by Tim Miller
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Leah.”
“I’m Father Pierce, my colleague is Father Harlan. I’ll begin here.” I prayed a prayer of protection with her. It was a short one, but I could tell it was putting her at ease. As we opened our eyes, the lights came on. We both squinted in the bright lights. Standing behind Leah was Amanda. In the light, I could see her face was more twisted and distorted than I had remembered.
“Officer Leah,” I said. “Look behind you.”
She slowly turned on her heels, as we both looked at Amanda, who was just a few feet behind her. Amanda was bent forward slightly and wearing a hospital gown.
“Amanda,” I began. “I know you’re in there, I know you can hear me. How’d you get here? Why are you out of bed?”
“Father? What’s going on?” Leah asked. I had to ignore her at the moment.
“Amanda, can you hear me?” I continued.
“She can’t hear shit Father. Why don’t you go take care of your pal out there, the murderer? He killed his mother, she’s here with us!”
“You said that earlier.” Father Harlan told me not to engage the demon, but I had to know what this was about. “What are you talking about?”
“Peter Roman. His mother was sick, but not that sick. He poisoned her, slowly, so she’d die. Go ask him yourself.” Her voice was deep and guttural. It was weird talking to this thing, this shell of a girl.
“If I ask him, will you give us back Amanda?”
Instead of a reply, it burst out laughing, just as the lights went off again. No sooner were the lights off, and it was quiet again. She was gone.
Chapter 26
Officer Roman, 4:55 a.m.
I was getting really tired of the power switching off and on. You’d think a hospital would have a backup generator. Of course, they probably did but hadn’t planned for a demonic attack screwing up the power. Not sure if Home Depot sold something for such an event. I heard something from the stairwell where Leah had gone with the priest. Sounded like they were talking to someone, but I couldn’t make anything out. The night had been filled with so many strange events, and I was more than ready for it to end.
It was pitch black in the hallway again, when I heard someone calling my name. It was coming from behind me, barely above a whisper.
“Peter,” it said. “Peter, help me.”
I rolled my eyes as I spun around to see who it was. It was a woman’s voice. I thought it might be Leah trying to fuck with me, but this woman appeared more terrified than anyone I’d come across all night.
“Who’s there? Is this a joke?”
“Peter, why did you kill me?” it said.
“What? I’m a police officer!” I drew my gun, and pointed it in the direction of the sound. “I will fucking kill you, if you try anything stupid!”
A figure began to emerge from the darkness. The “being” was short, incredibly skinny with patches of hair around its head. I shined my flashlight in that direction, as it moved toward me.
“Stop right there! That’s close enough!” I said, pointing my gun.
“Oh Peter, you’d kill your mother twice?”
I lowered my gun.
“What? Mom?”
“Why did you do it, Peter?”
“It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“You shouldn’t lie to the dead, Peter.”
I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with my dead mother. I had to be completely losing my mind.
“Roman?” Leah said, from behind me. “Who are you talking to?”
“What?” I said, I turned to look at her.
“Who are you talking to? You said you weren’t trying to kill someone.”
I turned back around and my mom, or whatever that was, had gone. I wanted nothing more than to get out of the hospital right then and there.
“Motherfucker,” I said.
“What? What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m sick of all this weird shit. If I told you what I just saw, you’d think I was nuts.”
“I doubt that. Father Pierce and I just saw something bizarre ourselves.”
“What did you see?” I asked.
“You probably wouldn’t believe me either.”
“Whatever. I’m outta here. You all can have fun chasing devil child around.”
I holstered my gun and walked to the stairwell, pushing on the door, but it wouldn’t open. The handle would turn, but the door was stuck. I threw my shoulder into it, trying to bust it open, but no movement. I took a step back and turned to see Father Pierce standing there.
“Does everyone around here sneak up on people? Jesus Christ.”
“You’re the reason this is happening,” he said.
“Whatever. I’m trying to leave. I’ll find another stairwell.”
“They won’t allow you to leave,” he said.
“Why don’t you pray about it?” I asked.
“God is allowing this to happen. You’ve sinned against him. Now he’s allowing Satan to come for you.”
“Then Satan is gonna have his hands full,” I said.
Chapter 27
Officer Roman, 5:15 a.m.
I walked down the hall and out of the unit. There was another stairwell in the other direction, so I figured I’d use that one. Hopefully that door won’t be jammed. I wondered what kind of house of horrors I’d encounter on my way there. Thankfully, it was quiet. I got to the stairwell without incident. Stairwells seemed to be where a lot of weirdness took place in this hospital, and I wanted no part of it. Enough was enough. Maybe I’d be suspended or something for leaving this mess in the state it’s in, but it wasn’t worth people digging into my mom’s death.
I still couldn’t understand how this crazy girl, or possessed or whatever, had to do with my dead mother or how she even knew. Not that it mattered. There was no evidence of anything. And a crazy girl who talked funny and jumped through ceilings wasn’t exactly a star witness. Finally, I found the other stairway entrance. I turned the handle and that one opened just fine.
“Thank God,” I whispered to myself. I started down the stairs and made my way down each flight until I reached the ground floor. I came out in the ER, which earlier was crawling with ghouls and weirdos. Now, it was dark and quiet and really cold. The temperature must have dropped twenty degrees since I was here before. I had no idea why, maybe the demon found the air conditioning controls. Actually, I didn’t care. I found the exit and headed for it. My nightmare was finally about to end.
“Going somewhere Peter?” A familiar voice called out. I turned to my right and there was Amanda. She was crouched on a countertop, just a few feet from me, as if she was about to pounce.
“What are you doing? How’d you get down here?”
“I am everywhere. Haven’t you noticed that by now?”
“I guess so. You can have this place, whatever you’re up to. I’m leaving,” I said, as I took slow steps backward. Her empty eyes were locked on me.
“This hospital, and everyone in it, is mine! Especially you.”
“Look, if Amanda is still in there, why not let her go.”
“And why would I do that? I’ve been in her family for generations. I get stronger with each one, as you can tell.”
“The priests told me you were a liar.”
“Fuck the priests! And fuck you! You really want to save the girl?”
I was afraid to answer. Yes, I wanted to save her. At the same time, I felt like I’d done enough for the night.
“Yes, I want to save her.”
“I know you killed your mother.”
“So what if I did? I bet you don’t know why?” Yes, I did kill her. I poisoned her. She was in pain. We’d never been that close anyway. I was up to my neck in gambling debts. I’d managed to keep it hidden from the department, but it was just a matter of time before they found out. So I poisoned her while she was in the hospital. I’d covered my tracks. Th
ere was no evidence.
“It doesn’t matter why. If you want me to release the girl, and set the hospital free, this can all end right now.”
“Really? How? You want me to turn myself in?”
“Not at all. Just say the word, ‘paradosi,’” the thing inside Amanda said.
“Paradosi? What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just say it, and it will be all over.”
“Okay, paradosi.” It started laughing as soon as I said it, though nothing happened. It just sat there looking at me. I looked around, the power was still out, and Amanda was still in her current state. “So, you gonna let her go?” I asked. The demon continued laughing. Finally it stopped , just as I felt my arm moving.
I couldn’t control my hand, as it took my gun from its holster.
“What’s going on?” I asked, but Amanda just watched me. First my hand stretched out, pointing the gun at her. It was as if someone else were controlling me. Had I become possessed? I didn’t feel like it, I was still me. I tried to turn and run, but my feet wouldn’t move.
Slowly my arm turned toward my head. I tried to resist but couldn’t, as my hand was now pointing my own gun at my temple.
“What are you doing to me? Stop this now!” I shouted it.
“I can’t Peter, you agreed. Paradosi means ‘surrender.’ You gave me consent.”
“Bullshit!” My finger started to squeeze the trigger. I tried to move my head, my hand or my legs, but nothing was under my control.
“No! Please!” I pleaded, but she just watched, and the last thing I heard was the loud crack of my gun going off. There was a bright flash, then nothing.
Chapter 28
Father Harlan, 5:20 a.m.
I sat in the empty room, gathering my thoughts while trying to clear my head. The last session with the girl had been intense. The power in that room was insane. At times, her screams almost knocked me off my feet. Father Pierce was like a deer in the headlights most of the time. It was okay though. Not many would have hung in there as long as he had. After spending some time praying alone, I went to the sink to rinse my face. The cool water was refreshing as I splashed it across my cheeks and forehead.
I dabbed my face with paper towels, and walked back into the unit. Father Pierce was talking to the lady officer. Officer Roman wasn’t anywhere around.
“Father Harlan,” Pierce said. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” I answered. “Not sure how much more I can handle.”
“What should we do?”
“Same thing we’re doing. This demon is incredibly powerful. We may need to come back. I don’t know if we can do it all tonight.”
“We have to deliver her tonight. If we don’t, we could lose the hospital completely.” Pierce’s voice trembled with desperation.
“Look around Father,” I said. “We’ve already lost the hospital.”
I walked back into Amanda’s room where she was sound asleep. I knelt down next to her, and held her hand. Her skin was warm and moist. Brushing her hair back, she looked like any normal teenage girl. Behind me the door swung open as Father Pierce stepped in.
“She sleeping?” he asked, I nodded. “Should we wait?”
“No, this is actually the perfect time. The demon is still there, but dormant.” I stood, just as a scream and gunshots came from the hallway. There were at least five shots that rang out. Father Pierce tried to stop me as I ran into the hall to see what was going on. When I got there, the woman officer had her gun drawn and was surrounded by several hospital staff, and was firing on them. Among them I saw Dr. Bennett, Dr. Karras, and an officer I hadn't seen before. All of them looked as if they’d gone completely mad. Their eyes glowed white as they surrounded the woman.
“Officer!” I shouted. “What are you doing?”
“Father, get back in the room!” she yelled, between shots.
“Why are you shooting them?” I ran out and grabbed her arm. She pushed me away as I lost my balance and fell to the ground. More shots rang out as I got to my feet. I saw one of the nurses standing near me and looked to see if she was okay. What I saw was hideous. Her face was twisted and distorted the way Amanda’s had been earlier. She was smiling at me through bloody lips that were split open in several places. Her eyes were hollow whites. I wanted to run, but couldn’t look away. Suddenly someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
“Father! Let’s go now!” It was the officer, Sanders, I think her name was. I turned and ran with her, toward the unit entrance where Father Pierce was holding the door open. We all three ran out as the demonic hospital staff ran along behind us. We sprinted into the hall and Officer Sanders fired off more rounds. We reached the top of the stairwell and pushed the door shut as Sanders stopped to reload.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I think the demons have taken over the entire place,” Pierce said.
“We’ve lost the hospital.”
“I thought you were an exorcist!” Sanders yelled.
“I am, it’s not like surgery. You don’t just go cut the demon out. It’s supernatural, not science. I’ve never seen this before.” I didn’t know what else to say. I had failed. God had failed. Either that or he threw us to the wolves. Either way, it wasn’t good for us. “Were you hurting them at all when you shot them?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I just fired, but more kept coming.”
“Are they zombies?” Pierce asked.
“What? Zombies? No. I don’t know. They are all chewed up like Amanda is when the demon is active.” The banging on the door intensified as Pierce and I tried to hold it closed. The force became too much as I felt it give way. “We can’t hold it,” I said. “Let’s get out of here!”
For whatever reason, Sanders began running upstairs. Maybe she knew something we didn’t. Pierce and I followed her, as the door burst open behind us. We ran up two flights, then four, before opening the door to the fifth floor. Part of me just wanted to keep going up the stairs instead of facing whatever was beyond that door.
Chapter 29
Amanda, 5:40 a.m.
The sound of gunshots shook the bed as I jumped up. I usually had trouble sleeping, but this night was the worst. There was screaming outside of my room and shouting. I was still in the hospital. The room was ice cold and dark. I had been hospitalized earlier in the night. They brought me here because The Doctor was angry. He’s the one who lives inside of me. I guess that’s his name. He just calls himself The Doctor.
He first started talking to me a few years ago. I was watching a TV show where a guy called himself The Doctor. He would travel all over the universe and help people. I must have been ten or eleven years old. One night, I felt him. He took over my body and sometimes made me float over my bed. It was really scary, but he told me not to be afraid.
“No need to fear, I’m The Doctor!” he said, in a British accent. He always spoke to me with a British accent, so I figure he must be nice, like The Doctor on TV. I couldn’t believe he was real, but there he was. No one believed me though. All of the foster homes and group homes I’d gone to thought I was crazy. Though, in the past year, I couldn’t really blame them, The Doctor had become more violent.
He used to come to me at night. When we talk, it’s all inside my head so no one can hear us. But lately he started coming out during the evening, and sometimes during the day. When he did that, I did horrible things. Sometimes, I’d hit and bite people. It was really scary when he’d take over. People would talk about me as if I weren’t there, but I was always still there. I was there and fully aware of everything that was happening. I just could do anything to stop it.
This past week it’s been really bad. Not only would The Doctor make me hit people, but furniture around me would move, glass would break and doors would open and close. I had a feeling he was doing it somehow, but I had no idea how. Earlier tonight, he started talking to others like him. I could hear them around me, the
y seemed really scary. Then The Doctor went nuts.
I don’t know what set him off, but before I knew it, I had police putting handcuffs on me, shooting me, fighting me. I was climbing all over the hospital through the vents and everywhere else. Needless to say, I was feeling very sore. The noise outside my room had died down. The Doctor was leaving me alone for the moment, but I wasn’t sure why. Earlier there were a couple of priests in here. I think they were trying to help me. They were saying something about a demon. So maybe The Doctor is a demon. I never believed in anything like that. But then again, I never believed in time traveling spacemen either.
The Doctor didn’t leave though. I don’t think he ever will. He’s been with me for too long, and he is way stronger than those priests. I could tell he didn’t like their holy water and prayers, but it didn’t really hurt him either. I climbed out of the bed and peeked out into the hallway. There were some people lying on the floor, covered in blood.
I saw a guy in a patient’s gown walking up to me.
“What’s going on? Where is everyone?” I asked. As he got closer, I could see he wasn’t well. His face was cracked and bloody, his eyes glowing yellow.
“What are you doing you little cunt! You shouldn’t be out here!” he said. Before I could reply, I heard The Doctor inside my head.
“Get back in your room. You don’t need to be walking around. You need rest.”
“What’s happening? Did you do this?” I asked him.
“No, my dear. They did. These other monsters you see running around. I’m trying to get them under control. Please, has The Doctor ever done you wrong?”
“Well, the police shot me.”
“Yes, that was a slight miscalculation on my part. I am sorry. I’ll be more careful. I need you to rest though, please. It’s difficult for me to keep you safe and deal with these guys with you wandering around.”
“Okay,” I said. “I guess I can go back to my room.”
“Good, none of them will hurt you. I’ll deal with this one who was rude to you,” The Doctor said, as he grew silent again.
