Bad Juju

by Dina Rae

  “T.J., get over here. Like we practiced. Start chanting,” Lucien ordered.

  The zombie clomped closer to Henry and recited his newly learned chants. “Oh, djab, share your evil. Oh demon, reign through me. Oh djab, we will be so happy…” T.J.’s voice was so smooth, he almost sounded human.

  As the zombie sang, Lucien passed the mummified hand to Jake and whispered, “Get T.J. to hold onto this and then touch Henry with it. I’ve got to keep this fire show going.”

  As Lucien kept throwing metals and crystals into the fire, his supplies became scarce. Time was running out. When the fire returned to its natural state of red and orange, the djab would wake from his trance. Lucien glanced at Jake and saw the boy struggling with the zombie.

  “Take it already!” Jake yelled as he took his uncle’s dead hand and wrapped it around T.J.’s patched skin and metacarpals. “You want to ascend, don’t you?”

  T.J. shrieked in fear and dropped the Hand of Glory. Lucien continued watching Henry. The boy didn’t notice the commotion. The fire kept him frozen with fascination.

  “T.J., quit being a baby!” Leah exclaimed. She picked up the Hand of Glory and ordered, “You and this hand are both dead! Your only chance of going to Heaven is by saving Henry! Now take the fucking hand and touch him like Jake told you to!”

  T.J. cowered as she yelled. He hesitantly obeyed. Leah calmed down and grinned. “Told you boys I was good for something.”

  “Well done! But we are far from finished. T.J. has got to invite the spirit inside of his corpse. If this works, you and Jake will need to back up,” Lucien said. “T.J., just like we practiced.”

  “I waaant yooou to come inside. I will taaake yooou for a riiide. Together we’ll liiiight the world on fiiiire…” T.J.’s song wasn’t perfect. His words were jumbled and he forgot the second verse, but his voice grew louder and more confident as he sang to the djab. Henry didn’t flinch as T.J. reached out with the Hand of Glory and touched Henry’s shoulder. The point of contact acted like a conduit, causing combustion. White fire disintegrated the mummified hand.

  Henry howled a piercing wail and then slumped to the ground with his limp arm flopped inside of the fire.

  Lucien pulled Henry away from the bonfire while Jake took off his shirt and smothered the flames flickering on Henry’s arm. Henry started to shake and foam at the mouth. His eyes rolled in back of his head, showing only the whites of his eyeball. Several seconds later he stopped moving.

  “Leah, Jake, revive Henry before he dies! The djab is now inside of T.J.!” Lucien directed.

  Parts of T.J.’s skin and bones popped off of his corpse. The zombie screamed, “He’s not alive!” in the voice of the djab. “You tricked me!”

  Lucien only had a few moments to send the spirit back to the Crossroads. He retrieved a can of mineral spirits out of his bag and squirted half of it over T.J. With a running start and every ounce of strength his old body had left, he pushed T.J. into the fire and watched him ignite. Fire clouds sparked off of the bonfire. Could this be over?

  “T.J.! No! Not again! I love you and I’m so sorry!” Leah cried.

  “He’ll be at peace,” Jake defended. “Now if only Henry would wake up.” Jake attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

  Lucien watched the fire, still unconvinced the demon was gone. Filled with dread, the moment he spent his whole life avoiding was about to arrive. While T.J.’s decaying body ashed in the flames, the fire spewed embers the size of tennis balls high in the air. A blue smoky haze drifted out of the fire, almost iridescent, and floated over Henry’s slumped body as if it was waiting for something.

  “What the hell…” Leah said to herself. She stood up and tried to pop it like a bubble, but her hand went through it like air. “T.J.?”

  “That’s his ti-bon-ange,” Lucien said, never taking his eyes off of the fire. As he feared, a flame from the fire broke away and rose above them higher than the trees like a blazing star. Although day time, the sky grew dark. The blaze changed into different formations of people and places from Lucien’s past.

  “My family…my home. Oh Bondeye, is there any other way…” Lucien mumbled to himself. The blaze danced in the sky, repeating flaming images of all Lucien’s compunctions of his life in Haiti. The blaze ended the show and resumed its own form, suspended above the trees. A appalling boom shook the ground. With only one last chance to make things right, Lucien began to sing. “Come on inside, my djab. Come on he’s dead and I’m alive, my demon. We’ll go for a ride. Come on and kill my soul tonight…Jake, remember what I showed you in my bedroom.” Lucien kept on singing and emptied the rest of the can of mineral spirits over himself. “May the loas give me mercy!”

  “No Lucien!” Jake screeched.

  “Son, I’m already dead. It’s the only way!”

  The blaze suddenly blew out, leaving nothing but clouds of smoke. The smoke wafted towards Lucien as he sang and then entered the old man’s nose and mouth. Lucien instantly changed. His eyes burned orange, matching the fire. He looked at Leah, Jake, and Henry’s dead-looking body and wickedly grinned. Before the djab completely took over, Lucien plunged into the bonfire and caught aflame.

  Chapter 52

  Natalie stayed home by herself like she did for most of the summer. Henry’s needs came first. Her mother spent her days taking him to doctors while her dad worked around the clock to pay for them. In the past, her grandmother came over to baby-sit. But now that she was about to enter high school, she pleaded to be alone. Be careful what you wish for… In hindsight, her grandmother’s cheery company would have spared her from loneliness.

  Natalie’s mother promised to take her back-to-school shopping in the afternoon. She glanced at the clock, 1:00 p.m. Her mother left early and should have been home.

  Natalie planned on calling after she polished her toe nails neon pink. While she applied top coat, she watched music videos in the basement. Her phone buzzed. The mini-polish brush fell through the couch cushions as she dived for the phone.

  “Hi Allie. Whatcha doin?” she answered.

  “I’m at the pool and it’s packed. It’s boiling out. Some really cute guys are here, maybe juniors or seniors. A band is setting up in the pavilion. I’m here by myself and it’s a little awkward. Can you join me?” Allie asked. Natalie heard a swarm of voices in the background.

  “Sounds fun. I’m not supposed to go to the pool by myself,” Natalie hesitated.

  “You’re fourteen now. Don’t need Mommy’s or Daddy’s permission. And I’ll be here so you won’t be alone,” Allie persuaded.

  “Well…You’re right. I’m bored out of my mind. I’ll leave my mom a note. I’m in the middle of polishing my toes. As soon as they dry, I’ll ride my bike over. Bye.”

  Natalie anxiously looked for the polish brush that disappeared inside of the sofa. She looked under the couch, shook out the blankets, and yanked off the seat cushions. There it was. As she placed the cushions back on the couch, she felt something bulky inside. Curious, she unzipped the slipcover and took out the foam. Henry’s missing backpack was scrunched inside. Wonder what he has to hide. She shook it upside down and a leather bound scrapbook bounced to the floor.

  Flipping through the pages, she struggled with the scrolly handwriting. A recipe book? If so, why hide it? At second glance, she noticed ingredients such as cigar butts, juniper, sand, and Spanish moss. Ah, spells. Love spell? The book explained Brittany’s attraction to her brother. The loopy designs had to be Voodoo symbols! That’s why Ms. Fontana…

  She should have immediately called her mother and told her about the book. However, she was much too tempted to read through it. The spells could implicate Henry in Brittany’s death. Quickly, she thought of a solution that would absolve her from feeling guilty. For the time being, she would hide the book and wait for Henry to recover. Once he explained his shiftiness and the book itself, she would turn the book over her parents.

  She stuffed the empty backpack back inside of the cushion a
nd looked around the basement for an alternative hiding spot. Her eyes gazed at the drop ceiling. She slid a cork panel off of its metal brackets and felt around for a support. She found a beam and stashed the book on top of it. Sliding the panel back in place, she changed into her swimsuit and packed up for the pool.

  ***

  After Jessica ended the call with Jake and Lucien, she drove into the grassy highway divider and made a u-turn. She floored the gas to beat them to her house where they would all meet within an hour.

  Tom was on his way up to Eau Claire. He promised to comb the area and handle the police. She was about to call him, but changed her mind. He was much too close-minded to consider the paranormal as an explanation to her son’s vicious behavior. Voodoo, demons, all of it sounded ludicrous, but she was always more desperate when it came to her children, especially Henry.

  She pulled into her driveway and remembered Natalie. Oh, what am I going to tell her? She saw a note on the counter, ‘gone to pool with Allison. Be home around dinner time. Have money and my cell. Love, Natalie’. The pool? Guess she’s old enough now. And she’s safe and out of the house…

  Jessica texted her a fast ‘have fun’ message, relieved her daughter wasn’t involved. She gulped down a couple glasses of water, washed her face, and stared at the clock. Five more minutes would equal an hour since she last spoke with Jake and Lucien. She waited another twenty minutes then assumed she had been blown off. She jumped back into her SUV and sped over to Lucien’s trailer. Several knocks later and no answer, she ran over to Jake’s trailer. No answer.

  An elderly woman was playing outside with a toddler between the two trailers. Jess approached, hoping she knew them. “Hello. I’m Jessica Novak. My son, Henry, is friends with…”

  “Oh, Henry, I know him. Yes, Jake’s friend. I’m Esther Muddraker. You his mom, right? Haven’t seen Henry, but Lucien, Jake, Leah, and some other fellow left a little bit ago. I’m watching Leah’s daughter. Not sure where they were headed, but they were walking in that direction. There’s a picnic area way back there, next to the forest preserve. It’s a good half mile or so. Maybe that’s where they went. Lucien likes to go there from time to time.”

  “Thank you, Esther! Thank you so much!” Jess exclaimed. She sprinted down the dirt path Esther pointed to. Her stride hastened as she panicked. The heat and the exercise lathered her with sweat. Minutes later she knew she was close. There was a rope looped across the path with a reserved sign hanging from it. She stepped over it and continued down the path. She could feel the extra heat and hear the crackle of a fire. As she crept closer to the flames, she heard voices. Several yards away she saw Lucien. He looked maniacal with eyes blazing like fire. Henry’s eyes were glazed with the same shade of red, she thought. Fear made her dash behind a tree and watch from the hidden position. The old man flashed a hideous smile. The wicked image left an imprint in her memory so vivid, so real. She’d be seeing it in every future nightmare for the rest of her life. Where’s Henry?

  Lucien said something incoherent and then jumped head first into the fire. The smell of charred flesh made her cough. He’s insane! What did he do to my son? Father God, where’s Henry? A sense of peace took hold. She moved closer toward Jake and Leah. They knelt over something, crying. Wait…That’s Henry! Noooooo!

  The smell of burning flesh nauseated her as she approached. The fire grew bigger. An orange and yellow fireball catapulted into the sky then exploded like a firework. She was close enough to hear Jake.

  “That must be the Crossroads,” Jake said to Leah. “The djab is gone. Oh, I forgot to put this around Henry’s neck.” He removed Lucien’s crystal pendant and pulled it over Henry’s head.

  “What about T.J.? His whatever you called it is…” Leah said.

  “Ti-bon-ange,” Jake answered.

  “His ti-bon-ange is looming over us,” Leah said as she stared above them.

  Jess crept up on them and knelt down over her son. “We’ll have to pray for all of them, T.J., Lucien, Henry…Is he…”

  “Mrs. Novak? How long have you been…It doesn’t matter. We don’t know about Henry. No pulse, no air coming out of his nose. Lucien saved him. Actually Lucien and T.J. saved him. They lured the demon out of him and into themselves,” Jake said.

  Jessica positioned herself on her knees and clasped her hands together. “Guess I was wrong about Lucien. Care to join me in prayer?” Jake and Leah clasped their hands. “Father God, forgive me for my ignorance. Please be merciful to T.J. Give him the peace his dead body longs for. And please be merciful to Lucien. He died a noble death. He died to save. And God, I know Henry was yours before he ever was mine, but you saved him once in Haiti. Please God, may all of this have a purpose. God, bring my baby back. I want my son!” Jessica sobbed as she stroked her son’s face.

  “I’ll try mouth-to-mouth again,” Jake said. Jessica’s tears were contagious. The three of them grieved.

  The fire’s flames were reduced to a smolder. A bluish smoke glided above, stopping by the other bluish haze they assumed to be T.J.

  “Look! Do you see it?” asked Jake excitedly.

  “Look at them. Right next to each other. And now they’re floating away, up towards the sky!” Jessica said in amazement.

  “May they ascend,” Jake said with awe as they drifted out of sight.

  Henry began to stir and then violently hack as he turned to his side. Jessica hit his back and he vomited different colors of fluids. His eyes opened, frightened and back to their natural gray-blue.

  “Mom? Where am I? What happened?” Henry asked after he caught his breath.

  “Henry? You’re alive! Oh grace be to God. We got to get you to a hospital! Can you walk?” Jessica asked as she pulled him up. Henry staggered to his feet as he leaned on her. His steps were wobbly, but he could walk. “I could run back to the car and drive it down here.”

  “We got him. He can use us as a crutch. The long walk will clear his lungs and do him some good,” Leah said.

  “Yeah, we got a lot to tell you, Henry,” Jake said as he placed Henry’s arm around his neck.

  They all interrupted each other, eager to tell Henry every detail that happened. His face remained stoic. “I’ll miss Lucien. I hope he’s in Heaven. I hope he’s with T.J.”

  “I think he and T.J. are going to be fine,” said Jake with a smile.

  ***

  Natalie biked up to the community clubhouse on the other side of Lake Hayward. Besides the pool, the clubhouse featured other amenities such as a game room, snack bar, sauna, workout area and lounge, all available to residents who lived around the lake. Many teens used the clubhouse as a hangout during the summer.

  Allie met Natalie at the brick and log entrance by the bike rack. “Hey, saved you a seat. I’ve never seen it so crowded!”

  Natalie followed her friend to their seats she had set up by the shallow side of the pool.

  “Natalie, don’t look. Those boys over by the snack bar are checking us out. Aren’t they gorgeous! I think they go to Freemont,” Allie said.

  Natalie obliquely saw the group of three and nodded. “Cut, tan, tall…”

  “Oh shit! I told you not to look! They’re coming over here! What do we do?” Allie asked, suddenly a bundle of nerves.

  “Too late! Act natural,” Natalie whispered.

  The three boys met their gaze and sauntered to their lounge chairs. The most handsome of the three began the conversation. “Hi. You girls go to Freemont?” He reminded Natalie of Taylor Lautner.

  Allie looked too petrified to answer. “Uh…yes. We’ll be freshman,” Natalie stuttered. The boy looked at her in a way that made her both uncomfortable and exhilarated.

  “You’ll love it. I’m Rio and this is Bart, Chad.”

  “I’m Natalie. Natalie Novak. This is Allie MacDouglas.”

  “Novak? You have a brother?” Rio asked. She nodded, puzzled on how someone like him would know Henry.

  Rio grinned, exposing his perfect bleached teeth.
“Truce. Your brother, Henry, beat the shit out of me last winter. Gotta hand it to him, he’s one strong mutha. He also stole my girlfriend. No hard feelings. You might know her, Brittany?” Natalie and Allie nodded. “So you must know what happened to her. Sad. Had no idea she was on the edge.”

  “Quite a coincidence,” Bart said.

  Natalie didn’t know how to react. She was stuck between defending her brother and wanting Rio and his cool friends to like her. Silence took over.

  “Can I get you girls something from the snack bar?” Chad asked.

  “No, we’re fine. I’m being rude. Want to sit down? I’ll pull up those empty lounge chairs,” Allie said.

  Once seated, Bart said, “Rio didn’t mean to suggest…”

  “I know,” Natalie interrupted. “It’s fine. My brother has Asperger’s and he’s not good at reading social cues. We went to Haiti back in June on a church mission. Something really bad happened. We don’t know what, but Henry is not the same. He’s withdrawn, doesn’t talk at all. Lots of problems. Probably won’t be back at school for a while.”

  “Bummer. Sorry. Hey, how about no more sad stories. Let’s have some fun before school starts,” Rio said.

  The teens hung out in the pool, volleyball court, and pavilion, listening to the band. By early evening, Natalie checked her phone for the first time-four voicemails and six texts from her parents within the last hour.

  “Gotta go! My mom’s worried. She and my dad are at the hospital. Something is wrong with Henry,” Natalie said as she threw her belongings into her tote bag. She said her goodbyes and darted out of the clubhouse. Rio followed her.

  “Natalie, I know this is a bad time, but can I have your number? We could maybe go out? Say yes, c’mon.” He tilted his head and held out his phone.

  Smiling, she took his phone and added her name to his contact list. “See you later.”

  He moved in and softly kissed her forehead. “Hope your brother is okay.”

  She rode away in a state of euphoria, feeling guilty about her lack of concern for Henry. Rio was worth the guilt. She’d be clinging to her phone, waiting for his call.