Peter Hunter, Excerpt #1: You're Next



Excerpt #1: You're Next

“Do you believe in spirits?” Sensei asked him.

Peter felt a shiver up his spine.

“Like ghosts and stuff?” he asked.

Sensei Rob nodded. “Almost every world religion has some belief in spirits, either good or bad, who interfere with our lives. Even in Buddhism, there’s Mara – for all intents and purposes, the devil – and his minions, called the asuras. They tempt humans to make choices that distract them from the way of enlightenment.”

“Do you really believe that?” Peter asked.

“Judge later,” Rob reminded him. “Listen now.” Then he took a breath. “When I was younger, I took a year to study in India. While I was there, I met this guy. A Tibetan shaman or guru – like a spiritual expert. I witnessed him perform a ritual and save someone’s life. Afterwards, he told me that the spirits don’t just tempt people. Sometimes they take over their bodies.”

A fresh wave of goosebumps prickled Peter’s skin and he sincerely wished Sensei Charlie were still there.

“Are you talking like,” he gulped, “demonic possession?”

I don’t believe in all this paranormal crud, Peter reminded himself. Why am I getting freaked out here?

Rob nodded. “The guru – Yeshe was his name – said he could cast the asuras, the dark spirits, out of people and exorcise them.”

“And you,” Peter paused, “believed him?”

Sensei took in a frustrate breath. “Just listen a moment, would ya? I wouldn’t have believed the guy, if I hadn’t seen it for myself. When a dark spirit takes over a person, you can tell. I mean, weird stuff happens, but it’s more than just that. You know it’s wrong. It reverberates within you, freezes you to the core. You can’t really say what it is, you just sense the darkness. I saw Yeshe expel the spirit from the person and then the man went back to normal like it had never happened.”

“So what are you…?”

Sensei Rob held up a hand to stop him. “Asuras are spirits who bear ill will toward humans. They want to cause us pain. Yeshe said he had made a pact with a deva – a spirit of positivity and kindness. This deva would act in him and through him to help expel the bad spirits. It was really a lot to take in, as I’m sure it is for you right now. But then, the strangest thing happened.”

“Stranger than everything else?” Peter asked dryly.

Sensei Rob narrowed his eyes.

Right, Peter thought. I’m supposed to listen.

“Yeshe told me that I had been chosen to be his successor.”

Peter didn’t know why, but he felt another chill up his spine.

“He said there was a deva waiting to make contact with me,” Rob continued. “If I accepted the mission, I’d be able to save people from the asuras, too. So I let him train me to be an exorcist. And that was about fifteen years ago.”

“So are you saying—”

“Shh,” Sensei Rob said sharply. “Then when I returned to the States and settled in this town, I became the exorcist here. The devas position at least one of us in designated areas. So when someone’s possessed by an evil spirit and they’re ready to be free, I rush out to help them. Sometimes it’s an easy fight and sometimes I get injured.” He pointed to the bandage on his forearm. “It’s not an easy job, but I know I’m helping people and that makes it rewarding.”

Sensei Rob paused and Peter tried to remain calm.

Truthfully, the second half of Sensei’s rambling had gone right over his head because all he could think was:

Is this a joke? A prank to get me back for the phone call?

But the seriousness in Sensei’s tone – in the air inside the dojo – prompted Peter to consider the very real probability that Sensei Rob was a lunatic.

Spirits? Possession? Exorcisms? This is ridiculous.

“So there you have it,” Sensei Rob said. “That’s why I have to leave suddenly every now and then.”

Rob didn’t talk after that, but he looked at Peter expectantly.

“Oh. Am I allowed to talk now?” Peter asked.

Rob chuckled. “Yes, you’re allowed, punk.”

“Okay,” Peter bluffed a calm attitude. “Assuming this is the truth, why are you telling me? Why trust me with your weird secret?”

Rob smiled, showing all his dimples. “Because you’re next.”
Hungry for more?




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