19. Virgil
VIRGIL
" A re you sure this is gonna work?" Hellsing asked, his voice tight with nerves as Spectre finished tying him down to the chair. The kid's arms were shaking, his eyes darting between me and Spectre like he was second-guessing every decision that had led him to this moment.
I lit a cigarette and took a slow drag, letting the smoke curl in the dim light. "It's gotta work," I muttered, more to myself than to him. "There ain't no other option."
Spectre stepped back, his hands clenched at his sides, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. "He's ready," he said, his voice steady, but there was an edge to it. The man was a hell of a fighter, but this wasn't a battlefield he was used to. He was ready to fight, sure, but this wasn't the kind of fight that fists or bullets could win.
I crouched in front of Hellsing, staring into his wide, terrified eyes. The boy was trying to be brave, but he was too young to know what kind of hell was about to be unleashed inside him. "You're strong, Hellsing," I told him, gripping his arm. "Stronger than you know. When this thing comes out, it's gonna hit hard, try to mess with your head. But you're the one in control, alright?"
He nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'm gonna need ya to do what you told me you can do. Talk to the shadows, find me its name."
He nodded, quickly. "Yeah, I can do that."
"You get me his name and he's mine. You hold on to that."
He nodded, but I could see the fear all over his face. His jaw tightened, and he looked away from me, staring at the ceiling as if trying to distance himself from what was coming.
"Okay," I said, standing up and stepping back. The room was quiet except for the rain tapping against the window, the soft hiss of wind through the cracks in the walls. It was almost peaceful, like the calm before a storm. But that peace was a lie.
Spectre crossed his arms, his gaze flicking to me. "What now?"
"Now," I said, exhaling a final stream of smoke before crushing the cigarette under my boot, "bring in Raven, we're gonna call the bastard out."
Spectre turned, then paused at the door. "You sure this thing won't go into her instead."
I nodded. "I'm sure of it. She's too powerful and it wants something weaker. Something that will make me weak, and that's Hellsing."
He nodded and opened the door, softly calling for his wife who was standing just outside the door."
The black-haired beauty walked in, she really was a sight for sore eyes. She held her belly protectively, glancing at us warily.
"What do I do?"
"Hum, your song, Raven. Don't be afraid. I know you can't shift right now but I do know your powers will shield you. Bring those walls up as you hum. Bring them up as high and strong as you can for you and that baby. When I feel its power I will take over."
She nodded and centered herself. Slowly, a soft melody flowed out of her. To us, it sounded sweet and pretty, but for them, the evil, it was a song to lure in the snakes.
I could feel the tension coil tighter, the weight of the moment pressing down like a vice. The demon had been hiding, lurking in the shadows, feeding on the fear and pain of those around me. And now, I was going to bring it into the light.
"Hellsing," I called out softly, "you know why we're doing this, right?"
"Yeah," he whispered. His voice was barely audible, fear thick in his throat.
"Good," I said. "Then hang on. It's about to get rough."
I took a step back, centering myself, trying to feel for the dark presence I knew was waiting. I closed my eyes, letting the music roll over me like a soft aura, and I let out a low growl, pushing my senses outward, searching for the twisted energy that had been clawing at me, at all of us.
"You think you can hide from me?" I called out, my voice echoing in the room. "You think you're untouchable? Come on, you piece of shit. Show yourself."
The air in the room seemed to shift, growing heavier, colder. I could feel it—the demon stirring. A slow smile crept onto my face as I sensed it watching, waiting.
"Where are you?" I taunted, stepping closer to Hellsing, knowing it was listening. "You too scared to face me? I've seen scarier things in the gutter, you pathetic excuse for a demon."
Hellsing's breath hitched, his eyes darting around the room. He could feel it too now. The temperature dropped, and Spectre stiffened beside me, taking a step toward Raven, his hands instinctively moved to the blade at his hip.
"Come on," I growled. "You think you're something special? You hide in the dark, in the minds of kids and women. You ain't shit. You're nothing. You are weak."
The lights flickered, and a low, guttural laugh filled the room. Spectre's eyes widened as a shadow began to form around Hellsing, twisting and writhing like smoke.
"Virgil…" Spectre's voice was tight with unease, but I kept my eyes on Hellsing.
"Keep going," I told Raven. "It's just playing with us."
The shadow moved, curling around Hellsing like dark tendrils of fog. His breathing quickened, and I could see the fear in his eyes turning to panic. He thrashed against the restraints, but Spectre had tied him down tight.
"Raven, leave!" I demanded, my voice rising. "What's your name, you fucking bastard? Tell me who the fuck you are."
The laugh came again, low and chilling. Hellsing's eyes rolled back in his head, and when he spoke, it wasn't his voice. It was deep, distorted, like nails on a chalkboard. "You want to know my name, father?" the demon sneered through Hellsing's mouth. "Your boy here, did you know he is already broken. You can't protect him."
I gritted my teeth. "He's stronger than you think."
His eyes darted to Raven, who was moving toward the door. "Uh-uh," it uttered, sending Raven against the wall and lifting her off the floor.
"Raven!" Spectre shouted, heading towards her but I underestimated the demon as it sent Spectre flying back, slamming him against the door and pinning him there.
"Is the bitch who was singing," it rasped.
"Raven. Raven!" I shouted at her as she was staring in shock at Hellsing. She was pinned off her feet.
"Use your powers, shifter!" I said to her and she suddenly snapped out of whatever shocked trance she was in.
I felt an energy surge around and it suddenly exploded, impacting both me and Hellsing and sending us flying across the room.
"Fuck you!" She shouted at it and she dropped to the floor and ran toward Spectre.
"You are not gonna fuck with us today. You're gonna tell me your name demon."
Hellsing's body jerked, and his eyes snapped open, but they were wrong—glowing with a sickly, yellow hue. The demon had taken hold.
Spectre took a step back, his hand going to his blade. "Virgil…"
"Get her out of here, Spectre," I warned, never taking my eyes off Hellsing.
The demon turned Hellsing's head toward Spectre, a mocking grin splitting his face. "Do you know what hell looks like, Spectre?" the demon taunted. "I've seen your soul. You'll rot there, just like your father. Just like your whore."
Spectre paled, his hand trembling on his weapon. "Shut the fuck up," he muttered.
"My father will come for you. This I promise," he hissed at Spectre.
"Don't listen to it!" I barked. "Focus!"
The demon turned its attention back to me, Hellsing's body twitched as it sneered. "You think you can stop me? You can't even save them. Not your mother. Not Barythaya. And certainly not him."
Hellsing's body convulsed, and I felt a sick knot form in my gut as the demon's voice dropped to a whisper. "You want to know the truth about him, Virgil? His mother... a bible-thumping whore. She beat him, didn't she? Called him a sinner... and a bastard."
Hellsing began to cry, tears streaming down his face as the demon dug its claws deeper. "She called him filth, an abomination. But he loved her anyway. Like a dog loves its master."
"Shut up!" Hellsing screamed, thrashing against the chair, his voice breaking with pain. "Shut up!"
But the demon kept going, its voice turning crueler. "She beat him because he was weak, and you—you're the reason she's dead. He wishes he was dead too."
I stepped closer, my fists clenched tight. "What's your name?" I growled, my voice thick with fury. "Tell me your name, you son of a bitch!"
Hellsing's body stiffened, his back arching violently as the demon's laughter echoed through the room. "You want my name, Virgil? You want to know who I am?"
The boy screamed, his body jerking in the chair as if fighting to hold the demon back. And then, through clenched teeth, with tears pouring down his face, Hellsing screamed out the name.
"Belial!"
The name hit the room like a shockwave, and the demon roared, its hold on Hellsing tightening. I watched in horror, the name registered. According to the Bible, Belial was one of the crowned princes of Hell, he commanded over fifty legions of demons. He was a fucking angel. What the fuck was he doing here, and how the fuck did he get here.
"Virgil!" Spectre's voice snapped me out of my shock. It didn't matter how it had gotten here, we had it and it fucking knew it.
I could see the battle playing out in Hellsing's eyes, the boy's strength holding on, barely keeping the demon at bay.
"Spectre!" I shouted. "Now!"
Spectre moved quickly, throwing holy water on the boy's chest as I began the exorcism, chanting the words with all the force I could muster. "I cast you out, Belial! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I bind you to the pit from which you came!"
The demon screeched, Hellsing's body convulsing as it fought to stay inside him. But I kept going, louder, stronger, my voice cutting through its vile taunts.
"You have no place here! I bind you by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the blood of Christ, by the light that burns in every soul you torment!"
The demon thrashed, trying to break free, its voice turning venomous. "You think you can save him? You think you can save anyone? You'll fail them all, Virgil. You're nothing but a failed piece of shit, a weakling playing hero."
I gritted my teeth, ignoring the lies, the filth it was spewing. I had one job in this fucking world, and it was to send this bastard back to hell. I shouted the final words of the exorcism, my voice rising above the demon's wails.
"In the name of Christ, begone!"
Spectre pressed the cross against Hellsing's forehead, the sharp wail of agony filled the room as the demon cursed us all. Hellsing's body
jerked one last time before going still, his head dropping to his chin, his chest heaving with heavy, ragged breaths. The demonic presence faded, the room growing eerily quiet, except for the sound of rain tapping against the window.
Hellsing's body slumped in the chair, his head lolled back, he was drenched in sweat and tears. His breathing was labored, the weight of what just happened crashing down on him. I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, but there was something else too—relief. The boy had held on, fought back the demon like a warrior in the trenches, and he was still standing.
Barely, but standing nonetheless.
I crouched down in front of him, gripping his shoulder firmly. "Hellsing, look at me."
His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if he even had the strength to speak. His lip quivered, and then his voice broke the silence, barely a whisper.
"Is it gone?"
I nodded, feeling the tension ease just a fraction. "Yeah, kid. It's gone."
He blinked, staring off into the distance as if trying to wrap his head around the nightmare he'd just lived through. His hands trembled against the armrests, knuckles white from gripping the chair for dear life.
"Did I do good? Did I help?"
"Yeah, you did it," I said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I think you found your calling, kid."
Hellsing let out a shaky laugh, more of a sob really, as his head fell back against the chair. "I don't feel like much of a hero."
"Heroes don't always feel like heroes," I muttered, tugging at the restraints that held him in place. "But you did good. I don't know how you did it, but you called out its name."
Hellsing's eyes met mine, and for the first time since this started, I saw something new in him—a glimmer of strength, of belief in himself that wasn't there before. "What if it comes back?" he asked, his voice still small, fragile.
I exhaled. "It won't. Not after today. You're stronger than that bastard ever was."
He nodded, but the doubt was still there, lingering in his gaze. And I couldn't blame him. The kid had just been put through hell.
I stood, giving him one last pat on the shoulder before stepping back. "Take a minute. You earned it."
Spectre was leaning against the wall, arms wrapped around Raven, his face pale, still rattled from the demon's mind games. He hadn't said a word since the exorcism ended, and that wasn't like him. I walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You both alright?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded, but I could see the tension in his jaw. "That thing… it got in my head, Virgil. Made me see things. Shit I buried a long time ago." His voice was tight, like he was holding onto his sanity by a thread.
I exhaled, letting the smoke drift between us. "That's what it does. It fucks with your head, makes you doubt yourself, makes you see every nightmare you've ever had. But it's gone now."
Spectre shook his head, staring at the floor. "I don't know, man. That wasn't just some ordinary demon. That thing was... different."
"Yeah. Belial's not your garden-variety demon. But he's not invincible. Trust me, that motherfucker's back where he belongs."
Spectre finally met my eyes, the weight of the moment still hanging heavy on his shoulders. "So, what now?"
"Now, I said, glancing over at Hellsing, who was still recovering in the chair. "Now we get ready for what's next. This ain't over yet. We've got Death is waiting and we've got to bind it before it realizes what we're up to."
I glanced toward the door, knowing Barythaya would be the next part of this nightmare. "We've got to follow Madame Laveaux's instructions carefully and without getting anyone else killed."
Spectre's jaw clenched as he pushed off the wall, readying himself. "Alright. Let's finish this."
I gave him a hard nod and took a deep breath, feeling the storm still brewing just beneath the surface. Belial was gone, but we were only halfway through the fire. I was to play my best acting performance, because I was about to lure death to its grave.