He did not want to spend any more time than needed. Matt honked again. Hearing Emmy call out, he stuck his head out of the window and looked back towards the house. Jean came bounding out the door, swinging her rag doll and wearing a small, colorful backpack. Emmy was beside Gina, encumbered. Matt stepped out of the vehicle to help. “There’s still a suitcase upstairs.” Emmy said when Matt held out his hands to take the bags from her. “Where?” “Just at the top of the stairs.” Matt put the bags down and retrieved the suitcase. Gina and Emmy were barely out the door when he came down with the suitcase. When there was enough space for him to pass, Matt squeezed through and dumped the bags and suitcase in the back of the truck. “Jean honey, why don’t you help your sister on the other side huh?” “Mommy’s already helping.” “Yeah, but she needs it.” Matt explained, smiling at the little girl. “Plus, she helps you when you need it.” When Jean turned around to help her sister, Matt opene
“Are you sure about this, son?” The elderly voice at the other end of the line asked. “I have my doubts, Father. It’s like what Jon said, a perfect storm of paranormal phenomena.” “I can’t blame him. Even I, am having difficulty grasping this. What does your gut say?” “That something is wrong. I cannot say if it’s because it’s real or because I might be going into one of those elaborate prank shows.” “Worst that could happen is if it turns out it’s indeed a set up. Hmmm.” The priest paused. “Well, you are a private citizen. You can always use that and threaten to sue if footage is released.” “If it is a prank, or a hidden camera kind of thing, I don’t get what they’ll get out of it. I mean, we don’t ask for payment. Then again, people get paid to do stupid things nowadays.” “I heard about that. Like that YouTube thing that this confidant of yours is doing.” “Makes it worse, really. Where before, people just do it for fun, or boredom, now they have an incentive.” “First sign tha
The silence in the living room made it even eerier. Once they were inside and no further attacks happened, the children started asking questions. Emmy almost lashed at the children. To Jean especially, whose questions kept coming. It had grown silent after that. To him, the only consolation to find after what happened was that none of the children saw the figure. That’s what he concluded after listening to their questions. Only him and his wife. Matt pitied the children. If he was having a hard time making sense of anything, the children would definitely be lost. He did not fault Emmy for almost losing it with Jean. He understood. The children’s incessant questions, after their initial terror, was also understandable. Now, everyone was silent. Instead of finding comfort in each other’s presence, each one was forced to deal with it in their own way. Jean played in the mess. She found scattered debris and used them as props for her make believe show. Gina got tired of sitting down on
There was a persistent ringing in his ears. He groaned then got up. As soon as he was seated, Cain looked around to check, noticing that he was in unfamiliar surroundings. He had been lying in a mat on the floor. When he heard people stirring, he remembered where he was. He remembered the intense pressure and crippling pain in his head as he wondered why Jon fell. “Jon?” He called out. “He’s… still out.” A man replied as he came into view. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine Matt. Where’s Jon?” “He’s behind the sofa. What happened to you guys?” “I’m not sure. I remember feeling like my head was being crushed.” “The both of you just passed out on us.” “Matt?” Cain asked, getting up, noting the coffee stains on his clothes. “Yeah?” “I think it’s time you stopped pretending like you have any control on this.” Matt’s face searched Cain’s, looking for an explanation. “What do you mean.” “I, we, didn’t just pass out, did we? I saw your faces Matt. You were ready to grab your wife and b
He scanned the street as he exited the bungalow. He wondered briefly if all the houses in the area had the same layout. The facades all looked the same to him. Satisfied that no one was watching, he quickly got into the driver’s seat. He did not need to scan the street. He never did. His anchors always told him. Recent events made him wary. The encounter with the veteran, whom he could read nothing from, was primarily the reason. He opened the large envelope and inspected the contents. At least he was worth it. Placing the three counterfeit passports back inside, he started the car. All the passports had release dates dating a year back, complete with stamps of supposed travels. The passports were Colombian, Thai, and Filipino. He considered each one as his next destination. Now that he got what he came for, he could fly anywhere he wanted. Where to, where to? He asked himself as he waited for the light to turn green. The events of the past days hung heavily on him. He was bummed
The unfamiliar surroundings made him bolt upright. He immediately groaned in pain. Jon’s headache flared with the sudden movement. Emmy’s approach reminded him where he was. “You alright?” “Yeah. Just a headache. What happened?” “You fainted. Your friend too.” Emmy answered. “Uh. What?” “Yeah. Seeing as you did not get to drink your coffee, would you some tea? Dinner should be ready soon and ma-” “Sorry, hang on. Back up a little bit. We fainted? Cain fainted?” Emmy nodded at him. His face became a picture of confusion. Jon has never fainted his whole life. Assuming it had something to do with the reason why they were there, Cain was the last person he would expect to faint. “Yeah I… I think I’d like that tea.” He said, getting up. “And some pain relievers if you have… still have them.” “I’ll have Matt check. I think we have some stashed somewhere. Sugar? Milk?” “Just tea ma’am. Thank you.” “Please. You guys came all the way here to help us. Just call me Emmy.” “Thank you,
Father Anton Ramirez wasted no time constructing his arguments. He needed to. He was going to speak with the Bishop after all. The church did not take lightly, any lapses in protocol, especially for the IAE. There’s been so many controversies regarding the church’s approach to suspected paranormal events in the past that the Vatican itself welcomed the founding of the organization within its ranks. It was even more pleased to approve the strict rules and code of conduct. He wished he did not have to do it but Cain was right. It was no more than a gut feeling in the beginning but based on what he was told, he agreed with Cain’s assessment. Better to err on the side of caution. If it were just an elaborate show, Cain would be done in a matter of hours and that was it. The person who spoke to Cain might have been exaggerating. In his experience, people often do. Like they had a need to make their stories more believable. There was and still is a stigma attached to such events but instea
“What was that, babe?”He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Emmy’s voice. Lost in his thoughts, Matt did not hear her approach. Her face told him of her feelings about the state of the first floor. Just like him, she did not pursue it. She asked him directly what he found out.The look on Emmy’s face as Matt related what he found, as he scrubbed through the video, changed almost as fast as the events onscreen. She held on to her husband’s arm while she watched. Matt played the video in standard speed and narrated what he had discovered or think he found for each section. Even the discomfort of his muscles as she tightened her grip did not sway him from telling Emmy the details. She asked to see the last part of the video again before she spoke.“What do you, I mean, just tell me frankly, what do you remember during the last part?”“I… I remember getting thrown around. Pinned to the wall. I think when we got thrown to the bed I was already out.”“Nothing else?”“Nothing else.