“I’llnever let you be alone, either.” I smiled with a tight throat, gladin the knowledge that she wasn’t going to leave me for being weirdor haunted, that I would always have her behind me. She leanedforward to kiss me and we sat hugging for a while before she suddenlypulled back. My heart sank as I realised she was probably about toleave, but with wide eyes she said, “Rick, does that mean theywatch you in the shower?” Herwords took me by surprise and as I struggled to find a response tothat random question, a laugh burst out of me. It began quietly butwhen Gwen joined in too, it echoed loudly around the room, thereverberations mingling together until all we could hear was onetwo-toned noise of elation. TheDownfallWhen myparents died, a year before we entered the house where it all began,the damned place where demons were free to roam, I let them</I>back into my life. I hadn’t seenthem </I>inover a year and I’d gotten used to it being just me and Gwen.Depressed and feeling alone even with Gwen firmly by my side, myfeelings were made worse by the hurt I saw in my grandparent’s eyesat losing their son and daughter-in-law. They were broken, and itruined me too. They had raised me almost as much as my busy, careerfocused parents who only ever wanted the best for me and Seb. The carcrash they died in didn’t have particularly suspiciouscircumstances, just a drunk driver at night three times above thelegal limit who also died in the crash; but I knew that somehow, thedemons were involved in it. I think they</I>got tired of waiting for my protective happiness to lessen and tookaction themselves by controlling the drunk driver. The papers nevernamed the other party in the accident until after he hung himself inthe mental asylum he lived in for a few years, but I knew it was Joe.It was entirely my fault for my parent’s deaths for allowing himin, for my part in ruining his life with insanity.
Istopped all contact with my family including my grandparents, Seb andGwen, scared of letting them get possessed by my demons which weren’ttheir problem to deal with. A few days after my parents died Irealised sharing the bed with Gwen was extremely dangerous for her,and I moved out into a nearby cheap hotel where I drank all day andnight to numb the pain of having no one. I didn’t let anyone knowwhere I was, and I didn’t leave the hotel for anything other than anew bottle of vodka. I had savings for our wedding to live on but Ihoped the booze would kill me sooner than I could spend all my money.Everynight after a day of watching bad quality television programs andlistening to upbeat radio presenters, I would sit with a bottle ofvodka and a pile of prescription pills. I knew what needed to bedone, to save everyone from my demons. I never found the courage toactually do it in the hope Gwen would find and save me.After afew weeks of chronic depression and alcoholism, Gwen finally foundme. “Oh mylord, I’m so happy to have found you! I missed you so much; youscared the hell out of me!” She scattered little kisses all over myunshaven face and neck. I felt ashamed, like I’d failed her. If I’dhad more motivation I’d have moved to a different city or country.But secretly I’d wanted to be found. I couldn’t live without Gwenbut I didn’t want to harm her in any way.“Ican’t be near you. I passed them onto Joe when we were younger whenI slept at his house and he killed my parents so if we share the samebed when I’m in a crazy emotional state they’ll get you too.” Islurred. “You have to go and leave me forever.” I began to wailloudly.“Thinklogically, you’re good at that. We’ve shared a bed for about ayear or more now. I’ve never been possessed by any crazy demons sofar, and I’d much rather risk having you with me and sharing thespirits than not having you in my life. I can’t live without younow. You know I’m scared of the dark, you can’t let me be alone.”She sat next to me and rested her head tenderly on my swayingshoulder.
“I’llnever let you be alone, I said that didn’t I?” I looked at herblearily.“Youdid say that, and you’re currently leaving me alone. How couldyou?” She joked gently.“I’mso sorry! So sorry! Please, please take me back. I don’t want youto have them too, but they can’t take you away from me, neverever!” I began crying drunkenly again; sure she’d walk out andleave like I’d done to her.“Iforgave you the moment I saw you. I knew why you walked but I justwanted you back. Come home, now.” She took my hand, threw the vodkabottle into the wardrobe with a loud clatter and she helped mestumble out, paying my final bill on the way. The hotel managermoodily threw a receipt at her as she led his best customer for yearsout the front door. She drove me home and ran me a bath with a cup oftea, and that night was the best of my life. I have never felt soloved or cared for.AlthoughI was in a better state of mind and I apologised to all of my familyand Gwen for the next few weeks, the angry souls who so desperatelywanted to torture me were closer than ever, almost within arm’sreach. Sometimes in enclosed spaces I could smell their rancid fleshand hear the mixture of pus and blood dripping steadily to the floor.I heard them scratching their crusty scabs and the small rippingnoise as they came free. The licking of their grey lips and the spitdropping audibly to the floor as they realised they could get mesoon. Irecognized that as soon as they learnt how to get close enough to beable to touch me, they would drag me with them and my nightmare wouldbecome reality. That’s when I asked Gwen to help me find a psychicthat could help exorcise me of the spirits, whatever they turned outto be. We found Esther.
EstherListedin the phone directory as Esther H. P. Lovett who claimed to be thebest psychic in the field of “unexplained entities”, I rang herand got her answer phone. Although she seemed like the best and mostrelevant psychic, I didn’t think anything of it and continued tolook for more. As I was about to press the button to ring Madame DeMona, medium extraordinaire, she rang back. The shrill blearing ofthe phone shocked me, and they all crept forwards. She greeted meformally as Mr Lightwater, and talked about my situation with a deepunderstanding that I’d never known before. I warmed to herimmediately, as someone who understood. We arranged for Gwen and I togo to her home, west of ours in a bad area. We arrived early at hersmall, shack like hose and knocked on the thin wooden door. Sheopened it immediately and the rickety door swung inwards to reveal aliving room still in a seventies devastation of a florally patternedhurricane. Pendulums with different coloured stones swung gently froma fan blasting in the corner, even though it was a generally warm dayoutside.“Youmust be Mr and Mrs Lightwater?” Esther said with a peaceful smile,gesturing us indoors. Before we stepped in, I saw them</I>recoil. I hurried Gwen in before they could change their minds.Esther shut the door and locked it saying a little chant as she didso. She touched the door seven times before hanging a silver locketon the handle. “Almost!”Gwen giggled. “We’re engaged to be married as soon as we canafford it.”
“Ah,marriage is but a ceremony. The will to be married is the deed done.Please, come in. Make yourselves at home.” We smiled at each otherexcitedly as Esther floated inside with a grace that can only comewith years of practice. “Tea,my dears?” We both thanked her but said no. Esther had a curiousway of making you feel welcome, like she had known you for years. Ifelt so relaxed in this little house. They</I>hadn’tfollowed us inside of this protective abode where I knew no badnesscould seep in. “I have many protective charms and amulets here,they won’t follow you in.” She sat down in the deep floweryarmchair beside the red, horrifically patterned sofa where Gwen and Iwere.“It’sboiling in here.” I panted, wafting my face with an oldspiritualist magazine from the table next to me. “Rick,you’re so strange.” Gwen giggled, wrapping her coat more tightlyaround her. “It’s got to be about minus eighty in here.”Esthersmiled indulgently at us like we were ignorant children, “You’reboiling because of “them”. That’s what you call the spirits,isn’t it? I had my fan ready for you.”“Whathave they got to do with my body temperature?” I asked, not knowingif she was joking with me.“Theyuse their body heat to keep you warm, unintentionally. They are abouttwo hundred degrees by nature, so even being near to you is enough tokeep you warm.” She flicked the fan higher. “If you were in asmall, empty room, chances are you would be cold. If you were in asmall room full of people, however, you would be rather warm, don’tyou think?” She winked lightly, letting me in on the joke. “So!These... dark entities. You say they are getting closer?” shepeered at me closely.
“Wellyes, they are. My parents died less than a year ago...” I clearedthe thick emotion from my throat. “After that, I sort of invitedthem closer. Now they’re just an arm’s reach away and honestlyI’m scared they’re going to get Gwen, or me.”“Isee.” Her eyes looked strangely sad. “How long have you beendealing with these demon spirits?” Ithought about it and the first memory I had of them</I>was when I was four, but it was very vague memories I couldn’tquite recollect. My grandfather had also told me I was about fourwhen it began, when I started being suspicious of everything andconstantly looking over my shoulder, more mature than just my fewyears of age. My grandparents took the approach that they wouldshower me with love and commitment; if I knew people were there forme it wouldn’t be so difficult. It definitely made things easier tocope with, and along with my parents and Seb, I had a strong backingbehind me that kept me going, that stopped me from ever giving up.“I wasprobably around four years old.” I finally said.“Okaythat’s fine. Also, you said you were almost twenty four? So you’vedealt with these entities for almost twenty years now?” She lookedas if she was taking mental notes, concentrating hard and listeningcarefully.“Yeah,I’d probably say so.” I raised an eyebrow, wondering where thiswas going.“Thisis probably worse than I imagined, I’m sorry to say. Twenty yearsis, to be frank, the limit for these entities before they becomestrong enough to break through your barrier and into the world.”She licked her lips nervously, it looked like she was choosing herwords very carefully now. “How long is it exactly until yourtwenty-fourth birthday?”