The Possessed Read online

  Eloise wore a look of pride as she stared at Nona before turning my way. “Can you think of any reason why the demon would use your sister to hurt Jake?”

  “To prove that it had power over her?” I suggested and turned to Nona. “Right?”

  “Why would the demon go through so much trouble?” She paused to allow me to consider her words.

  Maybe too much guilt and worry clouded my judgment, but I couldn’t come to any conclusions until... “No!” I slammed my back into the cushion behind me. “That’s impossible.” Goosebumps popped up on my skin at an idea that felt too frightening to consider, but I needed to because it made sense and it felt right.

  “So you know,” asked Nona in a sympathetic tone. “Now you see why I wanted to leave so quickly to regroup?”

  “What is it?” Eloise asked, looking from Nona to me. “Go ahead. Blow my mind.”

  My body felt numb, detached from my soul. “The demon wasn’t only trying to wear down Noelle. It was trying to wear down my defenses.”

  “Huh?” Eloise asked.”

  “This demon used Noelle to get to me. Think about it: my boyfriend and I aren’t in a good place. My relationship with Noelle is dying. I haven’t had anyone call my business line in days. And I haven’t slept in well over twenty-four hours. I’m exhausted and aggravated. I don’t have any friends to rely on. This is exactly what the demon needs…in order to possess me.”

  17

  Once we exited the restaurant, I said, “From what I’ve read this demon will come after me by trying to get me to listen to its promises and lies, right?”

  Nona stared at me for a long moment. “Yes. Tell me, have you lived in your home long?”

  “Yep, ever since I was born.”

  She pulled a flip phone from her purse. She started tapping the screen, her eyes flittering with excitement.

  Eloise placed both hands on her hips as she confronted Nona. “You told me you hate technology. It takes you forever to check your voicemails, and you know your way around a smartphone? What gives?”

  Without looking up from the phone, Nona must have found what she’d sought out because she grinned upon hitting the screen a couple more times. “I’m getting with the times.” She cocked her head toward Eloise’s car. “Let’s be on our way.”

  “Where to?” asked Eloise, heading to her vehicle as Nona followed.

  “Hey!” I said, hurrying over to them, but looking after Nona. “This demon’s coming for me. Don’t you think I should have some protection? Let’s go to a church. I need to stock up on holy water and maybe get a few crucifixes.”

  Eloise opened the front door and got inside. Then she unlocked the other doors for us.

  I jumped into the backseat before Nona settled into the front passenger seat. “Afterwards, Nona, I’d really appreciate it if you’d show me how to do an exorcism.”

  “You’re not ready to perform the ritual.”

  “Why not? I believe in the Lord.”

  “You said earlier you don’t pray very often. Do you speak with God on a regular basis?”

  I felt judged, persecuted. “I might not be religious, but—”

  “Religion has nothing to do with God,” Nona said.

  “That’s ridiculous,” I said, almost laughing off the idea. “If you’re not religious, you probably don’t have a great relationship with God.”

  Nona chuckled. “You’re proving my point in two ways.”

  I strongly disliked the arrogance in her voice. What gave her the right to judge me? After all, I wanted to prevent her from getting hurt again, and she was dismissing me without giving me a chance. “And what are those two ways?”

  “First, you just said people who aren’t religious can’t have a meaningful relationship with God. That would include you, so you’ve already dismissed yourself from the proceedings. Second, religion is a nice idea, and I would never criticize someone for aligning with organized worship, but I don’t recall seeing any mention in the Bible that we must adhere to any given creed. That’s why there are so many religious beliefs…because each person must find there own place with God. But you, Jocelyn, don’t have a strong and steady relationship with God, so I’m afraid any attempt to perform an exorcism will fail.”

  What Nona said about religion struck a chord with me, so I believed what she’d said on that topic because if God loved and forgave everyone, surely He must not judge humans. But if someone believed in God and had good intentions when it came to ridding a demon from its host, I couldn’t see why I couldn’t handle it myself. After all, not to be mean, but Nona was old, tired, and slow. Those were facts. The demon had tossed her around my family room and injured her. What line of defense could Nona mount against the forces of darkness?

  In contrast, I’d be quicker on my feet and wouldn’t let the demon get too close to me. Plus, I had more at stake with it controlling my sister, not to mention its intention to possess me. I’d let both Eloise and Nona take a stab at confronting the demon, but both left within minutes of entering my home. So why couldn’t I get the chance to do likewise?

  “It can’t be too difficult to read from the Bible,” I said. “That’s what an exorcism is, right? I can do that.”

  “There’s a lot more to an exorcism than reading from the Bible,” Nona said in a dour voice. “A priest or an individual from the Lord’s bastion is best because they directly represent everything Jesus fought and died for, but it’s not essential. What’s most important is to believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, that He’s your savior. That is the key. There are no exceptions. This is a battle between good and evil. Your faith isn’t strong enough.”

  I immediately thought of Father Demetrius and how he’d dismissed everything I’d told him. My spirits languished. If only he’d believed me. If only he’d trusted our history, even if I hadn’t visited him in a couple of years. If only he’d… “What do you mean, ‘it’s not essential?’ Why not?”

  “The demonic consider the words ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’ blasphemous. God cast Lucifer and all of his followers out of Heaven because they no longer respected Him. For those reasons, demons are afflicted by sacred objects and religious passages from the Bible.”

  Nona showed Eloise the phone and said, “That’s the address. Put it in your phone and get the directions.”

  Eloise did as her partner suggested and began setting up her phone to get directions to wherever Nona wanted to visit.

  After Eloise turned onto a major road, I said, “And these exorcisms? If I were a strong believer, then it might work?”

  Nona offered nothing more than another nod.

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll do it.”

  Nona swiveled back to me and grunted from pain. “That will not work. You cannot just flick a switch, and your faith is complete. Demons grow stronger from those who doubt God exists. They feed on your disbelief. They’ll feed on you.”

  The plural formation confused me. “What do you mean ‘they?’”

  “Demons are in constant contact with one another. That’s how they learn so much about any given person. They listen, they learn, and they share information with each other to deceive us, to trick us, to corrupt us, and to turn us against God.”

  Her statements sounded so revolting that my stomach churned. Part of me, the section that prayed infrequently, believed wholeheartedly in what Nona stated. The larger segment, however, considered her words ridiculous. After looking at Nona, I wanted to believe all that she’d said, but I couldn’t, and my thoughts deflected towards Father Demetrius. He’d served the Lord for more than two decades. His belief could not be swayed.

  Had I rejected her remarks because the one religious person I trusted more than any other had doubted me? The more I consulted my feelings, the more I wanted Father Demetrius to help me. If he didn’t stand by my side, no matter how powerful Nona might be, I wouldn’t believe in her enough to defeat the demon.

  After all, I’d just met her. But Father Demetrius had been in
my life since he’d baptized me. He’d been there during my communion and confirmation. Other than my father, no other religious person had stood by my side while I’d confirm, strengthen, and increased my belief in everything sacred. For a moment, I thought about Jake, but our relationship was tenuous, and these might not be the best circumstances to test our bond.

  “You’d don’t believe me?” asked Nona, lowering her head, dispirited.

  Eloise hooked a right. “I’ve watched her do the rite of exorcism. It’s worked.”

  No matter how much certainty I tried to build into my disposition, I couldn’t lie. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you well enough to…”

  “Believe me?” Nona said, finishing my sentence. She took a moment before saying, “That’s fair. What would convince you?”

  “Father Demetrius.”

  “A priest?” asked Eloise. Then understanding dawned on her face. “You’ve already spoken with him about this demon, haven’t you?”

  I nodded, feeling like I’d let them down. More than that, I’d let my sister down. But no matter how hard I tried, only one person represented the Lord, and he’d already turned me down. I couldn’t go on. Whatever I said would only be a nail in the coffin of what I’d believed, only to have my concerns set aside as unrealistic.

  “A Catholic priest?” asked Nona, nodding as though she now understood my hesitance.

  “Yeah, so?” I asked, sensing I’d touched on a nerve she could answer for me.

  “In my experience,” she said, selecting her words with care to avoid insulting me, “the Catholic Church hasn’t been the most supportive when it comes to battling demonic forces.”

  “What?” Eloise asked, shocked and clearly affronted to hear those words. “You never told me that?” She made a tight left and checked her phone for more directions since she’d deactivated the auditory function on it.

  “You never asked,” Nona said. “In the past, I’ve requested their assistance in a few demonic cases. Each time they refused to help me. Some in the Church believe more in personal demons than actual demons. They believe that since Jesus died for our sins, we need to be guided away from the personal demons that lead us to sin, not actual demons that might sway us to commit those sins.”

  Her words hit me as if bulldozer knocked me down and ran over me. “But that’s crazy. If the Church believes in Lucifer, they have to believe in demons. They’re the ones who work for Satan. Why won’t they help?”

  “Decades ago, all priests were trained in the rite of exorcism, but belief in demon possession has decreased among those at the Vatican, which of course, travels down to cardinals, bishops, and priests. Due to those circumstances, very few in any given dioceses know how to perform the rite.”

  I didn’t want to spend days looking for someone who might believe me and who could help.

  Nona didn’t offer the least bit of compassion, but she smiled as though she’d been vindicated. “Some time later, Bishop Francis contacted me seeking help.”

  “What did he want?” I asked.

  “Help in exorcising a demon from a twelve-year-old girl.”

  I sat back in my seat. Apparently, I’d underestimated Nona’s abilities.

  “Oops,” said Eloise, cranking the wheel to the left before swerving to a stop in a parking lot, the same lot I’d visited earlier today. The one I’d parked my car inside to visit Father Demetrius.

  “We’re here,” said Nona, smiling at me in the rearview mirror. “I suggest you work some magic with the priest of your choice.”

  “What?” I asked, heartbeat hammering. “No, I’ve already tried. I told Father Demetrius everything. He didn’t believe me.”

  “Child?” Nona said, swiveling back in her seat to look at me with a half-grin. “Weren’t you listening to my story?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “They didn’t listen to me at first, but eventually they believed. Eloise told me that you grew up attending this church and that Father Demetrius was your favorite priest. You need to rely on that personal connection. Now, we don’t know how long your sister can fight this demon. If you want to save her, you’ll march into that church and convince Father Demetrius to join us, because you’ve made it clear that you don’t trust me to do this exorcism.”

  Her determined stare held no animosity. Instead, she saw this as an opportunity to invite a religious figure I trusted to help. “I saw him six hours ago. I told him everything, but he basically called me a liar.”

  “And he’s had over six hours to reconsider,” Nona said. “Try a little harder to convince him.” She nodded toward the door. “Get going. We don’t have much time.”

  I got out of the car. Soon enough, I entered the church, looking left and right for Father Demetrius. I hurried down the center aisle, once again seeing no one on either aisle, surprised no one inhabited the church.

  “Jocelyn?” asked Father Demetrius from behind me. “Twice in the same day? Are you feeling guilty for not visiting in so long?”

  No, but I felt guilty for bothering him to do something he didn’t feel comfortable doing. Having not visited him in two years. We no longer had the same bond that would allow me to convince him to help me. On the other hand, I hoped Father Demetrius realized that I had turned to him after not having seen him for so long, which might persuade him that I was out of options, and I was desperate for help.

  “You know why I’m here.” I spun around, relieved to see the shock on his face. Maybe I could use that surprise to my advantage.

  Father Demetrius interlaced his fingers and hung his head. “Jocelyn, I told you that I—”

  “You don’t believe in demons, the ones in the Bible?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “See? You do believe. A demon has possessed my sister, and I suppose I’m at fault for not realizing it and doing something to help her.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for that just as I can’t blame myself for not being with my sister the day she died.” Despite that assurance, his ghastly look on his face said otherwise.

  I decided on a different tactic. “You look strong. How much can you lift?”

  A brief smile appeared. Apparently, he appreciated a change in topic. “I can bench press two-hundred and sixty pounds.”

  “That sounds like a lot.”

  He shrugged, too humble to admit his physical prowess.

  “Stand up with me.” Father Demetrius did as I asked, but he looked confused. I needed to keep him off balance, so he wouldn’t rely on his head, but his heart. “Just go with me on this.”

  “All right.” He looked self-conscious.

  “If I didn’t fight you, would it be possible for you to grasp my throat and lift me six inches off the ground…using just one hand?”

  Father Demetrius laughed. “That’s impossible. Even if my deltoid muscles were strong enough to do that, holding that much weight in one hand would throw me off balance. I’d fall over.” Puzzled, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because Noelle did that an hour ago.” I paused. “And she doesn’t even lift weights.”

  As though uncertain whether I’d been lying or hallucinating, Father Demetrius searched my eyes for the truth. Bewildered, he looked away. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “Do I look like I’m on drugs?”

  “No.”

  “Do I look like I’ve got a mental disability?”

  “No.”

  “Do I look like I’ve gone insane?”

  “Jocelyn, I don’t see what this—”

  “Does it seem like I’m lying to you?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then why would I tell you that story?”

  He looked down, his brow furrowing as he attempted to answer my question.

  After a long moment of silence, I said, “I’m disappointed in you, Father.” The words came out before I’d realized they’d passed my lips.

  He lifted his eyes to mine.

  N
othing I could say would lessen the severity of what I’d already said, so I trusted my soul to lead me in the right direction. “I need your help, Father.”

  “I told you, I can’t—”

  “That’s not true. You can help.”

  “I can’t.” He hung his head and doubt crept into his expression. “You see, I…I lost my faith.”

  It’s not that he didn’t want to help. It’s that he couldn’t help me. Now I understood why no one else inhabited the church. To see him struggling made my heart swell for his loss, both emotional and spiritual.

  “I always believed in you, Father. That’s why I came to you today. I hadn’t seen you in two years, but I came here because, more than any other person in this entire world, I trust you.”

  He raised his chin. Tears collected in the eyes, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. He swallowed, but his conflicted expression made it clear he wasn’t able to push aside his self-doubt.

  “You were always there for me when I was angry or sad or I made mistakes or I hated myself. You were always there. It’s not fair when you lose someone you love. For a long time, I blamed God for my father’s death. That’s why I stopped coming here. But you know what I learned? God tests us. He tests us every day. But He never gives us more than He knows we can handle. You know how I learned that?”

  “Don’t—”

  “You said that one week before my dad died, and every day for months I heard those words in my mind. I trusted God because I believed in you. Do you know why I felt that way? Because you believed in me. Throughout my whole life, you’ve always been there.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “You see, I—”

  “Father?” I interrupted. “I understand the way you feel. I’ve been there, too, so I don’t blame you for losing your faith. Emotion clutched me, making me falter for words, but sensing he’d soon fill the silence with his own thoughts, I said, “I’ve always counted on you, Father.” I waited for him to meet my eyes. “When you gave me advice, I always listened. I listened to every word. I trusted you. You know why? That’s what friends do. I’ll still believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself. That’ll never stop. Ever!” So much emotion clogged my throat that I couldn’t speak.