CHAPTER 7 - Linked
Dana kneeled by Royce and tugged on his sleeve.
"We have to get out of here! Cyrus will be back any minute!" She cast a glance at the house with her good eye and shuddered. Susan grabbed the other sleeve and together they pulled him to somewhat of a standing position. Dennis frowned.
"He's too weak to stand, let alone phase!"
"Well, what do you think we should do then?" Susan snapped.
"It's my professional opinion that we should get the hell out of here!" Dennis yelled. The wind was picking up and the house was coming together at a rapid pace. Through the glass they could see the giant gears spinning and twisting as if performing a demonic dance.
Mallory, Bianca and Zeke piled into their car and poised themselves to leave. Seth and Luke dragged Broadway towards her Avalanche and forced her behind the wheel.
"Drive, dude! Lets get the shit out of here!" Luke called over the howling winds. Broadway stuck the key into the ignition and her engine came to life with a roar. She put her truck into reverse and poised it beside Mallory's car. Both cars floored it and drove as fast as they could towards he highway, but the wind pulled one of the uprooted trees into its bony grasp and tossed it before the vehicles. It fell heavily seconds in front of Mallory's sedan and she slammed on the breaks sending the car sliding sideways and crashing into the trunk. Broadway had to swerve to avoid hitting her sisters and brother and consequently got her front wheels caught over one side of the thick tree trunk.
"Shit!" Broadway threw the truck into reverse and pressed on the gas pedal in a panicked attempt to dislodge herself and her brothers from the tree, but with little luck. Her wheels could get a grip on the small branches and only ended up breaking them, leaving her wheels spinning in the air. The wind was picking up almost anything it could get a hold of and tossing it around, making them feel as though they were on the set of 'Twister'.
Arthur watched the accident in voiceless horror as the winds tore at his clothes and body. The house stood before him in all of its majesty, waiting to trap them all inside and enslave them once more. Jean clung to his hand, her mouth a small "o" of fear and the tears shimmering in her eyes. Dana had one hand clutching the front of her towel in an effort to keep it from flying of her and the other had a tight grasp on her kitchen knife. Her hair was billowing out in every direction and she too had a steady stream of tears slipping from her eyes. Susan had an iron grasp on Dana's arm, her dress fluttering madly in the violent air stream. She bit back the scream that was rising in her throat and closed her eyes tightly.
Royce reeled with the surge of another headache. He needed to get out of here, out of this nightmare. He had been so close! All he had to do was muster up enough power to phase out, but every time he tried, another wave of pain brought him back. He needed to rest for a few hours to get the strength he needed, but he was out of time. They all were.
'Dana, Susan, you two need to cut out! He's coming, you know that!"
"We're not leaving without you Prince!" Dana yelled back. He always wondered why they never called him Royce. He had been the fifth ghost captured, Dana right after him, and Susan being the third caught. They never once called him Royce, it had always been Prince. Another surge of pain caused him to snap out of his little reminisces and back to the present. Large black clouds were rolling in and a light rain had begun to fall. It reminded Royce of the day he had been captured; it was pouring rain that night.
Broadway exited her truck and made her way through the branches and towards Arthur.
"This is peachy fucking keen! How the shit are we going to get the hell out of this place now! We're fucked!" Dennis looked down at her.
"No, not yet. We're far enough to stay safe for now." Something moved from the corner of his eye and he caught a glimpse of a figure moving throughout the house. It was clothed in a long black cloak, the hood covering most of its face. "Hey guys, I think we have company!" The figure exited the house and seemed to phase quickly in and out of view towards the group. It stopped behind the flickering barrier.
"Give it to me!" Its voice was staggered and harsh like sand paper, though it was definitely female.
"Give you what?" Dennis knew he had heard the voice somewhere, but didn't know where.
"Give me the book. Give my book back! Give me the Arcanum!" The figure yelled over the wind. Her voice was, in a word, hideous. Dennis frowned and clenched his jaw.
"No Kalina. We can't give you that."
"And why not, Dennis?"
"Because you're a complete psycho and you're not getting the damn book! Disappear." Kalina let another horrible cry escape her throat and pointed a bloody finger at Dennis.
"Give me the Arcanum! If you won't give it to me, I have ways of getting you to hand it over to me. Cyrus will not be kept waiting any longer!"
"You dumb bitch - he killed you! Why would you want to do anything for him?"
"Cyrus always said 'Greatness requires sacrifice'. He didn't kill me - he showed me what sacrifice meant! Now I am great! I have the knowledge of the dead with me! I am powerful beyond any ghost, who do you think brought upon this storm? Who gives the house the power to rebuild itself? Cyrus doesn't have that kind of power..yet, but he will as soon as I take the Arcanum back to him!"
Jean reached into her purse and removed the heavy ancient book, shoving it into Arthur's hands.
"She can get it easily if it's with me, but she'll have a harder time if it's with a mortal." Arthur nodded and gripped the book tightly.
"So you think that by giving it to him you can save yourselves!? You're so pathetic!" Kalina let a high-pitched laugh escape her throat. Dana glared at her and stood up.
"Piss off you fucking skunt!"
"Watch your mouth Dana! Remember that I have the power of the dead and you are nothing but an insect to me. Why don't you let me show me what I can do?"
"You can't do anything, bitch!"
"Try me!" Dana scowled and ran towards Kalina, bringing her knife back and hurling it at her. Kalina raised her hand and stopped it in mid air turning it to face Dana.
"Oh fuck.." Kalina used her telepathy to throw the blade right back at Dana. It struck her in the chest, just below her collarbone and she staggered back in pain. The hundreds of wounds about her body seemed to all open once again in one swift movement. It reminded Seth of when he pulled his stitched out of his leg once before they were ready. Dana shrieked in pain and tried to take the knife out of her body and blood flowed from her gashes. She stumbled backwards and into Susan's arms. She fixed her eyes on Kalina; hate filling their blue depths. Susan tilted her head and levitated a few feet I the air. The tie that hung loosely around her wrist snaked its way up to her neck and shreds of her dress bound her arms behind her.
"So, you like o play mind tricks huh? Well, so do I!" The Bound Woman concentrated on the cinderblocks behind Kalina and they rose slowly from their place. Susan fixed her eyes on the woman before her and sent the heavy blocks of cement hurdling towards her. However, ever her power was no match for Kalinas and the evil spirit caught them mid flight and sent them back at Susan. She tried to stop them or slow them down but couldn't. She closed her eyes and waited for the crash and pain but it never came. Royce stirred from his place and body checked her out of the way moments before the cinderblocks came crashing down. Kalina screeched in anger and focused her energy on Royce. She shook a bloody finger at him slowly used her powerful telepathy to pick up his wrecked Hot Rod and slam it full force into Arthur's Toyota sedan. Royce's' bat slipped from his fingers and he fell to his knees, blood pouring from his face, mouth, chest, it was if his entire body tore open. And he screamed. The sound went right through Broadway and into her core, the sound of his broken cries echoing through her head. Royce tried to get to his feet but Kalina was already lifting whatever was left of his car into the air for another sickening attack.
Seth snatched the glasses off of his brothers' face and shoved them onto his. He couldn't see anything other than the damaged remains of Arthur's' car, though when he slipped the glasses on he saw a much more horrifying sight. He made his way over to where his sister was standing and grabbed her arm. He looked up at Arthur and at Jean and clenched his jaw. Broadway struggled out of his grip and took another step towards the ghosts.
"What's going on? How is she hurting him?" She yelled at Jean.
"Royce is linked to his car, essentially if you hurt the car, you hurt Royce."
"Can it kill him?" Jean shook her head.
"No, he's already dead, but Kalina can continue to put him through agony until we hand over the Arcanum!"
"Like shit she can!" Broadway clenched her fist and bolted through the barrier and towards Kalina. The demon had Royce's car poised high above the ground and was snickering madly. Broadway picked up a long branch off the ground and ran behind her.
"Hey, She-bitch!" She brought it back full swing and whacked Kalina in the side of the head. She let out another howl and dropped Royce's car, though with less force then before. He grit his teeth together and struggled to see through the blood in his eyes. Broadway was standing above Kalina with the thick branch poised above her head. She let it go with another sickening crack and Kalina rolled backwards. Broadway grabbed her robe with both hands and tugged it off her body. Her body was compressed and compacted together and blood was seeping through her broken bones and fractures. Broadway stumbled backwards and dropped the fabric. Kalina screamed like a banshee and retreated back into the glass house. The winds died down to the point where they weren't howling any longer and things almost had a serene look. Seth ran up to his sister and shook her shoulders violently.
"You dumb slut! You have a motherfucking death wish don't you? Don't you!?" She didn't answer and instead kneeled by Royce. She tentatively reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He winced beneath her fingers and sucked in a dead breath.
"Hey, we have to get you out of here. That freak-show is gone for now, but who the fuck knows when she's going to be back. Can you get up?"
"I..I think so." He struggled to his feet and leaned a little on the smaller girl. Dennis shot an amused look at Jean and Dana. Susan's' eyes glinted with jealousy, but she was too warn out to do anything about it.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Seth asked glancing at the barred exit and demolished vehicles. Arthur shrugged and shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Jean sighed.
"I'm sorry Arthur. I've put you in so much danger."
"Don't say that! Lets just get away from this place and then we'll figure things out." She nodded in agreement. Dana leaned against Susan for support and placed a hand around the handle of her knife. Seth winced.
"You're not going to-"
"To take it out? Of course I am, it hurts like a bastard." She tugged on the handle and the blade slid out of her chest, wincing slightly. The wounds about her body closed slowly, leaving only the light pink scars behind. She reminded Broadway faintly of Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas. Arthur sighed.
"We have to think of something. This is far from over."
Dana kneeled by Royce and tugged on his sleeve.
"We have to get out of here! Cyrus will be back any minute!" She cast a glance at the house with her good eye and shuddered. Susan grabbed the other sleeve and together they pulled him to somewhat of a standing position. Dennis frowned.
"He's too weak to stand, let alone phase!"
"Well, what do you think we should do then?" Susan snapped.
"It's my professional opinion that we should get the hell out of here!" Dennis yelled. The wind was picking up and the house was coming together at a rapid pace. Through the glass they could see the giant gears spinning and twisting as if performing a demonic dance.
Mallory, Bianca and Zeke piled into their car and poised themselves to leave. Seth and Luke dragged Broadway towards her Avalanche and forced her behind the wheel.
"Drive, dude! Lets get the shit out of here!" Luke called over the howling winds. Broadway stuck the key into the ignition and her engine came to life with a roar. She put her truck into reverse and poised it beside Mallory's car. Both cars floored it and drove as fast as they could towards he highway, but the wind pulled one of the uprooted trees into its bony grasp and tossed it before the vehicles. It fell heavily seconds in front of Mallory's sedan and she slammed on the breaks sending the car sliding sideways and crashing into the trunk. Broadway had to swerve to avoid hitting her sisters and brother and consequently got her front wheels caught over one side of the thick tree trunk.
"Shit!" Broadway threw the truck into reverse and pressed on the gas pedal in a panicked attempt to dislodge herself and her brothers from the tree, but with little luck. Her wheels could get a grip on the small branches and only ended up breaking them, leaving her wheels spinning in the air. The wind was picking up almost anything it could get a hold of and tossing it around, making them feel as though they were on the set of 'Twister'.
Arthur watched the accident in voiceless horror as the winds tore at his clothes and body. The house stood before him in all of its majesty, waiting to trap them all inside and enslave them once more. Jean clung to his hand, her mouth a small "o" of fear and the tears shimmering in her eyes. Dana had one hand clutching the front of her towel in an effort to keep it from flying of her and the other had a tight grasp on her kitchen knife. Her hair was billowing out in every direction and she too had a steady stream of tears slipping from her eyes. Susan had an iron grasp on Dana's arm, her dress fluttering madly in the violent air stream. She bit back the scream that was rising in her throat and closed her eyes tightly.
Royce reeled with the surge of another headache. He needed to get out of here, out of this nightmare. He had been so close! All he had to do was muster up enough power to phase out, but every time he tried, another wave of pain brought him back. He needed to rest for a few hours to get the strength he needed, but he was out of time. They all were.
'Dana, Susan, you two need to cut out! He's coming, you know that!"
"We're not leaving without you Prince!" Dana yelled back. He always wondered why they never called him Royce. He had been the fifth ghost captured, Dana right after him, and Susan being the third caught. They never once called him Royce, it had always been Prince. Another surge of pain caused him to snap out of his little reminisces and back to the present. Large black clouds were rolling in and a light rain had begun to fall. It reminded Royce of the day he had been captured; it was pouring rain that night.
Broadway exited her truck and made her way through the branches and towards Arthur.
"This is peachy fucking keen! How the shit are we going to get the hell out of this place now! We're fucked!" Dennis looked down at her.
"No, not yet. We're far enough to stay safe for now." Something moved from the corner of his eye and he caught a glimpse of a figure moving throughout the house. It was clothed in a long black cloak, the hood covering most of its face. "Hey guys, I think we have company!" The figure exited the house and seemed to phase quickly in and out of view towards the group. It stopped behind the flickering barrier.
"Give it to me!" Its voice was staggered and harsh like sand paper, though it was definitely female.
"Give you what?" Dennis knew he had heard the voice somewhere, but didn't know where.
"Give me the book. Give my book back! Give me the Arcanum!" The figure yelled over the wind. Her voice was, in a word, hideous. Dennis frowned and clenched his jaw.
"No Kalina. We can't give you that."
"And why not, Dennis?"
"Because you're a complete psycho and you're not getting the damn book! Disappear." Kalina let another horrible cry escape her throat and pointed a bloody finger at Dennis.
"Give me the Arcanum! If you won't give it to me, I have ways of getting you to hand it over to me. Cyrus will not be kept waiting any longer!"
"You dumb bitch - he killed you! Why would you want to do anything for him?"
"Cyrus always said 'Greatness requires sacrifice'. He didn't kill me - he showed me what sacrifice meant! Now I am great! I have the knowledge of the dead with me! I am powerful beyond any ghost, who do you think brought upon this storm? Who gives the house the power to rebuild itself? Cyrus doesn't have that kind of power..yet, but he will as soon as I take the Arcanum back to him!"
Jean reached into her purse and removed the heavy ancient book, shoving it into Arthur's hands.
"She can get it easily if it's with me, but she'll have a harder time if it's with a mortal." Arthur nodded and gripped the book tightly.
"So you think that by giving it to him you can save yourselves!? You're so pathetic!" Kalina let a high-pitched laugh escape her throat. Dana glared at her and stood up.
"Piss off you fucking skunt!"
"Watch your mouth Dana! Remember that I have the power of the dead and you are nothing but an insect to me. Why don't you let me show me what I can do?"
"You can't do anything, bitch!"
"Try me!" Dana scowled and ran towards Kalina, bringing her knife back and hurling it at her. Kalina raised her hand and stopped it in mid air turning it to face Dana.
"Oh fuck.." Kalina used her telepathy to throw the blade right back at Dana. It struck her in the chest, just below her collarbone and she staggered back in pain. The hundreds of wounds about her body seemed to all open once again in one swift movement. It reminded Seth of when he pulled his stitched out of his leg once before they were ready. Dana shrieked in pain and tried to take the knife out of her body and blood flowed from her gashes. She stumbled backwards and into Susan's arms. She fixed her eyes on Kalina; hate filling their blue depths. Susan tilted her head and levitated a few feet I the air. The tie that hung loosely around her wrist snaked its way up to her neck and shreds of her dress bound her arms behind her.
"So, you like o play mind tricks huh? Well, so do I!" The Bound Woman concentrated on the cinderblocks behind Kalina and they rose slowly from their place. Susan fixed her eyes on the woman before her and sent the heavy blocks of cement hurdling towards her. However, ever her power was no match for Kalinas and the evil spirit caught them mid flight and sent them back at Susan. She tried to stop them or slow them down but couldn't. She closed her eyes and waited for the crash and pain but it never came. Royce stirred from his place and body checked her out of the way moments before the cinderblocks came crashing down. Kalina screeched in anger and focused her energy on Royce. She shook a bloody finger at him slowly used her powerful telepathy to pick up his wrecked Hot Rod and slam it full force into Arthur's Toyota sedan. Royce's' bat slipped from his fingers and he fell to his knees, blood pouring from his face, mouth, chest, it was if his entire body tore open. And he screamed. The sound went right through Broadway and into her core, the sound of his broken cries echoing through her head. Royce tried to get to his feet but Kalina was already lifting whatever was left of his car into the air for another sickening attack.
Seth snatched the glasses off of his brothers' face and shoved them onto his. He couldn't see anything other than the damaged remains of Arthur's' car, though when he slipped the glasses on he saw a much more horrifying sight. He made his way over to where his sister was standing and grabbed her arm. He looked up at Arthur and at Jean and clenched his jaw. Broadway struggled out of his grip and took another step towards the ghosts.
"What's going on? How is she hurting him?" She yelled at Jean.
"Royce is linked to his car, essentially if you hurt the car, you hurt Royce."
"Can it kill him?" Jean shook her head.
"No, he's already dead, but Kalina can continue to put him through agony until we hand over the Arcanum!"
"Like shit she can!" Broadway clenched her fist and bolted through the barrier and towards Kalina. The demon had Royce's car poised high above the ground and was snickering madly. Broadway picked up a long branch off the ground and ran behind her.
"Hey, She-bitch!" She brought it back full swing and whacked Kalina in the side of the head. She let out another howl and dropped Royce's car, though with less force then before. He grit his teeth together and struggled to see through the blood in his eyes. Broadway was standing above Kalina with the thick branch poised above her head. She let it go with another sickening crack and Kalina rolled backwards. Broadway grabbed her robe with both hands and tugged it off her body. Her body was compressed and compacted together and blood was seeping through her broken bones and fractures. Broadway stumbled backwards and dropped the fabric. Kalina screamed like a banshee and retreated back into the glass house. The winds died down to the point where they weren't howling any longer and things almost had a serene look. Seth ran up to his sister and shook her shoulders violently.
"You dumb slut! You have a motherfucking death wish don't you? Don't you!?" She didn't answer and instead kneeled by Royce. She tentatively reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He winced beneath her fingers and sucked in a dead breath.
"Hey, we have to get you out of here. That freak-show is gone for now, but who the fuck knows when she's going to be back. Can you get up?"
"I..I think so." He struggled to his feet and leaned a little on the smaller girl. Dennis shot an amused look at Jean and Dana. Susan's' eyes glinted with jealousy, but she was too warn out to do anything about it.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Seth asked glancing at the barred exit and demolished vehicles. Arthur shrugged and shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Jean sighed.
"I'm sorry Arthur. I've put you in so much danger."
"Don't say that! Lets just get away from this place and then we'll figure things out." She nodded in agreement. Dana leaned against Susan for support and placed a hand around the handle of her knife. Seth winced.
"You're not going to-"
"To take it out? Of course I am, it hurts like a bastard." She tugged on the handle and the blade slid out of her chest, wincing slightly. The wounds about her body closed slowly, leaving only the light pink scars behind. She reminded Broadway faintly of Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas. Arthur sighed.
"We have to think of something. This is far from over."