It was a gloomy afternoon. The rain had shown no signs of ceasing in recent days in the town of Glendale. Stormy clouds had drained the skies of their color, sending a warning bolt to everyone who dared to wander outside at this hour.
Karina gazed through the window in hope, waiting, tapping her fingers nervously on the oilcloth as she glanced at the front door every minute or so. There was rumbling. A flash of lightning made her jump from her seat and forget about the barrage of thoughts troubling her. The room she was in was dark, for she had no means to pay for electricity. In her periphery, she saw the headlights of a 67’s Chevrolet Impala, the sight of which made her rush haphazardly towards the exit despite the ache in her old bones.
As she twisted the key and swung the gate open, two figures emerged before her – a man and a woman. They were dressed in the same fashion, wearing long black coats with a white cross embroidered on the left side of their chest. Their buttons were made of silver that glistened under the dim light. The man was in his forties, tall, with short-trimmed curly flaxen hair, an expression that spelled reserve with a hint of fading compassion in his stone-gray eyes. A pair of rectangular-shaped glasses rested upon his sharp nose, partly masking the small specs of freckles he had around his temples. The woman had an aged beauty to her. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun, decorated by a single braid. She wore circular sunglasses that hid away any emotion she deemed unnecessary. As the woman adjusted their frames, Karina noticed she had a golden ring around each finger, including her thumb. She gave her a half-smile, one that gave Karina a sense of unease.
“My name is Michael Foster,” the man introduced himself, extending a gloved hand, then added with hesitance, “This is my… partner – Maria. We are sent here by the Order to take a look at your case, ma’am. Do you mind us asking some questions before we proceed?”
“Thank goodness you’re here,” said Karina, putting a palm over her racing heart. “Come, come, you don’t need to take your shoes off before entering. Can I brew you some tea? You two must be exhausted from your travel.”
“No need,” Michael reassured her as he stepped inside. They walked down the dingy corridor. The wallpapers around them were riddled with claw marks. An odd smell of ammonia cluttered the air.” We were informed that the girl is your niece, correct?”
“Yes, when her parents passed, I was the only one left to take care of the poor thing. It’s been five years since then. I love her like my own. It all began so suddenly. Before I knew it, she was like a different person.”
“When did her strange behavior begin to occur? Can you tie it to a certain incident?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Karina spoke through tears, which she promptly wiped with her handkerchief. “Can you people really help us? I just want to see my sweet little girl again. Not that… that…”
“It’s called an evil spirit, ma’am. Not to be mistaken with a demon. They are the mad souls of humans who couldn’t pass on to the afterlife. They usually possess the bodies of people who are at a crossroads between life and death. Had your niece had any recent near-death experience? Was she perhaps ridden by some form of terminal illness?”
“Not that I know of,” the elderly woman shook her hand, strains of her curly hair falling over her wide, wet eyes. She tangled her fingers as one would do in the form of a prayer. Her distressed expression darkened her features, making her look like a Rembrandt painting in the candlelight. “Will you take a look at her? Can you bring her back to the way she used to be?” There was a crack in her voice.
The man softened his tone, trying to sound more comforting. His growing accustomed to the life of an exorcist at times robbed him of the ability to feel empathy.
“We’ll see what we can do. Don’t worry, the girl is in safe hands now,” he attempted a smile that didn’t seem to dissipate the woman’s anxiety.
“Please, you must bring her back!” She cried. “That girl is everything I have! You must exorcise her, make her normal. I can’t bear seeing her like that!”
Maria was visibly irritated by the woman’s emotional display. She reached into the pocket of her coat to grab her long pipe and light it up, seemingly by merely snapping her fingers. A puff of black smoke escaped her lips before she grunted, “Would you stop your whining? We came here to get a job done, not listen to your pointless whimper.” Her tone was cold and sharp. She puffed another cloud as the others stared at her tacitly.
“Excuse my partner,” said Michael as he pulled Maria to the side. “She didn’t mean anything by it. The amount of work lately may have caused her to forget her manners at home.”
The three of them had reached the second floor. Karina pointed at the door with a broken handle. Faint moans and wails could be heard echoing through the hallway as they approached. They grew louder and louder with each step. The smell was growing putrid. Flies buzzed around like dark messengers, circling the room ahead of them.
Michael pressed the handle lightly, letting it creak open with a push. The years of experience as an exorcist had prepared him for the worst, and sure enough, the sight before him wasn’t any more pleasant than what his imagination had led him to believe. There, strapped to the bed, was a young woman, twisting and tossing as she screamed through the damp piece of cloth stuck in her mouth. Her bird’s nest of a hair covered the tear-redden eyes. The peculiar muffled sounds she made seemed to be in a different tongue. Underneath her tattered nightgown were bulging veins like the roots of a tree. Her vigorous movements didn’t appear to cease even for a short while as the two exorcists drew closer. Karina was advised not to enter the room as they did their job.
The door slammed shut on its own, leaving a cloud of dust in the air. Maria reached into the scabbard hidden underneath her coat, picking up a silver dagger, the handle of which was comprised of six circular-shaped holes. She put her boot on the side of the bed, leaning closer, tilting her head to the left as if she was amused by the sight. “Let’s get this over with,” she muttered as she lifted her dagger, ready to strike.
“Stop,” Michael grabbed her by the elbow. “We must say a prayer first. She’s already been apprehended. There is no need to rush things.”
“And when did that ever work?” His partner scowled, disgruntled. “There is only one way to get rid of an evil spirit, and you know it. Why did you have to give that ‘amma (aunt) false hope?”
“We must follow standard protocol.”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“It is not,” Michael prompted her to sheathe her weapon. “Besides, I’m not convinced that’s an evil spirit. Take a look at her arms. Do you notice anything about them?
“It seems like she’s been stung by something. Multiple times.”
“Needles. She’s been injected with sedatives. Check the cupboards.”
There, between the clutter, were small vials filled with transparent liquid. Most of them empty.
“Clozapine,” Maria said upon closer inspection. “Do you know what this is?”
“It’s an antipsychotic. One of the stronger ones.”
“How often do people mistake a mental illness for possessions?”
“More often than you think,” Michael leaned over the trembling woman to take a better look at her features. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired. The sore red marks around her wrists where she was tied up, and the soiled sheets suggested she had been this way for a long time. He carefully removed the piece of cloth that prevented her from speaking, nearly losing a finger in the process when she sprang up in an attempt to bite him. Her teeth were sharp and had a yellow tint to them. “Can you tell me your name, miss?”
What followed was a harrowing shriek loud enough to wake the dead. The young woman lifted her head, then slammed it against the pillow viciously as if she was trying to detach it from her body. She kept repeating the same word over and over again: “Sair! Sair! Sair!” Maria slapped her across the face to shut her up.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Michael reprimanded her.
“She’s telling us to leave. I suggest we do that. This mission was a waste of time anyway.”
“We must help her regardless. It’s our duty as…”
“What? People? I’m not a person, Michael. Our deal was regarding your work as an exorcist. If you’re going to play good Samaritan, then be my guest, but I don’t see a reason for me to remain here any longer, considering this case is clearly about an insane woman and not an evil spirit.”
“It won’t take long. I promise. You speak any language in the world. Can you ask her about how long she’s been here?”
“Fine, I’ll let you have it. As a favour,” Maria took a puff from her pipe before tilting her head toward the woman and switching to Portuguese.” Hey, you, how long have you been tied up here, darling?”
“Sair, sair!” The woman kept shouting.
“I tried. It’s like speaking to a piece of old meat.”
Michael paced around the room with crossed arms, thinking. He fixed his glasses before pulling out his own dagger from its scabbard. It produced a faint light, a sure sign of a malicious force lurking ahead.
“Have you noticed something peculiar about the woman who greeted us?” He asked, glancing between the tip of his weapon and his partner.
“She appeared overly emotional, but I assumed that’s how all humans behave.”
“She did seem that way, didn’t she? Her performance was almost theatrical, I would say.”
A wicked smile grew upon Maria’s face.
“Michael, are you suggesting what I think you are?”
“Perhaps our work here is far from over. Stay close to her while I check downstairs.”
“You’re going to make me miss all the fun? No fair, “she let out a faint, creepy chuckle.” Be sure to make it quick. I’m almost out of tobacco.”
As he descended the stairway, he noticed an old 60’s melody playing, coming from the living room. There was no one there but the gramophone with the record still spinning in it. It played the same song over and over again, and eventually it got stuck repeating the same line: “Wearing the face she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for? Who is it for?…” The stove was left on, filling the air with the scent of burnt dust. Michael called the old lady by name. No response. His words were swallowed by the music growing louder and louder to the point it made his ears ring. He picked up the needle, putting an end to this torment. The floorboards creaked, making him immediately shift his attention to the direction of the sound, but there was no one in sight.
Instinctively, he reached for his dagger. It shone brighter than earlier. There, reflected on the metal, he saw two seething eyes taunting him. He dodged just in time before he had the chance to experience the crushing force of a fire extinguisher slammed against his skull.
“Die!” The spirit possessing Karina’s body yelled in a tone fit for a goblin as it prepared to land another strike. Its eyes beamed red like two beacons in the darkness.
The creature kept swinging at him, and he tried his best to avoid its attacks without using his dagger. He feared hurting the body without having the chance to exorcise it first, on the slim chance its soul was still there somewhere.
“Is this some elaborate trap?” Michael asked as he kept an eye on the numerous objects thrown at him. “If it is, I must say I’m impressed. Really, do I see an evil spirit have the brain capacity to think up a plan like this.”
“I planned to take the girl at first. She had already lost her mind, making it easier for me. The old hag kept pumping her with pills to keep her docile. I only had to wait for the time she was on the brink of death to sneak in and make her mine. Little did I know that she would snap and finally stab that wrinkled wench in the heart with a pair of scissors.”
“Were you the one who called us?”
“Why does it matter now? You talk an awful lot for someone who’s going to meet the same fate soon.”
The spirit cackled, then threw the microwave at him. It was a hit he didn’t anticipate, and therefore, his back met the floor with a thud. He lost his glasses in the flurry, making it impossible to see in the dimly lit premises. His opponent used that to their advantage, sneaking closer and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, slamming his head against the wall repeatedly until it left a bloody trail. A sudden heat enveloped the bruised part of his temple. He soon realized he was about to be scorched on the lit stove. His sweat dripped, producing a sizzling sound that only confirmed his suspicions. A surge of adrenaline allowed him to fight back, though despite his frame being larger than the woman’s, she had far more brawn than he, being unaffected by the human ability to feel pain.
Michael pushed back to his strength’s limit as he simultaneously searched with his right hand for a pot or a skillet he could use as a weapon. His dagger was out of reach. He felt the ends of his beard touching the burning plate, filling his nose with the nasty smell of burnt hair.
The weight on the back of his skull lifted to his relief. As he turned around, he saw Maria’s blurry silhouette fending off the granny.
“Do I have your permission to kill her now?!” She shouted.
“Not yet. Try to hold her down while I read the prayer!”
“You and your stupid prayers!” Maria huffed, taking a hit to the ribs with a rye. The pain caused her to hold the spot to control the growing ache. She felt pathetic as she took another, this time, a less agonizing hit to the shins. Blood dripped down, tainting her clothes before she was able to wipe it off with her sleeve.” She’s too strong. I can’t fight in this weak body. Let me remove one of my rings.”
“Absolutely not!”
“There is no other way, Michael. Even if I do manage to strike her, I cannot account for the damage she would do to this body. Do you want it shredded into pieces before the end of our contract?”
“No…” he mustered as he struggled to follow the fight while at the same time he searched for his glasses.
“Then do something about it!” His partner yelled, her voice brimming with ire. Her back was now facing the wall with the rye a hair’s breadth from her throat as she held the handle with trembling arms, preventing it from moving further.
“I can’t trust you. Not after what you did.”
“I’m not trying to trick you, foolish man! If I can’t use my power, it’s over for both of us!”
Michael at last felt his glasses under him, putting them on faster than he could pull a trigger.
“Fine. I’ll allow it this time. Don’t make me regret this decision.”
The golden ring on Maria’s pinky finger detached on its own, scattering into hundreds of tiny pieces the moment it touched the ground. Those pieces turned into embers and, shortly after, disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She snickered, exposing her sharpened teeth. A beam of light reflected in her sunglasses. Every fiber of her being was enveloped in a sudden surge of energy.
She squeezed the old handle between her fingers, crushing it instantly, amusing herself by her opponent’s befuddled expression. The old lady stepped back as if she was stricken with fear, though she then quickly threw herself back at Maria, much to her detriment. Her small feet were kicking in the air, her throat roughly clenched in a tight grip. She was held that way briefly before being slammed against the floor, making every fat cell in her body wobble.
“You can say your prayer now,” Maria said with disdain, her boot resting on top of the evil spirit’s head as it tried to claw at her foot. “Make it brief, this thing is getting on my nerves.”
The man made a cross with his hand and closed his eyes, reciting the words:
“Omnipotens Deus, per nomen Iesu Christi Filii tui unigeniti, libera servum tuum ab omni malo et spiritu maligno…”
“Faster,” his partner prompted him, her patience growing thinner by the millisecond.
“Sancte Michael Archangele…”
“Faster!”
“Per eundem Christum Dominum…”
It was the awful sound of bones and brains being squashed and turned into a pile of gore that made the exorcist open his eyes. Before he had the chance to ask “why?”, the simple answer flew out of his partner’s mouth: “You took too long.”
She took her time cleaning her shoes as she smeared the blood on the yellow carpet, her expression as calm as ever. Her preoccupation with her task caused her to barely notice when the now headless body stood on all fours in an attempt to get back up. Maria stabbed it in the back with her silver dagger without much delay. “I forgot these things don’t go away that easily,” she said, continuing to wipe her shoes off.
“You don’t deserve to wear her face,” Michael stood up. He tried to mask his fury, knowing it would do him no good.” You’re no better than the loathful creatures we exorcize.”
“Don’t be so harsh, darling. You were the one who asked me to tag along, remember? I have no choice but to follow you until you make your last wish,” she took off her sunglasses to clean them, revealing a pair of empty eye sockets with black smoke protruding from them.” You should have known better than to make a deal with a jinn.”
