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Here's another short story that follows Dr. Jones in Taxtin County.
I decided to break it up into four, more digestible parts, since it's a total word count of 5870.
Contains scenes of violence and strong language. Not for sensitive viewers.
Part 4 of 4
As he made his way back into the hall, he realized that time was running out. Soon, one of the demons would discover something was awry. Then, all hell would break loose.
The doctor made his way back to the kitchen, as he only had a Strava to deal with there. Then, he could attempt to lure the Keeper.
As he stepped in, the sues-chef made his way to the chef. There was black vomit about, which would be a dead giveaway for the demon.
“What’s going on over here? The people are starving.”
Dr. Jones moved quickly, wanting to intercept the sues-chef. He pulled another vile from a pouch in his jacket, and as the Straver looked down at the mess, he flung the vile towards his head.
“What is this?” shouted the Straver, as the vile crashed into his head.
Dr. Jones quickly checked out the serving window. The commotion had gone unnoticed.
‘Your luck is going to run out at some point.’
He gathered everyone towards the back of the kitchen.
“Chef, you’re going to have to stay and remain visible. I’m going to need one volunteer to help me. The rest of you need to get out of here.”
The small party of five exchanged looks.
“I don’t think I can do this,” the Chef responded.
“You don’t have a choice. If you don’t hold your position, everyone dies.”
Dr. Jones was firm yet reassuring.
“You just need to be visible. Nothing more.”
“What is required of the volunteer?” asked the lady in the red dress.
“I need someone they’re familiar with. Did you notice the woman in servant clothes up on the stage earlier?”
“That’s Jenny,” Anthony said.
“Well, the only way we’re getting out of this is to get Jenny to the kitchen.”
“I’ll do it,” the lady in red responded.
“No, hold on,” responded Anthony, “I’ll do it.”
Dr. Jones knew it would be even better for Anthony to execute the plan. Since there may still be a small part of humanity in her, he could attempt to utilize that. They were both servants in the home, therefore Anthony should understand what makes her tick.
“Thank you, lady, but we’ll let Anthony handle this. Now all of you, go! Don’t leave the grounds yet but get into the wagon in the front of the mansion. It’s protected from demons.”
Without much hesitation, the small party of three headed out.
“Anthony, do you know if there’s anything Jenny holds dear to her heart?”
“Uhm, well, she doesn’t have much, but I know she loves picking some wildflowers.”
“Perfect! Tell her the Chef has picked her some flowers and left them in the fridge.”
“Is that all Doctor?”
“It’s as simple as that. As soon as she’s at the fridge, I need you and the Chef to make a run for it to my wagon up front. Once the last Keeper, well, Jenny for that matter, has been cured, the Stravers will immediately go into a panic and come rushing in.”
“Oh Lord, protect me from this evil,” Anthony whispered nervously, as he made his way back to the lounge.
Dr. Jones carefully looked on as Anthony approached. He could see him leaning in, as he spoke to Jenny.
She clapped her hands and squealed with joy, before snapping at Anthony, then growling, baring her blackened teeth.
Anthony jumped back, then turned around and headed toward the kitchen.
Dr. Jones looked on through the serving window.
“Come on Jenny,” he whispered to himself.
As Anthony was about halfway back, Jenny jumped from her chair, strolled along, and snapped at a few people on the way. Dr. Jones waited for Anthony to reach the kitchen, before reinforcing what he said to them earlier.
“Remember, as soon as she gets to the fridge, you need to try and get out of here as fast as possible. Whatever happens, stay in the cart.”
With that, Dr. Jones headed to the fridge and closed the door. Soon after, the muffled sounds of a woman could be heard.
Leveling the Ghost Gun, Dr. Jones waited patiently.
As the door opened, Jenny’s eyes went wide as saucers. Two clicks of the Ghost Gun went off in quick succession, and Dr. Jones grabbed Jenny before she could collapse onto the floor.
“Run!” Dr. Jones shouted, as simultaneous screams from the lounge filled the air.
He threw Jenny over his shoulder and started bolting toward the exit.
People from the lounge started pouring into the kitchen, desperate to get their hands on the perpetrator. Some even came diving through the serving window, growling, and baring their teeth at the Doctor.
The abnormally fast humans raced towards Dr. Jones as he dashed for the exit. Anthony and the Chef had made it outside already, and he could see the fear in Anthony’s eyes, as he held the door open for the Doctor.
Just as one of the Stravers wanted to grab at the Doctor, he smashed a glass bulb into the floor at his feet, creating a plume of red smoke, which caused the demon to pause for a second.
The Stravers, maddened by the distraction, lunged toward the Doctor again, as he dived forward, and landed outside of the exit, sending Jenny rolling across the unkempt lawn.
Anthony slammed the door shut, and within seconds, it flung open again.
“They can’t get out,” Dr. Jones said, with bated breath, as the Stravers squealed and whined, before turning away to try and find another way out.
“The others around town will be here soon. Run Anthony!”
Jenny had finally come back around, as a look of disgust in herself crossed her face.
Dr. Jones reached out his hand, “Come, Jenny, we need to run, now!” he said, as he pulled her up.
With one hand propped up under her upper arm, the two started dashing toward the cart.
Screams could be filling the air, quickly approaching from outside the mansion walls.
“We need to move it!” Dr. Jones shouted as he noticed some bodies in the distance scaling the walls, with others pouring through the gates.
As they reached his wagon, he instructed Jenny and the others to stay put, while pulling a flask from his belt.
Dr. Jones rushed to the center of the triangle he’d shaped earlier and positioned himself behind the bronze flask. The possessed residents were pouring in as he emptied the contents into the flask.
Three Stravers were within arm’s reach, as he recited a hymn.
“Back to the darkness, out of this world, back to the darkness-“
The Doctor got tackled to the ground and the men tried clawing at his face. Doctor Jones held them back as best he could, before continuing.
“Your death unfolds!”
The men started screaming and scratching their faces. Doctor Jones grabbed another vile from the inside of his jacket and consumed the foul-smelling grey liquid.
He propped himself up onto his knees and stretched his arm out, as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
More and more Stravers came pouring in, and as they entered the triangle, their human hosts collapsed. The demons were drawn from their bodies and entered Dr. Jones before the black souls poured from his mouth into the bronze flask.
Those in the carriage watched on in terror, as the Doctors body shook violently from the ordeal.
The Stravers that were still in the mansion couldn’t resist either, even though they were blocked in by the black powder he’s sprinkled around the mansion earlier. As much as they tried to resist, they eventually caved in. As soon as they attempted to exit the mansion, their bodies got incinerated, leaving only their human hosts behind.
As the last of the Stravers traveled through Dr. Jones, he collapsed to the ground. His skin was glowing red and shimmering in the dim light as the steam escaped his body.
“Quick!” Anthony shouted out, as he recalled the Doctor instructing him over the phone that they’ll need to cool his body down, “We need to get buckets of water.”
“I’m not going out there,” the Chef objected.
Anthony scowled at the Chef, “Do you wish for your savior to die, you cowardly fool! It’s over,” he said, as he spat onto the ground in disgust.
The others rushed back into the mansion, grabbed some buckets, and headed back out to pour these over the Doctor.
After the third bucket, Dr. Jones drew a sudden, deep breathe, before coughing vigorously.
“Are you okay?” Anthony asked as he placed his hand on his shoulder.
He could feel his skin felt like it was on fire.
“Water, I need drinking water,” the Doctor managed.
There were people all around that gradually came back to their senses. Many cried while others felt sick to their stomach. The memories of what they’ve done while possessed were now firmly burnt into their minds.
As for Dr. Jones, he eventually recovered. People all over the town wanted to shower him with money and gifts, however, he declined.
Early the next morning, before the townspeople woke up to start repairing the physical and mental damages, Dr. Jones had left, quietly making his way back home to the soothing sounds of the horse’s hooves against the dusty road.
