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Summary: Chapter 19

The group gathers together again, and Layla and Quinn explain that they know the demon fathered Hester’s child because they have had visions and dreams of being raped by it. They discuss how the demon was kept in the Pagan Stone until the descendants of Giles Dent—Cal, Fox, and Gage—released it. The six friends realize they each have specific gifts, which they can use against the demon. That night, Cybil asks the men how they first knew something was wrong during the first Seven. Cal, Fox, and Gage tell the women about a man in the Bowl-a-Rama who stabbed another man in the cheek with a fork unprovoked. They realize that the demon always starts by controlling people who are impaired in some way, such as intoxicated or deprived of sleep, because those people are easier to influence, and they add that because the demon is starting earlier this year, it will be stronger than ever by July. Everyone agrees that after the snow melts, they will go to the Pagan Stone to try to destroy the demon.

Summary: Chapter 20

Cal feels reluctant to go to the Pagan Stone as he worries about Quinn’s safety, but he knows that they don’t really have a choice. Later in the week at dawn, the group sets out for the Pagan Stone. As they pass Hester’s Pool, Cybil and Gage decide to try to see what happened to Hester the day she drowned. They both see the water roar as if in a storm, and then Hester comes out of the water. Cybil is about to go in the water when Gage pulls her back, and they both return to the present. 

As the group continues on to the Pagan Stone, Cal and Quinn discuss getting married. Cal says they should do it before July, when he fears everything will come to an end. Soon, the group arrives at the Pagan Stone, and Quinn and Cal put their hands on it. Quinn suddenly sees Giles Dent and Ann Hawkins: Giles explains to Ann that she must go because while he can’t destroy the demon, his descendants will be able to. Quinn comes back to the present and says that they are the only hope for Giles and Ann. The group then sees the demon in the form of a boy in a tree, laughing at them, and Gage shoots him. Cal yells at the demon that they can destroy him and then stabs the demon, and the demon vanishes. Although they have not yet killed it, the six friends feel confident they can destroy the demon for good.

Analysis: Chapters 19–20

Before they go to the Pagan Stone, the group theorizes that the demon feeds off of fear, hate, and violence. The first person attacked by the demon during the first Seven was a drunk man. A sexually frustrated boy and a sleep-deprived mother fell prey to the demon, too. However, as the demon has gotten stronger, so have Cal, Fox, and Gage. This inverse relationship alludes to the idea that their powers feed on love.

Cal’s impromptu proposal on the way to the Pagan Stone illustrates the theme of the power of love in the face of evil. Throughout the novel, evil descends on Cal and Quinn right after moments of romance and tenderness. Quinn sees the demon boy and Cal sees the street on fire after their first date at the bowling alley. The balloons at the Valentine’s Day dance burst into blood and spiders after Cal and Quinn share a sweet dance. And after Cal proposes to Quinn, they have their most intense battle with the demon yet. While moments of human fallibility, like inebriation and sexual arousal, render people weak to the demon, it seems as though acts of love might make people more capable of fighting back.

Cal’s proposal also illustrates the theme of the importance of normalcy in the face of evil. In a parallel life in which Cal and Quinn are not facing a demon, a marriage proposal would be an expected step to take after they declare their love. Throughout the novel, Quinn is a proponent of normalcy, including demonstrations of love even though what they are facing is anything but normal. Cal’s proposal suggests that he has come around to Quinn’s way of thinking. He’s ready to commit to building a normal life, a life that’s not defined by the demon that’s haunted him since he was ten.

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