“What’s this neighbourhood like?” Pete asked the room
“What?” Petra replied
“The people that live on this street. Are they nice?”
“No. Not particularly,” Petra replied
“You ever noticed any nosey neighbours on this street?” he asked.
“God yeah. We're a house full of out-of-town students. We've been getting all sorts of looks ever since we moved in,” Jim said, sitting up straight, as if this was something he was passionate talking about. “Hullenbeck is one of those 'local' kind of towns. If you weren't born or brought up here, they want nothing to do with you. It's one of the reasons we never go into town. As for the people on this street, well, they're a bunch of miserable shits whenever I've seen any of them. All scowls and judgement.”
“It is not most welcoming to those not from around here,” Petra said with a sad smile. Claire Marie gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze.
“Ever had any complaints?” Pete asked.
“We had a house party once. Nothing too crazy, just some of our uni friends over for a few drinks. We were playing music in here, and some people from two doors down knocked on our door and told us to turn the music down,” Claire Marie replied.
“I remember that. The music wasn't even that loud!” Jim added. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“We just spent a bloody decent amount of time smashing furniture to bits and hammering nails left, right and centre. We weren't exactly subtle about it. You know your neighbours better than I do, but it seems the sort of thing they might complain about?” Pete said.
The students looked at each other, a knowing look in their eyes.
“Now, either they've all had a personality transplant, or they're scared to leave their homes.” Pete added.
Jim gripped the handle of the cricket bat a bit tighter.
Chris stood up and went over to the nun-in-training.
“What do you think is going on out there?” he asked.
“I don't know, but something is definitely going on. I can't shake the feeling that something is out there. Watching this house. Waiting for someone in here to make a move.”
“Well,” Chris said with a sigh. “That's good to know.
Chris turned back to the room, saw his brother had pulled a scruffy pack of cigarettes out of his jacket, and had popped one into his face.
“Really?” Chris said. “You're going to do that here?”
“What? It's not like we're going anywhere for a bit,” Pete replied. “No one minds, do they?”
Before anyone in the group could answer, a booming voice cut in.
“GUYS!” the voice shouted out.
It was Ben, and he was calling from the kitchen.
“YOU MIGHT WANT TO COME IN HERE!” he shouted.
***
Everyone moved quickly into the kitchen. When they arrived, they saw Ben was stood near the window, peering outside. He had a mug of tea in his hand, but seemed more preoccupied with whatever he was looking at. He turned to look at everyone else, his eyes saucer-wide.
“There’s somebody outside,” he said softly.
The group rushed to the kitchen window, all trying to find a decent crack in the boards to see outside to the back of the house. It was grey out there, and the small patchy area of grass that acted as a back garden was dimly-lit as it stood in the shadow of the building. Surrounding the garden was a tall, wooden fence that blocked the surroundings on all sides. No one was in the garden, though.
“Are you sure?” Pete asked.
“I know what I saw. There’s definitely someone moving around out there,” Ben replied.
The sound of a metal latch being clicked open caught everyone’s attention, and they looked to the large gate that sat amongst the fence panels. The gate was opening.
“Told you,” Benjamin whispered.
Everyone was transfixed on the gate. It opened, and a figure appeared.
It was a man, and slowly but surely, he approached the house. He looked hurt, and was walking awkwardly, limping almost, dragging one of his legs behind him. He had a thick leather jacket pulled over his head, and, as he approached, his steps seemed uncertain and unsteady.
“Hang on, is that—” Chris said.
“Oh god,” Claire Marie said, as she spun around and snatched up the hammer that was on the kitchen worktop. She rushed to the back door of the kitchen and thrust the hammer at the boards, prying the nails out of them. Jim rushed to her side, but instead of aiding her, he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Claire shook his arm away, clearly distressed.
“We need to open this door right now!” Claire said. “That’s Steph out there, and he needs our help!”
“How do you know its him?” Jim asked, clearly trying to stall her. Claire brandished the hammer and he stepped back.
“Are you fucking kidding me? That’s Steph, and you know it. Now help me with this door!”
The group were focused on Claire Marie’s panic, but Pete continued to stare at the approaching man as he agonisingly lumbered towards the doorway. His head was hidden underneath the jacket, but the Handspasm t-shirt was clear for all to see.
“She's not wrong. That's definitely Danger, alright,” he said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STRANGER DANGER
Claire Marie tore at the wooden boards like—ironically enough—a woman possessed. Jim was now helping, and the two of them removed the boards reinforcing the kitchen door. Claire was just about to yank the door open when Sister Sarah stepped forward.
“Wait!” she cried.
Claire turned to the nun, expecting a look of defiance. Instead she saw a look of concern, but not one that was unsupportive.
“Be careful when you open the door, Claire,” Sarah said. “Don't break the salt line.”
Claire followed Sarah's gaze to the floor, where the line of protective salts crossed the threshold of the house. How that was going to stop anything, she didn't know, but the look on the nun’s face told her that her advice was too important to ignore. Calming herself, Claire nodded and then pulled the kitchen door open carefully. She saw Stephano had just about reached the stone porch, and she stepped forward to call out to him.
“Steph! Are you okay?” she cried.
Danger stumbled to his knees. She thought she heard him whimper in pain.
“Steph!” she yelled.
She stepped forward. Suddenly, Danger sprung up and launched himself at Claire. Caught off guard, Claire didn't have a chance to react. She felt herself lift off her feet as something pulled her back by the scruff of her shirt. She landed on her back with a thud, and it took her a moment to realise that she hadn't landed on the cold hard tiles of the kitchen floor. An arm was wrapped around her, across her chest. It took her a moment to recognise the leather jacket. She pushed the arm aside, rolled over to see the face of her saviour.
Pete winced in pain.
“What are you doing?!” she asked.
“Stopping you from getting your head ripped off,” Pete replied, holding the back of his head. “You're welcome.”
“Uhhh, Claire?” Jim said.
“Sorry, but there wasn't really any time to ask you for permission,” Pete said as he sat up. He looked up to the doorway and his eyes widened.
“Steph needs our help,” Claire said, picking herself up from the floor, dusting herself off.
“Claire!” Jim said in a more urgent tone
“What is it, Jim?” Claire snapped, frustration in her voice. She saw that all of the colour had drained from her friend’s face. Ben and Petra were stood behind him, staring at the doorway, slack-jawed.
Jim lifted a finger and pointed to the kitchen doorway.
“I think Stephano is beyond our help,” he whimpered.
Claire turned to the doorway, expecting to see her ex-boyfriend in pain and needing help. When she saw Danger, her breath caught in her throat, an
d she instinctively lifted her hand to her mouth in shock.
Danger was standing in the doorway, fully upright. The jacket that had previously covered his head had now fallen back into its place. His long, black hair was hanging in front of his face, and his features were cast in shadow. There were two burning embers where his eyes used to be. He looked lopsided, as a large malformed growth had formed on his shoulder, pushing the jacket off to the side. The skin was sickly in colour, and this was also apparent on his hands. They were curled up and claw-like, and his fingers were inhumanly long, as if someone had stretched the bones within them.
He lifted his head, and the slick black hair fell from his face. The group gasped and took a step back when they saw what lay beneath.
“Crikey, mate, you look rough,” Pete muttered.
Danger’s face was twisted, swollen in places. The skin was blistered and pale. He smiled, and as he did so his lips cracked, revealing a set of long, yellowing teeth. It looked as if someone had taken a dark elf from a Games Workshop board game and set it on fire.
He stood there, looking at them from behind the line of salt that Sister Sarah had drawn across the threshold. He looked down at the salt and then at Sister Sarah.
“Clever bitch,” he spat. The voice that came out of his mouth was not that of the monotone metal musician, but instead several octaves higher. It seemed to echo in his throat, just like the demon-ducks from earlier.
“I see your ignorant peers have taught you a few tricks,” he continued, his voice a rumble. “You know they won't save you, don't you?”
Sister Sarah stood defiant.
“Steph,” Claire whimpered, a catch in her throat.
Danger snapped his head across to Claire, and she saw clearly that this was not the man she knew. He snarled, the guttural growl of a lion, and she felt the sound crawl up her spine.
“This doesn't concern you, whore!” Danger spat, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. “Once we get inside, I shall entertain myself with your pain, and make a dance of your death. Until then, save your pathetic snivelling for your own fate, such as it is.”
Claire let out a yelp as tears began to fill her eyes. Petra put her arms around her and pulled her away from the monster. Sister Sarah stood in front of them both and got Danger’s attention once more.
“You have no power here, demon. Leave this house be and return to the flames where you belong!” She raised a small wooden cross. Danger stared back at the nun and smiled once again.
“Not yet. Not until we get what we came for. Besides, we've only just got here.”
“We? What does he mean 'we'?” Jim asked.
“We are many,” Danger spat gutturally. “We are Legion; and we are here…” He lifted one of large, bony claw and pointed at the Idol brothers. “For them.”
***
Chris and Pete both swallowed hard. Everyone looked very confused. Everyone, that was, except Sister Sarah. The look on her face was one of concern and fear. The words that the Devil had spoken to them flashed through their heads.
There are many from the depths who wish to see you again and take their own pound of flesh to feast upon, and tonight I shall let them have their chance.
“We're coming to get you,” Demon-Danger said.
Pete and Chris looked at each other as things began to fall into place.
“Fuck this noise,” Pete said, and he strode over to the kitchen sink, opened the cupboards below, and began rooting around inside.
“I still don't understand. Could somebody tell me what he means by 'we'?” Jim asked.
Sister Sarah looked at Claire Marie.
“This foul creature is a demon,” Sarah said, pointing at Danger. “And there are more coming.”
“A what?” Jim cried.
“I think I'm going to be sick again,” Benjamin said.
“But Stephano… can you help him? Help him like you did with me?” Claire Marie pleaded, tears in her eyes.
The monster that was Danger cackled to itself in the doorway. “Help? You think they helped? They have damned you all!” he cackled. “When we tear our way into this shell of a church, we will rip you all limb from limb. We will feast on your—”
The Demon-Danger's rant was cut short by Pete, who marched across to the door.
“Feast on this, you ugly prick!” he snarled, and blasted a full jet of high strength air freshener right into the monster’s eyes and mouth. Demon-Danger screamed in agony and lifted its claws to its eyes. It reeled back in anguish and began coughing madly, the sound brutal and abnormal. It looked up, hate burning in its eyes, and began to approach the open doorway again, spitting obscenities and arcane words. Pete was unfazed by this, and stepped back, grabbed the kitchen door, and slammed it shut.
“We're going to need to board this up again,” Pete told Ben, who nodded shakily in response. Claire Marie sat back and put her head in her hands. Sister Sarah crouched down and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“I am sorry about Stephano,” Sarah said softly.
“That wasn't Steph,” Claire Marie sobbed. She lifted her eyes to meet Sarah's. “I don't know what the fuck it was, but that wasn't him.”
“What did he mean when he said that you have damned us all?” Petra asked.
The question hung in the air for what seemed like forever. The Idol brothers weren’s quite sure how to respond. An uncomfortable moment of silence passed.
Sarah joined Chris and Pete, and they all shared guilty glances. Chris scratched his head.
“Just what the hell did you do?” Jim asked.
Chris sighed and looked at the students in front of him. They no longer looked confused, they looked concerned. Almost accusatory. He had seen that look before in many of their past cases. Never in this situation of course, but he knew a troubled client when he saw one.
“Well, we can't be too sure about this, but in the process of purging the demonic spirit possessing Claire Marie, something may have been released that could be responsible for our current situation. This… entity was no doubt responsible for the rainstorm of blood that came shortly afterwards.”
“Entity? What’s an entity?” Jim asked.
Chris and Pete exchange a look.
“Something not very nice,” Chris said.
“Are you saying that we are stuck in this house, with monsters outside, and it is your fault?” Petra asked. Her voice got louder as her sentence progressed.
“I wouldn't say it was our fault, as such. More of an unfortunate coincidence.”
The students looked dumbstruck. Pete thought it was best that he stepped in, as his brother wasn't doing a very good job of crowd control.
“Look, in all our time of dealing with exorcisms, nothing like this has happened. Usually we go in, exorcise the demon, kick it straight back to Hell, have a cup of tea, and go home. All this other shit doesn't happen. Heck, I doubt anything like this has ever happened before in history.”
“That's not necessarily true,” Sister Sarah said.
The room fell silent, and everyone in it turned their gaze to the nun.
“I'm sorry I don't think I heard you,” Pete said, fixing the nun with a stare. “It sounded like you said that this crazy bullshit has happened before.”
“Well, it's not exactly the same, but I've read reports of something similar. I was hoping that this was different.”
Chris pulled up one of the heavy wooden chairs and sat down on it. Itss legs were stained with thick, black blood. He made himself comfortable and then looked up at the nun standing before him.
“Go on. We're listening,” he said.
“Okay…” Sister Sarah said, taking a deep sigh, “Back in the 50s there was an event in Korea, back when it was one whole country. A small village plunged into darkness for forty days. No one went in and no one went out. When the darkness finally dissipated, only five people were left alive. They’d hidden in an abandoned church that the missionaries had built before being driven out. One of th
em kept a journal, and it was translated by operatives of the church in the Far East. It was crude, and rough, but what they could translate described a storm that passed over the region shortly after it became dark. It said that it began raining blood, and shortly after that people began going crazy, changing even. They became monsters.”
“A mass possession?” Pete interrupted.
“That could be one way to describe it. The storm was so sudden that most people were trapped without food and water. They would make breaks for more supplies and the… ” Sarah paused, seemingly having difficulty with the story. “… the possessed individuals tore them apart, or they would end up possessed themselves. Those who were fortunate to have supplies eventually turned on each other or were killed by other, unidentified means. There were dozens of bodies found, and we have no idea what killed them or why.”
“So what’s the bad news?” Chris sarcastically said, putting a hand to his head as if he had a migraine.
“One of the most horribly mutilated bodies they discovered belonged to one of the most powerful exorcists at the time. He’d sent more demons back into Hell than anyone before him and anyone since. Judging by the remains that were recovered, the exorcist died only a day or so before the darkness lifted, so I think it’s safe to say that he was the target of whatever force was behind the darkness.”
“Oh, this just gets better and better!” Pete exclaimed. “Next you'll be telling us that he was sodomised to death!”
“Jesus…” Jim said. “That's what Danger said. Said it was coming for them.” He pointed at the Idol brothers. Sister Sarah them and his finger.
“Whatever is out there, it wants to kill us all, make no mistake about that,” she said.
“That may be so, but you three are higher on their list. We wouldn't be stuck here if it wasn't for you people. I thought you were supposed to know what you were doing!” Jim was beginning to rant. It was the fear talking.
“What are you trying to say, pal?” Pete asked.
“Peter, please… ” Sarah pulled at Pete’s jacket. “This isn't helping.”
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