Spare Me

27. No Luck

"Thanks, grandma," I whispered

" I knew you know after the fire Billy told me about him,"

I nodded my head and opened the door.

"Be safe," those were the last words I heard from my grandma.

I walked home.

Jack was real, Jack is the devil and he wants something from me. He killed my mother. I turned down into an always. A man brushed my shoulder.

"Sorry," he grunted

"It's fine," I whispered.

I kept going until something splashed me, then it burned. I screamed and clutched my shoulder. I turned around and saw the man that bumped into me not even two seconds ago.

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" I asked.

He didn't say anything to me, he splashed what looked like water at me. It sizzled as it touched my skin. I clenched my jaw and ran.

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom comes, you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" he prayed.

I stopped as a burning sensation coursed through my body. He kept praying and I dropped to my knees. A cell phone rang.

"Yes, i found her," pause," Yeah you were right, she dropped as soon as I started," pause.

"I bring her there," I heard a phone snap shut.

footsteps walked over to me and someone picked me up.

'Why are you doing this?" I murmured as the burning in my skin cooled.

"It may not seem like it but I'm going to save you," he grunted.

He pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it to my chest. It felt like branding iron against my skin. Black spots took my vision and then I saw nothing.

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My eyes fluttered open, they were blurry and I could barely see. I tried to raise my hands to rub them but my hands were stuck behind my back. I tried again. I used my fingertips to try to feel my wrists, I felt a little bit of rope. One thought escaped the huddle that was running around my head, I've been kidnapped.

"Hello!" I called out. I squeezed my eyes shut to get rid of the blurriness. I struggle against the ropes and they burned me. I let out a yelp and stopped.

Footsteps pounded against the creaky stairs. I leaned forward and tried to get a closer look. I froze when I saw his face. Father Rixton.

"Onyx I'm so sorry we had to do this to you, but we're going to get it out of you," he said apologetically.

"What? What are you talking about? Get what out of me?" I asked close to tears.

"The demon," he said it so simple like he actually believed it.

"What?" I cried.

He dragged over a table, it held what I think was water, a book, and the cross.

"Onyx, I know you possessed, let me show you," he rubbed some of the water and rubbed it on his hands. He came over to me and touched my forearms, it let out a sizzling hiss, and burned against my skin, I whimpered and he pulled away. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"This is holy water. It burns against demons or people possessed by them," he explained.

"Don't worry onyx, after a few prayers it will show itself in your body and you won't feel anything. You'll be free,"

I sobbed.

"You're crazy,"

"No, no, no. Don't cry. You're going to be fine. Just wait." he whispered and brushed my hair behind my ears.

"Let's get started ok?"

Heavy footsteps ran down the stairs and the steps. The man from the alleyway came onto the light.

"Hello, onyx I'm father Roland. I'm going to help you," his voice dripped of pity. Father Rixton handed Father Roland a bible. They turned their backs to me and whispered to each other. I took in my surroundings. I was in a cellar of some sort. It was old and dusty and the floor and walls were cement. There were no windows and the only way to exit was the stairs. The only light was a hanging lightbulb on a chain that was dying. I turned to myself. My hands were tied behind my back and if I struggled against them I got burned. I looked down each of my ankles were tied to a leg of a wooden leg. I moved my leg, it hissed and burned. I let out a grunt.

"No, no, no. Don't move you'll hurt yourself," father Rixton pleated.

"Father we should start," Roland said, grabbing the cross. He nodded and turned to the table and grabbed a box. He opened it and started to pour salt in a circle around my chair. A tense feeling struck me like I couldn't move.

"Father we call upon you to help us take this demon out of this poor girls body."

My body strummed with a sick feeling and my head throbbed.

"We ask you demon to show yourself!" Father Roland commanded

He splashed holy water in the sign of the cross at me. I sizzled and I let out a scream.

Father Rixton started to read the Bible, as Father Roland placed the cross in my hands and tied it there. It burned. When he fished he kept slashing the water at me. It went on for hours and the pain just got worse. My body grew blisters, and the ropes cut my skin. All I could do was cry.

"Show yourself demon!" father Rixton yelled.

"i - I don't understand, all signs show but it won't show itself." father Roland said puzzled.

"We'll have to try a bigger prayer," Father Rixton mumbled flipping through the bible. As soon as started again, it was like I was being burned alive. I screamed in pain and threw my head back.

"She's mine! Only I get to hurt her!" someone yelled from the stairs. The priest stopped and turned to the stairs. I rolled my head forward and I couldn't stop the sobs from coming out. Jack stood at the end of the stairs.

"It's him!" Father Roland exclaimed

"It's the devil!" Father Roland yelled.

The each held up a cross and held it in front of them.

"I am, and I see that my reputation proceeds me. I wish I were here on better news, actually I'm not." he shrugged and turned to me," I really like to hurt people who hurt what's mine,"

"Get away from me! All of you just get away!" I cried as more tears fell.

Jack watched me, he eyed the ropes and the salt. A moment later the salt burst into flames and so did the ropes. I screamed. I was going to die just like my mother, be murdered by the same man. The ropes fell and I could move my hands. I kicked my legs and the free my legs. I stood up and I stumbled, I regained my balance and stood at the edge of the circle of the flames.

"Just run through it!" Jack commanded

"I'll burn!"

Really onyx? That's how you respond? The devil and two psychotic priests are on the outside of this circle your safe.

"Just do it!"

I forgot my thoughts and leaped through the flames. I felt nothing. My feet touched the cement again and I opened my eyes. The priests stood mouths gaped at me and Jack put out a hand out for me. I ran past all three of them and up the stairs. I didn't take the time to see where I was I just ran to a door. I flung it open and ran.

"Onyx no!" Jack yelled at me. I didn't even have time to see the car.