CHAPTER 4
The Spirit Wranglers sat amongst their equipment in the
Fergusons' front entryway, making sure everything was ready. The family had
been sent out of the room so the Wranglers could discuss everything and firm up
a plan of attack. Usually this was the best time to discuss what they wanted to
try to debunk first, but that wasn't necessary with this case. No, they already
knew they were facing an actual spirit this time. But was there more?
"They're hiding something," Wallace said.
"About what the spirit believes they stole."
"That was easy enough to see," Nessy said,
tinkering with one of her contraptions. "If they were innocent, they
wouldn't have protested so hard. They looked like they were trying to convince
themselves as much as us."
Wallace nodded. "I don't think they told a boldfaced
lie, but something is going on. Their son seemed ready to explain. We might
want to work on him."
"Whatever the truth is," Joshua said, "we
need it. It very well could be the key to banishing this ghost."
"There's something else," Wallace said. "Did
either of you find the energy released during the séance to be excessive?"
"The spirit must really want it back," Nessy said.
"Whatever they took, legally or not."
"Possibly," Wallace said. "Though it's a rare
spirit that has such power no matter the circumstances. Most couldn't pull down
that shelf in the cellar even if it wasn't bolted as tight as they claim."
"I see where you're going with this, and I tend to
agree," Joshua said. "Though I must admit, I hope we're wrong."
Nessy put the finishing touches on a piece of equipment, and
looked over at them both. "Care to enlighten me? Did they somehow project
that spirit so it was only visible in the aether? Is it an even bigger hoax
than anything we saw in Phoenix?"
"No," Wallace said. "What we're saying is, it
could be a demon."
She shrugged. "So? They're basically spirits, right? We
should still be able to nab it."
"I do enjoy the optimism, but it's a bit trickier than
that," Joshua said. "It'll take more than our normal tactics to
banish a demon, no matter what kind it is."
"So what do we do?"
"First, we need to figure out what it really is,"
Wallace said. "Meaning, we need to discover if it truly is a demon, and
then, if it is, what it's classification of evil is."
"I'll then need to read through some of my books to see
how we go about wiping it from our plain of existence," Joshua added. To
Wallace, he said, "Do you sense it? As Nessy said, we still may only be
dealing with a spirit emboldened with strength for what it feels wronged it.
Revenge has empowered spirits before."
"Something more is here, but I can't tell what, not for
sure." He took a deep breath and reached out with his mind in an attempt
to ferret out anything that could help them. He sensed the spirit somewhere in
the house, and there was something extra surrounding it. Could it be a demon,
or was Joshua correct in downplaying it? Never more than right now did he wish
his slight supernatural gift was more powerful.
All at once, there were no longer any doubts this was a
demon they were dealing with. The lights in the entryway flickered off and on,
and an immense presence filled the room. Though they couldn't see anything, it
was there. The pressure grew so fast that Wallace thought his eardrums would
burst, and judging by how Nessy and Joshua gripped the side of their heads,
they felt the same. He clenched his eyes shut, but images still danced across
his vision, ones so disturbing he wished he could pluck his own eyeballs out,
though it would do no good. He couldn't decide the best way to describe them --
the hateful dance of the undead was the best he could do, but that didn't do it
justice. There were no words anywhere in Zephyria that could rightfully explain
it.
As quick as it started, it was gone. Wallace and Joshua
dropped to their knees, while Nessy, who was already sitting on the floor,
slumped to her side. They each gasped for breath and took a few minutes to
collect themselves before anyone tried talking. Nessy finally broke the silence.
"Okay, so it seems a demon may be a bit bigger of a
deal than I gave it credit for."
Can't wait to see the next part...you really know how to build anticipation!
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