Father Lanthom Suffers
It was seven in the evening and the streets were oddly deserted. Tommy ran down the alleys into the main street. He heard the Devil behind him, landing on one of the many fire escapes the damn city ordinances demanded. The man couldn’t believe he was being chased by the Devil himself.
Tommy had thrown holy water at him and that had slowed the Devil down but honestly how stupid had he been? Of course the Devil himself wouldn’t be stopped by holy water alone. It just kept him at bay but this wasn’t a freaking movie.
He looked ahead of him and spotted a church. Oh God, please have mercy! He thought and hoped to God that the church was still active, concentrated ground. Could the Devil enter?
Did such a thing really exist? Didn’t the Devil go to Heaven in the book of Job? He thought hysterically as he spotted the Devil less than ten feet behind him. The Church. He had to reach the Church, he had no other option. He felt a burst of adrenaline.
He passed the gates but didn’t stop until he reached the door. It was locked. He began to bang on the door.
“Please! Open up! Please! You have to open up! He’s going to get me! The Devil is after my soul!” He banged what felt like forever. Tommy stopped when he heard a dark laugh behind him. He froze and turned.
The Devil was right there. He was in the churchyard, several feet from him. He wasn’t stepping onto the church’s foundation but he was simply staring at him with those empty black voids. Tommy couldn’t have been staring for more than a few seconds when the door to the church flew open. He didn’t bother see who had answered he stumbled in.
A priest. He all but screamed;
“Father! The Devil is behind me! I beg for sanctuary! Please! He’s after my soul!” The father glanced outside and nodded.
“My son, go to the pews. I will cast out the demon from the threshold.” A dark laugh came again, sickeningly amused by it. Like a lowly priest could cast the Devil out. “Yet he will only leave if you confess yourself, not only to God but to man. Justice-“
“I will! Please-“
The priest stepped outside and Tommy knelt among the pews. His legs shook and he felt the terror of the flames at his back still present. He glanced out to the door and heard nothing. He shuddered. What if the priest was not enough?
He prayed.
Outside the church Father Lanthom was glancing at Daredevil with a weary look. “This is the sixth time this month.” Daredevil shrugged.
“They run in this direction. I’m not herding them.”
“Well I would like a warning if possible to at least prepare. I never imagined I would be offering sanctuary to several criminals. This is not the middle ages.”
“I know, Father. I am sorry.”
“I wish they didn’t think you were the Devil. It feels almost blasphemous.”
“I don’t know how the rumor started. I think it’s a bit late for that now but Hell’s kitchen is safer since the criminals have started to wield crosses instead of guns. I think I even had a Star of David thrown at me last week. I’m not all that certain. I wanted to take it to Foggy but it seemed disrespectful.”
“I cannot imagine what is going on in their heads. My entire stock of holy water was stolen last week.”
“Who steals holy water?” He asked incredulously. “Holy water, wow.”
“Yes, now if you excuse me. I must go and console this man.”
“Of course, Father. Do you wish for me to stay?”
“No, they go freely now into police custody. It seems the prospect of hell frightens them more than man.”
“I will see you later, Father.”
“Goodbye, take care.” Daredevil smiled and disappeared into the shadows.
Lanthom entered and saw the man praying, his head bowed.
If any good came from this, he thought. It was that some men were freely returning to God or what they knew of Him.
He believed Matthew. He did not start the rumor of being the Devil. God had his ways and perhaps Matthew was serving a greater role than just stopping criminals in Hell’s Kitchen.
God worked in mysterious ways after all.