The Old Serpent and the Slacker
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Brady's eyes fluttered open.  He squinted at the clock.  Five forty-five.  He looked around the room.  What woke him up?

The fiend's eyes narrowed on Chara and he spat a vile curse. 

The angel let it roll off. 

Poneros aimed a poison dart and let it fly.

Chara didn't flinch when the projectile pierced his wing. 

The demon wasn't giving up on Brady.  This time he inserted a flaming arrow into his bow….zing!

The angel's shield went up.  The arrow hit and burst into flame. 

Brady was oblivious to the spiritual battle going on around him.  He sat up in bed and stretched.

Chara extinguished the fire and said in a steely voice, "I have a message from the Son."  He unsheathed his dagger.  "Your time is up!"  Then he flew full tilt at the demon.

Poneros knew trouble when he saw it.  He gave his wings a hard flap and catapulted over the moon just in the nick of time. 

Chara didn't bother going after him.  Instead he returned to Brady's side.

The cold air in the room hit Brady like a brick.  "Must be 20 below in here," he thought to himself.  He stood there for a moment and looked longingly at his bed.   "No way," he said firmly.  His expression turned purposeful.  "I'm spending time with the Lord this morning and that's that." 

A hot shower would take the chill out of his bones.
 

Brady packed his lunch while the coffee was brewing.  Chara was only inches away, watching for the enemy of God.

Poneros slithered into the room, apparently not worried about the consequences.  He gave him the evil eye and said, "I have been given permission to tempt him.  So your reason for interfering is…?" 

Chara glared at him and repeated, "Your time is up!"   

Infuriated the evil spirit growled, "No way!" then he flew into a floor vent.

Brady checked his messages.  Nothing from Dan.

A soft hiss floated out of the vent.  Chara rolled his eyes.  If it was meant to frighten him he was clearly wasting his breath.

Then a voice echoed from the vent, "Brady McCoy is ours!"

Chara replied coolly, "The battle belongs to the Lord!"   

Poneros snarled, "That's what you think!" He flew from the vent and landed on top of the hutch.  The evil spirit wasn't ready to give up on Brady.  Not by a long shot.  "OURS!" he roared.

The angel's expression was resolute. 

Poneros was fit to be tied.  In complete and utter frustration he flew around the kitchen spewing obscenities (that I shall not repeat). 

The angel ignored him. 

Nothing the demon said or did got the reaction he was looking for.  He had never felt so out of control.  Worn out, he lit on the sink and hissed, "Ourssssss!" Giving it one last try he zipped into the air and fired another poison arrow…bing!  This one hit the warrior's wing hard enough to knock him off balance.  Still, he had no problem stopping a succession of the evil spirit's thought-numbing arrows. 

Poneros wanted to pluck out Chara's feathers one by one!  Rip off that untarnished halo!  Run him through with his own sword!

But first things first.  The Chief of Evil had sent him to inject apathy into the backslider's mind -- come hell or high water!  And he had better succeed  or…or what?  The thought of what they'd do to him made him shiver.  He had to win.  He must! 

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