Harly

Chapter Seventeen (Edited 08/2021)

I wasn't nearly well prepared enough for the ride that was the story of my family's involvement with this cursed box.

What I thought was just a little mysterious box housed the greatest problem I, or any of my family ever had to deal with, and we were the ones who trapped him in it. Though the Romanian church had a lot to say, they missed a lot of key factors in the story.

My family, my ancestors from years back, had finally decided to trap the demon when he consumed a little boy. The little boy was the son of the very ancestors who put an end to this, but in doing so, they had to do something so terrible they wouldn't speak of it unless passing the story along as to why the box had to be properly taken care of.

The boy's body was bound to the demon Ilkasepth, and condemned into the box to spend eternity, never harming another child. They had to sacrifice my ancestor's body for the greater good, though it definitely had an impact on the family afterwards.

It explains the lull I felt, and then eventually Lilly did too, as we studied the box. A sense of ownership, possession. It was our bloodline in the box, stuck forever being the host to a despicable demon, fighting to get out.

However, the Romanian church said the box was stolen, taken from their care. The story my mother told me was that it had always been in my family's hands, as it was a way to honor the little boy who died, being passed down through the generations.

Something there didn't add up, and I demanded to know what.

I couldn't help but think about the little boy I sometimes saw in these strange moments of visions. I now knew that, despite being controlled by Harly, he was once a little boy who had just befriended the wrong person.

I almost felt sympathy— Almost.

But after what I had been through, after what Lilly is currently going through, I didn't give a single damn what body he inhabits. My ancestor is no longer in that body. Instead, it just housed a bleak darkness that needed to be eradicated.

Much to my nurses dismay, I asked to be released. My family needed me more than I needed to be coddled. I'd have all the time in the world to feel sorry for myself once I knew Harly was gone forever and my family was safe.

Pushing aside my feelings of hurt, mentally and physically, I asked mom to sign my discharge papers. They asked to keep me one more night and I agreed. But the minute I woke up the next day, I painstakingly changed into new clothes and made my way to Lilly's hospital room.

Inside was the whole family still. I wondered if any of them had even gone home. It had been two days since my... accident, so surely they had. They all wore different clothes, which helped me relax a little.

Lilly was asleep, looking pale and sickly. Her little chubby toddler body looked malnourished despite the IV and the food I saw sitting on the side table next to her.

My heart hurt seeing her like this.

Lacey was the first to notice me lingering in the doorway. She stood up abruptly, but didn't approach me. Her face was a twist of emotions. Happiness that I was alive. Sadness as she remembered what had happened to me. Maybe even fear.

Elle startled when Lacey stood up, but she rushed to my side.

"What are you doing up?" She asked, but I shrugged her off.

"Got discharged. Where's Andrei? We need to talk."

Elle walked with me down the hall. It was really difficult to walk, especially after laying in a bed for two days. I had only had to get up sparingly to use the restroom, and my nurse was determined to help me to and from. Walking on my own felt like I had weights attached to my legs, slowing me down. And a boxer repeatedly punching me in the ribs.