Demon Lovers (Pinhead And Chatterer)

Chapter 25

The day had brightened since they first entered the house, a defiant burst of sunlight before evening fell. Squinting against the glare, Grace stared down the pathway. There was glass, amongst the shards was her puzzle box.
She picked it up feeling electric current run through her finger tips and throughout her body. Kirsty watched Grace cradle the box, holding it close to her chest that the corners digging between her chest bone. A small smile came to Grace's lips. Facing Kirsty, Grace took her hand in hers and pulled her down the street. It was deserted as they started running a new route. They stopped at a street that they both didn't recognise, someone asked Grace if Kirsty was alright.
"No, sir. We were just attacked returning home." Grace made up.
Grace turned to face Kirsty as she fell to the ground.
"Kirsty..." Grace screamed in terror. She looked around, her eyes landed on the man who stood still staring. "Help. Ring an ambulance."

Grace sat in a small room. She sat on the edge of the hospital bed as she talked to Doctor Channard. She was happy to see a familiar face and she missed him dearly. He held her puzzle box in his hands.
"We was on our way home." She told him. She knew if she told him the truth she would be back in hospital with more experimental treatments.
"It's Julia's birthday next week, we were looking for birthday gifts." She paused. "Is Kirsty okay?"

Frank was sitting on Grace's bed. He was wearing a shirt and trousers with new bandages on his face. He could hear Julia on the phone. He waited as he heard Julia stop talking and made her way into the bedroom.
"It was the police..." She told him.
That catched his attention.
"They phoned because Grace and Kirsty are in hospital. They was attacked coming home from shopping." She explained.
Frank smirked. "Grace lied. She's always been a good girl...Kirsty I'm not sure."
"Kirsty collapsed. She will tell them everything..." Julia panicked.
Frank shook his head. "I don't think so. She will want her daddy first."
Julia gulped. "We should leave."
"Like this." He gestured to his body. "Look at me."
"We can't stay here." She shot back.
"I need skin. Then we will leave."

Grace couldn't escape her nightmare. Her father was hovering above her.
"Come to daddy."
Grace shook her head.
"Come to daddy, baby girl."
Grace suddenly wakes as she felt someone shake her body. Her eyes land on Kirsty who's hovering above her with concern look on her face. She sits up quickly and pulls Kirsty into a hug. Kirsty held her tight and cried. Both women jump as a nurse walks into the room.
"You should be in bed." She scolded Kirsty.
"I needed to see if she's okay."
"Now you've seen her, go back to your room."
"Can she stay, for like ten minutes please." Grace begged, giving the nurse the puppy eyes look.
The nurses eyes softened and she sighed. "I'll go and get the doctor."
Grace moves over and pulls Kirsty next to her. Kirsty rested her head on Grace's shoulder. They don't say anything, they sit in comfortable silence, holding hands.

The door opens and the nurse walks in. She smiles as she sees Kirsty and Grace. Then the doctor comes in. He approaches the bed and sits in the chair that's close by.
He looks at Kirsty. "So...your back with us."
"I think so."
"How are you feeling?"
"Tender."
"You took a beating. Do you remember what happened?"
Kirsty looks at him uncertain of where to start. "I want to speak to my father."
The doctor nods. "Of course. We will bring you a telephone." He gets up to leave. He pauses and pulls out the puzzle box. "Doctor Channard told me to give this to you." He hands it to Grace.
Grace takes it from him and holds it close to her. As the doctor leave, Grace's starts turning the box in her hands and examine it, as if it's the first time she has seen it.
"If I remember correctly, you were very good at solving it." Kirsty tells her.

Grace smiles.
The box felt heavier than before. She sat next to Kirsty and examined it. There was little enough to see. No lid that she could find. No keyhole. No hinges. It was solid.
She tapped it, shook it, pulled and pressed it, all without result.
Kirsty giggles beside her. "You did the same thing when you was little."
Grace glared at Kirsty playfully. She noticed there were infinitesimal cracks in the sides of the box, where one piece of the puzzle abutted the next. They would have been invisible, but that a residual of blood remained in them, tracing the complex relation of the parts.
Grace began to feel her way over the sides, testing her hypothesis by pushing and pulling more. The cracks offered her a general geography of the toy; without them she might have wondered the six sides forever. After some time, maybe an hour, her's and kirsty's patience was rewarded.
"You were quicker at solving this too." Kirsty mused, hiding her fears.
"I'm trying to remember."
There was a click and suddenly one of the compartments was sliding out from beside it's lacquered neighbours. Polished surface which scintillated like the finest mother of pearls, coloured shadows seeming to move. There was music too; a simple tune emerged from the box.
"I remember this tune." Grace mumbled to herself.
"Keep going." Kirsty encouraged.
Nodding. She took a couple of deep breaths. each segment presented a fresh challenge to fingers and mind, the victories rewarded with further filigree added to the tune.
Grace was coaxing the forth section out by an elaborated series of turns and counter turns when a doorway opened from the hospital room wall opposite side of the bed.
Both woman curious. They get out of the bed and made their way towards the door.
"Grace..." A woman's voice called.
Grace gasps, she goes to move back but Kirsty quickly grabs her arm and pulls her into the dark hallway. As they slowly walk, they hear a baby crying. The sobs goes in like a rhythm. They both stare down the hallway, Grace glances behind her to see her hospital room, it's still there.
Kirsty stops walking, a loud gasp echoes down the hallway. Grace's turns and looks at Kirsty who is staring ahead. Her eyes fixed on something. Grace looks and sees a creature,changing in the space between the walls. It's vast black limbs hold it suspended above the hallway, clinging to the stone walls. It's front limbs, vestigial by comparison, hanging down from beneath it's vast head. It's tail is curled over its back. The creature moves into some light. It's irises narrow into slits. From the tail a vast sting, oozing puss what looked like some sort of venom from a snake.
The creature comes at them, advancing along the hallway by bracing it's legs against the walls. Kirsty and Grace both run, back towards the safety of the hospital room. As they come within a few yards of the room it closes in on them. They both fling themselves through the doorway. They both land on the floor and turn to look behind them. The doorway is gone. The wall is sealed. The creature roars and scratches on the other side.
Then a bell rings. There's a foul smell in the air, with a hint of vanilla. The light bulbs burst, blue light fills the cracks on the wall, light fills the room and reveals four figures.
The Cenobites.
Grace stares at them. Her mind blank. Each of them are horrible mutilated. The garments are elaborately constructed to their flesh, laced through skin in places, hooks into bone. The four creatures move into synch, separating Grace and Kirsty.
They didn't touch Kirsty, only growled.
Grace can't take her eyes of the one with chattering teeth. Her eyes are blown wide. It's real, it wasn't a dream. Her heartbeat picks up as it moves closer to her, it's very tall and intimidating looking, it backs her into a corner.
"Shit."
The Cenobite moves quickly, wrapping it's hand around her throat, pulling her towards its body. It spins her around, facing the others in the room. Her back to it's chest, it lifts her up if the floor and walks towards the pale one.
The leader she assumed, had a grid calved into its head and face with pins driven into bone and flesh. It stares at her with black eyes.
Grace stops struggling, she's afraid to move a muscle.
She sees it's lips twitch, still staring.
Kirsty stares in amazement and horror. "Where the hell did you come from?"
The leader Cenobites turns it's attention to Kirsty and gestures to the box.
"The box....Grace opened it....we came."
"It's just a puzzle box." Kirsty tells it.
"It means to summon us...it's called the Lament Configuration."
"Who are you?" Grace gasped out.
The Cenobite turns to Grace. "You know...your dreams revealed us."
"She asked who you are. Tell us." Kirsty demanded.
"Explorers in further regions of experience. Demons to some, angels to others."
Kirsty gaped like a fish. Grace's eyes widened in shock.
"G-Grace don't mean to open that...thing."
"Go back to where you came from..."Grace gasped, eyes watering from the lack of oxygen. "I didn't mean to open it." She begged.
Kirsty watched the Cenobite force it's three fingers into Grace's mouth. Grace cried, trying to shake her head side to side.
"Let her go." Kirsty screamed in anger.
"Don't play innocent Kirsty. You are the one who encouraged her to open it. We can't go back alone."
"Let Grace go. God damn it."
The Cenobite ignored her. "But there's no help for it. No way to seal the schism, until we take what's ours."
"It was a mistake."
"No tears please. It's a waits of good suffering."
The Cenobite with the throat torn open steps towards Kirsty. A plan formed in her head.
Grace watched helplessly. Her eyes widened as fingers scissored the back of her throat. It pushed it's fingers in deep and pulled out a little and repeated. She was horrified but also a little turned on. She wanted to shout stop, but she could feel herself getting wet.
"Wait!" Kirsty asked.
The Cenobite stopped in front of her.
"You've done this before right?"
"Many times."
Kirsty looked at Grace. "To a man named Frank Cotton."
"Grace's father. Oh, yes."
Grace's eyes widened. She tries to talk but drool is dribbling down her chin. The Cenobites fingers wiggled to the back of her throat making her gag.
"He escaped you."
"Nobody escapes us."
"He did. We've seen him alive."
"Is that so? And what are you proposing, Kirsty?" It asks.
"We will take you too him. Then you take him instead..."
The Cenobite stares at Kirsty unblinking. "Perhaps...you go alone...Grace comes with us..."
Kirsty shakes her head. "No deal. Frank will know something is wrong."
"If you cheat us.... We'll tear your soul apart!"