It was a chance that they had to take.
“Ahh!” Rachel groaned.
Lilly jerked her head to look at Rachel just in time to see a large gash appear on her face out of thin air. The blood trickled down her face slowly in a long string of red beads.
“It’s OK! Don’t break the circle!” Rachel said.
Lilly glanced behind her at the trail of salt that had been sprinkled around them. She had thought it was ridiculous, like a lot of the things she was being asked to do and go along with. But she didn’t ask any questions.
Seeing Rachel’s face being ripped open like that was one of the most amazing and terrifying things she had ever seen. She could feel the presence of the evil amongst them. It was not going to let them close its open portal so damn easily. It was going to fight them tooth and nail.
Lilly had been afraid of this. Deep down she knew that Rachel was afraid of this as well. Her team was a bit on edge, but they knew better than to attempt to do anything during the ritual.
Rachel continued the chanting and her voice seemed to be growing louder, echoing inside the home as if they were on a large cliff overlooking a ravine. The echo rang in her ears and the strange sounding words continued to pound inside of her head. Every cell of her body was screaming to vomit all over the place, but she held it all down with sheer force of will. The pain that was moving inside of her head was a combination of Rachel’s raging voice and the language that was so hypnotic and sickening. There was something about the language that was disturbing. The way the syllables bounced off each other in such an odd rhyme and meter. It felt like your soul was being dragged out of your body.
The doll suddenly sprang to life and lunged at Rachel. Its face was so twisted and full of rage, resembling nothing at all of the sweet and beautiful looking doll that it had been when it was created. The thing was a demonic spawn that was hell bent on total destruction.
Rachel was taken by surprise as the doll grabbed onto her and bit into her neck. She screamed in agony as she tried to pull it from her. Steve and Rory leapt into action grabbing the doll and pulling it hard, but it was latched on and it was not letting go.
“Shelly! No!” Chrissy screamed.
“It’s OK, honey!” Lilly said. She was frantically racking her mind trying to think of what she could do in this situation to help Rachel. Everything was happening in slow motion and she found herself wondering how in the world she had landed herself here. This couldn’t be happening. She could not be watching the doll actually violently attacking someone. So far the doll had terrorized her and her family, and she knew that it had butchered Heather and Joe, but she had not seen it actually come to life and attack anyone in front of her. Its behavior had been more like childish pranks so far, but this was a leap up the evil scale. It was biting into Rachel’s flesh like some sort of wild animal and the hideous sounds belting from its throat were sickening. She could hear the blood gurgling in the doll’s throat and she could almost feel the flesh ripping like a thick piece of paper.
Rory grabbed the bottle of holy water off the floor and dumped a bunch of it on the dolls head. It caught fire instantly and released its grip on Rachel, its teeth tearing a huge gash out of her neck. A large clump of her skin and tissue hung from its rabid teeth.
Rachel fell to the floor clutching the huge hole in her neck; blood squirted between her fingers as she gasped for air. Her entire body started to convulse as she clung on for dear life. Steve quickly tore off a piece of his shirt and placed pressure on the wound.
“MOMMY!” Chrissy screamed, overcome by the sudden carnage. Lilly knew that her daughter would be scarred for life from seeing this madness, however long that ended up being.
“I’ll call an ambulance!” Steve shouted, pulling out his phone and dialing quickly. Ten seconds later he was talking to someone and telling them that there had been a horrible accident. Lilly was half expecting him to tell them that a demonic doll had just attacked his boss.
“Watch the doll!” Rory yelled as Rachel pointed towards it. Even in the pain she was in, fighting for her life, she was still trying to protect others. Lilly found that admirable.
The doll was rolling around on the couch using pillows to put the fire encasing its head out. Lilly was amazed that the demon cared so much about saving the doll. It was just a portal after all; it wasn’t the demon. It wasn’t even really possessed by the demon.
But it was the doorway. And it was attached to the doll. That was what Rachel had told her. So therefore the doll was vital to the demon. Without the doll then the demon was very vulnerable. If they were able to force it through a portal out of this world then its permanent access was basically revoked and it would be sent back to another plane of existence where it belonged.
But they couldn’t just destroy the doll by conventional methods. And they couldn’t bank on just pouring holy water all over it to destroy it either. It had worked right then because the demon had been using the doll and had basically been inside of it. Lilly remembered reading something about enchanted and cursed objects. She had been researching things nonstop on the internet and at the library about it all. So far Rachel had confirmed most of the things she was unsure of. But why did the demon need to use the doll to kill Heather and Joe? That was a question that had plagued her since she’d found out about it. It did not really need the doll to perform brutal acts did it?
Rory grabbed the ceremonial blanket off the table and quickly wrapped it around the doll. The doll let out a bloodcurdling scream that shook the whole house. It was like an aftershock from a huge earthquake, causing pictures to fall off the walls and vases and figurines to come crashing to the floor sliding off the mantle above the fireplace.
Then the doll and the house were still.
Lilly grabbed Chrissy and took her outside to get some fresh air. The night had grown cooler and the air felt amazing on her skin in contrast to the warm sweat that trickled from her brow. She took several deep breaths as the nausea and dizziness she had been dealing with began to slowly subside. Within a few minutes she could actually hear the ambulance siren wailing off in the distance as it approached.
Steve and Rory made their way outside carrying Rachel. They carefully sat her down on the porch. She was still awake, but semi-conscious and when she tried to speak it sounded rather garbled. Steve continued to hold pressure on the wound as Rory retrieved a blanket from the house and draped it over her. It was obvious that she was in shock and that her body temperature was dropping from the trauma and the loss of the blood.
Lilly tried to shield Chrissy’s eyes from the carnage. The little girl did not want to see any of this as she buried her face in her mother’s shoulder and tried to hide her tears. Lilly clutched her gently and held her close trying to offer as much comfort as possible, but still feeling sick inside knowing that her little girl would never be quite the same. The innocence of childhood had just been robbed from her. She was learning about evil and darkness in a very real fashion.
“What are we going to tell the EMT’s?” Lilly asked. They had yet to come up with a plausible story about why Rachel’s neck had a huge hole in it. They couldn’t very well tell them the truth about the demonic doll coming to life and attacking her, now could they?
“We will just say that she was attacked by a wild animal,” Steve offered.
“What animal specifically?” Lilly asked. Steve groaned as he let out an annoyed sigh.
“I don’t know—what do you have out here?”
“Sometimes we get coyotes roaming the neighborhood, but they never attack anyone. Usually if you shout at them they will run off as fast as they can,” Lilly replied. She hated the damn things because she was always afraid they might attack Chrissy when she was outside playing. That was the main reason she never let her daughter outside the house without her being close to her.
“Well, there is a first time for everything. Maybe it was rabid and it attacked her when she was getting some fresh air. Maybe more than one? We
heard the commotion and came out and scared them away. They ran off into the woods. That will work,” Steve said.
Lilly marveled at the young man’s ability to think so quickly on his feet.
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and assessed Rachel’s injuries. Steve wanted to ride with Rachel to the hospital, but she waived him off. He knew that she felt it would be better for him to stay here and continue the work with the team. The EMT’s seemed to think that Rachel would be OK. They were able to stabilize her at the scene and stem the bleeding a bit. They had to hurry though and within ten minutes of arriving on the scene they were gone on their way to the hospital.
Lilly and Chrissy went back inside after the ambulance left. She heard Mary on the phone with someone. She was just finishing up a conversation.
“OK, we will see you soon,” Mary said as she ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Lilly asked.
“That was Father Jacobs. He will be here soon.”
“So we are doing the exorcism now?” Lilly asked.
“Yeah, there is no choice anymore. We need the help of an actual priest who can perform the Rites of Exorcism.”
“But I thought we had to destroy the doll first?”
“Well, the doll has taken on a different role here. This demon is powerful. We saw what it did to Rachel. It won’t let us close the portal first, which is ideal. So we will have to do the exorcism and then close the portal immediately after.”
“But if the doorway is open what will prevent the demon from just hopping back through and hiding on this side?” Lilly asked.
“We just have to take the chance that Father Jacobs can work his magic to keep that from happening. Normally we would prefer the doorway closed, but the demon has a stronger hold on the doll then we thought. It isn’t just a cursed object anymore, it is a weapon. It probably happened when the demon used the doll to carry out the murders of your sister in law and her husband. By using the doll it became more than just an inanimate set piece; it became almost a part of the demon.”
“I thought the demon couldn’t possess an object?” Lilly asked. She was getting a bit confused. It all seemed to be muddling together in her mind. If the rules kept changing then how were they supposed to beat this damn thing?
Mary took over. “Typically they can’t, but the demon has become so powerful that it is now able to do just about anything it wants. It can reside in anything it wants to. This demon is clever; it has slowly built up the fear it needed so that it was able to use the doll to physically harm someone. But now we believe it has reached a point where it can really physically appear without the use of the doll or anything else. That makes it so much more dangerous. Despite what most people believe, demons can’t really interact physically with someone unless they reach a certain level or rank.”
“So the priest can help? He can send it back and then close the door behind it?”
“He is going to try, but you have to remember that exorcisms only work about half of the time.”
“Shit. What if it doesn’t work? And don’t tell me we will cross that bridge when we come to it,” Lilly said. She was getting so pissed. She wanted this damn demon to get away from them and get out of their lives. What had they done to deserve this? They were good people-- maybe not the most religious-- but good all the same. They never hurt anyone and they had a strong family, but this thing was trying to tear them apart and she just didn’t understand it.
“Then we will have to keep trying. Sometimes it takes several tries for an exorcism to work. The most important thing is to not lose your faith and think that God has abandoned you. That is what the demon wants more than anything; he wants to take you away from God.”
Lilly swallowed hard and tried to get a grip. She could feel her mask of sanity starting to slip away from her and it was terrifying. There was no way that she would be able to get it back if she let it go.
She had to stay strong here.
Chapter Eight
Father Jacobs was in a deep trance. Lilly was getting worried. When he had arrived on her doorstep she had expected a much younger man. Jacobs was about sixty-five years old, but he had the stance and the glare of a man who was half his age and who had lived about six lifetimes worth of misery. All you had to do was look him in the eyes to feel your knees getting weak with fear. The man was terrifying and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
He didn’t mince words at all; he knew what had happened and he knew what was going on. Rachel had filled him in on all of the background of the casework. He had been slightly annoyed that she had been attacked because he may have needed her assistance, but he was not at all surprised. Lilly could tell just by looking at the man that there was not much on this Earth that could surprise him.
Jacobs quickly set up his things as Steve and Rory got out of his way and tried to explain to him what had just happened. He basically dismissed everything they said as if they were telling him about an old movie he had seen a hundred times. The man knew the drill.
It was mesmerizing to watch him carefully, but quickly lay out all of the ceremonial items he was going to need. Lilly’s gaze kept returning to the doll, which had surprisingly not moved a muscle since it had been set on fire by the holy water. It just lay on the couch with no one bothering to go near it, but never letting it out of their sight. It was too dangerous to be free.
“Don’t you need to put the doll back on the table in the center of the circle?” Mary asked.
“No. That was a mistake. The doll is still just an object. It is an instrument; nothing else.”
“But—“ Mary started.
“Trust me. It is just a ploy. The demon can’t possess something that does not have a soul, but it will often appear that way to deceive those it preys upon or who it perceives as enemies.”
Lilly felt like that made a lot of sense.
“Why did the doll burst into flames at the contact of holy water?” Rory asked.
“It was an illusion; just a trick to confuse you—nothing else,” Jacobs said. “And it worked.”
The two young paranormal researchers glanced at each other sheepishly. It was astounding how much more knowledge the old priest had that they did not. Lilly was intrigued and for the first time she felt as if someone was there who could actually help her family.
“Let’s begin,” The old man said.
He began to say The Lord’s Prayer. He motioned for all to join in and they did, even Brad who had awakened a little bit before the priest arrived. Brad’s little nap seemed to have done wonders for him; he was almost his normal self, but Lilly could see the fear in his eyes. He was petrified, but his love for his family was finally starting to take over and she knew that he was willing to fight and die to protect them.
Brad sat beside her and Chrissy on the floor surrounding the coffee table. Lilly held her breath as she waited for the theatrics to begin, but so far nothing was happening as they continued to recite the prayer that she had learned in church all those Sundays ago when she was a little girl. She never dreamed that she would be there saying it, hoping it would save her family’s life.
As they finished the prayer the priest took a piece of communion wafer and swallowed it. He said a few words almost silently to himself and made the sign of the cross over his chest. Then he waited for a few moments before he stood up and walked from one person to the next dabbing a bit of holy water on his fingers and making the sign of the cross on their forehead with the water as he quickly blessed each one of them.
Lilly felt a charge of electricity jolt through her as the priest touched her. The water felt cool on her brow, but it electrified her whole body and she began to feel warm and tingly all over. Suddenly she felt like there was a glow, a strong light inside of her. She felt fully confident, as if she was ready to take on anything and that no matter what happened God was going to protect her.
Brad grabbed her hand gently in his and held it, his touch warm and comforting.
She looked into his eyes and she recognized the man she had fallen in love with. He smiled at her with that sweet smile that she cherished so.
“Who is there? Speak vile demon! Who dares to attack children of God?” The priest began shouting into the empty air. He was trying to provoke the demon. Rachel had told Lilly something about that. It was a tactic that the priest used to anger the demon so it would lower its guard.
“I demand you to tell me your name! In the name of God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to reveal yourself!” The priest was shouting at the top of his lungs now.
Chrissy squeezed Lilly’s hand. The girl’s eyes were wide with fear. She clutched at her mother’s hand tightly. She was so scared and confused, but Lilly knew that soon she would be neither of those things. Everything would be OK. She just felt it in her bones, but she had no idea why. There was a feeling of calm and peace that had just moved through her body. She couldn’t explain where it had come from, but she knew that she was stronger than this thing and there was no way she was going to let it destroy her family.
“Come forth evil demon! Spawn of Satan, you coward!” The priest continued to insult the beast.
“Mommy,” Chrissy said. Her voice sounded so meek and frail.
“It’s OK, baby,” Lilly said. She stroked the child’s head reassuringly.
The doll suddenly sprang to life and lunged off the couch, flying at the priest. Lilly had an overwhelming surge of déjà vu; it was just like the way it had attacked Rachel a little over an hour before. She held her breath. She was not sure she would be able to handle this happening again.
The doll was only inches from tearing into the priest, its eyes red with evil and its face twisted into the face of the demon. It was finally showing its true colors. The priest was cool and calm. At the very last second he whipped a cross out from behind his back and shoved it into the doll’s mouth and threw it to the ground, continuing to press the cross deeper and deeper into the doll’s mouth.
Thriller: Horror: Spirit Doll (Mystery Suspense Thrillers) (Haunted Paranormal Short Story) Page 8