The Good Sisters

by Helen Phifer

  A creeping sensation made Ollie shiver, but what if she was right? What if this was the only way to get rid of the evil in Kate’s house? It was taking over Kate. If they didn’t stop it, she could die and he didn’t want to even think about losing her when he’d only just found her. Beatrice walked over and placed her hands onto Joe’s shoulders.

  ‘Why don’t you ask Agnes yourself? Don’t bother saying you can’t because I know that you can communicate with the dead. You just don’t want to. If you ask her she’ll tell you what you should do. She said that she’s already been to your house, but you were too afraid to stand your ground and ask her what she wanted. It’s not right to let the lovely Kate become so possessed that the house will kill her – and you know it will. It’s already had several attempts. Whatever is in that house is growing stronger and if we don’t stop it now then I think that to put it bluntly we’re all fucked. It won’t let any of us escape. It’s too late because whether we wanted to be or not we’re involved. So grow a pair of balls and act the hero. I don’t want to die just yet and I’m pretty sure neither do Kate or Ollie. So what about you, Father? Are you ready to throw it all in and go to an early grave?’

  He looked at her. ‘No, I’m not. There must be another way to sort this out. There are three stages of possession. Stage one is infestation, where the demon attaches itself to an object or a person. In this case this demon has attached itself to the convent. I don’t know why it has chosen to.’

  Kate walked in, rubbing her eyes. ‘I do. I’ve been reading the diary that I found and it details quite clearly what happened in 1933. In fact it’s horrifying. Those poor women died the most brutal, awful deaths imaginable and it all started when a woman called Lilith Ardat knocked on the door one cold winter’s night looking for sanctuary.’

  Beatrice nodded her head encouraging Kate to continue.

  ‘She asked if she could come in and the nuns, being kind, compassionate women, invited her inside. The house was the perfect place for a demon to hide and it took over it completely, taking whatever it was that scared each woman and killing them in that way. Sister Agnes, whose head we found, believed that this woman was evil and thought she was a vampire.’

  Beatrice looked at Joe who continued, ‘The second stage is oppression. This is where the victim becomes depressed, filled with anxiety and despair. Does any of this ring a bell with you, Kate?’

  ‘Yes, it does. I’ve had a terrible time these last twelve months yet a few nights ago – just as I was thinking my life was getting better – Ollie found me unconscious, lying in a pool of my own blood because I’d slit my wrists.’

  Beatrice looked horrified and Joe nodded. ‘So it’s already tried with you, Kate?’

  He turned to look at the others. ‘Do you know how dangerous the thing we’re dealing with is? This isn’t some friendly grandparent wanting to say a final goodbye. It’s a full-on demon with more power than you or I could begin to imagine. It’s killed people. It will carry on killing people and do you know why? Because it likes it; it gets its kicks playing with people’s lives.’

  ‘And that is exactly why we must put an end to it, Father. We can do this with your faith, my belief and Kate’s inner strength. We can gain control and send it back to hell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy, but I can’t see that we have any other choice. Do you?’

  Joe looked at Kate. ‘The third stage is possession, where the demon takes over you completely. Ollie said you were acting a little strange before, Kate. How do you feel now?’

  ‘I’m tired – so tired – and I felt odd, but I feel okay now that I’m here and away from the house.’

  ‘Good, that’s good. I think we may have got you out of there before it managed to take over you. If it had you’d require a full-blown exorcism. We have to keep Kate away from the house. It’s not safe up there for her now. Things have gone too far. It was only a matter of time before it completely took over.’

  Ollie nodded. That wouldn’t be a problem because until this was all sorted out he didn’t think he’d be able to set foot in there anyway. He was terrified and he certainly wasn’t letting Kate go back in.

  ‘What we need to do is go in and completely cleanse the house; I don’t think it will be easy. In fact I think we are in for a huge battle of good against evil. It can be done though. I think this demon thrives on terrorising women. I don’t think it is as brave against men. I have a gut feeling that if I can fight this off and bless the entire house we might be able to get rid of it. If Sister Agnes’s spirit is still in the house and trying her best to protect Kate then the demon hasn’t gathered its full strength. At some point in the past, I think one of the priests has done a pretty good job of cleansing the house. We just need to finish it off and banish it for good.’

  Kate smiled at him then turned around and went back upstairs to lie down. She clearly didn’t feel good. Ollie watched her go, wondering what on earth they had got caught up in. Beatrice stood up.

  ‘I need to go now and get ready. I think it needs the both of us to go into battle tomorrow. I can communicate with Agnes and the others whilst you fight the demon.’

  ‘Thank you, I’m sorry about all of this.’

  She took hold of his hand. ‘Oliver, this is no one’s fault. That house is a portal to hell, and this was going to happen one day sooner or later. The church should have torn it down, brick by brick, and consecrated the land beneath it. Greed is the reason they didn’t and now the church owes it to Kate to put things right. I just hope that we can do it before it’s too late for any of us.’

  She left, got into her car and drove off without so much as a backward glance or wave of her hand. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts about what was going on. Ollie went back into the house. Joe was still sitting with his head in his hands. Ollie took the emergency bottle of Jack Daniel’s out of the fridge and poured them both a generous shot.

  ‘Sorry, I haven’t got any ice.’

  Joe took it from him and clinked his glass against Ollie’s. ‘Cheers, that’s all right. To us – the village idiots on God’s crusade.’

  Ollie, who had almost swallowed the amber liquid in one mouthful, began to cough and splutter. When he regained control he grinned at Joe. ‘Yes, to the village idiots. Let us be so naïve that we don’t question what the hell it is we’re doing tomorrow, but more than that let us pray that it works and we get rid of the problem once and for all.’

  ***

  Joe stopped himself from saying it wasn’t his problem. It was. He’d been hearing things and things had been happening to him even before he knew any of this. Tomorrow he would be having an interesting telephone conversation with his superiors. Technically he needed to request an exorcism. That could take months and it meant a clerical psychologist being sent out to assess the situation; however, time was not on their side. Kate was in danger and they needed to stop this Lilith now, as soon as possible.

  ‘Right, I best be going. Thanks for the drink; I’ll speak to you tomorrow. We’ll discuss the fine details in the morning; I’ll come here around eleven.’

  He stood up and walked towards the front door. His legs felt like jelly and his head was thumping as if he had the world’s biggest hangover about to kick in.

  ***

  Ollie followed him, locking the front door behind him. He didn’t know if wanted to sleep in the same bed as Kate – especially if it wasn’t technically Kate and she’d been possessed – but then he remembered what Ellen had said. Kate needed him, but more importantly he needed her. She had seemed a little better when she’d come back down before. He turned off the lights and made his way upstairs to his bed, where he was going to lie with his arms around Kate to protect her from whatever it was that wanted her just as much as he did.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kate woke up feeling much better than she had last night. Her head wasn’t muzzy and her arms were no longer throbbing. She felt Ollie’s arm, which was wrapped around her wa
ist, and she smiled. She tried to remove his arm without waking him up. He murmured, ‘Morning, beautiful.’

  She grinned. ‘Morning, handsome, I didn’t hear you come to bed.’

  ‘Good. I didn’t want to disturb you. I tried my best not to. Should we get up and have some breakfast? I’m starving.’

  ‘It’s funny you should say that – so am I.’

  ***

  She got out of bed first and he studied her. She looked like she always did. She didn’t look strange like she had last night and she seemed a lot happier. He knew why. She’d had a full night’s sleep away from the house – time away to refresh her body and soul, no scary ghosts or demons. Then it hit him. Were they really going to try and exorcise the house? He’d let her have something to eat and drink first. She needed her energy before he knocked the stuffing back out of her.

  It had crossed his mind to not even tell her what they had been talking about last night, but this directly involved her. The house belonged to Kate. It was her dream – her money that she’d invested in it – and it was her body and soul that whatever it was that dwelled in the house wanted. He had to tell her. There was no choice in the matter. She would never forgive him if something went wrong.

  After following her downstairs, he watched as she filled the kettle. He could have kicked himself when he realised he’d left the whisky bottle and two glasses on the kitchen table in full view. He picked it up, carried it out of the kitchen and took it into the living room. He shoved it into a cupboard that he never used so it was out of her sight. As he went back into the kitchen she was rinsing the two glasses under the hot water tap.

  ‘You didn’t need to do that, but thank you. I don’t expect that because I’m an alcoholic who can’t control her thirst that you can’t ever have another drink or have alcohol in your own house. That would be incredibly selfish and unfair of me, but until I’m sure I can handle it I really do appreciate it.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Kate. Father Joe was a little bit upset so I offered him a drink. I didn’t even think. I’m so used to being on my own and not cleaning up after myself.

  She laughed. ‘It’s your house, Ollie, and you’re entitled to do whatever you want here.’

  ‘Yes, but I want you to feel as if you can be safe here and not have to worry.’ He looked at her and wondered if now was a good time to break the news to her.

  ‘So Joe, Beatrice and me kind of came up with a plan last night. Well it was more Beatrice if I’m truthful. Joe wasn’t so keen to agree to it.’

  ‘Really? Are you going to tell me what it is then or do I have to guess?’

  ‘I’m not too sure you’re going to want to hear it. I couldn’t get my head around it last night. It sounds so ridiculous – like a plot from a scary movie, not something that would happen in real life.’

  A loud knock on the door made Ollie jump.

  ‘Are you all right, Ollie? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m fine. Just a bit on edge. I’ll just get the door.’

  He came back in followed by Father Joe.

  ‘Morning, Kate, how are you feeling today?’

  ‘Better, thank you.’

  ‘Good, that’s good. Has Ollie told you our plan?’

  ‘He was just about to when you knocked.’

  Ollie shrugged. The priest looked like crap. Ollie hadn’t looked much better when he’d cleaned his teeth earlier.

  ‘Why don’t you sit down and we can discuss it with you whilst we’re waiting for Beatrice to arrive? I feel it’s only right we tell you what we know,’ said Joe. He looked at Ollie as if to call him a wimp and he completely agreed with the man. He’d never been one to shy away from a challenge, but what they were asking this poor bloke to do just because Beatrice had a hunch was insane.

  Joe continued, ‘Well, Beatrice thinks that Sister Agnes has been trying her best to protect you from whatever dark force is growing in strength in your house. The demon is getting stronger. We are going to go to the convent and do a full-blown exorcism. I’ve asked for help from the archbishop only it won’t be today – or for a long time come to think of it – and I’m afraid time is a luxury that we can’t afford.’

  Ollie stole a look at Kate whose mouth had dropped. Her eyes were wide open with shock. She turned to look at Ollie who nodded as if to confirm everything that Joe had just said was completely normal.

  She finally found her voice. ‘Are you sure you can do this?’

  Both men nodded. There was another knock on the door and Ollie got up to let Beatrice inside. She came into the kitchen dressed from head to foot in black, looking like some geriatric ninja. Looking at Kate’s face she sat down.

  ‘Ah I see you’ve told her then.’

  Joe nodded. ‘Well we’ve told her some of it, not all of it.’

  ‘This is insane. Do you realise what you are saying or what could happen?’

  Beatrice took hold of her hand. ‘Kate, we haven’t got any choice. It was a mistake to remove Agnes’s head from the house. We didn’t realise it was her who was trying to protect you. Of course her head should be reunited with her body. But whilst it was inside the walls of that house her spirit remained strong and she kept the demon from taking over. I’m sorry, there is no way we can sugar-coat it and make it sound better. The evil entity that lives and breathes life into that house is gathering strength now Agnes’s bond to the place has been broken. You might not believe in any of this, but I do and Joe should. The Bible is full of tales of battles between God and Satan. Just because we don’t see them every day doesn’t mean they don’t exist.’

  ‘So the crosses and footsteps – they were Agnes?’

  ‘Yes, I very much think so. She was trying to protect you from the horror that lives inside that house. It will stop at nothing until you’re dead.’

  ‘I took them all down. I hid them outside in the barns because they freaked me out and she was only trying to help me. Oh God I’m so sorry. Why didn’t she tell me this?’

  ‘I think she was trying to in her own way. Some of us –’ Beatrice pointed to Joe ‘– well some of us have a gift, a sixth sense. Maybe if we’d been the ones living there we would have figured that out. I double checked what you said last night about the nuns dying so horrifically and it was all true.’

  ‘So what are we going to do? I can’t lose that house. It means everything to me.’

  ‘I know and you are in grave danger now. Whatever it is will only get stronger the longer we leave it there.’

  ‘As morbid as this sounds, Beatrice is right. I can’t go on living like this: scared to be in my own house and feeling so ill all the time.’

  ‘Right then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go do this,’ said Joe.

  ***

  Joe had decided if he wanted to look the part he’d go the full monty, as his mum would say. He was starting to sweat underneath the heavy, black cassock. Ollie smiled at him, obviously noticing how uncomfortable he looked.

  ‘Thank you, Joe, I’ll take you in my car along with Kate. Beatrice, you go in yours – just in case we need two cars.’

  ‘Please can we call at the church first? I want to pray with Sister Agnes.’

  All three of them got into the car and Ollie drove them to the church. Beatrice followed behind, parking next to Ollie.

  They all got out and Joe led the way to the grave where Agnes was buried. ‘Sister Agnes, I don’t know if you can hear me. I hope that you’re happy your head has been found and will be back with you very soon. I know it’s been a very long time. We also know that you’ve been trying to help Kate up at the convent, but whatever it is that dwells inside the house is gathering strength. We are asking for your help. If you’re able to, can you help us to fight it and send it back to where it belongs so Kate and her family can fill the house with love and light? Amen.’

  Everyone else muttered, ‘Amen’.

  Ollie turned to Kate. ‘I think it’s time we went back to the house, don�
�t you? Let’s see what we can do. Joe, are you ready?’

  All eyes were on him, waiting for his reply.

  Beatrice spoke first. ‘Yes, I think we should too.’ She smiled at Joe.

  Joe wanted to tell them all to fuck off and leave him alone, but he couldn’t. For whatever reason he’d been dragged into this, so there was no going back. Technically blessing Kate’s house should be a piece of piss. He silently thanked Agnes for giving her life to the church and asked her again if she would help him up at the house. A warm feeling filled his heart as if someone had rubbed deep heat onto it. He felt as if somehow she was trying to fill him with hope and comfort. He was the last one to leave her small graveside, but he whispered, ‘Thank you,’ to her as he walked away.

  He felt much calmer. The churning in his stomach and indigestion in his chest had gone. He had one last job to do here and then his work was done. He wasn’t sure if this was a sign from God that he was doing the right thing or whether he was plain delusional. He knew that he was going to try his best to free that house of the evil that had been lurking inside it for over eighty years. He just hoped that he could do it without any of them being hurt or mentally scarred in any way. Maybe this had been why he had felt such a strong pull to become a priest.

  This moment in time could have been his destiny from the very beginning. As he walked through the graveyard he was greeted by wonderful silence and the warmth of the sun shining down on his face, which he took as another sign from God that he was doing the right thing. They went to their cars and agreed to meet up outside the convent; none of them were to go in until all of them were present.

  1955

  Crosby had been retired from the police force for three months. His beloved wife had died the week after his retirement and he was missing her more than ever. His house, their house, was like an empty shell. There was no life in it any more. As he sat in the chair she used to sit and do her knitting every night, he closed his eyes. He was so tired of it all. Tired of being sad, tired of being lonely, but the thing he was most tired about was the fact that earlier today he’d had a visit from Tony, who was now the sergeant in charge of the small police station. Crosby had known the minute he saw the police car pull up outside his house what the visit was about. He’d opened the door before Tony had to knock on it.