Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (12 page)

"C'mon, man," Alex said.
 
"Let's not do this.
 
I just want to talk to Kim."

"Mike," the concerned girl said.
 
"Stop.
 
He looks like he could break you in half."

That wasn't too far from the truth.

Mike flinched, but he still tried to keep his tough guy facade.
 
He nodded over his shoulder.

"She's in the living room."

"Thank you."

Alex nodded in farewell.
 
The couple exploring each other resumed their journey as he crossed the dining room.
 
Mike rejoined his lady friends, keeping an angry eye on Alex the entire time.
 
The floor creaked as he walked, and he wondered if it was safe for five teens to be in one room at the same time.

The living room was bathed in darkness, unlike the dining room.
 
The candles from the dining room granted little light, and from what Alex could see, it was no less messy.
 
The conditions were the same.
 
Dank, dirty smell.
 
Holes in the walls.
 
The living room had the added bonus of holes in the ceiling, revealing a view of an upstairs bedroom, and graffiti as well.

A figure sat on the floor in the far corner.
 
The only thing visible was the bottom half of a pair of pink pajamas, and bare, dirt-covered feet.
 
Alex said nothing as he slowly approached and sat next to her, making sure to keep his distance.
 
He leaned forward, not wanting to put his bare back against the wall.

They said nothing for several minutes, and he didn't push.
 
He wondered if she was awake, but then she shifted and sniffled a bit.
 
Her silhouetted hand reached up to wipe her face, and she hugged her knees.
 
Alex didn't have to be a first-rate detective to know Kim was crying.

Finally, she spoke.

"You knew, didn't you?"
 
Her voice was full of barely-contained emotion.
 
"About me?"

He cleared his throat.
 
"No, not really.
 
Hell, I still don't know what's going on.
 
But your house has been in the family a long time.
 
No murders, no violent deaths.
 
There haven't been any recent renovations to free any trapped spirits.
 
So either something was brought into the house, or invited.
 
And your room was so cold I almost became a woman in there."

Kim laughed, a most pleasant sound.
 
But her laugh morphed into crying.
 
She leaned her head on her forearms.
 
Her entire body shook as she sobbed.
 
Alex, not knowing what to do, put a hand on hers.
 
She squeezed it tight.
 
Mike, from the dining room, leaned into the living room with a candle, curious as to the commotion.
 
Alex waved him away, and Mike went back to flirting with his friends.

"Your friends are worried about you."

Kim shook her head and wiped her eyes again.

"They're not my friends.
 
I don't have a lot of friends."
 
She gestured around her to indicate the house.
 
"We just come here to get away from everything."

"Damn.
 
What happened to hanging out at the mall?"

"Yeah.
 
This place could use a coat of paint."

It was Alex's turn to laugh.
 
Kim was quiet a moment, then took a deep breath.

"Almost a year ago, I went to this place with some old buds of mine.
 
It was a hospital, empty and all tore up, just like you see in the movies.
 
It was supposed to be haunted."

Alex nodded.
 
It wasn't difficult to imagine where the rest of the story was going.

"We spent the night in there, had a good old time telling ghost stories.
 
It didn't turn into a slasher movie.
 
Nothing happened."

She paused for a break.
 
Alex figured he'd take a stab at the next part.

"But something did happen.
 
Something followed you home."

She nodded.
 
"Yeah.
 
A few months later, weird things start happening in the house.
 
I figured a ghost followed me from the hospital.
 
So I got a Ouija board to talk to it.
 
It told me it was a girl, named Sandra, who died in that hospital, and she just wanted to be friends."

Demons loved to lie, to get into a person's head.
 
Kim found that out the hard way.

"I asked her if she pushed my mom down the stairs, but she said she didn't."
 
Kim tried to fight back tears.
 
"And I
believed
her.
 
She…it possessed me!
 
It fucking
possessed
me!"

Kim broke down again.
 
Alex didn't need to hear any more.
 
All the elements were there for a demon to terrorize a family.
 
Deception, desire, conflict.
 
The demon gained strength in the Felder household, using Kim as a conduit.

He simply wished he knew what to say to make her feel better.
 
A counselor, he wasn't.

"My parents are going to kill me, aren't they?" she said, some sense finally returning to her.
 
"Oh my God, they probably called the cops!"

"I'm sure they did, but I doubt they'll kill you.
 
They love you."

"Should I burn the Ouija board?"

"Oh, no.
 
No no," Alex said.
 
"Worst thing you can do.
 
That board's got some charge now.
 
Think of it as a little pinhole into a not-so-nice place.
 
You burn it, and it becomes a window, a beacon.
 
The best thing to do is hide it, never use it again.
 
After it cools off, say in a year, then burn it all you want."

She leaned forward, her face finally out of the shadows.

"How do you know all this stuff?"

Alex merely winked.
 
A terrifying thought dawned on him.

"Holy crap.
 
We'd better go.
 
I don't want your parents thinking about burning that board."
 
He stood up and held out a hand.
 
"You ready to go home?"

"Nope.
 
Not at all."
 
She sighed as she took his hand.
 
"But let's go."

"Good.
 
I'll let you lead the way.
 
Because, to be honest, I'm lost as shit."

*****

The walk back to Kim's home took twenty minutes.
 
Her spirits seemed to lift a little during the trek, but it was apparent she dreaded the inevitable reunion with her parents.
 
Kim told Alex all about how her first year of high school was going.
 
She was lonely, and didn't enjoy being a freshman at all.
 
That was part of why she ultimately reached out to the supernatural world.
 
Alex tried to keep the clichés to himself.
 
He didn't tell her how it would get better, or people would like her for who she was.
 
There were no words he could say to take away her pain.
 
All he could do was hope she'd learned from her mistakes, that the living realm wasn't so bad after all.

He did his part.
 
Now it was up to her parents to get her whatever help and love she needed.

He had the feeling she'd be okay.

Kim was even telling jokes, all the way up until they turned the corner to her street.
 
There were two police cars parked in front of the house.
 
Every light was on.
 
Alex was refreshed at the sight of normalcy.
 
There were no demons or ghosts pouring out of her house.
 
She hesitated as they drew closer.
 

"God, I don't want to do this," she said.

"You'll be okay."

She stopped in the middle of the street, one house away.
 
They could see Jason and Donna in the living room, sitting across from three policemen.
 
Jason kept an arm around Donna as she cried.

"Thank you," Kim said.
 
"I know my parents already paid you.
 
But you stayed anyway, didn't you?"

Alex nodded.
 
"You're welcome.
 
My pleasure."

She smiled, then frowned in confusion.
 
"Wait a sec.
 
How did you get in our house?"

"I'm also a burglar."

Kim said nothing, entertaining the thought.

"I'm joking."

She laughed and reached out to hug him.
 
Alex returned the gesture, giving her a light pat on the back.

"Hey, what happened to your shirt?" Kim asked, feeling his skin.

"The demon probably ate it."

Kim shook her head, but didn't press further.
 
She turned to face her house.

"Remember, don't burn the Ouija board."

"You got it.
 
Wish me luck."

"It was nice meeting you, Kim."

She walked away.
 
She was halfway onto the grass when her parents noticed her from inside.
 
They burst through the front door, the police right behind.
 
Keith was awake and stayed next to a policeman.

Mother and father embraced daughter.
 
Everyone dropped to their knees, and there were enough tears to fill a swimming pool.
 
There was probably a punishment coming up, and some therapy, but for now, Alex enjoyed the sight from twenty feet away.

"What happened?" Donna asked.

"Alex found me," Kim said.
 
"He helped me."

"Where is he?"

"Right behind—"

She turned to see nothing.
 
Alex had already vanished before the Felders even left the house.
 
He could do without the additional questions, some of which Kim had already asked.
 
How did he get in the house?
 
What happened to his shirt?
 
How did he get rid of the demon a second time?
 
How did he find Kim?

All he had to do was wait for the scene to die out, and then he could start his truck and drive home.

A twinge of sadness ate at him as he slid through the driver's side door and behind the wheel.
 
His phone sat on the passenger's seat, right where he'd left it.
 
But something was missing.

Nate.

Alex never got the chance to say goodbye to the young ghost.

The police led the Felders inside.
 
The street was empty, and he'd never get a better opportunity to simply disappear.
 
Reappearing in the living realm, he started the truck.
 
It roared to life, cutting through the silence.
 
He braced himself for the drive home.

"Case closed."

Alex parked behind Cindy's car as he slowed in front of their house.
 
He killed the engine and closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.
 
Enjoying the quiet.
 
Enjoying that he was finally home.
 
Enjoying the feeling of closing another case, and actually getting paid for it.

He didn't bother checking the time.
 
That was one piece of information he didn't want to know.
 
The darkness still ruled the night.
 
It was early in the morning.
 
Alex was satisfied leaving it at that.

A yawn forced its way out as he stretched his legs on the sidewalk.
 
He didn't take a break on the drive home, and getting a quick stretch felt great.
 
The wind blew through his ruined shirt, and he could imagine the look Cindy would give him.

He paused to admire their yard as he approached the front door.
 
With Halloween around the corner, Alex and Cindy had taken great pride in sprucing up for the holiday.
 
He didn't think it was a leap to say their yard was one of the better decorated ones on the street.

Fake spiderwebs were spread across the two trees on the right side.
 
A few coffins, along with creepy headstones, were on the opposite side.
 
Cindy had bought a motion sensor that Kevin had set up.
 
Whenever someone made it halfway down the sidewalk, lights behind the coffins would light up.

Halloween would be a fun night.

Alex didn't bother turning the lights on after stepping foot in the living room.
 
He knew the house so well he didn't need light, or night vision.
 
Peeling his ruined shirt off, he tossed it on the chair.
 
He had no idea how much time he had to sleep, but he'd make the most of it.

He promptly tripped on Cindy's laptop bag.

The couch was the only thing that saved his fall.
 
The lamp on the end table nearly went for a tumble, but he grabbed it just in time.
 
Cursing silently, he turned on his night vision anyway.

The rest of the journey to the bedroom went without incident.
 
As quietly as he could, he stepped out of his jeans, keeping an eye on Cindy.
 
She was fast asleep, lying on her stomach.
 
Alex smiled as he willed his night vision away and leaned against the doorway.
 
It was rare he got to admire his wife as she slept.