best friends ~ arne johnson

Chapter Two - Exorcism

     We all sat in silence, trying to find comfort in the lack of sound. It seems like there's so much of it these days. After that night in David's room, things only got worse. It's unexplainable. David's possession has taken a toll on all of us. We all haven't gotten much sleep. Now Lorraine and Ed were here we could finally help David and get some peace. We had just finished listening to Ed repeat some prayers before David's bed time in hopes to tame whatever was inside of him. I just want to help him; seeing him in pain has caused a dull ache of worry to linger in my chest. I sat between Mrs. Glatzel, who was holding Dave in her lap, and Debbie, who was cuddled up next to Arne. The sight of them may have stirred a strong jealousy in me, but now all I could worry about was the young boy who I've grown to love like a brother.

     Eventually we had all moved to the dining room, once again, enjoying the beautiful sound of silence. I took a moment to look at all of the mess that surrounded the house. Scratch marks and broken pieces of glass and furniture littered the once beautiful home. Ed and Lorraine walked out of the kitchen, mugs, of what I assumed was tea, in hand. "He should probably try to get some rest." Ed advised. "Yeah, you're right." Mrs. Glatzel agreed quietly. She was about to hand David to Mr. Glatzel when I stood up from my chair, "I got him." Arne came up behind me and put his hand on back, "Are you sure? You're exhausted; I mean, you've barely slept these past couple months." "I'm okay. Just call my roommate, please, tell her I'm staying here another night." I mumbled softly, picking up David and walking him towards his room.

     I tucked the pale boy into bed, "You know, you're such a strong kid. I've gone through some stuff, but you are a super star compared to the stuff I've gone through. I just want you to know how proud of you I am, buddy." David looked at me through hooded lids, "I don't feel strong. I'm so tired." "You don't have to be healthy to be strong, David. Being strong means going through your tough spots and never giving up. And buddy, you sure are tough.... I love you, little guy. I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you never get hurt again, okay?" I reassured David, pushing his hair out of his face. David nodded and sighed, "You know, if you told my sister that you were in love with Arne, she wouldn't be mad at you, right?" The little boy's words caused me to choke on my spit, "What are you talking about, kid?" He just smiled, "I'm not stupid, Cynnie. Arne looks at you like he wants to marry you, he doesn't look at my sister like that. Well... you're like my sister too.... He doesn't look at Debbie like that." Instead of answering his question, I stood up and kissed his forehead, "You're like my family too David." I heard the sound of a car pull up, so I walked to a window and peeked out of it. When I saw a priest exit a taxi on the curb, I felt a chill run down my spine. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen tonight.

     I went down the stairs, stopping at the last step to take a seat. The priest was in the living room talking with the others, but I didn't have the energy. Arne was right, I haven't had a good night's sleep in months. I'm fucking exhausted. I was about to rest my eyes when Arne sat down beside me, "Hey, Cyn. You doing alright? Maybe you should go home for a bit, get some actual sleep." I shook my head and fought back a yawn, "I'm alright. I don't want to go too far." "Cynthia, you have done so much for David. You're allowed to-" Arne was cut off by David's screams. I practically crawled up the stairs, attempting to reach the top as fast as possible. "Cynthia! Wait!" Ed tried to protest.

     I reached the room first, finding an empty bed. The sound of glass breaking made my heart drop, I began to sob as I ran to the bathroom door and tried to force it open. "Move out of the way, sweetheart." Mr. Glatzel advised as he slammed himself against the door in an attempt to break it open. My hand shakily covered my mouth in an effort to mute my cries. An arm wrapped around my shoulder, which identified as Lorraine's. On his third attempt, the door finally broke, revealing David crouched in the corner of the dark bathroom. I was about to run in, along with Mrs. Glatzel, but Lorraine held us back. "What happened, buddy? Are you okay? David, what's going on?" Mr. Glatzel questioned David, concern evident in his voice. David began to stand; I found myself gripping onto Lorraine in anticipation. Suddenly, David ran towards his father, a shard of glass in hand. In what felt like a flash, David stabbed his father in the leg, causing the man to fall to the ground. The sound of screams filled the room; I don't know how we got to each other, but I found myself gripping on to Arne's hand. When the young boy began to twist the glass in his father's leg, Ed grabbed David and forced him to drop the glass, "Father, we need to do this now!" "Okay, let's get him down to the car and we'll drive him to the church!" the priest replied quickly. "No, father. Right now." Ed ordered.

     We all stood around David's thrashing body, trying our best to hold him to the dining table. I could hear the Warrens and the priest praying but all I could focus on was David's face. He looked almost like a rabid dog. I thought about how David must be suffering in there, which caused me to swallow another sob that was crawling it's way up my throat. As David began to shake more, so did the entirety of the table. The priest began to splash holy water on David, "Lord! Send him aid from your holy place and watch over him from Sion." I looked around the table, my gaze ended up finding Arne's. I could tell he was just as scared as I was. As David continued to thrash on the table, I had to fight the cries that kept threatening to come out and David's flailing legs.

     As the priest splashed holy water on David once again, his back began to arch as he let out a distorted scream, his skin bubbling as if we had poured boiling water on it. For a moment, everything was quiet; David's body sat perfectly still. That's when plates began to fly from the kitchen towards us. Only one hit someone, but it was the priest. "No! Father!" Ed exclaimed as he ran towards him. Arne and I quickly grabbed David's legs, which were now free. It was hard to hear anyone, it was now just a chorus of terrified screams, praying, and whatever noise was coming out of David's mouth. I could make out Arne's yell, "It's not working!" I glanced at Ed, who was now taking over the exorcism. He looked just as hopeless as the rest of us. David's body began to contort into ways I didn't know were possible. He turned towards Debbie, causing her to scream for help. He was doing this on purpose. He chose to mess with his sister, just to mock her. At that moment, I remembered my promise to David. No one has any idea of what to do. I have to do whatever I have to do. The first thing I thought of was dangerous, but it was the easiest thing to do. Provoke it.

     "What do you want with David, huh?!" I shouted at the demon that inhabited the young boy's body. "Don't talk to it, Cynthia!" Ed warned. I kept yelling, "He's just a boy you weak fucking coward! Leave him alone you son of a bitch!" "Cynthia, don't talk to it!" Ed yelled at me. Debbie screaming caught all of our attention. The demon had thrown her against the wall. Before any of us could react, it threw me and Arne as well and leapt on top of Ed. The wind was knocked out of me but I got up as quickly as I could.

     I grabbed David, who was standing on top of Ed, and gripped his shoulders as tightly as I could. "David, come on. I know you're still in there. Fight! Please!" I begged. When the only responses I got were strangled growls, I knew exactly what I had to do. I didn't think about what it would do or what would happen to me. It was something I felt in my bones. "Hey! Listen to me! Take me! Leave him alone." for a moment there was no response, "Listen to me! Let him go! Just take me!"

     That was when a wave of iciness came over me. The weight of emotion was indescribable. In that one moment, I felt so many different things. I felt anger, anxiety, fear, and so many other emotions. I was frozen in an overwhelming sinking feeling in my stomach. I hadn't realized how much time had gone by until I felt Arne's hands on my cheeks, "Cynthia... Cynthia! Are you okay?" When I heard him call my name it felt as if he had taken off all weight compressing my chest; I let out a gasp of air grabbing on to Arne. "I'm- I'm fine. Where's David?" I stuttered out, looking around. That's when I spotted Ed still on the floor and David wrapped up in the arms of his family. I just looked back to Arne and wrapped my arms around him; what the hell just happened to me?

   When I went home, I thought the uneasy feeling would stop. Considering I now lay in bed, unable to sleep due to the constant income of unfamiliar aggressive thoughts, the overpowering sense of being both watched and not fully in control, I know I was wrong. I tossed and turned in my bed, pulling at the comforters in an attempt to get any sort of warmth. It feels like I've been tossed out in the middle of winter. As I rubbed my eyes, I noticed a thin layer of sweat on my forehead. I don't know what I did when I invited that demon in, but I think I really fucked up.