Benji stood outside the same house from ten years ago with his overcoat fluttering in the wind. There was a gentle mist hanging about the area and it seemed entirely too peaceful for a place of such evil.
"Are you ready for this?" Flo, the local sheriff, asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He moved to the police truck they used and ripped the cover off of the bed. "Do we have everything?"
"I don't know." Flo moved to stand beside him. "You're the one with all the stuff. If you ask me all we need is a twenty gauge." She pulled her police issued shotgun from its gun rack.
"That won't even slow this demon down." Benji pulled forward a long, old case made out of dark wood. "This, however, might turn the tide."
Flo just shrugged. "You're the exorcist here. All I want is for this stupid building to stop terrorizing my town."
Benji hefted the trunk over his shoulder with a grim smile. "Believe me, this all ends tonight."
He led the way to the front door and was plagued with memories. "I'll save you Emily." He'd promised that to himself every day for the past ten years. Now he was finally prepared to end this.
"Excuse me." Flo moved forward, pumped her shotgun, and kicked in the door. The entire house groaned like it could feel the kick, which definitely didn't ease the sheriff's nerves.
Benji entered the foyer slowly, his hand fingering the three vials of holy water he kept on his belt. Experience had proven that holy items should be kept at the ready. "We should start in the dining room. If there's nothing there then we'll check the other rooms."
"Thought you said whatever this is was in the basement." Flo kept a watchful eye as they moved through the building.
"I don't actually know what's in the basement." Benji admitted. "The video we found focused on the attic but i suspect that was just where the cult performed their ritual. The true is beneath us and in order to keep it there I want to sanctify the first floor."
Flo shrugged, it seemed fair enough. She was by no means an expert in the paranormal but she was willing to try anything. The Nicholson Estate had a history going back to the 1920s and none of it was pleasant. Murders, suicides, fires, basically you name and it probably happened in that house. If she could finally close the book on this place then maybe, just maybe, bring a little peace.
They made it to the dining room. It looked exactly as it did the last time Benji had been here, covered in dust and with the faint smell of burning flesh hanging in the air. He put the case he was caring down on the table, flipped the latches and opened the lid.
Flo let out a low whistle. "Damn, I thought priests were supposed to be pacifists."
Benji smiled as he pulled out the five foot long spear from its container. "Usually we are. But for special circumstances we make exceptions."
The pointed head of the spear started to glow with a faint white light. Flo raised an eyebrow, "Is it supposed to do that?"
Benji nodded. "It glows when demons are nearby."
"What, like in Lord of the Rings?" Flo still looked skeptical but her question made Benji smile.
"Yes actually," He moved the spear around, getting used to the weight. "Tolkien was obsessed with ancient relics, King Arthur in particular."
He slammed the spear onto the ground and the dust in the room blew down the hallways and out the windows. The house, which had been creaking and groaning, suddenly went silent.
"Whoa," Flo stared wide eyed at Benji. "You think I can borrow that sometime. I hate dusting."
The joke actually made Benji laugh, something he rarely did anymore. "You haven't seen anything yet."
They spent the next thirty minutes going to each room on the first floor. Benji performed the necessary rites, sprinkling his holy water and saying some prayers. Soon enough Benji declared it was time to head to the basement.
Finding the door was easy, which surprised Benji. He knew the entity they were dealing with could control the house itself, making the hallways longer or confusing people's minds to go where the it wanted. The fact that the basement door was so easy to find made him think that there might be another factor in play. Like the voice he heard all those years ago or the woman Emily had seen.
Benji reached out his hand and grasped the doorknob. It felt cold, almost icy, and as he pulled the door open the hinges shrieked in protest. A black void stared at him from the doorway.
"Well," Flo said from behind him. She flicked the safety of her shotgun and held it at the ready. "Are we going in or not?"
"It might be better if you stayed up here." Benji thrust the spear into the gloom, the light from the tip shone out to illuminate the basement.
"No way." Flo said, "I don't leave people behind."
They shared a look and Benji smiled. "Okay then." He tossed her a small crucifix. "A little extra protection never hurt anyone."
With that, they entered the basement.
Benji led the way, using his spear to light up the stairwell. Strangely the most disturbing thing wasn't the darkness, but the silence. Even their footfalls on the wooden steps seemed dampened. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they were met with the stone floor of the basement. The room itself wasn't that large, about the size of a basketball court. Benji slammed the butt of his spear down again, causing it to shine a little brighter and reveal what lay in wait for them.
In the center of the floor was a pentagram, a cliche that Benji was expecting. The symbol was a distraction, meant to scare and distract less experienced exorcists. But Benji knew that the demon had already crossed over to Earth, making the pentagram meaningless. No, the way to defeat this evil was to destroy its vessel, Chloe Beale.
The door at the top of the stairs slammed shut and a laugh echoed through the cold stones.
"Benji?" Flo asked nervously.
"It's coming." Benji readied his weapon, eyes scanning around the room with his other senses on high alert.
The laugh came again. "I was wondering when they would send someone." The red headed woman from the video, Chloe Beale, appeared at the other end of the room. "And look, it's that silly little boy that ran away all those years ago."
"I'm not a boy anymore." Benji glared at the demon, his spear shining bright as the monster took a step forward. "Your time is over."
"Please," Chloe held out her hands. Her fingernails grew into long, horrid claws. Her skin pulled tight across her body, making her look like a hag. And her bright red hair turned black, like oil. "And why should I fear you?"
"Because I'm done being a coward." Benji felt the weight he'd been carrying for years lifted from his shoulders. Finally he could face the monster that killed his friends.
"Oh?" Chloe rushed forward faster than he could blink, her claws wrapping around his neck. "Good luck with that."
But before the demon could do anything an explosive shot rang through the basement. Chloe was sent flying and Flo pumped her shotgun. "Enough with the word play!" Flo shouted. "Get your head in the game Benji!"
Benji took her words to heart. He muttered a line in Latin before really bearing down on the demon. The world seemed to slow down and Benji rushed across the room faster than any human could. He lashed out with the spear and managed to graze the demon's neck.
Chloe screamed in pain as the cut started to smoke. Benji kept up his advantage, swinging the spear in a wide arc and managed to get another cut on the demon's thigh.
The demon backed off, just in time to get hit by another shotgun blast. Benji had gone over the plan with Flo before they came to the house. She was to act as backup, watching Benji's back so that he could focus on killing the thing. Unfortunately, her shotgun wasn't even making a dent, at best it was a minor annoyance. But it was enough of a distraction for Benji to get in close. He threw a punch into Chloe's gut that sent her flying into the concrete wall with enough force to crack it.
Benji took a step towards the monster but faltered. He sank to one knee and tried to catch his breath.
"You okay?" Flo ran to his side while keeping her gun on the demon.
"I'll be fine." Benji stood back up but it looked like his skin was smoking. "But we have to finish this quickly. Even using the spear briefly can be...tiring."
"Then stop playing around and finish that thing off." Flo said, redirecting their attention to the demon.
Chloe was getting back up as well. She cracked her neck and smiled an evil grin. "Now this is fun! But you're getting in my way." She launched herself forward with blinding speed.
Benji grimaced before slamming the spear on the ground again. "You shall not pass." A protective bubble formed around the pair and Chloe bounced off it almost comically.
"Really?" Flo rolled her eyes.
"You're the one that put it in my head." Benji swung his spear and the bubble turned into a streak of line that flashed across the room.
"AH!" The light cut through Chloe's arm, serving the limb and incinerating the flesh.
"You truly are scum." Benji walked forward. "You prey on the weak. Manipulate the greedy and idiotic. But the second you face a worthy opponent you crumble."
Chloe scrambled away from Benji, clutching the severed limb as she crawled around on the floor. She managed to stand up and leap for the ceiling. Only to smash herself against the wooden floorboards. "No!"
"And when you face your imminent destruction you try to flee." Benji hefted the spear over his shoulder and threw it with all his might. It sailed across the room and pierced the demon's chest, pinning it to the wall. Chloe screamed as Benji knelt in front of her. "You've tortured this soul for almost twenty years. It's time to let her rest." He placed his hand on Chloe's head, said a prayer, and stepped back.
Chloe looked up at Benji, her eyes returning to their natural blue. She smiled before her body started to glow and turn into orbs of light.
"The innocent should never pay for the sins of the wicked." Benji stood and crossed himself. "May you rest in peace."
There was a shriek from the center of the room. Benji pried his spear from the wall and turned around. A dark mist was forming in the air above them, circling around Flo.
"I don't think so." He held up the spear and the light shone brightly. "Go back to whence you came!" The light kept shining brighter and brighter until the entire room was covered in light.
When the light finally died they were back outside...and the entire house was gone.
"Are you all right?" Benji helped Flo to her feet.
Flo nodded her head. "What happened?"
Benji held up his spear, which was smocking. "Gave it everything I had."
"Thank you." They looked to see a short woman with brown hair. Behind her was a collection of ghosts, and standing next to her were Chloe and Emily. Emily floated forward and gave Benji a hug, which was strange...since she was a ghost.
Before Benji could respond they all disappeared, fading into the morning light.