"You are mine. You will always be mine—mine and mine alone. Your soul belongs to me, and I shall claim it! You belong in the depths of the underworld with me!!" screamed an evil, crooked voice.
What's happening? Why can't I move? Where is that noise coming from? And where is Ryner? Shimoya thought to herself, terrified by her inability to speak or move. She was paralyzed with fear.
An entity entered her room.
What is that thing? No way... it's that monster!! Shimoya's mind raced as she was overwhelmed by dread. The entity staggered toward her bed, climbed on top of her, lifted the shirt Ryner had lent her, and began carving words into her skin:
"Your soul is mine."
Someone... anyone... please help me. I can't take this anymore. I want all of this to stop... I want… to die!! Shimoya's mind screamed in panic, and finally, she began screaming out loud—
"Shimoya! Shimoya!! Wake up!!" Ryner shouted, slapping her gently but urgently across the face.
Shimoya jolted awake and immediately threw her arms around Ryner, gripping him in a tight hug as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"It attacked me in my sleep… I'm not even safe in my subconscious anymore… I want this all to end…" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ryner held her close, feeling her entire body tremble. Her heartbeat was erratic—wild and terrified—and he could feel it pounding against his chest.
"It's okay. You don't have to worry anymore. You're safe, and you're not alone," Ryner said gently as he hugged her back, tightly. "I'm here now, and I promise you—we'll get rid of that evil spirit for good. So rest assured."
"Um… what just happened?" asked Thomas, clearly confused.
"I'm not sure exactly," said Rita thoughtfully, "but it seems she had a nightmare." She glanced at Ryner, surprised. I didn't expect him to be this comforting… she thought to herself.
As time passed and they waited what felt like forever for Jack, Ryner finally heard the doorbell ring.
"I'm going to go answer that. Will you be alright if I leave you for a brief moment?" he asked Shimoya gently.
"I think so… but please don't take long," she replied, her eyes tired and lifeless.
"I won't. I promise," Ryner said, standing. "Rita, keep an eye on her for me. If anything happens in the short time I'm gone, please come get me."
"Got it," said Rita with a nod.
Ryner left the room and opened the door.
"Deacon Crow is in the building," Jack declared as he stepped inside.
"What took you so long?" Ryner asked, clearly irritated.
"I had to get all my equipment ready. Plus, I had an exorcism to perform before this. Took a bit longer than expected," Jack replied. "I can sense a dangerous entity here. You weren't kidding, Ryner."
"Then let's hurry and get this started before night falls," said Ryner.
"I see… so this is your room. It's really nothing special—just like your face," Jack said with a smirk.
"Now's not the time for that. Let's just begin," Ryner snapped.
"I see you're looking a whole lot better now. You looked like crap before," Jack said, eyeing Thomas.
"Just so you know, I will get payback one of these days," Thomas said with a scowl.
"You're welcome to try. But when that day comes, it'll be the day you're exorcised," the exorcist replied calmly.
Turning to Shimoya, Jack gave a small bow. "You must be the girl I've heard so much about. Nice to meet you. I'm Jack Crow, and I'm an exorcist. I don't think I need to explain why I'm here."
"No… you don't have to," Shimoya said quietly.
"Then good. That means you'll understand why I'm doing this," Jack said as he approached and began tying her to the bed.
"Why are we tying her up?" Ryner asked, concerned.
"We're performing an exorcism," Jack explained. "And in an attempt to protect itself, the spirit will try to possess her. Trust me when I say this—a possessed person can display supernatural strength. It's a precaution."
He turned to the rest of them. "Close all the windows and turn off the lights. From this point on, we'll be using candles as our only source of light."
Wow… he really knows what he's doing, thought Rita, impressed. This man—Deacon Crow—is truly a professional.
"Rita and that dumb ghost's help will also increase the chances of this exorcism being successful," Jack added.
"Who the hell are you calling a dumb ghost?" snapped Thomas.
Jack continued calmly, "Since you're both spirits, you should be able to perform a possession. In this case, only Thomas can—since Rita isn't technically a ghost."
"A possession? What do you mean?" asked Ryner, confused.