| |
Walter connected the video camera to the television. Once the TV was powered on and the screen came to life, Father O'Leary appeared in a paused frame. Kind, blue eyes shone with a brightness that seemed illuminated from somewhere within him. Silver hair. Rosy cheeks. Thin, slightly parted lips, seemingly frozen mid-sentence.
The priest looked familiar. Obviously, Conner had seen him around Newman. He couldn't determine the time or place, but he knew they'd crossed paths at some point.
Father O'Leary was seated in an armchair near the coffee table. It was surreal knowing the priest had been in the same room hours earlier, sharing the story of Jared's torment and death.
Conner sat with Trevor and Adam on the sofa. Lou and the others stood behind them, out of sight as if upholding a respectful distance.
For a moment, Conner expected some sort of spoken introduction to the footage. But the video started with Father O'Leary speaking the clipped ending of a word. He looked relaxed, speaking directly to the camera.
"Of course, we invoked the name of Jesus Christ. And we prayed to Saint Michael. The days of prayers appeared to be weakening the demon's strength. Jared had started to regain more verbal and physical control of himself. There were even times that we were able to speak to him without the demon's intrusion. Jared prayed with us, but he seemed less resilient, as if the possession was taking its toll on him.
"Personally, I don't believe he was surrendering to the demon. I think he was exhausted by the torment. He'd become more fearful, and he spoke openly of his fear of the demon. And it was at this time that Father Bersani and I were able to extract information that confirmed some of our suspicions."
Father O'Leary glanced down at a notebook in his hands. When he looked at the camera again, he appeared more solemn.
"Jared began to weep. He'd suffered great sorrow, and the anguish on his face was of such spiritual and personal pain that it brought tears to my eyes. He spoke of the demon's goal to overwhelm him so that it could live once again on the earthly plane. It had been summoned by man, and it intended to torture man.
"Father Bersani informed Jared that God would save him from the demon's grip. That he'd be safe and no longer a prisoner of the demon's control and torment. He would return to his normal life again. But Jared shook his head and sobbed, saying 'no' over and over.
"Then Jared told us . . ."
Father O'Leary lifted the notebook and read directly from the page.
"The demon wants to bring pain and suffering to man. It wants to kill me and claim my soul. Then it will torture the ones I love because it knows about them. It knows what we did. And it wants to hurt them just like it's hurting me.
"We asked who he was referring to. He named three people. Trevor, Conner, and Adam."
Hearing their names sent a jolt of fear through Conner's body. He jerked his head to the side to shake the chill from his neck. He was so intently focused on what Father O'Leary was saying, he didn't realize that he'd been crying until he felt a warm tear roll down his cheek.
The priest continued, "Again, we told him that God would save him. And in doing so, God would save his friends from the demon. But Jared insisted that the demon was too strong. Of course we corrected him by saying that the power of God is stronger than any and every demon, even Satan himself. But Jared said the demon would make his friends suffer and that Father Bersani and I would have to perform exorcisms until we were too exhausted to live.
"He suddenly became very quiet, as if he'd detected something in the room with us. Then he looked behind himself and screamed. He pulled at the wrist restraints, twisting his body from side to side and rising to his feet. He screamed that he could see the demon coming for him.
"We asked him to tell us what he could see. And Jared told us . . .
"The wall behind me is gone. It's gone! I can only see darkness. I can't see any light at all, but I can see the demon back there. I can see it walking toward me. It has black skin. Shiny, black skin. I don't see any clothes. It's pitch black with skin like a lizard, and it's ugly. It's so ugly. I don't want to see it. Its eyes are red and every time it breathes, I can see fiery air coming out of its nose and mouth.
"At this point," Father O'Leary said, "we asked Jared to recite the Lord's Prayer with us, which he had some difficulty doing because he was distracted by the approach of the demon. Then Father Bersani blessed him and sprinkled him with holy water before he and I recited the Prayer of Saint Michael.
"Jared continued to cry and scream in fear of the demon. He spoke of a great storm all around him, like a hurricane. And although his bedroom was still and silent, Jared's body and hair swayed and moved about as if a tremendous wind whipped around him. Water appeared on his body and face as though drenched by rain. There was no water in the room, or even on the bed itself. But the water continued to appear like raindrops pelting him.
"Father Bersani and I laid our hands upon him and prayed over him. Jared stared straight ahead, and he spoke of a vision. Yet he spoke as if his spirit, his soul, participated in the vision as he witnessed it. He said that he was running through a field of dark green grass, and all around him was blackness. The great storm continued to rage as he ran, but he didn't know if he was running toward something or away from it. But he felt like he was searching for something.
"Then Jared screamed that he saw the demon in the darkness. It was still walking toward him, but between him and the demon were his three friends. And Jared screamed out to them. He yelled their names, but they didn't appear to hear him. But he continued to scream warnings to them. He wanted them to run, but they simply stood in the field as if unaware of what was taking place around them. Then the demon started walking toward these young men. And Jared wanted to save them because he knew the demon wanted them as well."
Father O'Leary cast his eyes to the notebook. "Suddenly a great calm fell upon Jared. Although he still cried, he seemed completely at peace. His face and his exposed skin were illuminated by light. But neither the room nor the bed brightened. The light only shone on him. And we asked him to tell us what he was seeing. And he said . . .
"There's a creek at the edge of the field. And there's a field on the opposite side. It's green. There's no storm over there. The sunlight shines on the other side. It's bright and golden. It looks warm and peaceful. I'm walking to the creek, and I can see that the water is crystal clear. It's not very deep at all. I can see the smooth ground under the water. And there are gold coins everywhere in the creek. I can't even count how many gold coins are at the bottom. And now I see a wooden bridge. It's arched over the creek, leading from the bad field to the good side. And there's a man standing on the bridge. He's peaceful and beautiful. And he's wearing a white robe. And I think . . . no, I know it's Jesus. I can see Jesus."
Pausing, Father O'Leary gazed into the camera with tears in his eyes. "Father Bersani and I both laid a hand upon his shoulder and told him that he was in the presence of Jesus, that the divine power of God Almighty had blessed him. And we asked him to tell us what he saw. And Jared smiled. It was a lovely smile. He looked so handsome and peaceful. The wind and rain seemed to stop as he stepped closer to the creek, so his body no longer swayed with the storm. And he said . . .
"I'm looking at Jesus, and he's so beautiful. His robe is pure white. His hair is long and brown. He looks almost like the pictures I've seen at church, but not really. There's something different. But I . . . I know it's Him. My heart recognizes Jesus.
"He's looking at me. He's so peaceful. There's no storm at all but the ends of his hair are moving like a gentle breeze is in the air. He's looking directly at me and I say I need to get to the other side. I need to get my friends to the green field. But I don't think I can do it. They can't hear me. I don't think I can get to the other side. I'm scared for them. Something bad is going to happen if I can't get them over there. Jesus smiles at me. I can feel love and peace radiating from him. And when I look behind me, I can see the demon in the distance. Conner and Adam and Trevor are still standing there. I scream to them, but they still can't hear me. So I'm crying to Jesus, I can't get them over to the other side to save them! And then Jesus says . . .
"It is possible. And I'm crying because Jesus has spoken to me. But then I understand. It is possible. I can save them. I can save myself. I understand. I know what He means. So I say yes. And then . . ."
Father O'Leary lowered the notebook out of frame, then wiped at his watery eyes. "Jared died at that very moment. He'd collapsed in the restraints, so of course we attended to him. Father Bersani confirmed that Jared had no pulse. We did try to revive him. But we then also understood that Jesus had appeared to Jared to rescue him from the demon. His soul was saved by God because Jared had accepted God's divine intervention to end his suffering. He surrendered his life to save himself and his friends."
Conner attempted to strangle the sob that rose from his chest. He gritted his teeth, but the sob ascended against his will. His stifled howl pierced the air like a pained, animalistic wail. For a few aching moments, he didn't realize that Adam had gripped his knee, squeezing as he cried.
Sniffling, Trevor said, "Jared literally"—he forcefully cleared his throat—Jared literally died because of us."
Conner felt a firm hand on his shoulder. A quick glance to the side determined that it was Lou.
A series of memories flashed through Conner's mind, each pulsating with emotion. With his eyes clenched shut, he visualized a lifetime with his friends—school, sports, sleepovers, biking. Everything. He was numb. All physical movement seemed suspended, as if he was incapable of function. But when he felt the seat next to him rise with the absence of weight, he opened his eyes and saw Adam dart from the sofa toward the bathroom.
Conner jumped to his feet, with Trevor on his heels. They followed Adam into the bathroom and shut the door.
"I feel worse," Adam cried. "I feel worse. My whole body hurts. I can't stand that this happened. Why did Jared have to die?"
"You heard what the priest said," Trevor replied. "God saved him. And Jared saved us."
Adam dropped into a squat, pressing his palms against the floor. "I wish we could have saved him from all of this."
Conner knelt down to look Adam in the eye. "Hey, we're going to get through this. Right now, I know it hurts. I'm hurting too. I'm so sad I feel like I'm dying. But we're going to get through this. Together."
Nodding, Adam wiped at his nose.
Trevor crouched and wrapped his arms around the two. "Jared saved us, you guys. He saved us."
They sat on the floor, united in pain and drying their tears.
A knock sounded at the door. "Hey," Stella said. "I'm sorry, guys. But we need to leave soon so we can meet the man with the key."
Conner tilted his head back and ran his hands across his face. "Okay. We'll be out in just a minute."
He looked at Adam and Trevor, then extended his fist to the two. Silently, they bumped fists, and then they each washed their face before stepping out of the room.
* * *
When Trevor parked at the Smiths' house, Conner studied the home. It no longer seemed creepy or haunted or inhabited by a demon. Now it only looked forsaken . . . lonely . . . sad. Just as he was going to comment on his newfound observation, Lou and Stella pulled up in their cars. Soon, they stood in the driveway with Dave and Walter, waiting for the guys to exit Trevor's vehicle.
"Let's go," Adam said as he opened the door.
A tall man approached the group from the sidewalk. As he neared, Conner recognized him as Jared's uncle, a man he'd seen only on a handful of occasions. He kindly acknowledged the guys and then asked, "Who's Lou?"
"I am."
Jared's uncle handed the key to Lou. "You have one hour."
"I understand. One hour is plenty of time. We'll be done by the time you get here."
"Good." Jared's uncle stepped away then abruptly turned. "I don't know what you're looking for, and I don't know why my brother is letting you guys into the house. But whatever the reason, I hope you find what you're looking for, 'cause there won't be another chance. Work crew gets here on Friday to replace the flooring and make repairs."
On the porch, Dave started filming as Lou said, "I'll let you guys go in first. We'll follow you up to Jared's room. Then you decide if you want to inspect the etching on your own or if you want our input or help with anything."
Conner looked at Trevor and Adam, waiting for their agreement or objection, but neither responded. "Okay. Let's get to it."
Lou unlocked the door with a loud click and pushed the door open. He gestured to the foyer. "After you."
Conner walked in the lead, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. Trevor nodded, and Adam cupped Conner's shoulder.
They three ascended the stairs with Dave close behind. At the landing, Conner said, "Jared's room is at the end of the hall. Once we're all in there, we'll move the bed and check out the etching in the floor. You guys can watch until we're done."
Stella replied, "That's fine. We don't want to intrude. We'll wait until you tell us we can join you."
Each step toward the bedroom seemed heavy-footed, but at the same time, Conner felt light on his feet. It was as if the jumble of emotions he felt was represented in his steps. Jared suffered because of what had happened at Lake Bantam, something that had involved all of them. And in the end, Jared died to save them from apparently enduring the same fate. The closer Connor got to the bedroom, the guiltier he felt.
The odor of dirty, piss water reached his nostrils the moment Conner opened the door. Thankfully, the stench had weakened since their last visit to the house.
He flipped the switch, but apparently the bulb had burned out. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, "We won't have enough light."
Dave responded, "There's a light on the camera."
"Well, yeah. But that won't be enough."
Adam pointed at the window. "Let's take that panel off."
"Think we should?" Lou asked.
"Jared's uncle said a crew was going to do repairs. They'll have to fix the window anyway."
"That's true," Trevor said. "Let's take it down."
Gripping the edges of the plywood, the three yanked it free. They set it against the wall before pulling the curtains open, leaving the sheers in place.
Staring at the wall behind the bed, Conner imagined the darkness Jared had described to the priests. He envisioned evil on the other side of the wall, but then quickly cast the thought from his mind. The demon was gone. The threat no longer existed. Jared had made certain of it.
The sunlight through the window had chased away the darkness of the room. So, the three pushed the bed until the space underneath was completely exposed. But no one needed to stand at a better vantage point to interpret the markings etched onto the floor. The markings were clearly visible, scratched deeply into the dark wood.
adam
conner
trevor
end it
where it started