Soul Pills

Chapter 13

Marcus weighed his options and decided on the easiest answer.  "No," he said.  "I'm not going inside."

"Fine," came the throaty response, "We stay out here."  Olivia smiled, chuckled and took a couple steps towards Marcus.  It was a horrible smile, one that looked to be almost painful for Olivia.  It was as if someone was lifting her by the corners of her mouth.  The muscles twitched and she started to cry, the fresh tears cutting a clean path down the smudged side of her face.

Marcus raised the cross a little higher and said, "Stay back.  You don't need to be that close to talk."

"You think that thing is going to stop me?" Olivia cackled.

"Yes," Marcus replied, "it is.  I said stop."  He thrust the cross in her direction and whispered a short prayer.

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks and threw her arms up.  She moaned, "What!  How?  You aren't even a believer!"

"You're half right. I don't believe in God, but I believe in the power of this symbol and the words that I speak."

Olivia started to circle him at a distance of about ten feet.  Marcus could clearly see the substance on Olivia's arms now, it was definitely blood.  He started to grow worried about Van and Hannah.  What f the demon had killed them to add to its power?  He started to ask, "Where is your fam..." and quickly corrected himself to, "...the father and the daughter?"

Olivia took a step back and two shapes moved into sight in one of the windows of the house on the ground floor.  In unison Van, Hannah, and Olivia said, "We are here."  They spoke with four voices. Each one spoke in their own voice, but at the same time one deep voice underlaid them all.

Marcus staggered back a step at the sound of their voices.  He felt a tightness in his chest and abdomen, as if someone were squeezing his guts from inside.  Van and Hannah stepped back from the window and in a moment were coming down the front steps towards Marcus.  The whole family moved towards each other, finally stopping when all three were shoulder to shoulder facing Marcus.

For a long time they stood facing him.  All three of them wore the same painfully manic expression. Finally they said as one, "You will stop."

Marcus looked around, a slightly baffled expression on his face.  He asked, "Stop?  Stop what?"

All three expressions darkened.  Six fists and three jaws clenched at once.  All three shouted, "STOP! Stop destroying our kind!  Stop 'fixing' us!  You are a killer!  You will be treated like a killer!"

"I'm a killer?  I haven't killed anyone.  You are..."  He didn't get a chance to finish.  The trio before him rose in volume and screamed, "KILLER!  KILLER!  KILLER!  KILL THE KILLER!  KIIIIIILLLLLL!" They started twitching and laughing.  Their bodies shook with psychotic energy.  All three moved in unison, their arms flailing wildly.  Marcus took another step back towards his car.  He was sweating profusely now, a cold sweat that soaked through his clothes and drew the night chill in to him.

Marcus wondered if anyone from his class at school had ever faced anything like this.  He wished that any one of his colleagues was here instead of him.  He was about to break and run when all three jerked violently and collapsed into a heap.  They fell one on top of the other, with Olivia at the top.  Her arms fell across her chest.

All three let out a collective sigh and the whole area was silent.  Marcus was frozen to the spot upon which he stood.  He wanted to run but needed to know if the family was okay.  Marcus tried to will one foot forward, but neither seemed to be responding.  He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

He leaned forward and allowed one foot to swing out to prevent him from falling on his face.  The second step was easier.  Two more steps and he stood before the pile of bodies.  He leaned over and reached out to check Olivia's pulse.  As his fingers neared her throat he jumped, startled.  His cell phone had gone off and was vibrating in his pocket.  He let out a small nervous laugh and reached towards Olivia.