The temperature plummeted so suddenly Faith’s breath materialized in front of her face, huge clouds of vapor that dissipated into the chaos surrounding them.
Madison dropped to her knees, her movements no longer human but feral, desperate. She clawed at her skin, and slapped her face with enough force to leave angry red marks.
"You're not going to take my baby!" Faith's voice cracked with maternal fury.
The mattress smoked and smoldered beneath Madison, small flames licking at the fabric. Faith advanced toward the bed, sweat pouring down her face despite the unnatural cold. Her determination was palpable, a physical force that seemed to push back against the darkness filling the room.
"Thanks be to the merciful heart of our God! His dawning light will shine upon those who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the path of peace."
The broken desk suddenly lurched upward as if gripped by invisible hands, smashing against the ceiling with enough force to crack the plaster before crashing back down to the floor. The impact shook the foundations of the house.
"Glory be to the Father. The Lord be with you. Grant that we—"
Insects materialized from nowhere, swarming the room in thick, undulating clouds. Fragments of the shattered desk and dresser launched themselves at Faith like projectiles. Some struck her body with audible thuds, while others whistled past her head and slammed into the wall behind her.
"—who now know you by faith—"
It was as if the room itself had declared war. Glass shards, torn posters, and magazines swirled in a tornado-like frenzy, slashing at Faith's exposed skin, drawing thin lines of red that bloomed like strange flowers. Yet she remained standing, her voice unwavering.
"—may finally behold you in—"
The lamp flew into the air like some demented bird, its cord whipping at Faith's legs, leaving welts that would later bloom into bruises.
"—your heavenly majesty. Unless—"
The pens embedded in Hope's neck trembled and rattled, as if eager to join the assault.
"—one keeps this faith whole and untarnished—"
The crucifix impaled in the floor began to vibrate, its metal growing red hot, glowing like a coal pulled from a forge.
"—without doubt... they will perish forever."
Faith stood firm as the overhead light and bathroom light flickered wildly. Suddenly, the bathroom light exploded in a shower of glass and sparks, flashing bright against the dark. She didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink.
Madison huffed and panted as she continued to claw at herself, leaving bloody furrows in her skin.
Three more knocks at the front door reverberated through the house, each one like the tolling of a bell.
The overhead light blinked in an erratic pattern, like some demented Morse code.
Faith's gaze never wavered from Madison as she held the Bible with one hand and crawled onto the smoldering mattress. Smoke rose from her palm where it touched the hot fabric, the smell of burning flesh mixing with the acrid scent already pervading the room. Still, she pushed forward.
"God, please hear me."
One by one, the heads of the stuffed animals arranged around the room popped off with soft, wet sounds, as if decapitated by invisible blades.
Madison repositioned herself into a predatory squat, her gaze locked on Faith with murderous intent.
The mattress around Madison erupted in flames, a ring of fire that illuminated her twisted features in flickering orange light.
Faith met Madison's gaze with equal conviction.
"Whoever, then, wills to be saved, must assent to this doctrine.”
The plywood covering the windows repeatedly pulled back from the house, allowing beams of light to briefly illuminate the bed before slamming back with violent force.
Faith rose to her knees, her eyes never leaving Madison, who was now engulfed in a cloud of smoke and fire, crouched and ready to spring.
"And those who have done good shall enter into everlasting life, but those who have done evil, into everlasting fire."
Faith stood tall on the mattress, towering over Madison despite her diminutive height. Gray ooze dripped from Madison's eyes, nose, and mouth as she stared up at Faith with undisguised hatred.
The overhead light burst in a shower of sparks that rained down over Faith like a perverse baptism.
"Almighty God, I beg you to keep the evil spirit from further molesting this servant of yours. Banish him far away, never to return!"
Madison maintained eye contact with Faith as she suddenly shot upward, hovering in mid-air, suspended by nothing but malevolence.
From the other side of the house, the front door exploded inward with a sharp, splintering crack that thundered through the walls like a gunshot.
Every object in the room—the broken furniture, the torn books, the decapitated toys—levitated into the air, hanging suspended like planets in a demented solar system.
An inhuman roar emanated from Madison, the sound so powerful it was almost visible, a wave of malice that struck Faith with physical force.
The room blurred as a violent tremor overtook everything within it. The walls, the floor, the ceiling—all trembled as if the house itself was trying to tear itself apart.
Faith instinctively covered her ears, but her gaze remained fixed on Madison, unwavering in its intensity.
The plywood ripped away from the house with a sound like splintering bone, and a solid beam of sunlight shot through the window into the room, steady and unyielding. Then, the violent tremor stopped, leaving only the heavy thrum of silence.
In an instant, all the levitating objects plummeted to the ground, crashing down in a cacophony of destruction. Faith buckled, curling into a fetal position next to Madison as the insects vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. The fire sputtered out, and the cross cooled, its glow fading into dull metal.
The acoustics of the room returned to normal. The otherworldly echo that had distorted every sound was gone.
Silence fell, so profound it felt like a physical presence. Everything was still.
Faith startled awake as if emerging from a trance.
She turned to find Madison beside her, eyes clouded with confusion as she looked up. “Wha… what… what happened?” Her voice was small, fragile—human.
Madison attempted to move but froze, wincing as pain shot through her entire body. “Why is my everything so sore!?" Madison's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes.
"Madison!" Faith embraced her, careful but desperate for contact, for confirmation that Madison—the real Madison—had returned.
Despite the pain, Madison allowed herself to be held. "What... I...?"
"Oh, Maddy!" Faith's voice broke with emotion.
Madison pulled away, her face contorting with pain. "Ouch."
"Sorry, I..." Faith couldn't continue, overcome with emotion.
“You’re so upset. What happened?" Madison's eyes were clear now, confused but present.
"All that matters is, you're back." Faith pulled away, offering a reassuring smile as she made the sign of the cross over Madison's bewildered face. She reached into her pocket.
"Back from...?" Madison began.
Three rapid, hard bangs rattled the door. "Police! We're comin’ in!" Sheriff Jasik’s voice cut through the wood, sharp and certain.
Whatever explanation Faith offered wouldn’t account for the bodies, the destruction, the impossibility of what had happened in that room. And no one would believe it anyway.
But as Madison’s eyes—innocent, confused, and empty of the darkness they had carried—met Faith’s, it became clear that even amidst the devastating loss of those she loved, the miracle of her daughter's return was the one light she would cling to in the darkness to come.
Chapter 38