Notes: Damn I can never get the title styled right. It'll all be fixed in editing folks. Anyway this next chapter I'd like to dedicate to the wonderful show Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which I have just recently started obsessing over. Tonight I was inspired by a particular aspect in one episode and had to punch out this chapter. We're getting a little bit into the violence again. So prepare yourselves for awesomeness up the wazoo! Again, comments/emails are always appreciated.

Thanks for reading -Riley

Chapter Nine:

The Other Voice

West Virginia- 8:49, AM

The coroner who had arrived at Holly Sleighton's house was known to everyone as Carlton Hugh, a rotund man not even peeking middle age who wore thick glasses and spoke through pudgy lips. When the call was made out by Ms. Sleighton's housekeeper, he was one of the first on the scene. Scanning the scene of the murder with the police chief of the tri-state area, they found a chase broken out among them. Red hand prints guided along the walls, where Holly met her fate at the hands of a demonic claw-type of weapon after tripping in the living room. As Carlton Hugh and his associates began to close up her body in a bag to be sent to the morgue, a distraught man ran into the house demanding to see her.

"Where's Holly?! Is she really dead?!" He frantically asked, immediately eyeing Carlton hovering over Holly's corpse. The man's distress drained away into a sorrow gloom, where he nearly collapsed to his knees staring at the body. One of the officers trying to hold him back asked who he was, and in a monotonous tone he said, "John. I'm her brother."

The officer exchanged a glance with Carlton. Their attention was turned to John again who began asking about the events that led up to this. The officer, Susan Wyen, explained in vague details about Holly's last night. There was no sign of intrusion, but a violent struggle and chase occurred rendering from the kitchen into the living room. They couldn't explain how the murderer escaped.

John said quietly, "That doesn't make sense. Holly didn't have enemies, she was a loner. No one ever wanted to hurt her."

"Are you sure John?" Susan Wyen asked, to which he angrily snapped, "Of course I am! Holly was a good person. Someone deliberately came here to kill her. This wasn't some random attack! This is just a fucking nightmare."

He paused on the last word.

"Are you alright John?"

Nightmare…

"Holly had nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?"

"The kind where she always saw herself...getting killed."

Susan carefully examined him from top to bottom, he was stunned, perpetuated with fear. Waiting for more of an answer John finally said, "Have you called our parents?"

"Not yet, we wanted to clear the body before we took any other actions."

He nodded solemnly, "Thank you."

Before he turned to head out the door, Carlton spoke up for the first time since the brother's arrival. "Mr. Sleighton, there's something you should know about your sister."

John turned, edging his eyes towards the coroner, "What?"

"This might come as a shock to you but…the murderer…he seemed to take an interest in your sister's possession."

"Meaning?"

"Her heart has been ripped out."

Several Hours Elsewhere...

Sitting in silence, listening to the murmurs of the hall, a woman raised a cigarette to her mouth, blowing out a plume of toxin. She sat on the creaking wooden floor, staring out at the 45 degreed skylight onto the tiresome day. The sky exasperated in sunlight while wispy clouds shuffled across the window frame, the day was too perfect. Hissing angrily at the outside world, she smudged the stem into the floor listening to it sizzle and die. Her hands were tender, she held them palm up towards the sky, and saw puss oozing from the wounds again. She swore with murderous anger, taking the bandages and swaddling her hands tightly, constricting the infection.

The door rattled and slunk open, he had finally come back.

"Did anyone see you?"She asked while continuing to stare ominously at the perfect sky.

"Not possible."

"Doesn't mean someone didn't acknowledge you."

She heard his footsteps step across the musty threshold, the building had been abandoned for years. Stopping not a foot behind her, she heard his voice looming over her, "Trust me. She's dead. No one knows that I did it."

"Have you heard from the girl since last night?" The man asked without hesitation. He didn't find the necessity to hesitate about many things.

Coldly she replied, "Not long ago actually. She actually led me right to him."

The man held his breath.

"He's found a way out?"

"Her powers are generating into the psyche, into His world. He'll be back in no time."

"Then He's already found a vessel?"

The woman nodded, he could see blood running out of her scalp. Today was a painful day for her. However, they both felt contagious with excitement. For too long they had succumbed to these incidents that delayed them from what they truly wanted.

"When is the next assembly?"

"Soon."

"We'll all channel?"

"One of us will be lucky enough to go."

"Sacrifice is necessary."

Silence.

"Ellie will lead us right back to him."

"And then?"

"We'll kill the little bitch."

The sky grew slightly bluer.