THE MONSTER INSIDE ME (#ONC2024)

CHAPTER NINETEEN: SOMETHING AWESOME

At nine o'clock sharp, Viera comes to my room carrying a change of clothes. There is no time for explanations or second thoughts. I change quickly, my hands trembling with anticipation, and moments later I slip out of the psychiatric hospital and into her car.

We drive fast, the road unfolding like a ribbon into darkness.

As Glouminster approaches, Viera begins to speak, her voice low, as if afraid the night itself might overhear us. She tells me about Forestvale Manor—the mansion that once stood where we are heading. A grand Victorian structure crowned with elegant turrets, it had belonged to the powerful Richardson family. Later, it became something else entirely.

The Shadow Cult took it.

Within its walls, they performed rituals meant to tear holes in reality itself. Blood, chanting, sacrifice. The horror reached its peak with the death of Eliza, sealing the mansion's reputation forever. Afterward, people claimed Eliza's spirit wandered the grounds for years, screaming in the night. Then, one night, someone—no one ever knew who—set the mansion ablaze. It burned until nothing remained but ash and cursed earth.

Listening to her, I feel awe and dread coil together inside me.

My uncle lives in Glouminster. He may know more. He must.

When we reach the deserted grounds, I whisper, "Park here. Don't move. No matter what you hear."

Viera swallows. "Please be careful, Arabella."

"I will," I promise, touched by her concern.

I step out of the car and walk alone down the empty street. The silence presses in on me, thick and expectant. Despite my fear, something stronger drives me forward. Tonight, this ends.

In the distance, I see them.

My uncle Ryan. Father Lewis.

They are gathering herbs, moving with ritual precision. Then they open a concealed door set into the ground. A rope ladder drops into darkness. Without hesitation, they descend.

I wait only a moment before following.

The air grows colder with every rung. Water drips somewhere below, echoing like a slow heartbeat. When my feet touch solid ground, I find myself at the edge of a dim chamber carved into the earth.

Their voices reach me through a doorway.

Father Lewis is chanting in Latin, gripping his cross tightly. My uncle mirrors him, focused, controlled. The words vibrate through the stone itself.

Then the air shudders.

A roar tears through the chamber, and darkness folds in on itself. From the void, Zamon emerges—writhing, furious, unmistakably real.

"What am I doing here?" the demon growls.

Father Lewis raises the cross. "We command you to be destroyed, Zamon. By the power of God and His Son, Jesus Christ."

Zamon laughs, a sound that scrapes my bones.

"You fools. You think faith and wood can stop me?"

"I fear nothing," Father Lewis replies. "The Lord stands with us."

"And I stand with him," my uncle adds.

I can no longer stay hidden.

I step forward.

"I'm fighting you too, Zamon."

Ryan turns, horror flooding his face. "Arabella! No—you have no powers! You can't—"

"It's personal," I say. "I have to."

Zamon's smile widens. "Come closer. I'll show you what power really is."

Ryan moves to shield me, but Zamon hurls a ball of energy that slams him into the ground.

"Uncle Ryan!"

I rush to him. He's badly injured. Guilt crushes my chest. This is my fault.

Father Lewis continues chanting. Zamon screams in rage.

"Stop, damn priest!"

Suddenly, Zamon grabs me. His grip is icy, crushing. Ryan tries to rise, failing.

"I won't let you take her," my uncle snarls.

Zamon presses me against his body. "You love her."

"No," Ryan shouts. "She's my family!"

Zamon laughs. "Lies. I taste jealousy. Desire. She belongs to me."

Father Lewis resumes the ritual—but Zamon strikes him down with another blast. Silence falls.

I surrender to despair.

Then—

Light.

Blinding, impossible light.

A dimensional rift opens, and a woman steps through. Tall. Blonde. Radiant and terrifying all at once.

"Get away from the demon," she commands.

Zamon releases me, staring at her in disbelief. I run.

"Who are you?" he demands.

"My name is Mia," she says softly. "And I am your end."

She unleashes a surge of energy so vast it swallows Zamon whole. He screams once before disintegrating into nothing.

When the light fades, I look at my uncle.

"Mia?" he whispers.

"Yes, Ryan," she replies. "I told you. I am always near."

Reality twists. Light and darkness spiral together. Then—nothing.

When I awaken, everything is different.

Ryan is sitting up. Uninjured. Father Lewis stands nearby, praying.

Ryan checks his watch. "It's an hour earlier than it should be."

Father Lewis shakes his head. "I don't understand what happened. I pray God grants me clarity."

"We traveled back in time," Ryan says quietly.

"How?" I ask.

"Mia," he replies. "I'll explain later."

We are too exhausted to ask more.

But I know one thing with certainty.

Nothing will ever be the same again.