Part of me wanted to hurry up and get started on Lucy, but Tabby was helping me. She needed to get the things she needed to help me out. I could at least be patient.
She pulled into the parking lot of the store. The store, I saw, was called “Pyewackett.” I didn’t ask.
“You coming in, or are you going to wait in the car?” she asked.
“Is there anything in there that can help me?”
“I don’t know. Probably not.”
“Well then, I think I’ll just wait here. Kinda pointless, me going in there.”
She laughed. “Be good.”
She got out of the car.
I fiddled with my shirt and stared off into space. I was trying to gear myself up for what I had to do later. It wasn’t as cold so I didn’t bother turning the car back on.
Rap! Rap! Rap!
I just about jumped out of my skin. I stared out the window. There was an old man with long, greasy, white hair standing beside the car. He was dressed in a caftan. He looked like something right out of the sixties. I rolled down the window a bit.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
The man smiled a smiled that was mostly grim. “You got the mark.”
I blinked my eyes. What the fuck? “What?” I asked him.
The man nodded. “You got the mark.”
I looked down at myself and saw nothing. “The mark of what?” The guy clearly wasn’t playing with a full deck and I wasn’t sure if the man’s grin could get any wider, but it did.
“You know, ‘the Mark’.” The man gestured with his fingers like he was going to say “oogie boogie.”
“You can see the colors no one else sees. You witness the writing in the air that no one feels, and you hear the noises others fear to hear. You got the mark.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How do you know I have, ‘the mark’?”
He grinned again. “Us markers know other markers.”
I sighed. This kook was something else. “What do ‘markers’ do?”
He stared at me then. “You’ll see.” Then he left, or tried to at least.
I jumped out of the car; trying to follow him. I ran around the building, but there was no one there. He should have been there, but he wasn’t. It was deserted.
I walked slowly back to the car, trying to catch my breath. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate, now I had psychos telling me I was apparently part of some weird secret society. I wanted to chalk it all up to a ration of bullshit, but I couldn’t do that. There was no way he could have known about what I could see. No plausible explanation for that at all.
I got back to the car and got myself resettled. That was when I noticed a piece of paper tucked under Tabby’s windshield wiper. I got back out of the car and grabbed the paper. It was a flier just like you see getting tucked under the wipers for all types of advertisements. I opened it. It said, “Jesus Saves.”
“This is getting ridiculous,” I mumbled.
I got back into the car and slumped down in the seat. Soon, Tabby came out with a large bag.
“Got everything you need?” I asked when she got in.
“I think so.”
I nodded. I didn’t bother telling her anything about what had happened while she was in the store. It was all too unbelievable. Besides, I had much more important things to worry about—like the soul of a little girl.
“Do you smell something?” Tabby asked.
I sniffed, there was a foul odor. “Yeah, it doesn’t smell good.”
Tabby got back out of the care and walked around to the front of it. “Jesus jumping Jesus!”
I rolled down my window. “What?”
“Somebody shit in front of my car! How did you not notice?” She stared at me, her eyes dark.
I got out of the car. “It must have happened when I was gone.”
She shook herself. “Gone? Where were you?”
I sighed. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention. There was this guy… I don’t know.”
Tabby got back in the car. “You really are ridiculous sometimes, you know that?”
I kept quiet. Now was not the time to explain about the man, and there was a part of me, a pretty large part, that knew it was possible that he’d taken a dump in front of the car. How I’d missed the smell, I had no idea.
We rode back to the house in silence. I wanted to tell Tabby the truth, but it was bad enough I was distracted by the whole thing. I didn’t need her distracted too.
“Hungry?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, kinda.”
She seemed relaxed, her anger gone. “No offense to Tor, but I’m getting tired of gourmet food.”
I laughed. “So what are we getting?”
“Grease. Something with lots of grease.”
###
A couple of hours later, we pulled into the drive of Blackmoor. I was getting a bit more nervous. Tabby appeared calm.
We parked, Tabby started to get out, but I grabbed her arm gently to keep her from getting out.
“What?” she asked.
“How long will it take you to make the holy water?”
She smiled a lopsided smile at me. “How long did it take you to make holy water?”
I shrugged. “I dunno. A few minutes anyway. The prayers took more time.”
“Same here, except I have to crush the rose petals and add vodka.”
“Vodka… if the church could just see me now.”
Tabby snorted. “It could be worse.”
I had to have the answer to that. “How so?”
She hopped out of the car and grabbed her bag. I followed.
“I could be telling you to piss on a coconut and kick it out the front door yelling: ‘Get out of my fucking house!’”
I stared.
She grinned. “See?”
I followed her inside.
###
When we walked in, Tor was sitting at the kitchen table, coffee cup at her side, reading the Bible. Of all the people I would have expected to be reading the Bible, Tor wasn’t it.
“Where’s Will?” I asked.
She looked up from the book. “Getting drunk in the library.”
Tabby set her bag on the table. I stayed where I was—right near the counter.
“Did something happen?” Tabby asked.
Tor wiped at her eye. It was then that I noticed that she’d been crying. She was wiping away tears. “We went to fix up Lucy’s feeding tube.”
I finally unrooted myself and stepped forward. “Okay.”
“Lucy was levitating.”
“Levitating how?” Tabby asked.
“I could see underneath her body when I changed the bag for her feeding tube. She… she was levitating as far as the chains would let her.”
I nodded. “So why is Will getting drunk?”
Tor slammed her Bible shut. I winced.
“Because he’s an asshole! ‘Couldn’t take it’, he said.’ ” She pushed the book across the table. “Am I the only one that sees that there is a problem if he’s supposed to help with the exorcism?”
I sat there in the chair beside her. Tabby started unloading her bag to get ready to make the holy water.
“If he’s drunk, he’s not going in that room,” I said. “He’ll be vulnerable, and that sets him up for possession. I’m not taking that chance.”
“That means I have to do it,” Tor said. “Damn him.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to be there. I’m doing the exorcism now. Tabby is going to be there. If you want to watch, you can watch the monitor on the security system.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Thank God.” She got up, grabbed her Bible and stowed it in a drawer in her center island.
“Do you have a large pot I can use?” Tabby asked.
“What do you need it for?” Tor asked.
“I’m making holy water.” Tabby held up the roses.
Tor walked over to the pantry and pulled out a large stock pot. “This okay?”
> It was the biggest damn stock pot I’d ever seen, definitely something meant for restaurant use.
“That’s perfect,” Tabby said, her eyes wide with excited energy.
Tor handed Tabby the pot. She turned to me. “Why aren’t you making the holy water?”
I smiled. “I’m not a priest.”
Tor sighed. “I’m just going to pretend that makes sense.”
She sat back down in her chair. Tabby got to work. Really, it went pretty quickly, at least the mixing of water, vodka, and rose petals.
Then the prayers began. Tor watched, fascinated. I was interested too, but for a different reason. Each prayer or spell she said, I saw a layer of color appear on the holy water, then slowly fade away.
That brought me back to this “mark” thing. I couldn’t ignore it. When Tabby stopped her ritual, I decided I needed to talk.
“Have you ever been to that store before?” I asked her.
Tabby looked at me strangely. “Why?”
“While you were inside, this old guy with long hair talked to me.”
Tabby giggled. “What?”
“Never mind,” Tabby and I said in unison.
“Okay, weird old guy, check,” she said.
I sighed. “He talked about things. Stuff with magic.”
Tabby raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh.”
“He said, and I quote: ‘You have the mark.’”
She pursed her lips together. “What mark?”
“That’s just it, I don’t know.”
“Jimmy, After all of this is over, I think you need a nice holiday.”
I slumped in my chair. “I don’t even know why I bother.”
Tabby walked over and patted me on the head. “Just be a good little exorcist and get ready.”
I was doomed.
“That’s just it, I don’t know.”
###
Walking up to Lucy’s room as an exorcist was way different than going up there for any other reason. It was like the mere thought of what I was about to do was so oppressive that I could hardly breathe.
I reached into my right pant’s pocket, yes my rosary was there. In my left, there was a flask of holy water—it was the best I’d been able to do under the circumstances.
Over top my regular clothes, I wore the vestments and the purple stole. I almost felt like a kid dressed up for Halloween. When the clothes appeared, I hadn’t put much thought into it. And, no one at the house even had access to a church to get them. I chalked it up to someone, maybe the real Lucy, trying to help me.
I knew I looked ridiculous, Hell I felt ridiculous. Here I was, wearing a suit coat, (borrowed from Will), a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. On top of this I wore a collar and a purple stole. I felt like a clown.
Tabby walked behind me, carrying some extra holy water. It was crazy, it was intense, but there was something about the excitement I liked.
Was I scared? Oh yeah, but my fear didn’t matter. I had a job to do.
Strange growls seemed to float along the walls as we walked. They were animal, but no animal I had ever heard sounded like that.
I paused in the middle of the staircase.
“What’s wrong?” Tabby asked.
“I am supposed to confess before the exorcism.”
“Does it have to be to a priest?”
I laughed a little. “We’re not exactly doing this by the book anyway.”
She nodded. “Okay, what do you have to confess?”
I sighed. “I’ve had impure thoughts about you. I’ve been angry with Will because of his weaknesses, and I have wanted to run and not do this.”
“Is that all?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Okay, you’ve confessed. Let’s go.”
I took a deep breath and started back up the stairs. The sounds continued. Then, a smell so foul I gagged met us on the landing. It was sulfuric and had a wonderful undertone of rotten meat.
“What is that?” Tabby asked.
“The smell of the demon,” I said. I felt so sure when we started that the climb up the stairs. “It does these things to show us its power. It wants us to doubt our abilities.”
“Don’t listen to it,” she said.
“Neither should you.”
###
When we got to her door, Lucy laughed her choppy laugh.
I stopped and turned to Tabby. “Bow your head.”
She looked at me strangely, but did not question me. I closed my eyes.
“Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, Thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.”
“Amen,” Tabby said, quietly.
I took a deep breath, then turned and opened the door to Lucy’s room. She was levitating against the chains.
“Hello, Priest,” Lucy said.
Tabby and I stepped into the room. It was cold enough to see our breath, and yet, Lucy was covered in a full sweat.
“Hello, Lucy,” I said.
“Lucy isn’t here anymore, Mr. Holiday,” it said. “But you already knew that.”
Tabby and I sat down on the floor around the bed.
“I don’t know if Lucy is in there or not, but I have faith that she is.”
It cackled. “Poiba Toohnyet sgoloveh.”
I shook my head. “I don’t speak Russian.”
It grinned. Its bloody eyes seemed to glow slightly. “Shall I translate for you?”
“Yes.”
“A fish rots from the head down. God is dead, we are in power now.”
“Lies, Mr. Demon. All you can do is tell lies.”
It laughed again. “I have more truth than you know.”
I rolled my eyes. This was getting tiresome. I began to pray. “Our Father who-“
Lucy thrashed against the bed. “Fuck you! Fuck you!”
I ignored it. “Art in Heaven: Hallowed be thy name! Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!”
She snarled and spit at Tabby. A blood clot landed on Tabby’s face. She wiped it away with a tissue.
“Give us this day our daily bread. And deliver us from our Trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil. Amen.”
Lucy rolled around on the bed, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her mouth hung open. And then, diarrhea began spilling from her mouth onto the floor.
“Is that possible?” Tabby asked.
“Normally no, but this is not a normal situation.”
Lucy laughed. “Your sister said to tell you, ‘Hello’.”
I froze. “How is she doing?”
Lucy smiled, her brown teeth looked black. “She’s just laying around.”
There was no way that Lucy could have known my sister hanged herself, no way in Hell.
“What is your name?” I asked it.
It laughed. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?”
It was then that I noticed that the feces was gone. It had all been a parlor trick.
Lucy’s eyes snapped towards me as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. “You don’t want to get me angry now do you?”
I changed courses. “Is Mr. Black around?”
Lucy smiled again. “He’s around. She’s around. We’re all around.”
I looked at Tabby. She pointed to the Roman Ritual.
I had lost my place. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was in way over my head. I got up and placed a hand on Lucy’s forehead.
“I exorcise you, Most Unclean Spirit!”
Lucy laughed at me. “You are pathetic.”
I got angry then. “What is your name?”
Tabby pulled me back.
I stared at it, willing it to do what I wished.
Lucy turned her head towards me. “I am the
one who has no control. I am the one who feeds – feeds on the flesh and the blood of the life while you are the one who bleeds.”
I threw holy water across the demon in the shape of the cross. Blisters appeared on Lucy’s skin where the water hit. There was a sound so strange, I didn’t know what it was at first. Then, I realized, it was the sound of a child crying.
I looked at Lucy. “What is your name?”
“I want my mommy!” It wailed.
I’d been waiting for this trick. It was too soon, too easy.
I crept closer to the bed. “What is your name?” I asked softly.
Then, Lucy tried to punch me, but I didn’t bend close enough.
“What’s wrong? Did too much so you have to watch your parlor tricks?”
Lucy growled a growl that seemed to shake the house. “Lucy goosy likes to eat pussy.” She smiled at me with the sweetest smile she could muster. The bloody eyes and the black teeth kind of spoiled that effect.
“When are you going to stop playing this game, Black?” I asked.
Lucy’s eyes just stared at me.
“I’m not stupid you know,” I said. “You are the flesh eater, you are the one who likes to make people bleed.”
“Oh you silly thing,” it said. “I was in Mr. Black. His soul is long gone.”
“How am I to believe that, if you haven’t given me your name?” I asked.
It smiled. “Tricky, tricky.” Then it closed its eyes and pretended to sleep.
Tabby and I left the room.
“Round one, over. I guess,” I said.
“What do we do next time?” Tabby asked.
“Same damn thing. That’s what an exorcism is, a battle of wills between the demonic and the exorcist.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
“See what’s for dinner, I guess.”
###
We walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. Tor and Will were sitting at the table, almost huddled together.
“How did it go?” Will asked.
I wanted to lay into him and call him a lazy, weak, sonofabitch, but I kept my cool. It just wasn’t worth the aftermath to start a fight now. “It went weird.”