Faith positioned the laptop in front of Madison, an offering of truth wrapped in cruelty. The screen flickered to life, displaying the frozen image of Richard—his face still captured in a moment of unguarded happiness. Faith's finger hovered over the play button, trembling slightly before pressing down.
"I love you," Richard's digital ghost said, eyes closing as he leaned forward, lips puckered for a kiss.
Madison's face remained impassive. "I already saw it. See, Dad used to be happy!"
Faith studied her daughter's face, searching for some crack in her composure, some acknowledgment of the betrayal about to unfold. Madison remained fixated on the screen, her expression unreadable in the blue-white glow of the laptop.
The camera angle shifted, revealing a young woman's face, her smile bright and conspiratorial as she filmed herself. Then, the kiss—casual, intimate, devastating.
Faith snapped the laptop shut with a force that made Madison flinch, removing the evidence as though that might erase the reality it represented.
"Now you know..." Faith's voice was tight, stretched thin across the jagged edges of her anger. "I loved your father, and he abandoned me... He abandoned us!"
Madison's face contorted, eyes widening. "You told me you left him because of his job!"
"I couldn't bear his infidelity any longer. He made his choi—"
You lied!” Madison's voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes.
"I was trying to protect you!"
Faith picked up the laptop and slammed it down. The laptop hit the floor with a sickening crack that echoed through the room like a gunshot. Madison recoiled, pulling against the restraints that kept her bound to the bed.
"You're crazy! You drove him away. I'd leave too…” Madison yanked at the cloth bindings, her wrists raw and red, "If I could!"
Grace pushed Faith aside, her broad shoulders filling the space between mother and daughter. "I warned your mother that if he left me for her, he would do it again. But, no, she didn't listen to me and stayed with him! She was a devoted wife and an incredible parent! Your father was a... was a..." Grace's face flushed crimson, the veins in her neck standing out like cords. "A prick!"
Grace turned to Faith, who stood frozen, hollowed out by the admission.
"There, I said it!" Grace's voice reverberated against the walls of the small bedroom.
Madison's gaze darted to Hope, who stood in the corner, partially obscured by shadow. Hope gave a small nod, an acknowledgment of some unseen truth passing between them. Madison's tears spilled over, grief giving way to white-hot anger.
"Let me go! You lying bit—!"
Grace stuffed the sock back into Madison's mouth, silencing her. She then pressed the crucifix against Madison's face with such force that the metal edges left imprints in her skin. Madison's scream was muffled by the gag, her body arching against the restraints as Grace began to recite from the Bible.
"Holy Lord, let your mighty hand cast Him out of your servant, so he may no longer hold captive, this person, whom it pleased you to make, in your—"
Faith lunged forward, pushing the crucifix away from Madison's face. "That's enough! You're hurting her. That's still my daughter!"
Grace's eyes flashed with righteous fury. "Not until we rid her of this demon!"
Madison thrashed against her bonds, her movements wild and desperate. Then, abruptly, she went still. Her eyes, suddenly lucid, found Faith's and held them, pleading silently.
Faith turned away, unable to bear the weight of her daughter's gaze. Grace's voice continued to fill the room, the words of the exorcism like stones dropping into a still pond, rippling outward.
"I command you to obey me to the letter, for I am a minister of God, despite my unworthiness. Nor shall you be emboldened to harm, in any way, this creature of God, or the bystanders, or any of their possessions. Amen."
Faith's "Amen" was barely audible, a whisper in the storm of chaos.
Hope's "Amen" followed, hollow and unconvincing.
Grace placed her hand on Madison's forehead, fingers splayed. Madison jerked away from the touch, spat out the sock that had been shoved in her mouth, and in one fluid motion, sank her teeth into the flesh of Grace's palm.
Grace howled, a sound more animal than human. "Ah, damn it! Release me, demon!"
Grace pulled at her captured hand, but Madison's jaw was locked tight, her teeth embedded in Grace's flesh. Blood welled from the wound, running in rivulets down Grace's wrist and staining Madison's chin crimson.
Faith and Hope rushed to Grace's side, panic evident in their jerky movements. Hope gripped Madison's forehead, pushing it back, while Faith tried to pry her daughter's mouth open. Madison's eyes rolled back, showing only the whites, and a guttural growl emanated from deep in her throat.
"Let her go, Maddy!" Faith's voice cracked with desperation.
Madison responded by biting down harder, her growl morphing into a snarl that seemed to come from somewhere beyond her, somewhere ancient and malevolent.
"Get her off me!" Grace's plea was shrill, her face contorted in pain.
Faith's fingers found their way into Madison's mouth, trying to create space between her daughter's teeth and Grace's flesh. Madison shook her head violently, taking Grace's hand with her. Grace's scream was primal, raw with agony.
"Madison!" Faith's voice held a note of authority that momentarily cut through the chaos.
Faith's fingers worked between Madison's teeth, forcing them apart. Grace yanked her hand free, and blood sprayed across the room, spattering the walls, the bedding, their faces. Madison spit out a mouthful of blood, her eyes wild, unfocused.
"I'll never forgive you. Any of you!" Madison's voice was thick with blood and rage. "When I get out of this, promise, I'm going to—!"
Grace shoved the sock back into Madison's mouth with her uninjured hand, cutting off the threat. "We need a better gag! Anything!"
Madison's muffled screams filled the room as Hope pretended to search, while Faith and Grace frantically looked around for something more effective.
Grace grabbed the lamp from the bedside table, her knuckles white around the base. "Let's just knock her out!"
"Grace!" Faith's voice held a warning.
Grace reluctantly set the lamp down and resumed her search.
"Here. Here!" Faith had found a scarf, a length of patterned silk that had once been a gift from Richard.
Grace snatched it from Faith's hand and rushed back to Madison's side. She removed the sock from Madison's mouth, leaving her momentarily ungagged. Madison screeched and snapped at Grace's fingers like a rabid animal.
"Help me!" Grace demanded, her voice high with panic.
Hope reluctantly held Madison's head, her touch gentle despite the situation. "Please don't bite me."
"If I wasn't tied down I'd—" Madison began, her voice raw and guttural.
Grace quickly wrapped the scarf around Madison's head, cutting off her words.
"—uk ew uf!" Madison's threat was unintelligible through the gag, but her eyes conveyed the message clearly enough.
"Lay your hands on her!" Grace commanded, her voice taking on the cadence of a revival preacher.
Faith and Hope complied, placing their hands on Madison's shoulders, her arms, her legs. Madison's eyes widened in pain or fear—perhaps both—as she strained against the restraints.
Grace flipped frantically through the Bible, found her place, and placed one hand on Madison's forehead. "They shall lay their hands upon the sick and all will be well with them. May the Lord show you favor and mercy."
What happened next unfolded with the inexorable logic of a nightmare. Madison's hand, somehow worked free from its restraint, swung wildly and connected with Grace's nose. Blood erupted from Grace's nostrils as she toppled backward, her head striking the corner of the bedside table with a sickening thud. She collapsed to the floor, motionless.
In the commotion, a candle fell from the bedside table, rolling onto the mattress. The comforter caught fire instantaneously, flames licking upward, hungry and eager. Madison flailed wildly, trying to escape the advancing inferno.
Grace stirred, clutching her head as she struggled to her feet. Blood seeped between her fingers, a stark red against her pale skin.
Madison screamed as the fire engulfed her side. She swatted at the flames, but the burning material clung to her arm, searing her flesh with relentless intensity.
Suddenly, water cascaded down, dousing the flames. Hope stood over Madison, an overturned bowl in her trembling hands, her face streaked with tears. Madison lay still, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the angry red burns on her arm.
Grace lunged forward, seizing Madison's free hand and forcing it back against the bedpost. Madison's scream was like nothing Faith had ever heard before—not anger, not fear, but pure, undiluted agony.
"Help me!" Grace barked, her voice authoritative despite the blood streaming down her face.
Madison fought with renewed strength, twisting and bucking against the restraints.
"Grace, you're bleeding. We should treat that—" Hope's voice was barely audible over Madison's muffled screams.
"Doesn't matter right now! We have to finish this!" Grace's eyes were wild, her face slick with sweat and blood.
Hope stood frozen, her expression a mixture of horror and disbelief.
"Grab her arm!" Grace commanded.
Faith moved without thinking, gripping Madison's arm as Grace released it to shove the scarf deeper into Madison's mouth. Madison gagged, her face turning an alarming shade of red.
Hope reached for the scarf, her eyes wide with concern. "Oh God!"
For a moment, hope flickered across Madison's face, only to be extinguished as Hope merely readjusted the gag, leaving it firmly in place.
"She was gagging!" Hope's voice was defensive, pleading.
Madison growled, the sound rumbling deep in her chest as Grace tightly knotted the scarf. Hope backed away from the bed, her hands raised as if in surrender. "I can't. I just can't." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Grace struggled with Madison, who continued to thrash with supernatural strength. Faith looked at Hope, silently begging her to stay, to help.
"Hope!" Grace's voice cracked with desperation.
Hope dropped her head in resignation and moved back to the bed, helping Faith secure Madison's arm against the post. Madison's growl became something inhuman, a sound that seemed to come from the depths of hell itself.
Grace looped the ripped bed sheet around Madison's wrist, securing it with a knot that would have made a sailor proud.
Faith released Madison and took a step back, her legs threatening to give way beneath her. Hope quickly embraced her, steadying her, the two women drawing strength from each other.
Grace opened the Bible once more, her hands leaving bloody fingerprints on the thin pages. The room fell silent except for Madison's muffled screams and the rustle of pages as Grace searched for the right passage.
Chapter 32