Torment

Chapter Seventeen

Priest Haggar's POV

"Hannah?" I call to her as she slumbers, chained to a bed in an abandoned room. The nuns had provided Pastor Gabriel and I with the room to perform the exorcism on Hannah Walsh.

I was told she was a 17 year old girl who had murdered her entire family. All these murders were brutal and demonic. It is in my power to ensure that she does not go to prison by providing proof of the possession, but the proof hits me in my face at the sight of her. I sense this evil presence radiating off her like a stench.

"Hannah?" I whisper again, I remove my hat and bravely sit at her feet. Finally she opens her eyes. "W-where am I?" She asks, as if lost. "You're in a nunnery, Hannah." I gently respond. Father Gabriel approaches but I calmly forbid it.

"Hannah? Is that you talking to me?" I ask. She finally lays her eyes on me. "Hannah is gone." She responds. "Then who am I speaking to?" I continue. My tone is serious. "Get me out of here." She starts. "First answer my question, who am I speaking to?" I continue, "Get. Me. Out." The bed slowly begins rumbling as if an earthquake has miraculously arrived. "What is your name, demon?" I lift myself off the bed and yell. As I do father Gabriel throws droplets of holy water on the girl and she screams at the sting.

The bed rumbles until the springs screech and the feet scrape at the old wooden floor.

I begin reading from the Bible. But as I start, the girl begins to laugh. "Isn't this a joke. It's just like those scary movies where a demon is involved and the priest must exorcise the girl. It's quite sexist now that I think about it though, that it's like 90% of the time a girl getting exorcised and almost 100% of the time a priest instead of a priestess performing the exorcisms-'' She continues to talk and I ask over her blabbering, "what is your name demon?!" "You weren't even listening to me, were you?!" She asks and the bed stops. "Your name!" I bravely demand.

"I'm not a demon!" She yells. And with that I continue to read and father Gabriel continues to smite her with holy water. The bed rocks again and the windows rattle. Curtains are vulgarly blowing about in the empty dusty room and the girl looks sick. "Get me out!" She screams, piercing my ears.

Father Gabriel stops smiting and covers his ears. I'm unable to read. Finally she stops. The bed's still and so is she. She is catching her breath. I slowly approach her. "What is your name, demon?" I ask. "My name is Norah. I lived down the lane on Adderley street, I was an only child, and the victim to a monster for a mother. My father, he... My mother was never the same after he was gone and I paid for it. I didn't have a life, and I didn't have a break. I left thinking I could be free. But instead I'm right back where I started, only now, nobody can truly see me, and, just like before, nobody loves me and nobody hears me." Father Gabriel quickly grabs a notebook and page and writes down as she speaks.

"Norah, those people, why did you kill them?" I ask. "I don't... I didn't... Those people were loud so I made them quiet." She stuttered as if struggling to get air out of her lungs. "Loud? What do you mean by loud?" I asked. "They were too loud for me to stay with me. The anger... I told Matt... warned him. I was scared... I should've listened. I didn't... I don't..." She began weeping. "It's okay Norah. Talk. I will listen to you." I began, "Matt knows, he understands it all." She spoke. "Mathew Williams?" I asked. "Yes. Matt is the only person I thought I could trust. Matt knows everything. We got off on the wrong foot, and some things happened. But he'll understand why I did what I did..." She tried. "Norah, Mathew Williams is dead. You killed him yourself." I responded.

"Matt. Matt is..." She suddenly began laughing. "You're joking, right?" She tried. "Norah. We don't joke here." I responded. "No! You're lying! You unholy priest! Get me out of here!" She boomed and with that all the windows flew open and a vulgar wind entered the room. The bed rocked again and so did the entire room. The lamp beside father Gabriel shattered to the floor and scattered.