Haunted Souls

Chapter 13

"Will, I'm back." Nico slipped into the seat by Will at that old library. "Are we ready to go?"

Will glanced over. "Where are the kids?"

"Ethan fell asleep after eating. Bianca is watching him in the car." Nico took Maria from Will. "How's she been?"

"Slept the whole time so she'll be awake soon." Will handed a paper to Nico. "This is what I translated out of one of the books here. Just...just read it. I don't know how else to tell you."

Nico took the paper. "Out of what book?"

Will slid the thick book over to Nico. "This one. I have the page bookmarked. But I'm positive I translated it right. It even got to the point in time when my grandma became the owner."

Nico's eyes flicked over the paper as his face paled drastically. "Oh god..."

"Yeah..." Will scratched the back of his neck. "I...I'm sorry. We should have just used the inheritance to make a living back in the US. We shouldn't have taken this step. I'm sorry."

Nico's eyes hesitated before moving to his husband. "What do we do?"

Will looked down at his lap. "I don't know... Hotel for tonight?"

"With what money?"

"Fine, no hotel." Will scratched the back of his neck. "You can drive the kids around while I go talk to a priest?"

"I don't think it'll work but I guess." Nico got up and grabbed the baby bag. "I'll talk to you later, I guess."

"Yeah, talk to you later." Will felt the need for coffee settle into him as he got up, ready to walk to the nearest church. When had life gotten so hard, so messed up?

When had he ever ran to a church for help? When had he last stepped foot in one?

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Fear. As Nico tried to distract the kids, he could barely stop himself from curling into a ball or throwing up. His stomach twisted up, his gag reflex was triggered at each thought. Will... He needed Will to be okay.

Maria was awake and crying, her small baby hands reaching for her stuffed animal. Ethan, instead of handing it to her, kept his head out the window as he watched the passing town. Bianca sat up front with Nico, her head resting against the car door as she slept.

Even after everything they had seen, the kids still didn't understand the severity of the situation. They didn't understand that as they slept, their father was battling something darker then they had ever imagined.

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Will talked to the priest that day, an old man who barely understood English. They went back to the castle, went back to what Will was now calling Hell itself. They went equipped with holy water, went equipped with a Bible. They went equipped with anything that might be able to fight off such powerful forces.

Seven hours. It took seven hours to get those things out, to get that castle safe again. Yet even when the priest left and Will collapsed on that couch in exhaustion, he felt afraid. Afraid to give it one more chance, afraid to trust his family there again.

But just as the priest said he would, he sent Nico and the kids back to the castle, back to where now, seven exorcisms took place. Back to the castle that they had to bury crucifixes at, back to the castle where they would have to continuously bless each month with sage.

And they came.