3 The Ghoul Next Door Page 17

  I paused, then continued, “But that’s not all. There’s another entity that crawls on the roof and slips in through the windows. It wants to attach itself to you. It’s a demon.”

  My heart rate increased, my stomach turned and sweat beaded on my forehead. This thing knew when I was talking about it.

  “What can go wrong if it gets her?” Ben asked.

  “If it gets in her, she’ll lose her mind.”

  I felt Mindy’s stare on me when I answered the question. Was she wondering if I’d lose my mind?

  “You have to leave, Jennie. She’s made it clear how much danger you’re in,” Ben said.

  I shook my head. “She can’t leave. She just has to fight it off. Jennie has to set boundaries and not let it roam around this property or come into this home. You need to seal the home.”

  “How do we do that?” he asked.

  “Place salt all around the house, then sage inside the house.” They looked slightly confused, but I continued anyway. “I do this often in my home, but it doesn’t always work. You have to keep fighting.”

  They nodded, but I wasn’t sure they fully understood. “I hope we gave you answers. You have to go forward from here.”

  Jennie squeezed Ben’s hand. “I have the tools now. Thank you.”

  “Coming to terms with the talent is hard but once you take control things will be much better.” Cooper offered his advice.

  Without warning, Jennie leaned back in her chair. “I have to get out of here,” she said.

  I’d noticed Jennie holding her head and her face had grown red. With a loud thud, she fell to the floor. We jumped up and rushed to her. When her eyes popped open, I knew it wasn’t her. The thing had managed to enter her body. Would I be next?

  “We have to help her,” Ben yelled out.

  I met Matt’s gaze and I knew what he was thinking: this would make for good TV. I didn’t like that at all. This woman’s life was in danger and it was no time to be thinking of ratings.

  “Her arms are covered with fresh scratches. They weren’t there a second ago,” Mindy said.

  Cooper pulled her back to the chair with Ben’s help. “We must perform an exorcism on Jennie.” He looked at me. “I can lead it with your help.”

  “What? I can’t do that. Have you ever performed an exorcism?” I asked.

  He shifted his gaze and I knew if he said yes, he’d be lying.

  “Yes, I have,” he said.

  Liar. I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t. This wasn’t the time for a confrontation, although Matt would have loved for me to add more drama. I’d give Cooper one chance to perform the exorcism, then I’d call in the priest who I knew could help. To what extent Jennie was taken over by this creature, I didn’t know, but the scratches on her arms were undeniable.

  Now more than ever I regretted agreeing to do the show. I wished I was in Callahan’s arms right now. I just needed to get through the day, then I could melt into Callahan’s embrace. Or could I? I’d been warned to stay away. Not to mention that I’d pushed Callahan away.

  I sighed. “Okay. We’ll give it a shot, but I don’t want to wait too long. If this doesn’t work, we’re calling a priest.”

  “It’ll work. I’ll get my Bible, holy water, and cross,” Cooper said.

  It seemed as if he had come prepared. Had he known something that I didn’t? Maybe he hadn’t told me everything that he knew.

  “Is it really necessary to do this?” Ben asked.

  Cooper didn’t waste any time answering. “Satan has sent one of his minions to your home. They feed on fear and everyone in this room has plenty of it to give them. Their sole purpose is to destroy and torment souls. The more you allow them to stay around the more fearful you’ll be and the more you fear the devil, the more he’ll hang around. They use fear to overcome you and steal your soul.”

  “Will she be okay?” Ben asked.

  I tried to soothe his fears. “She may have violent reactions at first, but I know she’ll overcome it and we’ll get rid the evil spirit.”

  “I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Cooper said as he dashed for the door.

  He seemed a little too eager for this. I thought he loved the camera a little too much.

  When I glanced out the window, Elvis was pacing the length of the front porch. I knew he wanted me to hurry up and get the heck out of there. Still, Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry were nowhere in sight. I guessed the ghosts of the house had told them to stay away. I wished I had that kind of influence over them.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  While waiting for Cooper, I scrolled through my camera to look at the photos I’d snapped. A few of the shots were completely dark. But then I spotted one photo and I knew that a demonic force had been trying to emerge. I noticed the apparition in the photo right away. It was startling to see the proof that the spirit had been there. Without a doubt, there was an evil spirit in the home.

  Jennie was still in a daze and not really talking to anyone. I looked to her boyfriend and said, “Believe it or not, the man and young girl are good spirits. They are trying to hold the bad one back, but I’m not sure how long they’ll be able to keep it at bay.”

  He wiped away tears as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and squeezed. “I know it’s hard to see with something attacking Jennie like this, but you have to stop crying and be strong. Like Cooper said, it feeds on the fear. We can’t give it any more energy.”

  He nodded in understanding.

  Trying to ease his apprehension, I asked, “There was an old barn behind the house. Did you go back there often?”

  Ben nodded again.

  I shook my head. “The evil spirit likes to hang out back there, watching and following you.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, it’s obvious that something is telling us to get out of this house. A lot of people have experienced stuff when they come here too.” He shook his head. “I didn’t believe Jennie at first and I feel horrible for that.”

  Finally Cooper returned with religious paraphernalia in hand. “We’ll do it in the living room,” he said. “We need a lot of space.”

  I placed my arm under Jennie’s and helped Ben move her into the other room.

  “Do you think this is such a great idea?” I whispered to Cooper.

  He met my gaze. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  After we sat Jennie in the chair, I turned to Cooper and whispered, “Jennie needs help. This thing is attacking her and if we can’t help, we have to call someone who can.”

  “It’ll be okay. Like I said before, I know what I’m doing. I won’t let it get out of hand.” Cooper motioned for Mindy, Matt and the cameraman. “Please, everyone gather around Jennie. She needs our help, so focus on good energy.”

  When Cooper placed his hand on Jennie’s shoulder, his face turned red. It looked as if he was struggling to catch his breath. He grabbed his neck and motioned for help.

  “Cooper,” I yelled. “We have to help him. He can’t breathe.”

  When Matt approached, Cooper pushed him and Matt landed with a thud against the wall. Matt stumbled up with a dazed and stunned look across his face.

  “Keep going,” Cooper grunted.

  When I touched Matt’s arm, he said, “I’m fine.”

  Cooper regained his composure and placed his right hand on Jennie’s head, and with his left hand, he held his Bible. “We’ll free her from the devil’s clutches.”

  Matt held the cross in front of Jennie. It wobbled as his hand shook. When Jennie glanced at the crucifix, she had to look away.

  “Remember, demons play tricks. Just be prepared.” He looked to all of us.

  A presence filled the room—the demon had entered. Ben paced the floor. He was in full-on panic mode. Jennie screamed and writhed, followed by hysterical laughter. You could feel the battle in the room.

  “I’m not leaving,” Jennie said. Her voice had changed.

  Ben, Mindy and Matt looked on with wide eyes. The air in t
he room was hanging over us like a heavy blanket.

  “I command you to leave,” Cooper yelled.

  “Leave me alone. It’s me, Jennie.” Her voice had returned to normal.

  “She’s back. It worked,” Ben said, rushing to her side.

  “No, the demon will pretend that she’s not possessed. It’ll give us false answers to questions and even pretend to leave,” Cooper yelled.

  “Well, then how the hell will we know when it’s really gone?” Matt asked.

  “You’ll feel it,” I answered for Cooper.

  “Are you sure we’re not dealing with schizophrenia? Or some other psychological disorder?” Matt asked.

  Cooper didn’t answer, but continued with his mission. “I command you to tell me if you were brought here by a sorcerer’s magic.”

  I hadn’t expected Cooper to ask that question, but I wanted to know the answer. Would we get the right answer?

  “Where are you from?” Ben asked Jennie.

  I placed my hand on Ben’s arm. “Don’t believe all the demon says. Only ask questions regarding this situation.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I learned the hard way. The demon doesn’t need any more information. It’s like giving him your address and inviting him to move in with you.”

  Jennie’s skin was wet, but not only from the sweat, but from being dosed with holy water. Cooper forced the crucifix into her hand. Her arms fell to her sides as if she had no strength to even hold them up. There wasn’t much fight left in her.

  Jennie spoke Latin, but I had no idea what she said. This was why we needed a priest. I feared we were in way over our heads.

  “Does anyone know what she said?” Matt asked.

  “She doesn’t speak any other languages,” Ben said.

  “I told you the demon can do crazy things that you’d never dream possible,” Cooper said as he continued holding the Bible next to Jennie.

  “Who is this demon?” Ben asked.

  “We may never know who the demon is. People come back to work for the devil. If they enjoyed making deals with the devil when they were alive, then it wouldn’t surprise me if a person came back now as a demon. It looks like this demon wants to continue to haunt and torment your family as much as he can,” Cooper said.

  “Yeah, and he adds other people in just for kicks,” Mindy whispered. “It’s an added bonus for him.” She stood by the entryway, ready to run at any moment.

  “He probably had a sick and twisted mind when he was alive, so I can imagine what it must be like now in his hellish afterlife,” I said. “But I intend on stopping him one way or another. He won’t win this battle, not if I have any say-so.”

  I held Jennie’s arm as she continued to shake. Maybe Cooper was right. This demon could have been bad in life and was now taking it out on anyone he could. I wasn’t sure we’d ever find out. Maybe Cooper knew what he was talking about after all. I figured Cooper was right about half the time. And as long as that half the time was the time that counted right now, well, that was all that mattered for me.

  Jennie seemed to become more aware of us. “It was her.” She pointed toward me. “It was her who brought this demon to my house.”

  I looked around as if to say: what did I do? “It’s only the demon still talking.” I tried to brush off Jennie’s statement.

  Everyone stared, then focused their attention on Jennie. Thank goodness. She began interacting with everyone as she normally did. The demon was losing strength and the air lightened. The cloud had lifted from the room. I let out a huge breathe. Was this thing finally gone? Did that mean the dark shadow following me would be gone too?

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  We drove to the local pizza place for the wrap party. My heart wasn’t in it though. I would have rather gone home, pulled the shades down, and gone to bed.

  “This is where you go for a party? How lame,” Candy Cherry said.

  Why hadn’t she been around when the demon was attacking Jennie? She was full of hot air.

  “There’s no smoking,” I snapped at Mr. Fine when no one was looking.

  He glared, took a drag, and then blew the smoke in my face. I coughed and waved the invisible smoke out of my face.

  “I love pizza,” Elvis said as he looked at the slices longingly.

  What kind of hell would it be to see a gooey pepperoni pizza and not be able to take a bite? Complete torture, I thought.

  “Larue, you just haven’t been acting right since we left the investigation. What’s going on with you?” Mindy sat across from me after we’d gotten our cheesy pizza.

  “What are you talking about?” I snapped as I shoved a slice of pizza in my mouth.

  Okay. That wasn’t like me. My mood was growing worse. I had to tell someone what was going on and ask for help. As much as I wanted to do everything on my own, I knew I had to ask for help. Why had I just snapped at her? I didn’t want to talk to her that way, but it had just come out of my mouth. It was as if I couldn’t control my own voice.

  I knew Mindy was right though. I’d felt the dark thoughts take over my mind and it was time to admit it once and for all and stop pretending what was happening to me didn’t exist. The feeling I had wasn’t only because I was working too much or over-stressed. No, I knew that something more sinister was going on.

  “I’m sorry.” I rubbed my temples. “I have no idea why I snapped like that. Too much pressure, I guess.”

  “I worry about you, Larue. You don’t even look the same. Your expression has changed. Even your eye color looks different. Your eyes look bluer.” She picked at her slice of pizza.

  When Mindy said this, I knew I was in trouble. It hit me hard. This wasn’t normal behavior for me. Either I was being overcome by a demon, or a spell had been cast on me. With the events as of late, I couldn’t tell which.

  “Mindy, I think you’re right.” My stomach twisted into a knot. “I think something is wrong with me. I haven’t felt myself since before the show started. I don’t know if it’s the demonic stuff in the house, or if a spell has been cast on me.”

  “Who would have cast a spell on you? I thought all of that was behind us now. Brianna is gone and so is Becky. At least I assume they are gone for good. Do you think they’ve come back?”

  I stared down at my plate. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t think they’ve come back, but I need to get answers. This could become very serious.”

  She sighed. “I think it already is.”

  “I still don’t know who sent the witch’s ball. How will I even begin to figure out a mystery such as that?”

  “We need to do some sleuthing.” Mindy smiled and I attempted to return the sentiment. I knew she was right. If I wanted to save myself, I had to find out who was attacking me.

  ***

  There had been no return address on the box. No card or any clues that would lead to its origin. Maybe I had overlooked something. I made my way to the box that I’d left in the kitchen. Mindy followed along behind me.

  I hadn’t wanted to throw it away in the hopes that I’d somehow find a clue in it. But I’d looked at it several times over the last couple days and there had been no clues. I picked up the box and lifted out the tissue paper again.

  “It doesn’t have many clues, huh?” Mindy asked as she stood beside me.

  “Nope.” I shook my head.

  I turned it upside down, thinking maybe something like a card would fall out like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Once again, nothing fell out. Someone snorted from over my shoulder and I knew without looking who it was.

  “What do you want?” I snapped. “You know who sent this ball to me, don’t you? It gives you great pleasure to let them remain anonymous, doesn’t you?”

  “What good does it do me to tell you? I get nothing for it, so why should I?” Candy Cherry walked around the table, circling us and glaring the whole time.

  “Because it would be a nice thing to do.” I stared back.

 
“You just want to know who sent it so you can get rid of me.” She waved her index finger at me.

  “That is not true. What good does it do for me to know?” I used the sweetest voice I could muster. “It’s not as if the person who sent it can tell me how to get rid of you. But there are ways to get rid of you.”

  She snorted.

  “We performed an exorcism on the show, I think I’m going to ask Cooper to come over and help cast you out as well.” I smirked.

  It did my soul good to get in a little dig like that. If she thought she was going to hang around and torment me, she had another think coming.

  “You can try all you want, but I’m not going anywhere.” She folded her arms in front of her chest.

  “Say that all you want, but you’ll see. I’ll get rid of you.”

  She let out a huff. “Fine. Maybe I can give you a few clues.”

  I thought she’d see it my way. “Okay.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and leaned back. “I’m listening. You’d better not be yanking my chain again.”

  She flashed her dazzling smile. “Would I do a thing like that?”

  I frowned. “Yes. You have and you would. Now get on with it.”

  “Okay. A woman may or may not have sent it to you.” She studied her fingernails.

  “What kind of clue is that? I mean, I assumed it was either a man or a woman. Unless a ghost delivered it to my front porch, which would still be a man or a woman. So you’re not helping me much.”

  “Okay, okay. You are a complete nag. It was a woman.”

  I stood up straighter. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So if you can tell me it was a woman, then why can’t you just go ahead and come out with who it was?”

  “Because that wouldn’t be any fun and then I would have failed at my job. I was meant to come here and harass you. Oops.” She covered her mouth.

  “You were sent here to harass me? Just because someone sent you here doesn’t mean you actually have to nag me. Maybe you could just pretend to do it.”

  She shook her head. “No can do. I have a job to do and I always finish what I start.”

  “So what do you consider a successful mission as far as harassing me is concerned?”