time on the DVR under the TV. Not only was it dark, but quiet. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago Alex had purged a demon from a teenage girl.
The stairs were to the right. He wanted to rejoin the living realm and turn on his night vision, but that came with its own set of complications. He'd be solid again, and would no doubt make noise moving about the house. His night vision also wasn't exactly stealthy. They gave his eyes a terrible red glow, making him look less human.
He stayed in the spirit realm, and walked carefully up the stairs. Not making any sound at all, he trailed his hand through the wall to guide him. He felt the wood, drywall, and the occasional nail.
The candlelight spilled from under Kim's door into the hallway. Alex heard her, in a low whisper.
"…why…hurt…my family…."
Alex approached slowly, trying to focus his hearing. Kim sniffled quietly. There was pain in her voice.
"I thought we were friends. How could you do this?"
He steeled himself as he stood outside her door. He wasn't sure he wanted to see what a young teenage girl did in the privacy of her bedroom, but he was certain she wasn't playing with Barbie dolls.
Stepping into Kim's bedroom, Alex wasn't prepared for what lay before him.
There were candles spread throughout the room, but the majority of them were arranged in a half circle on the floor next to Kim's bed. She sat on the floor with her legs folded. She wore pink pajamas with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, looking much more her age than someone trying to land a modeling contract.
Sitting in the center of the half circle of candles was a Ouija board. Kim kept one hand on the planchette while wiping at tears with a tissue.
"Please, talk to me," Kim said. "You hit my mother and father. Why? Why would you do that? And you… took me, took control of me. How could you?"
A low growl came from the open closet. Only Alex could hear it, as Kim didn't react. The cold chill came once again, affecting him even in the spirit world.
Several candles blew out, which Kim did notice. She smiled as she placed both hands on the planchette.
"I know you're here," she said.
Her desire, along with the Ouija board, were pulling the demon back into the world. A taloned, dark hand reached out from the closet.
Alex could barely control his anger. In what universe did playing with a Ouija board lead to good things?
The demon reacted fast, surprising Alex and Kim both. It lunged from the closet and landed on top of her, knocking out the candles. The demon's head smacked the bed and pushed it back several feet. The smile vanished from her face quickly. It pinned her wrists down and licked the side of her face, growling the entire time.
Only then did Kim scream.
Alex left the spirit world behind and ran across the room. Lowering his shoulder, he tackled the demon and forced it off of Kim. They landed in a heap against the wall. She was a hysterical mess as she jumped to her feet.
He found it hard to be angry at the demon. It wasn't entirely its fault that it was there.
It writhed in pain in Alex's grip. Clamping one hand down on its wrist, he placed the other on its cheek.
"Go home," he said. "And don't come back."
The demon vanished with one last roar of frustration.
He looked up in time to see Kim throwing the bedroom door open and escaping, screaming the entire time. She nearly bumped into her parents and brother on the way out, who were on their way in, all wearing pajamas. Jason flipped on the lights.
"Kimberly!" Donna called. "What's going on? What's wrong?"
She didn't answer. Her frantic footsteps were all they heard, running downstairs, followed by the front door opening.
Donna, Jason, and Keith stepped into her room. They didn't see Alex, as he'd vanished into the spirit realm. They did see the Ouija board and candles. Jason