For once, it was not the nightmares that woke Bill Hendrie, although, just as every other night,  they'd been running rampant through his brain. 

His eyes sprang open as the wallpaper burst into view when a blast of bright light flooded the room, accompanied by God's timpani - thunder. It took the priest a good few moments to gather his thoughts and accept his slumber had been disturbed by a storm. 

Another flash of lightning washed the room, making Bill squint against the flare. As the room returned to darkness, he slid his legs out of bed and sat, fingers gripping the edge of the mattress, debating whether to get up or not. Instinctively, he glanced at the clock - 3.33 am. It was the same time as every other night. He groaned.

There was certainly no point trying to sleep during such a tempest, but he half-dreaded going down to the kitchen, for he knew where he'd end up - the attic. He'd have no recollection of getting there, just the sense of creeping doom and his increasing morbidity.

A sound reached his ears. Holding his breath, he listened intently. At the same time, he was berating himself - it's most likely the storm. He also wondered if he was indeed losing his mind. 

There it was again, the noise! It came from down the hall. He was not being irrational after all; someone was in his house! 

The realisation gave rise to a feeling of panic balling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't put on the light that would provide the intruder with his location. To stumble about in the dark was not a particularly clever idea either.

As yet another flash of lightning lit up the walls, he quickly scanned the room, instinctually looking for something to defend himself. He noted the pair of bronze bookends, sphinxes he bought from a charity shop in town. They were not ideal, but they were all he had. He crept over to the set of drawers and lifted one of the bookends. It held a decent weight but allowed no error if he needed to use it.

Armed and ready, he nervously reached for the handle. From just beyond the wooden panelled door, he heard like shuffling, something dragging across the laminate not far from where he stood, trembling.

Alarm went into overdrive when he thought he heard someone shouting his name. His eyes fastened on the window. Rivulets ran down the glass, creating a waterfall distorting the view. The rain was buffeted by the rising wind, spreading it in all directions across the panes. 

"Bill!"

Bill's breath caught in his throat. His heartbeat quickened - he did hear his name, even amid the storm. With fingers still curled tight around the bookend, he padded over and looked out the window. Lightning illuminated the garden in a harsh, bright flare. Through the torrent, he could see Lisa standing, looking up, trying to keep the hood of her jacket in place. 

The noise from the hallway grew unnervingly closer. Bill gasped. An intruder was right outside his bedroom door, and Lisa was outside calling his name. There was no way Bill could leave her out in this weather, but nor could he risk the intruder hearing her either. What should he do?

Before he could think about his dilemma anymore, the door burst open, and a shape lunged forward as another flash of lightning lit the room.

Bill opened his mouth in a silent scream. An enormous figure stumbled in through the doorway. Vaguely human, its proportions were far greater than any ordinary man. It looked directly at the frightened priest by the window as it fell to the floor. 

With the aid of sporadic flashes of lightning, Bill saw lots of blood, black, dense, and its face seemed distorted, perhaps disfigured, but quite how, he couldn't determine. Then there were the wings; Enormous, powerful, folding in over the figure, trying to conceal it.

Stunned by what he was witnessing, the bookend tumbled from Bill's fingers and landed with a thud, hitting his big toe before rolling onto the rug. Pain shot through his foot, pulling his attention from the creature on the bedroom floor.

Panic made every internal organ start pounding, constricting within his trembling body affecting his hearing making it dulled, distorted. Distantly, he heard Lisa calling his name again.

He scrunched his eyes closed, both from pain and fear, then counted to ten, quickly!

Opening his eyes, he found only a drenched and bloodied Jamie lying prone upon the floor. 

"What the..." Bill exhaled loudly, utterly shocked but also hugely relieved. He limped over to where the young gardener lay and knelt beside him. "Jamie? Jamie, what happened?"

"I - I'm sorry, Father." Jamie's weakened reply alarmed Bill. "I didn't know where else to go." 

"Bill? Are you alright?" Lisa's voice reached up from the foot of the stairs.

"I'm up here, Lisa. Can you help?"

Hurried footsteps followed, and seconds later, Lisa arrived at the bedroom door. She gasped when she saw Jamie on the floor. "What happened?" She reached for the light switch and flicked it on. Nothing. The storm had shorted the power. Luckily, she'd had the foresight to bring a torch. Crouching down beside the injured lad, she quickly looked over his injuries.

"I'll call an ambulance," Bill said, rising to his feet.

"I don't think that's necessary," Lisa replied, looking up at Bill. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Lisa smiled, her eyes taking in the fact that Father Hendrie was only in pyjama bottoms. "I'm a nurse, remember? It looks worse than it is, Bill. Let's get him comfortable, and I'll clean his wounds."

"Al - alright, then. I have the spare room."

"Perfect."

Together they carried Jamie into the second bedroom and lay him on the bed. Lisa propped the torch on the bedside table and proceeded to remove Jamie's boots and wet clothing. "Do you have any other source of light, Bill," she asked, peeling off Jamie's jeans. The lad moaned.

Bill was flummoxed, trying to think where he'd put two camping lanterns. Then he remembered. The attic. "Um, I have a couple of lanterns, but they are in the attic."

Lisa looked at him, her brow pinched. "I saw you were limping, so I'll go get them. I'll need to take the torch. Are you OK getting the rest of Jamie's wet things off in the dark?"

At that precise moment, another sheet of lightning flashed. The thunder was growing steadily more distant, and the rain was easing.

Bill nodded. "Yes, but, Lisa - are - are you sure?" He couldn't help but worry about the ancient mirror.

She smiled - that warm, comforting way she had about her. "Sure. Besides, you look like you saw a ghost, so you're best not rummaging around in a dark attic."

Hesitantly, Bill agreed. "Fine, thank you. The lanterns should be in a large cardboard box with..." He suddenly felt silly about what he was next going to say. "...with 'Memories' written on it, directly to the right as you go into the attic."

Lisa looked at Bill for a few moments, a look of quiet understanding in her eyes. She pursed her lips, nodded, then went to find the lanterns.

Bill continued with undressing Jamie. Gently he eased him up to get his jacket and sweatshirt off.

"I'm sorry, Father," the boy said again.

"It's alright, Jamie, don't worry. Can you remember what happened?" He also wanted to know how he got in, but that could wait.

"I was unable to sleep," Jamie said, strained. "I went for a walk and then - then the storm. I - I think I slipped and hit my head on the kerb."

"Well, Lisa from next door is a nurse, and she is going to clean your injuries and make sure that you're OK."

"Thank you, Father."

"Um, how did you get in, Jamie?"

"The kitchen door. It was unlocked."

Bill slumped a little. He'd forgotten to check it before going to bed. "OK, try to relax; Lisa will be back soon." He eased the sheet and duvet over Jamie.

"Back!" Lisa announced. She carried the two lanterns and handed them to Bill. 

He lit them and placed one on the bedside table, the other on the drawers near the door. 

"Do you have a First Aid kit? I hope it's not in the attic," Lisa said, her tone light, teasing.

Bill laughed lightly, his previous alarm having dissipated completely. "No, it's not; it's in the bathroom. I'll get it."

Taking the lantern near the door, Bill hurried along the corridor to the bathroom. He pulled open the cabinet, searching for the First Aid kit. The green canvas case was near the back. With a sigh, he pulled it out and checked the contents. "Damn," he muttered. There was a severe lack of iodine strips, gauze and crepe bandages. Luckily, he knew where some new supplies were. Raking in the drawers, he found what he needed, topped up the kit and started back to the spare room. 

He heard Jamie and Lisa whispering, frantic, urgent as he approached. His pace slowed, curiosity overcoming him. Lisa considered Jamie as the 'lost boy', meaning she didn't understand his situation. Still, going by the urgency in their whispered conversation, Bill wondered if she knew more about the lad than she let on. He slid along the wall, careful not to give away his presence.

"What were you thinking of, Marduk?" Lisa was saying. 

Marduk? Why was she calling Jamie that? It was a bizarre nickname if that's what it was.

"You wanted me in, so why are you so annoyed?"

Bill was instantly on alert and surprised to hear Jamie's voice so much stronger than it was when he'd spoken with him only a few minutes ago. He pressed his ear to the doorjamb.

"Because he isn't ready. I need more time."

"We don't have time! You know that."

"But, he's not prepared."

"What good will he be anyway? He's a priest! He'll never believe us for one thing, and even if he did, there is nothing he can do. Nothing anyone can do."

"That's not true. We have to try..."

"No! We do not have that luxury anymore. They are coming!"

"Who's coming?" Bill blurted out.

Lisa and Jamie looked at the doorway. Bill stood, carrying the medicine kit, looking concerned and unearthly pale. It seemed he might be in more need of First Aid than the wounded gardener.

Word Count:- 1715