THE CURSED BOOK

THE AWAKENING

Morning came too quickly.

Victor was sitting against the door with his head leaned against the wall. He was woken up by the dime of light flickering in front of him. Beside him was Cynthia, who leaned on his shoulder, still asleep while Michael was on the couch wide awake, looking pale like someone that couldn't sleep.

“Did you… sleep at all?” Victor asked.

Michael shook his head. “No. I kept thinking about… her. About Mary.”

Cynthia’s voice was soft but firm. “We can’t just wait. We have to check on her.”

Victor nodded, guilt filled the room again. Mary had fainted. She was alone in her house, and they hadn’t even checked on her.

Neither spoke for a moment. The room was quiet, almost too quiet.

Then… a faint sound.

They froze.

It was the same scream from the night before. Faint, distant, yet cannot be mistaken.

Michael’s eyes widened. “It’s… coming from Mary’s place.”

Cynthia’s hand trembled slightly. "I knew something like this would happen. That book… it’s dangerous. I had a bad feeling about it at first, but I ignored it because you guys don't believe me. Now, look at what it has led us into. How sure are we if that thing didn't do anything to Mary?

Victor grabbed his jacket. “We have to go. We need to make sure she’s okay.”

The three of them stepped outside. The streets were calm and sunlit, almost mocking after the terror of last night. But the feeling of dread clung to them, as if the shadows themselves were moving just beyond sight.

When they reached Mary’s compound, everything seemed… normal. The door was shut. No sign of struggle. No movement.

Victor hesitated. “Maybe it was just a dream…”

“A dream!? How can the three of us have exactly the same dream? I couldn't even sleep…” Micheal shouted at him.

Before he could finish, a loud crash echoed from inside the house.

Cynthia’s eyes went wide. “No. That’s not a dream.”

They rushed to the entrance. The door was slightly ajar, as if pushed by an unseen hand. Victor’s heart pounded. He pushed it open slowly.

The living room was in disarray, chairs overturned, a vase shattered on the floor, and the faint smell of something burned. The book was no longer there.

Mary was nowhere to be seen in the living room, so they went to her room and found her staring at the mirror like someone who had been possessed. Immediately they saw her, Cynthia rushed to hug her.

“I'm so sorry please, we didn't know what to do, we shouldn't have left you,” she said as they embraced each other.

“It's alright, I don't blame you guys, I would have run if I was the one too,” Mary answered.

Micheal hesitated: “Are you alright? What happened: The living room is a mess.”

“Did someone else come in here?” Victor added.

Then a whisper came slowly, it was soft but chilling:

“Who took my arm?”

All three froze. The voice was inside the house, yet it felt like it crawled under their skin.

Victor fumbled for his phone, but the battery was dead. The sunlight outside seemed to dim as a cold shadow crept over the room.

Suddenly, a figure moved in the corner, a shadow, thin and distorted, it was barely noticeable, but they knew something creepy was present with them in that room.

Michael swallowed hard. “We need to get out of here. I don't like this feeling.”

Cynthia nodded. “I told you. That book… it’s not ordinary. There’s something worse here than we can handle. We need that book.”

“It must still be in the living room, let's go find it,” Victor added.

As they were about to leave the room, Mary stopped them and said, “Is this the book you guys are talking about!?” Holding the book and pointing it towards them.

The three of them drew back from her immediately out of fear. They were sure when they entered the room, there were no books around, just Mary staring at the mirror.

Victor (looking petrified), “Where did you get that?”

“Yh where did that come from?” Micheal added, looking alarmed in case something emerged from the shadows like the last time.

“I don't know, I just found it here!, but is this the book we are looking for?” she replied them.

Cynthia felt something was off with Mary. She was always the type to get scared easily, she was acting really strange, she noticed how Mary was staring at the mirror when they entered the room looking for her, and she wasn't even talking about the events of yesterday. She didn't seem scared or nervous again like the way Victor and Micheal were…

Cynthia collected the book from her and told them she knew someone who might be of help in explaining things like that.

They got into Victor's car and drove off.

They didn’t know it yet, but Mary was not alone. Something had followed them from the darkness of last night.

They drove through the streets and along the highway down to a Roman Catholic Church. The morning sun was going down. Every shadow, every rustle of leaves made them flinch.

Cynthia kept her eyes on the road ahead. “I’ve seen things… strange things. He might know what to do with this… this book.”

They reached the small parish on the outskirts of town. The air around the church felt heavier than the rest of the morning, like the shadows themselves had followed them here.

Victor knocked on the wooden door. It opened almost immediately. Father Lucas, tall and calm, stepped into the sunlight. His eyes were sharp, yet kind, and the sense of authority around him was unmistakable.

“Oh Cynthia,” he said quietly, but with weight in his voice. “I’ve been expecting you, come let's go inside.”

Cynthia’s eyes widened. “Expecting me?”

“How did you know we needed help with something?” Victor added.

Father Lucas nodded. “Some things cannot be hidden. I felt a disturbance last night when I was praying with the sisters. Tell me everything from the beginning.”

Mary felt an uneasy feeling about going inside. “Um, why don't I remain here? You guys go ahead, I'll wait here until you are back.”

“Are you alright? Do you still feel down about what happened last night?” Micheal asked.

“No, no, I'm fine, I'll just wait for you guys here,” she answered.

While they were going inside to the parish office, Victor explained how he found the book. Cynthia brought out the book from the car, showed it to him and explained the events that happened that night. Micheal didn't follow them as he stayed behind with Mary.

He stood beside her asking how the night was for her.

“Well, I woke up later and noticed I was all alone, then I think i got up and went into my room to rest,” she replied to him.

Micheal (looking surprised): “Didn't you see that shadowy figure that made you pass out and made us run, leaving you behind?”

Mary (hesitated). “I really don't remember seeing anything like that.”

“No problem.” he said.

Father Lucas listened to what Cynthia and Victor explained to him, his face growing darker with each detail. When they finished, he spoke carefully.

“This book (pointing at the book)… it's no ordinary book. It is bound to a demon, one that feeds on fear and disobedience. The demon is cunning, patient, and cruel. Once its name is spoken aloud, it marks its targets, people who were present when the name was spoken.”

Cynthia swallowed. “Can… can you stop it?”

Father Lucas’s eyes hardened. “I can contain it, but it will not be easy. The demon will test you. It will try to separate you, frighten you, make you doubt yourself and each other.”

Michael’s face drained of color. “So… what do we do?”

Father Lucas reached for a small, black leather satchel and opened it, revealing a vial of holy water, a crucifix, and a small book of prayers. “Bring the book, let's go to the oratory, but your friends have to come with us because they also heard the demon's name.”

The oratory is a small private place of prayer.

Victor went out to urge them to come inside. After so much persuasion, they had no choice but to follow him inside.

Cynthia carried the cursed book with care while they followed closely. “Do not be scared, you are in the house of God, his presence is everywhere,” the priest said to them in a calm tone.

“Place the book on the desk over there and gather around,” he said to them.

The air pressure felt dense and heavy the moment Cynthia dropped the book on the desk. Fear gripped their bodies closely as they held each other's hands.

Father Lucas stepped forward, placing the crucifix in front of them. “Remember, courage is stronger than fear, and the book feeds on your fears. Speak the prayers if you feel overwhelmed. But do not let panic guide your actions.”

The book lay in the center of the table, the strange symbol glowing faintly. Seeing this, they talk into deep prayers. Mary began acting strangely. Seeing this, Micheal, who was holding her hands, asked, “Is everything alright? Mary are you OK?”

Seeing how serious it was, he quickly let go her hands and she fell on the floor shaking.

Father Lucas (praying furiously in Latin). “Exuro te, daemon, per Iesum Christum! Vade a puella ista et hunc librum maledictum! In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, recede et ne audes amplius tangere!”

In english (I burn you, demon, by Jesus Christ! Depart from this girl and this cursed book! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, retreat, and dare not touch again!)

Mary shouted back in many voices. “Deus tuus surdus est. Nullus est super me, ego sum finis omnium spei.”

In english (Your God is deaf, there is no one above me, I am the end of all hope.)

Her hands twisted to the back, which resulted in a terrifying appearance. She crawled so fast to the wall, twisting her neck back and saying in many voices. “I existed before your altar. I saw your God fall into silence. You pray to emptiness. I do not fear the cross, I do not fear His name, he retreats when I speak.”

“Deus ubique est et aeternus. Non fugit, non dormit, non tacet. Tu es tantum creatura rebellis,” Father Lucas replied in a rising tone as he stretched forward the cross." Where I stand, God stands, Where God is, you do not reign. Flee and depart from this world by his holy name JESUS CHRIST."

A strong wind blew and shattered the window. The demon let out a loud scream as he crawled his way out through the window.