Chapter Four. #2
“Connor! Freddie run!” I bellowed. I saw them both hesitate, but a low moan filled with threat rumbled around us, and Freddie took to her heels. Connor tried to grab Magic off me, but the asshole was determined to get his flamethrower back.
“Run, Connor, now!” I ground out as I fought to get Magic off me. Fuckin’ lunatic. I thought shooting shadows would take some beating, but a flamethrower won hands down! Connor raced through the barred gate just as it slammed shut.
“Sunny! It’s locked!” Connor shouted as he tried to open it.
“Guessed that,” I exclaimed as Magic finally moved off me.
“Something touched me,” Magic muttered, looking wildly around.
“Why the fuck do you think I was trying to get us out? You fuckin’ riled something, you stupid asshole!” I bellowed.
Magic’s glower would have terrified anyone else, but I was more scared of what waited in the darkness for us. Without a second thought, I threw Connor the flamethrower, relieved that Magic couldn’t burn the walls down and kill us. A dark laugh came from nowhere, and my skin crawled.
Magic sat up from where I’d dumped him on his ass, and his head swivelled. “What was that?”
“What do you think? You gave it all the big, cocky, asshole attitude, and you were warned not to bait spirits,” I hissed in annoyance.
“That idiot on TV does it, Tack Zoggins,” Magic grumbled.
“And he’s fake. He riles up entities to provoke a reaction and waltzes off, avoiding dealing with them again.
The poor people he leaves behind do. He’s cruel, rude, ignorant, and I repeat, fake!
He’s known to bully his team even when they’re frightened, and he tried to ruin the career of another investigative group.
If you want to follow in his footsteps, then you can pack your shit now! ” I shot back.
Magic pouted. What the fuck? A man his age and he sulked? Jesus, give me strength.
“I didn’t know.”
“You damn well did, Magic. You were warned several times by Connor and me tonight,” I spat. Was it me, or did it seem to get darker in here?
“What’s happening?” Magic questioned as he got to his feet.
I headed for the iron gate that had Connor and Freddie on one side and Magic and I trapped on the other.
“On the count of four, Connor, you push while Magic and I pull,” I said. The hairs on the back of my neck were starting to stand up, and my spine crawled. There was something down here with us. Thanks to Magic being a dick, we were locked in.
Scraping noises, like claws on a wall, echoed faintly, and Magic went rigid. “What the fuck is that?” he hissed.
“That is what you woke up, asshole. This is why we don’t disrespect the spirits,” I snapped as I yanked again on the gate.
It refused to budge, and I knew the darkness was deepening.
“Connor, Freddie, get out of here,” I ordered.
“We can’t leave you!” Connor retorted quickly.
“Connor, you’re in charge of Freddie’s safety. Get Michelle here double quick, and don’t let her come alone,” I ordered. Fear was trickling down my spine. Whatever Magic had awoken meant harm.
“Okay,” Connor replied and grabbed Freddie’s hand as they ran.
“They’re leaving us!” Magic howled and shoved me out of the way and rattled on the bars.
“They’ve gone to get Michelle,” I explained as Magic roared again and shook the locked gate.
The darkness surrounded us.
“Magic, back-to-back and link arms,” I murmured.
“The fuck I will!” Magic exclaimed.
“Who’s the expert here? Do it,” I ordered as something pushed me away from him. I reached out and grabbed Magic in time. “It wants to separate us and torment us.”
“Something hit me,” Magic complained, but we stood as I’d commanded.
“I’ve been scratched.”
An eerie noise, like a tortured moan, swept nearby, and the temperature dropped. Everything went pitch black. The moonlight disappeared from the one window, and we stood staring into total darkness. It didn’t matter whether we closed our eyes or not. It made absolutely no difference.
A coldness settled, making us shiver. I couldn’t spot anything, but I knew something was present. A bright red and green light flashed, and a high-pitched squeal sounded.
We both jumped.
“Fuck! The REM Pod, I forgot it was there!” I cried.
“Is that thing moving?” Magic asked, and I swallowed hard. Chills raced through my body as the REM Pod came closer.
Shit. We were in trouble.
“Murder,” a hiss bounced off the walls, and I yipped. Yup, not afraid to admit I was scared shitless right about now.
“Your souls are mine!”
“Our father, who art in heaven,” I began, and Magic joined in. Together, as something unseen attacked us, we repeated the Lord’s Prayer and prayed for Michelle to arrive with help.
Michelle
I was already moving when I saw the gate slam shut. Despite numerous warnings, Magic had continued to taunt the spirit in the isolation cells.
“You can’t go alone,” Harry stated, worried.
“Harry, I’ll be fine. I walk with God at my side,” I replied, grabbing my kit. I kept it close by at all times. Who knew when I’d need it, and I didn’t want to waste time rushing to get it.
Without another word, I hopped out of the control room and rushed towards The Asylum. I knew exactly where they were, so it was no surprise I met Connor and Freddie as I entered.
“Go! I know, use some holy water in the command centre to wash yourself clean,” I said and shot past them.
My torchlight bounded off the walls as I headed down into the bowels of The Asylum.
As I descended, everything began feeling threatening.
What Sunny and Magic weren’t aware of was that Harry and I had picked up on a vocal reply to Magic’s taunting.
It had been a threat of killing. When Connor had asked if anyone had been there, Harry had caught the EVP of someone saying the name Don.
I’d no hesitation in believing Magic had woken the spirit of the serial killer Don Jacobs.
For an irate moment, I hated and blamed Tack Zoggins for how he conducted investigations.
Everyone believed that was the correct way to do them, but it wasn’t.
It riled up dark entities and left those behind to deal with them.
This one would need exorcising thanks to Magic’s taunts; otherwise, it would be a danger to those who followed.
My torch barely pierced the darkness as I approached the isolation wing, and I could taste the malicious intent in the air.
Yeah, Don Jacobs was more than riled up. He was drawing energy from Magic and Sunny and growing more powerful. I could sense him reaching out to me, and there was a smugness to his oily evil.
“Back away, Don Jacobs, I am protected by God, and the devil damns you!” I cried as I approached.
“A pure soul,” the taunt floated through the air.
“Michelle,” Sunny shouted, and he didn’t sound like himself. “Being drained.”
“I’m here, Sunny,” I called, reassuring him, and tackled the first problem. I sprinkled a hefty dose of holy water over the iron bars separating us, and the shadows cringed away from it. That allowed me to open the gate and step inside.
“Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly,” I muttered and entered the corridor. “Don Jacobs, you’ve no right to be here. You are an offence to everything holy,” I continued.
A screech rang out, and something flew towards me. I gathered my faith and held out my cross.
“In God’s name, you shall not harm me!” I yelled and shoved my belief at it.
It screamed and flashed away, and the darkness receded enough for me to find Sunny and Magic. In a rush, I hurried over and checked on them. They both seemed okay—dazed, tired, and drained—and there were some injuries on them, but nothing major.
“Stay behind me!” I ordered.
“Not a problem,” Sunny replied and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Secure in my faith and beliefs, I began to perform an exorcism that would remove Don Jacobs from this world once and for all.