Would you Swallow all your Pride?

Chapter Sixteen: Ice.

Smiling to herself, Wilhemina sat back down on the chair she had been at before. As she did so, she eyed Billie Dean one last time and, just like earlier in the car, she mouthed her a 'thank you'. Venable shook it off and got back to work.

The cameras began rolling again, and Venable watched closely as Billie Dean began to mutter to herself. She kept her eyes closed, palms turned up to the ceiling. The atmosphere began to shift, and Wilhemina could smell the putridness hanging in the air. This time, the hair in the back of her neck stood up. Everything felt cold. Will she be alright? Wilhemina caught herself asking that question. Billie Dean had done that a hundred of times, Venable had assumed, but it was still odd how no one ever seemed to be concerned for her health. No matter in what they believed; Billie Dean clearly got herself drained with work. The lights went off briefly before coming back on, which pulled Wilhemina away from her thoughts; she looked at Carmen, seeing her with a huge smirk on her lips. Venable didn't trust her one bit. Brown eyes moved back to Billie Dean, and she was still standing there in the same position, but now her skin was pale and her body seemed to struggle to maintain itself up.

"This is a safe space," Billie Dean said out loud all of a sudden. Her eyes were still closed. "I am not here to cause any harm. I want to help you." From her place in the corner, Venable realized she had been squeezing her jaw closed. With a little bit of a struggle, she forced herself to relax. Everything felt tense. Wilhemina had her eyes glued on Billie Dean, now. And then, from the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow. A black, tall shadow. It lingered close to her. Billie Dean shot her eyes open and stared at her. "She is not here to hurt you, either." Billie didn't blink. Venable gulped. The shadow approached Wilhemina, disappearing behind her back and leaving only its putrid smell strongly in her nostrils. She watched as Billie reached for her temple, eyes fluttering closed for a second. "Leave her alone." Something cold touched Venable's back, right in the curve of her spine. She didn't dare turning her head back. Wilhemina's eyes stung with tears, and her body felt as if it was paralyzed. She began to sweat. Billie Dean gulped loudly. "She is protected by the white light and the Holy Spirit, as well as everyone else in this property." The cold sensation intensified before completely disappearing, taking with it the putrid smell. Wilhemina sighed loudly. Billie Dean looked away and closed her eyes again. "Who are you?" A pause. Everyone on set watched her. The lights flickered again. "So much suffering..." Billie Dean could feel her body going numb; she ignored it. "Tell me what brings you so much sorrow..." Her skin raised with goosebumps. Her mouth felt dry and the air felt thick. "Dwelling... mourning... remembering..." Billie Dean murmured to herself. Wilhemina was having trouble breathing. She couldn't really hear nor understand what Billie Dean began to murmur, now. It was low and hushed and she didn't stop for any second to really breathe. She's going to faint. But Venable herself was feeling weak. She couldn't bring it in her to get up. Her body felt cold from the drying sweat. Billie Dean kept on murmuring and mumbling to herself, eyes fluttering closed. And then, everything went pitch black. No more lights. No more wind. No more nothing. The house grew cold. Wilhemina squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a fear she hadn't felt in a long time. Someone yelled to keep rolling, but Venable couldn't recognize the voice. And then the temperature dropped again, and her head felt heavy. It felt so heavy she was having trouble sitting up. Something pressed on her back, as cold as ice and as sharp as a knife. Wilhemina bit her lower lip in order not to make any sounds. The heaviness in her head turned into pressure now; it seemed as if someone was squeezing her skull. And it kept on getting stronger. And stronger. And stronger. So strong Wilhemina was afraid her eyes were going to fall and her brain as going to explode. "I command you by God and the Holy Spirit to leave this realm," Billie Dean's words shot through the darkness, loud and clear and firm. "You do not belong between the mortal. This realm is of no use for your essence any longer. There's light for you out of this Earth, out of this universe and plane of existence. The Holy Spirit will guide you there if you allow this property to be free from any more sorrow. I command you by God to leave. Now." The temperature continued to drop. One of the windows shattered loudly, causing Billie Dean's body to jump. Wilhemina didn't have any energy to react, for her head kept on hurting. It intensified. She groaned. "Now!" Billie Dean yelled. "Now! I command you by God! Leave this property! Leave this realm! This is not for you!" Another window shattered. Gasps could be heard in the darkness. Venable felt as if she were one second away from passing out, and just as everything began to grow senseless and her body began to lose its grip, the lights went back on; the temperature got back to normal, and the pressure was lifted from Venable's body like a hand had reached to pick it up. The air wasn't dense anymore. Billie Dean opened her eyes and looked at Wilhemina. "It's gone."