Charlie carefully scaled the fence and proceeded to walk into the derelict bulding under the cover of night. He made his way swiftly despite the poor lighting. He had been here one too many times that he knew all the corners and angles in the house like the back of his palm.
The living room was large and scattered with a lot of broken furniture here and there. The rug looked like someone had died on it. The walls were filled with different marking and symbols in coal and chalk. This was the house where Charlie brought his clients in for exorcism.
A gentle whoosh behind Charlie made him turn around. He brought out a cigarette lighter and turned it on, illuminating the room a bit. A window was opened and draught had blown one of the curtains which led to the sound he heard. He was about to turn around and go into one of the bedrooms when.
'Boo!'
'You scared me.' Charlie said, startled for a while.
'That was my intention.' Another man, close to charlie's age said.
'Don't do that again. It's creepy.' Charlie said. 'How come, i didn't see you.'
'Chillax. You're still the only living person that can see me. I was merely floating.' The new guy said and floated in the air like he was in a pool of water.
'You sure are getting comfortable in that form. Aren't you, Lucky.'
'Sure am. It's not every day you see a man that lost his body in a freak accident.' Lucky said.
Charlie had a distant look on his face as he remembered the accident that caused Lucky to lose his body. It was a long time ago and it was all his fault.
'Don't get all gloomy on me you punk. We've got a job to do. Sarah's awake.' Lucky said, floating towards one of the bed rooms.
Inside the bed room, there was a little girl on a bed. Her arms and legs bound to the bed posts. Charlie's presence seemed to startle her as she began turning when he arrived. He flicked a switched and the lights came on.
'Ma. Ma.' The litlle girl sobbed. 'I want my mommy.'
'Sarah. Sarah.' Charlie called out. 'It's going to be fine. We're gonna get you fixed and then you can go hime to your mommy, okay?'
'Lookie here. I brought something for you to eat.' Charlie said as he walked towards the little girl while bringing out a sandwich in a plastic pack from his sling bag.
'Sarah's not here.' The little girl said in a voice too deep to be human. She reached forward like she was going to grab Charlie, but the chains restrained her.
'Good. I preferred your company either way.' Charlie retorted, unfazed by the transition from a small girl seeking for her mum to a black eyed imp with an attitude problem.
'Now, let me out of these chains so i can a carcass out of your human body.' The little girl growled.
'I will. Eventually. But first, we have a lot to talk about.' Charlie said.
'What do you want to talk about. The end of your world? Or how popular you are on the other side?' The deep inhuman voice spat out from the little girl's moving lips.
'Nice try.' Charlie said.
He brought out a metallic device from his bag and placed it around Sarah's head while she tried to resist him.
After the head gear was perfectly placed, he rolled his sleeves up, revealing a bracelet on his right wrist. It had an insignia of a dagger within a pentagram. He rubbed his palms together, a sick look on his face like he was going to enjoy doing this.
'Do you have anything tangible for me?. Charlie teased, tapping the insignia on his bracelet causing it to light up in a faint glow. The tip of his fingers also had similar glows. He brought out a small book from his bag and opened it, holding it in one hand.
'Fine.' The possessed girl said, obviously being afraid of an exorcism. 'Take the snare off this body's head and i'll tell you whatever you want to hear.
'What do you think?' Charlie said, facing Lucky.
'I think not.' Lucky replied with his arms folding across his chest.
'Here we go.' Charlie said and began reciting some ancient words from the small book in his hands.
The words worked like magic. Causing the gear around the little girl's head to glow. This in turn caused the being within her to feel excrutiating pain. The girl let out an inhuman scream.
'Had enough?' Charlie asked, pausing a while. The girl moved her head slowly and saliva dripped down of her sweat laden face.
'You're hurting me.' The little girl said in her tiny voice.
'Hang in there, Sarah.' Charlie said, disgusted. He hated demons. They always make things go bad. This poor little girl has been transformed into the vessel of an ancient vile creature. If he doesn't exorcise her soon, the possession would become permanent. Even if the exorcism was successful, the girl's life might not remain the same.
He needed answers, that's why he had to work the demon. And if this demon decides to make things difficult, they might stay here all night.
Charlie started reciting once more and the girl started convulsing, giving out throaty growls and screams while fluid splashed out her mouth.
The door behind Charlie burst open and a guy with a gun came in.
'Step away from the girl.' The man said, cocking his gun.
'Who are you?' Charlie asked, startled that simeone would barge into his hideout. He had already generated the rumor that the house was haunted and that had proved effective in warding people off, except for the occational dare devils. Even they never came in this far. Who was this guy?
'I said move away from the girl.' The man echoed himself.
'You don't know what you're interfering with.' Charlie said, turning to face the new comer. He was only a little older than Charlie and he aimed his gun with sureness that showed he was a military man.
'What are you doing to the kid.' The man asked, gesturing to Charlie to move away as he moved closer to where the girl was bound.
'Help me.' The little girl muttered in his small voice. Her eyes had reverted to their normal color and no more was the deep throaty voice.
'Don't listen to it... Her.' Charlie corrected himself. How was he to explain to a stranger that the girl was capable of becoming a mostrous entity. The man had a gun to his head for God's sake.
The new guy checked the drawers by the bedside and found the keys to the chains used to bound the girl while still keeping an eye on Charlie.
'Don't do that.' Charlie cautioned.
The man ignored Charlie's warning and proceeded to unchain the girl's hand. He immediately regretted the action.
'What are you doing.' He asked, choking as the girl grabbed his throat with her free hand. Her grip was quit strong, like a grown up's.
Charlie ran to the man's rescue. Ripping Sarah's hands off the man's neck was not child's play.
'Help me cuff her.' Charlie said as he rested his weight on her hand so she wouldn't be able to move it.
They both sat on the floor, panting after they had successfully restrained the beast of a girl.
'Funny that you'll be the one to cuff her.' Charlie muttered.
'Yeah. After held you at gun point to just to free her.' The man replied after catching in breath.
'Who are you anyway?'
'Richard. Richard Johnson.' He said, raising his hand for an handshake.
Charlie merely pat his hand.
'That doesn't explain why you're here.' He replied, helping himself up.
'I've been following you.' Richard said. 'I heard about your job. As a master of the dark arts and exorcism.'
'Yeah. That's me. You're welcome.' Charlie responded off hand.
'What's wrong with her?' Richard asked.
'A demon.' Charlie answered. 'It's trying to bind with her.'
'Aren't you going to cast it out?'
'I will.' Charlie clicked his fingers.
'Do you spray her with holy water, wrap a rosary around her neck and say 'I cast you out in the name of the father?' Richard asked.
'What do you think this is, the movies?'
Charlie went towards the possessed girl and brought out his book.
'Last chance.' he said. 'Any last words?'
'Your world is on the brink of ending.' The girls started in her deep voice as Charlie began reading from his special book. She was convulsing and shaking voilently, yet she spoke clearly and deeply.
'The contract has finally been discovered on this side. It won't be long before it is found and our retaliation on this world begins.'
As Charlie read the book, he placed his hands on Sarah's check.
Sparks of flame appeared in the air above her, forming a circle with a six pointed star. The circle spun, with sparks flying around. Richard only stared in awe.
'Begone. Demon.' Charlie said after he read the last line of his book.
The little girl gave a very loud scream. A dark smoke cloud came out of her wide open mouth and was immediately funneled into the flame circle above her.
The circle spun as the smoke entered into it. The flaming ring vanished alongside the black smoke. Sarah fell back in the bed and began weeping in her normal voice.
Charlie quickly unbound the girl and hugged her.
'It's alright. It's all going to be alright. I've got you now.'
'What was that, just now.' Richard asked in awe. Obviously astonished.
'The beginning.' Charlie responded, kmowing full well that there was going to be more demons running about. He didn't gain much from the demon but his suspicion had been proven to be reality.
The contract that served as a linked between the human world and another world that has been secret to most of mankind. This new development was going to threaten the very existence of all humans, whether they were aware of it or not.
Here's a link to the prologue.
https://steemit.com/story/@olatunechi/exorcist-a8c2469ea19d9