Haunted House Flipper

Chapter 31

Nothing. The demon wasn't in the room yet.

"You see anything?" Nick asked.

"Not yet. You mind if I walk around the house?"

"Go right ahead man. Do whatever you need to do."

I looked all around the room, Nick following right behind me. I realized looking was kind of stupid though, because if the demon was in the room I would've seen the glow coming off of it even if it was behind something. I headed out of the living room and walked down the hall to the kitchen, and then the dining room. No glowing, sword wielding, demons to be found. We checked another room on the main floor, which he called the great room, but the demon wasn't there either. After checking the office, a bathroom, and a huge walk in pantry, we headed for the stairs.

With each creaking step I felt a little more uneasy. The stairs were made of a gorgeous wood, and the descent up with them was made more comfortable with a regal stripe of thick dark red carpet runner. It was flourished with ornate sweeping patterns. The top of the stairs greeted us with a broad hallway that spread up and down the length of the house. I turned to the right guessing that the room above the living room might be our best bet. I reached the door to the room, cranked the knob, and pushed it open.

"Ah!" I screamed.

"What? What is it?" Nick said looking around.

There was a small glow in the room, but then it was gone. For a split second I saw the handle of a huge sword sticking up out of the floor, and then it sunk down and disappeared.

"He's here. I just saw the tip of his sword handle sticking up out of the floor."

I turned and brushed past Nick heading for the stairs. I took them two at a time trying to be light on my feet so I wouldn't pull too hard on the carpet runner and damage it. I heard his footsteps right behind me. I made it to the bottom of the stairs and sprinted to my left. I dashed inside the room to see the retreating glowing feet of the demon disappearing through the ceiling.

"He's playing games with us!" I yelled.

I waved Nick over. He walked up and I leaned in whispering in his ear.

"Why don't you go upstairs, and I'll wait down here. Hopefully when he sees you he'll come back through the ceiling and I'll be able to get him," I said.

He nodded and turned back for the stairs, jogging up them. Once I saw the last of his feet I got ready. I took a step back and scanned the ceiling holding the sword above my head ready to swing it at the slightest site of a glow. I could hear approximately where Nick was from the creaks of the floor above. Just as he rounded the top of the stairs I saw some feet slide back into view through the ceiling.

I was really tempted to swipe at them, but figured it would not injure him enough to make him leave and then I would just be chasing him all night. Instead I waited for most of his body to come through the ceiling. I didn't doubt that the ghost could see right through the surfaces of the building and spot me waiting for him, but I was betting on the fact that he was looking to the doorway to see when we would come into the room above.

Just as the middle of his chest was appearing through the ceiling I swung my blade through the demon's side. He let out an awful cry that sounded like a lion's roar mixed with a trash compactor. Then I heard Nick scream.

He must have been able to hear or see the demon. I heard Nick's footsteps running back down the stairs. The demon held his side, and came fully into view, standing a few feet across from me. It's face was full of rage and hate. It looked like he was clenching his mouth so hard that his teeth were about to break through each other.

He reached up behind his head to grab for his sword and I used the opportunity to stab him again. I drove the blade right through his gut. He flew back away from me, sliding off my sword into the corner. I held my blade out toward him and watched for any sudden movements. Nick ran into the room and stopped to watch.

I still had no idea what I was doing with the sword, so I held it up in a protective way like I had with the other demons. I could tell that the demon wasn't done with me by the look on his face. Why wouldn't these guys just leave? They were persistent even when they were clearly beaten. It's probably because they are only used to fighting angels, not mortals with special items.

The demon shifted his weight and I moved my sword blade with him, keeping it pointed at his chest. Then he lunged forward and struck out with his huge sword. I braced myself for the impact, pulling my sword back and up to block the blow. The demon sword was sliced int two as it made contact with mine. I didn't hesitate. As it looked down in complete surprise, I swung my sword like a baseball bat as hard as I could through his legs. The sword went right through them, lopping them off like bananas from a tree. The demon screeched out in pain, flew over to his legs, scooped them up, and flew away with the most wretched sound I have ever heard.

Nick cried out again behind me. I held my blade up until I could not see the demon anymore as the last of him went through the exterior walls of the house. Then I turned to see Nick with his hands over his ears. He had a painful look on his face, but then it shifted into a timid grin.