"What the fuck!" a male voice said.
Craig moved away from the bed. A second scream turned him in the direction of the victim, who now lay on a stretcher, surrounded by the EMTs.
"What's happening?" another man asked.
Craig wasn't certain, but it couldn't be good. "I never see them still alive. It would be beside the point since the demons are eating their souls. This time it wasn't successful." And maybe that was the key to finding a way to stem the flood of chaos. How had this one survived when so many others had not?
"Are you sure the demon's gone?" one man asked and ducked.
"I'm certain it's not in the room with us, but it could still be close."
"What the fuck is stuffed inside this guy's penis?"
Craig closed the distance fast and bent to closer examine the gold speck he'd seen earlier in the victim's slit. Maybe this was what he was looking for. A talisman ... something. Demons were curious creatures in that they attached themselves to peculiar physical objects. "It's as if they need to connect themselves to humans with a man-made object, something tangible. If we knew the answers to why they do what they do, we'd be able to rid ourselves of their presence."
The victim lifted his hand to touch Craig shoulder. "I tried to cut it off."
"He cut his own cock?" one of the medical techs squeaked.
"What kind of guy would do something like that?"
Craig moved closer. "The kind who knows he has a demon's talisman shoved inside him. If that's what I think it is ... he's good as dead."
)
