The Exorcism

[snowmanlover]

Hello. This is my first time posting something on the forums, so please be nice and review. I know it's a little long, so I'll cut it into smaller pieces. There are four main characters and two side characters:

1. Ambrosia (our narrator)
2. Patricio
3. Dawson
4. Wynne

1. The Priest
2. The church custodian (John)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you really think I can do an exorcism?” I asked Patricio, “I mean, we don’t even know how it’s done.”

“We should try,” Patricio said, “I’d hate to say we didn’t help her when we could have.”

I turned to the priest and the church custodian. I doubt they knew about exorcisms, but it was worth a try. “Do you know what we can try?”

“How should I know?” the custodian replied, “I try to avoid those things. You’re the experts. You’re the ones with the magical jewelry!”

“John,” the priest interrupted, “We’ve asked help from many doctors and even psychics. They’ve tried things, but nothing has worked.” He smiled gently, “We’re thankful that you’re willing to try to help the poor girl. Just be prepared for the worst.”

I nodded, instinctively touching my necklace for reassurance. Then, the four of us entered the hallway. Echoes of ghostly wails bounced off the walls, catching us off guard. Dawson and I glanced at the other uneasily. Patricio frowned and stepped past, not wanting to idle a moment longer. Wynne quickly followed, coaxing me not to be scared.

I wasn’t scared, but I was worried about the false hope we might have given the priest.

As we continued down the hallway, the echoes of bone-tingling cries grew louder until we could hear them ring past us. They came from a dully illuminated door. Checking to see we were all there, Patricio gave a quick knock and turned the knob. Immediately, the stench of urine blasted into our faces. The narrow room was lit with candles. Apparently, no one minded if the room caught fire. There was a simple window, lined with crosses, incense, and voodoo dolls, and a cot below it. A woman lay curled on a lopsided, blood-stained mattress. She was covered in deep scratches and clumps of her own matted hair. A quiet groan rang in our ears. Her head rose from her limp heap of a body.

I gasped and bumped into Dawson. Through the tangled strands of hair, her veiny eyes peered at us. No pupils. No irises. Her jaw dropped, and a shriek rumbled the room. I clapped my hands to my ears and waited for her to stop. She lunged at us, but her wrists were tied to the bedframe, and her ankles were bound. The whole bed lurched forward in an attempt to keep her back, and for a moment we thought it was going to fall on her. But the bed held steady, and she fell back onto the mattress.

[snowmanlover]

Patricio did not hesitate to enter the room. Wynne stood beside him, but it was obvious she was uneasy. I walked in with Dawson, fidgeting his fingers. What were they scared of? I was the one who was going to attempt an exorcism. I should be the scared one, but I wasn’t. At least, I convinced myself that I wasn’t.

The woman -or demon- was trying to recuperate after the failed attack. She tried to find a sturdy stance even though the binds made it impossible. She snarled at us, and I saw gums. She didn’t have any teeth.

“Huh,” I said, “At least, I won’t get bitten.”

Dawson forced a laugh, but he sounded really uncomfortable. Wynne and Patricio, on the other hand, weren’t paying attention.

“Ready?” Patricio asked.

Wynne nodded, “Ready.”

They charged, tackling the she-demon onto her side. The woman twisted against them, and ghoulish screams bounced around the room and into the hallway. They finally wrestled her onto her back, her bound legs kicking the air.

“Ambrosia! Hurry!” Patricio ordered, struggling to keep the body steady.

I rushed forward. My hand shot out from under its sleeve to clap onto the demon’s forehead. Immediately, I felt the cold magic swirling inside. It was rampant like a thunderstorm. Shifting through the cold magic, I searched for the familiar icy burn of an angry demon, and I felt it. The cold thunderstorm served as a thin shell to protect the monster within. Its icy soul had already consumed the poor woman on the inside and now occupied every inch of space it could find. I doubted I could pull the entire demon out, but I had to try.

I surged my magic out of my palm and into the woman’s head. My magic rolled into a ball and brushed the edges of the monster’s soul, tempting it to feed on me instead. It took the bait. Sharp teeth sunk into the ball of energy and suckled like a leech. I reached farther down to take a hold of the monster and pulled, calling my magic ball back into my hand. The being didn’t resist. As soon as it touched my hand, I felt the icy cold freeze my sweaty palm and numb my fingertips. Its slimy soul squeezed through my arm as I pulled it in. Wanting to release myself from this unpleasant experience, I glanced at the woman. Her eyes were closed now, and she seemed so relaxed. I couldn’t give up; I could save her. Pulling the monster past my elbow was no easy feat. The hairs on my arm stood up, and the demon in its new environment began to squirm. I don’t think you’ve ever felt live snakes slither inside your arm, but it felt like that.

On one hand, I was completely grossed out by this demon. On the other, I was actually amazed at how the demon could fit in a compact space. It had overtaken the woman’s insides. I had cleaned out her body and stuffed most of the demon’s soul into the area of my arm. The last bit was still squirming in the confined space of her head. The demon, still sucking on my magic energy ball, finally broke its shell and devoured the insides. I gasped. It sprung forward and entered my body, consuming my insides.

I shrieked and jerked back, banging my head on a wall. My eyes fogged. My skin crawled. The demon fed.

[snowmanlover]

“Ambrosia!” I heard Patricio’s voice through my screaming. A small blur ran to me and held me tight.

Wynne, I thought, help me.

The demon wormed its way to my chest, my heart.

No… I thought, not there... not my magic…

My necklace glinted. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. It formed a protective barrier around my heart. The demon tore and chewed the barrier, but it didn’t break. So, it slithered up my neck and into my head.

Wynne was still holding me. I could hear remnants of her words, but I couldn’t make sense of it over my screaming. The demon took up a space in my head and threw it forward, sinking my teeth into Wynne. I heard a scream. What had I done? A hand tore my head away, but my teeth scraped Wynne’s flesh. I tasted blood. I liked this taste.

A door slammed.

“We have to hold her down and keep her still,” Dawson’s voice yelled.

A new set of hands replaced Wynne’s. Bigger and stronger, they pinned me to the floor. The demon didn’t like that. It threw my head up and down, banging it on the linoleum. My entire body shook violently.

Please, I begged, please, make it stop.

A soft object fell into my mouth. I tasted blood.

Blood. I like this taste.

I sank my teeth into it and tasted cotton. A voodoo doll. With the little consciousness I had left, I gathered as much magic as I could muster. I opened the protective barrier around my heart, spread it into a large wall, and moved it up my neck. The monster tasted the blood, and bits of it seeped out through my mouth. My wall moved behind it and shoved the demon as hard as it could. This time, the demon resisted, perhaps knowing what I was trying to do. I pushed harder, squeezing the slimy soul out of my body and into the doll.

I spat out the cotton doll, and it landed close to my head. Gasping for air, my body still shook. My eyesight still blurred. I felt a warm bile rise up from my stomach and up my throat. I had enough strength to roll over and puke everything I ate that day. Taking deep breaths of air, my vision steadied, and I could clearly see my own vomit. Out of nowhere, a hand rubbed my back.

“Are you feeling better?” Patricio asked.

“Much… better…” I gasped.

“Can you sit up?”

“Maybe.”

Patricio’s warm hands clamped on my shoulders and eased me into sitting position. I let him do it. I was too weak to resist. I could see the ragged woman lying in a heap on the bed. With her ankles still bound, she rolled over, grumbling. Her drowsy eyes opened; they were brown. I felt relieved.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for reading. Please, tell me what you think. smile