"The devil is real. And he's not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful."
Violet's POV
Immediately Violet didn't notice the sound, or rather the lack of it. She stiffened and strained her ears. No whispers or laughs of the burned girls, no nasally whining of Hayden.
"Tate?" She called softly. Instantly she wished she'd kept her mouth shut. Violet's voice was swallowed into the darkness; silence screamed back at her. Blindly she stumbled along the basement, feeling along the damp cement walls. Gasping she turned to flee back to the upper floor into the comfort of her family and the sunshine that filtered through the cold dusty windows. Desperately she looked for the small crack of light underneath the door to guide her back upstairs but it was gone. Panicking she started to suck down mouthfuls of dank air, her hands flailing in the murky blackness in front of her.
Get a grip, she sternly thought. Violet stood still, straining her ears for the sounds of anyone coming near her. Silence. She trudged forward, her feet dragging as if stuck in mud. Father into the next room Violet knew there was a door that would let in some light and she could go into the backyard. A shaft of pale light shone across the floor in the next room, like a lighthouse guiding a boat to safety. Violet slowly walked towards it, her combat boots clicking on the floor. Violet stepped into the next room, only feet away from escaping the basement.
"You shouldn't be here." A voice shot from the darkness behind her. Violet turned sharply on her heel with a shriek of surprise. Squinting she could distinctly make out blonde curls and a small chubby face. It was the boy from earlier.
"I should say the same to you." Violet snapped. The boys eyes sparked dangerously, the little light that came from the door reflected off of his eyes like an animals. Violet's gut was twisting, something wasn't right.
Distantly Violet heard familiar voices. She turned to look over her shoulder. Mom? Dad? The little boy stepped past her, heading towards the voices. Violet knew that she should walk out the door but curiosity gripped her. Following slowly Violet went deeper into the labyrinth.
It wasn't long before she found the source of the voices. A bare light bulb swung from the center of the room, its light making the people who stood in the room look sickly. Vivien stood at one corner of the room, her hands pressed in horror to her mouth. Ben kneeled heal naked in the center of the room, his head bowed. Hayden stood in on corner, shadows wrapped around her, her arms were rigid and stiff, her face was twisted as if in pain. Violet shoved the little boy aside and quickly stepped into the room.
"What's going on?" Her voice was low but deadly. It looked to her as if Ben had gotten caught in the act yet again.
"Violet!" Vivien gasped, one hand reaching towards her daughter. But before she could say more a strangling sound came from her throat. Gagging Vivien jerked away from Violet. Violet looked from her mother to father in confusion. Her body itched to run away, her gut twisting. If she still had a pulse it would be pounding. Hayden twitched violently.
"I didn't think you would come Violet," a familiar voice drifted from the darkness behind Ben. Violet froze; the voice made her ache but the words didn't match. Tate walked slowly out of shadows, his hands behind his back and a sly smile on his face. Was he trying to force Violet to be with him? She glared at him.
"What is this, Tate?" Her voice had an edge to it. He shrugged nonchalantly, blonde curls falling into his eyes. Violet took a step toward him, trying to see his face better. His eyes… They looked pained. Tate's eyes flickered behind her, the blood drained from his face. The little boy stepped around Violet. Now that Violet could see them standing next to each other the resemblance was beyond striking, the little boy was an exact match to Tate. Violet's jaw clenched anger and disgust boiling her blood. Suddenly Tate's knees buckled… slowly he collapsed as if under a heavy weight. He looked up at Violet, his eyes silently begging.
"My son," a voice hissed behind Tate. Slowly the image of a man appeared. His skin was porcelain white, eyes pitch black. His face was beautiful, chiseled cheek bones and straight nose. He looked like a marble statue come to life. The little boy looked away from Tate to the other man, his face lighting up suddenly. The man smiled. Violet stumbled away from him towards her mother.
"Who are you?" Violet managed to stammer out. Her gaze flicked from Tate to the man, back to her father and mother. What was going on? Her mother still wouldn't look at Violet, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Ben was motionless and kneeling the same way as Tate. Hayden twitched more by the second. "What is going on!" Violet screamed.
The man looked away from his "son" to Violet. Anger and impatience clear on his face, for a second it distorted his face showing a horrifying monster, but as quickly as it came the face was gone. The man smiled slowly at Violet. His smile made her feel greasy and disgusting. "Yes maybe I should explain a few things so that this will be simpler for you." The man stepped behind Tate, resting his hands on Tate's shoulders. The man's fingers were long and white, reminding Violet of spiders. "I have been trapped here since before this house was even built. And like you, dead Violet, I wish to leave." Violet narrowed her eyes at him. Could she run fast enough to get to the door? Could she escape before something happened? But… She couldn't leave her family. Couldn't leave Tate.
"Now, thanks to Tate," The man smoothed a hand over Tate's curls. "I have a son. He is born from violence and hatred; he is of my spirit and Tate's blood." The man smiled over at the little boy. His smile was full of sharp razor teeth. Violet stared in horror at Tate and the man. They… they rapped her mother for this!
"Tate… is that true?" her voice cracked. His eyes widened but no words could ease the sinking feeling in her chest.
"No, don't blame poor Tate." The man crooned with a twisted smile. "You see, to finally have a son for myself I needed a body that could impregnate a woman. I possessed Tate, although most of the time he didn't know. I planted the seed in his mind, corrupted him and made him my puppet. He's been mine since he was alive." The man laughed. Violet stared at Tate. Silent tears ran down his cheeks, his eyes begging her. All this time, she thought, Tate wasn't the real monster it was the demon literally possessing him. It wasn't Tate's choice to shoot those kids, or to rape Mom…
"So you see Violet, now that I have a son I can reenter the world and-"
"No." Violet commanded the word. She braced her feet apart and her hands curled into fists at her side. "I won't let you use Tate or my family."
The man's face twisted, his beautiful mask once again slipped to show his true features. Violet stood tall, her heart hammering. I have to… I have to. Violet couldn't be a slave to this demon, couldn't let him use her family and Tate any longer.
"Go away!" She yelled with all her anger and hatred but also fierce love and loyalty to her family. The demon threw back his head and howled with laughter. He clutched his sides and sneered at her.
"You think that will get rid of me?" He spit. Violet never realized that terror could shake your bones, split your skin and rob her of any hope she had at a new undead life. This demon was the embodiment of terror, pinning her in his sights like a butterfly under glass. She sucked in a deep breath through her teeth. Violet looked to Tate, hoping for a hero like he was Halloween night all those years ago. But he was looking at the floor, face bone white and ashen, eyes sunken in.
"One little girl couldn't get rid of demon like you." A voice commanded. Violet turned in surprise to see Billie Dean step forward. Behind her were the other ghosts of the house, Chad and Patrick, Travis and the burned girls, Moria. Twenty souls stood behind her, posed and ready to stand once and for all the life they deserved. Constance stood near the back, her brown eyes wide with shock. Her lips were pressed into a grim line. She stared at Michael then at her real son. Billie Dean rested her pink manicured nails on her hips, pursed her lips and stared down the demon. He snarled, fangs sliding down to poke into his bottom lip. Michael screamed in fury, his eyes slowly becoming red from the pupils outward. Billie Dean stepped forward with her arms raised to her sides and head thrown back. The other souls stepped forward along with her, grim and determined expressions. With every step they took the shadows and darkness seemed to retreat into a corner, desperately trying to get away from Billie Deans aura. The demon and Michael cowered, screaming louder and louder until Violet could no longer hear them. Suddenly they started to disintegrate… The demon howled and screamed, his hands disappearing into ash before his eyes. He rushed at Billie Dean, murder in his eyes but before he reached her he was a pile of ash. Michael was gone to.
Billie Dean collapsed to her knees, all her strength and aura fled leaving her weak and empty for the moment. She panted and weakly tried to stand. Travis and Patrick rushed to help her. Constance ran to Tate grabbing his face and looked into his eyes. She started crying and tried to hug him but he pushed her aside with a stiff arm. Violet gulped as he stood tall and straight, but his eyes were still timid and haunted. He stepped towards Violet but before he could reach her she was swarmed by her mother and father.
Ben and Vivien grabbed Violet, huddling into a mass together with her as the single neutron that held them together. Ben squeezed her as hard as he could, tears in his eyes. Vivien made "shhh" sounds softly and ran a hand over Violet's hair. "You were so brave, honey." Ben said. Violet relaxed into the familiar comfort of her family, now she was safe and everything would be better than before. Maybe this was a new start to their old-new-start. As the group of souls started to drift away from each other and were about to leave the room Billie Dean raised her voice again.
"Wait!" She shouted throwing up her hands. Everyone froze. She looked at everyone individually, her gaze resting on Violet for a moment. Billie Dean smiled warmly. "The evil energy that has kept you trapped here is gone; the veil to the next world is open to you now if you choose." She said each word slowly. Immediately whispers and gasps ran through the group like electricity. Ben's hands tightened painfully on Violet's shoulders. She shrugged his away and glared up at him but he was too focused on Billie Dean.
"How?" Moria stepped forward.
Billie Dean shrugged her dainty shoulders, "It's like Dorthy, tap your ruby slippers and say 'there's no place like home'. The answer is right in front of you." She smirked. And with her last elusive remark she marched out of the room, the clicks of her high heels fading as she disappeared.
Moria ran forward and hugged Vivien. "Thank you for being a friend to me." She said quietly. And then like a blink of an eye, she was gone. Nothing but thin air. Everyone in the room gasped or shrieked in surprise.
Violet felt her head go light, the room spun around her. Moria was gone… they could all choose to go or to stay. Not many people had that choice. Violet looked to her mom and dad. Vivien was clutching the baby against her chest, eyes as wide as saucers.
"What do we do?" Violet asked. She desperately wanted to find Tate and know if he was moving on or not. Had he already gone without saying anything to Violet? Could she have a chance to apologize for never seeing the truth all this time?
Vivien opened her mouth but Ben blurted out, "I'm leaving." He looked at Vivien for a long time. Neither of them said anything. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, she cringed slightly. Violet bit her lip… She could leave now, or maybe she could wait to leave? Maybe she could stay just a little longer…
"I'm staying." Violet said. She looked her parents in the eye. They knew they couldn't argue with her, she'd made her own choices for as long as they could remember. Vivien slowly shook her head.
"It's not healthy to stay stuck in this world, Violet. I'm leaving too, you should come with us. We're a family." She said.
"We haven't been a real family for a long time." Violet said. Seeing the stricken expressions on her parents faces she gently smiled. "I can choose to cross over whenever I want, Mom. I'll meet up with you."
Tears dripped down Vivien's face. Violet reached forward and they both hugged each other as tight as they could. Violet felt tears push at the back of her eyes but she desperately kept them back. Her heart ached and arms tightened around her mom… This woman, who raised her, put Band-Aids on all her cuts and bruises, who always encouraged her to fight back and be fierce. Violet was scared to move on and forward, to leave the familiarity of her dysfunctional family but every bird has to leave the nest at some point. Violet reluctantly pulled back from her mother's arms and wiped a single tear from her cheek. Ben kissed the top of her head and grabbed her shoulders.
"Be good, kiddo." He said. Violet nodded and quickly hugged him. He'd made mistakes, she thought, but he always had her back. And then with one last goodbye and more crying, they were gone. Violet felt numb staring at the space he parents had stood… I'll see them again, she thought. Violet looked around the room and realized that within the minutes she'd had with her family the majority of the ghosts had chosen to leave. They only who had chosen to stay so far were Hayden and a few others. Violet looked around for Tate, running from one basement room to another.
"He went upstairs." A snooty voice said. Violet looked back at Hayden. For once Violet had sympathy for her.
"Thank you," Violet ran towards the stairs. She knew where he was. Violet yanked down on the chain to the attic. Quickly climbing she could already hear his voice quietly speaking to Beau.
He was crouching on the floor, rolling a ball back and forth while explaining the current situation to Beau. Beau just laughed and clapped his hands. Tate rocked back on his heels sighing in exasperation. Violet cleared her throat, he tipped his head but didn't turn to look at her.
"Tate," She said, walking around to look at him. He sighed and stood up. He was a head taller than her.
"You're leaving?" He asked, he scoffed the toe of his shoe on the wood floorboards. Violet's entire body was buzzing, every nerve was begging to reach out and brush a loose blonde curl away from his eyes.
"Are you?" She asked back. Tate's dark eyes glittered, his eyebrows furrowed together.
"Violet… I need to explain something." He started. Violet gulped, knowing that now was the moment. Now was her decision yet again. "I didn't know that I was being possessed, now that I've realized it makes sense. I always had superficial excuses for hurting people and doing the bad things that I did. The reasons for hurting people weren't mine, but I still did it. I'm an angry messed up kid, I shot other students and raped your mom. That demon child was still my DNA even if it wasn't my spirit. Nothings really changed… I know you still can't forgive me." His face twisted in pain and self-loathing. His breathing was becoming more and more ragged as he finally recognized his sins and the truth. Violet loved him even more for that, her heart swelled in her chest, tears beading in her eyes as she looked up at him. She gently touched his arm, her fingertips gliding across his skin. He leaned lightly against her hand.
"I know that." She said. His face crumbled in pain and grief. "But," She quickly began to say. "if I'm going to stay here a little longer than I want to put the past behind me. I'm willing to forgive you Tate."
Tate stopped breathing. He stared at Violet, slowly absorbing the words she said. He grabbed both of her arms tightly and yanked her towards him. It hurt but Violet didn't mind as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head onto her shoulder. She could hear him taking deep breaths, holding back soft sobs of relief. She ran a hand through his blonde curls for the first time in three years. They pulled away to look at each other. The seconds felt electrified as they slowly leaned towards each other. They kissed long and slow, Violet felt the stars tip around her as a galaxy exploded behind her eyelids.
He'd waited as long as he had too, and finally they were together again ready to start anew.
I hope everyone loves this chapter as much as I loved writing it. If you get confused feel free to ask questions, a lot happens in one chapter! But I thought now was the best time to wrap up this story and let Violet and Tate finally have their happy ending. Thank you to everyone for reading this and commenting! Please send me suggestions if you have any short stories or anything you think I should write!
Thank you3