Michael remembered that day well, the one on which he made the biggest mistake of his life, causing him to regret each second he had as much as glanced at his wife’s now cold, pale face. They were on a mission in Zalhe, Lebanon, along with four other exorcists, requested by the Order to vanquish a group of evil spirits terrorizing the locals.
The fight took place in a temple, somewhere in the city’s outskirts. The night was warm, air – thick with the scent of oil from the lamps placed at every corner. Dust flew every time someone hit the ground. The walls shook from the terrible screeches from the possessed souls, whose numbers grew like the heads of a hydra. Michael was at his limit when it came to keeping them at bay, wiping his comrades’ blood off his glasses. He felt the despair creeping in as he witnessed his superior’s head flying off to the edge of the altar, smearing his insides upon the lit candles. It was only him and Maria now. She grabbed him by the collar of his coat and pulled him to the side to avoid an upcoming attack. “Keep it together!” She shouted, noticing the stunned look in his eyes. The rest of the scene blurred into a haze for him, happening at such a pace that it took him a moment to realize they were down to the last enemy. The feind occupied the body of a tall, swarthy man with large muscles bulging out of his thorn tunic. Stitches in a Y shape adorned his chest as if he were pulled from the morgue. His gaze radiated hatred towards anything that held a semblance of holiness in this world.
He held a scimitar in one hand, using the other to taunt them. Maria waited for an opening to strike. Despite her age, she was fast in her movements, and her courage was unrivaled within even the most reckless of exorcists. Her dagger grazed the man’s cheek, serving as a distraction while her husband knocked one of the candles in the creature’s direction to set him ablaze. He beamed with rage as he swung his flaming scimitar at Maria, who barely avoided it by rolling to the side. She wasn’t so lucky the second time. On the third swing, she had a large, gushing wound on her sternum. The layers of fabric did nothing to stop the blade. Her body was flung on the ground, awaiting her coup de graće. By the time Michael managed to sneak from behind and stab the man with his dagger, it was already too late.
His wife was lying there motionless with blood streaming down her gaping mouth, staining the white edges of her coat with scarlet red. Her pulse began to slow until disappearing completely. Michael’s worst nightmare became real in an instant. The woman he spent the last twenty years of his life with was now reduced to an object – a pile of skin and bones that were once his beloved. He knew a day like this would come sooner or later, secretly hoping he’d be the first to be buried so he wouldn’t have to endure this unbearable heartbreak. In their line of work, one had to face the possibility of never returning to their family. He couldn’t find it in him to cry a single tear, for if he did, he had to admit she was gone.
It was then he heard a voice, loud, deep, echoing through his head like a sinister tune that wouldn’t go away, no matter how much he was trying to convince himself he was going mad from grief. “Set me free, and I shall grant you wishes three…”The jinn beckoned him. It took little convincing for Michael to make his first wish. “I wish for my wife to come back to me”, he mustered without thinking. What was there to consider? Had he any other desire worth fulfilling in a moment like this? How could he have known that instead of seeing Maria’s lovely blue eyes, the color of the sea, he would be greeted with two black holes staring down his soul? Her mouth contorted into the most devilish grin he’d seen a human make. He realized the jinn had tricked him, overtaking Maria’s body to use as its vessel until it found one more suitable for its needs.
Michael used his second wish to bind its power with five golden rings on each hand, serving as shackles. His third wish, he kept a secret.
***
The memory of that day was engraved in the back of his mind like a wound that refuses to mend. Her warmth was but an echo in the shadow of the abhorrent being using her as a puppet. He did not know how to call it, nor whether he should refer to it as him or her. When he asked for its name, he was met by an unfathomable cacophony of words he lacked the comprehension of, causing him a headache. He simply referred to it as “jinn”. It was obliged by the law of its nature to follow him around until it was time to make his last wish.
It’s been four months since they forged their parasitic bond, leading them on the path they are on now.
The jinn stood still with its legs crossed on top of the hood of the Impala, one hand occupied with an ivory pipe while the other supported its chin. It had no eyes, but one wouldn’t be far off to assume it was overtaken with boredom. At last, Michael’s silhouette emerged from the gas station, wearing civil clothes as opposed to his usual uniform.
“What took you so long?” The jinn asked as it puffed another cloud.
“I got you something from the store.”
“We jinn don’t need food for sustenance as humans do. Or perhaps you’re afraid your wife’s body will grow too gaunt until you find a miraculous way to bring her back?”
Michael ignored the mockery in its voice.
“I think you’ll like this one,” he handed it a cone of Ben & Jerry’s, which was carefully examined by the jinn as if it were made of dynamite. “It’s an ice cream.”
“Ice? I hate cold fare. I suggest you return it before it melts.”
“Try it,” he insisted.
The jinn ripped the package open, shooting it a final glare before taking a bite and flinching from the freezing sensation on its teeth.
“I don’t like how it feels,” the jinn grimaced.
“You’re supposed to lick it,” his suggestion was ignored. He assumed his companion wished to roll its eyes if it had any.
“Why are we here, Michael? I thought we had another job in Bedrock before returning to Denver.”
“I declined it.”
“It’s unlike you to avoid work. Have you finally decided to retire? I wouldn’t call it unwise, considering you almost ended up scorched on our last mission. You went as far as to allow me to remove one of my rings.”
“I’m not retiring. I got a call from a colleague who used to work as an information broker before joining the Order. His expertise covers everything one might wish to learn about the unknown. I believe he has found someone who can get us out of our predicament.”
“But it is very simple, my human friend,” the jinn smiled, a glint shining in its glasses. “You make your final wish, and we’re both free to go on our merry ways. You won’t have to be in my company, I won’t have to be in yours.”
“We’ve talked about this. I’m not letting you peruse around in Maria’s body as you please. Don’t worry, you’ll be free to occupy another vessel once you return this one to its rightful owner.”
“And who’s going to bring her back? You already know it’s not within my power to snatch a person’s soul from the afterlife.”
Michael held a piece of paper he had torn from an old holiday card he had forgotten in his back pocket. It had a number and a name on it written in Sharpie. The edges were still wet, and despite his best efforts to keep them clean, they appeared smeared on the side.
“His name is Andrzej Grzeskowiak, a necromancer.”
“A sorcerer?” The jin mused. “In this world?”
“I was told he is the best there is. We’re soon going to find out for ourselves whether that’s true. What are your thoughts on it?”
“Why ask me?” His companion shrugged. “The sooner I’m free from you and your damn missions, the better. I have better things to do with my time with than masquerading as a naive exorcist.”
“We’ve already arranged a time and a place to meet. We’re going tomorrow.”
“Splendid,” the jinn clapped its hands, satisfied, sliding off the hood of the car and heading to the passenger seat.
“There is one thing that worries me, however,” Michael said after a short pause as he sat behind the wheel. “My colleague warned me about this man’s crooked persona, telling me that despite his talent, his name remains in infamy.”
“How so?”
“He refuses to elaborate. Said it’s better that way.”
“Perhaps your informant isn’t as trustworthy as you wish to believe. It is extremely unlikely to see a real sorcerer in the human world. Much less one that dabbles in the art of necromancy.”
“He is trustworthy,” the exorcist reassured it. “Said necromancer is already working for the Order. If I doubted the validity of his existence, I would only have to ring the higher-ups and trace back his contract number.”
“Let this be a warning. Sorcerers are much more powerful than anything you’ve gone up against so far. If he happens to show any hostility towards you, I won’t be able to do anything to act as your protector. Not unless-”
“Unless I enable you to remove more of your rings, which isn’t going to happen. You can count on that.”
“You’ve said so before,” the jinn couldn’t help but smile. “It’s what I love about you humans the most. Your ability to throw away your morals once you’re driven by despair.”
