Deliver us from Evil - Chapter 6

Deliver us from Evil - Chapter 6

Cassie watched little beads of condensation roll down her iced coffee cup, listening to quiet music filter through the cool shop air. She shivered a bit and wished she'd brought a jacket, then looked up at Raymond sitting across from her. When she'd invited him out for coffee earlier, he'd surprised her greatly by actually accepting, then even more by showing up.

"How's your hand?" She asked quietly, sipping at her drink. She saw him make a fist, probably unconsciously. After getting to a late-night emergency room, the cross had been removed and the burn treated, though it had been wrapped in gauze since then, and no one (save Raymond) really knew the extent of the damage.

"It's fine..." Raymond muttered, twirling a straw through his beverage boredly. He didn't look up, but he flinched a bit as if he could see the look Cassie was giving him. "They said it'll heal just fine. Don't worry about it." He added quickly.

Cassie didn't feel much better, but she nodded. Even if she didn't believe him, she had no choice but to accept what he told her. There would be no point in pushing the subject.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Cassie watched other people come and go, sipping quietly on her coffee. Finally Raymond's voice spoke up again.

"How's Alan doing?"

Cassie hesitated a long moment before answering him. She'd called the man at least once every day to check on him. Half the time he didn't answer, and when he did the conversation was always short and uncomfortable. "I... think he's having a tough time getting over it..." She said slowly. "But... it's always hard. He'll be alright." She finished forcefully, refusing to believe anything else. It'd been only four days, the memories would just take time to fade.

Suddenly Cassie glanced back up at Raymond. He still wasn't looking at her, staring broodingly down into his coffee, looking just as sad as always. She bit her lip.

"....Ray.... What did it make you see?"

Only Cassie would have noticed the tiny tensing of the muscles in Raymond's face, the slight flash of fear behind his eyes. His hand tightened on the cup, and he raised it to his lips, taking a long drink from it. He didn't look up or reply. Cassie leaned forward, reaching out, hesitating for a small moment before putting her hand gently on his arm.

"Raymond. Please, you can tell me." She stared up, praying to at least see him look at her, though her heart fell as he pulled his arm away. She swallowed, looking down, a strange mix of shame and frustration welling up in her throat, and slid her hand back to herself. "Was it... about Amanda?" She asked after the few moments it took to get her voice to work again.

Finally Raymond met her gaze. His eyes were sad, but he looked at her unblinkingly. He opened him mouth to say something, but shut it again quickly, glancing away. "....Yeah." He said blankly, neither emotion or inflection in his voice.

Cassie nodded slowly, expecting nothing less, though as she finished off her coffee in silence, out of the corner of her eye she saw that Raymond's eyes never once left her.