When Evil Comes to Play

by B. L. Brunnemer

  Footsteps hurried down the aisle. I was still staring at the emergency door when Zeke and Miles came around the corner. The others went back to getting ready as Hades pulled on his leash.

  Miles squatted down to turn my chin with his good hand. “Lexie, what happened?”

  I met his eyes. “He told me we weren’t friends. He called me a cunt. Then he pushed me into the lockers.” I still couldn’t quite believe it myself. Ethan and Asher joined us. Hades began straining toward the exit.

  Zeke’s face grew murderous. “Where is he?

  “He ran.” I looked up them. “I think something is wrong with him.”

  Zeke’s massive frame turned and strode towards the emergency door. “Yeah, he’s about to die,” he announced in his deep, gravelly voice.

  “Zeke,” I called.

  He turned back at the door.

  “You don’t understand,” I tried again. “Something is really wrong. Like…”

  It finally clicked.

  Holy. Fucking. Shit. Something… was in Isaac. Oh fuck, oh fuck. Don’t panic, Lexie. Breathe.

  I got to my feet and headed for the emergency exit. Sweat started to bead on my skin as I led them further away from the door so we couldn’t be heard. I turned and looked up at them. “I think Isaac is possessed or something.”

  Zeke scowled at me. Asher’s eyebrows were sky high. Ethan’s face grew pale. And Miles’ face? Well, he had his thinking face on.

  “Why do you say that?” Miles asked, tapping his fingers on his thigh.

  “I saw a black shadow covering his face.” I swallowed hard. “I saw it during the fight too. I just thought it was from the lights or something.” I shook my head. “His eyes turned red and the voice he used…” I looked up at them. “That wasn’t Isaac. It was deeper than Zeke’s voice.”

  “What?” Ethan breathed, his face growing even paler.

  Miles stopped tapping. “Are you sure?”

  I looked at him. “I… I don’t fucking know.”

  “Okay, well, before we go tell him he’s possessed, let’s check with someone who would know,” Asher suggested.

  “Serena,” I stated, pulling out my phone. Serena and I didn’t have the best of relationships, well, with her threatening to kill me and me wanting to live and all. Serena’s phone went straight to voicemail. That was it. I had been leaving this bitch messages all fucking week!

  “Serena! I need you to pick up your fucking phone! I think a friend of mine is possessed. CALL ME!” I hung up. My chest grew tight as panic set in. Hades moved away from Zeke and sat on my foot, only to lean against my leg.

  “Okay, okay. What do I know?” I asked myself out loud as I moved away from Hades to pace, trying to stay calm. “I know a bunch of theoretical shit!” I covered my face and took a deep breath.

  Miles stepped closer and pulled one of my hands from my face. “We need someone with experience with this, right?”

  I nodded, my heart hammering away in my throat.

  His thumbs stroked the back of my knuckles. My panic pulled back a bit. “Alright. You think it’s the demon from Cara and Mia’s house?”

  I nodded.

  “Then, maybe we should go to the Catholic church and talk to a priest,” Miles suggested.

  A priest? Priest! “Shit!” I pulled my hand from his and grabbed my phone. “Serena gave me the name of a priest months ago.” I unlocked my phone with trembling fingers. I found the number and hit the call button. I started chewing on the bottom corner of my lip as it rang. Finally, someone picked up.

  “Hello, Saint Joseph’s church,” a young man’s voice answered.

  “I’m looking for Father Francis.” I skipped the pleasantries.

  “One moment, he just came into the office. Let me transfer you,” the man said. I got an earful of elevator music. I started pacing, my hand balling in the hair of my ponytail. Come on!

  “This is Father Francis. How can I help you?” An older man’s voice came on the line.

  “Do you know a woman named Serena?” I asked immediately.

  There was silence. “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”

  Fuck it. I didn’t have time for subtle. “Look, here’s the deal. I’m a Necromancer, I’m seventeen years old, and a witch named Serena gave me this number if there was anything I couldn’t handle. Right now, I’m pretty sure one of my best friends is possessed by a demon. Hence the phone call. She’s not picking up. Now, can you help me or not?”

  There was dead silence on the phone. I held my breath. Don’t tell me I just fucked up any hope of helping Isaac. Me and my big—

  “Yes, I knew a Serena years ago,” he stated. “Why do you think your friend is possessed?”

  I quickly summed up Cara and Mia’s house, Isaac not sleeping, the way he’d been acting, and then, oh yeah, the big shadow and red eyes. I barely managed to keep the sarcasm from being too much.

  “If that is indeed what is happening, it sounds like your friend is in the advanced stages of possession. It has manifested extraordinarily fast,” he said, his voice clinical. “You’ll have to get him here to the church in Boulder, Colorado. Then we’ll determine if it’s possession or not.”

  I moved the phone from my mouth to turn to Miles. “We need to get him to Boulder.”

  Miles pulled out his phone and was calling before I finished my sentence. “I’ll have the jet prepped.”

  “We’ll be there today,” I told him.

  “Now, listen. If this is the advanced stages of possession, then the entity will try to take over a body permanently, which means killing the soul of the rightful owner of that body. Be on the lookout for it to come to the surface. They have abilities - telekinesis, throwing fire, conjuring hallucinations. You name it, a demon can do it.”

  “Got it. Super powers, great,” I muttered.

  “Now, listen. This is very important. Do not leave him alone,” he stated. “If a demon is found out, they’ll kill the person instead of the soul. And they’ll do as much damage as they can on the way out.”

  “He ran off,” I admitted, my stomach knots growing knots.

  “Find him and get him here. We’ll examine him when he arrives,” he told me.

  “We will.” I hung up and turned to the others. “Not good. We need to find him, now. It’s going to try to kill him.” I turned to Miles. “We need something to knock him out.”

  Miles nodded. “I’ll take care of the plane, Hades, and the medication. You guys find him.”

  Everyone split up. When I started the Blazer my hands were trembling. I took deep breaths and let them out slowly.

  We had to find him. There was no other option. We had to.

  Ethan

  I didn't even stop for the stop sign at the intersection. There were no cars, so I just drove through. My heart was racing in my chest. My clammy hands gripped the wheel. It was a job just to breathe.

  "Ethan, calm down. We aren't going to help him if we're in another accident,” Miles announced, reminding me he was in the car.

  I cursed as I slowed down to only five miles over the speed limit. "He's going to..." Bile rose in my throat. I couldn't even say it.

  "We'll find him,” he reassured me.

  "Yeah, how?" I snapped as I turned the wheel. "We don't know everyone he knows!" I hit the brakes hard. The car screeched to a halt at the stop light. I couldn't lose him too. I couldn't seem to breathe. Taking deep breaths, my chest ached as if it were replaced with a deep, burning pit. My control was paper thin. Everything I was, shook. I couldn't do it again...

  "Deep breaths," Miles ordered.

  I did as he said.

  "Now, Zeke and Asher are out looking too. So is Lexie. We'll find him,” he promised. I swallowed hard and nodded as my eyes burned. I just... couldn't...

  Lexie

  We spent the next two hours looking for him. We were running out of time. The knot in my chest was pulling tighter and tighter. The longer it took, the harder it was to breathe. My phon
e rang. I looked at it in the holder and hit the button as I pulled off the highway.

  “Cookie Monster?”

  “Lexie…” Isaac’s voice was so strained I couldn’t take it.

  “Where are you?” I asked, running my hand through my hair.

  “I need you,” he whispered, his voice shaking.

  “You got me,” I said instantly. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.”

  “The scenic overlook off ninety-three north. It’s about three miles outside of town,” he said absently. I wasn’t even a mile away. “Hurry.” The phone went dead. I floored it. My heart raced as I sped out to the overlook. I hit my speed dial.

  “Did you find him?” Zeke demanded.

  “He called me. He’s at the overlook off ninety-three north. Three miles outside of town. He asked me to come,” I practically shouted into the phone.

  “Not alone!” Zeke shouted.

  “Then follow! I’m already here.” I hit the brakes and skidded to a stop in the almost empty parking lot. My eyes were on Isaac, standing on the other side of the railing, five feet out at the edge of the cliff. “Hurry.”

  I left my phone and jumped out of the truck, not even bothering to shut it off. I ran to the railing, climbed over, and went straight to him.

  “Isaac,” I called gently as I walked slowly towards him. That black shadow covered him, moving constantly over his skin as he looked down at the floor of the valley, over three hundred feet down. I got no response. I moved closer. “Cookie Monster.” I kept my voice soft.

  “Lexie.” His voice cracked. My throat grew tight at the sound.

  “I’m here.” I swallowed hard as I eyed the edge. “What are you doing?”

  He shook his head hard. The shadows moved away from his face.

  “I want it over, Lexie,” he whispered. My heart stopped. “I can’t take it anymore.”

  “Talk to me,” I begged.

  “I killed her.” His voice was so quiet I barely heard him. “It’s my fault she’s dead.” My heart shattered. Isaac…

  “No, you didn’t,” I told him firmly. He looked at me over his shoulder.

  “I could have left the car,” he growled, his eyes tinged red. “I could have gotten help.” I shook my head.

  “The accident was still happening, Isaac. You would have been killed too,” I pointed out. He looked back down at the valley floor. “With her injuries, there was nothing you could have done except be with her.”

  “I smothered her!” he growled. His hands moved to his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. Tears fell down his face.

  “What?” I couldn’t believe he said that. “No, you didn’t…”

  His tortured eyes met mine. “I smothered her. I remember doing it.”

  “No, you didn’t, Isaac. You made sure that in her last moments she knew she was loved and treasured,” I assured him, my eyes burning. “That’s what she told me before she crossed. You made it so she wasn’t scared to die. You have no idea how much that meant to her. That was all you did. It was all you could do.”

  The black shadow moved over his head again. This time I heard the whispering.

  “Don’t listen to the voice telling you that it’s your fault. That’s not you, Isaac!” My hands shook.

  “Bullshit.” He turned to glare at me, his hands dropping from his head. “It’s been there since the day she died.”

  “But now there’s a new one, right?” I asked, carefully stepping closer. “This one is worse, telling you that you should leave the people who love you.” I looked down at the cliff. “Telling you to do something that you know you will kill all of us.” Isaac shook his head, blinking hard.

  “It’s loud,” he said softly.

  “That’s not you, Cookie Monster,” I told him adamantly. “That’s why we’ve been looking for you since you ran off.” The shadow fell back down his neck. “It’s the demon from Cara’s house. It latched onto you and I didn’t see it. It’s trying to kill you.”

  He chuckled darkly; the shadow moved up his neck again.

  “I’ve been trying for a long time,” he admitted, looking down at the valley a thousand feet below. “Maybe it’s time.”

  “No.” I strode towards him. The shadows darkened. Isaac warned me off with his hand out. I stopped a couple feet away.

  “Don’t come any closer, Red,” he snarled. “I want to hurt you. To pound my fist into your face until you stop talking.” Tears fell down his face faster. “Don’t let me… please…”

  Isaac looked like he was listening to the voice again. The black shadow surged over his face.

  “It’s right,” he whispered. “I’m the piece of shit that let her die. I hurt you and I wanted to do it.”

  “Isaac, I can’t imagine this world without you,” I said desperately, my voice cracking. Fresh tears started falling down my face at just the thought.

  “I don’t deserve to live,” he said softly as he looked out at the drop again. I slowly stepped closer.

  “That’s not you, Isaac,” I told him vehemently. “You’re my Cookie Monster.”

  I stepped even closer.

  “You enjoy the little things. You sing a song every time you have tuna for lunch.”

  The black shadow lightened over his head.

  “You love pranks, silly string, and using me as a shield when you run away from the guys.”

  His entire body went rigid. The shadow surged over his head.

  “Isaac, you don’t have to hide from me. You never have to hide from me.”

  “I let her die. I killed her....” he rasped, his entire body shaking.

  “You didn't smother her. You didn't cause the wreck,” I told him.

  He turned back to me, his eyes blinking.

  “Think about it, Cookie Monster.” The shadow slipped back down to his neck a little more. “Did you do everything you could?” It was agonizing waiting as he thought about it.

  “Yeah.” His whisper was like a breath.

  “You are not God, Isaac.” I tried to reach him as I stepped closer. The black shadow swirled faster over his skin as I spoke. “You don’t have control over who lives and dies. All any of us can do is our best.” I was close enough to touch him. “You didn’t smother her. You didn’t kill her.” He had to listen. “She didn’t blame you. She said that you made her feel loved in her last moments of life. She was grateful for those jokes. You made it so she wasn’t afraid.” I stepped closer until I could smell limes. Tears poured down both our faces. “She also said to tell you you’re wrong.” Isaac finally met my gaze. His eyes were lost in a storm of agony that I couldn’t fix. I could only stand beside him and go through it with him, let him know he wasn’t alone.

  “Back up,” he said, his voice pleading.

  I shook my head as I stepped closer, until there was only a breath separating us.

  “No.” He was finally hearing me and I wasn’t about to lose Isaac to a fucking demon. “You would never hurt me.”

  The shadow spilled over his head and face, his eyes started to burn red. NO! I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. My lips found his. His lips were still, but I didn’t care. I kissed him deeper, harder, desperately. He needed to know that he wasn’t what he thought. That he was essential to me, to my life. His lips finally moved and one arm wrapped around me. The other went to the back of my neck, holding me still as he kissed me back. Vaguely, I felt that sick cloud move away from his skin, but I didn’t stop. I wanted Isaac in control again, and if I couldn’t do it with logic, I’d sure as hell do it with love. My body burned as I pressed against him. He took over the kiss. It grew softer, gentler. His lips slowly eased from mine. He pulled away a little, his breathing heavy. Those amber eyes were warm and wide when they met mine. His hand flexed at my waist as the other moved from my neck to cup my face.

  “Lexie?”

  “Losing you would kill me,” I told him softly, moving my hands to hold his jaw. “So fig
ht that fucker back and hold on. We’re getting rid of it.”

  The storm in his eyes was calming, but they were still full of shadows. Tires screeched in the parking lot, car doors slammed. I didn’t take my eyes off his. He finally gave me a small nod. I kept eye contact as the others started to run towards us. Isaac looked away from me to them. His eyes flashed red as the shadow surged over him again. I grabbed his face and forced his eyes back to me.

  “Cookie Monster!” His eyes flashed back to amber. “Fight it. We love you. Don’t let that thing take you from us,” I all but growled. Isaac’s eyes were desperate as he nodded again.

  “Move slowly, guys,” I told the others, my eyes not leaving Isaac’s.

  “Red…” Isaac warned, his voice deeper. The guys stopped moving.

  “Fight,” I ordered. “This is your body, not his. This is your life, not his. You make your choices, not some fucked up thing from hell. So choose.” Tears kept falling down my face again. “Choose us, choose our family, and fight like hell.” He took several deep, shaking breaths before he nodded. The guys moved slower this time.

  “Isaac, we’re going to put a zip tie on your wrists, alright?” Miles said in his soothing, calm voice. “It’s to stop you from hurting yourself or us.” Isaac struggled to fight against the shadow again, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he nodded. I took his hand from my face and moved it to my lower back. Then I held his face again, keeping his eyes on me. The smell of engine grease reached me as I heard a zip tie being closed behind me. Isaac tensed. The red started to come back. I pressed my hands harder into his face.

  “Cookie Monster, I’m right here,” I whispered. “Feel me. I’m right here. You aren’t alone in this.” The shadow finally pulled back until it almost disappeared completely down his shirt. Isaac nodded.

  “I’m good,” he said softly. “Get away before it comes back.” I hesitated. “Please,” he pleaded. I nodded.

  Isaac lifted his arms up over my head and I moved. Zeke and Asher went to both sides of Isaac and started walking him away from the edge of the cliff. I didn’t leave Isaac’s sight as we got him into the Blazer. Asher climbed in the back, he turned and helped Isaac get inside. Zeke followed closely. I drove, following Miles and Ethan to the private section of the airport. It was a tense drive.