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CHAPTER 11
Everything was set. With a quick flip of a button, Molly
Ferguson would not only die, but be freed from the demon. If Nessy's
contraption worked properly, and Wallace had to admit they almost always did,
Molly's heart would begin beating again a few seconds later. All they needed
was for her ticker to stop, and they could banish the demon without
repercussions. If everything went according to plan, and they got a heaping
helping of luck on top of it, they Fergusons could go to bed tonight without
any supernatural threats to their souls.
Wallace nodded to Nessy, and she moved to power on the
device. This was it. Before her hand reached the switch, though, Bart leaped
forward.
"You can't kill my daughter!" He grabbed Nessy's
wrist and wrestled her away from the device. Before anyone could move forward
to separate them, the demon exploded into the room and zipped around as fast as
it had the first time when it targeted Molly.
"Protect the family," Wallace barked at Joshua,
while he sprinted to the sulfurous circle to turn on the device they hoped
would distract the evil demon.
He smacked the button at the same instant the demon broke
out of its spin around the room. Like it had done with Molly, it fired right at
Rachel's chest, but instead of flowing through her, it knocked into her,
sending her flying backwards five feet. It didn't follow up, but rather turned
towards Wallace and the device. He leaped out of the circle, careful not to
knock any of the salt out of place. He couldn't be in there when the thing
arrived.
"Joshua, man the holy water cannon." His
researcher had hustled over to Rachel Ferguson, where Abel was already by her
side.
He hesitated for a second, but Abel looked up and said,
"She's fine. Go."
As he rushed back to the circle and the holy water, he said,
"Should we help Ness?"
"You know my sister. She'll get the job done."
They turned to make sure Wallace's trust wasn't misplaced,
and she proved right away it wasn't. Bart had size and strength on her, but he
couldn't match her tenacity. He had both of her wrists pinned to her side, but
instead of giving up, she stomped hard on his toes with her metal leg. Even
though there were hollow compartments in it, it was still heavier than a
natural appendage. Bart grunted his pain, but didn't let go, so she rammed her
forehead into his chin. That did it. He let go and grabbed his face, while she
leapt at the button to start the contraption.
Once her palm smacked against it, Molly's body jerked up
once, and then went still. Wallace didn't wait to see if she'd draw breath
again in a few seconds. He dumped a pile of sulfurous salt down to complete the
circle, and not a moment too soon. The demon had been transfixed by the device
in the center, but had already begun to lose interest. Joshua let loose with
the holy water, soaking the supernatural beast. The water passed through the
barrier with no problem, but, as they'd both planned and hoped for, the demon
couldn't move through it.
As Joshua emptied the payload from the handheld water cannon,
Wallace turned to grab the banishing device. Nessy had beaten him to it,
however. She leveled the device at the demon, said, "The power of steam
compels you," and blasted the thing back to its own dimension.
Relief traveled through the room as a huge weight lifted.
Wallace had no doubt the others could feel it without the benefit of his extra
supernatural sense. He turned to make sure everyone was okay and saw they were.
Molly Ferguson sat up, and her family stood around her, all chattering excitedly.
Rachel looked no worse for wear after the collision with the demon.
"Another job well done, boss," Nessy said, patting
him on the back.
"Still think this one was easier than those in Phoenix,
Ness?" Joshua asked, a big grin on his face.
Her answer was to stick her tongue out at him. Joshua
laughed at this, while Wallace was only able to give a distracted chuckle. He
couldn't put his finger on what, but something wasn't quite right.
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