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DARKNESS...
June 22nd, 2011
Later that night, just before sunset, we were all gathered outside. Me, Josh, Jordan, Chelsea, Afton and little Sophia. There is a whole bunch of purple cloth and a basin of water.
Rhoan comes out of the house wearing jeans and a nice black shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
"Um, shouldn't you be wearing something more formal?" I question.
"Shh. Don't question my methods." He snaps back.
I do as he says since he is doing us the big favor of saving my niece.
"Alrighty, let's get started!" He said excitedly, "Since Sophia is only a baby I need someone to speak for her and take the demon into themselves. Volunteers?"
I got really nervous then, it seemed like it was his first time doing this. I was about to volunteer my services when Josh stepped forward and said he would do it.
"Awesome. Come closer then. Jordan, hand Gabriel Sophia. Gabriel, you will be my assistant."
Great. I take my adorable niece into my arms and stand next to Rhoan.
The wind picked up a bit and Sophia started whimpering.
Rhoan's voice got very serious, "We are gathered here today to exorcise a demon from Sophia Vaught. And who are you?"
"I am Josh Vaught, Sophia's father. I will speak on her behalf in order to protect her."
Rhoan nodded.
"And you are?" He turned to me.
"Is this seriously part of the ritual?" This seems so stupid.
"Gabriel! Don't mess this up!" Jordan yells at me.
I growl.
Rhoan laughs, "No, this isn't part of it. I just wanted to see if you thought it was."
Both Jordan, Josh and I growled at him then.
"Okay, okay," he cleared his throat.
Rhoan starts chanting in latin, which I don't understand, maybe I'll have him teach me after this.
The chanting continues, with Sophia's name being inserted here and there and the sign of the cross being made.
He took the water and poured it over Josh, he took more and made the sign of the cross on Sophia's forehead and over her heart.
Then he made the sign of the cross on himself and said, "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen."
The wind picked up, Sophia started shrieking and steam was coming off her body. I wanted to do something but Rhoan put his hand on my arm. I sneaked a glance at Jordan and she looked like she was in as much pain as Sophia, it must be a mother thing.
All the sudden, Josh was withering in pain on the ground and Sophia started kicking fiercely. Jordan couldn't take it any longer, she ran over to us and grabbed Sophia's face.
"Shhh, shhh. Its okay. Mommy's here. I'm here!"
Sophia calmed down drastically but Josh's screaming got worse.
"What the hell is happening?!" I yell over the wind.
These awful, inhuman sounds start coming out of Josh's mouth. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen!
Rhoan asked him something in latin.
"I do." Josh replies in a strangled voice.
Another question.
"I do."
And another.
"I do."
Rhoan paused and held his palms up, on his wrists there was some designs that looked like he took a knife and carved them in there. The designs glowed with a fiery red as he said, "Then be gone, demon. Leave this mans body and leave this child's soul."
Josh collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and Sophia fell asleep in my arms.
Jordan left Sophia with me and ran to Josh, she couldn't tell who she should be with; her daughter or husband. So I took Sophia and knelt by Josh's body as well.
"Is he going to be okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, he's just goona be...different for a little bit."
"Different?!" Jordan shrieked.
"How long?" I mutter.
"No longer than a week. He'll be...grumpy and sorta angry. Kinda like a demon possessed him."
"What?!" Jordan sounded like a cross between angry and worried.
"Yup."
"What about Sophia?" I ask.
"She's fine. She'll sleep through the night but I can't see her darkness anymore, its not in her anymore."
"So its gone now?" I ask. I really was getting curious about this.
"No, no. It had to go somewhere." He held up his wrists still glowing red, "So it did."
One design was in the shape of a crescent moon, the other looked like flames.
The designs captivated me and I felt like I should get up and go over to him.
I started hearing a beating sound in my ears and all I saw was the crescent moon and the flames.
"Come closer, Gabriel. Come here." I heard.
Slowly I stood up, completely unaware of everything else and walked towards Rhoan. His eyes were locked on me.
"That's right. Your almost there." The voice says.
I was about to reach my hand out to touch the blazing crescent, when the drums stopped. Rhoan had pulled his sleeves down to cover them and I blinked back my shock.
He gave me a slight shake of his head.
I didn't know what to say, I felt empty, so I turned around and ran Sophia up to her room. I gently laid her in the crib and watched her. I still felt empty, and then I felt angry. It was like a junkie needing his drug, I needed to hear that voice again.
So I trudged down stairs and found Jordan carrying Josh to their room. Chelsea and Afton were gone.
"Do you think it worked?" Jordan asked me.
I had zoned out for a while, I hardly even noticed her go up the stairs.
I remembered feeling warm, hearing the drum beating in my ears, seeing the red glow of the crescent moon-
"Yeah. It did." I left her abruptly and found Rhoan passed out on the couch. His chest rising and falling rapidly, his breathing very shallow. One arm was over his stomach, the other flung carelessly above his head. I saw the red glow coming from under his sleeve. It ebbed and flowed into me. I heard those drums, heard that voice, I felt warm again as I reached towards his sleeve to pull it back. The drums got louder and louder as my fingers slowly made their way up his arm to the crescent on his wrist.
And just before my fingers could graze the red fire, Rhoan's eyes snapped open and his other hand clasped my wrist. It should have been to easy for me to shake his grasp, but it wasn't.
"Uh-uh-uh." He warned. The glow disappeared as he brought his sleeve back up and his wrists from my sight. He fell asleep immediately, as if he had never woken in the first place.
So I sat in the chair across from the couch and watched him. Waiting until I could see the crescent moon and flames again.
-Gabriel
June 22nd, 2011
Later that night, just before sunset, we were all gathered outside. Me, Josh, Jordan, Chelsea, Afton and little Sophia. There is a whole bunch of purple cloth and a basin of water.
Rhoan comes out of the house wearing jeans and a nice black shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
"Um, shouldn't you be wearing something more formal?" I question.
"Shh. Don't question my methods." He snaps back.
I do as he says since he is doing us the big favor of saving my niece.
"Alrighty, let's get started!" He said excitedly, "Since Sophia is only a baby I need someone to speak for her and take the demon into themselves. Volunteers?"
I got really nervous then, it seemed like it was his first time doing this. I was about to volunteer my services when Josh stepped forward and said he would do it.
"Awesome. Come closer then. Jordan, hand Gabriel Sophia. Gabriel, you will be my assistant."
Great. I take my adorable niece into my arms and stand next to Rhoan.
The wind picked up a bit and Sophia started whimpering.
Rhoan's voice got very serious, "We are gathered here today to exorcise a demon from Sophia Vaught. And who are you?"
"I am Josh Vaught, Sophia's father. I will speak on her behalf in order to protect her."
Rhoan nodded.
"And you are?" He turned to me.
"Is this seriously part of the ritual?" This seems so stupid.
"Gabriel! Don't mess this up!" Jordan yells at me.
I growl.
Rhoan laughs, "No, this isn't part of it. I just wanted to see if you thought it was."
Both Jordan, Josh and I growled at him then.
"Okay, okay," he cleared his throat.
Rhoan starts chanting in latin, which I don't understand, maybe I'll have him teach me after this.
The chanting continues, with Sophia's name being inserted here and there and the sign of the cross being made.
He took the water and poured it over Josh, he took more and made the sign of the cross on Sophia's forehead and over her heart.
Then he made the sign of the cross on himself and said, "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen."
The wind picked up, Sophia started shrieking and steam was coming off her body. I wanted to do something but Rhoan put his hand on my arm. I sneaked a glance at Jordan and she looked like she was in as much pain as Sophia, it must be a mother thing.
All the sudden, Josh was withering in pain on the ground and Sophia started kicking fiercely. Jordan couldn't take it any longer, she ran over to us and grabbed Sophia's face.
"Shhh, shhh. Its okay. Mommy's here. I'm here!"
Sophia calmed down drastically but Josh's screaming got worse.
"What the hell is happening?!" I yell over the wind.
These awful, inhuman sounds start coming out of Josh's mouth. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen!
Rhoan asked him something in latin.
"I do." Josh replies in a strangled voice.
Another question.
"I do."
And another.
"I do."
Rhoan paused and held his palms up, on his wrists there was some designs that looked like he took a knife and carved them in there. The designs glowed with a fiery red as he said, "Then be gone, demon. Leave this mans body and leave this child's soul."
Josh collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and Sophia fell asleep in my arms.
Jordan left Sophia with me and ran to Josh, she couldn't tell who she should be with; her daughter or husband. So I took Sophia and knelt by Josh's body as well.
"Is he going to be okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, he's just goona be...different for a little bit."
"Different?!" Jordan shrieked.
"How long?" I mutter.
"No longer than a week. He'll be...grumpy and sorta angry. Kinda like a demon possessed him."
"What?!" Jordan sounded like a cross between angry and worried.
"Yup."
"What about Sophia?" I ask.
"She's fine. She'll sleep through the night but I can't see her darkness anymore, its not in her anymore."
"So its gone now?" I ask. I really was getting curious about this.
"No, no. It had to go somewhere." He held up his wrists still glowing red, "So it did."
One design was in the shape of a crescent moon, the other looked like flames.
The designs captivated me and I felt like I should get up and go over to him.
I started hearing a beating sound in my ears and all I saw was the crescent moon and the flames.
"Come closer, Gabriel. Come here." I heard.
Slowly I stood up, completely unaware of everything else and walked towards Rhoan. His eyes were locked on me.
"That's right. Your almost there." The voice says.
I was about to reach my hand out to touch the blazing crescent, when the drums stopped. Rhoan had pulled his sleeves down to cover them and I blinked back my shock.
He gave me a slight shake of his head.
I didn't know what to say, I felt empty, so I turned around and ran Sophia up to her room. I gently laid her in the crib and watched her. I still felt empty, and then I felt angry. It was like a junkie needing his drug, I needed to hear that voice again.
So I trudged down stairs and found Jordan carrying Josh to their room. Chelsea and Afton were gone.
"Do you think it worked?" Jordan asked me.
I had zoned out for a while, I hardly even noticed her go up the stairs.
I remembered feeling warm, hearing the drum beating in my ears, seeing the red glow of the crescent moon-
"Yeah. It did." I left her abruptly and found Rhoan passed out on the couch. His chest rising and falling rapidly, his breathing very shallow. One arm was over his stomach, the other flung carelessly above his head. I saw the red glow coming from under his sleeve. It ebbed and flowed into me. I heard those drums, heard that voice, I felt warm again as I reached towards his sleeve to pull it back. The drums got louder and louder as my fingers slowly made their way up his arm to the crescent on his wrist.
And just before my fingers could graze the red fire, Rhoan's eyes snapped open and his other hand clasped my wrist. It should have been to easy for me to shake his grasp, but it wasn't.
"Uh-uh-uh." He warned. The glow disappeared as he brought his sleeve back up and his wrists from my sight. He fell asleep immediately, as if he had never woken in the first place.
So I sat in the chair across from the couch and watched him. Waiting until I could see the crescent moon and flames again.
-Gabriel