The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.35 Night Terrors

To his surprise, Justin just laughed. The laugh was genuine, not some kind of act intended to intimidate his prey. It wasn't even cruel. He truly looked amused by Howard's defiance. And the more Justin laughed at him, the more certain Howard was that his newfound status as a "medium," as Justin called it, would matter little in the end.

"I didn't think it was possible," Justin muttered, looking at the boy as if he was studying a strange insect. "When God told me it was forbidden, I didn't really understand what it would mean."

"What does it mean?" Howard asked and immediately regretted the question. Justin would clearly interpret any uncertainty he displayed now as weakness.

"I don't know, Howard. I've never possessed someone who had the Fifth Gift. Something tells me it will be... delicious." The ghost took a step forward, and Howard rocketed to his feet.

"Not today, you bastard!" he yelled. "In fact, never again. I'll die before I let you do that to me again."

"Oh, really? What will you do?" Justin asked, taking another step forward.

"How about if I rat you out? How about if I tell God what you've done?"

He had blurted out the words without thinking. Somewhere in the earlier part of the conversation he had registered the fact that what Justin had done to him, in possessing him more than once, was forbidden. Clearly the ghost believed God had commanded him not to do this, and he had done it, anyway. Perhaps he could work that to his advantage. And the doubt that swept through Justin's face at that moment was all the proof Howard needed to know that he had hit upon something critically important.

"Yeah, I'll tell God," Howard went on, more confident now. "I'll tell him you've been a bad boy, and he'll... he'll punish you!"

"You can't talk to God!" Justin spat out, as if the words were loathsome in his mouth. "You're not one of his angels! You're just a tool! You'll never talk to God!"

"What if I die fighting you? You bet I'll tell him then. I'll tell him what a little shit you've been."

As Howard watched Justin, he realized that there was a war going on in him, and that, in fact, the boy might be on the verge of losing his grip, if not his sanity altogether. He was doing something that "God" had forbidden him to do, and yet, he was overwhelmed by a ravenous, almost wolf-like hunger that kept driving him forward, despite his guilt. Howard watched as Justin stretched a hand toward him, now curled into a grasping claw that looked painful.

"Why are you defying God?" Howard asked, taking a step back. "Aren't you afraid you'll be damned?"

"He won't leave me behind," the boy said, but his voice was less steady now. Less certain. "He's promised me."

"He'll leave you behind if you defy him, you fuck. And you know he'll find out. He's fucking God!"

"Shut up! You don't know! I have to... I'm not done yet. I still have... work to do!"

"What work?"

"Richard Pratt and his little piggy whore. I still have... I still have work!"

Howard could see that Justin was motivated by such rage and desire for revenge that it was threatening to overcome his very obedience to God. The power of such rage terrified him.

"That's over. God has told you to stop that too." Howard was guessing now, but it seemed like a good one. But Justin didn't even seem to hear him.

"And you. You're mine now. You'll be mine forever. We'll take care of the boy-whore. We'll watch Richard Pratt lose his mind, and then you and I will be together. Forever."