Sunlight slanted through the bedroom window, catching the glossy remnants of a mangled magazine scattered across the floor. Next to it lay a poster, torn from its place on the wall, its corners curled like fingers grasping at nothing. The bed sheets hung partially off the mattress, frozen in a state of disarray that mirrored the chaos about to unfold.
Madison burst into the room, her momentum carrying her toward the door as she swung it closed behind her—a futile attempt at creating a barrier between herself and what followed.
Grace's hand caught the edge before it could latch, forcing it back with enough strength to make it bounce against the wall. Sweat glistened on her forehead, catching the light like tiny jewels embedded in her flushed skin. She stormed in with the righteous fury of an avenging angel, Faith and Hope trailing in her wake like disciples.
Hope remained by the door, her posture betraying her reluctance. She stood with one foot angled toward the hallway, as if already planning her retreat. Grace and Faith advanced directly toward Madison, moving with synchronized purpose, their faces set with a determination that left no room for doubt or mercy.
Madison held her ground. She didn't flinch, didn't retreat. She stood in the center of her violated space, chin lifted in defiance.
Faith's hand moved in a practiced arc, flinging holy water from her fingers into Madison's face. The droplets clung to the girl's skin, tracing paths down her cheeks that mimicked tears she refused to shed. Madison wiped the water away with a dismissive swipe of her hand, shooing them off like annoying insects. She backed up until she felt the wall behind her, solid and unyielding.
"The Spirit says that in later times, some will abandon the faith to follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons," Grace intoned, her voice dropping into the cadence of practiced sermon.
Faith lunged forward, grabbing Madison's wrists and pinning them against the wall above her head. The girl's pulse hammered against Faith's fingers, a frantic drumbeat that only strengthened her resolve.
"Stop. What are you doing?!" Madison's voice cracked, the first sign that her bravado might be fracturing.
Grace strutted forward, her movement predatory. From her pocket, she produced a large cross, the metal catching the sunlight as she pressed it against Madison's chest with unmistakable force.
"Ow! That hurts!" Madison's eyes darted toward the door. "Hope, help me."
Hope stood frozen in the doorway, her face a study in conflicted loyalties. "I can't. I'm so sorry."
Madison began to cry then, deep, racking sobs that shook her entire body, choking her with their intensity. The sound cut through the room like a physical presence, but Grace remained unmoved.
"Don't be sorry, you're saving her life!" Grace's voice rose in fervor. "Now is the time of judgment. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out."
"You're insane!" Madison spat the words, then turned her gaze directly to Faith. The look contained equal parts betrayal and fury. "Faith, let me go."
Grace released the cross with one hand, keeping it pressed firmly against Madison's sternum with the other. Her free hand clamped over Madison's mouth, silencing her protests. Hope made a sound of distress from her position by the door, but one sharp glance from Grace was enough to silence her.
Madison attempted to bite the hand that covered her mouth, but Grace's palm was too large, her teeth merely scraping ineffectually against the flesh.
Faith's voice joined the chorus, steady and determined. "You are from God, and you can overcome darkness, for He, who is in you, is greater than he who is in the world."
Madison continued to struggle, tears streaming freely down her face now, but her movements were becoming less coordinated, her resistance weakening. She trembled with a mixture of rage and fear, her wide eyes quivering in their sockets as they darted between her three captors.
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world," Faith continued, her voice gaining strength. "And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith!"
Madison tried once more to fight back, but Grace's hold was unbreakable, her determination fueled by righteous conviction.
"Don't hurt her," Hope pleaded, her voice small in the charged atmosphere.
Faith's face contorted with a mixture of pain and resolve. "I rebuke you, Satan! Leave my daughter!!!"
"Devil, we rebuke you!!!" Grace's voice boomed in the small room, rattling the window glass.
"Lord, help us!" Hope's voice joined the cacophony, higher pitched and tremulous with fear.
Madison squirmed and twisted, her body jerking with increasing desperation, but she couldn't break free from the vise of Grace's hands. Hope began to cry, silent tears tracking down her cheeks as she watched the scene unfold.
Faith's voice rose to a fever pitch. "In the name of all that is holy, I demand you leave, evil spirits! Be gone with you, Beelzebub. You are not welcome here! I rebuke you!!!!"
Without warning, Grace released Madison. The sudden absence of restraint sent her crashing to the floor with a sound that seemed to shake the foundations of the house. Hope let out a screech that contained no words, just pure animal distress.
Faith leaned toward her daughter, concern momentarily overriding conviction. Her hands reached out, offering comfort that came too late.
"Get away from me!!!" Madison's voice was raw, scraped thin by screaming and terror.
Grace pulled Faith back, her fingers digging into Faith's arm with warning pressure. Faith looked at Grace, a wordless question passing between them. Grace shook her head, a subtle movement that carried the weight of command, and motioned toward the door.
Faith's eyes filled with tears, the moisture catching the light like the holy water she had flung minutes before. She stood on unsteady legs and followed Grace past Hope, out of the room, her steps heavy with the burden of what they had done—and what remained unfinished.
Hope lingered at the threshold, her gaze fixed on Madison's crumpled form. "Madis—"
"Get out!!!!" The girl's voice exploded from her like a physical force.
Hope retreated, backing out of the room. The last thing she saw before stepping fully into the hallway was Madison curling into a tight ball on the floor, her body heaving with sobs that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than her lungs.
Through the partially open door, Madison was visible on the floor, still curled into herself as if trying to disappear into a world of her own making. Her crying had taken on a rhythm now, less frantic but somehow more devastating in its steady, hopeless cadence.
Hope joined Grace and Faith in the hallway, her movements tentative, as if she were approaching wild animals. She looked first at Grace, whose face remained tight with anger—the kind of righteous fury that left no room for doubt or regret. Then her gaze shifted to Faith, who stood transfixed, staring at the door as if she could see through it to the daughter beyond.
A scream erupted from inside Madison's room, loud enough to make the walls seem to vibrate with its force. "I hate you!!!"
The words hung in the air like poison, seeping into Faith's heart with corrosive precision. She rocked on her heels, a subtle movement that betrayed the earthquake happening within her. Her eyes found Grace's face, seeking something—confirmation, absolution, direction. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her, because she nodded, a small gesture heavy with resolution.
In that moment, something hardened in Faith's expression—a door closing, a decision made. Whatever path they had started down, they would follow it to its end. Whatever it cost. Whatever they might lose along the way.
Chapter 22