Sacha rolls down her window and presses the gray button on the intercom. The speaker box buzzes loudly, and the gates slowly swing inward. Charlotte leaps from the porch like a gazelle, bounding the stairs two at a time as she races toward us. My car has barely come to a complete stop when she slams her body into the teal beast. The thud makes me jump.
Fel exits the passenger door. “Charlotte, are you okay?” she asks quietly.
Charlotte turns her head toward Fel, but her expression is blank. Dark circles make the skin under her eyes appear bruised. It could be lack of sleep making her slow to respond, but the dead-eyed stare gives me the chills. Fel places a hand on her shoulder. “Charlotte?” she whispers softly. Her body shakes like a car in desperate need of an alignment driving on cobbled roads.
“Mrs. Addington,” I say sternly.
She blinks. Awareness floods into her expression. “What happened?” I ask.
“I-I woke up to the smell of smoke and the shriek of smoke detectors. There were wads of tissue all over the hallway. A few were still smoldering, and others had burnt edges. The shadow people have moved from rattling doors to lighting fires.” Her voice cracks. She tugs at the neck of her gown, scratching the red, irritated skin.
“Why are you still here? This house isn’t worth your life,” Sacha says incredulously. “You should’ve left.”
“They won’t let me,” she whispers.
What? We all stare, confused.
She’s lifted off her feet and pulled toward the front door. It slams open just in time for her to disappear through the dark entryway before it closes. It’s a blatant challenge. I ball my fists.
“I think we’ve just been called out,” Fel says.
“It’d be rude of us not to properly respond.” I stalk to the back of my car and pop the trunk. My mind is focused on retrieval as I gather crosses, holy water, and a Bible.
“Who’s ready to put everything we’ve learned to good use in a crash course in demonology?” Sacha asks in a snarky video game host impression.
“I’ll take us for a thousand, Morel,” I reply.
The house is an enemy ready to engage in battle. We walk toward is it side-by-side, united. I wave my hand, ripping the door open. Flickering lights cast odd shadows in the foyer. My eyes struggle to take in the information they’re rapidly receiving with every befuddling flash. We step inside cautiously. The chandelier rattles above our head. Skirting the potential death trap, we quickly move to the left.
Curtains ripple from an invisible source in the room to the right. The door shuts behind us. A creature scurries across the ceiling. Debris rains down on our head. Fel cups her mouth to call for Charlotte. I slap her hands down. “Try not to turn us into the stereotypical first girls to die in the horror movie, please.”
“How do you think we should find her?” Fel asks.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Sacha whispers. “Look.” She gestures her head toward the stairs. Charlotte is crouched at the top of the stairs, foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal. Her head moves jerkily to the left and right, like a nervous tick. An inhuman growl leaves her lips.
“I think it’s safe to assume she’s possessed,” Sacha mumbles.
“This one is mine.” I step forward, planting my feet. “Who are you?”
Charlotte stands. Her dry laughter explodes, echoing off the walls. The smell of rotting flesh fills the air. An icy wind tugs hair from my ponytail. Chill bumps raise on my skin.
“Come and join me. I can grant your every wish.”
“There’s nothing worth your fee, Djinn,” I yell to be heard over the wind.
Charlotte blinks, stunned. “You know me.” Charlotte smiles. “Let me show you my power. I can offer you your heart’s desire.” Charlotte beams.
“We don’t want what you’re selling,” Sacha shouts.
“Are you so sure? How would you like to have your father eating out of the palm of your hand? Deep down, you’ve always longed to be a Daddy’s girl, but he never saw you as more than a political pawn.” Her voice is infused with false sympathy. “I can change that.” An image flickers on the wall across from the stairwell, like a projector movie. “I can change it all … past, present, future.” He shows her images of her father, lovingly playing tea party, and helping her build a lemonade stand. She’s glued to the images that I know never happened. “You know he’ll never come around on his own. Why deprive yourself of true happiness?” The Djinn’s deep voice is off-putting coming from the disheveled blonde-haired woman.
I reach inside my jacket for the bottle of holy water, push the tab, and send it hurtling toward her with a flick of my wrist. “We’re not interested in your lies, deceiver.”
She hisses like an angry snake. I send another blast of holy water hurtling toward it with my powers. I won’t give it a chance to ensnare any of us again. Charlotte’s mouth opens wide. Projectile vomit rockets through the air, staining the stairs a sickly green hue. Dropping to all fours, she crawls down the stairs through her own sick.
“We rebuke you, unclean spirit,” Sacha says shakily. She holds out a cross, and Fel joins us. Steam pours off Charlotte’s skin as the water makes direct contact with her face and sizzles. She scuttles away in a crab walk that has me wishing we were trying to kill her with fire instead of trying to take her alive and exorcise her.
“We can’t let it get away.” I give chase. Lights burst in our wake, showering us with glass. Tiny slivers bite into my skin. I ignore the stinging pain as we slide around the corner. Black figures spring up around us. I jump to the left to avoid one, only to scream when two more appear and run through me. Frozen from the inside out, my legs are kicked out from underneath me. I hit the floor at an awkward angle. Pain shoots through my upper body and my shoulder as it pops out of the socket.