Fear.
Then it vanished.
Danielle was sitting upright in bed, searching the room. I appeared not too far from her. Probably not the smartest thing. She started screaming. I almost had to shout over her.
“Danielle! It's me, Alex!”
She slowly quieted down while rubbing her throat. “Something just tried to-” She didn't finish her sentence. She broke down crying.
I quickly crossed the room and wrapped her blanket around her. I felt terrible for her, but knew I didn't have time to comfort her.
“Listen. Do not move from this bed. Okay? No matter what you hear.”
She nodded. I ran into the hallway. At the end of the hall I could see Doug and Nancy at the door to their bedroom. Rachel was right behind them. Danielle's shouts woke them up.
“What's going on?” Doug asked.
I didn't get a chance to answer. Suddenly Doug bent over, like he'd been punched in the stomach. Then he flew backwards near their bed.
“Doug!” Nancy shouted.
She and Rachel retreated into their room to check on Doug. The bedroom door was slammed shut by an unseen hand, and all I heard were screams.
I ran down the hall. A voice at the bottom of the steps made me pause for a moment.
“Alex!”
It was Cindy. I pointed behind me. I was strangely calm. “Go stay with Danielle.”
I heard the front door downstairs open, followed by some familiar voices.
“Nancy! Doug! Are you alright?”
Judy and her crew.
I didn't waste time saying hello. I vanished as I went down the hall and went through their bedroom door.
The entire room was shaking. The bed, dresser, everything, was bouncing up and down. The window opened and closed, finally causing a pane of glass to break. Doug, Nancy, and Rachel were huddled in the corner. The demon stood over them. It leaned inches away from Rachel, who had her eyes closed and ears covered. I didn't know if she could see it, but she could obviously hear it. Nancy cried while Doug held his family.
“Kill them, you bitch!” it shouted at Rachel. “If you don't kill them, I'll kill you! I'll make you kill them!”
It grabbed her. Rachel let out a deep breath, but didn't draw another.
It was trying to possess her.
I wasn't afraid anymore. I was just angry.
I walked up behind it and wrapped my arms around its waist. It screamed in pain. I lifted it up and backed away a few steps. The activity in the room, beds bouncing and windows slamming, slowed down a bit. My arms felt like there was a small current flowing through them.
The demon twisted around and grabbed me by the throat. However, as hard as it tried to squeeze, it couldn't. I saw the frustration on its face. For whatever reason, I was immune to whatever it could do.
I punched it hard in the face and grabbed it by the throat. I didn't even squeeze very hard when it fell to its knees. That's when the room grew quiet except for the Bakers crying.
“Please!” The demon started begging. “Please don't send me back!”
I had no clue what it was talking about. But I didn't loosen my grip. It started to fade away until it was finally gone.
Right before it vanished, it changed, just for a second. The skin melted away into red flesh. Its eyes turned bright red.
It looked like a monster, a red demon.
So that's what they really look like.
I fell to one knee, mentally tired more than anything else. The bedroom door burst open behind me.
“Alex! Are you in here?” That was Cindy.
“Nancy? Is everyone alright?” That was Judy.
The Bakers all stood up and ran out, going through me in the process. I was still vanished to the real world. It was only after I heard the Bakers hugging each other in the hallway did I reappear. Cindy was waiting the whole time in the doorway. She ran up and gave me a quick hug, then held me at arm's length to inspect me.
I felt terrible, but that was more emotions than anything else. I just witnessed a demon try to destroy a family. And somehow, once again, I made it go away.
We walked into the hallway. I didn't realize it, but Cindy was actually supporting me. My arm was over her shoulders while I half leaned against the wall. Everyone looked at me. In the living room beneath us I could hear people filing into the house. They were excited. Good for them.
“How the hell did you get in there?” Doug asked.
Rachel ran forward and hugged me. I had a feeling I'd be throwing up before too long. But Rachel's hug told me it was all worth it.
Danielle was behind her parents. Her eyes never left me. I could see a mixture of fear and curiosity. She was the only one who saw me vanish and reappear.
She smiled at me. I knew my secret was safe with her.
*****
The early morning hours were hectic. I mostly sat on the couch with Cindy. But Judy and her crew combed the house. They waved their little microphones and cameras around. After a few hours, Judy came to the same conclusion that I already knew. The house was safe.
They tried to ask me a few questions, but I managed to duck them for the most part. Doug shook my hand. Nancy cried and gave me a hug. I have to admit, it made me feel great. I did something good for someone, and this time they were alive.
If it weren't for Judy and her crew, I might have stayed around longer. But at nine o'clock when I saw Beth pull up outside, I almost leaped from the couch.
“I have to run, everybody.”
Doug wanted me to stay longer. Rachel even offered me a plate of her imaginary food. But I politely shook my head. It was time to get moving.
Beth met us on the sidewalk outside. She gave me a nod.
“A demon?” she asked.
My eyes grew wide. If she had said that one simple word yesterday, I might have been better prepared. I guess it was my fault for not asking.
“Yeah. It's gone now.”
“Incredible.”
We were almost to her car when I heard Judy's voice. She was coming out of one of their vans.
“Alex! Can I talk to you a sec?”
I took a deep breath and looked at Cindy and Beth. “I'll be right back, guys.”
Beth nodded. “Okay. I'll see how Nancy's doing.”
I walked over to Judy. She waved for me from inside the van. I joined her, and they closed the door behind me. Their van was crowded full of monitors and equipment I couldn't begin to understand.
It was just Judy and Dan, the EM guy I met yesterday.
They both stared at me for about ten seconds. Neither one of them spoke.
“Uh, guys?” I said. “What's up?”
They looked at each other. Dan pulled out what almost looked like an MP3 player. “We had this recording inside last night. It's made to record EVP phenomena. The way it works-”
Judy cut him off. “Let's spare him the lesson. Alex, you saw we had camera and recorders all over the house. We do that so we can hear what people can't. Maybe get a glimpse into the world that spirits come from.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Judy nodded to Dan. He pushed something on the player.
Sounds of my little adventure last night started playing. That voice still made my skin crawl. It was full of static, but still audible. “Kill them, you bitch!...make you kill them!...” A pause, then the demon's panicked voice. “Please don't send me back!”
Dave turned on one of the monitors and played with some buttons. I was treated to a view of the Bakers' upstairs hallway, near Danielle's bedroom. The image was all red. Infrared, maybe? There was no audio. What looked to be a moving ball of static came up the stairs. I knew it was me. Then the static moved into Danielle's room. A minute later, I could see the Bakers and Rachel standing in front of their door. Then I came out of Danielle's room, in the flesh. That's when Dan paused it.
“Static goes in. You come out,” Judy said.
Dan pointed at the screen. “You can even see your shadow fall into
the hallway, out of nowhere.”
Damn cameras. So many people setting up, and I forgot all about them.
“Hold on. It gets better,” Judy said.
Dan resumed the video. It was at the part where Doug's bedroom door closed. I walked away from the camera, down the hall, and stopped to talk to Cindy. I faded away slowly, replaced by that ball of static, and went into Doug's room. The video was only a few minutes long, but it felt like forever when it happened.
“Now the only real eyewitness we have is Danielle. She says she didn't see anything strange. She woke up, and you were already there checking on her. But she was tired, and maybe she actually saw something else. What did she see, Alex?”
I didn't like her tone. Not quite accusing, but angry curiosity.
They had everything on camera. There was no use coming up with an elaborate lie. But I didn't need to tell the truth either. I was angry myself. I just wanted to leave. I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
I thought I saw a vein in Judy's neck. “Of course it matters.”
“Why? There was something in the house trying to hurt that family. I got rid of it. Shouldn't that be the end of the story?”
She sighed. “How many houses do you think we study a year?”
“I have no idea.”
“This house will be our sixty-seventh this year. I've been there for every single one of them. We do the same thing, each time. We study, study, study, for weeks. And as much as we've learned, only one time were we able to figure out exactly what kind of spirit we were dealing with. It took three different exorcisms to get rid of it. Now here you come, in less than a night, help the Bakers, and it's obvious you don't know what you're doing.”
I wasn't sure if she was insulting or complimenting me.
“Are you asking me something?”
Now she was mad. “Who are you?
I looked at Dan. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Hell, do you want a job?” Judy asked.
I paused and gave her a look. “I'm still trying to figure out a bunch of things right now. Shit, if you study that tape, and learn something, you let me know.”
“Look me up. University of Virgina, if you're ever in the neighborhood.”
I gave them both a smile and left the van. Cindy and Beth were both waiting by the car. Cindy kept an eye on me as I climbed inside.
“Everything cool?” she asked.
“Oh yeah. They just wanted to show me the highlights of the night.”
I was quiet on the way back to Beth's house. Still tired, I guess. Cindy however, wasn't, and she did a great job of filling Beth in on the details. Beth seemed impressed, but not surprised, and again I had to wonder what this long lost relative knew about me.
It was finally time to find out.
Chapter 15
After returning to her house she poured a glass of tea while Cindy and I sat at her dining room table. She was going painfully slow, like she was trying to make this whole thing longer than it needed to be.
Or maybe she was nervous about something.
“Do you want something to drink?” she asked. Cindy did, I did not.
“So I did what you wanted,” I said, trying to push things along. “Now would you mind telling me about my family and who I am?”
She put the iced tea away. “That you did. The Bakers are one of the only families around that will actually treat me nice, ever since, well, forever. So I owe you. You're ready for this?”
I laughed. “After last night, I think I'm ready for anything.”
“We'll see.”
Her tone scared me.
She leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. She sat across from us and stared at the notes she had taken the day before. It was a while before she spoke.
“Alex, you're not really human,” she said. “You can't be. No human can do the things you do.”
I gave Cindy a look, not quite believing what I was hearing. “That's it? That's all you can tell me?”
She held up her notes and started reading. “Walking through walls. Disappearing from normal sight. Getting attached to a person or place.” She gestured to Cindy. “These are all things a ghost or demon does. Not a person.”
“Ghost or demon?”
“Look, this is how it works.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her notepad and held it up. “This is the living world, our world.” She placed it on the table and ripped out another sheet. “Now, this here is the spirit world. Spirits and souls usually find their way here when they die. It lays on top of our world. But the boundaries are different, which is why they walk through walls and we can't see them.” She placed the spirit piece of paper on top of the living. She started dabbing holes into both sheets with a knife. “Now, these pinholes are the places that are like a gateway between the two worlds. These are your haunted houses, your mass murder sites, hospitals, places like that. This is where normal people can sometimes get a glimpse into the spirit world. Psychics can usually peek in when they want, although they don't get the whole picture, like they're wearing sunglasses. You understand so far?”
I looked at Cindy. She shrugged and gave me a half smile.
“Yeah, we're with you.”
She ripped out a third piece of paper. “This is the demon world. It's not a good place. Luckily it's a little harder to get to, even from the spirit world.” She placed it on top of the other sheets and only punched a few holes, to get her point across. “There's far few gateways, thankfully. Demons aren't pleasant, as you've seen. They feed off of energy and fear. They'll try to possess anything, human or spirit. And once they get a foothold into the spirit or living world, they're nearly impossible to get rid of.”
I thought back to Tammy's house and dealing with Richard. He was possessed by a demon while alive, and that possession continued while he was a ghost, till I showed up. What a nightmare.
“I don't think you're just seeing into the spirit and demon worlds,” she continued. She tapped her pieces of paper. “You're actually moving into them. Out of our world, and into theirs. That's how you can touch ghosts and demons, and move through walls. It's almost like you're half-living, half-”
She didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. I could guess how it ended. Half-ghost. Half-demon. Something along those lines. I didn't like the sound of either one.
I had to fight it, even if it made complete sense.
“I've never seen any demon world,” I said.
“Be thankful for that. You don't want to.”
I had more questions. “How can I hurt demons? Fuck, how did this even happen in the first place? Does it have anything to do with my parents?”
Beth looked hesitant. “I can answer some of that. I guess I should show you instead of talk. Follow me.”
We all went upstairs to a tiny bedroom. Bed neatly made, nice curtains. No pictures, which I thought was a little odd. There was actually a TV in the corner.
“Have a seat.”
As we sat on the bed she searched through her closet. After a minute she pulled out what looked like an old shoe box. She blew off a layer of dust and popped the lid. Inside was a video cassette. She took it out very carefully, like it could hurt her.
I did see a pained look in her eye.
“I've watched this a few times, but not in a long time,” she said, then looked at me. “I used to wonder whether I'd show it to you one day.”
I gave Cindy a glance. A lot of drama over a simple video tape.
I saw her hand actually shaking as she put the tape in the VCR.
The first thing I heard was a woman's scream. It scared me at first, but then I heard some other people, all talking over each other. There was a woman laying on a bed screaming her head off. The camera was shaking all over the place, obviously a homemade video. I started to recognize the scene.
“Is someone giving birth?” Cindy asked.
Beth nodded. Her face was starting to turn white. “Alex's mother, Sarah. My sister.”
My jaw dropped and I stared at the TV.
My first glimpse of my biological mother. In excruciating pain, giving birth to me. There were people all around her, lending support. I didn't see any doctors, though. In fact, it didn't look like a hospital.
Cindy looked at me with a smile. I'm not sure why. Maybe she felt like we were finally getting some resolution. I felt kind of weird. I'd never seen a pregnancy video before. Never thought I'd see my own.
There was another voice out of camera view.
“You're doing fine, honey. Be strong.”
Some strange chanting started. The camera panned over to a man who looked like an older version of me. There were men standing on each side of him. They were all dressed alike, wearing black robes.
“What the hell is going on?”
Beth paused the video. She was visibly shaking and almost looked sick. She pointed to the man in the middle.
“This is your father,” she said. “Mark Fuller.”
“What's he dressed weird for?” Cindy asked.
“He was the leader of a cult. Your mother was, too. Those guys you see there, his best friends. You can't see them, but your mother is surrounded by them.”
“What?”
She resumed the video. To be honest, I wished she hadn't. The camera panned back down to Sarah Fuller. She continued to scream in pain. One of the scary things, as if I needed to think more scary thoughts, was that the sounds of the chanting almost drowned her out. I've heard the voices of demons and ghosts, and the sounds of a haunted house. They don't compare to the sounds of that chanting over my own birth.
The video showed me being born into the world, a disgusting mess. My father cut the umbilical cord. Beth paused it once again.
“Are you sure you want to see the rest?”
Cindy and I looked at each other. She looked as disturbed as I was. ”There's more?” she said.
“Where did you get this?”
She hesitated. “I'm the one filming it.”
She pressed play. My father cleaned me off with another black robe. Then he carried me over to a table. The camera followed his every move. I heard my mother's voice off camera.
“I love you.”
Mark Fuller smiled. “I love you too, Sarah.”
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