When Evil Comes to Play

by B. L. Brunnemer

  I nodded. If I had a sister, I’d feel exactly the same way. “Where is she?”

  She wiped her face. “She’s upstairs, playing I think. I let her stay up past her bedtime tonight.”

  “And everything happens around her?” I asked.

  “Lately, yeah.” She answered. This was one seriously powerful ghost or.... the kid had abilities.

  “Think I can talk to her?”

  Cara nodded and got to her feet. I told Hades to stay before I followed her up the stairs and down the hall, everyone else followed closely. We were eight feet from the staircase at the other end of the hall when she stopped at a door and knocked.

  “Yeah?” A girl’s voice called.

  Cara opened the door. “There’s someone who wants to talk to you, is that okay?”

  I stepped into the doorway. Mia was a younger clone of her sister. Same brown hair, same hazel eyes, and same triangular face, though Mia’s bags were worse than Cara’s. The kid looked young, even for six.

  Mia’s eyes went to the guys behind me. Her eyes widened. “Who are they?”

  “They’re my friends,” I told her in a cheerful voice.

  “They’re all boys,” Mia pointed out.

  I smiled. “Tell me about it. I need to make more friends who are girls.” Mia giggled at the disdain in my voice. I looked over my shoulder.

  “Why don’t my taller friends wait downstairs,” I suggested. Asher sent Mia a smile and a wink. Zeke met my eyes, his face hard. He really didn’t like it, but he followed Asher. Keith followed him. I turned back to Mia and Cara. “Can I come in and visit?”

  Mia nodded and picked up one of her dolls.

  I stepped inside and sat across from Mia on the rug. “Cara tells me you aren’t sleeping.”

  Mia nodded.

  “Can you tell me why?”

  “’Cause the two little girls keep me up.” Mia put her doll in a plastic chair at her play table. She pretended to pour tea for her.

  “Tell me about the little girls. How do they keep you awake?” I asked gently.

  She met my eyes. “They don’t like it when I talk about them.”

  Chills ran down my neck, and they were not the ‘a ghost is around’ kind. “Well, if I tell you a secret of mine, will you tell me about them?”

  Mia seemed to consider it. Then she smiled and nodded.

  I leaned in and whispered. “I can see ghosts.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”

  “Yep, ever since I can remember,” I told her. “You want to know what else I can do?”

  “What?” she asked eagerly.

  “I help them cross over; help them get to Heaven.” These ghosts, though… I highly doubted they’d be going that way, even if there was a Heaven.

  She eyed me. “Why?”

  Her question surprised me. “Well, you see, once someone dies, their soul is supposed to move on. Without their body, they don’t belong here anymore. They need to go to Heaven; it’s where you’re supposed to go.” She seemed to think about it. “Now it’s your turn. What can you tell me about the little girls?”

  She wiped her nose. “They look alike.” She poured another pretend cup of tea. “They protect me.”

  I forced my face to stay neutral. “Really? From what?”

  Mia handed me the cup of pretend tea. “The monster.”

  “What monster, Mia?” I asked softly.

  She looked down at the floor. “He scares me at night. The girls keep him away.”

  “How do they do that?” I pretended to drink tea.

  “They chase him away and play with me at night. He can’t come out during the day,” she explained. I blinked. That was new.

  “What does the monster look like?”

  She went to open her mouth, but her eyes shot to the door. “They’re coming.” She turned back to me. “I told you they don’t like me talking about them.”

  I looked at the door and got to my feet. I moved into the hallway and looked around.

  “Get out of the hall,” I told the guys. Ethan went into the bedroom, followed closely by Miles and Isaac.

  “Red?”

  Something was coming; I could feel it, as if someone had walked over my grave. It was there, just out of reach of my senses, but it was coming.

  “Stay put,” I told him absently as I looked up and down the hall. The sun was setting outside, the hallway was almost dark. I flipped the hall lights on. They flickered but stayed on. Still nothing. I turned to look back toward the other staircase and froze.

  Two little girls were standing near the third-floor staircase. Both had blond curls and wore blue dresses with white lace at the collar and wrists.

  My heart slammed in my chest as fear clawed at me. There was no chill.

  Hades began to bark from downstairs. The edges of the twins were slightly blurred. I stepped towards them, trying to stay calm. They watched me with dead black eyes. Their edges blurred even more as I stepped closer.

  Still no chill. Nothing that told me they were souls, but something new was going off in my head. Information from somewhere.

  “You aren’t ghosts,” I said out loud. My heart began to race. Their heads tilted in sync, to the exact same angle. It felt… evil. More evil than the Shadow Men. More evil than I’d ever known. It was something… something that never... “No… you’re something old. Something that was never human.” Something that simply existed to destroy. “Get them out.”

  “Lexie?” Miles’ voice was quiet.

  “Get. Them. Out,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off the lie it was throwing to fool me and Mia.

  The boys led the girls out of the room and started getting them down the hallway. Isaac stayed with me.

  “That’s them,” Mia said.

  The things’ eyes stayed on me. My breathing grew faster. Good, as long as I had its attention they could get out. They smiled in unison. My gut knotted as their forms blurred even more. Their forms began merging together into a pitch-black fog. I swallowed hard. Glowing, blood-red eyes watched me from the fog. A bead of sweat ran down my spine; my skin crawled. The air grew thicker with the stench of sulfur.

  “Run,” I told Isaac. The fog formed into a long-limbed shadow with long, pointed ears. I backed up, making my way to the stairs.

  The fog charged.

  Adrenaline shot through me as I tried to run. A wall of icy air hit me hard. I was off my feet, spun, then hit the wall. I cried out as pain shot through my back and down my legs. The sweat on my skin froze. I was suddenly shivering. Its hands grabbed me, its claws digging into my skin. Searing pain tore through my arms as its eyes filled my vision.

  “You’re mine.” A deep, terrifying voice moved through my mind. Paws ran up the stairs.

  “Fuck you,” I growled.

  Black, tar-like smoke poured into my mind. Images flashed, memories.

  Blood, death, pain, Dad, Mom, Clay…

  Hades growled and barked. It roared. The house shook; glass shattered.

  I dropped, not knowing where I was. I lay there, trembling and shivering on the hard floor, my vision fading in and out.

  Arms grabbed me, and the scent of limes reached my nose. “Come on, Lexie.” Isaac’s honey-like voice made me aware. I was limp as he gathered me in his arms and started moving.

  “What happened?” Zeke bellowed.

  “Take her, I’ll get Hades!” Isaac shouted as he reached the stairs. Demonic laughter echoed through the house as he handed me off to Zeke. Zeke started moving, but all I kept seeing were those images running through my head. Everyone I loved, dead. And me standing above their bodies, blood soaking my hands.

  Zeke hit the first floor and ran out into the heat. My clothes grew damp as my sweat melted. Isaac wasn’t far behind with Hades. When we reached the lawn, everyone stopped. Zeke set me down on the grass. Hades moved to my side and pressed against me, his warmth comforting.

  “What the hell happened in there?” Asher demanded.

  I was lo
oking down at Dad in his coffin.

  “Why did we run?” Mia asked.

  Mom was beating me with the belt.

  Calloused hands touched my face. “Miles!” Zeke barked.

  Clay was dragging me back to the cabin.

  “Lexie?” Miles’ voice was gentle as his hand lifted my chin. I kept my eyes closed as I fought back memories.

  I took his hand that was on my chin and squeezed. “Give me a minute,” I whispered. His hand squeezed mine. Hades pressed harder against me as my insides shook.

  “Zeke, your handkerchief?” Miles asked.

  Zeke cursed. Miles gently cleaned under my nose. “Lexie?” I couldn’t answer, I was still struggling to push those images away.

  The black smoke was gone, but the memories kept coming. Yes, they happened. Every memory sucked. But I was alive. I continued to remind myself of that as I fought to come out of it.

  “Lexie, come on. Tell us what to do,” Ethan demanded.

  Finally, I was able to push them back. They were still there, waiting for me to relax, but they were back far enough that I could think.

  I blinked up at them, my head pounding. It felt like someone had gone at my brains with a whisk. “I’m here,” I told him. “Just…” I swallowed back tears. “Just give me another minute.”

  Miles saw the tears in my eyes. The fear. He squeezed my hand and turned to Isaac. “What happened once we got the others out?”

  I used the time he gave me to try and pull myself together. Fear was choking me, making it hard to breath. Come on Lexie…

  “Whatever was there… threw her into the wall and held her three feet off the fucking ground. I couldn’t see shit,” Isaac growled.

  Miles began wiping the blood off my arms. “You’re cut, Lexie. And you’ve been burned.”

  Zeke cursed.

  Pull it together. There’s a kid who needs your help. Remember her? “It’s a demon. At least, I think it is,” I told them, taking Zeke’s handkerchief from Miles and holding it to my nose.

  “What?” Asher asked, his voice full of disbelief.

  “It’s old, and it’s never been human. It feels evil,” I explained, my fear rising again. “I think it’s a demon.” A demon that had just pulled out every horrible memory I had and paraded it in front of me. I pulled the cloth from my nose and looked at the house. I didn’t want to go back inside. It was a stupid move. Beyond stupid. But that demon just pissed me off. I could use pissed off, it was better than scared any day.

  Head still pounding, I got to my feet and headed for the door.

  Zeke grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Where do you think you are going?”

  “To kick its ass out,” I growled up at him.

  “No, you’re not,” he snapped, his fingers tightening on my arm. “No one is going back inside.”

  “Oh, yes I am,” I shot back. “That fucker went after a kid. I’m giving it an eviction notice.” Couldn’t he see I needed to do this?

  “How?” he growled.

  “I brought supplies in my bag.” I went to walk away; he didn’t let go.

  “Lexie,” he warned.

  I turned back and met his eyes. “Don’t even try.”

  He glared at me. “Not alone.” The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t budging.

  “Fine,” I grumbled. He let go of my arm.

  “What are you two doing?” Asher asked.

  I turned to him. “I gotta go back in. And Zeke won’t let me go alone.”

  Miles’ eyes went to the cuts on my arms and then my eyes. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “It’s the only way to get rid of it.” I turned and headed for the door. Hades followed. I stepped inside and grabbed my bag. I rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for. Holy water, and a jar of black salt.

  I started by sprinkling holy water in the corner of every room. Then, starting from the attic, I sprinkled a pinch of black salt in the center of each room. The entire time, my heart raced and my hands trembled. Zeke and Hades followed me like shadows. When we reached the living room again, I pulled out a smudging stick.

  “Why are we going up and down the house?” he asked.

  I picked up my bag. “The holy water is to get the demon out, the black salt is to cleanse the entire area so it won’t have a hold on the house, and the sage puts up a barrier against it.”

  “You really have done your homework.”

  We walked out of the house. I met Cara and Mia on the porch. I handed her the sage. “Okay, that should work. But tonight, after your parents are in the house and in bed, light the sage and move the smoke over the doorways and windows. It’ll create a barrier throughout the house.”

  “Are you sure it’s gone?” Cara asked, her voice shaking.

  “I think so. I didn’t feel or see anything inside, and Hades didn’t bark,” I told her, “so you should be clear. If not, call Keith or Travis and they’ll get a hold of me.”

  Cara nodded, her eyes watering. “Thank you so much.”

  I gave her a small, strained smile. “No problem.” I moved down the stairs to meet the guys.

  Zeke grabbed my arm and took me to Asher’s truck. “Asher, where’s your first aid kit?”

  “Zeke, I just want to go home,” I told him. The pounding in my head was getting worse. I just wanted to curl up in the quiet. He eyed me. “I’m tired.”

  “I’ll take her home and get her patched up,” Miles told Zeke. Zeke looked like he wanted to argue. He turned back to me. His eyes ran over my face before he nodded.

  Travis and Keith reached the group.

  “Thanks for helping,” Keith said.

  “What did you see?” Travis asked as he eyed me.

  “I saw two little girls. But something was off; they felt… wrong,” I explained through the throbbing in my head. “I didn’t feel the chill on my neck that I usually do when I see a soul. That was the first clue.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose between two fingers. My head was killing me.

  “So, you really see the dead?” Keith asked, hesitating a little. Pain shot through my skull. Hot liquid began to run from my nose.

  “Shit,” I bit out as I quickly pulled Zeke’s handkerchief from my pocket. I held it to my nose as my head ached.

  “Lexie?” Asher’s voice was worried. I waved him off as I stepped away from the guys to take care of my face. The blood seemed to be pouring from me like never before. My heart dropped. Was this… was this another symptom? I’d never had a nosebleed this bad without a soul being around. Was this because of the demon, or because of that spot on my brain? My throat closed as I focused on what I was doing.

  Just as quickly as it started, it suddenly stopped. And Zeke’s hankie was soaked.

  “Is there a bag somewhere?” I asked. Isaac brought me a small Ziploc bag from the kit and some wipes to get the blood off. He held the bag open so I could put the cloth inside. “Zeke, I’ll wash it and get it back to you.”

  “I’m not worried about it,” he grumbled.

  I cleaned my face quickly. Isaac pointed to let me know where I missed some. His amber eyes were worried as he watched me.

  I gave him a smile. “I’m fine.”

  He nodded but didn’t seem to believe me. Then again, I wouldn’t believe me either. I walked back to the guys with Isaac.

  “Just keep it to yourselves,” Ethan told Keith and Travis. They nodded.

  Miles came to my side, picked up my bag and moved his hand to my lower back.

  “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” I told my guys. They said goodnight. Miles led me to his car and opened the passenger side door.

  The drive to Rory’s was a blur. Memories kept pouring through my mind. Miles opened my car door. I grabbed my bag. Hades was already waiting at the front door when I started unlocking it.

  The great room was empty. I dropped my bag near the door and moved straight to the couch. I sat down and set my feet on the edge of the coffee table. Hades jumped on to the couch and res
ted his head in my lap. I scratched his head while the memories kept flashing.

  “Lexie?” Miles’ voice was soft. I blinked. He sat next to me and opened the first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom. He tore open some antiseptic wipes. He carefully took one arm and started cleaning the cuts on my forearm. “I need to hear your voice,” he said gently.

  “I’m okay. It’s just… when it pinned me to the wall, somehow it got into my head and pulled all my worst memories to the surface,” I told him absently. His fingers slowed.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “They just won’t go away,” I told him, staring off at the dark TV. Not to mention that nosebleed and the headache…

  He set the wipes down and turned back to me, his emerald eyes warm. It was exactly what I needed. Well, almost. I shifted and leaned against him, my fingers digging into his shirt. His arms moved around me, one around my shoulders, the other around my waist, holding me to him. I took a deep breath of wintergreen. The chaos in my mind started slowing down.

  “It’s going to be alright,” he said against my hair.

  “I saw it all over again,” I whispered. “Dad’s funeral, Mom beating me, Clay…” I buried my face in the crook of his neck. He held me tighter.

  “I’m sorry, Angel,” he breathed. I took deep breaths of his scent and slowly began to relax against him. When I wasn’t clinging so much, he loosened his grip until I was leaning against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. After some time, he broke the silence. “I need to clean your burns.” I nodded and sat up.

  He took my hands and examined my wrists. “These look like handprints.”

  I nodded. Four fingered handprints, but handprints none the less. “It grabbed my arms, but it was smoke, so… I don’t know how it did it.”

  Miles' face was blank as he carefully cleaned my wrists before he gently applied burn ointment. When he was done, he repacked the kit. I was exhausted, again.

  “I’m… I’m gonna go to bed,” I announced.

  Miles' eyes ran over me before he got to his feet and held out his hand. I took it. He helped me to my feet and walked me to the stairs. Instead of leaving me there, he climbed the stairs behind me. I was half asleep by the time I reached the second floor. Miles guided me into my bedroom. He helped me pull out the futon. I didn’t hesitate. I lay down and curled up on my side. Hades jumped onto the bed and snuggled down between my back and the wall. Gentle hands were on my feet, slipping my shoes off. He covered me with the light afghan at the end of my bed.