Requiem

The family sat in the room in silence. Shinobu finished wiping her tears and threw away the tissue.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Mark.

"The only thing we can do," said Gertha. "Get a priest to come exorcise the demon possessing Emma."

"Easy for you to say," said Shinobu. "It's not your daughter whose possessed."

"You think this is easy for me!" said Gertha. "That's my granddaughter who could potentially get her soul stolen by a demon!"

"Stop fighting!" yelled Mark. "Emma needs us we have to act now!"

"Mark's right," said Will. "We're a family we need to work together to save Emma."

"There's no time to lose," said Gertha. "Will take me into town you know exactly who I'm looking for."

"Father Bruno," stated Will. 

"Exactly, now chop chop we haven't got much time," said Gertha. 

"Don't worry dad," said Mark. "I'll take care of mom."

"Thank you Mark, I love you," said Will. "Shinobu we're leaving I love you."

"I love you too," said Shinobu, softly. 

Will and Gertha left the house and headed into town. They went to The World's Saint Baptist Church and went inside. Will rolled his mother inside the church and they saw a fifty year old man praying in front of the cross in the church. Will rolled his mother up about six feet behind him and waited for him to finish praying. The man finished praying and stood up.

"Father Bruno," said Gertha.

Bruno recognized the voice and turned around. 

"Well if it isn't my old friend Gertha," said Bruno. "Have you come to seek salvation?"

"In a way, yes I have," said Gertha. "My granddaughter is possessed and needs an exorcism."

"That is a tragic fate for a young soul," said Bruno. "But unfortunately I gave up that life if hunting demons years ago."

"Please Father Bruno," begged Will. "I beg of you please save my daughter, I don't my family to be torn apart." 

"If I remember correctly," said Gertha. "You owe my husband a debt do you not, this can be your way of finally paying it off." 

Bruno stood there and pondered for a moment. He put his right hand on his chin. 

"Your husband was a great man and my best friend," said Bruno. "I suppose helping out his descendants is worth coming out of retirement for."

"Thank you so much!" said Will.

"Thank you," said Gertha. 

"Your welcome," said Bruno. "Wait here I'll go get my supplies."

Bruno went and got his supplies. After that they all left the church and headed back to Will's house. Meanwhile over there Mark was trying to comfort his mother who was currently curled up in a ball in front of the couch. Mark went over to her and gave her a hug.

"Thank you sweetie," said Shinobu. 

"Everything is going to be alright mom," said Mark. "We will save Emma."

"I really hope so," said Shinobu. "The thought of losing my daughter, I can't imagine."

"She will be saved," said Mark. "You just have to believe."

"My own son is giving me a pep talk," said Shinobu. "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"It's okay mom," said Mark. "I know you have good intentions."

"Why did you carry the radio around with you anyway?" asked Shinobu.

"I did it to protect Emma, so that something wouldn't get her," said Mark. "Looks like I didn't do good enough."

"Your are good enough, don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise," said Shinobu. "You are also a great big brother, I'm sure Emma would agree."

"I think she would," said Mark. 

Just the everyone else barged in the door. Father Bruno was the first to enter, followed by Gertha and Will. 

"You must be Mrs. Stars," said Bruno. "Greetings, I am Father Bruno."

"G-greetings," said Shinobu.

"Are you here to save my sister?" asked Mark. 

"Yes I am!" said Bruno. "I am here to save you sister from the clutches of evil dear boy."

"He seems quite the character," thought Mark.

"Now, where is the room with the child in it?" asked Bruno

"She's upstairs in her bedroom," said Shinobu, pointing at the stairs.

"Very well," said Bruno. "Let us move."

"Will take me up the stairs in my wheelchair," requested Gertha. 

"Mom that's going to take a while," said Will.

"Have Mark help you," said Gertha. 

"On it," said Mark without hesitation. 

"I shall head up first," said Bruno. "I'll meet the rest of you up there."

Bruno walked upstairs and Shinobu followed behind him. Mark and Will helped Gertha up the stairs in her wheelchair. For her the ride was bumpy.

"Think you could be a little more careful," said Gertha. "You don't want to have bury me after we save her."

"Quit it mom," said Will. "We're trying our best."

They managed to get her up the stairs and Will rolled her in front of kid's bedroom. Bruno and Shinobu were already standing at the front of the door. 

"Alright this is going to be a bit tricky," said Bruno. "The demon needs to already be in the motion of possessing her for me to get it out but the hard part is recognizing when that happens."

"I think this will help," said Mark, reaching into his vest pocket.

He pulled out the radio and extended his hand to Bruno. Bruno took the radio out of Mark's hand. 

"Ah, it's been forever since I've seen this," said Bruno. "This will for sure make things easier, now all we have to do is draw out the demon into possessing her for a moment." 

"How do we do that?' asked Mark.

"Holy items," said Bruno. "Crosses, holy water, a bible things of that nature, now let us go into the lion's lair."

Bruno opened the bedroom door and walked inside. He saw Emma sitting on her bed rocking back and forth. The window was open and the wind was blowing in.

"It'll be best if most of you wait outside the room," said Bruno. "One of you can come in to help me bait the demon if you like."

"I'll do it," said Mark.

"No, you can't," said Shinobu. "I can't lose you too."

"I have to do this mom," said Mark with determination. "I need to save Emma."

Shinobu hesitated but allowed him to go in with Bruno.

"Okay, but you come back out of that room with both you and your sister," she said.

"I will mom," said Mark. "Count on it."

"I love you Mark," she said, giving him a hug. "Good luck."

"I love you too, thanks mom," said Mark. 

Will walked over and hugged his son.

"I love you Mark," he said. "You go in there and save your sister."

"I love you too dad," said Mark.

Mark was getting ready to step into the room but then Gertha spoke.

"Mark," she said. 

Mark turned around and faced her.

"I love you, good luck," said Gertha. 

"Thanks grandma," said Mark. "I love you too."

Mark walked in the bedroom and felt the cool breeze hit him.

"Mark are you certain?" asked Bruno. "This is going to be very dangerous?"

"I survived death game bingo," said Mark. "I can survive my sister." 

"Suit yourself," said Bruno.

Bruno opened his briefcase and took out a crucifix.

"Here take this," he told Mark.

Mark took the crucifix and held it in his hands. Bruno took out some holy water and his bible. Emma turned around on her bed and faced them, her eyes were her normal color. 

"Slowly walk up to her with the crucifix and see if you can get a reaction out of her," said Bruno.

Mark slowly walked up to his sister he could hear every creak in every step. He was about two feet way from here when her eyes changed to mud yellow and the radio went off. Mark stepped back out of instinct and Emma leapt at him. Bruno got in front of work and blocked Emma the possessed Emma with the radio. Emma bit the radio which in turn made her feel pain and stunned her. She started to shriek and then Bruno poured holy water on her head. This caused her to shriek even louder but she was still stunned do to the radio still going. 

"Hold up your crucifix kid," said Bruno. "This is where it gets real."

Bruno started reciting the lord's prayer. 

"Our father, who art in heaven," he started. "Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven."

Emma kept shrieking and Mark held up the crucifix. 

"Come on Emma!" yelled Mark. "Fight it!"

"Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses," continued Bruno. "As we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

"Fight it!" yelled Mark. 

"For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever," said Bruno. "Amen."

"Your sister is," said Emma in a deep voice. "Gone!"

"In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit," said Bruno. "I banish you demon back to hell."

Bruno put his hand out and Emma's eyes glowed. Her eyes stopped glowing and then everything went still. 

"Did it work?' asked Mark. 

Nothing happened but then a brown fog emerged from Emma and he body turned into a dry mud statue. 

"What is this?" asked Bruno. "I've never seen this before in all my life."

The brown fog turned into a body shape and started talking. 

"You have failed," said the fog. "Now I will take who is next and feast on you."

The fog looked over at Mark and charged towards him. Then Mark heard a gunshot and saw that Gertha had fired her revolver at the fog. It managed to hit it which caused it to groan in the pain. The fog then flew out the window. Mark went up to Emma's mud body and touched it. It then collapsed into pieces in his arms. Mark went through the five stages of grief in a matter of seconds and tears started streaming down his face.

"EMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he shouted in grief. 

He started crying and Shinobu fainted from the pure shock of the situation. Will started tearing up and Gertha put her head down with tears in her eyes. Bruno picked up his briefcase and put his things in it. He then headed towards the door with his head held down in shame. While Mark was crying he noticed Bruno leaving the room. 

"Hey!" he hollered at Bruno. "Get back here you said you were going to save my sister."

"Mark," said Wil with tears streaming down his face.

"Oy!" yelled Mark. "I said get back here you jerk, come save my sister."

"I'm sorry," said Bruno. "I failed you."

"But she's, but she's," said Mark.

"Mark," said Will. "I'm sorry but she's gone." 

Mark was at a lost for words all he could to was cry and scream.  Mark screamed at the top of his lungs and then fell on Emma's broken mud body that was now in pieces. He kept crying into it. Bruno bit his lower lip in frustration causing it to bleed. 

"I'm sorry," he said to Gertha. 

Gertha didn't say a word and Bruno left the house.

"Damn you!" Mark yelled at the top of his lungs.

15 Years Later

Mark was grown up now he was 25 years old. He married a woman named Shirley who was the same age as him. They had a one year old daughter named Emma. Mark had chosen a career path that had to do deal with studying the paranormal. He has recently just come back from an expedition on Cairo and came back to visit his parents in Orangepearl. His parents managed to stay together despite the tragedy that had befallen them. While visiting his parents he went to go pay Father Bruno a visit. He went to The Word's Saint Baptist Church and found Father Bruno playing a piano. 

"Excuse me, Father Bruno," said Mark. "May I speak with you."

Bruno stopped playing the piano and looked over at his guest.

"You may not remember me but it is I Mark Stars from 15 years ago," said Mark. 

"Mark," said Bruno, surprised. "My goodness you've grown."

"I have and I've come with a revelation for you," said Mark. "The thing that possessed my sister all those years ago wasn't a demon."

"Are you certain, that is the case?" asked Bruno. 

"Indeed, during my studies in Cairo I discovered something most astounding," said Mark. "Anomalies have come through another dimension." 

"You can't be serious Mark!" said Bruno. "Demons coming from hell is one thing but another dimension entirely." 

"The radio never lies," said Mark. 

Mark pulled out the radio and showed it to Bruno. When Bruno saw it something clicked and he put all the pieces together. 

"So when my exorcism failed that night," said Bruno. "It was because it wasn't a demon."

"Correct," said Mark. "I came to tell you that that night wasn't your fault and that I forgive for not being able to save my sister."

"Mark, thank you, I am truly blessed that you are able to forgive me," said Bruno. "I have always held guilt over it since."

"It would seem that there are more things beyond this realm than we know of," said Mark. "But I will continue to study it to make sure nothing like what happened 15 years ago, happens again."

"Tell me Mark," said Bruno. "What is this other dimension."

"The Bizarre Realm," said Mark.

The End