Snow fell in small flakes in the late December sky, Christmas only a week or so away and Eva found herself bundled up in jeans and boots, a white tank top with a large blue sweater over the top and a heavy coat that her father insisted she wear along with gloves and two scarves. She could barely move with the agility she hoped for in a moment of frolicking in the snow and yet she'd rather not hear her overbearing parent's words of wisdom when she returned with frozen fingers and toes. She was far too old for her father to be rebuking her and yet he had no one but her to assist in keeping the church a float and putting the feminine touch to everything he did. Her mother had passed a few years back, nothing more than a common cold taking her from them. Evangelina ached at the remembrance of her death and moved her thoughts far from it as she looked toward the heaven's and closed her eyes. Soft, wet droplets of snow hit her lovely tanned cheeks and melted upon impact, the sensation like no other afforded her.

The ground was covered in a few inches, just enough to make the yard look like a winter wonderland of sorts. The church set upon the backdrop of it all was magnificent and Eva quickly found herself mesmerized by the stained glass depictions of various Bible stories as the colors bled out across the white snow, creating a canopy of color. A soft smile sat upon her lovely pale lips as she moved to the old tire swing in their yard, many memories sitting on the simplicity of the toy. Climbing onto it she felt the old tree that held it tightly grown as her weight caused it to bend a little. A laugh bubbled up from her chest at the thought of being wrapped in childish things and yet the snow did that to everyone.

Movement just behind her caused her to jump a little, her body contorting to see who was walking her way. A quick wave let her know it was her father's best friend and Deacon of their church, Henry Jefferson. She waited until he was a little closer before speaking up.

"Morning, Mr. Jefferson," she smiled and slid off the swing only to loose her footing and land on her rear in the snow. He rushed forward and helped her up, a laugh following him.

"Oh, Eva... are you already child?" He reached for her, his large hands covered in thick blue gloves, but ever so helpful in pulling her up. "You're not hurt, are ya?"

She brushed the snow from her and laughed, looking up at the older man and remembering a time when there wasn't so much grey in his hair and his eyes seemed more full of life and fire. "Heavens no... I deserved it too, I suppose. Far too old to be out here acting a fool in this weather."

He laughed and pointed toward the house as she nodded and followed beside him. He came by every Saturday afternoon to go over the scripture and notes for Sunday morning with her father. "Truth be told... I wish I was swinging on that swing. We're never to old to be a child again. The Bible reminds us that we've gotta be childlike if we expect to enter the gates."

She lifted her head to the sky and stuck out her tongue, catching a flake and almost loosing her balance. He grabbed onto her again and they both laughed, her words quite appropriate.

"Oh, I think I'm covered, believe me."

PART I
Woe to You Oh Earth and Sea
for the Devil sends the beast with wrath
because he knows the time is short
Let him who hath understanding
reckon the number of the beast
for it is a human number
its number is six hundred and sixty six.

Damian reached over and cranked up the volume on the radio just as the lead singer of the band Iron Maiden started his scream singing, his fingers tapped on the steering wheel keeping time with the beat as he zipped pasted the occasional cars of tourists and eighteen wheelers. As if reading his thoughts, the blood red Lamborghini Diablo seemed to accelerate even before he pressed his foot further down on the pedal, the purr of the finely tuned engine deepened everso slightly as he speed on down the highway, well in excess of one hundred miles an hour, despite the fact that it was snowing.

Two hours later he took the off ramp for County road 362 and drove south for another hour until the road began winding through some small hills. He eased the car off to the side of the road once he'd topped the highest of the hills and got out of the car, from this vantage point he had a clear view overlooking the town of Brownston. The layer of pure white freshly fallen snow that blanketed the town only added to the homey, wholesomeness of the town and he felt as if about to puke from the stench of it. Everywhere he looked, there no Bars to be seen, no Poolhall's, no Dancehall's, no Stripclub's, no Whorehouse's, no Pimp's, no used up Prostitute's standing on the street corners, no John's, no Drug dealers, no Junkie's looking for a fix, no Drunks or Homeless pasted out in the alleys, no murders, no rapes, no muggings... he
pondered a moment as to what he had done to deserve being sent to this place rather then some nice crime ridden Metropolitan.

Damian let out an exasperated sigh, what ever the reasons no longer mattered, failure was not an option. He got back in the car and eased back onto the road, ten minutes later he was pulling into a small Mom&Pop gas station on the edge of Brownston. After going inside he made his way towards the freezers at the back of the store, he started from the leftside and walked to the rightside...not a single can of beer, wine cooler, or cheap bottle of Boone's Farm wine, just then a young girl came out of the back storage room balancing four twelve packs of coke in her arms, as if sensing what Damian was looking for he spoke up, "Yo dude, dry town handsome, ya shoulda stopped at the truckstop back out on the highway if ya was wanting some suds". Already not happy he shot the young girl a look that caused her to screech and drop the twelve packs, the audible exasperated sigh from the direction of the front counter caught his attention and he left the young woman to deal with the mess of rupturd soda cans spewing like glaciers.

He stopped along the way and poured himself a cup of coffee then strolled up to the cash register, it was easy to see the Store owner was aggravated, but doing his best to keep calm in front of a customer, obviously he had problems with the young girls work before. Damian paused and closed his eyes briefly while tilting his head to the left, before the Storekeeper realized he was actually saying what he was thinking, the words had already eascaped his mouth,"Geewiz Samantha, I swear my five year old kid could do a better job then you", as Damian turned and walked out the door, the loud sobbing of the young girl as she darted back into the storage room brought a wide smile across his face.

PART II

Damian took the by-pass around the town and drove roughly another eight miles east then turned left at the driveway with the SOLD sticker stuck over the face of a bank forclosure sign, all the arrangements had been made and his things already delivered and utilities turned on. All he knew about the place was that it once belonged to Jasper Miller whom three months earlier shot himself rather then by forced of the farm that had been in his Family for six generations. Luckily the half mile long driveway had been plowed to allow for the Moving trucks, but the recent snowfall did make it abit tricky as every now and again the light rearend of the exotic sports car would fishtale. After several tedious minutes he brought the car to a stop under the canopy of a carport and got out of the car wrapping the camel hair overcoat tighter around his body he stood briefly and looked around.

The house was the typical two-story clapboard sided house painted red with white wood shutters recently re-attached, one or two replaced altogether, the covered porch ran the length of the front of the house then down the leftside and connecting to the back porch which was twice as large as the front, the entrance to the storm celler was just off the end of the back porch. A hundred year old looking narled Oak there towered over the front half of the yard adding additional shade over the front porch with three more space evenly down the length of the house on the left. To the right of the house, roughly sixty to seventy yards away stood a nearly dilapidated tractor and implement barn along with two storage sheds.

Damian walked up the steps, opened the door and went inside, spotting the fireplace, he went over and tossed in a few logs from the rack, then touched his right index finger to one of the logs and within seconds the welcoming flames of hellfire danced across the logs like fiery ballerinas. He watched until the logs were fully consumed then went upstairs to his bedroom, made sure his clothes had been properly folded and put in the correct drawers and his suits hung in proper order. He took a few minutes to make sure the bathroom was tidy as well before going downstairs to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator and taking out a bottle of red wine. He took a crystal wine glass from the cupboard and poured, it half full, turned and leaned his butt against the counter then sipped from the wine glass thoughfully a moment, then decided the vintage wasn't all that good, maybe blonde, mid-thirty's and not a very healthy diet judging by the slight after taste he concluded then sat the glass down unsatisfied.

Damian checked the time on the gold Rolex watch on his left wrist, his lips twisted into a sadistic smile, he pushed off the counter and went to the backdoor, unlocked it and walked across the back porch to the cellar, removed the incantations that barred the doors from unwanted snoopers, once he had swung the doors open, the sadistic smile again returned to his lips. As he decended the stairs into the bowels of the celler his form began to change a grow and in the brief moment it took him to step of the bottom step, he had transformed into something nitemarishly grotesque and sinister. Fiery red eyes sought out the single occupant of the room. She was tied up in the middle of the celler room, hands bound above her head and pulled upward by a chain to the point her feet could barely support her body, except for the gag, she was completely naked, more for the sake of her embarrassment then anything, after all she was roughly late 50's and not at all appealing.

Damian strode across the floor on muscular hunches, her eyes had been poked out so the sight of him in demonic form wouldnt literally scare her to death, he reached up with the index finger of his lefthand and placed the point of the talonlike nail at the base of her throat then drew it slowly downward between her sagging breasts and down across her belly rolls leaving a thin trail of crimson red. Her screams and pleas washed over him like an orgasmic wave and he closed his red orbs and bathed in her anguish, once the sensation had past he leaned his face into hers and spoke to her in a deep hoarse and raspy voice,

"Good Evening Ms. Wagner....your going to tell me everything I want to know about Brownston High School....everything about the teachers....everything about the students....everything about the other facility members....everything about the curriculum being taught...before I'm through, I'm going to learn all I need to about taking your place as School Principal".

Two tortuous hours later, he had leaned all he could from the limp bloodied form of what used to look like a woman at his cloven hoofs and was about to deliver the coup-de-grace when a light appeared in the corner of the room and grew in size and intensity. The pureness of the light cast him back until he was cowered in the corner, muscular arms wrapped about his face in effort to block the light, he could hear the sound of footfalls coming from the light and from between his arms he could makeout a humanoid figure coming closer and closer, anger and rage took hold of himand he shouted at the approaching figure vehemently,

"NO....SHE'S MINE....MINE, GIVEN TO ME BY THE MASTER....MINE I SAY"

As the humaniod stepped from the light it took the form of the Archangel Michael who's look froze the demon prostrate in the corner and who's soft but commanding tone of words spoke truth,"The prince of this world holds no dominion over a child of the Almighty". With that having been said, the Archangel no longer regarded the demon, but turned his eyes to the form laying on the floor between them. The commanding presence of the Archangel seemed to faulter a moment and a deep sadness shown upon his face, he stretched forth his hand and beckoned to her spirit,"Come, I will lead you home". the spirit rose from the body and as it reached for the outstretched hand, the spirit, Archangel, and light wee gone in the blink of an eye.

Damian sat in the now dark celler and howled in rage and hatred, they would pay, they would all pay for this humiliation and he would start by taking his vengeance on the town that was the reason for his being here.

"Eva, is that you, dear?" Her father's voice lifted up through the soft confines of the house as she and Mr. Jefferson slipped in the back door, the smell of chocolate chip cookies lingering all around them from Eva's earlier baking festival. She moved through the kitchen, picking up the plate and offering her father's friend a treat. He smiled and took two, biting into one and groaning at the delicious chocolate as it swept across his senses.

"Yes, Father. Mr. Jefferson is here to see you as well." She went to the fridge to pour him a glass of milk, handing it to him as he stretched out his hand and smiled at the lovely young girl.

"You really should enter these in the county fair, Eva. They are by far the best cookies this side of the Mississippi, girl." He took a deep drink of the milk, his gaze kind and focused on Eva's lovely face. Her father walked around the corner and laughed at Jerry's love of sweets and the truth in his comments to his little girl.

He wrapped an arm around his daughter and kissed the top of her head, his eyes on Jerry. "She is much like her mother in her ability to bake like a vixen. I don't even believe its holy because it leads me to sin all the time."

Eva pulled away and pushed at his arm, a pretty smile on her lovely pink lips. "Daddy... what a horrible thing to say." She left the two men to their duties for the afternoon, a quick change into something more warm and a bit comfortable and she found herself snuggled into a thick blue blanket and sitting on the large window seal in her room, looking out over the backyard. Snow swept through the air and danced as if putting on a show just for her, the book on her lap one that she'd been trying to get into forever but just couldn't seem to stay intuned with it. Her father beckoned her to study more the character of who God was and yet she yearned for a love story filled with good and evil where love and forever prevailed with a blissful kiss at the end.

She left her theology book on the window and moved to kneel before her own bookshelf as she carefully pulled out a few appropriate books to find a love story tucked into the back of the shelf, a smile on her face. She put everything back in place as cleanliness was next to Godliness, moving back to her perching station and opening the book that she'd read so many times before. The hero in the story strong and handsome and the girl seemingly plain and incapable of winning the love of the prince. She took her time savoring every word, two simple words uttered to her father as the afternoon and pressed into night and the night into almost morning.

"Good night, my love. Please make sure you rest up for church tomorrow, yes?" He stopped at her door, his heart aching at the sight of her so perfect and yet still alone. It was truly his fault and yet he knew not how to correct the error of his ways in needing her beside him to keep his life sane.

She simply turned her head and smiled, "Night, Father..."

He laughed and let her be, knowing that whether she slept or not that she would be by his side the next morning to greet those that actually graced the steps of the church. Years before there wasn't a seat to be stolen, but things had changed drastically over the last few years and he found himself praying for most of the seats to be filled only to find the same small handful of people. Lately even those committed few were starting to stray.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he undressed, his prayer simple and yet apropos. "Father, save us as only you can. Guide and direct my steps and keep my child save from the darkness that lingers outside of our door. Amen."

He stood at the corner of the intersection watching as the children of the night went about the routine of existence, Prostitutes, pushers,Junkies, the Homeless and the unwanted all walked these streets at night. Each lost in their own little world of pain, bad decisions, misdeeds, and misfortune, he went unnoticed and unseen, his face a countenance of sadness, his heart near to breaking for them as he watched all pass by him on the sidewalk lost in their own little world of sin.

It wasn't long before the slivers of light from the raising sun sliced like daggers into the blanket of dark, with the exception of a few, the children of the night withdrew from the raising light as well, least they're sins be exposed for the world to see. Replacing them were the people of the day, the movers and shakers, those fighting to climb the corporate ladder, those looking to make that one big deal and those looking to make the right investment to set them for life. Too busy with cell phones or going over in their minds strategies for the new business day, they rush past him too preoccupied to acknowledge his existence.

As the morning wore on, the sidewalk and streets became like a flowing river as the people of the day hustled about and rushed to meetings and deadlines, but there was one, a little girl of five or six, clutching the hand of her Mother. Her blue eyes grew big and a smile spread across her sweet innocent face as she looked at him, she did her best to get her Mothers attention so she could see him too, but Mother was too busy on the phone to be bothered and gentle but firmly tugged her Daughter along. He returned the young child's smile, her innocents refreshing and filling him with hope, 'if only the adults still had the faith of a child', he thought to himself as he raised the index finger of his right hand to his lips and uttered a soft "sssshhhh" ,with a wink of an eye as the little girl sheepishly waved as her Mother hurried them past him.

The hours wore on, the droves of the day people moved on as well, all much too busy in they're quest for money too bothered to see or care, then with a turn of his head he spotted the one for which he was sent. A young male, barely out of college, though dressed appropriately, his JC Penny off the rack suit looked out of place among the river of the more refine and custom tailored styles of the business elite. Like many, the young mans feet were on autopilot mind filled with details of the office meeting taking place within the hour while busy on the cellphone at the same time in hopes of landing the big name client and thus save him from being fired at least one more week.

He continued to watch as the young man advanced, then turned and followed him as he hustled pass, only now did the young man notice the crosswalk sign about to change and not having the time to wait for the next series of light changes picked up his pace to cross the busy intersection. No sooner had the young mans left foot left the curb to step out into the street, his right hand was upon the young mans shoulder pulling him back, just as a Taxi cab in a hurry to get through the light so the Driver might earn an extra five dollar tip speed past within inches and seconds of striking the young man.

Visible shaken, the young man stood, the realization of what almost happened the only thing now focused on his mind, a few stopped to see if he was alright, some commenting on his luck or good fortune, later on he would tell his friends as they sipped they're drinks at the bar, how if he had not of stumbled, he would of been plastered all over the grill of a City Taxi. It was only a moments time before the waves of the day people were back in motion and on they're way back to the business at hand. He watched as the young man collected himself then move of with the rest, only this time the young mans thoughts weren't completely filled with only thoughts of business deals and finance.

He turned and cast his sky blue eyes about the crowded sidewalks and streets, the sadness slowly returning as he watched the lost rush past, either unaware or uncaring that life could so easily end within a span of a heartbeat. He raised his face toward heaven, spread his wings and rose into the air, unseen by the mortals as they rushed by consumed by they're desire for the things of this world.

Sleep evaded her that night, dreams of being back in school in her adolescence stamped across her consciousness in the dark. She remembered very little other than the echo of lust, a male at the school that she found dreamy. The soft light of early morning poured through her window and she laid in bed a few extra minutes, unwilling to move from the warmth of her covers just yet. The tendrils of her dream pushed around her sleepiness as she tried to bring herself from the false reality. She'd never really taken much time to think about what it might be like to go on a date or be with a male in a relationship, but the dream left a bit of an inquiry on her lips. She prayed it away quickly, the host of host removing her thoughts and bringing in the memorization of a prayer from Psalms to push her along that morning.

A soft cotton dress with a long-sleeve jacket and flat heeled shoes would do perfectly. She wrapped up in her winter coat and stopped by the kitchen to drink a quick glass of juice, her father's sermon notes sitting by the coffee pot. It wasn't a wonder that he hadn't torn the church apart looking for them. They only had one service on Sunday mornings, the town dwindling down to too few people to keep up with more than one gathering. She looked at the clock on the wall and realized they still had forty-five minutes until the first soul would arrive. There was time to mingle and relax but she needed to get her father his notes and help settle his spirit.

Walking out into the freezing morning's snow was a bit wakening and yet chilled her to the bone. She pulled her coat around her tighter, her fingers aching as they grasped tightly onto the sermon notes. Running across the small snow covered path she sang a song about forgiveness and light, her voice carrying through the small yard and bringing her some semblance of peace as the town lay in an eerie silence. Two large black crows sat on top of the church, their cries loud and mocking as if throwing insults at her that she could not understand.

She ignored it all and slipped into the warmth of the church, the light almost golden and the picture all over the walls reminding her what being in the presence of goodness felt like. She walked toward her father's small office, the sound of him tearing it up causing her to laugh. She opened the door to find him on his knees searching under his desk.

"Looking for something, father?" She leaned against the door frame as he moved back and hit his head, a curse on the edge of his tongue but not jumping off just yet. She gasped and rushed forward, kneeling to help him and offer him the notes.

"Oh thank God..." He muttered and grabbed them, a kind smile on his face. "What on earth would I do without you pumpkin?"

She laughed and stood back up, "I honestly have no idea."