But I knew I could.
So when Perry asked, I jumped at the opportunity to help.
Okay, so maybe I don’t know for sure if I can help him, but I’m going to try my best.
Whew. I think that’s most of it.
Right now, I’m standing on the sidewalk outside the haunted house, with Perry (and Dex, who is both unconscious in the passenger seat of their Highlander and also inside Perry at the same time), and a Lexus has just parked in front of us.
A blonde woman wearing a long camel trench coat gets out, her hair flowing behind her. Holy hell, she’s stylish and super pretty for a witch.
And yes. This is Perry’s psychologist, who also happens to be a witch. She’s the one who gave Perry the idea to invite Dex to possess her while they dealt with the whole Max situation, because there’s another witch in that haunted house that wants to possess Perry.
My god, it’s a wonder I’m not drunk right now. Sometimes I really do have to take a moment and realize how fucking crazy my life is, not to mention the life of my sister.
But I digress.
The doctor approaches me, her hand out. “I’m Dr. Leivo,” she says to me. “But you can call me Lana.”
I grin at her, shaking her hand. She’s got a tight grip, but then again so do I these days. “I’m Ada. But you can call me Demon Slayer.”
She gives me an appreciative smile, which is a relief since not everyone gets me or my humor, then she goes into mom mode, looking me up and down. “You’re certainly dressed for the part. You’re not cold?”
I shake my head. I don’t even feel the rain falling on me right now. All I feel is this building sense of power and urgency, like somewhere in the pit of my soul—a place that’s been squashed and neglected these days—there’s something rising. Flames. A fire. An energy source that I’ve only felt on rare occasions.
Usually with Jay.
I push the thoughts of him out of my head and raise my fist in the air. “I’m fucking pumped. Let’s do this thing!”
I swear I see Perry exchange a look with herself, which tells me all I need to know.
The three of us (well, four, if you count Dex inside Perry, which I don’t really since the two of them are so entwined with each other anyway) head down the narrow path toward the house.
I know just the idea of a haunted house seems a bit corny, but I have to say, this place is not only definitely haunted (I was here on Halloween and I saw ghosts and I never even went inside), but it looks haunted too. All old and shit, with no electricity, and the weirdest energy emanating from the inside. Like it has a soul.
And right now, that energy is off the charts.
This is going to be fucking intense.
We go up the steps and stop outside the front door. I turn to Lana and Perry. “So, what’s the plan again?”
Because honestly, if she told me already, I’ve forgotten. I was probably distracted by the whole Dex is going to possess me thingy.
“We go straight to Max,” Perry says to me. One of her eyes is blue, the other is brown (that’s Dex), so it’s completely unnerving to look at her. “In the basement. That’s where he should be. Granted, it’s been weeks since we talked, so I really fucking hope he’s still there.”
Oh, great. So we might end up wandering the halls of the haunted mansion here, and I know these ghosts won’t be as friendly as the ones at Disneyland.
“And I’ve already started working on blocking spells,” Lana says. I try not to smile. Until, like, a few days ago, I didn’t believe in witches. I thought they were the same as vampires. Technically there are some people who think they can cast spells with burning sage and shit, just as some people like to drink blood. But here’s a witch, in the flesh, telling me she’s going to start using her spells. Maybe it’s in bad form, but part of me still won’t believe it until I see it.
I look at Perry, waiting for her cue.
“Let’s go,” she says. She sounds scared. I don’t blame her. I’d be scared too if I didn’t have an assload of pride with me, as well as all this excess energy that seems to be connecting with the energy of the house.
She opens the door to the house and steps inside.
Lana and I follow.
It’s black in here, dark as sin, and completely malevolent. Lana walks off to the middle of the room and stops, eyes closed and chanting something as she faces the staircase, while Perry/Dex start pointing their flashlight everywhere, looking for things to jump out at them.
But me, well, I already feel where things are.
I know where we have to go.
It’s instinct, like a magnet, like something is pulling all the cells in my body in one direction.
I start walking toward the hallway.
Look down it.
Oh my god.
“What the hell is that!?” I exclaim.
Down at the end of the hall, where a large room recedes into total fathomless darkness, a man is crawling out of it. At least, I think it’s a man. He’s got the torso, but he’s missing his lower half, and as he pulls himself along, he leaves a trail of blood behind.
The energy in my gut ignites, suddenly fueling my limbs like I’ve got white lightning running through my veins, pulling me to him.
This is no man. This is a demon.
And it’s my job to put him back where he belongs.
I know this like I know my own name.
I start walking toward the demon, feeling the power rush through me, the greatest high you’ll ever feel. I’m unstoppable now.
“Ada, stop!” Perry screams from behind me, and I know she’s going to try and pull me back or interfere, but this game doesn’t involve her. This is what I was trained to do. This is what I can do.
I raise my arm to tell her to stay where she is with Lana and I keep going, my eyes glued to this disgusting beast.
I start pacing back and forth across the hallway, feeling spry and ready, trying to figure out the best way to do this. This should be easy. I need to open up the portal and throw him in. It’s just that I want to do it in an impressive way, you know? Really give them both a show, and also show this fucking haunted mansion who’s in charge here.
The demon torso raises its head and looks at me with white eyes, blood running down its chin as if it was the one who tore its legs off. Its teeth are extra pointy.
I smile at it and make a beckoning motion with my hand.
“Come and get me.”
I add fucker in my head and, oh lordy, does that piss him off.
Suddenly he’s moving fast, crazy fast, but I stand my ground. Somewhere in the background Perry is screaming my name, but I pay her no attention. This will be over before she knows it. I don’t even know how I know it, I just do. That instinct again.
What Jay taught you to do.
I close my eyes, refusing to feel sad, and crouch down as the demon approaches. His hands turn into claws before my eyes, ripping up the floor as he charges. I wait until the last minute and then…
I spring up, finding that energy pushing me off the ground like it’s manipulating the air around me, like gravity doesn’t exist, and then I’m going sideways through the air, my boots aimed at the wall.
I make contact, the power rushing through me again and then I’m launching myself in the air toward the demon, twisting around so that I land on top of it, straddling the beast.