Evil Eternal Read Online Free Page A

from Eden and about to get much, much worse.
    “You said in your communication that the sheriff went there two days ago.”
    Father Rooney cast his eyes to the ground. “He hasn’t returned.”
    Father Michael placed a hand on the priest’s shoulder. “Go, tend to your congregation. Keep them in the church until my return. No one is to leave the church before then. No one.”
    Relief swept across Father Rooney’s face. His greatest fear would be having the Vatican official ask him to accompany him to the Carron farm. He turned and walked back into the church on unsteady legs, bolstered by the thought that only something as frightening as this Father Michael would stand a chance against the evil at the Carron house.
     
     
    The skies erupted as Father Michael took the two-mile walk to the farm. Snowflakes as large as the palm of a child’s hand fell in copious amounts, already covering the unpaved path. The wind began to howl, whipping through the dead limbs of the trees, injecting cold into his veins.
    Less than a thousand feet from the Carron property, he stopped at the sound of crackling twigs to his right. Through the whistling of the wind, he strained to hear any movement in the wooded area that surrounded him.
    A pile of dried leaves crunched to his left.
    A shuffling of feet to his right.
    With one swift motion, he pulled a long staff from his gunnysack while dropping the bag from his shoulder. The staff had a solid-gold cross at the end, encrusted with dazzling jewels: rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and jade. He twisted the base of the staff and with an audible shikt , six-inch blades slid out of the top and opposing arms of the cross. In an instant, it had become a deadly trident. He held it out before him, his eyes and ears scanning for the approaching attackers.
    Twin howls exploded around him. With lightning speed, he was hit from behind while a foot connected with his midsection.
    He was quickly knocked to the ground.
    And without his trident.

Chapter Four
    Father Michael lay face down in the snow, temporarily winded. His attackers had fled into the woods as quickly as they had come.
    The sound of childlike laughter drifted on the swirling winds.
    He gingerly touched his right side where he had received the kick. Several ribs had been broken. They were the least of his concern. They would heal.
    His trident was missing. No doubt they were planning to use it against him. It was an unwise decision on their part.
    Rising to one knee, he squinted into the onslaught of snow that was rapidly escalating into a major blizzard. He feigned grievous injury, clutching his side and grunting in pain as he rose to his feet. It was the basic law of the hunt in the animal kingdom. Kill the weakest of the herd. They would be upon him and careless in their confidence.
    The howling rose again, this time directly in front of him. They were planning a full-out frontal assault, which meant his plan was working. They were reckless and drunk with the scent of a certain kill.
    Reaching into his coat pockets, he plucked out a pair of palm-sized crucifixes with razor-sharp blades protruding atop each end. Engraved on the body of each were the words of demonic exorcism as old as the church itself. The arcane passage, which was in no way related to the larger rites of exorcism for vanquishing demonic spirits safely from human hosts, had been passed down to each succeeding pope throughout the ages. When needed, the pope would inscribe the words onto a weapon but cover it so the chosen champion of the faith could not read it, for they were human and not meant to know.
    Until Father Michael came to be.
    A burst of adrenaline coursed through Father Michael as his attackers came into view.
    Two boys, Aaron and Billy Carron, ages fourteen and twelve, were now more beast than boys. Completely naked, they had covered themselves in blood and excrement. They halted their advance just several feet from him. One of them held the trident,