36 The Dahlias: Conclusion

Shawn leapt forward to attack her but Gayoon was faster. She landed a kick to his groin. Grunting in pain, the spirit used Taejoon's body to hold her arm and twist it. Gayoon shrieked in pain as she was pinned to the hood of the car. He grabbed her hair and banged her head against the metal.

Blood oozed out of her head but Gayoon did not give in. She stomped hard on his foot, causing him to yelp in pain and elbowed him on the nose with all her might. Even though she was small in stature, she was the best in fighting during her academy days. The spirit tumbled backwards. Gayoon took the chance to land another punch on him.

Taejoon's nose was also bleeding. Gayoon was holding herself back from hurting him too much since he was being possessed but the spirit lunged at her again, this time, reaching for her throat. His hands wrapped around her neck, trying to throttle her. Gayoon struggled to let herself free but the spirit was too strong. Coupled with its soul energy and Taejoon's strength, it was almost impossible to thwart him off.

Gayoon choked under its sheer strength.

"You're dead now, little pet," the spirit spluttered. Gayoon groaned in pain as the hands around her neck tightened. Her one had was busy trying to push him off but the other one was reaching for her pocket.

"No one is going to help you here," it sneered through Taejoon. Gayoon's hand finally reached her pocket. She took out a handful of white powder.

"Thank you my little pet for taking me to my treasure," the spirit whispered, a mania filling his voice. "Goodbye. Forever."

Suddenly, she threw the powder on its face. As soon as the powder hit the spirit, it backed off, screaming in agony. It felt as if its skin was on fire. The powder was burning it and heat began to emit from Taejoon's body.

"What is happening to me?" it yelled as the heat was becoming unbearable.

"Salt," she smirked at him. "It's the weakness of all spirits."

She threw some more on it, burning its very being. The spirit was being torture but salt alone was not enough to take it out of Taejoon's body.

"Very good," a deep voice came from behind her. Gayoon turned around to find Junho standing there, smiling proudly at her. He was carrying a large duffel bag.

"Ahjusshi! Why did it take you so long?" Gayoon demanded. "He almost killed me!"

"I stopped by at a furniture store!" he remarked. "They were selling stuff at a fifty percent discount! Those were some really good furniture!"

Gayoon wanted to smash her head against a wall. The stingy old man was always swayed by discounts and bargains.

"You told me to come here with the spirit!" Gayoon exclaimed. "I even texted you numerous times that we were almost nearby!"

"I knew you could handle him for a while," Junho laughed. "After all, I trained you in beating up ghosts! Now, let's quickly make the circle around him before he wakes up!"

The spirit was temporarily unconscious which would give them plenty of time to exorcise Taejoon. Over the years, Junho had accumulated knowledge on different exorcism methods in order to ward off ghosts. Thanks to Gayoon's ability, he had gained a lot of experience in chasing spirits away and forced them to go back to the afterlife.

He had just one goal: to find that spirit who had destroyed his family.

"Hurry!" he nudged Gayoon, handing her a large container of salt. Gayoon dashed off to pour the salt all around the unconscious spirit, creating a circle around it. The salt would stop him from escaping. She stepped out of the circle.

Junho took out a book which held the different spells for exorcism. The spirit was stirring. It was awake.

"What...what is this…" it panted. Seeing Gayoon in front, it tried to attack her once again but an invisible wall pushed him back.

"Wha...let me out!" it screamed, banging on the invisible wall. But Gayoon simply sneered at it.

"Go to hell you sick psycho!" she cursed.

"LET ME OUT!" it yelled. Junho flipped the pages until he found the right spell for this ritual. He drew a cross in the air.

"Oh you who has gone astray," he chanted. "You who have wreaked havoc in the lives of many with evil deeds. The heavens are awaiting to punish you for your sins. Go back to where you belong and never return!"

He repeated the charm three times, each time throwing holy water on to the spirit.

"You can't get rid of me!" it threatened. "I'll rip your tongue out you geezer!"

The first splash of holy water burnt its skin, throwing it into a tumultuous torture.

"AHHHH!" it yelled.

"Go back to the afterlife!" Junho chanted. "Go back to the afterlife!"

He threw several drops of holy water on the spirit, making it squeal like a pig. Gayoon watched in horror, trying to stomach the scene in front of her. Even if a spirit was possessing him, Taejoon was still her friend and partner. It pained her to see him in such a state.

"You motherfu-"

The spirit let out a string of curses which made even Gayoon disgusted. She felt pity for Taejoon who was being subjected to such abuse. The wind around them was starting to pick up pace, blowing some of the salt barrier away. A flash of white light shone brightly as the ground began to slightly quiver.

"Ahjusshi, how long will it take?" she yelled over the strong wind. "The salt barrier is about to break!"

The spirit howled as the torment increased. It was now squirming wildly on the ground, clutching its face as if trying to claw it off.

"Ahjusshi! He's hurting Taejoon!" Gayoon shouted but Junho kept on chanting without any break.

"Leave his body!" Junho declared. "I command you to leave and never return!"

With the last splash of holy water, the spirit let out one last agonizing wail almost deafening Gayoon. She shut her ears and eyes as the spirit did one last jolt before complete silence engulfed the area once again.