Spirit Cleansing

By the end of this Chapter, someone will pay the ultimate price for failure.

 

Copyright Brendan2k5, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved

 

 

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Chapter 1: Spirit Cleansing

 

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"So, do you think your sister will mind us dropping by?" Alex asked me as we drove through the Connecticut-New York border.

 

"I think she'll like it," I replied. "She told me Jenna could use the company as well."

 

"Heh, you've got it lucky," Alex added. "My sister lives in Little Rock and she can only visit so many times. Still, she chose her path in life as I have."

 

"If only Jenna was as lucky." I replied, sadly remembering what had happened about 3 months before. "We've known each other forever. She has never known true happiness aside from being with me."

 

"Try not to dwell too much on past lives." Said Alex. "It's like I've been saying to the Elder Council since—you know. Anyway, try to learn from your past problems and mistakes and grow from them."

 

"I know, but that doesn't really apply in Jenna's case." I replied.

 

"Hmm...I see your point..." He said with a frown. "Maybe it is good that you're coming to visit. You are a good friend to her, after all Celes."

 

-

 

"This would be our exit," I said as we drove off the freeway and into the heart of Manhattan Island.

 

"That's nice..." Celes managed to say before falling asleep. She never could stay awake on long car rides. Even asleep she looked beautiful in my eyes. Her soft black hair brought out her inner beauty, enhanced even more by her pregnant body. If our daughter turned out as beautiful as her I'd be set for life. I pulled the car up to the address of Katrin's House near Liberty Island. It was one of the few houses left in near-perfect condition from the 1950s.

 

I pulled the car into the driveway and opened the passenger side door. Celes nearly fell out when I unbuckled her seatbelt. It was then that I realized that waking her up would be very hard to do. I picked her up and carried her to the door. I managed to press the doorbell without falling, waking or dropping her. It was Katrin who answered the door. "Good to see you made it." She said. "You can put her down in the room next to the kitchen—I already set it up for you two." I nodded and followed her through the house. I put her down on the bed and nearly fell down after her.

 

"Go ahead and sleep," said Katrin. "We can talk about Jenna in the morning. Both you and Celes need your rest."

 

"Thanks, I think..." I said as I quickly and carefully changed Celes into something more comfortable. "See you in the morning, then." I changed myself and then got into the bed next to her. Since Celes took the only pillow on the bed, I used our baby as one instead. I fell asleep to the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

 

 

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After making sure Alex had fallen asleep I went upstairs to check on Jenna. Celes came with the impression Jenna was feeling lonesome. The real reason was I needed Alex to perform an Exorcism on her. I told Alex over the phone and he agreed to come right away. He suspected it was her punishment for turning her back on the forces of evil.

 

I'd actually taken her to the Roman Catholic Church but no one could exorcise the 50 or so confirmed demons within her—the demons slew each man who attempted to cast them out. If Alex couldn't do the job then she would remain a tool of the devil forever. Time was also of the essence.

 

The longer the demons stayed in Jenna, the harder it would be to cast them out. Not only that, for each man killed trying to cast them out the demons grew stronger. I knocked on her room door and peeked inside. The light bulb was broken and I'd never had the chance to fix it. I spotted Jenna lying naked at the window. When I entered the room she turned around. "Tomorrow, I'm getting my sister's best friend back." I said before leaving again.

 

 

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I woke up the next morning and quickly got dressed. Celes was still asleep so I grabbed my Exorcism Kit and headed for Jenna's room. Katrin met me at the stairs. "Does she know?" She asked me, referring to Celes.

 

"No," I replied. "Let's go." I followed her up the stairs to Jenna's room. When I stepped inside the room, the first thing I noticed was how cold it was. This was unusual since the windows were closed and the rest of the house was warm.

 

"Who's there?" said a strange, inhuman voice.

 

"The one who shall cast all of you from this girl." I replied calmly. "Show yourself!" A figure appeared near the window. It was Jenna obviously but the voice, skin and eyes were not hers.

 

"What's this?” the figure asked mockingly. “Another one for the wall?"

 

"Your evil rampage stops with me." I replied, taking a small bottle of water out of my suitcase. "Take this--it will fix your skin!" I splashed some of the water on the creature and it writhed in agony. I ducked in the next moment when it spat acid at me. "I see you're the spitting type!" I exclaimed. "Who are you and what do you want with this girl or her child?"

 

 

"Our name is Apocalypse." Said the voice. "We are the elite...the most loyal of the forces of darkness. When the heir to our cause was thrown into the sea, we were instructed to forever punish the one responsible—Jenna!"

 

"You do know it was Celes who did the job, right?" I asked. "If anything, you should go after her!"

 

"Don't you worry--she's next." the creature replied. "But first, we will finish making the child within Jenna a loyal servant of the night!" Her shirt parted, revealing the only part of Jenna that looked normal—her swelled belly. I could clearly see the silhouette of her baby through the skin. It looked like it was dying but was kept alive only by the will of the demons possessing its mother. "Go ahead--it's the only human part of her left." the voice said, apparently knowing what I was thinking. I took out a stethoscope from my kit and put it against the warm flesh. It was faint but clear—a heartbeat. I was about to check Jenna's vitals but quickly decided against it. "Still think you can do anything?" The creature asked.

 

"Of course," I replied. "I'll just need to find out exactly how many of you there are."

 

"Alex, what's going on?" I heard Celes ask from the hallway. I shot Katrin a look, signaling for her to shut the door, but it was too late.

 

 

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"What happened to Jenna?!" I exclaimed, more to Katrin than to Alex.

 

"Your friend is no more!" snapped the voice of something...inhuman. "When we're finished with her you will be next!"

 

"Stop right there!" Alex exclaimed as he threw Holy Water on the figure that was my longtime friend. The voice shrieked and howled before causing Jenna's body to fall to the ground. Alex doused a bit more on her body until she lost consciousness. Her skin also reverted to normal.

 

"Is she...?" asked Katrin as Alex checked her vitals.

 

"Barely," He replied. "This is not a good sign. The demons have been in her body for so long that they have merged with her soul. She may not survive the exorcism."

 

What are you talking about?" I asked. "You mean she's possessed?!"

 

"Calm down Celes--you might go into labor." said Katrin. "And yes, she is possessed. A punishment from the devil himself. There's at least 50 Demons in her. If Alex can't get them out of her, we'll have to kill her for the sake of saving the baby."

 

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." He replied as he rose to his feet. "You were right to call me, Katrin. I am the only person on earth powerful enough to do this."

 

"What are the risks?" I asked. He paused for a moment.

 

"The worst-case scenario is she'll die during the procedure, taking her baby with her." He replied. "Powerful demons are known to seriously injure their hosts before they are cast out."

 

"You can't let that happen." I said sternly. "Do whatever it takes to save my best friend!"

 

 

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As instructed by Alex I tied Jenna to her bed and lit a dozen candles. I also opened the skylight that was in her room, letting in sunlight. Alex had gone into the washroom to prepare himself. He told me and Celes he would need about an hour. He had to make sure there was no show of human weakness when he confronted the Demons. After doing that I waited with Celes in the hallway.

 

"I can't believe this has happened..." she said. "I should been prepared for this."

 

"Nothing we could have done would have prepared for this." I replied. "If there's any trace of Jenna left Alex will be able to save her."

 

"You don't think we could find out, do you?" she asked. "We do have our special powers, after all..."

 

"I already did." I replied, knowing where she was going with it. "That's how I found out about her being possessed. "

 

"I just have to see for myself." said Celes as she went into the room. She went over to Jenna's body and put her hand on her face. A moment later she was thrown backwards into the door way—and me.

 

"A good thing I happened to be right here," I replied with a smirk. "With me, it was out the window."

 

"I could still see her." said Celes. "She's in there and she needs our help." Right then, Alex came out of the bathroom.

 

"I'm ready." He said. "Let us begin, shall we?"

 

 

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We followed Alex back into Jenna's room. Everything he would need had been set up already. Jenna—or was it the demons—had also awoken. "Are you ready to be cast from this girl?" He asked.

 

"Are you ready to die, human?" the voice retorted.

 

"BEGONE!" Alex shouted as he waved his staff. There was a scream, followed by a parade of spirits coming out of Jenna's mouth. As they came out, Alex carefully counted each one. "That takes care of the lesser demons," He said. "There are 12 that remain."

 

"We will not allow you to cast us out of her!" The voice said again.

 

"It is not through my power that you will be cast out." Alex replied, raising his staff. "I cast you out in the name of all that is Holy!" There was another scream as Jenna's body writhed in agony. Her body seemed to shudder under the stress of the exorcism and her being pregnant. "There is one left." Said Alex. "And something tells me this isn't just a demon."

 

"I was wondering when you would figure that out!" The voice said once again. This time we all recognized it.

 

"It's Lucifer!" I exclaimed. "We should have known!"

 

"Only one person has ever cast me out of someone and lived." he said. "That was 2,000 years ago."

 

"I will become the second person to do so." Alex replied before turning to me. "Celes, prepare the Piledriver."

 

 

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"Wh-what?!" She exclaimed. "Don't you have to be outside to use it?"

 

"Yes, and we will move her downstairs." I replied. "Just go and prepare it in the backyard."

 

"I'm not going anywhere." Lucifer declared.

 

"Seal Evil!" I shouted, throwing some holy water on the figure. The voice screamed once more and went quiet. "We'd best hurry," I said to Katrin. "That will only last a few minutes on The Devil himself." I untied Jenna and carried her downstairs. Katrin grabbed a cot from downstairs and set it up in the middle of the piledriver. I put Jenna on it and tied her arms and legs again.

 

"What do we do now?" Celes asked me.

 

"Pray," I replied as I activated the Piledriver. The Piledriver is an ancient Holy Weapon used to cast out resilient demons. It could also be used to cast out multiple demons or to restore lost souls. I had only used a few times but I knew this would be one time it would be most needed. With it, God himself would purge the Devil from Jenna's body.

 

 

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I could see Jenna's labored breathing. She was in pain. "This will take 2 minutes to fully activate." Said Alex. "That's provided this isn't a misfire."

 

"Misfire?" Katrin asked.

 

"If God chooses not to acknowledge my request for aid it will not work." he replied. "I highly doubt he wouldn't in this case."

 

"What's that writing on her stomach?" I asked. Katrin and Alex both looked and saw some letters forming on her belly. 'PLEASE, HELP MY BABY' it said.

 

"Jenna's still there!" said Katrin. "She's exhausted from fighting as hard as we are."

 

"When the devil has been cast out she will have rest." Said Alex. "Now the time. Let’s do this!"

 

"What is this?" asked the devil.

 

"Your undoing!" Alex cried. "In the name of the father, son and holy ghost, I cast you out, forever shattering your hold on Jenna!" He struck the Piledriver with his staff, causing a beam of light from the sky to come down onto Jenna. I knew then that God himself would take it from here. We watched Jenna's body contorted as the Devil was ripped of his hold on her. Once he was out, he retreated into the shadows. "Let that be a lesson, Rebel." Said Alex. "Never attempt this again or you won't get off so lucky." It was now over—or so we hoped.

 

 

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"Will she be ok?" Celes asked Alex.

 

"I believe so." He replied. "She just needs to get some rest." I untied her and took her back to her room. Alex had to purify the entire house to make sure we would be safe from the forces of evil. Once that was done, all there was to do was wait. It didn't take long, though.

 

 

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"Celes...is that you?" I heard Jenna say.

 

"Finally, you're awake!" I exclaimed, giving her a hug. "You have no idea how worried we've all been."

 

"My head...hurts...so much..." she groaned.

 

"Try not to move too much yet." Said Katrin. "You're still recovering from the Exorcism."

 

"The...what?" She asked. She tried to sit up but the effort was too much.

 

"Just try to get some rest." Said Alex. "We'll talk when you're a little better." I turned to go but Jenna insisted I wait in the room. Katrin nodded her ok so I did.

 

"Celes, I really need to ask you something..." She started.

 

"What is it?" I asked, leaning in very close to hear.

 

"I need you to kill me." She said.

 

"What?!" I exclaimed. "What would you say something like that?!"

 

"I can feel it, Celes..." She trailed. "I'm not going to live much longer anyway..."

 

"You're just tired." I replied. "You should try to rest."

 

"No, you don't understand what I'm trying to say." Said Jenna. "The babies inside me—they're not human They're Demons."

 

"What are you talking about?" I asked. “And did you just say babies?!”

 

"Take my shirt off and look." She said, handing me a pair of scissors. I cut her shirt open and what I saw made me scream.

 

"ALEX! KATRIN!"

 

"What is it?" Alex asked as he ran into the room with Katrin. When he saw it he froze, unable to speak. Katrin could only watch motionless. The creatures occupying Jenna's womb had stretched her skin to an unnaturally large size. And her belly was still growing. If they were planning on coming out the natural way they were not going to fit. I could see blood vessels pulsating as they fed the creature life--Jenna's life...

 

“I think I'm gonna be sick...” Katrin said before running for the bathroom.

 

"I should've seen this." Alex trailed. "I really didn't know..."

 

"What do we do?" asked Katrin.

 

"Please...kill me while you have a chance!" Jenna exclaimed. "It's the only way to stop this!"

 

"I--I can't!" I exclaimed.

 

“Do it now!” she pleaded. “I'm finished already. If you don't do it, don't look for me in the afterlife.”

 

“There's no way they're coming out.” I said to Alex as I examined her belly. “There's at least four of them and if they're as big as I think they are, they'll die with her.”

 

"Then allow me to speed things up." Said Alex. He took a knife out of his pocket and slit her throat. As blood poured from her neck the pulsating womb slowed to a stop. She was dead.

 

"Oh my gosh, you killed Jenna!" Katrin exclaimed as she came back in the room.

 

"I think her death may have been what saved us all." Alex remarked. "She herself wanted it this way." I put my hand on the mound, which was still warm. Too warm...

 

"Something's not right here..." I said. In the next moment, a Fetid Claw shot from the mound and grabbed my throat. Alex slashed the arm, nearly cleaving it in two. This also loosened its grip on me. I quickly ran behind Katrin so it couldn't do it again, scared out of my mind. We watched as the demon spawn ripped out of Jenna's body, followed by five more. The grotesque creatures had dark red skin and beady eyes, their dark hair matted. They had razor sharp teeth and matching claws as well. On their backs were tiny wings for flying. The one that attacked me gave an inhuman scream and jumped out of the window. "Oh, crap..." I said as the others began to eat Jenna's carcass. I looked and noticed Katrin was chanting something.

 

“Fire Spin!” she exclaimed before a stream of fire burned all the demons to Ashes. That just left the one that flew out of the window.

 

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"That creature will not pollute the human race." I said as I threw open the window. Taking out my Peacemaker, I shot it out of the sky. It landed in the front yard, where I finished it with another shot to the head. "Satan already did a fine job already," I then finished. I went downstairs to confirm the kill and wrapped the body in a towel, which I quickly brought back inside.

 

"What should we do now?" asked Celes.

 

"I need to take this...thing back to Boston." I said. "Katrin, you should burn the rest of Jenna's body. If anyone asks, she committed suicide, which is true."

 

"I...I can handle it." She replied, still shaken from the ordeal.

 

"Wait." Celes said suddenly. Me and Katrin looked at her. "We need to harvest some of her." She said. "Maybe Mark Anthony can make a clone of her or something..."

 

"He may be a genius but it still wouldn't be the Jenna we knew." Katrin remarked.

 

"He can download her brain into one of his computers for later use as well." I continued. "It worked with Chris Benoit, James Brown and Saddam Hussein, after all."