“Release her? That request I cannot grant.”
And then she screamed as her father brought the Cross nearer to her skin.
“I will not RELEASE her!!!!!”
She jerked up to face him, her eyes shining with hellfire. Seeing her father fall back a little, she saw the opportunity and jumped to the floor. She looked at them with glowing eyes and made a sound like the growl of an angry dog.
Her father still stayed calm. He had faced this situation before. Being a servant of God, he was frequently called upon to cure other people. Her daughter was now one such patient and he knew she was there somewhere deep inside. He strode forward with the Cross pendant. She gave a wicked smile and took a step backward.
“Release her, foul demon.”
“Try harder, dick” said she to her father.
“You know I will do it right? Send you back to hell? I can.”
“You will exorcise me? Do you even have the strength, old man?”
“I have performed many before. I can do so now.”.
“Try, old man. I will just come back.”
“You may but you cannot enter this village again. It is spelled against the likes of you.”
“The likes of me!” She laughed. “We are better than you. Look what you have become. You are selfish, pathetic, careless and greedy. You once loved God but now you fear Him. By your actions, you have proved us right. Demons you call us but tell me, Alaric, who are the real demons?”
“Go away.” He shouted.
“Losing cool, are we? And what makes you think I will leave your daughter? We are destined for greater things.”
“And what may that be?” he mocked.
“If we tell the future, then tell me, Alaric, where would excitement go?”
Silence weighed in the room for a while before she spoke again. “You will not get your daughter back. Even if you do send me to hell, I shall come back and take her again.”
“I would like to see you do that. The portals are closed.”
She laughed. “You seem to be an encyclopedia of the supernatural. Do you really believe that the portals will hamper me?”
“Yes, because it is built to contain demons in hell.” He said.
“Wrong. It could contain the demons who were once human in hell. I, however, was never human.”
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Why don’t you find out?” she asked in return, her voice clearly mocking him.
She could feel satisfaction inside. Despite the demon’s fear of the Cross, it was winning over the man opposite her, her father.
When he could not answer, she smiled. “Out of resources, Alaric? I am one of those who rebelled alongside Lucifer.”
Alaric almost widened his eyes in surprise.
She smiled again. “I hope that now you will begin to get the extent of my power. I am one of the oldest demons alive on earth.”
Alaric sat down upon the chair in shock. Her grandmother’s eyes were wide with acknowledgement. She had sensed it before.
“So is that how you bypassed my barrier?” her grandmother asked, speaking for the first time.
“No. Your spells are still strong. But all spells have a loophole. You spelled it to keep demons away but not humans. If once a demon took possession of a human vessel, the spell against it is rendered invalid.”
Her grandmother sighed.
“Why are you telling us all this?” asked Alaric.
“Why? Because, soon you are going to be dead. And before you depart this earth, you should complete your education. Is not that so?” She laughed as she said.
She walked towards her father with a speed that may have rivaled a deer and clutched at his throat. He tried to raise the pendant in front of her but it grew hot in his hands and fell down on the ground with a loud clang.
“Last lesson, Alaric. Cross scares the hell out of demons but me, not enough.”
And then, she snapped his neck and threw his dead corpse onto the floor.
Her soul was battered. She had just killed her father. Her heart grew heavy with remorse but the demon inside her laughed at her discomfort.
You should have listened. Breaking rules,they always have consequences.
The demon was right.
Now for your grandmother.
The demon gave a mocking laugh. Her grandmother looked at her with mild fear. She started chanting, words she did not understand. The demon just did not bother.
Emily snapped her hands and within seconds, her grandmother fell dead on the floor.
Her mother had fled the scene after she had killed her father. Emily felt sad for her inside and sympathized. How difficult it must have been for her to watch her only daughter slaughter her only family. She wanted to scream that it was not her. It was the demon. But now her screams would only rent the air in the empty room.
The itch grew stronger as the eel crawled once more down her spine. The rush of power swept her by and she fell on the ground in a swoon.
She woke up an hour later with a heavy head. Seeing her grandmother and her father lay dead on the ground, guilt overtook her and she began to sob. How could she have let this happen? It was all her fault. If she had not been bent on breaking the rules, this would never have happened. If she had not gone into the forest despite being told not to, her family would not have been mercilessly destroyed. Every crime of the demon inside her was hers.
How does it feel being powerless, Emily?
The voice asked. She had no answer.
We are similar, you and I. Together we shall do great things.
“No we won’t.”
In her mind, she was determined to die. “I will die rather than let you possess me. Since it is my life that you want so much, I would rather not let you have it.”
If you die I will just bring you back. You are the key and my true vessel. You have a lot of history behind you. You shall escape your fate no longer.
“Who are you? Why are you torturing me like this? Please let me go.”
Let you go? Do I look like a fool to you? Long have I been hunting for the perfect vessel and here I have found you. And sweetie, this is no torture. Think of it as a boon, a gift from the supernatural. Feel the power inside you. Feel it.
Emily did not know what to do next. If she dies, she will just be brought back. She wondered whether she should just follow the demon for now and when an opportune moment comes, find a way to oust the demon from her body. It was the only way out for her now. She knew that.
She walked briskly and silently towards the door. The door knob turned right and a blue nightly sky awaited her outside.
-$$$$-
She woke up from her deep slumber. It was all a little blur at first but she could see the faint figure of Maira looking at her concerned.
“So, do you now remember what happened, Emily?” she asked.
Emily stood up, her head still felt dizzy. “I am not Emily. Am I?” she asked, her voice faint.
Maira smiled. “No.” she answered.
“And you are not Maira, are you?”
“Maira made the same mistake as you. She went into the forest to seek you out. She missed you and decided to follow you into the forest. That is where I met her.”
“And who are you?”
“I am one of the oldest. So are you. I made a deal with the angels. But you were one of them with whom I negotiated, didn’t I?”
Emily nodded slightly.
“Then you know who you are?”
“No.” said Emily. “I know I am not Emily.”
“Dig deeper, Emily, dig deep and feel the power inside you.”
Emily lay silent for a moment. It finally dawned on her. The memories had given her a name. She smiled and said, “I am Meagan. And I know you.”
Maira smiled. “And I am –“
“Lilith.”
-$$$$-
Outside, Roger sat quietly upon the swing, basking in the hot sun. His eyes were closed. Suddenly he felt a sudden rush. Opening his eyes, he saw in front of him a man entirely clad in a black and white suit. He was balding, his body tall with a tone of fine muscle, his eyes shining with a strange light. The man was smiling at him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“The most important question is: Have you found out who you are?”
Roger looked shamefaced.
“No cause for worry. I am sure you will come around. Once you get your memories back, you shall regain what you lost thirty years ago.”
“What did I lose?”
“Patience, love. You will know soon. Now, you will come with us.”
“Come with you? I do not even know you.”
“O! How silly of me! I have not yet given my introduction. Clearly, I have forgotten my courtesies. I am Arthalos and I serve the forces of Heaven.”