The First Culling

by Michael Eicherly

  Father McCourt interrupts, “I understand. What you don’t understand is there is only one personality. One demon. A demon that ruled with God from the beginning of time. There is only one. One demon trying to confuse you, lie to you. Seduce you in feeling sorry for damnation,” says Father McCourt. The priest and doctor stop walking and look at each other.

  “We have Kelly in Room 440. It’s an isolated room,” says Doctor Chu.

  “Anything else I should know?” asks Father McCourt.

  “Come to my office, Father. I think you should hear this, The Father and Doctor walk into the office.”Please have a seat," requests Doctor Chu. We recorded it around 3:00 am this morning.

  Doctor Chu turn on the tape of Kelly speaking and cursing while sleeping. “I think it sounds like some sort of ancient dialogue. I can’t get a finger on it. I listened to it for hours. It’s frightening.”

  “It’s Samarian,” says Doctor McCourt. Doctor Chu clears his voice and regains composure.

  “What is she saying.”

  “That, I cannot tell you.”

  “Well, the staff psychiatrist and a few others have not been able to communicate with her. Hope you have better luck,” says Doctor Chu.

  “I’ll do my best,” says Doctor McCourt.

  “There is a red panic button on the wall in case—”

  Father McCourt interrupts Dr. Chu, “I’ll be fine. That is all for now.”

  The Doctor turns and walks away. The Priest takes a look at the numbers on the door, takes a deep breath, and opens the door.

  Kelly is lying on the bed wide awake. Her heavy breathing is heard from across the room. The breathing is buffered by sounds of Kelly’s soul begging for help and forgiveness. She is eternal pain. The anguish and torture can be seen through her dead pale face. Kelly spits mucus towards the priest, then laughs.

  “Father, we have been expecting you,” says Kelly.

  An evil laugh shrieks out of Kelly. She looks over the Father like a tiger seeking its prey. Kelly lashes her tongue at the Father. Her arms and legs are restrained, however, and is able to move. Kelly flashes the Priest her vagina, as demonic sounds hail from her mouth.

  Father McCourt pulls up a chair next to Kelly and opens his black briefcase. He takes out his traditional black and purple Stole, oils, and Holy Water. He takes of his crucifix kisses it, then places it down on the side dresser by Kelly. Kelly sounds like a dragon, with undertones of a voice crying for help.

  He takes out a black book and opens it. It reads: ‘Rite of the Exorcism.’

  “So, you’re here to fuck me now, Father!” Kelly exclaims.

  “Be silent,” says the Father and he sprinkles Holy Water on Kelly. The Father notices the Holy Water penetrates through her nightgown and burns her skin like sulfuric acid. The sounds of many demons hail from her mouth. The sounds are deafening. One of the desk nurses outside the room looks in horror and gives holy sacrament. Kelly starts to calm down a bit. The Father slowly recites the Lord’s Prayer, then finishes.

  “Hello, Kelly. I’m Father McCourt. Good to see you’re awake. Your parents asked me to speak with you.”

  “Who, that motherfucker drunk fag Frank? You know he’s a pervert, Father. He made me suck his cock when I was eight,” says Kelly. The demon cackles a horrible sound then speaks to the priest in Hebrew.

  “Prince of lies, be silent!” yells Father McCourt. He gives holy sacrament, then sprinkles salt on Kelly’s forehead, then oil and Holy Water over her body. Kelly goes in convulsions. She howls out in unbearable pain and curses, saying her body burns. She curses horrible profanities. Kelly calms down then spits at the priest again.

  “I’m not Kelly, I’m Lucifer, motherfucker, faggot priest. We will take Kelly, just like the boy in Peru. You dick-less faggot. She’s ours. She will rot with us forever.” Steam slowly arises from Kelly’s skin. The veins on her legs pulse radically and blood begins to seep from her toenails

  “Oh, is that right? Then where is Kelly?” asks the Father.

  “She’s in Hell with the rest of us. Shove it up your ass, McCort!” Kelly chuckles and hails slews of profanities about his dead wife being butt fucked in hell. She tells him of his mother, and his father. She tells him about his Father being killed in North Korea. She laughs and taunts him, trying to strike violence from the priest.

  Father McCourt brings a chair next to Kelly’s bed. He rolls the water tray, takes a cloth, and wipes the sweat from Kelly’s forehead. Kelly looks at the Father with now black dilated eyes. The eyes of a serpent.

  “Father, help me, I’m burning inside.” It’s Kelly’s normal voice now.

  “I know you are, child,” solemnly says the Priest.

  “Have you spoken to your parents, Kelly?” As the Priest moves the cloth to the left side of Kelly’s face, she bites on his wrist. The Priest pulls back and looks over Kelly as she laughs wickedly.

  “Let my legs, free, and I’ll give you a real thrill, Father.”

  “Who are your parents?” asks the Father as he sprinkles Holy Water over her. Kelly reacts violently again and slurs profanities.

  “Fuck you. You mean the faggot pervert and his beaten-up bitch. Soon in hell with us.”

  Kelly lets out an evil laugh. The Priest stands up and readjusts his stole. He turns on a tape recorder and stands at the foot of Kelly’s bed. He pushes the record button. Father McCourt splashes Holy Water on Kelly. Then sprinkles oil and large amounts of salt across her body.

  “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I demand you out. By the blood of Christ, I demand you out. It’s his love that saves this child. It’s the blood of Christ that conquers all darkness. It’s the blood of Christ that makes you whole again. Out, unclean spirit! In the name of Christ, I cast you out!!” Father screams at the top of his lungs. As the Father prays, the lights flicker throughout the hospital room. The cupboard in the room and drawers begin to open and close by themselves. The bed begins to shake violently, and the IV bottle falls to the ground. Kelly continues her slew of profanities.

  “Fuck off, you cock sucker. She’s ours. Go suck a dick, you faggot Priest. Child molesting, butt-fucking faggot!” Kelly is breathing very heavy now. She lashes her tongue, then giggles at the Father. She begs him to shove his cock in her and burn in hell with her forever.

  "Don’t you want me, honey? I know the way you look at me. Unleash me, and I’ll do things you wanted your wife to do. But you were to much of a pussy to ask. Kelly talks in a sexy low tone voice.

  Father McCourt recites the Lord’s Prayer again, then reads deeper into the Rite of Exorcism. As Father McCourt reads on, he sprinkles more Holy Water over Kelly. Kelly screams bloody murder so loud, the room shakes. Kelly’s tongue lashes at the Priest and she now spits up blood as he reads further into the rite. Kelly now shakes her head as blood sprinkles all over the walls and bed sheets.

  “Come on, fuck me, and get it over with.” Kelly moves violently on the bed. The straps on her arms begins to crack. “Come on, fuck me, Priest. I know you want it!!!” screams Kelly.

  “Who are you?!” asks Father McCourt. Kelly’s back begins to arch, as she screams in horrible pain.

  “Who are you?!” the Father splashes more Holy Water over Kelly. Kelly’s voice can barely be heard now under the growls of the demon.

  “Who are you?!” asks the Father again.

  “Legion!! we are the ones that dwell between this world,” a cackling voice speaks from Kelly. The Father looks at Kelly. He notices the face of the demon shoes on her face. The priest knows the demon will do anything to stay in her body, kill her then be rewarded by finding another victim in our world. Father McCourt holds up the Holy Water towards Kelly. Kelly’s voice is coming in clearer now beneath the demon’s growls. The face and eyes of the demon are now seen through Kelly. As the Priest shows the Holy Water, the demon cries “no more. Please no more.”

  “So, tell me, who are you?” asks Father McCourt.

  “I tell you, who you a
re. A faithless priest McCort. Born of shackles and chimes.” As a little bow rapped and beaten to nursery rhyme. Kelly begins cackling again. “You are a pathetic one. You can’t get over your life’s failures. So, you torture this little girl. And she’s not even possessed. Shame on you, Priest.” Kelly laughs sound of many demons celebrating in hell.

  Father McCourt is not fooled by the trickery. He answers back with a clever question. “So, what is possession?” asks Father McCourt.

  The demon now glares at the priest, growling with anger and hatred. The cracks on the arm restraints have gotten bigger now. The Priest does not notice.

  “She’s psychosomatic. Even Doctor Chu says so,” the voice gnarls from Kelly.

  “What does psychosomatic mean?” asks the Father. Kelly looks him over him with no expression. Heavy breathing has stopped.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? What does psychosomatic mean?” Kelly spits blood at Father McCourt, barely missing.

  “We want Kelly!” a demonic voice slurs from Kelly.

  Father McCourt calmly walks to the left side of Kelly’s bed. He holds up the Holy Water again over Kelly’s face. The black dilated eyes go even more black now.

  “Why Kelly?” calmly asks Father McCourt. Kelly continues to calm. She eyes the Holy Water and looks at the straps holding her wrist. The Holy water is now slashing its way to the first muscle layer.

  “Answer the question. Why do you want Kelly?” the Father asks again.

  “We want to know what it’s like to be human.”

  A cackling laugh comes from Kelly again. Then she curses fluently in Spanish, German, French, and Arabic. All curse words. Kelly laughs wickedly again after the slurs are finished.

  “You can’t win, Priest. You, nor your God. It’s finished, she’s ours. You are the weak one.”

  Blood drools from the sides of Kelly’s mouth. The Priest is now fixated on Kelly’s face. He now knows what he’s dealing with. The demon is right. It’s just like Peru. He Priest’s hands start to tremble. His heart-rate accelerates. Kelly begins to laugh hysterically.

  “Tell me who you are?” Kelly looks at Father McCourt stern-faced.

  “Go fuck your mother in hell.” The voice is of another demon, hails from Kelly.

  “Oh, silly Priest, haven’t you figured out who am? I am the god of destruction, the great debaser, I am despair. I am the one chosen to inherit the earth.” The Holy Water causes a blue flame to flare from her nightgown. Smoke rises from Kelly’s legs. Father McCort sprinkles holy water on Kelly again.

  “Who are you!!!” Father McCourt screams as he pounds Kelly once on the chest.

  "I’m beginning to weaken, your killing me father. She chuckles wickedly again. Kelly lays back on the bed and begins to laugh.

  “Priest, you can’t win!” exclaims Kelly in a dark, sadistic tone.

  Three hours have past, and Kelly is now asleep. He read through the Rite and was able to subdue the demon for now.

  Father McCourt now sits on the ground in the corner of the hospital room with his head down.

  He looks at Kelly and sees her sleeping. Kelly and Father McCourt are exhausted. He slowly stands up and walks over to Kelly. He sprinkles Holy Water on her again. He fears she may have a heart attack or coma at this stage of the ritual. He reads the Lord’s Prayer, and Kelly’s body twitches. He hears her voice from under the demon asking the priest to let her die. He hears her say she’s sorry for not being a better person and deserves this.

  Father McCort walks to Kelly, and gently places her hand on her forehand.

  “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. By the blood and our Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you out, unclean spirit!” yells Father McCourt.

  The hospital bed now begins shaking. Kelly’s straps on her legs now begin to weaken. Kelly’s eyes now turn over white. Her back arches again as the bed jumps up and down by itself. She screams bloody murder, begging the Father McCourt to kill her, and she cannot take the pain no more. It’s Kelly’s voice the Priest hears. However, he knows it is the prince of lies and deceit. Father McCourt sprinkles Holy Water on her body again. He knows now her time is short. He can see by her rotting teeth that her body has lost most of its calcium. He tries to feed it water. She will not drink. Her hair is falling out, her skin that of a serpent. Every breath now is labored. Kelly looks at Father McCourt. She asks him to kill her again. Then she lays down silent for a moment. Then the demon within speaks to Father McCourt.

  “Priest, why don’t you let us take Kelly? In return, you shall have redemption in the form of the Peruvian boy.”

  The Father looks over the demon and laughs. “Oh, you’re a silly little demon. The only redemption is that Lucifer and all his followers will fail. It was written by Isaiah, John, Paul, and Christ himself. You lose in the end, evil one. That is my redemption. That is the world’s redemption. I am sure you’ve read Revelations, haven’t you? Oh, that’s right. You don’t have Bible’s in hell.” The demon snarls at Father McCourt and curses him again.

  “The bitch is ours. She will rot with us. Your Salvation will be with the father of darkness.”

  From the cursing, Kelly’s voice now is heard below the demon. She begins to speak in Sumerian, Latin, and French and Aramaic. Father McCourt places a cross on her head and begins the Lord’s Prayer again. Steam begin to arise from her head. The drawers and cabinets in the room begin to open and close by themselves. The table holding the water jug flies across the room, violently crashing against the wall. Kelly continues screaming while the evil slurs continue.

  “Fuck you, motherfucker. Your father’s in hell. Go to hell with us, McCourt. Go to hell!!!”

  Father McCourt continues to read from the Rite. Kelly’s head is now moving back and forth violently. Her body shakes with convulsions as Father McCourt keeps the cross on her forehead. Father McCourt finishes the prayer, then sprinkles Holy Water over her torso area. He now hears the slashing of skin with each spray. Kelly is subdued for a moment and her eyes shut. The bed jumps a few times and stops. Father McCourt thinks this is it. This is finally it. He places his head down on the side of her bed and gives thanks to God.

  Kelly wakes up again. And starts cackling. The sight of her blackened eyes now angers the Father.

  “Is that the best you can do, fucker?” Father McCourt hears the demon laced between Kelly’s voice. “We know you tried fuckin’ your sister,” says the demon from Kelly’s mouth.

  Father McCourt is now angry. He stands at the foot of the bed and splashes Holy Water all over her body. He does not stop until the container is almost empty. He begins to pray.

  “By the blood of Christ, I demand you leave this soul. It is God that commands you. The power of God is now at hand. It’s his blood that cleans your soul. He makes you whole. It is his love that destroys thy enemies. I demand you in the name of Jesus Christ, send the evil one back to hell.”

  The bed violent shakes. Kelly is throwing up blood all over her face. The demon cries for the priest to stop.

  “It’s the power of Christ. His blood baptizing you now. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It’s Christ’s blood that saves you. It’s Christ’s blood that saves this young woman’s soul. Unclean spirit, prince of lies, the great deceiver, I demand you back into hell.” Kelly now screams. This time it’s her voice for real. The Father knows it may be the deceiver. He keeps praying.

  “It’s God almighty that promises this child everlasting life. It’s his power, his might that saves you. It’s his power, his might that saves you. The blood of Christ saves you. The blood of Christ saves you. In the name of Christ, I cast you out!!!” Father McCourt screams at the top of his lungs. The echo in his voice is heard down the hospital hallways. Kelly looks at the Father and smiles.

  “Shove his son up your ass, fucker!” yells the demon within Kelly.

  Father McCourt is now exhausted. He places his hand over his heart. He feels dizzy, faint. He feels in his heart; no
, his heart won’t fail. He must save Kelly. Father McCourt now had his hands over her forehead.

  He shouts, “Unclean spirit, prince of lies, the great, deceiver; by the blood of Christ, I command you out. Your time is short. You have no business here. This child does not want you. There is no rest here. Leave this woman. By the blood of Christ, leave this woman now!!!” screams Father McCourt.

  After the prayer, the windows break in the room, the IV bottle on the floor explodes, all the cabinets in the room shatter, the plaster on the walls begin cracking. A powerful energy shoves Father McCourt across the hospital bedroom. The lights go out for a moment as he hears the sounds of many demons screaming in the room. As he hears the screams, he sees a white angel looking over the bed at Kelly. The high-pitched screeching screams end, and the lights turn back on.

  Kelly now begins crying. Father McCourt finds his way up and walks aside the hospital bed. His heart is pounding, it burns. He feels like his lungs are punctured. He can barely breathe. Father McCort looks around the room and assesses the damage. He shakes his head and thinks to himself. He hopes it’s now over. Father McCourt finds another white towel and wets it in the sink. He walks to Kelly. First, he washes her face, then neck, then legs. There is no more cursing, no more profanities, no more violence, no more blasphemy. It appears the exorcism is over. Apart from a few bruises and scratches, Kelly looks reborn. Her eyes are gleaming, hair and skin beautiful.

  "Father, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. Please don’t let them take me again. Kelly’s voice is weak and can barely speak.

  “It’s ok, Kelly. Nobody will take you.” For some reason, the Father is a bit suspicious. The word ‘them’ stands out in his mind. Father McCourt looks into Kelly’s eyes.

  “I am Kelly. Kelly Walbreck. I’m a student at UC San Diego. I have a mother, father, brother, and sister.”

  Father McCourt appears pleased with Kelly’s response. He finds a bottle of water and pours in a cup. He raises the cup towards her mouth, and she drinks. She takes a long drink, water dribbles over her chin and breast area. The Father wipes away the excess with the towel.