Haunted

Emergency

Steve found demon Amy in Emily’s room. “Mike she’s in here,” He yelled with a hint of fear and concern in his voice. When Father Mike entered the room a deep growl emitted from Amy’s body. “Awe so you know who I am,” He said in a calm tone. Emily slowly walked into the room with the smudge stick smoking while she is chanting a prayer. Amy collapses onto the bed convulsing. Father Mike places a cross on her head with holy water while Steve holds up an old sacred blessed cross in front of her. Emily walked closer and closer to Amy who had stopped convulsing. She sat the smudge stick that was in her hand on Amy’s chest then lit a couple of more and placed them all around her body making sure that she breathed the smoke into her body. Soon Amy started coughing uncontrollably until she puked up what looked like black gew.

“We got her go check on Cady and your husband,” Father Mike ordered. Emily leaned down over Jack she could feel his breath on her face—at least he was still breathing. Blood poured out of a gash on his forehead. He couldn’t run away now if he wanted to. Jack was lying in at least three inches of water, rising steadily around us. Emily pulled his body onto the couch, trying to angle his mouth and nose away from the water that was still raining down around them, scared that he might drown. Emily then turned her attention to Cady who was in worse shape than Jack was. She was lying face down in the water. Emily pulled her up onto the couch and proceeded to try to do CPR on her to no avail. She was in the water for too long. “Steve,” She screamed. “Steve it’s Cady,” 

“She’s unconscious!” Emily shouted. Steve ran across the floor, splashing up water as he does. He turned Cady over and began giving her mouth to mouth. “Call 911, Emily,” Steve said in between breaths. But before she can call anyone, Cady is coughing up water. Steve pulled her to sit up and smacked her on the back. Then she passes out again.

“Call 911,” Steve demanded once more as he resumes CPR.

Emily crawled through the demon water around Steve to where Jack’s body was. He hasn’t regained consciousness since the demon smacked his head against the wall, but he’s still breathing. She leaned over him and reached into his jeans pocket, baggy around his skinny hips. Carefully she pulled out his cell phone and dial.

“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?”

Emily glanced frantically around the living room. She had no idea how to answer that question.

She recited her address. “Our house flooded,” She sputtered. “My friend . . . fell into the water,” She added, scrambling for a reasonable and nonparanormal explanation. “She lost consciousness. And my husband . . .” She glanced at Jack, trying to come up with a second cover story. He slipped on the wet floor and smacked his head against the wall? But before she could tell another lie, Jack moaned from the couch beside her.

“Jack!” She shouted. “Are you okay?”

“Ow,” he says in response, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. Blood from his wound has dried onto his face, chin, and neck, making him look like a vampire after a feeding frenzy.

“Jack,” She repeated, more softly now. He looks up at her and nodded silently telling her that he’s okay.

“Ma’am?” the 911 operator prompts. “I’ve dispatched an ambulance to your address. I need you to tell me if you need more than one. I know this is difficult. But can you please tell me how many people need help?”

“Ummm,” She paused, looking at Jack and then at Cady. They don’t look good, exactly. Steve is covered in sweat from the effort of doing CPR for so long, but other than that, he looks fine. Slowly, carefully, Jack pulled himself to sit up. His wound has already stopped bleeding, and other than the blood on his face and his soaked clothes, he looks practically normal, his blond hair fell into his eyes. He doesn’t look perfect, but she’s not sure he needs an ambulance all to himself either.

Finally, Emily answered, “I guess just one.”

Father Mike and Amy finally walked out of the bedroom soaking wet from water and sweat. Before Emily could ask Father Mike said “The demon has been exorcised she is just fine she’s just tired,”

Emily finally noticed that the rain that had been falling had stopped. All the water that was in the house had dried up leaving behind a wet soggy mess.

The doctors don’t even examine Father Mike, Steve, or Emily. They don’t ask how the whole house flooded. They just gave them some dry scrubs to change into and cover us in blankets. Cady is still unconscious when the EMTs wheel her into the hospital. Her pulse is weak and her breath shallow, but she’s alive. They hook her up to about a million machines and told everyone to go home—she won’t wake until morning.

“But she will wake up?” Steve asked. The doctors don’t answer his question but again gently urged them to go home.

“Get some rest,” the on-call doctor instructed. “You’ve been through a lot.”

Emily shook her head. He has no idea.

Jack and Emily stayed up all night. By the time we get home from the hospital, it’s already almost four in the morning. The doctor stitched up the gash on Jack’s forehead and said he shouldn’t sleep for twenty-four hours, just in case of a concussion. Emily makes some coffee for everyone and then started mopping up what’s left of the water throughout the house. Despite the fact that this place has never been wetter, there wasn’t a smell of mildew. By the time the kitchen is dry, the smell has vanished completely.

At eight in the morning, Steve said he better get back to the hospital.

“But the doctor hasn’t called yet,” Emily argued.

“I promise I’ll call when I hear something plus I need to go home and change,” he said, then gestures to the green scrubs the doctors gave him. “I just want to change out of these clothes. And maybe shower before Cady see’s me,” he adds. His fine brown hair is matted with dried blood from Cady’s wound.

“Good idea,” Emily agreed. She hadn’t looked in the mirror recently, but she’s pretty sure she don’t look the least bit presentable. She could feel her curls sticking straight up from the top of her head, like a messy sort of crown.

Emily gets into the shower. She guessed it’s kind of strange that she’s using water to wash away water. But the water pouring down from the showerhead felt clean; the water that dried to my skin and hair last night was filthy. She closed her eyes and imagined that everything that happened last night washed down the drain.

“Emily!” Jack shouted almost as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. “Get dressed.”

She wrapped her hair in a towel as he followed her into their room. “What’s the rush, Jack? It’s Sunday. There’s nothing pressing we need to do,”

“We’re going to the hospital to visit Cady. Steve called she’s awake.”

The hospital feels like it’s well below freezing. Emily knew now that this chill was connected to her gift somehow. After all, she’s in a hospital, a place where people are born and die every day. Which means there are probably tons of spirits moving in and out.