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Remission
A Short Story by Stephen R. Clark

Wiley opened the door without thinking. What happened next is a blur. But the after-effects were clear. He was bloodied head to toe. Everything hurt. No part of his body was left unscathed. Whatever it was that came out of the closet was brutal, malicious, and potentially deadly. Why it didn't kill him outright was a mystery, but left him somewhat grateful.

He lay on the floor on his back taking mental inventory of all his parts and the pains shooting skittishly through his body. He could feel blood oozing away from him. His heartbeat was slowing to normal along with his breath. What was it? How big was it? What color was it? Why was it in there? The questions slipped around in his addled head but he couldn’t get a grip on any answers.

He lay there and waited. Waiting to see if he could hear anything nearby. Waiting to see if he could make himself move despite the pain and fear. He knew he had to get up. He probably needed help. But right now, he felt helpless and too weak to do anything.

He thought about just laying there forever. Never moving. Just laying, still and quiet. At peace in his pain. The bleeding would eventually stop as no arteries were harmed. The pain would lessen. And it felt good not to move. Not to have to think about moving. To just lay there as if he were floating.

"Wiley!" Shrii screamed. "What happened? Are you okay? Wiley? Wiley!"

"I'm here," he mumbled. "I'm here. Calm down, Shrii. Help me up. But not too fast."

"Jeepers, Wiley! You're a real mess! What on earth happened? Who did this to you?"

"The better question, Shrii, is what did this to me. And the answer is, I don't know. I was getting into the closet and when I opened the door…it burst out and was all over me. It lasted barely a second it seemed. Then here I was on the floor, bloodied and banged up. I've just been laying here assessing the damage."

"What do you mean it?" Shrii quizzed.

Slowly Shrii helped Wiley up from the floor and to the edge of the bed. She sat beside him carefully, trying to see how badly he was hurt and make sense of what he was saying. She was feeling somewhat fearful, but she was unsure if it was a fearfulness over Wiley's injuries or fear over something else unnamed.

Shrii and Wiley were the same age and the best of friends. Her real name was Shirley. She christened herself with the made up the nickname Shrii as a kid because she didn’t care for Shirley. She thought it sounded "quite exotic and unusual" she would always explain. Her parents raised no objections assuming it was just a phase. Eventually everyone got so used to thinking of her as Shrii, even her parents fumbled when trying to recall her given name.

Shrii was smart and adorable. Her look was a blend of down home country charm and uptown sassy gorgeous. That was Wiley’s descriptor. In short, she was a looker, but at the same time, had soft, freckled edges and very warm eyes. He especially loved her eyes.

"Ow!" Wiley winced and pulled away from her touch. Her hand had absentmindedly grazed a wound on his arm.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you." She was sincere and cringed inside knowing she had caused him pain. But she also now came to her senses a bit and realized that Wiley needed prompt medical attention. It didn't make any difference what had happened. Wiley needed care and needed it now. The information she learned from those Red Cross classes suddenly surfaced and she kicked into action. She realized Wiley could be in or headed toward shock, which might account for his uncertainty about what had happened. And there could be internal injuries. At any rate, she moved.

"Wiley," she declared, "we need to get you to the Emergency Room now. Can you walk to the car? Or should I call an ambulance?"

Wiley was having some difficulty focusing. He sort of understood her question but couldn't quite wrap his head around it enough to answer her. He had started trying to recall exactly what had happened and was trying to visualize what had come out of the closet. His thoughts were sinking into the quirky depths of his dimly lit subconscious where he was discovering frustratingly fleeting images and impressions. He sensed that an answer to the What was it? question was lurking in there somewhere. He just needed to concentrate, gather together the detritus flickering in the corners of his rattled memory, and piece together a picture of it from these muddy impressions.

"Wiley! Can you walk? Wiley!" Shrii's voice was insistent yet calm. She touched his shoulder and shook him gently. "Wiley! Talk to me!"

He heard her this time as his awareness surfaced in the bright reality of his bedroom. "Uh, yeah. I think I can walk. Why?"

"Like I've said three times already, we need to get you to the hospital. Can you make it to the car or should I call an ambulance?"

"No!" He almost screamed it. There was a small look of panic that flashed across his bloodied face.

"No to which one?"

"No to both," he said. "I can't go to the hospital. What am I going to tell them happened? If I tell them the truth, they won't believe me! They'll put me in the psycho ward, or…or… blame it on you or who knows what!" He knew Shrii wouldn't buy any of his reasonings as legitimate. But he also knew, or at least felt sharply in his gut, that the hospital was the last place he needed to be. For some reason, he felt that would bring him back into contact with it, and in a way which he wouldn't survive.

"Shrii, just help me to the bathroom and help me get cleaned up. Then I can take a couple of Advil and lay down for awhile. That's all I need. Just some tender loving care from you! Here's your chance to play nurse for real."

She laughed a little at the last comment. It was a reference to all the times she begged him to play nurse and patient with her. He hated to do it but always did out of loyalty. He was always such a caring spirit. They would play and even switch roles. One time for her birthday she got a really cool, fully appointed Little Nurses First Aid & Medical Kit. It had everything in it. She wrestled Wiley into playing with her, and by the end of the day, every person and animal in the neighborhood had been bandaged, splinted, marked with red iodine stains, had their heart listened to, or their temperature and blood pressure checked.

"Wiley, I'll do this because I love you. But I'm going on record that I really think you need to be looked at by a doctor at the hospital. There could be injuries that I can't see."

"Shrii, trust me. You can give me the care I need right here. Help me into the bathroom, Nurse Nancy!"

===

Shrii watched Wiley as he slept. After they got all the blood washed off and he'd change his clothes, he did lay down again and fell quickly to sleep. He actually wasn't too badly damaged, all things considered. The cuts were many, but not deep. He'd always been a bit of a bleeder so it looked much worse than it was. Once the blood was washed off, there were only a couple of gouge-like wounds that need special tending. There was bruising, but it was light. He hadn't been hit on the head so there was no fear of a concussion. He remembered falling to the floor, and told her he landed with the flat of his back and had not hit his head hard on the floor. So it was safe for him to sleep.

Apparently, whatever had happened had taken a toll emotionally and physically. He said it felt like the life was literally drained out of him for a moment during the encounter. He explained that he hit the floor because he felt just like a rag doll. All of the strength in his body left him. His arms and legs just stopped working. And, this part really confused her, he said he felt his heart sadden and darken during the attack or encounter or whatever it was. He said that very briefly he was encompassed by an intense anger and fear. It was like all of this hit him like a bolt of lightning -- came and went in a flash.

He looked so peaceful now, just like a baby. She loved watching him sleep. Always had. She loved him the most in moments like these. She felt her aura of protection extending over him, for what it was worth. This was the first time she felt vulnerable at the same time she was feeling protective. She knew Wiley well enough to know that whatever had happened, it was real and it was serious. And she knew eventually she would know exactly what had happened. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain whatever it was it would be back and she would see it too. In fact, she had a nagging sense of having already seen it, but was sure that couldn’t be true. She shuddered and reached over to touch Wiley's arm as he slept on.

===

"Who are you?" Wiley shouted at the closed closet door. "What are you and why are you in my closet?"

For a moment, there was silence and Wiley felt foolish. What if he were just imagining all this? He felt stupid.

"You know exactly who and what I am!" the voice from the closet hissed sharply. Wiley jumped and rubbed his ears. It had felt as if the voice had literally crawled right into his ears and into his head. The inside of ears felt slimy. He shuddered and his heart began to speed up.

"No I don't!' He screamed back while digging in his ears with his fingers. "I have no idea who you are! All I know is I don’t want you around. I want you out of my closet and out of my life! Now!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha….." The laughing was big, arrogant, and insidious. "What a joke you are! You don't want me out of your life! You put me here! I've lived here for years at your invitation. You've always enjoyed my company. You've craved it. And now you dare try to exorcise me? Such a gigantic joke!"

The terrible laughter coiled into his brain overwhelming his thoughts. It went on and on like the distant droning of a siren that wouldn’t stop. He felt like his head would explode and that he was going to throw up.

===

"STOP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs and sat straight up in bed.

Shrii's heart skipped a beat when Wiley let out this shrill, desperate scream. It took her a moment to realize he was having a very bad nightmare. "Wiley! Wake up, Sweetie! Wake up! You're having a bad dream! It's not real. Wake up!"

"Wha…" Wiley mumbled awake, opening his eyes and looking around confused and shaken. "Shrii!" His voice clearly evoked the joy he felt upon seeing her. He looked like a helpless, scared little boy. Shrii quickly moved to his side and held him. He was damp and shaking.

"What's going on, Wiley? What's happening to you? How can I help?" Her maternal instincts powered up as she held him tight with one arm and stroked his sweat sheened forehead with her free hand.

"I…I don't know what's happening, Shrii. I don't know. It was in my closet again. It knew my name and told me I had put it there. That I had invited it to live in my closet years ago. When I told it to leave, that I didn't want it here, it laughed the most wicked, insane laugh I've ever heard in my life. It was a laugh that cut through me deep into my heart. It felt slimy in my ears! But it was just a dream, right Shrii? Right? It wasn't really here was it?"

Shrii had never seen him like this. Helpless. Scared. Shaken. Vulnerable in the extreme. Wiley was always strong and had it together. He had answers for everything and never doubted anything he knew. He pursued new subjects with a methodical thoroughness that always put him at the top of his classes all through school. At the office, his thoroughness on projects was viewed as near heroic. When there was something that needed to be known, he would know it, in the fullest, almost biblical sense of the word. For Wiley to be shaken by a mystery rather than challenged was a brand new experience for her, and for him. Whatever it was that had attacked him, in his reality and in his dreams, was formidable. Of that she was certain. But that was all that she was certain of. All the rest of whatever was going on had her scared. But obviously, it was her turn to be the strong one.

"Yes, Wiley, it was only a dream. Nothing more. There's no one else here besides you and me. It’s just the two of us. Your closet door is still open and there's nothing in it that doesn't belong there. Nothing in it talks. You're okay, sweetie. Everything's okay."

"Oh, jeez. I must seem like a lunatic!" He laughed, brightening. He was more awake now, his head was clearing, the sense of fright and hopelessness was abating. He rubbed his face and took in a deep breath, then sighed deeply. This sent a wave of relaxation through him and his nerves and muscles began to untighten. He looked a Shrii and they smiled at each other. There had always been a unique and intense connection between them, from the first day they had met.

===

They were both five years old and had both recently moved into the neighborhood in this very small, Midwestern town call Rose Blossom. She had come from the East and he had come from the West. They met the first day of school as they were starting kindergarten. Their mothers chatted as the two toddlers fumbled around the room, meeting the other kids and checking out the toys, paints, and other items of interest. They bonded instantly, becoming inseparable. So did their mothers, and later the rest of their families. It turned out they lived on opposite corners of the same tree lined block.

They played together endlessly. There were countless sleepovers, even through their puberty and high school years. They were best buds and there was never any thought or worry of the two mixing it up sexually. They were friends. Best friends. The best of best friends. And they protected and supported each other aggressively.

When they were both in fifth grade, Shrii was being pursued by the school bully who was a year older. His name was Jack Shink. Of course, he had become the bully partially in self defense since his name offered so many abusive rhyming opportunities. Fink. Stink. Dink. Kink. Ad nauseam.

Shink had become interested in Shrii because she had expressed to others at one time that she felt sorry for him even if he was a bully. She didn't think it was fair to make fun of his name. As these things always do, the sentiment reached Jack. He decided in that moment he was smitten with her and began to pursue her, in a manner of speaking, relentlessly.

Being a bully, the manner of the pursuit was not particularly pleasant for Shrii. In fact, it was becoming down right painful. Jack was the type of kid that didn't know anything else but bullying and he applied it to everything, even love.

On the playground, Jack would sneak up behind Shrii and pull on her hair or yank the bow on the back of her dress. Anytime he saw her he would call her names like Shrii Pea Pie, which to his mind was a form of Sweetie Pie. After school, he'd follow her home and toss things at her to get her attention, run up to her and poke at her chest and butt and make flattering yet obscene remarks. This was the part that was really beginning to bother Shrii. She no longer felt sorry for him. She was afraid of him and worried that he was going to hurt her.

She tried reasoning with Shink and explained she wasn't interested in his attentions. He took this as making progress since she was at least talking to him. When she started trying to ignore him, he merely became more aggressive. Shrii felt trapped in a no win bind, and had expressed this to Wiley.

Wiley tried to always be with her at school and after, and get in between her and Shink. But every once in awhile, he'd get caught up in games with the guys during recess giving Shink an opening. And sometimes after school his mom would be there to pick him up and take him straight to a music lesson, a tutoring session, the doctor, the dentist, or any number of other commitments she made for him. He loved most of these activities, except the dentist, but he loved Shrii more. Leaving her on her own to face the Shink created a lot of turmoil in his young heart. He knew he had to do something to put an end to the abuse, and end Shrii's suffering and his own.

If only, he thought, I was as strong as Hercules. Then I could beat the crap out of Jack. But he wasn't. His strengths were all incorporeal. He had a strong mind, a strong will, a strong spirit. But his body and physical prowess was a tad below average. It wasn’t his fault, it was just the way he had come out. What could he do? Then, the idea surfaced. He needed a hit man, or rather a hit boy. Someone to act as his goon just like in the mobster movies he'd seen. Someone big, dumb, mean, and easily bribed. In other words, he needed cousin Fred. Fred Dank was a year older than Shink, and much bigger. His cousins nicknamed him cousin Dread.

Fred had a rather insensitive and curious nature. He would wonder what made a mouse tick, and would catch and cut one apart to find out. He didn't torture animals; just filleted them. Roadkill fascinated him. And he loved to go hunting with his dad and would repulse the relatives at family gatherings with detailed stories of gruesome skinnings and guttings and graphic descriptions of the various innards and their contents. When he grew up, Fred became a veterinarian with a taxidermy business on the side. All of his patients ended up looking good, one way or another. Fred was just the guy he needed. And in two weeks, school would be out and Fred and other families would be coming to a small bash his dad was planning for his mother's birthday. Wiley called Fred that night.

"Hey, Jack! How're you doing?" Wiley waved at the ugly beast of a bully who looked back at him with suspicion. Everyone knew how tight Wiley and Shrii were, and Jack couldn't begin to fathom why Wiley would be speaking to him in a friendly tone of voice. He figured it was some sort of set up and kept his eye on Wiley as he moved towards him. "Yo, Jack! Whatcha doin' this weekend?"

"Why you wanna know, punk?" Shink was maneuvering to pounce on Wiley at the first sign of anything.

"Well, me and some guys are goin' to set off a bunch of fireworks on Sunday that Petersons' big brother gave him. We're goin' to meet at the empty lot on Vine. We're hopin' to catch a cat or two and tie some bombers on their tails. Wanna come and help?"

Shink was surprised by the invitation, but his simple mind was more intrigued by the image of a cat's tail being blown off by a quarter stick of dynamite. The thought of a set-up evaporated and he was practically drooling at the invitation. "Yeah, sure! What time?"

Man, thought Wiley, this is way too easy! What a sucker. "Oh, around two. See ya there!"

"Yeah. Cool." Jack grunted and lumbered off with visions of blasted cats dancing in his head. He was entranced and drooling!

Wiley told Shrii to be at the lot at 1:45 and to hide behind the lone wall of what used to be some sort of shed that was at the back of the lot. All he would tell her was that he had a surprise that he wanted her to witness. Shrii complied, always trusting Wiley. On Sunday, as soon as Fred arrived, Wiley pulled him up to his room and made good on the offer. Five bucks and one can of beer he had pilfered from his dad's party stash, and all Dread Fred had to do was threaten to beat the crap out of Jack if he wouldn't leave Shrii alone forever. "Sure! No sweat," said Fred. "Sounds like a hoot! Besides, us cousins got to stick together."

At two o'clock, Fred and Wiley showed up at the lot. Jack was already there standing with his bike in the middle of the lot with a big dumb grin on his face. "Hey!" he yelled at them, "'Bout time you showed up! Who's this guy and where's Peterson and the others? I just saw a cat sniffin’ around that pile of garbage over there."

Wiley didn't waste time. He strode right up to Shink and got in his face, "There ain't no one else comin' and the only fireworks that might happen are Fred's fists poundings your face to a pulp if you don't listen up good!"

Shink was dumfounded, confused, and worried as he got a better look at Fred, but a bit mad all at the same time. "What's goin' on here?" he demanded! "What're you talking about? If anyone's gonna get pounded, it's you, punk! Where’s the bombers?"

Fred stepped forward instantly, grabbed Shink's shirt collar in one hand and punched him straight in the nose which instantly started pouring blood. Fred let Shink drop to the ground. Wiley quickly bent down and spoke directly into Shink's ear. "You stay away from Shrii or Fred's gonna beat the daylights out of you. You understand? Do you?"

Shink was dazed and confused, but had heard the ultimatum and did understand. But he thought he could take Fred and then he'd kick Wiley's scrawny butt. Shink was not a smart kid.

Shink came up screaming and tore into Fred. His attack lasted about 10 seconds which was the time it took for Fred to get his arm around Shink's neck and put him in a strangle hold. Fred yanked Shink's head up, pounded him in the nose again, and left-crossed him solidly on the chin followed by a pummeling of his gut. Then, adding insult to injury, as Shink crumpled over, Wiley, who did have one athletic skill, kicked Shink in the butt so hard he went flying forward a few feet before hitting the dirt face first, hard.

Wiley, pumped full of adrenaline and the pent-up rage that was suddenly released, ran over to Shink, rolled him over and screamed at his face, "I warned you, you fat ugly pig. Now, you're gonna die! Come on, Fred. Let's kill him!"

Shink screamed and pleaded pitifully for mercy as he cowered on the ground, curling up in the fetal position. "Don't hurt me! Please, don't hurt me! I'll leave her alone, Wiley! I'll leave her alone! Please don't hurt me anymore!" Jack was sobbing, his face covered with dirt turning to bloody mud.

Wiley looked at him, grinned maniacally, and then stomped his gut as Fred kicked him in the groin. Shink let out an agonizing scream as Wiley and Fred laughed. Wiley cocked his foot back and took aim at the soft spot on the back of Shink's fat head.

"NO! STOP!" Shrii yelled frantically as she came running from behind the shed wall. "No, Wiley! This is isn't what I want! Leave him alone! Stop, please!"

Wiley heard her, saw her, but her words were lost on him. He thought she was shouting with joy. Besides, he'd already launched his foot. When it hit Shink's head, it felt intensely pleasurable. Shink's head snapped forward and his body went completely limp. Wiley was wild with the overwhelming urge to keep kicking, but Shrii reached him and pushed him away, bending quickly to aid Shink.

She fell to Jack's side and started assessing the damage. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping his face. Shink was only half-conscious, crying and babbling incoherently. "Go get help!" Shrii yelled at Wiley and Fred who were frozen in place.

Wiley was simultaneously gripped by a nearly overwhelming desire to finish Shink off and a sense of intense revulsion at the violence he'd already inflicted. The conflict of emotion froze his mind and body. He couldn’t move and couldn’t think clearly. He stood there hearing but not hearing, seeing but not seeing.

Shink started shaking and then vomited. Fred took off, scared silly. Shrii spoke soothingly to Shink, cleaning the vomit off his face. "Wiley!" She screamed at his immobile form, "Go get help NOW! Wiley! MOVE!" Finally, the trance was broken and he moved as he had been directed. He ran home and hid in his closet in his bedroom.

Someone finally did come to Shink's aid. An old man who lived next to the empty lot came out to get his mail and saw Shrii bent over the body of Shink. He came over to her, saw immediately that Shink was in a bad way, and went back into his house and called an ambulance.

When the ambulance came, Shrii told the attendants that Shink had been doing stunts on his bike in the lot and had had an accident that threw him into the rocks where he hit his head. The story and Shink's condition matched up as far as they were concerned, and no one asked any more questions. They got his full name from Shrii, loaded him into the ambulance, and sirened off to the hospital.

Shink recovered everything except his memory of what had happened and his bullyishness. He was told that he had fallen off his bike and so that's what he believed. Plus, after he left the hospital, his behavior was gentle, polite, and bland. He also never bothered Shrii again. He barely knew who she was.

For a few weeks, Shrii hardly spoke to Wiley. She didn't know what to say to him. She was appalled by what she'd seen him do, but was also relieved not to have Shink tailing her home everyday. It was also sort of touching to know that Wiley would go to so much trouble to defend her. In her heart of hearts, she knew Wiley was a good person and that he really didn't mean to kill Shink, that he'd just gotten caught up in the moment. The bond between them was still strong and they were soon back to normal in their relationship. They never discussed the Shink affair with each other or anyone else. It became as if it had never happened.

===

"Okay, Wiley," Shrii declared, "I think maybe you should come over to my place tonight. You can sleep on the couch. Then I can kind of keep an eye on you for a few hours to see if you’re really going to be all right. Agreed?" Shrii looked at him with that look he had seen so many times before. It was clear that there would be no arguing with her on this. Either he went or she’d pick him up and carry him! She could be very headstrong, just as he could.

"That sounds fine by me," he agreed. Wiley really didn’t want to argue with Shrii because he really didn’t want to stay alone in his apartment. But he was glad he wouldn’t have to tell her that.

As they were driving to her place, they talked about what had happened and speculated on what it might have been.

"Maybe it’s an alien!" Shrii teased sweetly. "You know, those sort of invisible kind that make you feel their presence with their thoughts!"

Wiley laughed at that idea. "Well, you’re always saying I watch too much science fiction. Maybe I conjured up a creature somehow!"

"You know, Wiley," Shrii said softly, "I want you to know that I really do believe you, that something came out of your closet. I’m not trying to say that I think you made it up or anything. Do you understand that? I want you to know that I do believe you."

"Thanks, Shrii. I wouldn’t blame you, though, if you were a bit skeptical. I know I am! It was so unreal. Thinking about it feels like being in a sci-fi movie! It’s so weird."

"What were you doing just before you opened the closet? Did you notice anything out of place when you came home today? Did it look like someone had tried to break in or anything?" As much as trying to help Wiley recall what had happened, Shrii was hoping to get more details to satisfy her own curiosity.

"No, there was nothing unusual in the apartment." Since his home consisted of only three rooms, he would have noticed. "Nothing was out of place."

"But," he spoke after a brief silence, "I did do something different today."

"What?"

"Well, you’re not going to believe this, but I went to church today. You know that church that just started up over in the empty storefront of that little strip mall around the corner from me? We noticed the signs last week when we came out of Kyle’s Pub."

"You’re kidding!" Shrii was quite amazed at this news. Wiley hadn’t been in a church since they were kids and had gone to Sunday school together. He had decided in high school he didn’t need church. She knew a lot of it had to do with his parents getting divorced. That had been hard on him. His mom moved out and started dating another man from their church. It was quite the scandal in their small town. It was a real mess and a lot of people were hurt by it. Even Shrii. The other man was her father, who also moved out.

It’s funny how the same set of circumstances will surface different responses. For Shrii, while devastating, the pain only served to deepen her faith. It was the best comfort, aside from her mother, that she could find. For Wiley, it was the opposite. He basically turned his back on God and everything religious. Except for Shrii. The bond between them was greater than even this massive betrayal. There wasn’t even any anger or any hint of trouble between them. They did better than the adults who hurled blame around freely for months, and even banned Shrii and Wiley from seeing each other for awhile. But that ended when both abandoned parents realized their children were hurt enough and not to blame for any of what was happening.

Over the years, everyone adjusted and learned to cope with the new, confusing relationships. Both Shrii’s and Wiley’s parents married new partners. Shrii and Wiley remained friends and basically ignored that they were technically step-siblings. That was too much to deal with. Especially since there had always been an undercurrent of romantic attraction in their relationship. It was something they had both thought about and doubted, each for different reasons, would ever transform their relationship, but was also an element they didn’t want to let go of. It added a nice quality to their connectedness.

At any rate, Shrii was stunned and pleased at Wiley’s revelation. This could only be a good thing, she thought.

"So, how was it?," she asked gently.

"Okay, I guess." Wiley wanted to talk about it, but also didn’t want to talk about it. He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to go, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with all the emotion and memories that surfaced because he did go.

"Just okay?" she prodded. "How was the sermon? Anything like what we used to hear at First Christian?"

"Actually, yes. Here’s something else you won’t believe," he stated with a flare of the dramatic. "The pastor of this fledgling congregation is none other than James Flussman, the son of Wayne Flussman. Do you remember Wayne?"

"Are you kidding! He was the most annoying man in our church. No one could ever understand why he even bothered coming since he complained about everything. Do you remember the time he stood up during the sermon and started arguing with Pastor McAffee?"

They both roared at that memory. It was a sight. Poor Pastor Mack, as he was affectionately called by his flock, was totally bedeviled by Wayne. He tried mightily to just love him and listen patiently to all of his complaints. But, on this occasion, he lost it. After 10 minutes of Wayne’s mid-sermon rantings, pastor Mack’s patience flew out the window, and he told Wayne to sit down and shut up or he was going to throw him out in the street himself. What gave that threat real power was the fact that Wayne was wimpily built and Pastor Mack was a brawny Irish made lad. Wayne sat down and shut up, and kept totally quiet for about a month. He pick up his complaining again, but it was far more discreet, subtle, and toned down.

His son, James, was the same age as Shrii and Wiley. He was very quiet and shy and blended into nothingness wherever he went. Unlike his father, James was completely unassertive and unassuming. After high school he virtually disappeared.

"Was his dad there," Shrii queried?

"Both him and Mrs. Flussman. They both helped with various things throughout the service. They recognized me as soon as I walked in and both gave me big hugs. Mr. Flussman was really quite friendly and positive."

"Wow. And how about James? How is he as a preacher?"

"That," said Wiley, "was the wildest part. He was personable and warm and very animated when he saw me. He hugged me, too, and introduced me to his wife and kids. Her name is Sheila. The kids are 1 and 3, Ellen and Sam. Sheila plays the piano and sings. James sings too, and quite well. And his sermon, his sermon was the most engaging message I’ve ever heard. He was interesting and witty and intelligent. The guy is amazingly articulate!

"He sprinkled a lot of stories from our childhood in his message. It was kind of weird, in a way. I don’t know how to explain it. But, in a way, it was like he was preaching from my life. The whole thing stirred up emotions and memories and ideas in my head that haven’t been there for a long time. I’m still trying to sort all of that out.

"And there’s more," he added hesitantly.

"What?"

"Remember Jack Shink?"

"Of course!" she replied. A shiver went down her spine as she heard the name, having been reminiscing about the Shink affair earlier.

"Shink was there. And, Shrii, he… he remembers!"

"Remembers what?"

"He remembers everything. He knows you lied about him falling off the bicycle. He knows I set him up and then kicked the crap out of him. He remembers, and he’s completely normal in his head now."

"Omigosh! How? I mean, what did he do? What did you do? What did he say?" Shrii felt a tinge of anxiety over this news.

"He forgave me, Shrii. And you. And Fred. And he apologized for being such a bully and for scaring you. Shrii, he forgave me and said he loved me!"

Shrii was suddenly flooded with warmth and gladness. Tears welled up in her eyes. Years of regret and sorrow over what had happened, most of it on Wiley’s behalf, dissipated into joy and lightness. Not just because of Shink’s forgiveness, but over the healing she could sense was occurring in Wiley’s soul. He had been such a hurt little boy all these years since his parents’ break up. The news had reached Wiley just prior to the party for his mother. She had told her father right before the guests showed up that she was leaving, and Wiley had overheard the whole thing. That was a lot of the impetus behind the rage that gushed out and landed on Shink’s head that day.

"So, how do you feel about all of this?" she asked lovingly, as they pulled up to her apartment.

"How do I feel? I don’t know. I’m not sure how to feel or think about it all. The whole experience, and the sermon, stirred up so much. I guess I felt angry, confused, hurt, hopeful, and good all at once, Shrii. What’s up with that? How can a person feel all of those things at once? It doesn’t make sense.

"I’m successful and I have all I want. Well, almost all I want. You know what I mean, too." He looked at her with a tease of a grin. "But, I just don’t understand how something as simply going to a church service could shake me up as much as this did. Even with all those people there from my past, I just don’t get it. You know, I’m above all of this schmaltzy stuff. It just doesn’t make sense!"

Shrii actually understood his turmoil and was glad to see his rock solid walls beginning to crack. Finally, after all these years, the tenderhearted Wiley she had known as a child was being reborn. She also knew what he meant by having almost all he wanted. He wanted her. She knew it as it was no secret. What was a secret was that she also wanted him. But she knew that marriage to the walled up Wiley would be a disaster for both. So, without ever revealing to him the full truth, she had put him off, but always held out hope that he would soften. There was no one else she could imagine herself with, happily, other than Wiley. But he had to get happy first. And now it was happening, she hoped.

===

Shrii’s apartment was a two-level, three-bedroom townhouse that she shared with her cat, Cunning. It was roomy, cozy, and carefully kept. Shrii loved her apartment and so did everyone else who had ever visited her. Despite her fastidiousness, she also managed to create a very welcoming décor. Wiley loved her apartment, too. Almost as much as he loved Shrii.

They sat in her living room, talking over glasses of wine. Shrii had lit a three-hour log in the fireplace, in front of which Cunning was stretched out on her back, paws up, head turned toward the mesmerizing flames. She was a comical cat.

They had reached a lull in their banter and were wrapped in a warm, intimate silence. The only sounds were the soft crackling of the artificial log and the purring of a very contented Cunning.

Shrii gently broke the silence. "So, what drew you to church today?" Her tone was sweet and genuinely curious, with a lazy lyrical lilt to the words. Wiley didn’t respond immediately, savoring her voice and her words, letting them sink into his consciousness, and into his heart.

"I don’t know. It’s weird…After seeing that church…it was like… it just wouldn’t leave my head…I mean I…I just couldn’t stop thinking about going and checking it out. I went to sleep thinking about it and woke up thinking about it. The thought wound around my head all day, bobbing in and out of my awareness. It’s funny you said ‘draw’ because that’s what it felt like was happening. I felt irresistibly drawn to the place. I had to go! I was really nervous for some reason, too, thinking about it. Not just nervous, shaken! Or something. It’s hard to explain. I went just to get the thought of going out of my head!"

"Wow. How weird." Shrii knew her response was lame, but didn’t know what else to say. And it was at least true as that was very unlike Wiley. For him to be compelled by a nearly obsessive thought was totally out of the ordinary. Wiley was never obsessed or compelled by anything. He prided himself on the fact that every move he made, every desire he felt was by his own choice. No one made Wiley do, think, or feel anything. It was all his choice. God was in this, she thought to herself.

"So what happened in church, besides what you’ve already told me?"

"Well, once I stepped through the doors, the compulsion I had been feeling totally evaporated. Instead, I felt nothing but an old familiar welcomeness. I know this will blow you away! I felt like I was somehow home. The whole service was like some kind of reunion for me. It brought back all the good times we had as kids when we went to Sunday school together. I felt light and unbound, which made me realize how tied up I’d actually been feeling for years without really acknowledging it. I just labeled it as stress. But it was more than that.

"You know, Shrii, all the stuff we’d learned about the Bible, Jesus, and sin flooded back. By the end of the service, I was an emotional shambles. When James gave the altar call, I couldn’t get there fast enough. I knelt, buried my face in my hands, and balled like a baby for….I don’t know…it seemed like hours. I cried out years of angst and tension and soul slop.

"Remember those prayers they used to have us pray in Sunday school? Mrs. White had us repeat one every week. She called it the remission prayer. Well, her words filled my head and I found myself praying it out loud, over and over: ‘Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Take away my sins. Come and live in my heart forever. Make me clean. Amen.’

"I just kept repeating it. Each time it felt as if a layer of crap was being peeled away from my soul. I don’t know how long that lasted. The next thing I became aware of was someone’s hand planted firmly on my right shoulder. I looked over and that’s when I first recognized Shink. He was beside me, with his left hand on my shoulder, his right hand lifted in the air, praying for me! Shink was praying for me!

"Shrii, he was telling God what a good guy I was! He was telling God to forgive me and that he forgave me. This man who I nearly killed as a child, who I hated and was repulsed by, was thanking God for my very life! And in that moment I was overwhelmed with a sense of infinite love. It was as if someone had literally drenched me in love. It was totally awesome and bizarre. It made no sense, yet it makes perfect sense."

Wiley’s eyes lit up as he recounted the experience. His entire face seemed to Shrii to be glowing. It was as if light had filled his being making him a human lamp. She was seeing a new Wiley. But at the same time, she was seeing the old, young Wiley resurrecting. She didn’t dare interrupt him. She listened intently, her eyes fixed on his, speaking encouragement to go on without saying a word. He knew the language of her eyes and kept going.

"I knew I was changed. There was a hardness in me that softened. And while I was excited, there was a sense of loss as well. There was a part of me that was going away. I knew that was what needed to happen, but I wasn’t sure what would take its place. And I wasn’t sure I wanted it to leave.

"When I left the church, I suddenly felt awful. I felt dread. I felt as if something dark were stalking me. I felt…like I couldn’t breathe." Wiley stopped. As he had been retelling his day to Shrii, he had also been thinking about the earlier dark encounter. As he spoke, the puzzle pieces of memory began to come together. Wiley’s sense of dread was returning as the realization of what happened – of what it was that attacked him – slowly penetrated his disbelief. He felt in his gut that he knew what had attacked him, but his reason refused to validate his insight.

At that moment the apartment shook. A smell of sulphur began to materialize. The air chilled suddenly. Shrii shivered, looked around, and whispered, "Wiley, what’s happening? Why is it getting so cold in here?"

It had come.

"Wiiiileeeey…" the voice hissed seductively. "I’m here for you, Wiley. Let me have you, Wiley, like I’ve had you for soooo long. You know you want me to..." the voice trailed off.

"Wiley!" Shrii screamed. "What is it? What’s happening? Hold me, Wiley! Wiley, I’m scared!"

Wiley couldn’t move. He held his hands over his ears that felt filled with slime. The lights in the apartment dimmed. There was an entity in the room, but he couldn’t see it. He could feel it and hear it, but he couldn’t see it. The hair all over his body stood on end, stiffened with fear. He tried to determine the location of the voice so he would know which way to run from. And that’s what he wanted to do more than anything else. Run.

"WILEY!" Shrii pleaded, her voice breaking. "Oh, God help us! What is it, Wiley?!" Shrii had moved to his side and was clinging to him tightly. He could feel her shaking uncontrollably. Or was that him? They were both shot through with terror. It was palpable and was being fed into their system. It wasn’t a fear they were generating. They were being doused with waves of tangible fear!

"Haaaa! What’s a matter, Wiley?" the voice teased. "Cat got your tongue?" The entity laughed wickedly, filling their heads with its sound.

Wiley saw Cunning suddenly bolt upright, back arched and hair on end, hiss and growl, and then dart under the couch. That’s where Wiley wished he could be.

"Tellll herrr whhooo Iahh ammmm…mmmm…" the voice cajoled, each word oozing lewdly into existence. A sense of shame and embarrassment welled up inside Wiley, his face and neck flushed bright hot red. What he knew was too unbelievable. He wanted to tell Shrii but was afraid of her reaction. And even uncertain of his own sanity in that moment.

"TELL HER!" the voice ordered, filling the apartment like the roar of a ravenous lion.

"Y…..you…..you’re m…my…..my sin." The words fumbled over Wiley’s trembling lips and hung in the chilled air. "You’re my sin," he breathed again.

"Oh my God!" Shrii exclaimed.

"It’s too late to call on God!" the voice thundered as the darkness began to take on shape. "It’s too late for him. He’s mine! I’ve owned him all these years and I’m not losing him now. He’s going to hell tonight! Kiss him good-bye, girlie. He’s not leaving here alive. I’m hungry, and he’s my main course tonight!"

Shrii’s mind was racing. Despite the nearly suffocating fear, her faith still burned inside her and its light was guiding her thoughts toward action. She began praying under her breath, willing out the fear and blocking it from her senses, denying it access into her being. She moved closer to Wiley bringing her face next to his.

"Wiley," she whispered into his ear. "Pray the remission prayer. Pray it now, even if it’s just in your head. Pray it as if your life depended on it!"

The entity laughed gleefully and breathed out waves of renewed fear now charged with a sense of hopelessness that washed over them accompanied by the increasing stench of sulphur. "Prayer is more useless than God!" The entity chided and continued laughing. The shape of the darkness shifted through various forms, many seductive and sensual, undulating hypnotically.

Shrii closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and repeated her instructions to Wiley. "Pray the remission prayer, Wiley. Pray it! ‘Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Take away my sins. Come and live in my heart forever. Make me clean. Amen.’ Come on, Wiley. Pray it. Make yourself say it out loud."

The shadowy began taking a new form. A form that was filling the room with itself. What was taking shape before them was a hideous, huge, black beast with burning eyes and a ravenous appearance. "Time to go, Wiley! Time to fill my belly and go to hell!"

It moved toward Wiley. It’s jaws parted revealing a gaping mouth filled with rows of long sharp, in-turned teeth. At the bottom of the gaping maw, it’s throat looked liked the opening to a fiery furnace filled with intense flames.

"Dear-Jesus-I-am-a-sinner-Please-forgive-me-Take-away-my-sins-Come-and-live
-in-my-heart-forever-Make-me-clean-Amen." The words streamed out of Wiley’s mouth in a single breath and a single word like water pouring through a burst dam. "Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Take away my sins. Come and live in my heart forever. Make me clean. Amen." Again and again he spewed out the child’s prayer. "Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Take away my sins. Come and live in my heart forever. Make me clean. Amen." And again and again and again. Shrii joined in and they said it in unison.

The entity froze and was mute. The air began to warm and sweeten. Wiley and Shrii instinctively abbreviated the prayer to one word and repeated it over and over; "Jesus. Jesus. Jesus." The apartment lights came back up, filling the rooms with light. As quickly as it had come, the entity was gone.

Shrii and Wiley sat huddled together, blinking as their eyes readjusted to the light, scanning the room for any remaining sign of what they had just experienced.

"Shrii?"

"Yes, Wiley?"

"Did what just happen really happen?"

"I think so. Yes. Yes, I’m sure it did."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything."

They sat there quietly for several minutes, sorting through their individual thoughts about the experience, continuing to hold each other. Finally, they began to talk about what had happened, what they both thought it meant, and how they both believed it would not return. At least not as long as they maintained a mutually supportive, united front. They needed each other. Finally, exhaustion got the best of them. Wiley assured Shrii he was fine on the couch. She went to bed and they both fell asleep quickly.

===

Wiley jolted awake as the alarm by his bed bleeped with obnoxious insistence. He smacked the clock radio, fumbled with the buttons, and finally silenced the piercing noise. He sat up, confused, frantically trying to get his bearings. He was in his own bed in his own dumpy apartment. The closet door was wide open, and contained only clothes and clutter. As the remnants of sleep fell away from his brain, he slowly sorted out what had happened. Realizing what day it was, he looked at his clock. Good, he thought, it’s early.

He reached over to the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Shrii’s drowsy voiced brought a pang of joy to his heart.

"It’s Wiley. Want to visit that new church we saw the other day?"

"With you?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep. With me. I drove by yesterday to check the service times posted in the window. We can meet for breakfast at the Bright Café and have breakfast before we go. I’ll see you there in 30 minutes. Okay?"

"Can you make it 45?"

"Sure. That’ll work."

"Okay. Bye."

"See you in a bit, Sweetie."

Wiley knew what he had to do and he knew he needed Shrii’s help. It was about time. No, it was way over due. "Thank God," he whispered prayer-like to himself, "Shrii still loves me."

He paused, then added, "And so do You."