chapter two
1394 Words
Dan’s Exorcist Shop.
It was nearby. Without hesitation, he threw on his shoes and dashed out the door, running as fast as he could.
Dan’s Exorcist Shop
The place looked abandoned.
The roof was rusted, the wooden door barely holding together, though surprisingly still able to lock. Above the entrance, a faded sign read in bold letters:
“Dan’s Exorcist Shop”
The eerie atmosphere made the place feel haunted rather than holy.
Swallowing his fear, Tony stepped inside.
Dust coated every surface. The air smelled musty, thick with an unidentifiable scent. Strange, dark artifacts lined the shelves and walls—objects that seemed ancient, almost cursed.
A man emerged from a back room.
He was dressed in a black robe and dark trousers, a towel wrapped tightly around his head. His face was shadowed, unreadable.
He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it as he took a slow drag.
"Welcome to Dan’s Exorcist Shop. How can I help you?" he asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Tony hesitated. His heart pounded.
"I… I need to see the exorcist," he said, his voice laced with uncertainty.
The man raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
"I am the exorcist," he replied, taking another drag of his cigarette. His sharp gaze never left Tony.
Tony’s stomach tightened.
Something about this place felt off.
Tony stared at Dan in disbelief. This guy? He didn’t look anything like the exorcists Tony had seen in movies or read about. But still, something about him felt... experienced.
"Something strange has been happening to me recently," Tony started, his voice low but firm. "It feels like... like it wants something. Like it's trying to come out, but it doesn’t know how—except when I’m unconscious."
Dan exhaled a long stream of smoke, unimpressed.
"It’s trying to tell me something, but I don’t understand what. Not that I care—I just want it gone because every time it takes over, it hurts people. And one day... one day, it might hurt someone I actually care about."
Dan scoffed, shaking his head. He’d heard this kind of thing before. Kids getting all worked up over some nightmare, thinking they were haunted. Most of the time, it was just their imagination playing tricks on them.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Dan asked, narrowing his eyes. "Did someone put you up to this?"
Tony clenched his fists. "No, I’m serious."
"Kid, it’s probably just your mind messing with you. Guilt, stress, bad dreams... happens to everyone. Nothing’s wrong with you."
Tony leaned forward, desperation creeping into his voice. "Please. Just check. I know I’m not normal."
Dan sighed, rubbing his temple. "Go home, kid."
Tony hesitated, then said the one thing that could change Dan’s mind.
"What if I said I’d pay you?"
Dan raised an eyebrow, then stroked his chin. After a moment, he smirked.
"Alright. Have a seat."
He dusted off a wooden chair and gestured for Tony to sit.
"Let’s begin. Do you know what triggers it?" Dan asked as he leaned against the counter.
"I think... fear and pain."
"Do you know what it wants? Or how it feels?"
Tony hesitated. "Weirdly, yes. It feels happy and angry at the same time. But I don’t know what it actually wants. Although... I have been having strange dreams lately."
Dan’s curiosity piqued. "Tell me about these dreams."
Tony frowned. "I wish I could, but I can’t remember them."
Dan nodded, as if that confirmed something. "Alright, let’s try something."
He walked to the center of the room and started drawing a large, intricate circle on the floor. Strange symbols lined the edges, some appearing ancient and unreadable. The writing was in Greek, though Tony couldn’t make out what it said. Dan placed candles around the circle, lighting each one before stepping back.
"Okay, we’re going to perform a test," Dan said. "I need you to sit in this chair. Once you’re inside the circle, do not leave, no matter what happens. Understood?"
Tony swallowed hard and nodded.
Dan dragged the chair into the center of the circle, and Tony sat down. But before he could relax, Dan pulled out a thick rope and began tying him to the chair.
Tony tensed. "Uh... why are you tying me up?" he asked, his voice filled with unease.
Dan didn’t answer right away. He just tightened the knots. Then, finally, he looked Tony in the eye.
"Because if you’re telling the truth... we’re about to find out what’s really inside you."
st in case something happens," Dan muttered as he tightened the ropes. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t telling the whole truth either.
He stepped back, his eyes locked on Tony. Then, without warning, Dan clenched his fist and drove it into Tony’s cheek.
Tony gasped, his head snapping to the side. What the hell?
Dan didn’t stop. He kept punching—again and again. Blood trickled from Tony’s lips, his vision blurring.
"Why... why are you doing this?" Tony pleaded, his voice weak. "You're going to bring it out!"
Dan hesitated for a split second, his fists shaking. He hated this. But what if the kid was telling the truth? What if something was inside him?
Tony’s head drooped, his breathing shallow. A minute passed. Then another.
Dan wiped the sweat off his brow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Did I go too far? His stomach twisted as guilt crept in. He stepped closer, reaching out to check Tony’s pulse—
"Why did you do it?"
Dan froze. The voice hadn’t come from him.
Slowly, he turned to face Tony.
But it wasn’t Tony anymore.
Its head lifted, a smile stretching across its darkened face. Its eyes gleamed—bright, inhuman, and filled with something... ancient.
Dan clenched his cross and extended his arm, immediately reciting an incantation.
"I don’t understand... don’t humans speak English?" It scratched its jaw, tilting its head like a curious predator.
Dan kept chanting, his voice unwavering.
The creature stepped closer, its grin widening.
"I’m talking to you."
Before Dan could react, it grabbed his arm.
A sharp, unbearable pressure.
Dan’s breath hitched. His knees locked in place. He had performed countless exorcisms, faced unspeakable things—demons, spirits, malevolent forces beyond reason.
This... this was different.
The grip tightened. Bones groaned under the strain.
"Answer my question, and I’ll let you go."
Dan tried to speak. Nothing came out. His throat constricted. His entire body screamed for him to move, to run, but terror had him in its grip.
"You leave me no choice."
CRACK.
Dan’s arm snapped like a twig.
Pain exploded through him. A scream tore from his throat as tears spilled down his face.
"Yes, yes! That’s it!" It chuckled, eyes gleaming. "More—I need you to feel the pain I felt."
It seized Dan’s other arm.
CRACK.
Another scream. Louder. Agonized.
Dan collapsed, his bloodied limbs useless at his sides. Desperate, he tried to crawl toward the exit, dragging his shattered arms across the filthy floor, leaving a trail of crimson behind.
The creature let him struggle—for a moment. Then, with a playful laugh, it grabbed his leg and pulled him back.
"Where are you going? We just got started."
Dan sobbed, barely able to lift his head.
Then—agony.
A hand plunged into his chest.
His body convulsed. His lips parted in a silent scream as his heart was yanked free from his ribs. The world dimmed.
Then—nothing.
Silence.
Darkness.
Tony’s eyes shot open.
His breath came in ragged gasps. His hands—his trembling, blood-soaked hands—held something warm, something beating.
He looked down.
Dan’s heart rested in his palm.
His stomach lurched. He screamed and stumbled backward, dropping the organ as though it burned him.
His gaze snapped to Dan’s body—motionless, lifeless, a twisted husk of what was once a man.
His mind raced. His pulse pounded.
What have I done?
Tony turned and ran.
He didn’t stop until he reached home.
He slammed the door shut, pressing his back against it, panting.
His hands—his hands—were still covered in blood.
Then, suddenly—memories.
Not his own.
Visions of a life that wasn’t his flashed before his eyes. A different face. A different existence.
Something inside him stirred.
Something old.
Something hungry.
To be continued...
- Writer
