Lacey thought back to Brian in the hospital, feeble and exhausted, telling her about his uncle performing exorcisms in his youth as a priest. He had tried to tell her what the demon living in Julie had tried to make him do, but had tapped out before he could. She realized the demon must have been desperate to actually want to coax Brian into performing an exorcism. For a moment, she wished they could just kill Julie and be done and over with everything. But with Diddie’s earlier explanation about the demon needing a host, they had to resort to using the grimoire.
As Julie inched toward them, a smug grin on her face, Lacey knew what had to happen next. The demon wanted to be exorcised out of the body. That was fine and dandy, but it wouldn’t be done the way it expected. Not as long as they had the Haas book.
“Diddie, it’s your time to shine,” Lacey announced, casting the woman an urgent glance.
Diddie opened the Haas book, which she had gripped tightly behind her back. She flipped pages and rummaged through it. On her way here, she’d pored over the book, looking for a spell to counter what the demon had done.
“The only thing I’ve found is that expelling a demon on earth means finding it a new home,” Diddie explained, hands trembling.
Julie turned to Diddie, noticing the book with a wide eyed stare. “No…” she croaked, understanding crossing her features.
“That’s right. Diddie is a distant descendent of the Haas family. She can read from the grimoire,” Lacey told Julie.
Julie lunged forward at Diddie, but Lacey and William were quick to act.
“Quick, Diddie!” Lacey called out as she tackled Julie. William restrained the woman from the back, one arm draped tightly over her chest. Julie, possessed by the demon who had lost most of its strength once ingesting Allison’s sick energy, was still incredibly strong.
Julie whacked her head back, banging straight into William’s nose. A spray of blood filled the air as William groaned in pain.
Lacey sprang forward, whacking Julie’s face with a closed fist. The woman howled, cradling her face. Regaining her balance and her wits, she lunged at Lacey. Wrapping both hands around Lacey’s neck, Julie tightened her grip. William rushed over, trying to place Julie in a headlock. Unsuccessful in tearing her off Lacey, he continued to pull Julie backward.
Lacey choked, the breath leaving her lungs.
“Hurry, Diddie!” William screamed, his face reddened by blood and effort.
“I think I found something,” Diddie yelled back. “But it requires the demon to find a new host. We don’t want it to go into someone else and take on their life force!”
“Please Diddie, figure it out!” William countered, seeing Lacey’s face nearly turning blue. Frustrated, he rushed a punch in the back of Julie’s head. It wasn’t enough to knock out the demon woman, but it caused her to stumble and cry out in pain. With her grip around Lacey’s neck loosened, William slammed a knee into the demon’s ribcage.
Lacey choked for air, now falling to her knees. “Di-Diddie…hu-hurry…” she croaked, tears filling her eyes. Julie rose up from the ground, slowly and more intent than before.
Diddie swallowed a lump, then cleared her throat and began reading from the grimoire.
“Ich verbanne dich zu einem Anderen, dessen Körper deinen Ruf nicht mehr hört!”
The moment her words filled the air, Julie’s head snapped toward Diddie. Horror filled her face, mixed in with confusion.
Diddie looked at Julie, her face regaining a shade of courage. She repeated the German incantation again, this time louder and more defiant in tone.
“Ich verbanne dich zu einem Anderen, dessen Körper deinen Ruf nicht mehr hört!”
The entire forest grew still, a silence even more crushing than before. The wind ceased to blow, and for a brief moment even the little sunlight trickling in from the canopy of trees turned into blackness.
A shrieking howl pierced their eardrums. Diddie, Lacey, and William covered their ears, the scream so loud it turned them dizzy. Julie, the source of the wail, contorted and writhed. Her skin blanched, turning into a leathery, colorless husk. Then, as if straight from a horror movie, the skin began splitting open, starting at the top of Julie’s head and breaking through the middle of the abdomen straight down to her feet. Like a garment ripping at the seams, Julie’s entire being broke, releasing a dark, formless spirit.
The demon.
It shrieked once more, gnarling and writhing in agony. It rose up higher in the air, its blood red eyes peering down at the trio. Then something caught its attention.
Lacey followed its evil gaze, and was momentarily blinded by a burst of white light. She blinked fast, trying to hold her gaze steady. That’s when she saw her.
Ginny stood to the side, glowing in a bright ball of light. She and the demon stared at each other, a mutual understanding coming to the surface. Ginny stood face to face with the entity responsible for her restless agony. Her little hands balled into fists.
The demon squealed and dashed at Ginny, prompting a scream from Lacey. But the bright light around Ginny intensified, shooting out at the demon with incredible speed. Lacey watched the demon catapult back, the flash hitting it at full force. As if exploding into a cloud of smoke, the demon discharged into the air. Sucked into an invisible vortex, it moved over the swamp, then funnelled inside of it, at last disappearing into the thick slimy water.
Diddie gasped and cried, the weight of what she’d just witnessed crushing her. William rushed over to Lacey, helping her to her feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded, but still couldn’t speak. She looked at Ginny, her dark innocent eyes still looking at the swamp where the demon had disappeared. Finally finding her strength, Lacey addressed Diddie.
“What happened? What did the curse say?”
Diddie took a few long moments to cry and compose herself. Lacey and William joined her, both wrapping a comforting arm around her.
“It was a spell to bind a demon,” Diddie explained through sobs. “It said, I banish you to another whose body does not hear your call anymore.”
Lacey’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Another…?” Then she looked at the swamp, stunned.
“What?” William asked, noticing her bafflement.
Lacey swallowed a knot, then smiled. “Paul Martinez. Diddie drew the body out of its husk, and Ginny directed it into the swamp. The demon is now trapped in a dead body where it It can no longer regenerate or reincarnate.”
Chapter Forty-One
Lacey left her room at Saddle Inn, suitcase in one hand and her leather journal in the other. The next bus would arrive in thirty minutes, and she and Brian were eager to return home.
She entered the lobby, where Diddie and Brian waited.
“All set to go?” Diddie asked, her hands folded in front of her. She looked pale, the entire ordeal they’d just gone through taking a toll on the woman. Lacey hoped Diddie would recover quickly from the shock, but considering the sheer strength and will the people of this town possessed, she believed she would.
“All ready,” Lacey replied. “You’re feeling okay? Sure you don’t need another day of rest?” She looked at Brian who sat down in one of the lobby’s chairs.
“No, I want to get the hell out of here,” he countered. He shot Diddie a quick glance. “No offense, Diddie.”
The woman shrugged. “I understand.”
They walked outside the lobby, and Lacey was surprised to find nearly half the town waiting. William stood at the front of the group, a smile on his face. Lacey also recognized Mister Derby, David Halsey, and Lieutenant Bennett.
“Wanted to make sure I get out of your hair, huh?” Lacey joked to them.
Bennett gave her a fatherly smile. “Just wanted to say a proper goodbye.”
Diddie joined her fellow townspeople. She looked at both Brian and Lacey, then took a long breath in. “We also want to know what you’ll write about us.”
Lacey appraised the woman’s nervous e
xpression. “I will write about the truth.”
The people of Raven Hills looked at her in quiet concern. She understood why. The news of an exorcised town may not draw in developers, but more than likely a breed much worse than them: lurkers, thrill seekers, mockers, and scrutinizers.
Lacey continued, “I was sent here to cover the town, to let people know what goes on here.” Lacey paused, her eyes filling with tears. “What went on is a terrible secret you all hid for decades.”
“To protect our way of life,” Diddie defended once more. “We never wanted some bigwig coming here to demolish our lands and modernize everything.”
“But look at the price you paid for it,” Lacey argued. “You had innocent people die just so you could go on unbothered by the outside world. By doing that, you let an otherworldly entity ruin your lives.”
Diddie looked down at her feet, shame sitting on her features. “We were wrong,” she whispered. “We thought we’d preserve our history…instead we ruined our future.” The rest of the townspeople mimicked her same mournful expression.
Lacey sighed. “You still have a future, Diddie. You all do. You’re free now.”
Bennett cleared his throat. “Miss Shaw, I want to thank you for what you’ve done. You protected this town in ways I never could. I was too blind, too proud and stubborn…” A tear glimmered in Bennett’s eyes.
Lacey walked over to him, placing a hand over his. “We’ve all learned a lot.” She realized for the first time in her life, thanks to Raven Hills, that she had learned about herself and the direction for her future. Somehow, going back to Crestwater Press didn’t seem as exciting as two weeks ago.
“Just a little thank you,” Bennett said, and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. He handed it to Lacey, who tucked it in her leather journal.
She smiled at the group of people, knowing that though she was about to leave Raven Hills for good, it would forever stay in her heart.
She and Brian began turning away when Mister Derby walked forward. “Miss Shaw,” he said. A little brown box sat in his hand. “For you.”
Lacey took the offered box and opened it. The most wonderful scent of freshly popped popcorn wafted out. She smiled. Four rectangular soaps sat neatly in the box, yellow in color and delectably wrapped in the clear paper. The Derby logo sealed the top.
“If you don’t mind smelling like popcorn, that is…” Mister Derby added, a sheepish smile on his wrinkled face.
Unable to hold back her emotions, Lacey wrapped the old man in a hug. She could imagine the pain he and his wife Madeline were going through. They had only wanted a child to love—not a demon.
“I don’t mind at all,” she answered, thinking back to the day she had first met him. He had been so adamant about finding out Lacey’s favorite smell, and she was humbled by this parting gift.
She walked over to William. “Thank you for everything.” She hugged him.
“Thank you,” William countered. “You saved us. I hope to see you again, Lacey. Just promise me we can just hang out somewhere that’s not a library.”
Lacey laughed, tears still filling her eyes.
William and Brian shook hands, then Lacey turned to Diddie one last time. They smiled at each other.
The town saw Lacey and Brian off as they took their seats on the bus. Falling into her chair by the window, Lacey released a long held breath. The two-week-long tension left her body, sleepiness rooting inside her.
The bus started up, leaving behind a large cloud of dust. Lacey opened her leather journal where she had tucked the envelope from Bennett. She opened it slowly.
“Think Pert will be happy to see us?” Brian asked, shifting in his seat to make his bruised and aching limbs more comfortable.
“Don’t know,” Lacey replied.
“Are you still hoping for a promotion?” he continued.
Lacey looked at the contents of the envelope, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Uhm…actually…I may not…”
Brian looked at her confused. “You okay?”
She nodded, her eyes still wide with surprise. “Yes, more than okay.” She placed the contents of the envelope back, tears returning to her eyes. She couldn’t believe what Bennett had given her, but it had single handedly changed the course of her future.
Brian began talking again, rambling on about their experience and what he planned to do once back home. She half listened, sinking deeper into the seat, and looked out the window.
The bus carved around the Davidsons’ property, the forest lurking in the distance. A glimmer of light caught Lacey’s eye. The light wrapped around a little body. She wore the same black dress, tattered and ruffled, but her face no longer showed a gaunt pallor.
For the first time, Ginny smiled, the innocence of a happy child showing on her features. Her dark eyes shone with gratitude, and as Lacey understood that by banishing the demon Ginny was now at rest, all seemed right with the world again. The girl waved goodbye, then disappeared, leaving only a thick wall of trees where she had stood a second earlier.
Lacey smiled and closed her eyes. She was exhausted, happy, and thankful to go home. She’d pack her stuff from her cubicle at Crestwater Press and would put into action the next phase of her life.
She just had one pressing matter to accomplish, though. She had one more article to write.
Chapter Forty-Two
Raven Hills: Small Town Americana
Written by Lacey Shaw
I didn’t know what to expect from Raven Hills. A small town in rural Connecticut that I didn’t know, and probably most of you have never heard of either. The citizens were resisting the urbanization of their town and I was asked to write about it. It seemed cut and dry, and if I’m honest, a bit boring. Another small town giving way to the future.
I might have imagined a place quiet and picturesque, but filled with small, uneducated minds. A place you would see in a movie, where the children become adults and leave for other cities with more excitement and opportunity. There was some of that, and more.
I found a small town filled with secrets. Families with dark pasts that would rather be forgotten. I glimpsed demons lurking behind the trees in the old forest. I found terrible acts of violence. And I found mysteries that the town was scared to solve.
Raven Hills was established not long after the colony of Connecticut itself, and that history is very much alive in this town. The people who live here carry it with them. Many are the descendants of those first settlers, and they have the same hope and optimism as those brave souls who first journeyed there. You can see it everywhere you look. For a small town, Raven Hills has a lot to offer.
The Saddle Inn is run by Lydia Saddle, better known as Diddie. The inn was established by her grandfather and she now runs it on her own. Business is not booming but she shows up every day to make it clean and ready. Other than the cozy rooms she also provides a hot home-cooked breakfast. If you’re passing by while looking hungry, she’ll pull you in and feed you whether you’re her guest or not. The environment at the inn is so inviting that citizens tend to gather and just hang out in the lobby passing the time.
The library is one of the largest buildings in town, and has a large historical section, much of which is dedicated to the town’s history. I myself spent many hours exploring and discovering what Raven Hills was about, and what I learned there surprised me. It is a lovely hidden gem nestled in the middle of the little town.
I learned that on Halloween night 1953 a little girl, Virginia Kyle (called Ginny by those who loved her), was murdered, the perpetrator never found. The town was devastated. The people who were around at this time never recovered. In fact the last person to see her alive, Nelly Smythe, never forgot what she looked like in her witch costume.
I learned that in 1974 a group of troublemakers, calling themselves the Hooligans, burned down what they thought was an empty church. They didn’t know the pastor and secretary were inside. She got out, but the pastor lost his life. The Hooligans want
ed to devastate the people of Raven Hills. Instead the people mourned their pastor, then got to work rebuilding New Hope Church in his honor.
I learned that in 1988 a woman struggled with mental illness, and is still fighting it to this day. Before she was institutionalized, fellow citizens and neighbors had rallied around both her and her husband. They stayed with her in shifts, mowed grass, brought food. I believe if love had the power to heal, Libby Kline would be the picture of absolute health, even in her old age.
I learned the people there have no want or need for a mall. They’d rather go to the town center. They prefer to purchase their soap from Derby’s Soap Shop and support their neighbor instead of a mass franchise store. They’d like to have their car fixed by their trusted friends at Kline Autobody, too.
Overwhelmingly, I learned that in Raven Hills, the people living there aren’t perfect, but they care about one another. They cherish their little community and their small town life. It means a great deal to the people there that they know all their neighbors, and can rely on them.
I learned some secrets may be justified when it comes to fear of losing a way of life, so perhaps that’s the biggest charming aspect of Raven Hills: it has secrets, but don’t we all? The people of Raven Hills would love to show their hospitality to the rest of the world. They welcome anyone to come to their little slice of American heaven.
They just ask that you don’t pave it over.
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Lacey’s adventures continues in the following:
Anchor Isle: Song of Death (Book 2)
Raven Hills- Unraveling Evil Page 18
