The Beautiful Monster

Chapter 230  Fight(3)

Elias looked over at Melina, letting go of Alyssa so that she could stand from his lap. He pushed himself up to his feet, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

He followed everyone off the RV, immediately getting hit with a strong feeling in his chest.

"Do you feel it?" Melina asked him as she paused, glancing around the small, bare town. The buildings were old, the street was quiet, and the tension was overwhelming.

Elias looked down the street, letting his eyes sweep over the buildings.

The feeling was calling to him, and it was ringing from a specific spot. When his eyes fell on an old church with chipped white paint, his heart stopped for a second.

"The church," he said.

Melina followed his gaze and then nodded.

"That has to be it," she replied.

Scott scoffed.

"A church? What kind of sick joke is that?" he asked.

Elias ignored Scott. Nothing about this was a joke. Alaric was just down the street from them, and there was no turning back now.

Elias led his group to the church, running off adrenaline. He tried to ignore any other sensation because it would just cloud his focus.

"We should split up. Melina and I will go through the front. Tyler and Scott can go through the back. Alyssa, be nearby," he said.

He didn't know what was going to go down in the church. He didn't want Alyssa to be too far away, but he didn't want her caught in the chaos either.

"What is he doing in a church?" Melina muttered as she walked by Elias' side.

"He's a demon. It's in his nature to be blasphemous," Elias replied, warming his palms up. He would have to use as much of his abilities as he possibly could.

 He couldn't hold back, even if that meant accidentally burning the church down.

Elias stopped at the front doors of the church, staring at the scratched up wood. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He couldn't back out now, though. He gave Tyler and Scott enough time to go around to the back of the church before looking at Melina.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"I don't really have a choice," Melina replied before nodding.

Elias breathed in deeply before throwing the church door open and storming inside. He came to a stop when he saw bodies littering the aisle of the church, leading all the way to the stage.

He shifted his eyes up farther up to see Alaric hovering over a man with his back to Elias and Melina. The man was twitching, but there was hardly any life in his movements.

"What is he doing?" Elias whispered with wide eyes.

"Consuming his soul," Melina breathed out.

Elias grimaced at the thought, but he pushed past it. Alaric took all of these people's souls, killing them in the end.

There were so many people to avenge, and there were many more to save. They had to end this now.

"Alaric!" Elias shouted, making Alaric whip around just as Elias cast a shot of fire his way.

Alaric was knocked back into the piano on the church's stage, crying out as the fire burned his skin and clothes.

 He patted himself down, clambering to his feet as Elias and Melina ran down the aisle toward him.

With narrowed eyes, he swept his hand to the side, sending one of the pews hurtling toward Elias and Melina.

"Elias, duck!" Melina shouted, throwing herself down on the ground as the wooden pew soared toward them.

Elias registered her words a little too late. The pew struck him in the side, knocking him into another one on the opposite side of the aisle. Pain radiated throughout his body as he shoved the heavy pew off his body.

By the time Melina reached the stage, Scott and Tyler burst through a back door beside the stage. They ran onto the stage toward Alaric, attempting to surround him.

Alaric grabbed Melina and threw her into Tyler, knocking them both to the ground. He faced Scott with a smirk, waving his hand to send a nearby podium into Scott's back to knock him over.

"Is that all you got?" he asked, his voice booming through the church.

Elias jumped up on the stage only for Alaric to send a bookshelf full of bibles his way. He stared at the bookshelf, putting all of his focus on it and centering his energy on protecting himself.

He stopped the bookshelf in mid-air, watching it crash to the ground in front of him. He was so shocked at his own power that he didn't see Alaric lunging at him until Alaric tackled him to the ground.

Alaric dealt a heavy punch to Elias' face, looking amused. He pinned Elias down, swinging his fists at any exposed spot.

Elias generated heat all throughout his body, burning Alaric every time that he landed a blow. He started to hit back, punching upward to knock Alaric off him.

Tyler and Scott came up and grabbed Alaric's arms, trying to immobilize him, but Alaric put up a fight.

"Do it! Kill him!" Scott shouted.

Melina appeared at Elias' side, her eyes gleaming with anger. She reached for Alaric's face, intent on ending this.

Alaric narrowed his eyes as he focused on Melina.

Suddenly, Melina cried out, grabbing her head as her knees buckled. She submitted to Alaric's demonic powers, feeling an intense, ringing pain in her head. It was so loud and painful that she couldn't even stand.

"Mel!" Tyler said, losing his focus enough for Alaric to break free from his hold.

Alaric sent Tyler flying into the pews with a wave of his hand, and Scott soon followed him.

He reached down and grabbed Melina by the hair, pulling her across the stage before yanking her to her feet.

He pulled her body against his, grabbing her throat as Elias took a step forward.

"You stay right there," Alaric hissed.

Elias froze, staring at Melina with pure worry in his eyes. How did things go wrong so quickly? He thought that they were about to finish things.

Now, it looked like Alaric was preparing to finish Melina. He couldn't let that happen, but Elias felt helpless as he stared ahead.

Melina's eyes started to flutter shut as the pressure on her throat grew worse.

"Stop!" Elias shouted, fear crackling through him like electricity.

Alaric tilted his head at Elias with a smirk on his face.