"Thank you for coming Father." Adrian greeted the priest warmly at the door. He was grateful Father Stephan could make it on such short notice. Finding an exorcist was not an easy task.
"I'm glad you called me." Father Stephan replied. "The demons can become overwhelmingly powerful if not dealt with promptly. In some cases, when severe neglect is shown, they can even open a portal to hell allowing the disease of their existence to spread." He held his bible to his heart and drew in a deep breath. "Where is the girl?"
"This way." Adrian responded, motioning towards the stairs. His twelve year old daughter, Elise, had started acting strangely about a year after his wife died. At first it was a few physical tics. A twitching eye, or a sudden flailing of an arm. Over the course of a few months it progressed until Elise began speaking nothing but gibberish; the physical tics turning into violent tantrums and the school requested she be kept home until her symptoms were addressed.
Adrian prayed for god to save her, but there was no response. No sign to suggest what he should do. His daughter was possessed and his faith was not strong enough to convince got to intervene.
He wasn't sure if exorcists still existed, but finding one seemed to be his only choice. To his relief, an internet search brought up an exorcist less than an hour's drive away. Father Stephan.
Adrian held the Elise's door open for the priest. "In here Father."
Father Stephan walked to Elise's bedside. For the moment she was asleep; a brief moment of peace in the hell that had taken over. "You mentioned she's been like this for four months now? The demons that have accumulated in her suggest a much longer period of possession."
Adrian responded in a hushed tone as to not wake his daughter. "Yes, the twitching began four months ago. I took her out of school about three weeks ago." His eyes welled up with tears as he looked down at his sleeping child.
Father Stephan's voice grew more concerned. "Then the demon that haunts her must be extraordinarily powerful. The method for extraction must be equally extreme I'm afraid." He picked up the extra pillow on Elise's bed and handed it to Adrian. "We must smother the demon to force it out. I'll need your help."
Adrian paused for a moment, then carefully took the pillow from the priest. Terror welled up within him. "What are you asking me to do?" His voice was almost a whisper.
"If you listen to me and do exactly as I say, when I say it, your daughter will be fine." Father Stephen repositioned himself behind Adrian and opened his bible. "Extreme measures are required, but god will keep all of us safe."
The father grabbed Adrian's arm and guided it so the pillow hovered over his daughter's sleeping face. "Push down hard and don't let up until I tell you to."
Adrian spared no time for hesitation. He had to cure his daughter and would do whatever necessary to do it.
Elise immediately began screaming when the pillow was held over her face. The shriek was far worse that Adrian had ever heard during the day. As if competing with the screams Father Stephen began loudly chanting scripture.
After a minute the screams grew louder and Elise's body began to violently thrash. Her arms desperately trying to push away the pillow over her face. "The demons are fighting back desperately." Father Stephen explained. "God is on our side and they know it. We must push on!" He continued his chanting, growing louder with the screams.
The screaming stopped before the thrashing, but it didn't take long for the thrashing to turn to weak convulsing. "It must be done with by now." Adrian asserted, wanting the horror to be done with. Tears of fear and anguish fell like waterfalls down his face.
"Soon." Father Stephen said shortly before returning to his chant.
Elise's body went still, yet still the chanting continued. It felt like an eternity before Father Stephen finally stopped. "Now! Remove the pillow now."
Adrian ripped the pillow away to allow his daughter to breathe again, hoping the demons had left her as the priest had promised. He cupped her face in his hand. "Elise, it's ok now. Please wake up, you're cured now. Everything will be ok."
She was still warm, but Adrian knew something was wrong. There was no breath from her nose or mouth. Her chest was still. Placing a finger on her neck he found no pulse.
As Adrian turned around to face the priest he found a pistol pointed directly at his forehead. He froze, staring at the smirk on Father Stephan's face. Fear gripped him as he realized what had just transpired. Realizing there was no hope left for him in this world he fell to his knees and began to pray.
"My child, there is nothing to pray to. There never has been. I usher you now into only oblivion." Stephan's voice was cold as he stared down at Adrian in pity and disgust.
With a deafening crack Adrian's body fell to the floor.