 Hey everyone, I hope you're doing well. Tonight's video is going to feature a few friends of mine that just happen to be really good at telling a story. Links to their channel will be down below. Make sure you go subscribe and on to the first story. Steam rising from the winding, labyrinthine concrete streets of New York City in the winter. The sky is deep, black and endless, lined with a cold fire of dying stars. And there are a million other places Levi would rather be. Walking home from a late shift at a shitty job, hands jammed in his coat pockets, he craves a cigarette he can't afford to buy. His stomach grumbles in protest from a freezer-burnt TV dinner at lunch. He hasn't eaten since then. Yeah, he was angry and miserable with his life and wished he was someone else who lived a thousand miles away. While he was Levi Reid of New York City, he who spent years of his life in college only to discover he was not able to find a job in the field he studied, he just resigned to working a minimum wage job with terrible hours. He wanted out. He just didn't know how to go about doing it. Levi mulled over this as he trudged through the park at night. Cobos lay on beaches in freezing weather with haunted eyes following him silently as he walked past. He did not avert his gaze. A few moments later and farther down the path, he glanced up, feeling uneasy. The street lamps up ahead would flicker for several seconds before dying out entirely. This continued one by one until the lamp nearest to him went out. This was accompanied by the distant thump of hooves beating against pavement. Confused, Levi came to a halt. He strained to listen, not entirely convinced the sound was real and not just a product of his own mind. The nearer the hooves beating drew, the more the rest of the world seemed to fade out and away as if somebody was turning a dial. His own heartbeat, thudding in his ears, seemed to sink with the outside source and then an eerie silence. Over the crest of the hill came a horse and a rider. It was a great, powerful stallion with rippling muscles and a coat of fur as white as death, eyes burning with all the cold fury of hell. Atop its back was a constantly shifting enigma, a large blur. Levi could not comprehend these morphing colors, the likes of which he had never seen. And then it spoke, Do you wish to die? The rider did not speak English, but somehow Levi understood its garbled tongue. He found he could not speak and its presence. I send, do you wish to die? Levi could not think clearly, his mind ran racing in a thousand different directions, threatening to break apart entirely. All he could manage was, who are you? The rider's steed snorted, steam billowing from its flared nostrils. It pawed the ground impatiently with one enormous hoof. The rider's ever-changing features seemed to settle somewhat into that of a broad, vaguely humanoid shape. Its eyes remained blurry, rapidly shifting, looking straight through him to his soul. Ask not who I am, but what? Without warning, the rider reached out and placed its hand to Levi's forehead. From its fingertips and into his brain flowed eternity, chaos, destruction, life and death, rebirth, kings and men, war and famine, the secrets of the universe, everything. Levi dropped to his knees, wailing in agony. The rider observed him quietly, watching with indifference as Levi doubled over. His whole body trembled and shook as he collapsed, even heaving once. Blood spurted from his mouth, staining snow the color of brilliant crimson beneath him. For a long moment, he was still. At the sound of the rider's voice, his eyes ruled in that direction and he remained silent, but willing. A soldier standing in attention to his commander, Go forth, mortal, and tell your fellow man, this world will end in forty-nine days. Levi's eyes ruled in his skull, replaying the terrible secrets he had seen again and again and again. Having been a witness to those horrors, he found he was no longer quite the same, no longer quite human. The rider lifted the reins of the stallion, snapping them once, those cold hellfire eyes never leaving Levi's own. For I am death and you shall follow me. In a blaze of flashing white, the rider and the horse were gone. Levi lay there for what felt like a very long time, hearing those words and those words only. Then he slowly rose to his feet among the blossom of red in the frost and snow. The sharp breath of winter brushed past, but he didn't mind. There were greater concerns to be had now. The world was going to end, and Levi was the messenger. All great riders claimed to suffer from insomnia at least once in their lives, although I'm sure a bulk of them misused the term and glorified the disorder. After all, all artists struggle, and it seems that lack of sleep runs common among those who strive to hammer out the next big thing. I wasn't immune to this, and at risk of sounding cliche, I simply work better in the wee hours of the morning, unless I happen to be suffering from rider's block, which also seems to plague those who starve for our heart. I recently moved to my home, which is perched neatly upon a hill. It's a ranch home, so there's not much around. Sometimes when my fingers are tired from typing, and my brain feels like it will explode, I'll go into the kitchen, make a cup of tea, and look out into the night. Below me there is another ranch home that I could see from my window. Although it had been empty for quite some time, the house below me wasn't unlike my own, sitting alone atop of dried grass and dirt. It was two stories, white with a wraparound porch. For being empty, it was well kept, although there were weeds sprouting everywhere, and one of the windows, I had guessed the kitchens assuming the home's layout was anything like my own, was broken. I hadn't noticed it until a few months after my move, but on one of those nights where I was pushing for AM, I noticed the lights on in that house, immediately my brow creased into a curious expression. Knowing that the house had been abandoned, and it didn't seem like anyone would be moving into it any time soon. I leaned over the sink and put my face as close to the window without touching it. But I could see no movement from within the house. A few days had passed until I noticed it again. Although looking back now, I can confidently say it had been happening every night since the moment I moved in. The second time I noticed it, I took a quick glance at the clock sitting over my dining room table. It was 3.30am, and again, I could see nothing out of the ordinary other than the fact that the lights were on. The next night had happened again, and on the night after that, although I probably would have been awake otherwise, I forced myself into the kitchen at 3.25am, stirring my tea, and staring intently at the window. I began to feel anxious, even though the notion of the lights turning on shouldn't be strange, but given the fact that it is occurring nightly in an empty house around 3.30am was a bit unsettling. I watched the minute hand on my clock swipe to 30 after, and I turned my head towards my window. Sure enough, the lights flicked on, just like they had the other three nights. I leaned over the sink once again, this time pressing my forehead all the way up against a glass, as if doing so would give me a better view. But still couldn't see anything moving about. I leaned back, frowned, and shrugged. Logically, it could be anything, ranging from squatters to a rare electrical issue, but at the time I figured I would let it go, because I couldn't be bothered to worry about something so seemingly insignificant. I had a writing deadline, and needed to make that my top priority. Two weeks passed, and although I tried my hardest not to stroll into the kitchen every morning at 3.30am, I failed miserably, and observed the same thing every night. It even got to the point where I would stay in the kitchen for hours, before and after the lights would flick on, simply to spot traffic, either in or out of the house. But as far as I could tell, nobody ever entered or exited, even during the day. The lights would eventually turn off around dawn, I wouldn't turn back until 3.30am. During the third week I ventured over to the home. Even for cars or anything hinting at human life, but the closest thing I found was a bike tire leaning against the back porch steps. Given the weeds growing around it, it had probably been there for a while. The house sat empty, as a recently dug grave, and in the moment I couldn't help but feel a little sorrowful. It really was a beautiful home, but the lack of anyone living in it made it exude a sense of nothingness and despair. I went around to the broken window, and my assumption that it had belonged to the kitchen was correct. I peered in, although from what I could tell, nobody had been in the room for quite some time. A thin visible layer of dust covered both the counters and the floor, and the cobwebs had made their way across the sink faucet, as well as the ceiling corners. Though I am no detective, I noticed the dust covered floor had no footprints, and this disturbed me for obvious reasons. In order to alleviate my fears, I told myself the lights turning on had to be some type of electrical anomaly, and I stepped down from the porch. I walked backwards until I could see the entire house in my view, shielded my eyes from the sun, and took one last look. I scanned from left to right, hoping to see any hint of anyone or anything living there. But just as before, there was nothing but emptiness. That night, a freak thunderstorm rolled through the area, and for once it wasn't the writing that kept me awake. The thunder sounded like bombs falling, and before I knew it, I was up at the kitchen at 3am making tea. I finished my last sip when the lights turned on in the house below, and although it was a site that was familiar to me then, I still got up and looked out the window. I couldn't see as well as other nights because of the rain, but sure enough, all the lights were on like usual. My hands rested on the edge of the sink, and just then a clap of thunder exploded. My hands tightened and I jumped, but calmed down rather quickly. About 30 seconds passed, and the power went out. I was only able to register the lights going off in the house below me for a mere second before I heard a knock at my back door. I jumped again and gripped the edge of the sink even harder. It was completely dark, and I could barely see a thing. I stood there, breathing heavily, then waiting to see if I could hear the knock again. I tried to convince myself it was just a thunder, but 5 seconds later, another knock. I slowly walked towards the door, being too scared to look behind the blinds. I walked as closely to the door as possible to see if I could hear anyone outside. The rain made it difficult to hear, but I listened as hard as I could. Is anyone there? A voice said from the other side. It was a woman's voice. It sounded shaky and troubled. I kept quiet, too confused to respond and too frightened at the aspect of someone standing outside my door this late and in a storm. Please, if someone is there, I need some help. She said. Although by the time a layer of goosebumps had covered my skin, I answered back. After all, if this woman needed help, I couldn't just leave her outside alone. Who are you? I asked. My name is Sandy. I live in the home below you. My power is out, and I have no lights or candles. I can't be in the dark, not at this time. I frowned. Either this woman was lying, or I was going crazy, because there is no way there was a woman living in that house, but that wasn't the most frightening thing at the moment. It was the fact that the power went out may as seconds ago, and there was no way the woman could have walked from her home to mine in that amount of time. That house has been empty since I moved in, I responded. Please, just help me. I need the lights on or else. I rubbed the space between my eyes. Even if this woman was real, she was making no sense. I'm sure the power will be back on soon. It'll be okay, I said. She responded with a huge sigh, and I could tell she was sobbing now. A few seconds went by. I calmly waited to hear if she would say anything else. After thinking she gave up, I could rest easy. I heard her say, I saw you, you know. My eyes widened and my stomach dropped. I quickly thought back to my visit at the house, making sure my memories were correct in the fact that I saw nobody at the home. What are you talking about? I asked. I saw you looking in my home, through the kitchen window. A moment went by, my breathing quickened. I felt my heart beat in my head, and just then, thunder rang out again. I jumped and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, she responded again. He saw you, too. I paused and fear seized my heart. I was completely sure there was nobody at the home, let alone two people. She continued talking. He comes at this time, and unless I get some lights on, he will take me. He's tried before. At that point, I was completely confused and unsure of how to respond. So I replied. Sandy, like I said before, I'm sure the lights will be back on soon. Just go home and wait it out. She began crying again. As soon as I step into darkness again, I would ever be able to come out, and when he's done with me, he'll be after you. He's seen you now. She laughed a little, the way those who feel exhausted from crying often do. I stepped closer to the door again, and slowly pulled the corner of the blinds away. I had to see for myself if there really was a woman out there, and I wasn't going crazy. Just then, a bolt of lightning came across the sky, lighting up everything in my immediate view. To my horror, there was nobody standing on the other side of the door. My porch was completely empty. It wasn't until well into the next morning that I felt any sense of calm, and decided I would go looking into the history of the house. After a week or so of searching online, and asking around with the locals, I found out the most disturbing information. About three years earlier, a woman named Sandy Carmichael lived in the home below me. Given the facts that the rumours spread like wildfire, I'm not sure how much information was the truth. But apparently she began telling her closest friends and relatives that a being was living inside her home, and came to her around the same time every morning. Apparently this being had attacked her when she was standing in her kitchen, which led to the broken window. Although as soon as she turned on the light, it went away. Long story short, she continued turning on the lights at the same time every night, in order to keep the being away. Why she hadn't just moved is beyond me, although I'm sure her story would be the same for every other person who chooses to stay in an alleged haunted house. It was her home. The story continued that after about six months, again this is hearsay, her doctor prescribed her a sedative, and finally one night she slept through the 3.30am mark and never woke up. Her death was said to be a suicide, but some have come to believe whatever Sandy babbled on about may have been responsible. I couldn't help but think of the night of the thunderstorm with utter terror, and I'm quite convinced the ghost of Sandy Carmichael visited me. One may ask why I believe this, especially those who are skeptical of the supernatural. But Sandy Carmichael said that whatever was terrorizing her was going to start terrorizing me. The lights haven't appeared in the home below me since that night. Although this hasn't done anything to calm my fears, I've started to hear strange noises in my home, and I'm worried things will escalate. I've debated whether or not to turn on the lights in my own home at 3.30am, although doing so would be admitting for sure that I thought something unnatural was in my house, and I'm not quite ready to do that. There's another thunderstorm going on right now. However, and I've made sure I have plenty of candles and a flashlight, just in case. I keep telling myself that all rational human beings carry extra candles and flashlights in thunderstorms, and that I'm not admitting to anything, but the lights have already begun to flicker. Every time they do, my stomach turns over. It's 3.04am. I'm hoping the power stays on. The white snow blankets the ground around him, and he shivers. He stares into the darkness, his eyes playing tricks on him, showing him faint outlines of monsters. He blinks, and they disappear. He pulses his jacket on a little tighter, and touches his front left chest pocket. For reaffirmation, still there. He trudges on. The bitter wind nips at his face, and he wishes he had worn more on his legs than just jeans. But, it'll all be over soon enough. Just this one journey, and he can finally go and continue his life. Maybe go to grad school. He reaches a crest that gives him a view of a few hundred snow-drenched trees, fading away into the snowfall. He begins walking down the crest. So I twist a tree, making it fall, to try to deter him. He stops, looks around, frightened, cold and confused. He never sees me. I leave him laying peacefully in the snow, a glint of red in the moonlight to contrast the white angelic powder around him. I watched him touch his pocket, so I know immediately where he is. I unfold it. I collapse in the snow. My knees buckle, and I wail. Hannah, how's it going? Not bad, Mick. Stable. Hopefully, he could wake up soon. The doctor replies. I keep my eyes closed, not just because the lights of the hospital room feel like daggers through my eyelids. But because once I open them, I can't close them again. The dynamic of the room will have changed. I need to listen. Hey, so Doc, did he... Mick pauses, choosing his words carefully. Did he have it? Mick, the doctor scolds. Sorry, Doc. Geez. It's been all the talk lately. I couldn't help it. I keep thinking of the adventure it would lead to. Mick! Shhh! He's waking up. His heartbeat is quickening. Upon hearing my cue, I open my eyes, seeing the silhouettes over me. As my eyes adjust, a gray-haired, older man peers into my eyes. Hey, kiddo. You took it pretty hard out there. How are you feeling? I can't muster a word. I think he takes my silence as an okay. Great. Well, I'll leave you to it. Come on, Mick. Let's give him some time to rest. They exit the room, and the pain hits me, and my toes must have gotten frostbitten in the snow. As soon as their voices are gone in the hall, I raise my behind enough to get a finger to search it. I touch the rolled-ups of the paper and decide to leave it where it is. Sure. It's gross. But if I hadn't left it in my pants pocket, the doc would have taken it, I'm sure. I stare at the ceiling tiles and try the past of the time by counting the flecks of black amongst the white and gray. One thousand three hundred and sixty-four. I count again, one thousand four hundred and three. Eventually, the doctor comes back, and deems me well enough to leave. I sign the papers, get dressed, and get the hell out of there. Luckily, there's a bus stop right outside the hospital. I take the fifteen to the west side of town. I'm not going home. As I walk down Emerson Street, I feel eyes on my back. I turn around. Nobody. I trudge along the path I used to travel so often in my youth. I went to school near here. I'd walk the street to go home in the afternoon. Sometimes, I just stop and stare at the grass between the sidewalk and the road, feel the sun on my back, defrosting me cell by cell. But this time I can't stop, there's no time, there's also no sun. I open the door to the dollar store, grab a basket, and pile it with scissors, twine, and a pair of black and red gloves. I was pushed for time so I couldn't get anything else, but this would do. I make my way down the street, I pass the school, and almost pause, but something stops me. My own subconscious probably. The sidewalk ends and transfers to forest, so I know I'm close. As I walk through the dense trees, I keep my eyes open for any hint of footprints or broken twigs. When I'm satisfied, I drop my trousers and bend over, I unfold it for the second time. This time, I can control my voice, but a pair of tears leak from my burning eyes. It whispers my name, it caresses my skin, it taunts me, I fold it back up and put it in my pants pocket. Once I reach the rock surface, I look up at it. The height makes me queasy, but I put my foot between two rocks and boost myself up. An hour later, and I've only made it halfway to the top, the sweat drips from my forehead, and I watch it plummet all the way down. I count in my head as it falls, 16 seconds. The jacket I'm wearing is restricting me, and making my skin swelter. I knew it would be so hot and a place so cold. I reach a section in the rock that has no visible footholds. I look around desperately, I see a cross the rock face, about 20 feet to my left. There's a small ledge. I try to climb across to get to it, so maybe I can rest for a second. I reach, grab, place a foot, transfer weight. Reach, grab, try not to fall, find a foothold, plant a foot, and transfer my weight. I'm about three feet above the ledge, and about six feet horizontally away. There's no more footholds I can step in. Only a little ledge, about an inch deep, that my hands are holding onto. I'm going to have to climb using just that. I shuffle my feet free, and feel the pressure in my hands immediately. The pressure is too much, I feel my grip weakening. I reach my feet blindly for the foothold, but my hands give up, I'm falling. I count in slow motion, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. I squint my eyes, and my thoughts flash before my face. I can't think. I'm just focused on hitting the ground, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. Confused, I open my eyes and no longer see a ground. There's no rock face, there's only me, and emptiness filled with light. I close my eyes again, and I open them. I feel myself falling again, I feel the ground jolt my boots, and I try to bend my knee to brace myself. Somehow my fall was broken, I look around, I see the tops of the trees in the distance, and I see the rock face, but now I'm at the top. I don't question it too much, they're a strange group, they can do weird shit like this all the time. As I scan the horizon, I see the destination. As the sun dips lower in the sky, I waste no time. I check my watch, I begin to run. After a while, I stop to rest, seven forty-nine, damn, sunset is less than an hour away. I have no choice. I run, eight, eight fifteen, eight thirty. I can't do it, I'm winded and there's less than thirty minutes until I die. I sprint as hard as I can, I push through the pain, my feet are in so much pain I just disregard them. My mind goes into a state of meditation, I'm aware, I see it all. The world, the town, my house, my family, my bed, home. As light fades quickly, I begin to see a glint of ash through the trees. I scramble my last bits of energy together and double the speed of my bounds. I collapse on the floor next to the structure. Dusk is making everything much harder to see through my tired, weary and strained eyes. I feel their presence, I feel a thousand needles graze my lower legs, barely pressing hard enough to draw blood. A series of clicks pierce my eardrums, I feel a warm trickle down my ear and jaw. I force my eyes open one more time to catch a glimpse of them. It holds a sharpened blade resembling a scalpel and slices into the front right side of my pelvis. At first I don't react. The blade is so sharp. I scream in agony as it removes a chunk of my thigh, taking with it the scrap of cloth previously belonging to my trousers. I watch as it throws my leg to the side and scurries away on the thousands of needle-sharp legs with the pocket that contains the fate of the world. The creature unfolds the paper and I watch as one of its eyes swivels back to me. I see it can only be described as a grin. It rushes back to me at an unfathomable speed and stares into my soul. It carves its signature into my forehead in a split second and steals one of my eyes. It makes clicking sounds and I see him again. He's laying on the ground, sliding towards me as if being pulled by an invisible rope. His body comes within three feet of me and it begins to float. It slowly rotates over face to face, one corpse floating over another. The creature makes a clicking noise once more and the building next to me sinks into the ground. The top of the building is covered in leaves and trees and even has a few birds chirping in the branches of the trees. As soon as the building clicks into the ground, the corpse above me collapses. When the police find me, I try to call out that I can't move any part of my body. The sheriff takes one whiff and almost gags. I hear him shout into the distant breeze at another police officer. I can't hear much with my eardrums damaged but I do hear dead bodies and I think they must be talking about him. But he said, bodies. Another hour passes and a CSI van pulls up and begins taking pictures of me. I try to scream, tell them to stop. I'm alive! But they keep taking pictures and placing little yellow tabs around the ground and ambulance arrives. And I lay here as they zip him up in a body bag. I never knew his name. I didn't mean to kill him, but they promised. Maybe I can tell the cops what happened, they won't believe me. As strangers in hazmat suits carry the body bag towards the ambulance, I see another team approach me. They're also carrying a body bag. Whatever that thing has done, somehow nobody knows I'm not brain dead. They don't bother ever checking. The worst part is, even though they told me to never tell anybody about this, I showed my son the paper, he's going to follow in my footsteps, and there's nothing I can do to stop him. I sat in the cafeteria reading my book. I was by myself and thankful for a little silence. Across from me sat a table of popular girls, Sadie Hudson was at the head of the group. She towered over the other girls, and her light brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She laughed loudly and cupped her hands to whisper into a friend's ear while staring at me. I took my book and began to make my way to another table. What are you reading? She asked, a twisted smile on her face. Nothing that would interest you. She snatched the book out of my hands. The vampire-less stat, said Sadie. I bet she dreams of having a vampire lover. Don't you, Val? Said another girl with dark hair. Before I could say anything, she flipped her the pages and began reading the more lurid passages to the table. They were all cackling like mindless idiots. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't even think you could read, I said softly. Whispered the dark-haired girl. The bell rang and I looked around the cafeteria for staff. There was no one there just to see us students heading out. Sadie and the other girls glaring at me. I grabbed my backpack and made it toward the exit. We're not done with you, Slut, said Sadie. What's up, Dracula's daughter, said Sadie's boyfriend, Robbie. He was on some sports team at school. I forgot which one. Nothing. I was just going to class before I was rudely interrupted by your idiot group. Call me an idiot again. I'll make sure you regret it, he said. You just threatened me with the salt, I said. I'm going to report this. My dad's a cop. It's not going to stick. I can make you disappear and no one will question us, said the young man by Sadie's side. I sprinted to my next class, looking behind me to see if they were following. Thankfully they weren't. I was slightly out of breath as I sat down on my usual desk and unpacked my bag. The whole class was staring at me as I pulled out my history book to study. Mr. Russo patted up to me slowly. Um, Miss Valerie? Are you alright? He said under his breath. I'm fine, just running a little late, sir. It won't happen again, I assure you. Valerie, you're crying if you want to see the counselor. No one listens to me, sir. I need to focus on my GPA, and it's the only thing that will get me out of here. He sighed and lowered his eyes. Miss Valerie, I'm going to write you a note to go to the nurse's office to clean up. I took the note and went to the nurse's office. I cleaned up my face and drank some water. Wanda, the school nurse, was a kindly lady in a light pink sweater and salt and pepper hair. Are you sure you don't want to see the principal or guidance counselor? They just twisted up around me until I looked like the instigator. It's not worth it, I said. Sadie Hudson? How did you know? You wouldn't be the first girl that ended up here because of her. She used to be such a nice girl, bright and cheerful, but lately, she's been awful. Just because her boyfriend is the sheriff's son doesn't mean she can walk over everybody. I'm getting my GED and attending a community college. I'm already taking advanced placement courses. There wouldn't be much difference, I said. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? I'll write you a hall pass. You have near-perfect attendance. I don't think going home early once will hurt your record. Thank you. I took the pass from her and headed out to my car since I was leaving early. The halls were blessedly empty. Winding mountain roads and deep forests surrounded me as I drove home. The woods parted to the town of Junction. It was a tiny village with a few houses, a gas station and a post office. At the end of the community lay ruins of an old ironworks from the 1800s. A brick structure was twisting into a cave at the foot of the mountain pass. There were rumors of a bad fire nearly a century ago that left the factory in ruin. I drove down the long driveway to my family's house. It was a decent-sized cabin with a wooded yard. I carefully opened the front door and slipped inside. My parents wouldn't work and my sister wouldn't be home for the next few hours, so I had the house to myself. Under my bed were books I hid from my parents. My family was staunch Baptist. I didn't want to hear the arguments from them. I already had enough drama about how I dressed, let alone the lectures I would receive for practicing witchcraft. I had books on spells, demonology and the occult as well as wicca, paganism, Buddhism and the voodoon. I rummaged around and found the book I needed. Protection and Reversal Magic. Flipping through the pages I found a spell on building a ward of protection. I didn't want to hurt Sadie, but I wasn't going to be a victim either. Do no harm, take no shit. After studying I went to bed and woke up late at night. I gathered the spell book in a small bag packed with chalk, a few tiny candles and scents of lighter and salt. I put on a long black robe and a small wand that was carved out of olive wood. I crept out of the cabin into the night. The road was empty as I walked to the old ironworks. I wanted someplace private that could cast my spell and move on with my life. Perhaps I would even free a spirit or two that was trapped there. In the middle of the factory was a crumbling brick with a chimney reaching toward the stars. In the middle of the ruins stood Sadie. Her eyes had turned black. Robbie stood behind her. His eyes were black too. His shadow was inky and angular. Too angular to be human. I could only catch a glimpse of it before it disappeared. Only to return to the opposite wall. A black shadow with jagged angles and tendrils. This was some demon, some monstrous entity that had corrupted Sadie and Robbie. What in the hell did I get myself into? I want her to pay in blood, said Sadie. The book was heavy in my hands. I had the knowledge to do something about this. And I was here fully armed against it. I could lose horribly and be the creature's mercy. The olive wand trembled in my hands. I fumbled to find a page with an exorcism spell and found nothing. I would have to improvise. Do no harm, but take no shit. It was now or never. I grabbed a handful of salt and flung it into the shadow. Sadie and her boyfriend recoiled and made a hissing sound. Smoke coiled black as the shadow itself. I brandished my wand. I cast the out by the name of the elements. Air, fire, earth, and water. The creature hissed again and back slowly away. I cast the out of thine host and among roots of the earth. I flung more salt. Sadie screamed and recoiled. Robbie grabbed me, his hands squeezing my throat. My vision darkened. Down and out amongst the stones and roots, I screamed enchanted over and over. A loud and human shriek cracked through the darkness. A force yanked Robbie away from my neck and clear across the floor. He lay limply. I got up and coughed hard, catching my breath. My throat burned and my neck felt bruised. I went over to Sadie and grabbed her arm. Come on, we have to run. She nodded and got up. She ran so fast that she pulled me behind her. Gravel still had beneath me as I hitched up my long black robe to run faster. The inky shadow was further and further behind us. We made it back to my cabin. It's safe in here, but I need you to be quiet, I said. What the fuck just happened? Asked Sadie. Tears were streaming down her eyes and her nose was running. I don't know. An exorcism, I think. Just go in. I carefully locked the door to my house. We walked upstairs quickly and silently. Once in my bedroom, I threw down a line of salt lining the entrance. This is my abode, a cate, protected from darkness and spirits unknown. I chanted as I held my wand against the door. I felt pressure and then the room felt brighter and lighter. Sadie stared at me, her jaw gape. We're safe here, I said, deflating to the floor. What was that thing, Sadie asked? I don't know. Whatever it was, it isn't good. It has Robbie, you have to go and help him, please. We're lucky we made it out alive. I don't think I can fight that thing. You have to try. Her face was bright red and her nose was running. Look, give me some time. I can build up a way to banish it for good. She started to tremble and I sat by her. She put an arm around me and began to sob. Val, I'm sorry for how I treated you. It wasn't you, it wasn't even a person, I sighed. Don't you worry, I'll find some way out of this. I let Sadie sleep on my bed as I studied my books for a solution. In my demonology book, I found a small section on exorcisms. The chapter warned against trying such a feat without years of training or alone. The demons and evil creatures hated strong will and faith. It didn't specify a religion. Hell and atheists only needed enough confidence in themselves to do one. Then again, an atheist wouldn't believe any of this was happening to begin with and try to find a rational explanation. Even with faith, it was perilous. I didn't know any other occultist, at least not outside of small internet circles. I couldn't go to our family pastor without adding myself as a witch. Once again, I was on my own with this. We walked into school the next day. The halls were silent. People stared at Sadie and I. Cup tans whispered into ears. She parted from me and I went to my morning class. At lunch, I noticed Sadie sitting alone. Tears running down her face. I sat next to her. It's still controlling him. She sobbed, barely above a whisper. I looked over to the next table and Robbie was there with a pack of popular girls. The dark-haired girl twined around his arm. Inky, angular shadows surrounded the group. Looks like our little Satanist has found a lesbian lover, she smirked. They all broke out in a tittering laughter. Leave us alone, said Sadie. Or what? You leave me behind to make out with a witch? Said Robbie. Shhh. I said it in my breath. Remember, it's not them. You have to fight them, Sadie whispered. Not in public. I'll go back to the ruins tonight to see if it comes back. Sadie nodded. Her shoulder shook. Her eyes were red and swollen by tears. I'd had years to build up a thick skin to being bullied and being laughed at and alone. I focused on my schoolwork all these years and built a wall of sarcasm to protect me. Robbie, you're just upset because your girlfriend thinks I'm better in bed, I smirked. Maybe try being less vanilla. I'm sorry you're all bigoted homophobes. You'll have to greet all types in your future Wal-Mart careers. The bell rang. I wish I could have brought Sadie to my AP classes with me. At least the students there were mature enough to keep opinions to themselves. I walked to the guidance counselor's office and asked for programs on independent study or an early transfer to community college. After school, I went to the parking lot to find the tires of my car slashed. I went back to the principal's office and made a report. The police were called including Sheriff Collins, Robbie's dad. My stomach dropped and I knew this would go nowhere. I would have to report it to my insurance and wait for the claim to settle. I can give you a ride home. I turned around and saw Sadie. Her curly caramel hair was disheveled and her eyes looked red and tired. Thank you, I'm sorry about today, I said. How do you live with it? She asked. How can you stand how people treat you? With a lot of sarcasm and condescension, I said. I know you don't want to hear this, but you get used to it after a while. You learn not to trust people either. Even I have bad days where I break down. I was planning to leave school, not drop out, but graduate early. I don't have to deal with this bullshit anymore. I never want to see this town again. She burst into another round of tears. I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. It wasn't you, I said. It was that, that thing may have been on me, but it didn't have complete control. It would whisper to me. It would tell me such mean things. But it didn't make me say anything. I could have ignored it. Okay, okay, I forgive you, I said. Right now I just want to go home. Sadie drove a white Chevy Malibu. We drove in silence to my house in the woods. Look, I'm going to go to the ruins tonight and try to fight this thing, I said. She nodded. I'm not strong enough to fight this creature on my own. I need you there as backup. I'm scared, I have no idea what I'm doing. Look, you're the witch. I mean, you have magical powers or something. It's a freight of faith, I said. Bring a cross or star of David, a pentagram or crystal or a lucky sock, whatever you believe. I'll do most of the work, but I need someone else there. She took a deep breath and nodded again. I'll see what I can do. I tried to keep my mind off of the night ahead by studying. I worked on a term paper for a few hours, going to the kitchen to grab some leftovers. My parents engrossed in reality TVs. I told them about my car and that I reported to the insurance. My father said he would call a tow truck in the morning and continue to watch TV. I gathered my materials, a bag of salt, my olive wand, and some spring water that I left in the moonlight. It wasn't holy water in the traditional sense, but it was the best that I had. The evil creature was afraid of force, afraid of war, afraid of war, afraid of war. Of will, fearful of faith, do no harm, but take no shit. After my parents went to bed, I left the house quietly. The full moon shone overhead, casting blue light on the gravel road towards the ruins. Wood creaked under my feet as I entered the crumbling structure. Sadie? I called out softly. I saw a body hanging limply from one of the brick pillars in the silver light. It was Sadie. Her curls dangled over her face, and her eyes were still open. Poor girl. It seemed she wasn't strong enough to handle ridicule. A raspy voice whispered in the darkness. She's not strong. Not like you. Down amongst the trees and out upon the roots, I shouted. I saw Robbie as he flinched and moved back, fumbling with the bottle. I splashed all the holy water into his face. Steam poured off of his shadow and he wailed in pain. Down amongst the trees and out under the roots, leave. Go back to whence you came, be gone. Robbie hissed and shuddered a bit. The dark, angular shadow began to lift from him. I pushed every bit of energy and will through my olive wand. Be gone. Another shudder. Dizzyness struck me, and my legs felt limp. I took a deep breath. By Gaia, Hecate Brigette. By fire, earth, air, and water. By moon, sun, earth, and stars. I order you to get out. The shadow made a ripping sound, and Robbie screamed. Then there was disturbing laughter. That was a valiant attempt, a little witch, said Robbie. I haven't fought anyone that came close to beating me. Because you amused me, I'll let you live. My mouth fell open. There have been others before you. All the chance with the power of Christ compels you, he laughed. None of it even came close to you. I think our dear Reverend only cares about the collection plate. He smiled wistfully. But you, you get called a Satanist. Face ridicule and cruelty every day, and have more faith in yourself than he does. This is very amusing, and I respect you for that. Be gone, I yelled. Robbie chuckled and put his finger over my lips. You won't speak about this to anybody. I'll report Sadie is a suicide, nothing to do with you. The mean girls will get blamed for bullying her. You'll go on to get excellent grades and graduate early. You'll leave this town altogether, and not look back. I went to cast again. But my lips were sealed shut. My tongue felt like a stone in my mouth. The thing is, y'all have it wrong. Y'all have it wrong. You're trying to cast some demon or evil spirit out of me. Thinking it'll save me. He shook his head and smiled. I don't hold host to a demon, sweetie. I am the demon. It's just like you being a witch. You are what you are. Someone can't perform an exorcism and make you stop being a witch. Just as you can't cast my soul out of my own body. I wanted to scream at him, to take down this monster hidden in the flesh. But I couldn't break whatever silence he threw on me. Scowling, I picked up my bag and stomped home, defeated. The next day at school, the mean girls were all in tears. Sadie's suicide was all over the local news. And there were grief counselors. There was an assembly about bullying and planned a memorial service. People that I never even knew said their apologies for the way they treated me. Some also asked me to tutor them. I wanted to scream out, to tell the police the truth about what happened. Every time I went to say something my mouth sealed shut, and my tongue felt leaden. Robbie walked by, putting his finger over his lips and smiled. I wanted to punch his teeth out, but I had no other choice than to swallow my rage. The rest of the year went smoothly. I graduated early and enrolled at State University. I made friends that had similar interests and accepted me for who I was. There was some tension with my family, but I could finally be myself. I moved forward with my life and didn't much think of the town or high school. Years later, I was getting ready for work and watching the news. Robert Collins was running for governor, and his number showed me he was winning. I saw dark, angular shadows looming around him. Blank, soulless eyes stared right at me through the camera. Monsters never go away. They get elected.