The Deliverance of Desiree Tanner

by Kindra Sowder

  I woke up with a start, screaming into the empty air around me and was greeted by no one. From the silence surrounding me, I could tell that Luke had gone out, but there was a lingering presence that I couldn’t shake as my heart hammered away inside of my chest. I could feel it all around me like Alex was persisting even though he was long dead and I was so close to moving on. I was almost recovered. Nearly recovered. Never completely according to Doctor Elliot, but as close as I could get and here I was. Going insane all over again. Or was I?

  “Desiree,” a soft whisper beckoned to be from just behind, directly in my ear like a lover whispering sweet nothings. Except I knew this wouldn’t be anywhere close. “Desiree.”

  I turned as slowly as I dared, my breath coming in ragged pulls and my anxiety peaking as I remembered my last auditory hallucination. It was just a voice, saying only my name in the same tone of voice. That’s what it was, right? A hallucination. That had to be all because Alex was dead and ghosts did not exist. When I turned around, all I could do was shriek in absolute horror.

  Alex was there, black veins spider webbing underneath gray and pallid skin, anger in his eyes and his expression. He was practically vibrating with it. He screamed directly into my face as I sat there frozen in place on the couch, trying to hold onto what little sanity I had left even though it was very quickly disappearing. Then something happened that defied all explanation. He began to turn into a black, semi-liquid fog that started to roll towards me, ebbing and flowing like a living thing.

  I stood abruptly, backing away from it as quickly as I could. It followed with the same swiftness, my screams echoing through the still air of the house and greeting no ears but my own. My foot caught on the rug, and I fell, landing on the wood hard, pain ricocheting up my spine. I was now backed up against the far wall with nowhere to go but towards the mass as it slithered across the floor and into my direction, my name being whispered from its invisible mouth.

  “Go away!” I cried as I watched on in horror, my heart hammering against my ribs with a terrifying speed. Black spots were forming on the edges of my vision and the mass shot towards me, stopping directly in front of my face and forming Alex’s within its inky depths.

  “You are mine,” he screeched, turning back into his slithering form.

  I shrieked as it rammed itself past my lips and down my throat, pushing past all of my resistance and filling me to the brim. I gagged past the choking sensation, pushing against the mass that was the man who had tried to kill me as best as I could, but failing. He was stronger. Much stronger. I could feel the struggle within myself as I fought the invasion of something sinister taking over each part of me, but once he was completely contained within my body I could no longer fight him off. Then I felt a jarring snap from within me as a door was swung wide open inside and it was like I was an alien within my own body. I couldn’t control it. I could only see.

  I stood and felt my head turn slightly, the vertebrae in my neck popping sickeningly and then I heard a voice pass from between my lips that shook me to my very core, multiple tones voices echoing through the words.

  “That’s much better.”

  Chapter 11

  I heard the front door open and close, but it wasn’t with my ears. Not in the conventional sense of the word. I had no control of my body like I was a ghost inside of a shell that was already occupied and I couldn’t gain control of the strings. I could see but everything was blurry and faded, like looking through a dirty window. The disconnect was unnerving because I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it. That I would remain this way until Alex decided it was time to leave, and I was afraid.

  Luke rounded the corner, taking in my appearance with wide eyes.

  “Desiree, what happened?” he asked as he walked towards me, hand outstretched to touch me. My heart leaped into my throat of its own accord at the thought of a touch. Just one. My body itched for it. This wasn’t me. Wasn’t me.

  I tried to call out to him, but the words that passed from between my lips weren’t mine. “I’m fine. Why?” It was my voice, but not my will to speak them. I was beating against my skull, screaming at the top of my lungs trying to fight the evil that was inside me, slithering around inside like an unwelcome intruder. I could feel him moving like snakes underneath my flesh. I rubbed my arms trying to rid myself of the sensation, but my own corporeal arms didn’t move an inch.

  “You look” he paused,” off.”

  “Hmmmm.” I felt my vocal chords vibrate with the sound as my legs carried me towards him. “I feel great.” The trace of a finger on his muscled arm sent a shiver up his spine. Even I could sense the cold in my touch, and I trembled in response to it. I looked at him, the smile creeping onto my face. I felt the muscles move with the effort, and I tried to force it away, but to no avail.

  “Your eyes. They’re different.” His voice shook. Either he was afraid or nervous. I couldn’t tell which.

  “Different how?” my voice asked. My hand reached up to caress his cheek, feeling the scratchy stubble on his jaw. A low rumble built in my throat almost like a cat purring, like the spirit inside of me was enjoying it a little too much. Alex loved toying with Luke. He had met him while we were dating and showed a slight ping of jealousy then. I should’ve known something was wrong inside of him.

  “They’re blue.” His breathing came in ragged pulls, his chest moving against mine once Alex had pressed against him. I wanted to take back control. Needed to take back control. My heart sped up as the anxiety hit me like a tidal wave, but the overpowering presence inside of me didn’t seem to notice. Either that or he chose to ignore it. I was beginning to think I hadn’t known the man at all. This was a whole different side that I was seeing now. An angry, sadistic side that I had only seen once before now and I ended up killing him.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that.” The words came as my lips grazed his law, positioning him to stand directly in front of the couch. He went willingly, unsure of what to do. “I want you, Luke.” I pushed him down onto the sofa, and he landed with a grunt, eyes wide and breathing coming quick with anticipation as I straddled him.

  “What are you doing?” He placed his hands on my wrists as I reached for him. I tried to pull my hands back, to get up and to walk away. I imagined it with perfect clarity, but nothing happened except for the actions that Alex wanted me to do.

  “You know exactly what I’m doing,” I breathed, nuzzling into his neck. My teeth bit into his skin slightly, nibbling just a little bit and let go when he gasped. My hands moved underneath his shirt, the hard muscle underneath a welcome feeling despite what was happening. I leaned back, and his eyes were hooded.

  His hands reached up towards my button up shirt, unbuttoning each one slowly. One at a time. His eyes went wide once he saw something I couldn’t, but something in the center of my chest didn’t feel right. It felt cold and dead.

  “Oh my god, Desiree? What is that?” Alex pursed my lips and tried to kiss Luke again, but he pushed me away, gripping my arms tight and looking me in the eyes. “I’m serious. Something isn’t right.”

  “It’s fine,” I said.

  “But…”

  “It’s fine,” I screamed, my voice no longer sounding like my voice. It sounded animalistic, deep, and garbled. Like I had swallowed gravel.

  He cried out, and my hand closed around his throat, cutting off his air supply because of his rejection. Alex didn’t take rejection well while he was alive. Why would that change once he was dead? He had flirted with me and badgered me until I thought he was too cute not to give in after all of that.

  Luke gripped my arm, trying as hard as he could to get free but Alex was too strong. That was when I felt it. The cold in the center of my chest began to spread, taking over until my entire body was chilled. I watched in horror as the black veins that had crept underneath Alex’s pale skin spread underneath mine and as Luke’s eyes bulged in fear.

  “Desiree,” he choked out past my tightening fingers. “Ple
ase. Fight this.”

  He was struggling to breathe and all my hand did was close even tighter around his throat as he begged me to let go. I wanted to. I pushed against Alex with all the will I had, but nothing seemed to work. I screamed from the inside and appeared to break some of Alex’s resolve. I pushed even harder and screamed even louder as I tried to regain control, to expel him from within me. I felt Luke gasp within the palm of my hand, trying to pull the air into his lung without success. I fought harder and then Alex was there, and it was like we were standing in a dark room with barely enough light to see one another.

  “You just couldn’t stay in here all quiet in your lovely little cocoon, could you?” Alex said as he stalked towards me.

  He reached out to me as I tried to back up, my feet betraying me and I fell to the ground. He was on top of me within seconds, his hand wrapped around my throat. The outline of his body began to shimmer as he started to turn into the inky, black mass once again. He was trying to take over directly from the inside to gain full control, but I wasn’t about to let him have it. What he had done to me had ruined my life already, and I wasn’t going to let him become everything there was.

  “No,” I said through gritted teeth, letting my inner strength fill me enough to show him that he was about to be beaten. A bright light began to blink in the center of my chest, growing brighter and brighter as my resolve grew stronger.

  I cried out and pried his fingers away from my throat, standing slowly as I bent his arm backward. He screamed and as the light inside of me brightened the darkness began to fall away, exposing a clean white interior as the black slunk away. His body began to turn into a shimmering, crimson liquid that I knew could only be blood. The bloody structure collapsed to the floor with one final demonic shriek and absorbed into the ground just like it had never been there, leaving a sparkling clean surface behind.

  I sat up with a gasp and found myself on the couch; Luke huddled over me with his hands over his face. Alex was gone, and I no longer felt cold. I smiled to myself and touched Luke’s arm, and when his eyes met mine, a tear escaped. I wiped it away, and he grinned at me, the relief in the air palpable as he took in my appearance. The black veins were fading, and my skin was returning to its usual hue, and I sighed with relief, a laugh of pure joy creeping up my throat.

  “Thank God,” he exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me, sheltering me in his warmth.

  Alex was gone, and I was sure he wouldn’t be coming back. For good this time. I just knew it. I could deal with the PTSD and the ever present anxiety as long as Luke was here to save me from myself and as long as I could protect myself from the evil that was hiding in the shadows. Evil like Alex. Now, instead of fear, there was hope, and that was what I would hold onto.