Demonspawn

by Glenn Bullion

  I will kill you.

  The ghost definitely didn’t like us.

  “What do you say we go outside? Get some air?” Alicia suggested.

  “I’m for that.”

  I nodded. We started to circle around the couch, me pulling up the rear. We made it halfway to the door.

  It was no longer a whisper. It was a roar that echoed in my ears.

  “Fucking bitch!”

  I heard a smack, and saw Tammy stumble and cry out in pain. She fell to one knee and brought a hand up to her face. I got to her first and knelt down in front of her.

  Her expression said it all. A look of terror and surprise. The ghost had never hit her before. A red mark was already forming under her eye.

  “Tammy, are you-?” Cindy never got to finish.

  Alicia started screaming. I looked up to see every chair, every end-table, everything on the first floor bouncing up and down at a speed that just wasn’t possible. The noise was deafening. I could see the kitchen cabinets flying open and closed.

  Then the laugh came.

  I could tell the girls heard it too. The laugh seemed to come from all around and last forever. There was no joy in it. It was an evil, frightful sound that made every hair on me stand up.

  Alicia was the first one to the door. She swung it open and tried to shout something to us, but we couldn’t hear her over the noise and laughter. I pulled Tammy to her feet, who was crying freely, and walked her the few remaining feet to the door. Cindy took over for me and was a foot behind Alicia. I hoped that shutting the door would stop the madness.

  Before I shut the door behind me I heard a female voice barely rise above the laughter.

  “Please help!”

  I saw Alicia running to my truck. Cindy was right behind her, still walking Tammy by the shoulders. I was about halfway down the sidewalk when I slowed down. I watched Cindy put Tammy in the back seat. Alicia was already inside, and starting to cry.

  Cindy shut the door for Tammy and turned to face me.

  “Come on, Alex. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Even as I fished in my pocket for the keys, I couldn’t believe I was doing it. I tossed them to Cindy.

  “Go back to my house. I’ll be there in a while.”

  I turned around. From the moment I stepped into Tammy’s house I was more terrified than any of the girls. Now, I was strangely calm, and ready to go back inside.

  I took a step forward, then a hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Cindy grabbed both my arms.

  “Are you crazy? Alex? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  There was anger in her voice, along with fear.

  “You didn’t hear it, did you? The voice? Asking for help?”

  “The only thing I heard was shit bouncing around. And that laugh. Jesus,” she shuddered at the memory, only a minute old.

  “There’s someone in there who needs help.”

  Cindy took a deep breath and looked over my shoulder at the now-quiet house.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

  She straightened her blouse and lowered her head slightly to look at the ground, apparently preparing herself mentally for going back in.

  “No. Just take Alicia and Tammy back to my house.”

  “I’m not letting you go back in there alone. So get that crap out of your head right now.”

  Cindy, my tough friend who had saved me from the big bad bully when we were in kindergarten. She definitely had a strong side. Despite everything that was happening, I felt myself smiling just a little. It dawned on me as I stood on the sidewalk that I’d never have another friend like her.

  My smile only annoyed her more. She already thought I was nuts.

  “What the hell is so funny?”

  “Nothing. Look, Cindy, Tammy and Alicia can’t drive, remember? Trust me, everything will be okay.”

  She looked worried. “Alex-”

  I smiled. Back then I usually gave in to Cindy. But not this time. Suddenly I was confident, even enough to make jokes.

  “Look,” I cut her off. “Next haunted house I promise we’ll tackle together.”

  She sighed and backed off. But she wasn’t completely giving up.

  “I’m dropping them off at your place, then I’m coming back.”

  I nodded.

  I turned around and stared at the house. I heard Cindy pull away quickly behind me.

  Chapter 3

  I took a deep breath and walked back to the door. I knew deep down if it weren’t for the female voice I heard on the way out, I’d be driving the truck instead of Cindy.

  I stared at the door for at least twenty seconds before reaching out. I couldn’t hear any of the terrifying noises. The only sound I could hear was the door creaking open.

  I took a single step inside. The first place I looked was the kitchen. Every cabinet was shut. The dining room table was where we’d left it, but the photo of Tammy and her family was face down. A few pictures from the walls had fallen as well. The TV was still muted, but it wasn’t centered on the stand anymore. It sat at a slight angle from everything bouncing up and down.

  I grew cold again, but I didn’t feel anything watching me.

  “Uh, hello?”

  I didn’t expect a response. I jumped when I got two at once, overlapping each other. One was the genderless voice that threatened us. The other was the female voice.

  “I'll kill you forever.”

  “Help me.”

  I shut the door behind me. For reasons I can’t explain, I was terrified, yet somehow I was thinking clearly. I tried to think about what could possibly be happening. Ghosts fighting each other?

  “I, uh, I’d like to talk to the lady, please.”

  She didn’t respond. There was only that evil laugh. Softly, at first, then louder.

  A blood curdling scream cut off the laugh. It was a woman’s scream coming from upstairs. A man cut her off, shouting at the top of his lungs.

  “I told you, bitch! You belong to me! You fucking understand me? You don’t leave this house unless I tell you to!”

  “I’m sorry, Richard! I’m so sorry!”

  I ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. As the top of the stairs drew closer I realized I was an idiot for even being there. A quick picture of Tammy on the floor flashed through my mind. Whatever was in her house attacked her, and here I was trying to find it.

  “Hello?” I called out.

  Another scream. It came from the end of the closed bedroom at the end of the hall.

  I passed a bathroom and Tammy’s room on the way down the hall. I recklessly threw the door open. I didn’t expect to see anything. I thought in the back of my mind I’d see an empty master bedroom, that way I could question my sanity for a while. But I was wrong.

  In the corner next to the bed was a woman. She cowered with her legs curled up to her chest and her arms trying to shield her face. Standing over her was a large man with his back to me. He held a long belt in his right hand.

  “Please, Richard! This isn’t you!”

  “Oh it’s me, you bitch.”

  He swung as hard as he could. The woman managed to get her arm up, but the belt still struck her face. She cried out in pain. I was so stunned I couldn’t move. I just stood there with my mouth open. It wasn’t until the man brought his arm back for another swing that I managed to reach out and grab the belt. He felt the resistance on his arm and spun around.

  The man’s face was twisted in an expression I’d never seen before. Rage mixed with hatred. His lips almost curled into a snarl. He focused his gaze on me.

  “What the fuck are you doing in my house?! This is my house!”

  I backed up a step and bumped into the door frame. He took a step toward me with his arm in the air.

  Then he vanished.

  It wasn’t a poof-vanish thing. It actually took a second or two. He just slowly faded away. I didn’t realize I covered up with my arms to protect myself.

  The woman looked up a
t me from the corner.

  “How did you do that?”

  It took me a moment to answer. “Uh, do what?”

  She shook her head and quickly climbed to her feet. She was still terrified. She looked around, as if the guy could come back at any second.

  “You have to get out of here,” she said. She grabbed me by the shoulders. I was surprised that I could actually feel her hands. “The demon has him now. And it’s getting stronger. I’ve tried telling them, but they can’t hear me. I shouldn't have asked for your help.”

  “Whoa, wait. Who? Demon? What’s going on?”

  Sadness crept over her face. “Richard. My husband. Please believe me when I say he was good. But not now. You have to go. Please-”

  She didn’t get to finish. She vanished like Richard did. Suddenly I only saw the master bedroom. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Pictures of Tammy and her parents were on a large dresser. A clothes hamper was near the closet. Some nice white curtains decorated the windows. The only thing unusual was that I just got done talking to a ghost.

  Then there was that creepy voice.

  “You can’t have her. She’s mine.”

  A loud scream came from downstairs.

  I turned and ran. It only took me a few seconds to move across the hallway and down the stairs. I grabbed a hold of the railing and stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes fell on the living room.

  There was blood everywhere. On the carpet, the walls, the couch, everywhere. Near the dining room table was Richard and his wife. She was already dead. He straddled her on the floor. He stabbed I don’t know how many times. He’d raise the long knife he held, thrust it into his wife, laugh, and then start over again. Where her chest used to be was nothing but a large gaping hole. The force of each thrust would make her head move just a little.

  I looked at the front door, ten feet away. I didn’t have a clue to what was going on, and I didn’t want to know anymore. I just wanted to get away.

  Richard stopped laughing and stabbing and turned to face me. I realized I was holding my breath. I tried to let it out without making a sound.

  “I told her. I told her she was mine,” he said. He was talking to me. “But she wouldn’t fuckin’ listen. I didn’t want for this to happen. But she brought it on herself. I had to put a pillow over her head while she was sleeping. Then I cut her up just to make sure. You can never really be too sure.”

  He stood up and dropped the knife to the floor. Then he turned around and stared right at me.

  “Wait a minute. You. You’re...on her side, aren’t you?”

  He took a step forward. The blood-soaked carpet made a squishy noise. I took a step backward up the stairs. His eyes filled up with hate.

  “I’ll put you in Hell with her!”

  I ran back up the stairs. I remembered seeing a window in the master bedroom. That was my goal. Get out of the house, and keep on running till I couldn’t run anymore.

  I didn’t get the chance. As I passed by Tammy’s bedroom a hand reached out and grabbed me by the arm. I was pulled inside and tumbled to the floor. I looked up to see Richard’s wife closing the door and locking it. No blood, no stab wounds. She looked fine except for the panic on her face.

  “He’ll be up any second. Maybe you can help me!”

  “H-How?”

  “If you can see us, then you can help. You can act in our world.”

  I didn’t understand a word she was saying. She reached down and grabbed my hands. For some reason I expected her to reach right through me, but that didn’t happen. Her hands were warm to the touch.

  As she helped me up there was a pounding at the door.

  “Oh Susannnn,” Richard said. “Open the door, sweetie.”

  “No!”

  Another voice. The one with no sex that I kept hearing. Susan heard it too.

  “Open the fucking door!”

  “That’s the demon,” Susan said. “Richard wasn’t always this way. The demon did it.”

  “That’s right. And now you’re both mine.”

  Susan looked at me again. “I don’t want to die anymore.”

  Richard kicked the door open. I jumped in front of Susan, like I could protect her.

  “Leave us alone!” I said. My voice came out almost a whimper.

  Richard stepped forward and thrust out with a knife. I didn’t even know he had another one. I felt a pressure in my stomach and couldn’t breathe. I looked in Richard’s eyes to see an eerie red glow. He still had that sick smile on his face.

  He pulled the knife out and I fell to my knees.

  “Hi, Susan. Now, where were we?”

  “I’m sorry, Richard. I’m so sorry!” Susan said, sounding exactly like she did earlier in the master bedroom.

  The first thing I felt was surprise. There was no pain. My breath slowly came back to me. I looked down, expecting to see me kneeling in a pool of my own blood. But there was nothing. Not even a hole in my shirt.

  Richard couldn’t hurt me.

  Susan was cornered next to the bed. Richard’s back was to me. I reached up and grabbed his shoulder.

  He screamed in pain. It wasn’t just his voice, but that other voice too, mixed in with his, both screaming. I backed up a step, not expecting that at all. He dropped to one knee and turned to face me.

  He wasn’t smiling anymore. He was afraid. Afraid of me.

  “What are you?” he asked in the same mixed voice.

  Now I was afraid. I was afraid of the question he was asking. A ghost was asking me what I was? Not who, but what? I’d never been so confused and afraid in my life.

  I reached out and grabbed his shoulder again. His face took on a look of agony. He dropped the knife to the floor. My hand felt tingly, like it had fallen asleep. I didn’t let go. Richard curled into a fetal position.

  My hand went through him. It felt like pushing into a bucket of water. Then a second later he was gone.

  I stayed like that for a minute, my hand on the floor holding myself up. Movement in the corner made me flinch. It was Susan. I’d almost forgotten about her.

  She searched the room. A look of relief touched her face.

  “He’s gone, isn’t he?” she asked. “The demon is gone?”

  As she said it I noticed I wasn’t cold anymore. All the strange feelings I felt when first coming into the house were gone.

  “How did you do it? What did you do?”

  I didn’t say anything. Maybe I was going into shock.

  “I’ve been trapped here for so long. I’ve died so many times. Now I can finally move on.”

  She helped me to my feet. She looked different. Almost brighter.

  “Thank you. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”

  I finally found my voice.

  “That makes two of us.”

  “I tried to get their attention. The parents who live here now and their daughter. But I just couldn’t get through to them. The demon was too strong. But you saw and heard. How is that?”

  I was getting frustrated with her asking the same question.

  “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know anything.”

  She backed up a step. “I’m sorry.” She gave me a second before talking again. “I’m a ghost.” She actually smiled. “I’m sure you figured that part out by now. Richard and I lived here in this house. Everything was fine until he started changing. A demon slowly took him over. He ended up killing me and himself. I was trapped here, until now. Now the demon is gone.”

  She closed her eyes and raised her head up, still smiling, as if looking toward Heaven.

  “Did I...kill it or something?”

  “You tell me. I have no idea.” A tear rolled down Susan’s face. ”I wonder if Richard is waiting for me. The old Richard. On the other side? What do you think?”

  “I don’t have a clue.”

  She reached forward and gave me a hug. I jumped a little before returning it. Only one thought went through my head.

  I’m h
ugging a dead woman.

  “You’re confused,” she said. “So am I. But you’ve got some kind of gift there. You take care of it. I’ll keep an eye on you for a while.”

  Then she was gone.

  I saw in my head pictures of Susan, getting murdered over and over again in some kind of ghost limbo. A demon and a ghost fighting constantly with Tammy and her parents living around them. And they were never aware of it.

  I barely remember leaving the house. I do remember glancing around and seeing nothing was out of order. The pictures we knocked off the wall, the blood-soaked carpet, it was like nothing ever happened.

  When I walked out the front door I saw my truck pulling up by the sidewalk. Alicia got out before Cindy even parked. Tammy was right behind her, then Cindy. All of them looked concerned. I had to try hard to remember where they even went. Then it hit me, I told them to go to my house.

  Despite bringing up the rear Cindy sped past the others and got to me first. She gave me a quick hug then held me at arm’s length. Alicia and Tammy stood at her side.

  “Jesus, Alex, are you okay? They wouldn’t stay away. They wanted to come.”

  “He looks sick.”

  “He’s shaking. What happened? Are you alright?”

  I didn’t say anything. I just stared at Cindy, then Alicia. I had so many questions, but I couldn’t even form the words in my head. But somewhere deep down, I knew I did what I set out to. I helped the ghost in that house.

  Tammy broke away a few steps and eyed her house up and down. Maybe she was expecting to see blood drip down the wall or curtains moving. I don’t know. But she didn’t get any closer.

  “Alex, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Nothing like that has ever happened. Usually it just makes noises at night. And when people come over it doesn’t do anything. I kept telling everyone at school. They wouldn’t believe me. I live in a fucking haunted house.”

  I looked at her.

  “Not anymore.”

  Chapter 4

  The next few days were a blur. I didn’t even go to school. I stayed in bed most of the time, eating and watching some TV. Alicia and Cindy took turns staying home with me. I heard them out in the hallway a few times. Alicia wanted to call Mom, but Cindy talked her out of it. They were both worried about me.