(page 230)
The man in black leather was back in Ashton, running down the streets and then through the alleys like a man possessed, looking behind him, panting, crying, terrified.
Five cruel spirits rode on his back, ducked in and out of his body, clung to him like huge leeches, their talons deeply embedded in his flesh. But they were not in control. They too were terrified.
Just above the five demons and their running victim, six angelic warriors floated along with their swords drawn, moving this way and that, to the right, to the left, whatever it took to keep the demons herded in the right direction.
The demons hissed and spit and made shooing motions with their sinewy hands.
The young man ran, swatting at invisible bees.
The young man and his demons came to a corner. They tried to go left. The angels blocked their way and prodded them with their swords to the right. With a cry and a terrible wailing, the demons fled to the right.
The demons began to cry for mercy. “No! Let us alone!” they pleaded. “You have no right!”
Just up the street, Hanke Busche and Andy Forsythe were walking together, taking some time to share their burdens and pray.
Right alongside them walked Triskal, Krioni, Seth, and Scion. The four warriors all saw what their comrades were herding their way, and they were more than ready.
“Time for an object lesson for the man of God,” said Krioni.
Triskal only beckoned to the demons with his finger and said, “Come, come!”
Andy looked down the street and saw the man first. “Well…!”
“What?” asked Hank, seeing the dumfounded look on Andy’s face.
“Get ready. Here comes Bobby Corsi!”
Hank looked and cringed at the sight of a wild-looking character running toward them, his eyes filled with terror, his arms beating the air as he battled unseen enemies.
Andy cautioned, “Be careful. He could be violent.”
“Oh, terrific!”
They stood still and waited to see what Bobby would do.
Bobby saw them and cried out in even more terror, “No, no! Leave us alone!”
Heaven’s warriors were bad enough, but the five demons wanted no part of Busche and Forsythe. They twisted Bobby around and tried to run away, but were instantly hemmed in by the angelic six.
Bobby stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at nothing ahead of him, then looked at Hank and Andy, then looked again at his unseen enemies. He screamed, standing still where he was, his hands claw-like and trembling, his eyes bulging and glazed.
Hank and Andy moved forward very slowly.
“Easy, Bobby,” Andy said soothingly. “Take it easy now.”
“No!” Bobby screamed. “Leave us alone! We want no business with you!”
An angel gave one of the demons a prod with the tip of his sword.
“Awww!” Bobby cried out in pain, collapsing to his knees. “Leave us alone, leave us alone!”
Hank stepped forward quickly and said firmly, “In Jesus’ name, be quite!” Bobby let out one more scream. “Be quiet!”
Bobby grew still and began to weep, kneeling there on the sidewalk.
“Bobby,” said Hank, bending down and speaking gently, “Bobby, can you hear me?”
A demon clapped his hands over Bobby’s ears. Bobby did not hear Hank’s question.
Hank, hearing from the Spirit of God, knew what the demon was doing. “Demon, in the name of Jesus, let go of his ears.”
The demon jerked his hands away, a surprised look on his face.
Hank asked again, “Bobby?”
This time Bobby answered, “Yeah, preacher, I hear you.”
“Do you want to be free from these spirits?”
Immediately one demon answered, “No, you don’t! He belongs to us,” and Bobby spit the words in Hank’s face, “No, you don’t! He belongs to us!”
“Spirit, be quiet. I’m talking to Bobby.”
The demon said no more, but backed off sulkingly.
Bobby muttered, “I’ve just done a horrible thing…” He began to weep. “You gotta help me… I can’t stop from doing this stuff…”
Hank spoke quietly aside to Andy. “Let’s get him somewhere where we can deal with him, where he can make a scene if he has to.”
“The church?”
“Come on, Bobby.”
They took him by his arms and helped him up, and the three, and the five, and the six, and the four headed up the street.
(excerpt from This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti)
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12 (New Living Translation)