Summary

In the sub-section ‘April 30, 1984, 11:15 am,’ the demon commands Horace to kill a dragon coming toward him and “the horde on either side of the road screeched and yelled for him to slay the beast” (66). Horace steps into the middle of the road and aims his gun between the headlights of a chicken truck. Horace stands frozen as the truck swerves around him. The demon asks Horace why he had not killed the dragon, “a Masai warrior before him, his eyes glowing a neon orange, his teeth luminous white against skin the very color of the night air” (67). The demon strikes Horace and commands him to walk.

They reach First Baptist Church of Tims Creek and the demon commands him to ring the bell. The rope appears to have transformed into a serpent, but “when Horace grasped the rope he felt no animation there...