Chapter 24 - Harmless Flirtations Part 3

“Why are you here by the way?” She had to ask that since it was gnawing at her bones. Taking out a bottle of mineral water, she opened its cap and drank its contents all the while waiting for his reply. When she did look at him, she couldn’t stop herself from admiring how his smoky brown eyes looked like a beautiful golden hazel under the light.

“My room is just over there, ” Marcus pointed, bobbing his head slightly whilst looking at the long hallway. “In Room 212.”

Unconsciously, Ysabelle glanced at the number etched in her main door and bit the bottom of her lip. Guess they will be neighbors since her room number was 209.

“I—see, ” was her short reply.

There was a flood of silence in between them then, each with no topic to open up, and that made the two feel awkward.

“Well then, I should get going, ” Marcus stated finally after realizing his stay outside of her doorway was overdue.

“Father Marcus!” a man’s voice suddenly reverberated through the hallway.

Both him and Ysabelle turned to the source of the voice in haste and saw a winded man running like crazy towards them.

“Mr. Grann, ” Marcus called when the man was a few feet away from them, “what’s the problem?” His face bore a frown when he noticed the man’s arms and cheek with fresh scratch marks.

“It’s Mr. MacMillan, Father. He is thrashing all over his bedroom!” was his panicked answer.

This got Marcus frowning even more.

“I thought you had him all tied up?” he asked, gnashing his teeth.

“I—I don’t know what happened Father, but it seems he was able to cut himself free! You should exorcise him now, Father. We can’t wait for all the guests to sleep! If Mr. MacMillan keeps up with his destructive tendencies, all our guests would notice it, and we can’t have them scared shit running out of the castle!”

Marcus looked at Ysabelle for a moment and saw her ashen and wide-eyed. “Okay, I’ll go, ” was his grave announcement then before he took a step.

“Wait!” Ysabelle abruptly shouted, stopping him from his tracks. Marcus whirled around to look at her, confusion drew on his face.

“Be—be careful Father... Please, be careful, ” said she, clasping her hands together and with an expression of thorough concern.

Marcus showed a bit of warm appreciation on her way and took in a long, deep breath. “I will, ” he said in a calm voice, “Thank you, Ms. Ysabelle.”

Then he took off with Mr. Grann following behind him.

Ysabelle was left behind, touching the door frame with a shaky hand. Her immortality was only limited to healing small wounds, seeing spirits and a certain degree of angel and demon auras. She had never experienced seeing the future at all or having at least a slight vision of it. But now, she couldn’t explain it but there was this foreboding feeling inside her that something bad was about to happen.

***

When Father Marcus arrived in the caretaker’s chamber, what greeted him in the doorway was a messy sight not only because of the turn-down and destroyed pieces of furniture, but also because of the splatter of crimson blood in the floor. Two young female staff in their own state of fear gave him a way to enter the room. They were sobbing continuously, putting hands on their mouths so that they wouldn’t make an attention-drawing sound from any guests.

Upon stepping inside the receiving room, Marcus quickly noticed a distinguishable strong odor of ammonia mixed with the metallic odor of blood coming all the way from a closed door. Three male staff were near it. One was holding a gun, the other holding a crucifix, and the third securing the knob tightly. They exchanged brief glances and then looked at Father Marcus with hopeful eyes.

“Father, we are so glad you are here!” one man who was holding the gun exclaimed.

Marcus, feeling disgusted seeing the deadly device, scowled.

Really now? Does he really think a mere gun can stop a thrashing demon? He could kill the vessel that’s a fact, but not the entity, unfortunately.

“Put that gun away, brother, ” said he while passing the addled man.

The latter didn’t do what Marcus ordered though and went on to keep the gun in his hand.

Marcus disregarded it and continued his way on the closed door.

“Open it, ” he said, and almost instantly, the third man did as told.

The man holding the crucifix retched on the spot when a gush of odorous ammonia air escaped the room. Mr. Grann, who was still tailing Marcus, rushed to support his employee and offered a handkerchief from his jacket.

“Don’t open this door unless I knock on it...thrice, ” said Marcus with a grim look on his face. He eyed the four men behind him and they all nodded in unison.

As the bedroom door closed, Marcus had all the intention of exorcising the low-class demon as quickly as possible. He wanted to finish it considering it would be bothering the guests if the possession pursued. Though he didn’t have his exorcism paraphernalia on hand, he was confident since he memorized the verses by heart, and that these verses were enough to exorcise this insignificant demon for good.

When he looked at the possessed bloody man crouching on the ceiling though, he felt his tattooed arm spasm and the blood coursing in his veins heat up. He felt his head swirl, followed by a shooting headache enough to break a skull. Marcus clenched his teeth and dropped to the floor, evaluating what just happened. That’s when he realized, albeit too late, that the damn demon inside him was itching for a kill... and that the low-class demon and the caretaker’s life energy were its prime target.

“Delicious...”

Was the only word that Marcus heard in his thoughts after his consciousness blanked out and his sight darkened.

Five seconds...

4

3

2

1

And the men inside the receiving room heard a knock from the bedroom door...thrice.