Chapter Six. #2
I’d sensed dark spirits and demons before, but what was coming off of Jeremiah was shocking.
The sheer desperation not to be ignored for another three hundred years was suffocating.
Alongside that was sheer, unadulterated anger.
Jeremiah was pissed at being ignored for centuries.
There was also pain and a strong sense of betrayal.
And it was feeding him alongside our own emotions.
“Shut. Up.” Jeremiah bit out.
“I want to talk.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re scaring people, innocents. Is that what you want?”
I sensed violence before Jeremiah acted, and he lashed out, sending me flying. I crashed into Coffee, who slammed to the floor with me.
“Get off me, you fat bastard,” Coffee complained, shoving at me.
“How’s he getting in? We salted the room,” Sunny demanded.
“He’s not. Jeremiah is doing this from outside the room. If we didn’t have the salt…” I let my voice trail off as I climbed up off of Coffee.
“Christ, and he’s this strong?” Jack demanded.
“You need to get us out,” Jenner ordered.
I gave him a dark look. “What do you think we’re trying to do? There is a pregnant woman here.”
Jenner glanced at Callie before subsiding.
My point made, I turned to Haunt. “Any ideas?”
“No.”
Michelle
Fortunately, Lucky and I had discussed what to do as we collected our supplies. I turned to Callie. “New York,” I said, and she blanched.
“Are you strong enough? That took a lot out of you, and we don’t have Callum or Hugo on standby,” Callie instantly said.
“There are a lot more rooms here,” Jack added.
“There’s me and Lucky. If we’re each accompanied by a team, then we can manage. We’re going to have to move fast.”
“I can perform too,” Callie said, and I paused. I knew Callie was versed in an exorcism, but she was pregnant.
“No, too dangerous,” I replied. For a moment I thought she was going to argue, but she nodded almost painfully. This would upset her, not being able to take part, but she’d accept it for the baby’s sake.
“Want to explain what you’re talking about?” Haunt asked.
“I recently dealt with a demon. To capture it and break it down, I had to close each room down to it until we cornered it,” I explained.
“Can you believe this?” Jenner muttered.
“Are you saying you don’t? Something invisible pushed you, Jenners, and we all heard that voice. We also saw Lucky get thrown across the room. Only a fool denies what his eyes see,” Welsh retorted.
“Callie, Angela, Sunny, stay here,” Haunt said.
“Okay,” they agreed together.
“Two teams. Michelle, Dive, Coffee, Suga and Lich. Jack, accompany them; you would understand better than my brothers when Michelle has too much work. Ghoul, Trunk, Gizmo and I are on you, Lucky. Reaver, I want you with Welsh and Jenners. Let’s cut this asshole’s power base from under him.
Both teams head to the Kingsmill Room. Seal that first. Jenners, Welsh, and Reaver, it’s your job to get the trunk to this room.
Reaver, you’re their cover. You know more about this shit than they do,” Haunt ordered.
“He’ll fight us for control of that room; it’s best we do that first,” I said, and Haunt nodded. Grimly, Lucky and I grabbed what we needed, and we headed out.
Haunt
Having thirteen of us in Kingsmill was tight. In the end, I sent half of them out, so Michelle and Lucky had room to work. Jeremiah attacked immediately. Items were thrown at us, and Gimzo took a china dish to the head. It split his forehead, and Michelle handed him some tissues.
“Thanks. Shut this down,” he murmured.
Michelle nodded and ducked a chair that flew across the room.
She and Lucky began sprinkling the blessed salt around the edge of the room, muttering prayers as they did.
I wondered if belonging to different churches would weaken the protection, but Lucky and Michelle had figured that out.
Lucky went first, and Michelle followed him, reinforcing his words.
They both used the same prayers, which kind of surprised me as I’d not really considered that before.
Both of them were fervent in their prayers, and I could sense their belief in what they were doing.
Jeremiah let out an indignant shriek and shoved the bed at them.
Michelle took the blow to her legs and began to fall.
I leapt forward and steadied her, and, stunning me with her dedication, she didn’t miss a word.
I held her up until she nodded, and I moved back. The windows slammed open, and rain poured in, and then shut again with a resounding bang. Thunder boomed above us, and lightning streaked across the sky. Jeremiah was reaching out and trying everything possible to distract us.
Shivers ran down my spine as the sound of clanking chains reached us, and those outside peered warily up and down the hallway.
Lucky reached down and grabbed the handle of the trunk and released it with a curse.
He’d been intending to move it to salt behind it.
Instead, the handle glowed red, and I realised it had burnt him.
“Reaver, you and Lich go get the first aid kit,” I ordered as Lucky worked through his pain.
Jeremiah took further offence, and a cold wind blew through the room, making us all shiver.
Michelle and Lucky both staggered as they were pushed, and we began shivering in earnest. Heavy furniture began shaking as they neared the fourth wall.
When they finished that, they’d have sealed the room and banned Jeremiah from his bones.
Reaver and Lich returned, and I realised my mistake. If the room was locked to Jeremiah, why move his bones? He wouldn’t be able to draw energy from them. But if I took them out into the unprotected hallway, he could. No, Reaver, Welsh, and Jenner would be better staying here with them.
“Michelle!” Jack cried out, alarmed, as a heavy chest of drawers tipped towards her. I leapt forward and knocked her onto the bed as it fell over and caught the back of my own legs. A groan of pain escaped me even as Jack and Lich both shifted to lift it back into place.
My weight was pressing Michelle into the bed, and I hoped she was unhurt. I shoved off her and offered her a hand.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded and then carried on. The wind picked up and blew in her and Lucky’s faces as Jeremiah tried to make them lose their place.
Paper shards flew at them, followed by a terrible stench of puke and shit.
We were gagging, but somehow they kept going, and then Michelle finally said the last word, and a scream rang through the Inn.
“It’s done,” she said, slumping onto the bed.
“There are too many rooms for us to seal,” Lucky sat down heavily. “We won’t be in a fit state to exorcise him.”
“I can perform a room sealing,” Jack said, stepping up.
“And I can,” Ghoul agreed.
I bit my lip. I was loath to split everyone up, but this fight had taken a lot out of Michelle and Lucky.
“Okay. Michelle, Dive, and Coffee. Jack, Suga, and Lich. Ghoul, Trunk, and Gizmo. Welsh and Reaver stay here. Lucky, you’ve got me,” I decided.
“You’re a man short. I’ll come with you,” Jenner said, and I lifted an eyebrow.
“You sure?” I demanded. I couldn’t afford to have him wimp out.
“After what I just witnessed, fuck no. But we’re trapped in here, and my job is to protect the public. This is whacked, but it’s still my role as a police officer.”
“I’m grateful,” I said, and I was. We might win this after all.