Hell Calling by Enrique Laso Page A

reminded him of the last phase of his life in Mexico, shortly before he had needed to emigrate and stop performing exorcisms for the church.
    ‘This can’t be happening to me again.’
    As he drove carelessly along, all of the people he had exorcised came flooding back to his mind and, in a parallel sense, all of his meetings with the Devil, in his different forms. Satan always leaves a profound and indelible mark, and that was why he had had to stop.
    ‘I have to go far away again; start over, in a new country.’
    He then noticed a presence in the back of the vehicle, in the back seat. There was something fidgeting, moving, and even producing small but detectable sounds with its breathing.
    ‘Don’t look behind, don’t look behind.’
    Trying to control his nerves, he accelerated, longing like never before to make it to the church, to cling like a man possessed to the altar, to the protection of Christ, the eternal saviour. But the thing that had turned up in his car seemed to be progressively materialising, and increasing in size.
    ‘Lord, have faith in me, give me strength now.’
    The thing panted intermittently as if enraged; panting at intervals like an enormous animal. It moved with increasing speed, as if it moved from one side of the back seat to the other, on the prowl, waiting for the right moment in which to pounce on its prey.
    ‘Remember: don’t look behind .’
    It was hardly three hundred metres now to the building of salvation, and it became increasingly difficult to maintain his calm, control his nerves, contain the fear and terror taking over his entire being. Then, in an instinctive and uncontrolled action, he raised his gaze slightly up to the rear view mirror, and he was fleetingly able to make out Carlos’ face stuck onto a furry, reddish coloured beast. Terrified, he opened the car door and threw himself out before the creature could get him.
    ‘Lord, give me strength, take pity on me.’
    Although injured by the fall, he ran with all his strength towards the church, not caring about the car, which was slowing down progressively until finally crashing into a lamppost. Nor did he pay any attention to the other passers-by, who looked at him incredulously, in astonishment. When he arrived at the building, he closed the doors violently after him and rushed towards the altar, getting down on his knees before the image of the crucifix.
    ‘Thank you Lord, thank you for helping your servant.’
    With his breathing intermittent, he began to pray, relieved because his God had shown him once more his power over evil and his capacity to keep him safe. In spite of everything, he was still horrified by the image he had just been able to make out through the rear view mirror.
    ‘Those eyes!’
    And then he understood. With a sixth sense that he attributed to a direct communion with the Most Holy, he was able to see and understand. The sky, obscured moments before by blackened storm clouds, opened up and left just light blue, tremendously beautiful and clean. And he realised instantly that he had to set off without a moment to spare.
    ‘I have to warn everyone involved, before it’s too late!’
    XLIV
    Elena entered her flat. She had spent the whole afternoon talking with Andrés, trying to find a meaning in what she had been experiencing over the course of the last few weeks. She had spent so long trying to have a real paranormal experience, but now that she had, she did not feel satisfied in the least. Rather, she felt terribly sad and empty.
    She had taken the decision to not go to work for a few days, until she had recovered a certain equilibrium. Carlos’ story had been very powerful and, on top of that, she had become involved in it to the highest level. She should take things calmly.
    Andrés had not been of much help to her, since he was even more confused than she was. On the one hand there were the tapes, but on the other, that was all they had. Carlos had said that the voice had been his