Hope House Chronicles volume II: The Possession

by Michael Bray

  “Then what do you suggest we do?”

  “I have an idea.”

  NINE

  The first light of a hazy dawn was starting to filter into Hope House. Bill and Pam sat on opposite ends of the kitchen table, Bill cradling a cup of coffee, Pam doing the same with her Bible, cigarette hanging from her mouth, its end mostly ash as she stared into space.

  Bill set his cup down, hands still shaking and covered in scratches. “Did we do the right thing?”

  Pam glared across the table. Like her husband, she too was covered in scratches and bites at the hands of their daughter. “You saw what happened. You know how serious this is. Only the Lord can help us.” As she spoke, the ash fell off her cigarette onto the table. She absently wiped it away.

  “Enough of the god talk. You won’t find the answers to this in that damn book of yours.”

  She set the book down, leaving her palms flat on the cover. “Don’t take this out on me because you have no faith. Why can’t you see this isn’t something medicine can help with?”

  “So what do you think it is? What am I supposed to believe?”

  “Believe in our lord. Believe he will show you the way. He has the answer,” she said, stubbing out the cigarette in the stuffed ashtray

  “So you don’t know either,” Bill said.

  “It’s this place. This house. Nothing good can exist here. If you weren’t so stubborn, you would feel it too.”

  “It’s just a house. Bricks and mortar. It’s not evil; you need to stop thinking that book will save you.”

  “You saw her, you saw that thing upstairs.”

  “That thing is our daughter, Pam. It’s Vanessa.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not. Not anymore.”

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” He took his wallet out of his pocket, opened it and tossed it on the table so she could see the photograph of the three of them that was in the clear sleeve at the front. It was a happier time, before the problems started to appear. “Look at it, Pam. She’s still the same person. Nothing’s changed. She’s sick, that’s all.”

  “She’s evil. She’s inhabited by the devil.”

  “That’s enough,” he snapped. “You already had us restrain her. Do you have any idea how that felt? To tie our own daughter to her bed, leaving her there in her own mess? Do you even comprehend it, Pam? Hearing her say those things, to have her bite and scratch and abuse us? Because I don’t think you do.”

  “That’s enough; I don’t want to hear thins anymore.” She stood, chair legs scraping across the floor. For a moment she stared at him, eyes defiant. “There is nothing else you can do to help. God and I will fix this.”

  “Where are you going?” he said as she started to walk towards the door.

  “To fix this. The word of God will drive this evil out of her.”

  “Then I’ll help you-”

  “No,” she snapped. “You have no faith. There’s nothing you can do. Stay here, Bill. Call your doctors, consult your science. I’ll fix this problem.”

  He sat and watched her as she went, Bible in hand and made her way upstairs. Bill stared out of the window, watching the leaves skitter in the wind.

  ***

  The smell in the room was almost unbearable. A combination of human waste, sweat and ammonia. Pam clutched the Bible to her chest, relying on her faith to get her through, then entered the room and closed the door. Vanessa was tied to the bed frame at the wrists and ankles, which were raw from her struggles to free herself. She was filthy, and still covered in her own mess. Her skin was slick and almost completely grey, hair greasy and plastered to her skin. Mother and daughter locked eyes.

  “It smells in here,” Pam said, striding with as much confidence and bravado as she could muster to the window. She pulled at it, trying to force it open then noticed it had been nailed closed again.

  “She did it to keep me out.”

  Pam spun around staring at the monster strapped to the bed.

  “They see me outside and think the nails will help.”

  “What are you? Why did you come here?” Pam said, clutching the book tighter to her body.

  “Come here?” the drooling, snarling thing in the bed said. “I’ve always been here. This is my place.”

  She held the book out in front of her, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. “You are banished from here. Leave this place.”

  Vanessa laughed, thrashing against her restraints. “God has no power here.”

  Pam opened the book to one of the bookmarked passages she had prepared. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

  “Come on, cunt, keep going,” Vanessa said, licking her lips.

  Pam gasped, turning to the next passage. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he-”

  Vanessa cut in, reciting the verse along with Pam. “Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth empty, swept, and garnished.” Pam stopped speaking, staring open mouthed at the thrashing as Vanessa went on, recalling the passage word for word. “Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

  “Don’t you dare utter the word of God. You have no right,” Pam whispered, realising that she was out of her depth.

  “Words mean nothing,” Vanessa hissed, leaning forward as far as her restraints would allow. “This is all your fault. You brought her to me. She hates you. Did you know that? Your daughter wishes you were dead, wishes it was just her and her father. She blames you for bringing them here.”

  “Father of lies, your words mean nothing,” Pam whispered.

  “You and your addiction. What a twisted, broken creature you are. Full of anger and blame, selfishness and arrogance. That you have the audacity to call me evil is ironic.”

  “Silence, creature. You are banished from this girl,” Pam said. She took the crucifix from around her neck, and held it out to Vanessa, watching for a reaction.

  Vanessa spat on the crucifix. “Fuck your God.”

  Pam leaned closer, the crucifix just inches from her daughters snarling face. She strayed too close, though, and Vanessa grabbed her mother’s outstretched wrist, her grip like iron even with the restraints holding her in place. Images entered her mother’s head, a lightning show of visuals which she felt and experienced in the instant they happened.

  She saw a village burning, the children screaming as their flesh bubbled and peeled away from bone.

  She saw blood soaking into the earth into a chamber filled with a gelatinous mass, a pulsing thing feeding on the offerings.

  She saw people tossed into great underground pits and left to their fate.

  She also saw the house, its walls dripping with blood as the wind howled around it. She tried to pull free of Vanessa’s grip, dropping the Bible on the bed in the process.

  “His word means nothing to me. This vessel is mine. You won’t take it from me.”

  Pam pulled herself free, stumbling back away from the bed and gripping the end of it. She saw the Bible on the bed and reached out for it just as Vanessa projectile vomited on it, the foul smell making Pam gag. It was all she could take. She ran from the room, sobbing and slamming the door behind her to shut out the laughter of her daughter. She stumbled downstairs, legs almost buckling as she returned to the kitchen and sat opposite Bill.

  He watched as she lit a cigarette with shaking hands, wondering how long the utter emptiness he was feeling would last. “So what now?” he said quietly.

  Pam exhaled a plume of blue smoke and looked at him. “She has to die. That thing….it’s taken over.”

  Bill went cold. He knew his wife had become erratic and irrational, but he never expected her to go to such lengths. “What did you just say?�
��

  “You heard me. She’s not who she once was. That thing inside her is in control. We can’t stop it. Even the word of God can’t stop it.”

  “So you want to kill her? Do you have any idea how that sounds?”

  “Of course I do,” she said, taking a deep drag on her cigarette. “But we have no other choice.”

  “Yes we do. We can get her to a hospital. This could be something perfectly rational. You can’t sit there and say she should be killed.”

  “No, it’s not rational, Bill. And I don’t want to kill our daughter, of course I don’t. That thing up there isn’t her anymore though. It’s something else. Look at my wrist.” She held it out to him, showing the purple bruises. “That’s where it grabbed me. It was so strong. It showed me things, pictures from the past, visions of the evil that exists here.”

  “Can you hear yourself, Pam? Visions of evil, killing our daughter. You’re clearly not thinking straight. You haven’t been sleeping, neither of us has, but you must realise how crazy this is.”

  “You saw her; you know what she’s become.”

  “She’s still our daughter.”

  “She’s a monster!” Pam screamed, slamming her fist against the table. “I’m scared of her, Bill. Surely you can feel it, the way this house is, that sense of unease? Don’t tell me you can’t, because I don’t believe you.”

  Bill sighed and stared at his hands. “I sense it, but it’s not what you think it is.”

  “Then what is it? You explain it to me if you’re so sure you know everything.”

  “This house has a history. It’s in the forefront of our minds that’s all; it’s forcing us not to see things clearly.”

  Pam sneered, blowing smoke and setting the half smoked cigarette in the ashtray. “I see clearly. I see well enough for all of us. It’s you that is in denial. You won’t accept that there are things out there that you can’t explain. You can’t handle that you brought us here to this place, and now our daughter is lost. Gone forever.”

  “She’s not gone, Pam. She’s upstairs. She needs our help.”

  “Help,” she said, snorting at him. “You can’t help her. You can’t help anyone. You’ve always been weak, Bill. Weak willed, weak minded. You’re pathetic. Marrying you was the worst mistake I ever made. My mother warned me about you, said you were no good for me. She asked me what I could possibly want with a fat loser slob like you. Now I sit here and can’t think of an answer. You’re pathetic.”

  Bill took it, every word cutting him. He stood up, knuckles leaning on the table top. “Maybe there is a monster in this house. But it’s not our daughter.”

  “Where are you going?” she said as he left the kitchen.

  “Upstairs. No more Bible, no more talk of ghosts and demons. I’m going to get my little girl back.”

  ***

  The bedroom door was still open, the pungent smell from inside seeping into the hall. Unlike his last visit, there was no hesitation. Anger drove him, and along with the desire to disprove his wife’s seething words made fear a distant second to finding a resolution. He walked into the room, preparing for the mental battle and anguish of seeing his daughter enduring whatever was happening to her. He stood at the foot of the bed, staring at her. She was dozing, skin pale, arms tied to the bed frame, her wrists rubbed raw. An overwhelming sadness filled him, an aching helplessness in the knowledge that although he would do anything to help her, he was utterly powerless. Vanessa opened her eyes, and Bill braced himself for the tirade to come.

  “Dad?” Vanessa said, speaking in her regular voice. He couldn’t remember the last time he heard it.

  “Vanessa?” Bill replied, moving closer but not quite willing to get within grabbing distance. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

  “Why am I tied to the bed?” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the restraints.

  “It’s for your own good. We didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  “It was her idea, wasn’t it?”

  Bill looked at the floor.

  “She wants to get rid of me. I know she does. She’s out of control, Dad. Please don’t let her hurt me.”

  Bill couldn’t speak. He had come into the room expecting to deal with the deep voiced monster, and instead was having a regular conversation with his little girl. He couldn’t recall the last time that had happened.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “Sacred, and tired. I went to that place in the woods, that clearing and then…something was in my head.”

  “We can fix you, sweetie. We can get the best doctors, find out what’s happening-”

  “I’m fine now,” she interrupted.

  “What do you mean?” Bill asked, sitting on the bed next to her.

  “I tried to fight it, but I just couldn’t. It was too strong, it took over my head, and it made me do things….” Her lip trembled. “I’m so sorry for the things it made me do.”

  “This thing in your head, are you saying it’s gone?”

  She nodded. “I don’t feel it in there anymore.”

  “Where, where did it go?”

  “That’s enough talk,” Pam said from the entrance to the room. Bill stared at her, his eyes drawn to the carving knife in her right hand. He looked at her wrist where she had been grabbed, then back at Vanessa, who looked afraid and was squirming against her restraints.

  “She’s going to kill me, Dad. It told me it wanted me dead. They don’t like children. They want to sacrifice me. It grabbed her and jumped. It jumped into her.”

  It was then that everything clicked into place for Bill. He stood, putting a barrier between daughter and mother. “Leave her alone.”

  Pam sneered at him, stepping into the room and closing the door. “You know what needs to happen. You know it has to be done.”

  “Knife over Bible. You won’t touch her,” Bill said, his eyes fixated on the blade. “You leave my daughter alone, I’m warning you.”

  “She’s mine too. You don’t have the guts to do what needs to be done.”

  “If you come any closer I’ll-”

  “You’ll what? You’ll do nothing, just like always. Stupid, pathetic little Bill with his grand ideas and lack of ambition. What a waste you are.”

  “Pam, this isn’t you. You need to fight this,” Bill said, taking a cautious step towards her.

  “There’s nothing to fight. The decision has been made. Death is the only way out for her.”

  “Dad, please, don’t let her get me,” Vanessa whispered from behind him. He wanted to look at her, reassure her, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off Pam.

  “It’s okay,” he said, trying his best to remain calm. “I won’t let her hurt you.”

  “You can’t stop it,” Pan snapped. “We both know how this will go down. You’ll talk about how you’re making a stand, then I’ll walk over there and do what I need to do and you won’t stop me because you’re a coward and you know I’m right.”

  “Don’t test me, Pam. Not with this. Listen to yourself, this isn’t you speaking. You’re not you.”

  “This is me speaking; this is what I’ve always wanted to say to you. I fucking hate you, Bill. Both you and that ungrateful little bitch daughter of yours.”

  “Ours. She’s ours,” Bill said, inching closer again, half wanting to lunge and grab the knife but unwilling to commit. “Listen to yourself. Think about what you’re trying to do.”

  “Step aside. Let me do his work,” Pam said, adjusting her grip on the knife.

  “No. I won’t let you hurt her.”

  She grinned at him, an expression that looked particularly horrific under the circumstances. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” She walked towards him, and he willed himself to react, but the years spent as her doormat, taking her mental abuse, of her being the dominant partner in the relationship had taken its toll. She nudged past him, glaring as she made her way to the side of the bed.

  “Dad, please, you promised you woul
dn’t let her hurt me,” Vanessa was screaming now, cheeks wet with tears as she thrashed against her restraints.

  “Don’t worry; we’re going to fix this.” Pam said, staring at Vanessa. “We’re going to end this whole thing right now. It’s better if you relax, and let me do it quickly. I’ve prayed for you.”

  She raised the knife, the light glittering off the blade. It was then that Bill reacted. He grabbed Pam’s wrist. She flicked her head towards him, eyes filled with absolute hatred.

  “Get off me, don’t you interrupt his work.” She pulled her arm free and slashed at his face, the blade missing by inches. He shoved her back, again putting himself between Pam and Vanessa.

  She lunged again, aiming for his stomach. He tried to avoid it, but his feet caught the bed and he stumbled back, almost losing his balance. Pam turned back to the bed, teeth gritted as she lunged for her daughter. Bill half stumbled towards Pam and shoved her back, her elbow smashing the window and letting in the howling wind. Bill wasn’t a violent man, he never had been, but this was an extreme situation. He balled his fist and hit her, letting out a grunt of anger and sorrow. Pam’s head snapped back and the knife clattered to the floor. She slid down the wall, coming to rest sitting in the broken glass from the window. Bill stood there staring at her, knowing that things could never be repaired, that they would never be the same again.

  “Dad, please,” Vanessa said, still struggling against her restraints.

  Bill hurried to the bed and untied the restraints. Vanessa hugged him, and he held her back, ignoring the smell.

  “What happened to her?” she asked against his shoulder.

  “The same thing that happened to you. Go on, go downstairs, take the keys and wait in the car. I’ll be down in a second.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “What I should have done from the start. I’m getting you to a hospital to be checked over. This has-”

  Vanessa screamed as Pam lurched at Bill, shard of glass in her hand. She stabbed him in the shoulder, over and over until the glass broke. Bill fell to the ground, the pain like fire. Pam was in a frenzy, snarling as she leaped on top of him, scratching at his throat, her weight pushing the glass deeper into his back. He fought her off as best his could, trying to bat her hands away from his face. He could smell cigarette smoke on her breath. He rolled onto his side, throwing her off and getting a slight reprieve and a chance to catch his breath.