Chapter #8: Unleashing Hell

We went home straight after the service, not wanting to deal with any other hostilities waiting for us at the official repass, and changed into some regular clothes, doing menial chores and tasks until 9PM finally rolls around. I tried my best to convince Quinn that we didn't need to go just because they invited us, but no matter how much I pleaded, he refused to back down. Apparently he missed having the family bond he remembered as a kid more than I thought, but I still think that's just naïve as fuck to think like that. As kids, we didn't realize a lot of shit. Our dad, for example, was a fucking drunk who would beat our mother on occasion. We also found out that our family hated and disowned one of our older cousins just because they found out he was gay. 

Why do we need to reconnect with people like that? It's pretty obvious Rory is still like that, no matter how much he cried earlier today. I guess what I really don't understand is why he feels the need to "have a family again" when I'm still here. Am I the one thinking too much on this? I thought that we were enough, just the two of us. That I'd be enough. That's how it's been until now for the most part anyway… Maybe I was wrong…

"You know… you don't gotta come. Are you sure you don't wanna stay behind?" Quinn asks, glancing over as we head into the car.

"No shit I wanna stay. I'm bringin' my knife again just in case, but I'm not lettin' you go by yourself you selfish asshole… Don't forget that they hated you too, and they'd do anythin' in their power to hurt you just to get back at me for somethin' I don't have control over. If I did, I prolly woulda killed Rory's bitch ass years ago," I mutter angrily. He sighs but starts up the engine and begins cruising over to Rowena's house. We arrive within 20 minutes through some light traffic. It's a nice place, though it has a very creepy vibe to it since it's a rather old Victorian model from the 1920's. We park and walk up to the door, Aina gliding just behind me. We knock twice and wait a few minutes, but don't hear anything, or receive an answer.

"Come on dude… the fuck is up with that? You really tryna tell me that ain't some sketchy ass shit?" I ask Quinn, who shrugs and knocks even harder.

"They probably just didn't hear it."

"Didn't hear it?! Are you listenin' to yourself? You knock like the goddamn police, Quinn…" I retort angrily, even more bothered to hear footsteps approaching the door. Rowena rushes to the door to reveal that the three of them had been in another room near the back of the house watching a movie.

"Sorry guys, come in. We can finally start now that you're here!" she says excitedly.

For about 30 minutes, it's almost normal, for them at least. We each take a few shots, with both of us only drinking from the bottle we brought (due to me bitching), and they eat the lasagna Rowena had made for everyone. As much as I tried to persuade him otherwise, Quinn also ate some, before retreating to the living room where they all play cards on the clear coffee table. For most of the evening, I stay back and just watch. At times, I would talk with Aina in secret, but that was about it. I'm just taking a couple of shots of Jameson and trying to relax as far from the four of them as I can. It doesn't really work though…

"Hey, you guys, I've been tryin' this for a while, but it never seems to move like everyone says it's supposed to. I was wondering… Do you guys wanna try it out with me? I figure I'll be able to talk to my baby girl again, and that maybe you guys would be able to talk with your parents. Maybe it'll work now with more people, especially since the Ghost Whisperer is here," Rory says as he reaches into his backpack, gesturing at me. I give a bothered stare back at the four of them before he pulls out a Ouija board. I jump at the sight of it, to everyone's surprise.

"What's wrong dude, it's just a toy," Sean chuckles annoyingly, the three of them smiling at each other. I knew these dumb fuckers were planning something.

"That is NOT a toy. You shouldn't've even brought it here," I exclaim back, my voice raising.

"Hey, calm down, now you're bein' over dramatic. And what if he's right? What if we can talk to mom again with this? Or even dad?" Quinn says, very intrigued by the thought of talking to our parents one more time.

"They're GONE Quinn, GONE!!! Mom's in heaven, prolly with dad! They ain't here anymore, otherwise I would've seen 'em by now!!"

"Come on Fay, what's the worst that could happen? At best, you get to talk to them again, at worst, you don't," Rory responds plainly, as if he's suddenly the expert on the paranormal.

"You're wrong, that's not the worst thing that could happen," I tell them sternly, having had enough of their bullshit. "Quinn, come on dude, let's just go home. We shouldn't be around this shit. It can be dangerous, especially for our family!"

"Something? Like what?" Rowena asks, a little nervous at the adamant nature of my words.

"Something inhuman."

"Now you're just tryna scare us. If you don't wanna do it, just stay where you are or head home, but I wanna try it out," Quinn tells me as they open the box and bring out the board and planchette. I give him a devastated stare.

"Ooooh, the inseparable brothers are havin' a spat!" Sean teases in a loud whisper, the four of them looking over and chuckling at me. Only Rowena gives me a lighthearted shrug, as if to say, "Sorry cousin, but what can you do?"

"Are you seriously gonna stay here?"

"Yes, I am. Just go home dude, we know you don't wanna be here…" Quinn says agitatedly, giving me a sideways glare. I gawk at him.

"Quinn, please…" I beg, my cheeks burning as the others sneer at my attempts.

"FAY! Fuck! Dude, sometimes I just needa break from you and all the bullshit around you! Do you know how much I have to put up with because of you?!?! Just GO HOME! Take the car, and GO! You're buggin' the fuck outta me right now…"  Quinn relents, the truth finally spilling out. He gives me an annoyed glare, before turning his attention back to the others, who just snicker at my disheartened face. I have to stop myself from letting my emotions get the better of me in front of the rest of them, my face drooping low, expressionless. Rowena gives me another look of compassion, something I'd never expect from her.

"Aren't you bein' kinda harsh. He's your brother after all…" She whispers to Quinn, but he ignores her. So… this is how it really is. My brother never truly cared about me, or what others said about me, just about how it could be connected to him in some way… Somewhere along the line, I had changed, no longer his little brother anymore, I had turned into nothing but a burden.

"Fay, you need to get out of here. Those things only summon bad spirits when amateurs are using them. If they are not careful, they will bring something otherworldly, or even drag Deirdre into this house. And that is not something you want," Aina tells me, pulling on my arm and trying to guide me out of the house.

"I can't just leave Quinn here… even if he is a fuckin' asshole who really doesn't give a shit about me…" I tell her under my breath, though I do back away until I'm leaning against the wall, as far from the board as I can be while still keeping it in my sight. She gives me a worried look, but nods, slouching against me.

"I will stay with you, but I cannot promise that I can save you if something comes through the portal they open up Fay," she tells me sternly, an annoyed frown plastered on her face. I give her hand a little squeeze, and she gives me a chilly one back. "I just want you to be safe little one. You do not even begin to realize all the dangers your family members are opening themselves up to right now, endangering you in the process."

"I do Aina, but I can't abandon the only family I have left to be stuck here alone with these pieces of shit. I'd be no better than them… and who knows what they'd do once I'm gone…" I respond quietly, glancing at her purple irises. She looks me over for a few seconds, before diverting her attention to the group around the board, a look of wrath I've never seen her take before, almost that of pure hatred, before her features soften again.

"You are too good for this world Fay."

At first, it goes along like I'd hoped, with nothing abnormal, just them holding onto the planchet with nothing responding to any of my cousins' multiple questions, and a few times they'd caught Rory or Sean fucking around and moving the pointer themselves. But that all changes once my brother gets his turn at questioning the board.

"Is there anyone here with us?" No response. "Is my mom here with us?" Still no response, though I do see Rory and Sean's fingertips tense up as if they try to move the planchette to no avail, giving each other questioning looks. "Is my father here?" Without a moment for any of them to make it out like a joke, the planchette dashes quickly to the YES. "Dad! Are you okay?" The pointer steadily drifts over to the NO. "Why? What's wrong? Are you here with mom?" 

It makes its way over a couple of letters, very slowly, eventually spelling out, I A M N O T W I T H M O M. "What? Where's mom?" H E A V E N. "So, you're stuck here on earth or something? Like purgatory?" The planchette moves over to the word NO. "What the fuck, then where are you dad? Why aren't you in heaven?" This time the pointer moves quick, almost as if the person moving it is angry, spelling, I C A N T G O T O H E A V E N U N T I L A L L S A V A G E S A R E D E A D.

"You guys had better not be movin' this fuckin' pointer," Quinn growls, but everyone at the coffee table looks as freaked out as I feel just watching them, a chill moving over the room. They obviously never expected something paranormal to actually occur, just meant to torment us by pretending to be our departed parents no doubt, like the bastards they are.

"What do you mean uncle?" Rory asks. It moves quickly again, almost jerking out of the grasp of their fingertips. I A M S T U C K H E R E W I T H A L L T H E O T H E R S U N T I L S H E I S S A T I S F I E D. "Did anybody catch that?" he asks us, not being able to follow with how quick it moves.

"'I am stuck here with all the others until she is satisfied'," Rowena answers in a hushed whisper, glancing over at me as if expecting an answer. When I don't give one, she continues on. "Who is there with you uncle? Where are you all at? Are you here in the room with us?" The planchet zips over so quickly that it rips itself from everyone's touch, stopping abruptly on NO. The four of them jump back against the foot of the couch, Quinn giving me a spooked look. I glance over at Aina to see that her face has a much deeper frown than before.

"Is that really my dad?" I ask her softly so that the others can't hear. She gives me a single nod, but doesn't respond. She's focused so intently that she can't even respond.

"Who is this 'she' uncle? Who are you talkin' 'bout?" Sean asks as the others are pretty much frozen with fear. Without any of them touching it, the pointer spells out D E I R D R E. "'Deirdre?' Who's that?" B A N S H E E. At this word, everyone stops, and stares at me. It was the truth, finally spelled out, and not by me, the family nutjob, but on its own. And it doesn't stop there, it keeps moving. S H E I S A W I T C H A N D W A N T S T O K I L L A L L O F T H E C H I L D R E N. Quinn's face flushes white, almost like he's going to be sick.

"Dad, who are the children?" A L L O F Y O U A L L O F Y O U A L L O F Y O U. 

"Is that who killed her? Is that who killed my Caitlyn?" Rory asks, tears in his eyes. The pointer moves over to YES. He glances back at me again as he begins weeping, apologizing over and over again. It's much too late for that bullshit.

"You guys needa stop this shit before it gets worse. Say goodbye so that we can go Quinn, we don't need that shit following us home," I tell them, ignoring Rory. My brother gives me an astonished look that screams out "But… It's Dad!" before the planchet pops up about an inch in the air, lands, and starts moving by itself again. I S T H A T M Y L I T T L E F A Y. I don't respond, I just look on for a second, hoping that it won't move again. I A M S O R R Y I A M S O R R Y I A M S O R R Y I D I D N O T M E A N W H A T I S A I D T H E P A I N H U R T S O B A D I A M S O R R Y. 

"Stop!" I command, and the pointer obeys. I take a second before actually deciding to ask a question, against my better judgement. "Where are all of the you? Where are your spirits?" T R A P P E D. "Where are you trapped? Can we help you?" The planchet hovers over NO. "Well where the fuck are you?!"

"Fay, stop talking to the board. You are opening the portal wider because you are the most sensitive!" Aina warns, almost hissing in my ear.

H E L L. All of us can't speak, but it continues, the pointer moving at a snail's pace, perhaps so that nobody will miss what it spells out this time. W E A R E A L L T R A P P E D I N H E L L I T I S K E E P I N G U S H E R E. 

"Hell? No fucking way… Are you telling me my baby is stuck in hell with all of you?!?!" Rory screams in disbelief. The pointer hurries over to the YES. Rory begins wailing.

"I… I think Fay is right, we needa stop," Rowena says shakily, her eyes looking around the room for anything out of the ordinary.

"Wait, didn't he just say something is holding them there? Is it the banshee?" Sean asks, his curiosity unnaturally peaked by the turn of events. The pointer dashes to NO. "What is it then?" NO. "What do you mean no? What does that mean?" NO. 

"Dad, what's keeping you all in hell?" Quinn pipes up now, curiosity getting the better of him. NO. "What the fuck… Fay, you ask him. He actually talks to you." I shake my head defiantly, feeling Aina clutching my hand tight, the icy chill and her concern freaking me out. She's never acted like this, not even around the evil Deirdre, she usually just bats her away without blinking. This is new. There's fear in her eyes.

"Fay, we need to go. It is not safe here. I need to get you out of this place," Aina says, tugging my hand roughly, trying to lead me to the door.

"What d'you mean it's not safe, is there something else here?" I ask her, drawing the others' attention.

"Who're you talkin' to?!" Sean asks nervously.

"He's talkin' to Aina. She's a good spirit. What is she sayin'?" Quinn explains nonchalantly.

"She said we needa leave," I tell him. They stare at me in disbelief, a suspicious look of doubt lining their faces, when all of the lights in the house click off. Before anyone can get to any of the lights, they turn back on, then off, and on again, flickering quicker, until it resembles a rave. I glance over at the light switch, only five feet from me, and see that it's moving so incredibly fast and violently that it's about ready to rattle out of the wall. I grab it, holding the light up in hopes that the flickering will stop, and it does for a second, but then the bulb grows brighter, until it blinds us all, before bursting in the lampshade. The others scream and turn on the lights of their phones, searching the room for anything hiding in the darkness.

"What's goin' on?!?!" Rowena asks, clearly freaked out. The planchette leaps up a couple of inches three times, trying to regain our attention, and begins to move once more. D E A T H B E C O M E S Y O U. "Why would you say that uncle?" W E N E E D F O R Y O U A L L T O D I E S O T H A T W E C A N F I N A L L Y B E F R E E. "Oh god, please help us!" Rowena cries out, getting up and rushing to the door, yet she can't turn the handle. It's like it's been welded shut. Sean and Rory both hobble over to try to pull it open as well, only to be brought to the same result. Quinn gazes around nervously. It's starts moving again, but only I make out what it says as everyone is freaking out with the door. H A H A H A T H E R E I S N O G O D H E R E.

"Fay, do not move. It is after you," Aina says, holding onto me tight. I give her an anxious glance, but her focus is on the board. I glare at it and see that it's still shifting around. G O D C A N T S A V E Y O U G O D I S D E A D.

"Fay! We gotta get outta here!" Quinn says, about 40 minutes too late, right before loud stomping can be heard from the ceiling, causing everyone to stop what they're doing. We all focus on the roof. It comes from the back of the house, stomping hard like a 300-pound man running around, coming closer until it stops directly above us. 

"I thought this was a one-story house…" I murmur to Rowena, now standing beside me.

"It is… and there isn't an attic. It's a crawlspace for insolation… there's not enough space for anythin' to run around up there, it's only two or three feet tall…" she responds, pure terror etched on her face. Knocking, suddenly coming from every window around us simultaneously, causes everyone to jump back. It becomes louder and harder with each knock, until the windows begin to spiderweb with thin cracks. Then it stops, just as spontaneously. Before we can register our thoughts, the pointer begins moving again, causing Quinn to leap up about two feet, being the only one close to it now. R U N R U N R U N F A Y I T I S C O M I N G F O R Y O U.

"What's coming for him?!!" Quinn shouts angrily at the board. The planchette moves very slowly again as the stomping above us starts back up, moving away from us towards the back of the house.

"No way…" Sean breathes out.

"What's wrong?!" I ask, looking around in a panic, trying to stay as calm as I can, Aina still gripping my arm tightly to keep me in place.

"That's the only area to get into the crawlspace, that little doorway," he explains as he points his light down the long hallway, shining it on the two by two foot door attached to the ceiling. The door begins to rattle roughly, before opening inward.

"Guys…" Rory says, pointing at the Ouija board. D E M O N.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

We turn back to the opening of the crawlspace where the noise is coming from. A shadowy hand emerges from the darkness, only visible due to the illumination of Sean's phone light. The hand has impossibly long nails, resembling kitchen knives with how fat and long they are, easily digging into the roof of the ceiling. Along comes the other hand, just as terrifying as it stretches it's way out of the darkness. Everyone is still, frozen in place as they watch in horror, while the being slowly emerges, poking its head and torso out of the doorway. I can't make out any features, except its eyes, a vibrant neon yellow, and its human-like teeth, which glow bright green, dripping saliva on the hardwood floor that almost looks toxic. It smiles at all of us, its shadowy demeanor glowing wider, spreading the darkness throughout the hallway as it chatters it's sickening chompers together, a high-pitched laughter filling the hallway.

"Barbas…" Aina whispers nervously, stepping in front of me now so that I have to glance over her shoulder to know what's happening.

"Who?" I question nervously.

"Barbas… The demon of Fear."

The demon opens its mouth wide, engulfing the rest of its face in the shadows, and screeches before chuckling. I glance over, seeing the planchette still moving around on its own. It takes me a second to realize what it's spelling out. G E T R E A D Y F O R H E L L S O N.  Then it goes back and forth, between the H and the A. H A H A H A H A H A H A H A H A. My own father laughs maniacally at my approaching fate. I glance back down the hallway, noticing that the demon is glaring specifically at me now.

"That's right," the spirit says, crawling its way out of the doorway and slinking across the ceiling, yellow eyes intently fixed on me. "I'm here for you Fay!!!"