The Demon On My Chest: Waking Up

by Dan Farris

“Sounds like a plan.”

  “Wait here, let me go get my laptop from the bedroom.”

  A couple of hours later, after watching a movie, Persephone lay asleep on the couch. Sweet dreams, gorgeous, thought Sean as he lay on the floor. Sean had placed a blanket over Persephone soon as she fell asleep. Look how peaceful she looks. Enough terrors for one night. I wonder if she’s dreaming.

  God, please forgive me for what we did tonight. For what I did. It was stupid, wrong, and evil. I’ll never try to contact spirits again. Father Adams was right. Going forward, I’m going to just put my trust and faith in you, God. No more sex before marriage, starting tonight. I’m going to pray more, read my Bible more, maybe finally join a church. If another spirit comes to me, I know it can’t harm my soul. Even if I feel like I’m going to die every night, at least I know if I die, I’ll be in Heaven with you. I love you God. Please forgive me, please forgive me, please forgive me.… Sean fell asleep.

  While he was dreaming, Sean heard the words, “In you, I give the power of this space. That tyrant will find you. Fear not, for you have the power.”

  Sean awoke from his sleep screaming. “What was that? What was that?”

  “Sean, are you okay? What time is it?”

  Sean looked down at his cell phone. “It’s 9 a.m. I felt like I just went to sleep.”

  “You scared me. Did a spirit come to you?”

  “No, it was--it was--something else. Like a memory, but this was different. Something about power.”

  “Power? Was it the evil from last night?”

  “No, it was something else. I don’t know, I don’t know. I’m scared, Persephone.” Persephone got on the floor with Sean and placed his head against her chest. “It’s okay, I’m scared too.”

  God, what did we do last night? Can I fix it? The tyrant will find me? What does that mean? That demon from last night? Am I damned now?

  When Persephone left his home, Sean rushed to the cathedral to speak with Father Adams. When he walked into Father Adams’ office, he paced around. Father Adams sat behind his desk.

  “My foster mother would always say that ‘God lets bad things happen to good people because he doesn’t care.’ Do you believe that, Father, that God doesn’t care?”

  “Of course he cares. God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for us, in spite of our shortcomings.”

  “I agree, but how can we reconcile that with history? Wars, genocide, famine, drought, slavery, rape, inequality. Is that God’s love? You’re telling me that God let all that happen just because two stupid people didn’t realize how good they had it and ate a fruit?”

  “It’s not that simple. God let all those things happen because we disobeyed him. I didn’t know you grew up in foster homes. Did you ever try to find your parents?”

  Mrs. Jones. I’ll never forget the things she taught me.

  Sean finally stopped pacing around sat down in the chair in front of Father Adams’ desk.

  “No, but I tried when I was younger. I was a preemie. My mother died in childbirth, and doctors say it’s a miracle I made it. I guess God was looking out for me. My birth mother, she was young, but she didn’t have any family, and there was no information on who my father was.

  “But, I didn’t come here to talk about that. I did something last night, Father, something bad.”

  “What did you do?”

  “After I saw you the last time, something happened to me that led to more questions. And these questions, along with the questions I had about the things that have tormented me since I was a child…I..I... wanted answers, and…”

  “And what?”

  “And I reached out to something last night. I and others who suffer like me, we made contact with something.”

  Father Adams leaned forward in his chair. “This is very serious. Attempting to contact sprits is forbidden. It is of Satan, witchcraft.”

  “I know, and I’m so sorry for what I did and have begged God to forgive me.

  “Whatever we contacted was evil, I felt it. It said something about sensing power, about something old.”

  “This was a demonic spirit; anything it said was an attempt to steal your immortal soul. Don’t ever attempt to contact this sprit again. Sean, it’s imperative now that you give your life to Christ and join the one true church.”

  “There’s more, Father. I had a dream last night…or a memory, I don’t know. But it’s something about a tyrant, about power.”

  “The demonic sprits are after your soul. We must look to God and our Lord Jesus Christ for protection.”

  “But, in the dream or memory I had, whatever was talking to me, didn’t feel like a demonic spirit. It didn’t feel evil. It felt like it…like it…like it loved me.”

  “It is a trick; the Devil and his demons plays many tricks on us.”

  “Am I damned now? Am I damned to Hell?”

  “Of course not. There is salvation for those who believe.”

  Suddenly, everything on Father Adams desk fell violently onto the floor. Sean jumped up. “I have to go, Father!”

  Sean ran out of the office and out of the cathedral. Father Adams screamed, “Come back Sean, come back!”

  Sean got in his car. What the fuck? What’s happening? I’m damned. God forgive me, please forgive me. What do I do now?

  As Sean drove back to his home, Persephone called his cell. “Sean, Sean! Did you hear about what happened to April and Luke?”

  “Calm down, calm down. What happened to them?”

  “I called the group this morning. I wanted to make sure everyone was okay after what happened last night. When I called April, her husband answered the phone in tears. Did you know April had a little girl? That poor child. Her husband said that April came home very upset last night, and she died in her sleep. The doctors can’t explain it.”

  “She’s dead?!”

  “Yes, and Luke’s mother said the same happened to him. He died in his sleep last night too. It’s coming for us, for our souls. We have to do something! Diana, she can fix this!”

  God, my God.

  “You’re right, call Diana, tell her we’re coming over. She started this mess last night; she has to fix it. I’ll message Kevin and I’ll tell him what happened to April and Luke and tell him to meet us at Diana’s. Don’t be scared. No matter what happens now, it can’t harm our souls.”

  A little while later, Sean, Persephone, Kevin, and Diana were all sitting in Diana’s living room.

  “Diana, this is your fault. April and Luke are dead because you contacted some evil spirit last night,” said Sean.

  “Got damn right it’s her fault,” said Kevin. “All the crazy shit I’ve seen and done in my life, I ain’t never seen nothing like last night. I knew sprits come to me when I sleep, but hearing that demon talk last night, I’m scared shitless. And now April and the kid are dead! What the hell do we do now? I’m not ready to die. All the stuff I’ve done, I don’t think I’d make it to Heaven.

  “They’re right, Diana, this is your fault. Whatever you did last night, undo it. Please, undo it,” said Persephone. Diana’s eyes swelled with tears.

  “I’m sorry everyone. I didn’t want anyone to die. April and Luke were too young. I just wanted to see my Paul. That wasn’t him last night; it was evil, whatever it was. I know that now. We can try to make contact again, but I’m not sure what kind of spirit will reach us this time.”

  “Let’s use our minds here. We’re smart people. We contacted something last night, right? But, we were not specific enough,” said Persephone.

  “What do you mean ‘specific?’” Asked Kevin.

  “I mean if we all pray to God this time, maybe we can contact a good sprit. Maybe an angel.”

  “What good will that do? I’ve been praying to God for decades to take this curse from me. See what good it did,” said Kevin.

  “I know, but this is different. All of us together were able to contact something supernatural in a way like never before. Maybe
God will be able to hear us. It’s like we’ll be using a more powerful microphone if we all call him together.”

  “Then what?” Asked Sean.

  “Then we ask him to forgive us for last night, and we ask him to protect us from this evil spirit that’s haunting us now.”

  Kevin stood up. “I’m not ready to die or go to Hell. Are you people retarded? We contacted an evil spirit last night and now two people are dead. Maybe that’s the end of it, but if we do this again, we could be next. I’m not ready to die.”

  Kevin walked out of the house.

  “Kevin may be right. We shouldn’t do this anymore,” said Diana.

  “We have no choice,” said Sean. “We need to make sure God hears us to answer our prayers. We used our ‘gifts’ to contact a demon. Now, let’s contact God. Earlier today, I sensed the demon; it followed me and knocked something on the floor while I was talking to a priest, in a church. A church! It’s not waiting anymore until we sleep. It came for me in a church.”

  “I agree, this has to be done,” said Persephone.

  “I guess Hell is real after all,” said Diana. “I don’t want to go to Hell. I know my Paul is not in Hell. Let’s ask for God to protect us.”

  God, please hear us, please answer us, please.

  “Okay, guys, let’s all relax….” said Sean. “God, three people are here who love you and worship you. We’ve all made mistakes, but please don’t forsake us. Forgive us for what we did last night, protect us from the evil…. God, please answer us, please answer us.”

  The three all sat quietly on the floor for a few minutes, each with their eyes closed. “Something is here, I feel it,” said Persephone.

  “I feel it too,” said Diana.

  “Sean, Sean, is that you?” Asked Luke.

  “Luke? Where are you?” Asked Sean.

  “We heard you calling. I don’t know, I don’t know. April is here with me too.”

  “Diana, you bitch, you did this to us, you bitch,” said April.

  “Are you two safe? Are you in Heaven?” Asked Diana.

  “This place isn’t Heaven,” said Luke.

  “Are you in Hell?” Asked Sean.

  “No, somewhere else. I can’t describe it. It’s dark, it’s so dark. The only thing we can see in this place is other souls like us, other creatures, and demons. It feels like we’ve been here forever, running,” said Luke.

  “I was a good Christian woman. Why did God let this happen to me? I’ll never see my baby girl or husband again,” said April.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” said Diana.

  “I’m sorry too…what are you running from?” Asked Sean.

  “The evil demons,” said Luke. “Souls like us, and other things. All we do is run. We can’t get caught. If the demons catch us, they’ll drag us to Hell. Thank God I found April. Feels like we’ve been running together in this place for an eternity.”

  Is that my fate, God? To be dragged to Hell?

  “You said demons?” Asked Sean.

  “That evil that killed us was a demon. It was looking for something, some power,” said Luke.

  “Can you help us? Can you protect us?” Asked Sean.

  “We can’t even protect ourselves,” said April. God abandoned us the moment we contacted that demon. I think that’s why we ended up in this forsaken place. It will kill each of you and you’ll be in here with us. There’s nothing you can do.”

  “We are truly damned then,” said Sean.

  “Yes… we have to go,” said Luke.

  “I see it,” said April before she abruptly stopped talking.

  “They’re gone,” said Persephone.

  “Damned, we’re damned!” Yelled Sean. “Why would God let this happen to us? He curses us our whole lives, we seek answers, and this is our fate? Some demon dragging us into an abyss, forever running from the clutches of Hell.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” said Diana.

  “You should be, you’ve damned us all,” said Persephone. Diana began to cry as Sean and Persephone hurried out of her house.

  Sean was heading to his car when Persephone stopped him. “Can I come home with you again? I don’t want to be alone right now. I’m so scared.”

  “I have to go to a group home to mentor these kids.”

  “Were you not paying attention? We’re about to die. Some demon is coming for us. We’re damned! That’s all that matters now.”

  “If I’m truly damned, I want to do a little more good before I die. You can do what you want.”

  “Well, can I come with you then? I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

  “I’ll call you tonight. Go spend some time with the people you love. Ask God to forgive us. Maybe he’ll change his mind.” Sean drove off in his car.

  Can’t believe this is happening. People are dead now, partly because of me. I’m going to Hell and nothing can save me. God, we should never have tried to contact spirits. God, please forgive me. I only wanted answers. I wanted it all to stop. Please God, I’m not perfect, but I don’t want to go to Hell.

  Chapter 9-Rebecca

  Rebecca was in the library with Alfred, reading through books. Alfred was trying to explain something to her, but she wasn’t paying attention. What felt to Rebecca like a few weeks had passed since Alfred first began teaching her how to read. A routine had formed. Alfred would teach Rebecca until she got tired, then she would return to her home, eat, take a shower, and go to bed. Then it would start all over again. Alfred always remained in the library.

  “Poindexter, I’ve been thinkin’ about something. Why don’t you talk with an accent? You say you from England, right? And Tash, she from Africa? Y’all talk hella proper, but how come y’all have no accent?”

  “That’s an excellent question. I, along with Tash, have been in Hell a long time. In that time, we have not only mastered every known language on Earth, but we’ve also mastered the proper pronunciation of each language, depending on who we’re conversating with and the era in which they lived. You will too eventually, if you want to.”

  “I’m bored. I wanna do somethin’ else.”

  “You want to stop your studies?”

  “Naw, not stop. Don’t put words in my fucking mouth. Never thought I’d like learning, but I do. I just want to do somethin’ else for a while.”

  “Okay, what do you have in mind?”

  “I ‘memba you sayin’ somethin’ about other people like us down here. Like Tash, and that fat bastard.”

  “You would like to meet them?”

  “Yeah, not no demons or shit, but people like us.”

  “I see…. ah, I have just the person in mind. We can even travel there. A little adventure.”

  “How far?”

  “Not too far. A few days’ journey from here. You’ll love her.”

  “Her?”

  “Her name is Essie.”

  “Will we meet other people on the way?”

  “Not likely. You’d be surprised, but humans don’t travel much in Hell.”

  “Why not?”

  “The demons.”

  “But you said they wouldn’t hurt us.”

  “They aren’t supposed to. King’s orders. But demons don’t always obey the king.”

  “And what happens then? Do the king whoop they ass or something?”

  Alfred laughed. “That he does, that he does.”

  “Let’s go then. I’m ti’ed of this library!” Rebecca ran out of the library, and Alfred soon caught up.

  “This way Rebecca, this way! We’re actually headed north.”

  The two traveled by foot to meet Essie. Rebecca hoped they would see someone else, but to her disappointment, once they got out of her territory, all she saw was the barren wasteland of Hell.

  “Poindexter, somethin’ else I’ve been thinkin’ about. How come I neva stank?”

  “Because you take baths.”

  “Don’t be a fuckin smartass. I only do that because it makes me feel
good. Yo ass don’t stank and you don’t take no baths.”

  “We’re souls, and souls don’t need to take baths, not in the literal sense at least.”

  “I guess that makes sense. Tell me about this Essie. What did she do on Earth, and how did she die?”

  “Essie was a former slave in America. After she was freed, she left the South and set out to the North.”

  “A fuckin’ slave?! Like Kunta Kinte?”

  “As she was traveling, a group of men found her. These men did not want the slaves to be free. They killed Essie and the small group she was traveling with.”

  “Man, that’s fucked up. Those muthafuckas!”

  “Indeed, she lived a very hard life, like you, Rebecca. I haven’t seen her in quite some time. I helped her get adjusted to Hell, just as I’m helping you.”

  After a few days of traveling, Rebecca and Alfred arrived at what looked like an American pre-Civil War Southern plantation house. It was all white, two stories, and was supported by eight columns all around. In the back and all around the house, there was numerous trees.

  “Dang, this shit nice,” said Rebecca as they proceeded to the door. Before Alfred could even knock, it was opened by an old white woman dressed in rugged cloth. Her feet were bare.

  “Who are you? Massa does not receive visitors,” said the old woman.

  “Tell Essie that Alfred is here to see her.”

  “It will be a moment. She’s upstairs relaxing.”

  “May we come inside?”

  “No, no, no, no, no, no, massa don’t let anyone inside here without her knowing who they are. Wait here on the porch.” The old woman closed the door in their faces.

  “Hold the fuck up? Is ‘massa’ Essie? I saw in this movie once; all the slaves were calling the white people massa. I couldn’t stand that shit. Never saw a white person call someone that though. Who was that old ass woman?”

  “I’ll ask Essie when she comes down.”

  The door opened, and a very plump, beautiful brown skinned woman dressed in an elegant dress ran through the door and hugged Alfred.

  “Alfred! My Alfred. I missed you, my Alfred.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I know. Essie, can we come in?”

  “Of course, come in, come in,” said Essie. Essie proceeded inside the home, with Alfred attached to her arm. “Right in there, to your right.”