THE UNDERTAKER and other Macabre Tales

PROOF PART VI

** WARNING. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND OBSCENE REFERENCES**

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence. Ward kept the cross in front of him, gripped tightly in his hand. "I can't say that I have. I brought some guests." Ward motioned out at the visitors.

The woman looked out at everyone, making eye contact. Arthur hated it when she looked at him. Especially when she wore that smile. "Of course you did, you faggot. Are these your friends? How much did you pay them to spend time with you, you miserable, lonelyyy man?"

Arthur was awestruck. This woman sitting before him now was not the woman that had been a moment ago. Either it was real, or it was a performance. Either way it was completely enrapturing and convincing. Ward had done a fantastic job. No wonder it took him so long to find her, he thought, actors this good aren't easy to come by.

The woman looked at Fernanda now. Stared at her. Fernanda couldn't maintain eye contact. "Hello there," the woman hissed. "You're a pretty little thing. Did you wear those panties because you thought you'd get fucked tonight? Just like old times? You pretty little whore. That's what they called you during high school." The woman cackled. Fernanda was nearly brought to tears. Arthur could see it, though she was trying her best to hide it. He'd never seen Fernanda vulnerable before. This was cruel, he thought, Ward is playing a cruel trick.

Fernanda wiped a tear from her eye, regaining her composure. "And what's your name?" "You haven't told us your name yet."

The woman smiled. She rocked back and forth in her seat. The bands around her wrists and ankles strained under the pressure. "My nameeee. I haven't got a name! And if I did, I wouldn't tell it to you."

"Everyone has a name," Fernanda said calmly "If you won't tell it to me, then I'll make one up for you. How about Betsy?"

The woman shook her head, wagging it like a little child. "No. No. NO!"

Ross squinted through his glasses at the woman. "What are you? Are you a demon?"

"Do I look like a demon, good doctor? I'm a woman. You know what those are, don't you? Like your sister in law. The one whose picture you stare at every night. The one you jack off to. She's a woman too."

Ross went white as a sheet. "How dare you!"

"How dare I?" The woman hooted. "You're the one who's in loveeee!"

"She's lying" Ross quickly grunted "It's not true."

"That's not what your face says." The woman cackled again.

Ross turned on Ward "What's the meaning of this, Ward? Did you bring us here to insult us? Is this some game to you. What's your plan? Trying to scare us? Blackmail us?"

Ward disarmed Ross with a smile. He seemed to think Ross' attitude amusing. "My intent was as stated. Simply to convince you of what you see before you. Please sit down."

Ross, unable to think of what to say, sat down.

"You must think you're very funny," Fernanda said to the woman "But you're just part of this woman's personality. And with proper medicine and treatment, you'll vanish. Cease to exist."

"Not true. Simply not true, whore."

Fernanda turned to Ward, then to the group "OK, we've been brought here to talk, so let's talk. What are the possible options here?"

"The easiest solution is Ward's hired an actress." Arthur said. It's the only option, he thought. Definitely the most viable.

Ross kept his eyes on the woman, who was watching them with interest. "Hypnotism. He could have hypnotised her into doing what he wanted."

"Is hypnotism real?" Arthur asked "I have no experience with it."

"It's real enough, if you know how to do it," Ward stated "However, I don't."

"Or, this woman could be suffering from multiple personality disorder, or another form of mental illness. She needs to be diagnosed in a hospital." Fernanda squinted at the woman in the chair, her eyes filled with pity.

The woman drummed her fingers against the armrest "All good theories. All false. You know what I am, don't you?" She looked at Ross, batting her eyes at him.

"Prove it," Arthur found himself saying "If you're really a demon, prove it. I don't believe you."

"Maybe that's because you pop too many pills, Doc. Messes with your mind." The woman rolled her eyes. Licked her lips again lasciviously. "Wanna play, Doc? Huh? Let's do it dirty. Like those videos you like."

"No. I want you to prove it." Arthur wasn't going to let it get to him. He did take pills. Nobody knew it. How did she know? Nobody knew except the man he bought them from. And the dirty video thing was easy enough to excuse. Most men watched porn, it was a general attack. Applicable to most men. Like the tricks psychics used, speaking in generalities and asking questions to better hone their answers to fit the individual. It was an allusion. A parlor trick. But then why did it frighten him?

Ward must have followed him, Arthur realized. He must have gained information on each of them before they arrived, so his stunt would appear more realistic. But that was impossible, he knew. It was too far fetched. To go to such elaborate lengths...the dread filled his chest. Deep down he knew, he knew no matter how much logic constrained him....that this thing in front of him was not human.

"What did she say?" Ross was looking at Arthur.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"She wasn't speaking English. But you understood her. What did she say?"

The woman grinned at him. "Hast du eine erektion wenn Mädchen in fremden Sprachen sprechen, Professor?"

German. A language he knew so well, he hadn't even realized she was speaking it. Demons speak languages their host doesn't even know. Another sign. "German." Arthur muttered. "She was speaking German."

"A language that Melanie definitely does not know." Ward added.

"She has no accent. She speaks flawlessly." Arthur couldn't deny that.

"Ward may be a dumb little fucker, but he got one thing right. He knows what I am." The woman said through gritted teeth.

CONTINUED IN NEXT PART...