19
Maggie feltthe noose around her neck and the searing, burning, terrible, and overwhelming pain as her lungs struggled for air that wouldn’t come. Her tongue swelled in her mouth, thick and dry.
She kicked uselessly at empty air.
She was dying.
No, please. No more. Not again!
Hands grabbed her arms. In a panic, she struck out her fist at whoever had hold of her.
And punched Rinaldo straight in the nose. She felt it crunch beneath her fist, and blood immediately shot from his nostrils.
“Fuck!” he shouted, grabbing his face with his hand.
“Oh, shit—” Her eyes flew wide. She reached for his head. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry—I’m so sorry—”
“God damn it, girl!” Rinaldo paced backward and sat in the pew behind him. She had gotten lost in her memories sitting in the back row. She must have stood and walked to the altar at some point, as that was where she now found herself.
Ally was laughing. “Don’t worry. This happens.” She wheeled over to Rinaldo, dug around in her purse and pulled out a red square of a handkerchief. She handed it to him. Rinaldo muttered a thanks and stuffed it to his nose, tipping his head back.
“Huh?” Maggie once more felt like she was watching traffic pass her by. Just a blur as she struggled to process what was happening. She was still shaking from the memory, and now she felt guilty over punching Rinaldo in the face. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to. You startled me, and it’s—I guess I’m unpredictable. I should have warned you not to try to wake me out of those moments.”
“Yeah, a memo would have been nice.” Rinaldo grunted. “But Ally’s right. This happens. Broke my nose about ten years back, and ever since, all it needs is one good whack and it bleeds. I’ll be fine.” He wiped at his face and looked down at the cloth before pressing it to his nose and tipping his head back again.
“Do you get punched in the face frequently?”
“More than you’d expect.”
Maggie smirked. “I don’t know. If it’s anywhere near how often I want to pop you in the face, maybe I wouldn’t be so surprised.” She sat down on the pew next to him. “Still, I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” He nudged her with his elbow. “You all right?”
She went to answer when she felt something scurry onto her lap. Looking down, she smiled at Algernon. The little rat was wriggling into the sleeve of her hoodie. It seemed he knew it was probably best not to be seen, but still wanted to be near her. It was oddly comforting, even if he was really, really dead.
“I…remember being lynched a long time ago.” She rubbed her neck, shivering. The sensation of the coarse rope still lingered. “By a priest of your order.”
“I…uh…now I’m sorry.” Rinaldo turned his head to look at her, wiping his nose. The bleeding had already stopped. “When? Where?”
“Not sure when.” She pulled a foot up onto the pew in front of her, hugging her leg to her chest. “Where’s that church made out of bones?”
“Czech Republic, I think,” Ally replied. “Probably quite a long time ago, then.” She frowned sympathetically. “Our order is prone to the same troubles as any organization. Some members are kinder and crueler than others.”
“He wasn’t exactly wrong.” She shut her eyes. “Whatever monster he thought I was, he was probably right.”
“You’re not a monster,” Ally insisted.
“I have a dead rat cuddling in my hoodie right now.” She picked up her sleeve, the weight of Algernon causing it to sag. “And he’s my friend. Tell me that’s normal.”
“I never said you were normal,” the demoness replied with a chuckle as she moved her wheelchair closer to where Maggie was sitting. “I just said you weren’t a monster. I’ve spent time in Hell. Trust me. I know what monsters look like.”
“Follow up question.” Maggie tilted her head to the side slightly. “If you don’t know if there’s a God, but there’s a Heaven and a Hell, do human souls go to either place?”
Ally’s expression smoothed. It was one of tired acceptance. As if she’d had this conversation with a thousand people over her lifetime and expected to do it a thousand more. She shook her head.
Maggie whistled. “Fuck.”
“No swearing in the church,” Rinaldo mock-scolded her.