from being bad, what sins could a 5-year-old commit for them to be condemned to see the dead for the rest of their lives? Made no sense.  

Maybe he was just going to have to live with it, just like he’s been doing up to this point, only now it included jump scares apparently.  

He looked at the clock, 03:13 in the morning, its Sunday, so the shop’s closed so he can sleep in, but with everything on his mind, he most likely won't be able to. He could try to watch a movie, make some tea, but he knew none of that was going to work.  

Suddenly, he heard a rumbling noise outside of his window, he got up immediately and opened the blinds, John lived near the edge of the town, his “backyard” was basically the outskirts of town, nothing but woods and mountains far off, pretty much nobody besides the people living in this area wander about the place.  

A vehicle is passing by, it’s an impala, he’s never seen anyone with that car in town, John has worked on pretty much every vehicle in Custer Grove, with the exception of the richer folk who don't want him touching their Mercedes. He’s unable to see who’s driving, but he thinks it could be some drunk college kids, they’re not uncommon during the fall season, but no, whoever is driving is sober and knows where they’re heading.  

The car lights halt at a nearby point that John can still see from his window, they’re not too far off but they’re still not close enough for John to distinguish anything. He looks in his drawers for some binoculars his father gave him, they had night vision for when him and Lemar would go hunting.    

He tries his best to concentrate his vision in between all the trees, he can see the vehicle but not who’s in it.  

John stays put where he is, a couple minutes go by, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s some drunk couple getting it on and he’s violating their privacy by watching. He’s being paranoid, all the things happening in the last couple of days have really put him on the edge. Still, he keeps watching, wondering if something will happen.    

Around 20 minutes later, John has come to the conclusion that this was a waste of time, he was better off just lying in bed instead of hurting his back in the uncomfortable position he’s been in.  

That’s when he sees it, in between the trees, something is approaching, he can’t figure out if it's an animal or a person, but whatever it is, it has long nails, like claws, and the face, it’s disfigured, with what seems to be eyes so black it’s like looking into a hole: it starts heading towards the car.  

Almost immediately another figure appears, this time what seems to be a person, they have something in their hand, but it isn’t clear what, it takes a moment for John to decipher who it is, then he finally recognizes him, it’s Bob.  

That thing launches at him, and John can’t see if Bob is ok or if he’s getting mauled to death. He doesn't know what to do, if he should get up and go help him or if he should stay put, he doesn't want to get hurt, but what the hell is even attacking him, and he can’t leave Dylan alone.  

The shadows created by the headlights show them struggling, but it's clear that thing is tossing Bob around like a sock puppet. John gains the courage to go help, he grabs his rifle and puts on a jacket and his boots and heads out, he’s stupid enough to know they both might die, but he’d live with guilt if he didn't do anything.  

Many things are going through John’s head right now, Bob’s safety, his own, but more importantly, what the hell that thing even is.  

The night is particularly chilly, John can see his breath every time he exhales, the closer he gets the louder the fight sounds. He’s at the edge of the forest, when a roar so bone chilling comes from where the vehicle’s parked, that it makes John stop dead in his tracks. It's followed by an enormous flare, like something catching on fire, but it dies down quickly.  

Then, silence.  

 John can hear the beat of his heart racing rapidly, was Bob dead?  

He takes a decision, slowly he starts entering the forest, making sure he doesn’t step on something that could make too much sound. As he tries to investigate if Bob is ok and what’s going on, his hand grips the rifle tightly, in case things get ugly.  

He’s startled by the sound of the car’s engine starting, seems Bob’s alive, John feels a wave of relief, but he doesn’t take chances just yet. He watches what he can from behind one of the trees, he can see Bob getting in the car but can’t distinguish if he’s ok or if he’s hurt.  A few moments of silence, and John’s not sure what to do, so he stays where he is. On one end he wants to go out and make sure he’s ok, but what if Bob thinks John’s also one of those things and attacks him, the guy looks as if he’s been through enough for one night.  

He decides to stay where he is, he hears the car door slam and in matter of minutes, the car’s gone, it exits the woods and heads back into town.  

John’s now left alone in the dark woods, it’s hard to process what just happened, a demon coming from the forest, attacking Bob, and why was Bob out here in the first place? Is he lying to the town? Is he not really a priest?  

He knows he should leave before another one of those things appears, but his curiosity gets the best of him, he goes to where the fight went down, trying to see if there’s any clues as to what happened to the thing that attacked Bob, what he finds surprises him, it’s as if the thing had been burned in a matter of minutes leaving nothing but a smudge of soot on the ground. He should know better than to touch it, but he needs answers, so he puts his fingers on it.  

John is suddenly in the middle of a town, there’s people everywhere, this isn’t Custer Grove, the sky is turning dark, people are running, they’re desperate, they’re scared. The screams are coming from every direction, they become louder, it’s hurting Joh ‘s ears, they won’t stop.  

He falls to the ground; he’s back in the forest, the sky illuminated by the moon, only. The silence is now eerie, what the hell was all that?  

He gets up and shakes the dirt of his clothes, he turns around and is startled by a figure, a girl, no older than Dylan, in white dress, eyes and hair pitch black.  

They all came back and they’re all coming back, soon.  

John doesn’t stay to find out what she means, he runs home, he keeps going without looking back, not caring that he’s feeling tired, he keeps running.  

He bolts into his house, locking the door and falling to the ground, rifle still in hand, John’s trembling, he felt so scared, so helpless, he feels as though he is going to have a heart attack.  

With every fiber of strength gets up, puts the rifle away and heads into the shower, the hot water calms his nerves, but he can’t help feeling horrified. But now he knew that Bob also saw things like he did, and he was going to get some answers out of him.  

As dawn approached, John had prepared some coffee and was dressed, he went into Dylan’s room to wake him up.  

“Wake up, bud.”  

Dylan woke up with a loud groan, “What time is it?” He asked.  

“It’s 06:30”  

“Why am I waking up this early on a Sunday?”  

John chuckles, “We are going to church.”  

Dylan raises his brow in suspicion, “We never go to church.”  

“Well today is a special occasion, c'mon get dressed, once it's over I’ll take you to Frank’s diner for some waffles. How’s that sound?”  

Dylan is clearly still waking up, but he manages to give a nod of approval.  

John helps him get dressed and they both head out to the truck.  

Upon arriving, John’s surprised by the number of people that go to church, he’d stop going years ago, a bit before Dylan was even born, his grandmother had made it mandatory when he was younger but ever since her death, John didn’t want to go, and his parents never made him, so he simply didn’t.  

Thye both get out of the truck and start heading into church, when a familiar voice calls them.  

“Well, what a surprise this is! Mr. John Walker, at church? Is the apocalypse starting or something?” Yelena teases, as she approaches them.  

That line about the apocalypse makes John’s skin crawl after last night, but he tries to respond as normal as possible. “Good morning to you too, Lena.”  

Yelena rolls her eyes, “Don’t call me that, it’s Yelena.”  

John laughs, he’s about to say something when he’s interrupted.  

“John! How wonderful to see you!” It’s Yelena’s father Alexei.  

“Alexei, Melina, it’s great to see you, too.” He greets both with a hug.  

“How wonderful to see you in church, John, it’s been so long.” Melina says.  

“Yeah, you know, I feel like every now and then it’s good to take care of the soul.”  

“Bull...” Yelena coughs out.  

They ignore her and head into the temple together.  

The ceremony starts and Bob comes out in his typical all black attire, John then notices the bandages on his arm, it’s clear he got hurt last night. He needed to talk to him about it, as soon as possible, so he’d wait until the sermon ends.  

When the ceremony is over, John asks Yelena if she can watch over Dylan for a moment, as he needed to talk with Bob.  

“Sure, but is everything okay?”  

“Just peachy, I’m gonna go into the confessional, really quick.”  

Yelena’s genuinely surprised by that, but she says nothing.  

John approaches Bob who is talking to a group of women.  

“Father Reynolds?”  

Bob smiles at him, “John, what a wonderful surprise, how are you feeling?”  

“Much better, how about you? Are you ok? I noticed the bandages on your arm.”  

Bob laughs, “Yes, I am just quite clumsy, I was organizing some things in the common room and slipped, but I am fine, thank you for asking.”  

John wants to call him out on his bullshit, but instead he responds, “Do you have the time for a quick confession?”  

Bob nods and asks the group of women to excuse them, they both go into the confessional, once there, Bob signs the cross and gestures John to continue.  

“Forgive me father for I have sinned...”  

“Tell me my child.”  

“When I was 5 years old, I disobeyed my grandmother and strayed from her sight, the consequences of doing that are still haunting me to this day.”  

Bob doesn’t say anything, so John continues.  

“When I asked you about the demons, I was referring to myself, I see them father, I have seen them since I was a child, people in white clothing that died a long time ago, shadow figures that show up right before shit happens...”  

“Language” Bob interrupts.  

“Sorry, before tragedies happen, and now, I am seeing actual demons, they’ve talked to me... and last night, I saw one, in the woods.”  

John can hear Bob’s breathing getting harder.  

“It was maybe twice my size, seemed like a shadowy figure with long nails and jet-black eyes, and I saw it attacking...someone.”  

“And did you intervene?” Bob sounds nervous.  

“I was on my way to help, I had my gun and everything, but when I got there, that thing had vanished, leaving nothing a trail of soot on the ground... Tell me father, are those still inner demons like you said they were? Inner demons don’t attack people in the woods, or scream like they’re in agony where anyone can hear them... am I still fighting only inner demons?”  

Bob gets up and exits the confessional.  

John follows. “Bob, Bob, please talk to me, what is happening, do you see those things too? The dead, the shadow things?”  

“Keep quiet, this is a church, there’s no reason for us to talk about demonic entities here.”  

“So, you do see them. Did you see the statue bleeding out the day you went to bless it?”  

 “John, you are not making any sense, I urge to go home and rest, please, we don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”  

“Cut the crap Bob, I saw you in the woods last night, tell me what the hell is going on!”  

“Language, John!” Bob had never raised his voiced to this level, but John was aggravating him, luckily the church was empty. “Please John, go home, you are only making things harder. I can assure you that everything is fine.” With that he closes the door to the church dorms and leaves John without another word.  

John tries to open it, and he knocks multiple times, but it’s clear Bob isn’t going to talk to him anytime soon.  

He rests his head against the door for a moment, before composing himself and heading out.  

He greets Yelena and the rest as if nothing happened.  

Alexei invites them to have breakfast with them, at the sight of Dylan being excited, he accepts.  

John isn’t one to push people away, at least not an anymore, he had done that in the past which only left to his divorce and his falling out with other friends, now he tried to enjoy the company of good friends, and with everything that’s going on, he needs it more than ever.  

“So, how’d the confessional go, Yelena asks?”  

“Good, needed to clear some things off my chest.”  

“Like?”  

“Lena, please don't bother John, a confessional is a private and sacred conversation between the father and the person confessing.” Melina adds.  

“It’s Yelena, mother, Lena was for when I was five.” She responds.  

“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t anything bad, sometimes you just need someone to help you gets things off your chest.” John says.  

“That's what therapists are for.” Yelena gleefully adds.  

John sighs, “But everything is good now, running smoothly.”  

Yelena doesn’t question him anymore.  

They continue to eat their breakfast, Alexi tells them stories of when they lived in Russia, before any of his daughters were born. Yelena every now and then trying to hide her face from the embarrassing stories and his loud tone of voice.   

John is trying his best to concentrate on the conversation, but his argument with Bob keeps invading his thoughts, it’s clear he’s going to have to catch Bob in the act, he knows for a fact those things are still going to appear, that they’re going to attack and when they do, he’s going to be there, whether Bob wants it or not.  

Chapter Text

Monday  

John had been determined to be on the lookout for any of Bob’s midnight escapades to fight evil, he made sure to concentrate what he could during his work schedule and then head into town for a “quick stroll” to make sure Bob’s impala was still where it was supposed to be.  

Since it was Monday, Dylan was already back with Olivia, which meant he didn't have to worry about leaving his house in the middle of the night, if necessary, he realized that had been a reckless decision, had something happened to him, Dylan would’ve been left all alone, waking up to an empty house and not knowing where his father was. At least now if something happens, he’d be safe with his mother.  

His plan was simple, catch Bob in the act, and get answers, otherwise he was not going to be able to find some inner peace.  

His day went by as normal as it could, the team had a lot of work, but as always, they pulled through.  

“So, any plans for Halloween with your girl, Yelena?” Joaquin asked as they were working on replacing the headlights on a truck.  

“Well, it’s still like 4 weeks away, but I was thinking of just watching a few movies at my place, give candy to trick-or-treaters, you know, have a chill evening. What about you and Sharon?” Yelena responded.  

Joaquin looked uncomfortable, “We’re uh, on somewhat of a break, we got into an argument, she’s pissed I want to join the army once I turn 21.”  

“Well, I have to agree with her... Custer Grove is our home, and you can have a nice decent life here, why risk it to go join the army, those people never come back the same. You know that... that is if they do come back.”  

“I’ll be fine, plus it’ll help with anything I could need in the future, healthcare, future education etc. Some of us want something bigger...Lena.”  

Yelena frowned, she looked over at where John was working “Boss, can you tell Joaquin, he’s being stupid, he’s still set on joining the army.”  

John didn’t say anything immediately, he knew Joaquin had always dreamt of doing something big, to be like his dads; both Sam and Bucky served in Iraq, when they came back to Georgia, were considered heroes by many, but they were never really the same, that’s why Sam made it his mission to help veterans with PTSD.  

“Hey, it’s Joaquin’s decision, once he turns 21, we can’t really tell him what he can and can’t do.”  

“Thank you, boss, I knew you’d understand.”  

Yelena raised her hands in defeat and headed into the office with Ava, they’d talk shit about the men at work as a hobby, John never minded, he liked that everyone got along on their own terms.  

However, now that he was alone with Joaquin he wanted to speak with him, John really appreciated him and cared for him more than he expressed it. “Hey, I know you want to continue your dads’ legacy: Sam and Buck, they’re awesome, and I know they’re also not very excited with the idea. Just want you to really think about it, you know we’ll support you all the way, and if you ever decide to come back, there’s always a job waiting for you here.”  

Joaquin gave John a hug, “Thanks, boss, I mean it. I’ve thought about it for some time now, it’s what I want to do.”  

“Well, we’ve still got at least a couple of months before you decide to leave, so for now, let’s get this job finished.”  

“Yes sir!”  

The rest of the day goes by quite fast; they closed and everyone headed home, Joaquin offered the girls a ride back to their place.  

John enters his apartment, the day after Dylan leaves sometimes takes a toll on him, the silence becomes nerve-wrecking. However, he remembers that he now has free time to go have quick stroll around town.  

The town is quickly adjusting to the fall season and the Halloween season overall, scarecrows and pumpkins on people's front lawns, the leaves beginning to change color, and that chill air that only happens during the fall starts to surround the environment.  

John stops at a small shop near the church, he actually buys some things he needs back home, but it serves as a great spot to be on the lookout and subtle about it, he can make sure Bob is where he’s supposed to be.  

After a few minutes inside his truck, he confirms the impala is parked in its assigned spot, so Bob must be inside the church, he thought long about just entering the church and trying to talk to him again, but given their last interaction, that does not sound like a good idea. So instead, he circles the church once and then heads back home.  

That night he pays close attention to his surroundings, on the lookout in case he hears Bob’s car, the good thing about working on every car in town is he can recognize the sound of the one he hasn’t worked. But tonight, everything is silent.  

Tuesday  

They had a lot of work, some pickup trucks got into an accident, no casualties but they were in bad shape, it took the whole day just to get one back in a semi decent shape. When finished John repeats his afternoon stroll around town, same as yesterday, Bob seems to be where he’s got to be.  

He wonders if maybe Bob’s doing it on purpose to mislead him, if he’s also spying on John to make sure he doesn’t catch him something he shouldn't be doing.  

He shakes the idea out of his mind and begins to head back home, that’s when he passes by the town’s library, now John was no analphabet, but it had been years since he last picked up a book to read something useful, the moment he left high school he got to working and never once considered pursuing a college degree, so books were never really something he needed.  

But maybe there was something in that library that could give him an idea of what he’s facing, if there’s books on tarot and that astrology crap Ava’s talked to him about, then there’s got to be something about seeing the dead.  

Come to think of it, John never really thought about investigating his whole ordeal, it’s as if he just accepted it as a part of his life, hell, if it weren’t for these things talking to him, he’d probably just continue every day like that until death.    

He parks the truck and heads into the library, he’s honestly surprised when he realizes it’s much bigger than what he remembered, then again last time he was here was like 15 years ago.  

He heads to the main desk to ask for help on finding anything demon related.  

“Hi, I’m looking for books on demons, ghosts, that kind of stuff.”  

The young girl at the computer turns around and John’s surprised to see Kate Bishop, the young heiress known by everyone in town, John’s surprised she’s “working” at the library instead of spending her afternoon at one of those country clubs or something.  

“Hi, um, yeah... Sure. You’re John Walker, Yelena’s boss. Hi, I’m Kate.” Her voice shows she’s nervous, she extends her hand to greet him.  

John shakes her hand, “Hi Kate.”  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to expose you like that, Yelena talks about you guys sometimes.”  

John may not like the Bishops, but he was not going to make Yelena look bad, he knew how love struck she was about Kate; “Yeah, no worries, Yelena’s talked to us about you too... she said you recommended she cut her hair.”  

Kate blushes a little, “I knew she was struggling with having her hair clean all the time, so I just suggested it...I think it suits her facial structure better.”  

There’s an awkward silence. “Yeah, she said that... I um, I'm helping my son with some homework, you know, cause it’ Halloween, so I need books on stuff like demons and witches and all that.”  

“Sure! I can help with that.”  

Kate leads John to the second floor, there’s a whole section on the supernatural, unsolved mysteries that were based on true stories, books on famous hauntings, the place has everything. Kate helps John reactivate his library card so he can take the books home, thing’s been dead since before smart phones were even popular.  

“So, you're all set.” She says smiling at him.  

“Thanks, Kate. I’ll uh see you around, you’re welcome to come by the shop if you ever need anything for your car, there’s discount for friends of my kids, I mean my workers, sorry.”  

“Thank you, I will. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Yelena you called her your kid.” She gives him a sincere smile, and with that John is off.  

When he arrives home, he gets to work, reading through the pages as if his life depended on it, it might just. He focuses on finding out anything he can, he can’t be the only person who’s seen demons, and he certainly won’t be the last.  

Some of the things in these pages were outrageous, things flying around, people being possessed, whole families dead because they ignored warning signs, there’s moment where it feels too fabricated.  

He’s starting to think it’s all fairy tales when something he reads resonates with that thing he saw when touching the soot covered floor.  

Warnings and premonitions are not uncommon when seeing the undead, especially when a large group of them start to appear more frequently within a specific area, signaling a major catastrophic event may be nearby.  

It had occurred to John that he needed to right down what the ghosts were saying to him, maybe this was something like that, maybe some huge earthquake was on its way, or a massive fire, something that could threaten the whole town. Realistically though what is John to do with that information?  

He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion, checking the clock, it’s 02:00 am, and no sounds of any commotion outside his window. He went to bed for tomorrow he had work to do, he’d continue reading in the afternoon.  

Wednesday  

John pondered the idea of Custer Grove being in some kind of danger, his mind races at the idea that everyone he knows, and loves might be hurt. It’s silly really, he’s always seen the dead, he’s accustomed to their existence, he’s learned to ignore as much as he can, and now, it’s as if this took a 180-degree turn, now they communicate with him, now they apparently attack people, and how he meets someone who can also see them.  

Should he try to talk to Bob one more time, maybe go visit him at night when everyone is asleep? It would look weird, but John needs some kind of information, something to help him either ease his mind or prepare for the worse.  

He continues reading the books he got at the library, he’s almost done with them too. So far, it’s been a summary of premonitions, demons can possess both the living and the dead, and demons hate salt.  

John took note of that and found himself putting salt at the entrance of the doors and windows of his home. Better safe than sorry, he wonders if he could trick Olivia into doing the same.  

Overall, the warnings he’s been given only remount to two things:  

Deepwood  

They all came back.  

He had searched the internet for Deepwood, but found no results online, as for the dead returning, multiple stories talked about zombies rising from the dead to eat the townsfolk, mainly creepypastas with no background information, seemed like just cheap plots to get the reader’s attention.  

His life was now a horror movie with no actual plot to move forward.  

Thursday  

John had become impatient; the week was almost over, and he had not seen or heard anything suspicious, tonight he was going to march directly into the common rooms they have at the church and speak to Bob.  

He makes sure to act as normal as possible as he’s already been drawing so much attention to himself, Yelena had even started interrogating him when Kate told her about his trip to the library.  

“Now am I far too dumb to be a teacher, but I’m certain ten-year-olds shouldn’t be investigating about paranormal activities, it may be October but the scariest they should be reading is those goosebump books.”  

“Yeah well, that’s why we’re mechanics, not teachers.” John responds, his tone came off a bit more confrontational than he wanted.  

Yelena just raises her hands as if asking not to be shot on the spot and continues her work.  

John didn't mean to sound like a jerk, honestly, he just wanted to talk to Bob, someone who probably knew what he was feeling. Someone who could understand what he was going through, and who knows, maybe Bob also needs someone like that.  

It was about 11:00 PM, he got into his truck, and headed towards the church, when he was near, he made sure to turn off his headlights, he didn’t want any unwarranted attention from the neighbors. He moved slowly as to not cause a commotion, it felt like a stakeout, and maybe it was.  

The night air was very chilly, church looked earie at this time, with not much illumination, it felt like anything could be watching from the shadow the structure made.  

As he approached through the back of the church, he saw a vehicle exiting through the other side, it was Bob. John maneuvered the vehicle to follow but made sure to do so at a safe distance.  

Bob was exiting town, and for a quick second John wondered if he had finally decided to just leave Custer Grove behind and go somewhere else.  

But he then took a turn into the woods, John tried to stay as close as possible, this part of the forest felt like some kind of maze, tall trees and no headlights, John had to be careful, or he’d have an accident at any moment.  

A few minutes deep into him following Bob and he can see the vehicle is parked a bit up ahead, he stops where he’s at and turns off the car, nothing but the sound of the wind and the owls cooing from the trees.  

John steps out of the truck, he tries to make no noise and starts walking over to the impala.  

He stops when he feels something cold and metallic touch the back of his neck and a light point at him. Seems he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought.  

“Put your hands in the air or I’ll shoot.” Bob says, his voice sounds extremely demanding.  

John obeys.  

“Ok, now turn around so I can see you.”  

John feels very stupid right now, would’ve been better to just wait for him back at church. “Hey, Bob.” He tries to smile.  

Bob lowers his gun, “John, what the hell are you doing here!?”  

“Hey, language remember?” John tries to make a joke, it doesn't land.  

“I’m serious, John, this is dangerous! Go home, now!”  

“No.”  

“What? John I am being very serious, you can't be here, it's not safe, please, you have a family.”  

“I need answers Bob, and I have a hunch you have the information I need.”  

Bob looks back at him, John hadn’t really put it together, but his eyes showed fear, Bob really wanted him to go. “John, please, I beg you.”  

John reflects at his request for a moment, “If I go, and you do what you have to do here, will I be able to get some answers from you, tomorrow?”  

Before Bob can respond, a figure appears to John’s left, a man , face disfigured, claws covered in blood, his body seems to have been burned.  

“Lookout!” Bob screams, he puts himself in front of John and is sent flying out, his body impacts with a tree and he falls to the ground with a loud thud.  

“Bob!” John jumps into his truck and pulls out his rifle, a direct shot into that things head, and it falls straight onto the ground. John stays put where he was standing, his rifle still firm and pointing at the now limp figure, his legs are trembling, “Bob, are you okay?” no response.  

John starts walking backwards towards Bob, but he doesn’t take his eyes off that thing, just in case.  

Bob’s unconscious, but still alive. “Shit, c’mon Bobby, wake up.” John tries to shake him awake no response.  

A loud screech suddenly reminds him of the disfigured demon, it’s now back on two legs and marching straight towards them, John lifts his rifle, but it catches up to him before he can shoot, they’re both now wrestling with the gun in their hands.  

John tries to push it off as best as he can but it’s clearly stronger than him, he puts his whole-body weight into pushing it away, only managing to get it far from Bob.  

John then takes a wild decision he pokes the thing’s eyes and hard as he can, it lets out a terrifying sound and John uses this moment to push it off, he shoots at it, he knows this will only slow him down but maybe that’ll help him.  

He heads towards Bob’s car, he must have something else that can be useful against it, just like how he burned off the one he saw the other night. He quickly scavenges his options, there’s a blade of sorts, a knuckle brass, a vial of water and salt.  

John grabs the blade and the salt; he turns around and sees the creature coming back towards him. He gets a crazy idea, but he needs time, he shoots at it again, slowing it down just enough so he can run into the woods, he plans on using the maze-like environment to his advantage.  

His footsteps are quite loud, as he runs across the woods, the leaves crunching under his every step, he stops behind a tree. He begins to load his gun with salt, he saw this in a movie once, and MythBusters hadn’t tried it yet, so now John was gonna find out if it worked or if he was a dead man.  

He’s breathing heavily, the running and the fighting have him exhausted, he tries to control it as best as he can, no luck.  

John can hear it approaching, but he can’t figure out where it’s coming from, suddenly it sounds like it’s on his right, then on his left. Then it all becomes quiet, too quiet for John’s liking. He peeks from his hiding spot, nothing.  

That’s when he hears a branch cracking, John looks up, he’s met with that thing nearly face to face.  

It lunges at John, he reacts quickly shoving the blade into its neck, both falling to the ground, John pushes it off removing the blade and instantly lifting his rifle, he shoots. A cloud of dust fills the air, it’s not what John expected it to do.  

But it works, the creature is now in pain, it screams violently, vomiting blood everywhere, the sight makes John nauseous, but it’s still not dead.  

“My God, why won't you die?!”  

John shoots at it again, and he runs back from where he initially came from, heading to find Bob, he might be awake, he needs his help.  

When John finds his way back to where the cars were, he realizes that Bob is nowhere to be found, neither is his car. Did Bob abandon him?  

Before John can overthink, the creature screams again and is now running towards him like some wild animal.  

John has his rifle set when a pair of headlights appear directly at the creature, the car runs straight into it, crashing into a tree, the creature is now stuck between the tree and the impala.  

Bob gets out the car, tumbling as he does so. He has the vail of water in his hand he throws it at the monster forming a cross, smoke comes out from where the water touches its skin.  

Bob begins to recite some kind of chant. “ Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo draco maledicte, ut ecclesiam tuam secura, tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!”  

Black smoke begins to come from the creature’s body, it screams in agony, as it seems to be burning from the inside, in a matter of seconds there’s nothing left of it, except a trail of soot on both the tree and Bob’s car.  

Bob falls to the ground, John runs over to him, and lifts him into his arms, “Hey man, are you okay?”  

Bob faintly responds, “You shouldn't have risked yourself, you should've left me here.”  

“Like hell I was gonna do that, c’mon, we’ve gotta get you some help, your arm’s bleeding, and you need to rest.”  

John carries him and heads to the truck; Bob’s face buries into John's arm and John tries to ignore how warm it feels.  

He rests Bob on the truck’s seat and places his seatbelt, he closes the impala’s window's, takes out Bob’s stuff and then locks it, he’d come get it tomorrow with Joaquin’s help, no one came out to this part of the woods, so it would be ok for the night.  

He arrives at his house, making sure not to make any noise as to wake the Neighbours, they didn't need to see John carrying the town priest in his arms and taking him into his home.  

Bob lays still in John’s bed, he slightly wakes up when he feels a sting, John’s cleaning his wounds.  

“Hey, don't stress yourself, you’re okay, we’re in my house, I brought you here after you passed out.”  

Bob doesn't say anything, but he gives John a small nod.  

John smiles at that, “Ok, you need to rest, your arm got the most damage from that tree, but we’ll have the doctor check that tomorrow, ok? I’ll come check on you every now and then.”  

As John gets up, Bob grabs his hand.  

“Thank you, John, I don't know what would've happened if you weren’t there, sincerely, I owe you, my life.”  

John smiles and slightly tightens his hand. “Don't use all your energy, we’ll talk about it tomorrow, for now get some rest.”  

Bob nods and let’s go of him, closing his eyes and trying to sleep.  

John goes into the living room, as he prepares to sleep on the couch, he checks the clock, 01:46 AM.  

Friday  

Chapter Text

John constantly woke up without the need of an alarm, his instinct told him to keep checking on Bob, just in case. Like the last 4 times he checked up on him, Bob was sound asleep, his facial expressions had completely softened, that made John feel at ease, seems he wasn't feeling pain anymore.  

His mind still couldn't comprehend what had happened last night, the thing attacking them, the fact Bob had to pretty much exorcise it from existence or the fact that they actually survived. John wouldn't have bet any money on it, but he’s still here.  

He wished Bob would get up and give him something, but he also was aware of his injuries, poor Bob, he’s been in this town for about a week, and he’s already been hurt about two times, that John’s aware of.  

He feels like he’s been staring too much, but it’s comforting to see Bob resting and being at peace. John would also like to feel that for a change.  

He sighs and heads into the kitchen, no use in trying to sleep anymore, his alarm will go off in about 10 minutes.  

He prepares his coffee as usual, ready for another busy day at the shop, he starts writing a note to leave so Bob knows he’s downstairs in case he needs anything or in case he needs a ride to the church. However, there’s no need, Bob enters the kitchen as he writes.  

“Hey John.” He says, his voice so low almost like he’s ashamed of naming him.  

“Bob, you should be resting, you took one hell of a beating last night.”  

“I’m ok, honestly, plus I know you’ve probably got to get to work, I don’t want to be more of a nuisance.”  

“C’mon man, you’re not... I’m glad you’re ok.”  

“I’m guessing you’re also itching to get some answers on what happened last night.”  

Bob was right, but in the light of their current situation, he decided it was best to let him heal first and talk when the time was right. “That’s not important right now, you healing is.”  

“I promise I’m going to tell you everything. But first I need to get to the church, before anyone notices I’m missing, I don’t wish to start a panic.”  

“I’ll take you; your car is still in the woods, I was gonna send one of my boys to tow it here to get it fixed.”  

“John, you don't have to...”  

“Free of charge of course, and tonight, I’m treating you to a nice homemade dinner, it’ll allow us to talk in private, plus not to shit on the food at the congregation...”  

“Language, John.”  

“Sorry, but you haven’t tasted a great meal until I’ve cooked for you.” John gives him reassuring smile.  

“I’m very fortunate you’re the man who saved me John, I mean it.”  

John can feel his face start to feel warm, something in the way Bob said it, made him feel... good.  

“Let me take you into town, I’ll pick you up tonight at around 8, that sound good?”  

“It does.”  

John left him at church as promised, Bob gave him a quick blessing and told him he’d have a great day.  

John honestly felt like he would, Bob's words were very reassuring.  

When he gets home, Yelena’s already opened the shop, and Joaquin is helping get the cars out. Good thing he’s still on time this week.  

John greets them, “Morning, guys, I brought donuts from town.”  

He sets the box on a table and heads quickly to the office to retrieve the coffee from the coffee machine. Yelena and Joaquin stare at the box of freshly baked goods.  

“Fresh donuts on a Friday? Is it a holiday? Did someone win the lottery?” Yelena asks, acting shocked.  

“Shh, don't ruin his good mood, we might get actual good coffee, next.” Joaquin adds.  

“Oh c’mon, the donuts and coffee I get for you daily aren't that bad, are they?”  

Neither of them responds, they just eat in silence.  

“I went to town and the bakery was open early, I decided you guys deserved a treat.”  

“Why were you in town so early?” Joaquin asks.  

Before he can even respond, Ava appears and answers for him, “It seems John had to take his overnight visit back into town... may I know why the very handsome priest was leaving your apartment this morning?”  

John tries to come up with a good excuse, he can’t tell them he was off murdering a creature from hell.  

“Wait... did he stay with you all night?” Yelena asks, a devilish smirk forms on her face.  

John doesn't really respond, the answer is a yes, but it sounds wrong when thinking about it.  

“Whoa, boss, you hooked up with the priest, isn't that illegal?” Joaquin asks very concerned.  

“What!? No, I didn’t hook up with Bob, he...”  

“Bob? He’s got a nickname already; he's been here like what, a week and you’ve already made him fall for your charms.”  

John's face turns red, “Guys, I didn't hook up with Bo- Father Reynolds, he had an accident out of town, and I brought him here because he was badly bruised. His car’s still out there, and I was gonna tow it back here. I let him stay here to make sure he didn't bleed out or something.”   

The three of them stare at him, not fully convinced.  

“And for the record, I’m straight, and even if I wasn’t, hooking up with a priest is wrong. They’re devoted to God.”  

“Well. they say they are, but some of them like to wander off that path every now and then.” Ava remarks.  

“Well, I mean, he’s young and single, you’re single, don’t know about young, but it would make sense if you two liked each other.” Joaquin adds, “Plus, we’re not gonna judge you, priests need love too.”  

Yelena and Ava burst out laughing.  

John groans in frustration, “Ok, this conversation is over, I did not hook up with anyone, Father Reynold’s vehicle is totaled and needs repair, so Joaquin you and I are taking the tow truck and bringing it here, without drawing too much attention, ok? And I ask that this whole ordeal stay between us four, okay?”  

“Yes, sir!” The three of them mockingly respond.  

They head out to the woods, where the impala was left, the road was silent and awkward, John felt like the team was pretty much certain he hooked up with Bob. He didn't like that they were making those assumptions, he wasn't homophobic or anything, but he knew he liked woman, he’s loved Olivia since forever, plus Bob’s a priest, that’s wrong on so many levels.  

When they arrive to the spot where the vehicle was, John could see the tree covered in soot, just like the black smudge left in the forest from the first encounter he had with these things.  

“Woah, what the hell happened here? Looks like Father Reynolds ran over something and got the tree, and his car covered in tar.” Joaquin said.  

“It’s soot.” John responds.  

“What’s the difference?”  

John leaves out a small sigh, “We can investigate that later, help me hook the car to the truck.”  

“Yes, sir”  

As Joaquin pulled the car up to have it towed, John went over to the tree, he remembered what happened last time he touched it, the small town he saw and the people panicking.  

He wondered if... in the broad daylight, something would happen.  

His curiosity got the best of him, he touched the tree and was now at the edge of a town, it seems like it’s been abandoned, no screams this time, just houses that were abandoned, the doors and windows wide opened, stores seem to have been left during business hours.  

John takes a few steps forward and heads into a small cafe, the food was left on the tables, some untouched, some just started eating. Before he can theorize anymore, he notices everything beginning to get darker, as he turns to the windows, he sees the light disappearing, like something is sucking at it, but before he can go outside, he’s back in the woods.  

“Boss, you good?”  

John turns around and sees Joaquin standing near the truck, his face full of concern.  

“Sorry, I spaced out. Let’s head back.”  

John took it upon himself to get Bob’s car all fixed up, it wasn’t really that damaged, the motor was spared, and the damage was mainly superficial, the bumper was dented and so was a part of the hood, but the windshield only had a few cracks. It still ran properly, no leaks anywhere, he would have it ready in no time.  

He was now trying to focus on finding the perfect thing to make for dinner, he wanted to make a good impression, Bob was gonna be his guest, and while John is not religious, he remembers his grandma would make him dress up whenever the priest went to their home, made it seem like an important deal. He finally settled on some chicken alfredo pasta, his family recipe always got him some praise, he’s sure Bob will like it.  

He avoided telling his plans to the others, they had already given him enough crap in the morning, he didn’t need to hear anything else throughout the day.  

When their shift ends, he says his goodbyes and heads into town to get all the things he needs, making sure to make a list as he didn’t want to have to make two trips.  

On the way back home, his thoughts begin to take him back to what he saw earlier, the abandoned town and the sudden darkness. He was hopeful Bob would know more about what was happening. He’d know in only a few hours.  

He gets to work, cooking the pasta, pounding the chicken, making sure its cooked evenly and not burned, he makes sure the butter and cream cheese are melted to the proper temperature. He enjoys himself in the process, it had been a while since he cooked something like this for someone other than Dylan, and even then, when Dylan was having a fit, John would end up being the only one eating what he had made.  

He tastes the final product, perfection.  

The clock read 19:30, John heads to take a quick shower, the warm water feels great against his skin, he’s keen on looking extra nice today. It's not his first time seeing Bob but at least this time, it won’t be under the circumstances of almost dying or seeing something horrendous, just a nice dinner and two adult men talking, kind of like a hangout.  

He puts on a nice blue shirt and some jeans that aren’t covered in grease, he looks at himself in the mirror while combing his hair neatly, he then pauses for a sec, he’s only doing this because Bob deserves a night free of horrors, right? This has nothing to do with trying to impress him, no, John doesn't like men like that. Bob’s a friend.  

He reassures himself and heads to his truck, making sure to arrive on the dot.  

He’s parked outside of the church, while he waits, he checks his messages, John had asked Olivia if he could pick up Dylan tomorrow morning instead, as he had an unexpected commitment, she didn’t ask questions, she just agreed.  

When he looks up, he finds Bob is exiting the church dorms and heading his way, he’s not wearing his usual attire, he’s wearing a blue cardigan sweater and black jeans, black sneakers instead of his boots. He looks good in casual clothing.  

John’s aware he's been staring for a while, and tries to act normal, he exits the car to greet Bob.  

“Evening, father.” He says with a warm smile across his face.  

“John, thank you for the invitation, I hope I’m not interrupting any plans you may have had.”  

“No plans whatsoever, I think that after last night, you needed something to help cleanse your experience of Custer Grove.”  

Bob nods and gets into the truck, the ride back home is silent, but not awkward, it's just silent.  

When they arrive, John runs in to get the plates served, Bob helps him set the table. Before they sit to eat, Bob takes his bag and brings out a bottle of wine.  

John gives him a nod of approval, “Thanks, Bob, this’ll go great with dinner.”  

“I didn't want to come empty handed.” They sat down, “Would it be ok if I give a small prayer before we eat?”  

“Of course, go ahead.”  

Bob extends his hands, and John takes them, they both close their eyes while Bob thanks God for their food, and for John saving him the other night.  

Before they begin to eat, Bob speaks, “I know you have a lot of questions, John, and I think we should start at the beginning, why I’m here, and what’s been going on...”  

“You don't have to do that just yet” John interrupts, “I’m not the most intuitive guy, but I’m guessing this isn't something that’s been going on only for a couple weeks. You deserve to enjoy your dinner first, relax a bit, we can talk later, the night is young.”  

Bob blushes a bit and gives a subtle nod, John’s not sure where all this protective energy is coming from. But he’s been in situations like this, where frustration gets the best of you, had it not been for Lemar and Olivia, John would’ve made some very poor decisions in the past, having someone who can give you a sensation of security, really does help.  

“John, this is delicious, you’re an amazing cook.” Bob says as he tastes the pasta.  

“I'm glad you like it” John genuinely feels relieved that he liked it.  

“So, did you grow up in Custer Grove?” Bob asks.  

“Yes, sir, born and raised, my great grandparents moved here back in the sixties, and every generation from then on has lived here.”  

“So, are your parents also in town?”  

John shakes his head, “Used to, but my folks left about 5 years ago, my dad’s late work partner gave him his home in Florida, before he passed away, and they decided they wanted to retire there.”  

“How, curious, I’m from Florida as well... I grew up in Lake Mary. I’m the youngest of three siblings, Susan and Jonathan are their names, do you have siblings, John?”  

“No, I’m an only child, mom was pregnant with a girl before me, but she got really sick and lost the baby. Would’ve been at least five years older than me.”  

“I’m sorry to hear that.”  

“Yeah, stuff happens, do you see your family often?”  

“I used to, but ever since I was ordained and settled in Georgia, it's been hard.”  

“What made you decide to be a priest?”  

Bob stays silent for a moment, he stops eating, his eyes fixated on the plate, John doesn’t say anything... “I wanted to be a teacher, I was very into history and math, thought I could help children learn, but, after I found out about the existence of demons, after I found out my parents were hunters I decided I wanted to be like, them, when things went bad... I found refuge and support in the church, that's why I became a priest, but as you can tell, I haven't stopped following the family business.” He lets out a nervous chuckle, his eyes begin to water. “Sorry John, I didn’t mean to...”  

John reaches for Bob’s hand, “You don't have to apologize, it’s good to let those things out sometimes, and I’m the last person in the world who’s gonna judge you.”  

They continue to eat on silence; they don’t let go of each other’s hand.  

John begins to have an internal crisis, why does holding Bob’s hand feel so reassuring? Does he really like Bob? No! He's straight! He likes girls, plus Bob's a priest, a relationship with them, probably sends you directly to hell or something. But wait, don't pastors usually have families? Are a priest and a pastor the same?  

“John, is everything ok?”  

“Yes, let me serve us a bit of wine!” He gets up and opens the bottle, returning with two glasses in hand.  

“Thank you.”  

John decides it’s time to switch the conversation. "Hey quick question, what’s the difference between a priest and a pastor?”  

Chapter Text

It had been such a lovely evening, they both learned so much about each other, John told Bob about his love for playing the guitar, although he doesn't practice as much lately, and Bob talked about his summer in Venice where he learned how to paint, he’s still an amateur, but it brings him peace when he does it. John offered to pose for one if his paintings someday, and when Bob accepted with a little too much excitement, John began blushing very hard.  

John really appreciated Bob, he was a great person, so kind, passionate, a good listener. Overall, a great friend. That was all John saw him as, nothing more.  

When they finished, Bob offered to wash the dishes, John tried to protest at first but he ended up accepting, he made coffee for them as they had decided to move over to the living room, the evening was about to have a shift in tone and it was better if they were comfortable.  

“Ok, first thing’s first, I am a priest, I studied for years and have devoted my life to god, that part is true, it’s not a cover up.” Bob begins, “Before that I had other plans, but my life has never really been easy, I come from a line of hunters, at least 4 generations. The world is full of creatures that live beside us every day, some blend in trying to simply survive, others are a threat to the population in general. As Hunters, our job is to make sure those threats are contained.”  

“Like those demons.” John interrupts  

“Demons don’t tend to act like that, they usually don't even have a physical form in our world, only in hell. They take over human hosts to interact among us, basically using them as a shield of flesh that can't really die only be expelled.”  

“That’s what you did to the one in the woods, right? When you started speaking in a different language.”  

“Latin, yes, it was an exorcism, it expels the demon freeing it’s host, but the last few times, since they haven’t been inside a human body, the exorcism has, vanished them.”  

“Wait, you said they should have a host, why is that different now?”  

“I honestly don’t know. When I heard about the young man that was mauled in the woods, I requested my change to Custer Grove, I investigated and found that whatever attacked it was not something I had seen before, Wendigos tend to eat their victims and don’t leave skin behind. Vampires aren't uncommon in the area, but they tend to suck the blood and bury their bodies, this creature felt off.”  

“Hold up, so vampires are real? All those fairy tales and legends that old people talk about are true?”  

Bob nods, “A lot of the stories told by our elders are either wisdom handed down by older hunters or folklore from the indigenous people who confronted these creatures in the past.”  

John rubs his temple in a bit of frustration maybe even confusion, “So, you hunters are the reason a lot of us just don’t know about this shit cause you’re handling it before anything goes haywire.”  

“Language, John...” Bob teases, a smirk forms on his face.  

“C’mon man, you gotta admit this is a lot of information, I’ve seen things all my life, but I was never in danger really, I just knew that the shadow things meant someone was going to die.”  

“Shadow people tend to be announcers of death; they are attracted to it and feed off despair for those who lose a loved one.”  

“Do you see them too?” John asks.  

“Not shadow people, however, my gift , is seeing through a demon’s disguise, I'm able to see them within their hosts, with these new iterations, I’ve been able to know where they are, when they manifest themselves.”  

“That's how you knew just where they were in the woods.” John realizes.  

“Correct.”  

John has so many questions, there’s a whole world out there, that regular people know nothing about. Cases of missing people where you’d just assume they got lost while exploring or maybe a wild animal attacked them, but no, turns out they could’ve been killed by bigfoot for all anyone knew.  

Poor Bob, all the things he’s probably seen and confronted, hell, all the people he’s probably lost to fighting these things. Maybe becoming a priest, was his way of staying sane, of finding peace, and yet, here he is, still hunting.  

“Were you born with your gifts?” John asks.  

Bob shakes his head, he takes a sip of his coffee and then let’s out a small sigh, “When my mother was pregnant with me, she made a deal with a demon, to save my father’s life, he had been badly injured during a hunting trip. In exchange, my soul would be reaped at the age of 10. When it was supposed to happen, my father murdered the demon who had claimed my soul, however, I was still touched by their deviled hand, and I saw visions of hell. It was very frightening, fire everywhere, cadavers wherever you looked, and there was lighting striking, I remember I began to wet my bed after that from all the traumas.”  

“Bob, I'm sorry.” John says sincerely.  

“It’s ok, I eventually stopped” He laughed. “But since then, I can see their forms through their vessels. It comes in handy as I know who I can and can’t trust.”  

John nods in agreement, “I also wasn't born with my gift, I was 5 when I saw a dead little girl in the town cemetery, since then I see the shadow people and ghosts constantly dressed in white.”  

“Curious, ghosts tend to make their selves present when trying to communicate something.” Bob adds.  

“Well, she communicated where she was hanged so that was terrifying.”  

“I can imagine. Are those the only things you see?”  

“Used to be for the last 28 years, until last weekend when I began having visions.”  

Bob is intrigued, “What kind of visions?”  

“Well, when I followed you into the forest the first night, I saw you fighting a demon, after you left, I touched the black smudge the demon left behind, and I saw a town, the people were running and screaming. Then I did the same on the tree where you murdered the one we fought, and again I saw a town, only this time it was empty, as if everyone had disappeared.”  

“Was it Custer Grove?”  

“No, wasn't any place I recognized. But the first time I saw it, a ghost approached me, told me They all came back, I have no idea who they are supposed to be. On top of that, I saw a demon in my mirror that kept repeating Deepwood , I have no idea what that means.”  

Bob got up and sat next to John, he put his arm on John’s back and John couldn't ignore how good the contact felt. “Thank you for sharing all of this with me, John, I know it’s not easy. I promise I will help you and the people of this town to stay safe. And find out, what all of this could mean.”  

John smiled at that, “Thanks Bob, guess we’ll have to work together to make sure nothing gets too crazy.”  

Bob’s smile disappears, he stands up, “John, you’re not going to risk your life again. I am thankful you saved me last night, but you can't put yourself in danger like that again.”  

John also stands and is now face to face with him, “Sorry Bob, but you don't get to decide for me, I have a family and friends who I need to keep safe and now that I know demons pose a threat to everyone, I can't just sit by and do nothing.”  

“It’s exactly because you have a family that you shouldn’t be risking yourself, you could die... and I’d never forgive myself.”  

“Bob, we’ve past the whole keeping me safe angle, the moment I decided to keep you safe back in the woods. I can’t stand by knowing you’re risking yourself for everyone’s safety and not having your back.”  

“John, please, I’ve lost people all my life, I lost my parents because of hunting, as well as some childhood friends, you never get used to it, no matter how many years go by. I’ve become quite fond of you, if you get hurt, I don’t even want to think about all the people that depend on you. Hunting is not a joke, we could be hurt, you must understand this.”  

Bob gets his bag and heads for the door, John grabs his hand and pulls him back, there are tears in his eyes. “Bob, please, I lost my best friend and there was nothing I could do to save him, but maybe now I have the opportunity to do something with this gift, as you call it, to save the people I care about. Trust me enough to know I will make sure to keep myself and you, safe. Please.”  

There’s a moment of silence, neither of them can look at the other in the eyes, John reacts the moment Bob’s thumb caresses his hand. Bob let’s out a very long sigh.  

“You must promise me you’ll stay safe, please, if things get drastic, promise me you'll run, you'll prioritize your life and you’ll choose to survive. No matter what may happen to me.”  

John knows damn well he’s not going to abandon Bob no matter how drastic things get, but if he says that, then he won't let him help, so he lies. “I promise if shit gets out of hand I’ll run and choose survival over anything else.”  

“Thank you.”  

John gives his hand a tight squeeze, “Hey look at that, you’re not scolding me for say bad words.”  

Bob rolls his eyes, “Don't get used to it.”  

They finish their coffee in peace, leaving the subject behind, and instead talking about more mundane things. When done, John takes Bob back to his dorm, he thanks him for the evening and blesses him.  

“Get a good night’s rest, John, our works just begun. You’re a hunter now.”  

Chapter Text

Almost 20 Years ago  

The air felt thicker than usual, and the day had a strange sensation to it. Bob's parents forbid him from going to school despite being a Wednesday, and he couldn't comprehend why. It was his birthday and while any kid would love to not have to go to school on their special day, everyone around him was making it feel awkward and uncomfortable.  

His siblings didn't give him any convincing answers, “a hurricane had been announced” Jonathan said, yet the sky was crystal clear and no one around him seem to be preparing for one. “Mom and Dad have a surprise for your birthday.” Susan mentioned, but this was clearly a lie, never had a sibling in the Reynolds home spoiled a surprise for another member, ever.  

He walked into the living room, and turned on the TV, trying to act as unbothered as he could, but he was extremely curious of what was going on. They had put a line of salt on every door and window, and no one could go outside. Bob was prohibited to be alone; someone had to always be with him.   

Lunch was quiet, the whole family was at the table, but no one spoke and as much as Bob tried to make conversation, it died down easily.  

He asked to be excused to his room, but his family protested, at this point Bob was annoyed, he was feeling smothered, and no one could even explain what was going on, it’s frustrating not being taken seriously due to your age, he just wanted a direct answer.  

The day was now almost over; it was officially the worst birthday ever.  

That night he slept in the living room with the rest of the family, a sleepover, his mom said, but it felt nothing like one, no movies, no popcorn, no games. Just trying to sleep, hard emphasis on the trying part, it seems no one could even keep their eyes shut.   

Midnight struck and his parents seem to become relieved, at first John thought they were happy his birthday had ended, that made Bob feel terrible.  

Suddenly the power went out and everyone got up, the only light coming in was from the streetlamps, the atmosphere felt so tense, something felt wrong. The silence so earie it made his skin crawl, he wanted to ask them what was happening, find out if something bad was about to happen, a single knock on the door broke the silence.   

“Samantha, Marcus, I’ve come to complete our deal, please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” A woman’s voice coming from the outside.  

“Go away, you can’t enter this home!” His dad yells, he pulls a rifle from behind the couch, ready to unload it on their unexpected visitor.   

“That may be true, but you can’t stay locked in there forever, not if you don’t want to starve.”  

No one responds.  

“Oh well, I guess I’ll just to wait for you to die of hunger, then I’ll claim five souls instead of one.” She let out a horrid laugh it echoed through the home, Bob and his siblings were trembling, he’s wetting his pants, and it only became worst when he heard the growling coming from outside.  

In the present.  

Bob woke up with a mild headache, a mixture of his wounds from the previous nights mixed with the abuse of wine he had, he knows he's not supposed to drink, but John had been kind enough to invite him to dinner, it was the least he could do... for dinner at least. Bob owed John his life, had he not been followed, the people of Custer Grove would have found him rotting in the woods, if there was anything left to find.   

Despite how lovely last evening had been, he felt guilty for allowing John to join him on hunting missions, he’s putting himself in harm's way. Bob knows he could lie and simply not tell John when there was danger afoot, but John would see right through him.   

Bob was now determined to keep John safe, while also discovering what these visions meant, as if he didn't already have a lot to do.   

Serving his church brought joy to Bob, honestly, he found solace in his everyday activities, he enjoyed spreading the word of God, allowing the people of the church to rejoice in the communion they shared. A lot of hunters he had met in the past saw him as a fake, as someone trying to hide his reality from the world. Hunters kill, they fight, they make deals with that which is demonic to bring peace to the communities around then, even if it means losing the ones you love.   

Susan and Jonathan had managed to separate their lives from the family business, had managed to each raise a family and keep them safe without having to discover the horrors of the world. Bob could’ve had something like that, he really tried, but everywhere he went, there were people in need, dangers that needed to be dealt with.   

This was his way of honoring his parents, they fought until the end for their families, had they not, Bob would probably be in hell. He was confident he was on the path meant for him.   

Saturday mass was less crowded than Sunday’s, but it still drew in a handful of people, Bob put on his tunic, he looks at himself in the mirror one last time to make sure no bruises were visible, it’s go time.   

Mass goes by without any surprises, people come up to Bob to thank him for the service, some even invite him to have breakfast with their families, he politely declines the offers, there’s another service in two hours, and in between them, Bob regularly checks the paperwork needed to be filled out.   

His life is usually very simple, priest by day, hunter during the night, a vicious cycle that's been ongoing for ten years almost. He was twenty when he made that decision and in a couple of weeks, he’d be thirty. Guess time flies when you’re saving humanity and having existential crises.   

Bob heads into the church to retrieve a paper he left on the table, when a growling noise interrupts his daydreaming, a small dog entered the church and was nibbling at one of the benches. It was a small beagle, with big floppy ears colored brown, small not anywhere near adult size.  

He smiles slightly and heads over to the small dog, it keeps on growling but only because it seems to be frustrated it can’t rip the bench apart.  

“Hello, little one, I don't suppose I can interest you in something else other than church property to chew on?” He lifts the small beagle into his arms, it doesn't protest, it just accepts its fate.   

Bob heads outside to see if he can find their owner, he doesn't need to search for long, a young boy approaches him almost immediately.  

“Cypher! There you are you troublemaker!” He yells as he takes the dog into his arms, “I’m sorry father, I hope he didn't make a mess.”  

“None, my child, dogs are curious creatures, they always like to find someplace to nibble.” He smiles at them both.  

“Thanks, he can be a real hell hound sometimes, or at least that’s what my mother always says.”  

Bob doesn’t respond, he slightly nods and heads back into the church, those words follow him into his dorms. Hell hound.  

His memory goes back to that night.   

The past  

“Mom, what’s the growling noise?” Bob asks.  

“Nothing, sweetie, everything is going to be just fine.” His mother answered trying to reassure him, but her voice is trembling, something bad is about to happen.  

“No, Samantha, he needs the truth, he needs to be prepared.” His dad adds furiously.  

“Know what!?”  

His father put his gun down and kneeled to face Bob, there’s genuine fear in his eyes, “Son, on the night you were born, I was badly injured, your mother made a decision to save me and this family, a deal was made, in which, on your tenth birthday, that demon, would take your soul to hell.”  

“Why would you accept that?” Bob asks with tears in his eyes, “Do you not love me.”  

His mother wraps her arms around him, “Don’t say that, of course we love you. It was such a hard decision for me, I had to, the situation was dire, if I didn't save your father, we’d all be dead, Robert!”  

“No!”, he frees himself from her embrace, his parents may try to make it seem like that was there only option, but it doesn't justify anything.  

Bob ran up the stairs, sobbing uncontrollably, tears running down his cheeks, he locks the door before his parents or siblings can get in, he wanted to be left alone.  

His family called out to him, letting him know they were not going to allow him to be taken, but that he needed to come out, they needed to stick together, otherwise they could all die.  

But Bob’s mind had already convinced itself that his family didn't want him, who in their right mind would offer a child over to the forces of hell? As hard as he tried, his mind couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t loved that he had been expendable since the day he was conceived.    

“Go away!”  

As he tried to calm himself down, he was interrupted by a knock on the window, a woman was now facing him, she had long black hair, her skin was pale white as if there wasn't a hint of life in her body and her eyes, pitch black.  

The image was startling, for one, Bob was on the second floor, that meant she was flying, and her demeanor was unsettling, she's a person but she doesn't seem alive. “Who are you?” He innocently asked.  

“My name is Aurelia; I am a friend of your parents.” She responded, voice haunting and strained.  

“No, you’re not, you want to kill them and me.”  

She smiles, her eyes go from black to a set of blue eyes, she suddenly looks more human “I dont want to kill anyone, Robert, youre parents made a promise to me, and I have come to make sure they fulfill it. Tell me, haven’t your parents taught you to keep your promises?”  

“Bobby! Don’t talk to her!” His father screams from outside the door, they begin to kick it to get it open.  

With a swift hand movement, Aurelia moves the dresser in front of the door, creating a barricade.  

“Aurelia! He is just a child, please!” That was his mother.  

“Come Robert, if you leave with me voluntarily, I promise I will never ever, bother your family again, you have my word.”  

“No! You’re going to kill me.” He responds.  

“I promise I will guide your soul, without any violence, think about it. I can't leave without you; I made a deal with your parents, and if the deal isn't fulfilled, I’ll be in trouble to say the least.”  

Bob is terrified, he’s alone and can't do anything to get out, the dresser is too heavy for him to move, and his only other option is the window, where she waits for him. He curls into a ball and faces the other way, hoping if he prays hard enough, she’ll simply leave.  

“Don’t make this more difficult Robert, you don't want your siblings to starve, do you? I’m not leaving without you, and the moment anyone in this family tries to set foot out of this house, I will have my hell hounds rip them to shreds.”  

Bob faces her, she hasn’t moved a muscle from where she’s placed, her smile creeps him out, it makes his skin crawl.  

She’s about to speak when she's hit with what seems like water, in response her skin releases a puff of smoke and she screams in agony, whatever it was, it was burning her.  

“Stay away from my son you bitch!” his mother shouts, Aurelia leaves the roof and heads down, a gunshot can be heard, Bob’s parents must’ve decided to exit the home.  

Bob remembers what Aurelia said, about the hell hounds, his family could be about to die, and he was going to be responsible for it. Without thinking twice, he opens the window and heads out.  

As he climbs onto the roof, he can see his mother and father shooting at the distance, nothing is there physically but the growls can be heard.  

Another shot, one of the hell hounds takes Samantha’s gun from her and she responds by spraying water over it, another cloud of smoke is released, those things are there, just invisible it seems.  

“Kill them all my beautiful creatures and bring mommy their heads.” Aurelia shouts.  

As the growling noises begin to surround his parents, Bob jumps from the roof, his fall is painful, but he’s overruled by the adrenaline of the moment.  

“Stop, leave them alone!” He shouts.  

“Bob, no! Run inside now!” His mother orders.  

But he’s hurt and unable to get up rapidly, Aurelia heads over to where he’s lying, when he faces her, he sees her real form, a mangled woman, covered in bleeding scars, her eyes have nothing in them, just empty sockets. Bob screams in terror as she approaches, her hand is now a burned all over with claws for nails, she lifts him easily no effort needed.  

“Time to go, I’ll let you say goodbye to your parents before my babies murder them.”  

“You promised you’d let them all live!” Bob protests, voice strained from her choking him.  

She faces him with an evil smirk. “I lied, now say your last words, Bobby.”  

He hates the way she says his name, he hates the fact that everyone is going to die because of him, if only he wasn't so stupid.  

“Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry I yelled at you earlier. I know you guys love me, and I love you.”  

“Bobby don't apologize; everything is going to be ok!” His dad says to him.  

A gun goes off, the bullet goes directly towards Aurelia eyes, another shot and another follow, Bob turns to see where they’re coming from, he then sees his siblings, Jonathan has a rifle in his hand and Samantha a revolver.  

The bullets don't hurt Aurelia, but they do confuse her enough for Bob’s father to approach her, he wraps an arm around her head, exposing her neck and he injects something into her.  

She lets go of Bob and starts shrieking in pain.  

Marcus picks up Bob and starts shouting at the rest of the family “Everyone get back in the house, the hell hounds can't cross the salt barriers!”  

They run as their life depends on it, the hell hounds pursue them, their barking can be heard as they run after the Reynolds. They managed to enter their home and shut the door behind them. Samantha hurryingly adds another layer of salt on the ground as a precaution.  

Bob approaches the back window and is able to get a glimpse of Aureli she is left screeching in pain, she's vomiting blood everywhere, his dad moves him from the window and his mom closes the blindfolds.  

“Bobby, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you any of this before, please forgive me.” Marcus says, he wraps his arms around Bob, all his family joins in, they ‘re safe in their home, for now. Bob knows what he saw today might never leave his mind, but now, all he cared was the people he loved were there with him to keep him safe.  

Bob’s mind focuses back to where he is right now, in the dorms. That night changed his perspective on everything, from that point on his father taught him everything he needed to know to survive in a world full of monsters. He also asked his father to never call him Bobby again, the name had been ruined for him.  

He shakes his head and continues with his day, he has a few more things to get done today, after that he’ll have his whole evening free to start finding out what John’s visions could mean.  

As he heads to the door, he has a vision of his own. He sees the forest south to the south of town, there’s a demon, one with wings? It’s heading his direction. He puts himself together, Bob had fought gargoyles and dragons, but what he saw this time was definitely a demon, one with wings made of burnt flesh. Something bad is coming to Custer grove, and if him and John don't figure it out soon, this place might be an actual ghost town before Halloween is even here.  

Without his car, Bob must walk to John’s shop, he regrets not accepting the offer on a cellphone.  

As he heads out, he’s surprised to see his vehicle outside of the church, even more of a pleasant surprise is the person who drove it here.  

“Told you I worked fast!” John says as he exits the vehicle.  

“John, it looks amazing, as if it had never been in an accident.” Bob gives him a hug, Thank you, very much!”  

John’s face bushes a little, he clears his throat before speaking. “Hey, it’s nothing, I'm glad you’re happy with the work.”  

“I am, truly, and we’re going to need her in good shape, I saw something heading towards town. We need to catch up to it before it arrives and creates a panic, it seems to be a demon with wings”  

“Isn't that just a gargoyle?” John asks.  

Bob huffs out a small laugh, John’s great at lighting the mood, but he needs to get serious, his compromise is to protect the town and keep John safe. “We have no time to lose; I have a few items that can helps us in the backseat compartment along with guns of course, let’s head out.”  

John nods and he sits shot gun while Bob drives.  

Bob had once been saved from damnation, his everyday goal now is to save others from it, and that’s what he was going to do.  

Chapter Text

“So, guns, a blade that’s been engraved with weird symbols, holy water, and the book of the dammed. What a crazy inventory.” John said as he reviewed the items in the back seat.  

“Technically it’s just a regular spellbook, I snatched it from a witch who was causing havoc in Florida, unfortunately, most of the spells don't work unless you were born with magic abilities.” Bob responded, eyes focused on the road, “ The book of spells has been lost for decades now, even humans could perform the rituals written there to catastrophic results.”  

John was amazed at all the stuff he learned every time Bob answered his questions, no wonder regular people like him barley even know all the stuff out there. “Got that, now what's the plan? I’m guessing we strike it down before it swaps some helpless kid off the street?”  

“We need to make sure it doesn’t get into town; the last thing we need is a commotion and general panic spreading across the townsfolk. Especially, since I don't know how this thing will act, gargoyles usually come out at night and dragons only attack virgins, but this thing, might act differently to all of that, demons tend to be more rational. We need to be ready for anything”  

“Aye-aye, captain.”  

Bob focuses on the road while John keeps an eye on their surroundings, they’ve been driving for nearly 15 minutes with no sign of the winged demon, though this is the area where Bob saw it.  

“It’s strange we haven't seen it yet.” Bob breaks the silence.  

“Maybe it’s looking for a virgin like the dragons, guess we don't qualify right?” John says with a dry laugh. He looks over at Bob who seems to side eye him for a moment, “Wait, Bob are you still a...”  

Before he can even ask the question, the car gets impacted from the back. “We’ve got company!”  

The demon has gray skin covered in scars, its eyes are pitch black with horns coming out of the side of its head, the wings seem to be an extension of its skin only no scars cover it, but dried patches of blood on each one.  

“I’ll try to steer it off, you shoot it.” Bob orders.  

John takes the revolver and shoots at its eye, the shot is precise, and it makes the demon get off the vehicle, but it almost instantly strikes them again.  

Bob swivels the vehicle at high speed to try and lose it, but the demon has its grip on the car, it tries lifting them off the ground but doesn’t succeed in doing so. John shoots another bullet this time into its mouth, that manages to get the demon off them for a moment.  

“Do you have any salt!? Last time I shot one of these things, the salt created a smoke that was choking it.” John said.  

“We’re out of salt, holy water can help but I don’t have more than the vile in the back, so we must use it wisely.”  

John grabs the vile and the blade, he can see from his peripheral vision that the demon is coming back.  

“Ok here goes, try to get a bit close to it, I'll make it drink this stuff, see how the little shit likes it.”  

“Language, John!”  

The demon now impacts them from the passenger side, John lowers the window to try and throw the holy water on it, but as he opens the vile, the demon tries knocking over the vehicle with its wings, the vile is sent out flying and spills in the vehicle.  

“We need more holy water!”  

“That's all I have!”  

“Well, you're a priest, can't you make more? Just a bless a water bottle or something?”  

“Kind of in the middle of something, John, I don’t really have time to spare!”  

The demon impacts Bob’s side of the vehicle, he loses control of the steering wheel, and they end up going uncontrollably in circles. Bob manages to get control again after a moment, but the demon isn’t letting them off easy.  

It circles in the sky diving back down after them.  

“Bob, I have an idea, when I tell you, hit the brakes with all your force!”  

“What? Are you crazy!?”  

“Yeah, I thought that’s what you liked about me! Please, trust me!”  

Bob gives him a short nod, they both put their seatbelts on, just in case.  

The creature’s screeches can be heard above them, coming down very fast, it's now or never.  

The moment it’s behind them, Bob hits the brake, the creature impacts the car with such force, its head goes right through the rear windshield, sending pieces of it flying everywhere, John rapidly removes his seatbelt and moves to incrust the blade in its skull, the demon screams in horror, it pulls itself out, John never letting go of the blade, managing to break one of its horns off.  

It flies off screeching in agony, Bob gets out of the car and starts shooting at it, but it manages to escape.  

“Darn it.” Bob says angrily, he kicks the side of the impala, letting those things go is the last thing he wants, he can't let anyone get hurt.  

John puts his hand on Bob’s shoulder, “Hey Bob, look at me, it's okay, we got out of this alive, and at least we manage to hurt that thing, it can't get too far now, all we gotta do is regroup and think of a way to lure it in, finish it off.”  

Bob looks at John, he notices the scratches on his forehead, not anything threating but still he had been hurt. His fingers trail onto John’s face, the sting makes John flinch a bit.  

“Sorry, you got hurt again.”  

John grabs his hand, something he's been doing a lot of lately. “Hey, I promised if things got too risky, I'd stop, but this is nothing ok? You and I are ok, team Gryffindor is still on the go!”  

Bob laughs, “When did we agree on that name?”  

“Well, I don't watch a lot of TV or read a lot, but that’s the house my friend Lemar always talked about, cause you know, Harry Potter’s in that team or something.”  

Bob keeps laughing at the whole ordeal, John just blushes.  

“Thanks, I guess I needed that laugh.”  

“Anytime.”  

Bob realizes he’s been staring for a while; he clears his throat. “Alright we need to properly kill that thing, try to lure it to us instead of going after it to get the upper hand.”  

“Maybe it will come if we use this as bait.” John brings out the horn he ripped off its head.  

Bob takes the horn into his hands, “Great, we can summon it with this. Great job, John. But now the thing is where to summon it? Any open area is too dangerous; we need to trap it inside.”  

“What about the church?”  

“What?”  

“Remember how you said holy water weakens them? The church has an emergency sprinkler system in case of a fire; many volunteers and I worked on it last year. You bless the water reserve; we light a match or something near the fire detector and bam, it burns to death, with water...ironically.”  

Bob shakes his head. “John that plan could go wrong in so many ways, not to mention the damage it will cause inside the church.”  

“Well, there’s no other closed space I know that would be empty, we have a mini market, but it always has at least someone inside plus it’s open 24 hours.”  

“Ok let’s say we manage to bring it into the church; how do we avoid anyone outside from hearing it in case things go in an unexpected turn.”  

“Well, the town center and the park would be empty if a storm came.” John gives him a smile.  

“John, you’re losing me here, what’s your plan?”  

He goes into the car to retrieve the spellbook, “It says here, that there are certain things than can be summoned with the right ingredients, and one of those are thunderstorms, nothing too chaotic but just enough to have everyone snuggled in their homes.”  

Bob gives him a confused look, “What ingredients?”  

“Well mainly moss, river water, some salt, and the most important thing... three drops of a virgin's blood.” John gives him a nervous smile.  

“Oh, you've got to be kidding.”  

Back in town, Bob hurries to make sure all the church doors are properly closed, and no one is inside. John is in the dorms preparing the ingredients for the storm spell, they gathered everything on the way, only thing needed now is Bob's three drops of blood. The conversation had been somewhat awkward, but Bob eventually had to admit that he was indeed still a virgin, John assured him that was nothing to be ashamed of.  

Bob moved the church benches, he began placing a demon trap where the horn was to be placed, with any luck, the wing demon gets trapped in it before causing any havoc.  

When finished he searches for John.  

“Are we ready?” He asks.  

“Yep, just need for you to kindly donate three drops of your pure virgin blood.” John teases.  

“Shut up, John.”  

“Language, good sir.”  

Bob ignores him, he takes a needle from his desk and pinches his finger, allowing three drops to drop in the bowl.  

“Ok, let’s do this.” John reads out the incantation. “ Venti septentrionales, meridionales, orientales et occidentales. Te invocamus ut tempestate afferre! ”  

Silence.  

“Does it say how long it takes to gain effect.” Bob asks.  

“No idea. I guess maybe a few minutes, maybe an hour I...” The sound of rumbling thunder interrupts him, the sky turns dark, a storm approaches and fast.  

“John, please tell me this is just a regular storm and not a hurricane.” He asks concerned.  

“Relax, hurricanes require way more virgin blood.” He teased.  

The heavy rain begins to cover the town, the smell of petrichor is in the air, truly unexpected for the rest of the townsfolk.  

“Alright, let’s get rid of this thing.”  

They head into the church, placing the demon horn in the middle. “Careful, make sure not to erase any part of it, otherwise the trap doesn’t work.” Bob warned.  

“Ok, so let me get the shot guns just in case, I checked the sprinkler system, it’s working great.”  

“Ok, we need to be careful, since there isn't a water reserve, I’ll have to bless the sprinkler water as it falls. John, please be safe.”  

“That applies to both of us, Bob, I’m not going to leave you if things go wrong.” He says as he hands Bob his gun.  

There was no time to protest, it was now or never.  

“Daemon, esto subjecto voluntati meae!”  

They both take defensive positions with their guns aiming at the trap, but nothing, Bob is starting to get really nervous, these demons are defying everything he’s known for the last two decades.  

“I’m no expert on this, but I’m guessing it didn’t work?” John asks.

“Something’s off, it should’ve appeared almost immediately.”  

The storm went on outside, it was quite intense, lightning could be heard in the distance; the atmosphere inside the church was tense, and silent, Bob could hear John’s breathing, it was starting to make him nervous.  

A screeching noise came from outside, the demon flew through one of the windows, sending glass flying everywhere.  

“Crap!” John shot at it, missing it completely and hitting the wall, the demon swooped down on them but missed. “Shouldn’t it have appeared inside the circle thing??”  

“These demons are not like others; we have to bring it down with the holy water.”  

“Light the curtain on fire, I’ll distract it!” John gets up and shoots at it again, he manages to hit its leg. “C’mon ugly!” The Demon once again swoops at John who uses the benches as cover up.  

Bob runs while it’s distracted, he gets to the nearest fire detector and lights a piece of curtain he had in his dorm, trying to make system detect it. Just his luck, the lighter isn't working. “Oh c’mon!”  

Behind he hears some commotion, the demon has John launched across the room, and is now heading over to Bob, he corners him, roaring at the young priest with all it's might. Bob takes a handful of salt he had in his pocket and blows it in its face; this distracts it enough for Bob to escape.  

He runs over to John, he’s ok, just bruised. “Why haven’t the sprinklers gone off?” John asks.  

“The lighter isn’t working. We need to create fire from some source, but all the candles were dimmed.”  

“We need to stop half-assing these plans.” John replied.  

“Yeh, well, we’re hunters not geniuses, let’s make this work. Start a fire!” Bob runs over the creature, he slides beneath it and shoots at its face, this makes it lose its balance.  

“Alright, Bobby!” John yells, he tries to light one of the church curtains on fire, this may cause some damage but hey, sometimes you've got to break a few eggs. The lighter miraculously works and the fire starts out, it’s slow but with the right momentum, it’ll cause the sprinklers to go off.  

Bob’s ammo is over, he is trailing back slowly with the dagger in his hand, the demon is still confused from the bullets to the face it received, but it’s starting to gain focus.  

It launches itself at Bob who incrusts the dagger in its shoulder, it groans in pain but doesn't stop it from lifting Bob in the air.  

John tries to shoot at it, but he’s too scared to shoot Bob by accident.  

Bob tries hitting and punching it in multiple places, it gets as high as possible before ultimately letting him go.  

“Bob!” John runs as fast as he can, before Bob hits the ground, he manages to place himself in between him and the ground, Bob landing directly on top of him with a loud thud. John’s back takes the worst of the impact.  

Both still confused from the impact they lay there for a moment, before the demon screeches again, it's now posted on top of the church altar, fire is consuming one side of the church, truly a terrifying sight.  

Bob gets up and reaches for the rifle, John is still laid out on the floor, he’s not unconscious, but he's having a hard time getting up, the impact really did a number on him.  

“What are you waiting for!” Bob yells, pointing directly at the demon, ready for the worse to happen.  

As the creatures swoops down at him, the sprinklers go off, the water is pouring heavily inside, Bob dodges the demon as it tries to swoop him up, he lets go of the rifle and gets on his knees, hands in the air, he begins “Dear Lord, We come before You seeking purification and renewal, may the sacred waters wash over our spirits, cleansing us of burdens and negativity. May it cleanse our spirits and fortify our hearts, enveloping us in Your sacred protection. Let its purity drive away darkness and fear, and may we always find refuge in Your loving embrace.”  

The water is now blessed, the demon begins to scream in agony, as it tries to head for the windows, the amount of water burning its skin makes it free fall. It impacts some of the benches below.  

Before running to it, Bob checks on John.  

John shifts to his side, “I’m fine, I promise, go, smite the stupid thing so we can go get drunk or something.” Bob gives him a reassuring nod and runs over to the demon, placing his hand in its forehead.  

“... tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos! ”  

A quick huff of black smoke is released but it dies down quickly due to the water.  

John finally gets up, his back is killing him, but they're both lucky, they’re still alive.  

Bob rushes over to him, putting his hands on his arms “John, hey, look at me, are you okay?”  

“Just peachy, Bobby, just peachy.” He looks up and notices the bruises on Bob’s neck and cheek, John puts his hand over it, “does it hurt?” He asks softly.  

“Not when you touch it... Sorry I um... wouldn't worry, but you, I fell on top of you! Are you okay, did I break something, should we head over to a doctor?” Bob’s a mess, he shouldn't have said anything.  

“Yeah, we can visit Dr. Strange later, real name by the way, not mocking him. But we should probably clean up, salvage what we can.” The sprinkler water stops. “And we probably have to dry this place up.”  

“I’ll think of something to tell the board and make it look like it was caused by the storm.”  

They work for the next two hours or so rearranging everything to match their story, the heavy storm cause one of the windows to break, which led to a torch falling and incinerating a curtain, the sprinklers picked up on this and that’s why they went off. Sounds convincing enough.  

They’re lucky the storm continued for a while outside, though not as powerful as in the beginning, they were thankful that they at least didn't cause a flooding or something outside.  

They sit on one of the benches, exhausted to say the least, “Ok, we've cleaned enough, here, c’mon, we’ve done the best we can to make it look decent, I need to take you to the doctor.”  

“Wait just a second, I'm going, I promise, but first, where’s the spot where you exorcised the demon, I need to see if I can touch it and have another vision from that strange town.”  

With all the commotion, Bob didn't even think about that, they probably already mopped it up. He points to where he exiled it, but as expected, there was nothing there. “Sorry, John.”  

“Hey, it’s ok, we’re still gonna figure this out, ok? This was just a misstep, and I mean we managed to kill that thing so, we succeeded, this is a win for us!”  

Bob looks at him, with a warm smile on his face, “Go, team Gryffindor?”  

“We’ll work on the name, now that you’ve said it, I can hear how ridiculous it sounds.”  

They share a quick laugh, John is beginning to feel more comfortable around Bob, more than before.  

There little moment is interrupted by the church doors being knocked on intensely, Bob composes himself as best as he can, and John gets up. His back still hurting but its manageable.  

As Bob opens the door, he’s surprised by multiple townsfolk, they’re here to make sure he’s ok, the storm was apparently bowing things around and causing some havoc outside, no one got harmed thankfully.  

Alexei, is the first to barge in, inspecting the damage, Bob tells them what happened and how John helped him resort the place, many people approached him to thank him for his service, John gives them reassuring nods and says it’s nothing. That's when Yelena approaches him.  

“How convenient that you were here, with Father Reynolds.” She teases, a mischievous smile forms across her face, “sure you weren't keeping him company before the storm even started?”  

“I was bringing him back his car, guess I was just at the right place at the right time.”  

“Sure, you’ve been hanging a lot around him lately, you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me? Get off your chest?”  

“Lena, please, you're acting like your dad, with all these conspiracies.” John teases back.  

“Don't call me that.”  

Their bickering gets interrupted by Bob, “John I want to thank you for your help, and remind you to please have your back checked, that fall was pretty nasty.”  

“What is he talking about John? Did you get injured, and you aren’t going straight to the doctor?” Yelena asked worried.  

“No, I’m fine, just sprang my back a bit...”  

“Nope, not a good answer, I'm telling dad, and we will take you to Dr. Strange, now.”  

She rushes over to tell Alexei.  

John faces Bob, “Hey why’d you do that?”  

“If I didn't, you'd go straight home and act like it was some mild injury, I don’t want you to act like it was nothing.”  

“Bobby, please, you don't weigh that much to have broken my back, even with that fall.”  

“John, I umm... I'm sorry I should’ve said this earlier, but can you not call me that? It's just, it brings me bad memories.” Bob said.  

“Hey man, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to...”  

Bob interrupts him, “I know, now please, go to the doctor, I will see you tomorrow after mass so we can discuss what new information we may have on your visions.” Which is apparently none.  

“Sure, how's my place sound? I could cook us up something nice to celebrate our victory.”  

Bob blushes, “I would really like that.”  

Yelena calls John over so they can give him a ride to the doctor, he says his goodbyes to Bob who is already being approached by the people to see what needs to be done to get the church fixed up as soon as possible.  

Another success story for them, with a few structural damages, and more damage done to the impala, but overall, they really are a great team; Custer Grove is in good hands, for now.