Constantine - The Novelization - Whoa is (Not)

head and bit into Constantine's palm. Constantine recoiled, gasping with pain. She shoved himferociously and he fell back against the tile of the steps into the pool, struck the back of his head,felt his scalp split.Dizzy, struggling to stay conscious, he heard Chaz yell a warning at Francisco - then hisshotgun blast. Francisco had tried to jump him...Angela leapt out of the pool, past Constantine. He heard Chaz shout wordlessly -His head cleared, except for the pain. He got up, wincing, and turned to see Chaz strugglingwith Angela, holding her from behind. Francisco's body lay crumpled to one side - shot throughthe heart."Finish it'" Chaz shouted as Angela thrashed in his grip.Constantine staggered to her, feeling dizzy from the blow on the head. He forced himself tofocus his mind and his psychic energy, and put his hand to her forehead. He incanted:"El separatur a plasmate tuo" - he struggled to keep a coughing fit down, and went on - "utnum quam laedatur amorsu antiqui serpents! In nomine Patris et Fili et Spiritus Sancti-"Once more Chaz intoning, with him: "extinguatur in te ominus virtus diaboli per..."And then Angela gave a great shudder, a gasp - and went limp. The darkness in her eyesbegan to fade. But Constantine sensed that Mammon was still there - just retrenching, buildinghis strength for another assault.Angela blinked and looked at Constantine - spoke hoarsely. "Oh God, no, get it out of me,John - get it out!" And then her eyes darkened again - she began to spasm.Constantine nodded to Chaz and together, in a fast whisper, they chanted - voices soft butinwardly roaring with all their spirit:"In nomine Patris et Fili et Spiritus Sancti extinguatur in te ominus virtus diaboli per...!"Angela quivered... and slumped, sighing. The shape that sometimes rollicked the skin underher face receded - and was gone.Constantine sensed that Mammon was still connected with Angela, hovering between her andHell. But he was weakened. It would take more to release him... it would take the spear. Theyhad bought some valuable time.He looked at Chaz and nodded. "Not bad, kid."Chaz grinned. Paraphrasing Constantine, another time: "This is Kramer. Chaz Kramer,asshole-" But then his face tightened as he was lifted off his feet, by something unseen.Then Chaz shouted in pain as he was pulled by the neck up into the air - pulled by theinvisible.Angela fell from his grasp, slipped to the floor, unconscious.Constantine watched helplessly as Chaz was yanked up and up - and then slammed into theceiling.The invisible force twisted Chaz in midair, the way a farmer's wife spins a chicken to break itsneck. It paused a split second...And then it threw him with bone-crunching force to the floor.Constantine walked numbly over to Chaz, who looked up at him, the light going from his eyesmuch the way the darkness had gone from Angela's. He was trying to speak. But the words diedon his lips.Careful what you wish for, young man, Constantine thought. You wanted to know thesupernatural world - to really know it. Now you know it as even I cannot....Constantine felt a bubbling rage rise up in him, a sense of grief and loss that surprised him.He hadn't realized till that moment how attached he'd been to Chaz. His last real friend.The grief and anger came out of him in one long scream - a scream that escalated into a roar.He turned, looking for his enemy, but saw no one. The killer was still invisible. There was onlyone trace: a shadow on the wall, cast by no one at all. A vaguely man-shaped shadow withperhaps the suggestion of wings.Constantine rolled up his sleeves, exposing his conjuring tattoos, and slammed them together,