Twilight enveloped the Lambert house in a grayish mantle, the windows reflecting a sky that seemed to hold its breath. Cassian parked the Jeep in front of the entrance, his crucifix glowing under the dim porch light as he helped Susie out, her backpack trembling in her hands. Elise, Specs, and Tucker followed, carrying equipment in backpacks and briefcases, their faces tense with the knowledge of what awaited them. Inside, Renai and Josh Lambert waited in the living room, surrounded by disordered furniture from their hasty move, while Lorraine, Josh's mother, held a teacup with trembling hands. Dalton lay in a room at the back, his motionless body on an improvised bed, his breathing barely audible.
Renai stood as they entered, her eyes red and her voice broken.
"Thank you for coming. I don't know what else to do… the noises won't stop, not even here. I thought moving would stop it, but it didn't. Dalton isn't getting better, and I… see things, shadows I can't explain."
Cassian set his bag on the floor, his tone firm but compassionate.
"I'm Cassian, this is Susie. Elise called me, and we're here to help. Tell me everything, Renai—every detail you remember."
Renai sat again, rubbing her hands nervously.
"It started at the old house. One night, Dalton went up to the attic, said he heard something. He fell, and the next day, he didn't wake up. The doctors found nothing, but afterward… I heard footsteps, laughter that wasn't from my kids. Once, I saw someone in the hallway, tall and dark, but when I turned on the light, no one was there. Moving here didn't change anything. Last night, I heard a thud in the kitchen, and the dishes were shattered on the floor."
Josh, sitting beside her, frowned, his voice laced with skepticism.
"I don't hear as much as she does, but I did feel something strange. Once, in Dalton's room, the air turned cold, like someone was breathing behind me. I thought it was my imagination, but… I don't know."
Lorraine set the cup on the table, her dark eyes meeting Elise's.
"I saw it, Elise. I dreamed it last night, and it wasn't just a dream. I was in this house, in Dalton's room. There was a tall, black entity, with claws instead of hands and hooves that echoed on the floor. It looked at me and said it wanted Dalton. Then I looked at Josh, and behind him… a red face, bright, with empty eyes. I woke up screaming."
Elise moved closer, sitting across from Lorraine, her tone grave.
"What you saw wasn't just a dream, Lorraine. It's real, and it's here. Dalton isn't in a coma—he's trapped in the astral plane, a dark realm where lost souls and demons wander. That red-faced demon has him, and it won't let go easily."
Susie, trembling next to Cassian, looked up, her voice barely a whisper.
"Cassian, I see it… it's there."
Everyone turned toward where she pointed, a shadowy corner near the stairs, but nothing was visible. Cassian stepped in front of Susie, his hand on the crucifix.
"Describe it, Susie. What do you see?"
"It's… tall," she said, her eyes fixed on the void. "It has a red face, like it's painted, with small horns and deep black eyes, like pits. It's staring at me, Cassian—it doesn't blink. It has long claws, and… it's smiling, but it's not a good smile."
Elise paled, exchanging a glance with Cassian.
"It's him, the demon I saw in Specs' photos. It's here, watching us."
Josh stood, his voice rising.
"What the hell are you saying? A demon? Is this some kind of joke? Dalton is sick, not trapped by something out of fairy tales."
Cassian fixed him with a piercing gaze, his imposing presence silencing him.
"It's not a fairy tale, Josh. I've faced things like this before, and so has Elise. Your son has the gift of astral projection—he leaves his body when he sleeps, and this time, something trapped him in the astral plane. That red-faced demon isn't an illusion, and if we don't stop it, it won't just take Dalton."
Before Josh could respond, the floor trembled beneath their feet, a low rumble echoing from Dalton's room. Renai screamed, running toward the hallway, and everyone followed. The door to the room was slightly ajar, and inside, chaos reigned: Dalton's bed was twisted, the torn curtains hung in tatters, and a mirror on the wall was split in two. Cassian entered first, raising his crucifix and reciting forcefully:
"Domine, protege nos ab inimicis!"
The air calmed, but a faint echo of low laughter reverberated through the walls, freezing everyone's blood. Susie clung to Cassian's arm, tears filling her eyes.
"I felt it, Cassian… it's angry, but it left. I saw something else, in my head: Dalton, chained in a cage of fire, screaming for help. He's so scared…"
Renai sobbed, falling to her knees beside Dalton's bed, touching his motionless face.
"My baby! What is it doing to him? Elise, please, tell me how to bring him back."
Elise knelt beside her, her voice steady but trembling.
"We'll bring him back, Renai, I promise. But we need Josh. He has the gift too—he suppressed it as a child out of fear. Lorraine, tell them what you know."
Lorraine swallowed, looking at her son with pain.
"Josh, when you were little, the same thing happened to you. You'd wake up screaming, saying you saw an old woman in your room, a woman dressed in black with a wrinkled face. She followed you, and I… started seeing her in your photos, always behind you. I called Elise then, and she stopped it, but we never told you everything."
Josh paled, taking a step back.
"What? That old woman? I remember the dreams, but I thought they were nightmares. Are you telling me it was real?"
Cassian interjected, his tone sharp.
"It was real, Josh, and it's still here. The Black Woman is linked to this demon—I feel it in the air. She might be its servant, opening doors for it. If you projected as a child, you can do it now and pull Dalton out."
Josh shook his head, his voice trembling.
"I don't know how… I'm not even sure I believe all this yet."
Susie stepped forward, her voice small but determined.
"I saw it, Josh. The red-faced demon… it's with Dalton, and it won't let him go unless someone brings him back. If Cassian says you can do it, you have to try."
Cassian nodded, pulling a jar of salt and another of holy blood from his bag.
"I won't force you, Josh, but there's no time. Here's what I propose: while Elise guides you into the astral plane, I'll perform a ritual here, in the physical world, to weaken that demon. Salt and holy blood, a protective circle. Susie will help me—she sees what we can't. What do you say?"
Renai looked at him, pleading.
"Please, Josh. It's our son."
Josh took a deep breath, closing his eyes before nodding.
"Alright… I'll do it. But if this goes wrong, I don't know what I'll tell everyone."
Elise placed a hand on his shoulder, her gaze firm.
"It won't go wrong, Josh. I'll guide you, and Cassian will keep this side safe."
But as Specs and Tucker set up their equipment in Dalton's room, Susie whispered to Cassian, her voice barely audible over the lingering echo of the earlier commotion.
"Cassian, I saw more in the vision… the cage of fire had blood on the chains, and something bigger was watching from the shadows, something that wasn't the red-faced demon. It scared me more than anything else."
Cassian tightened his grip on his dagger, his face darkening.
"Stay close, Susie. This isn't just a demon… there's something worse behind it, and we'll face it together."
The air in Lorraine's house grew heavier, the shadows stretching like invisible fingers, and terror loomed over everyone—a harbinger of the battle that had only just begun.