Journey's End

Old timber stairs creaked under new weight. They had more visitors than expected today. Millie made her way up into Grandfather Jeffrey's old attic. The lights were on, but flickering, as if out of a horror film. She saw the shadow of a body outlined in the corner. It was her brother, Nathan.

"I can see you. Don't bother trying to scare me."

She took a cursory glance around the room, before coming back to the unmoving form.

"Hey, it's late. Mom and Dad sent me to pick you up."

Millie was met with silence. She went to shake him. His body slumped forward heavily. *Is he asleep?* Millie sighed. She looked around. Dust was everywhere, but her brother had pawed through some of grandfather's possessions.

There was a brown leather bound suitcase laying next to Nathan. Right above the suitcase, laying on a box was a little black book. It seemed too goth-like for Nathan's tastes. *Must have been Grandfather's.* Curiously, Millie reached out her hand, but stopped as a laugh echoed through the room.

"You finally found me." The voice belonged to Nathan, but it was hollow, almost sullen. She picked up the diary, not bothering to turn around.

"So, you're finally awake?"

"No thanks to you. What time is it?"

Millie rolled her eyes before she could open the book up. Her phone further illuminated the dimly lit attic.

"11:57, and that's PM by the way."

"Oh wow, I had no idea it was so late!" Came a wispy reply.

"Well, if you spent more time looking around, and less time napping, I wouldn't have had to come and get you."

Millie turned back to Nathan, who hadn't moved. She shined her phone in his direction. "You could at least act like you're awake."

"But I am. Awake, and very much alive." A ghostly chill crept over onto her shoulder. Suddenly, Millie realized that Nathan's mouth wasn't moving. Instead, the voice was coming from Grandpa Jeffrey's diary!

"Uh-, Ah-, AHHHHHHH!" She screamed. It was all she could do not to flee the room in panic.

"Why are you in grandpa's diary? What did you do?" She took a troubled breath. "I need answers, and I need them now!" A laugh reverberated throughout the room.

"You may not believe this, but I stumbled upon a suitcase that once belonged to Grandfather Jeffrey. Within, was the very book that now holds me prisoner."

Millie began hyperventilating. She was still trying to take this all in, while her brother's 'spirit' seemed lax about the fact he no longer was in his body.

"I seem to have been snared by something. Whether it's the dark powers of this book, or grand designs of some demon, I am now trapped. As our Grandfather's spirit was trapped before me."

Her eyes widened. "And how did grandfather escape from this fate?"

"He neglected to tell me the whole truth, and prompted me to make a deal with him. Of course, with our family's financial situation, I accepted a deal for wealth."

She scoffed. "And you accepted this, knowing it was most likely an evil spirit, or a deal that was pitted against you?"

There came a sigh in the air. "Unfortunately, yes. The temptation was too great. I made the deal, spent my money, and here I am.

Millie shook her head at his naivety. "How do you know it was him?"

"Take a look inside the book for yourself." Cautiously, she opened the book. Nothing happened. Shaking with every breath, Millie flipped through many pages. Each seemed to make note of a person's name, a deal they made, a bit of advice, and time between the next deal. The lines of advice seemed harsh. *Perhaps that is the entity that drives this 'thing' to work.* Millie thought.

There was no knowing for sure, but that was her theory. At the end of the book were two names she knew. Her grandfather Jeffrey, and Nathan's names were at the top of the pages.

There was crimson ink detailing the deal of wealth that was made. A short amount of time Nathan had waited, while Jeffrey had languished for fifty days. At the bottom of each passage the same piece of advice read, ‘Never spend your money in one place.’ It was as if the entity mocked them for their greed, and easily corruptible nature. Millie set the book aside in moderate disgust.

“I’ve had some time to think,” her brother spoke up. “This book has to have some kind of dark force, pulling the strings. Would you be able to call a priest from the church we used to attend as kids?”

Without hesitation, Millie dialed a number. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"St. Augustine's Church, this is Father Ray speaking."

"Father Ray, this is Millie Broadwalker."

"Oh, good evening Millie. Is there an emergency?"

"Yes," she stammered, trying to keep her voice steady. "It's about my brother."

Millie went on to explain what was going on, and the abduction of her brother's soul. The priest replied, "I'll be right there." Father Ray had recently performed a series of prayers on their grandfather when he was found deceased in his house, so he knew the way.

Millie gasped in realization. “Mom and Dad need to know.” Millie began looking up their house number, when a “No,” struck her ears. “Why not?” she shot back, confused.

“As you said, it’s late, and they won’t be able to change my condition. We need to wait for this priest to know how to proceed properly. Why raise our parent’s hopes until we know?”

Millie relented, reaching a shaky hand into one of her pockets. She sighed in relief, as her fingers clasped the familiar object. It was the rosary Father Ray had given her when she professed a renewal of faith

"Since when were you religious? I don't seem to recall you ever liking church."

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before answering. "I started getting back into it in college chapel. Upon my graduation, I have been reconnecting with our home church, and Father Ray." Millie tightened her hold on the rosary, as the two of them went silent.

Fifteen minutes went by before there was a firm knock on the front door.

"I'm going to get help, I'll be right back."

There was a ghostly laugh. "Oh don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

She carefully climbed down the creaking attic steps, and raced from the second floor to down to the entryway. Out of breath, she opened the door to a man clad in clerical garb. He carried with him a secured metal box. Millie assumed it was for her current predicament. They exchanged hasty pleasantries, while he closed the door behind him.

"Please come quickly." She said breathlessly. "It's right this way." Millie gestured for him to follow, as she made her way back up to the attic. Stoically, the priest followed behind. Millie climbed the old stairs back to the attic, where the lights were flickering even more.

A second set of creaks echoed below, hailing the Priest's arrival. "Hello," he said warily. "Nathan, are you there?"

An exasperated sighed came from the book. "Yes, now what do you want?"

"Well, I've come at this late hour because your soul seems to be trapped in this book by way of some demon. By the powers of God in Heaven above, your soul will be free!"

"What will happen should this work?" Millie asked. The priest shrugged. "When you perform an exorcism, the patient is set right, and returns to normal. In this particular case, I have doubts about normalcy. I would wager he will join God in Heaven, if anything."

She looked to Father Ray, who had set down his metal box. Pulling a key from his pocket, the priest disarmed the lock, and fished around inside his tool box. He pulled a crucifix and a bible out. Next came a candle with matches. He lit the candle. It was blown out. He tried again, but this time the flickering lights went out along with the candle.

"Neat trick Nathan," Millie commented, trying to stay calm. "It wasn't me, whatever happened."

"The malign spirit knows we are here, and isn't happy." Came the priest’s steadfast reply.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of God in Heaven above, I cast you out foul demon!"

After a moment, the priest relit the candle, but nothing blew it out.

"Ah, much better. Now then, I shall exorcise the demon's hold over this book, and your brother while it has been cast from the room."

Millie found her voice amidst the strange things that had happened. "Alright then." Nathan remained silent. Perhaps he wondered if Father Ray could really save him.

The priest held the bible and crucifix in one hand, as he equipped himself with another book. It was a leather-bound book, but was something Millie didn't recognize. He opened it up to a marked page, and began a series of incantations. Occasionally he would say, "By the power of God," or, "In the name of Jesus Christ." Aside from those phrases, she couldn't discern the Latin, and occasional Greek the priest spoke.

Time dragged on with the unending babble. Finally, Father Ray ended his last set of lines with an, "Amen." Finally, a deep sigh came, and then a series of blue particles flowed from the book's pages.

Together they formed an outline of Nathan. "Thank you Millie. And thank you Father Ray for freeing me from this horrible fate."

"It was my pleasure to be of service, but it was God who saved you." He began making the sign of the cross a few times, along with prayers for the dead.

"Nathan," Millie piped up. "I'm sorry this happened, but at least now you are free." The phantom chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose I am. To prevent others from stumbling into a similar fate, I ask that you destroy this accursed book."

"Of course," came Millie's quick, sure reply.

"Thank you. One last thing, before I go. If I were you, I would check my bank account before the weekend is over. I would feel better knowing that you got something for saving my soul."

Millie was speechless. "But, isn't this for your-" The spirit cut her off, "My what? I won't be needing it anymore. Your need is greater. Good luck."

With that, the blue particles dispersed into the ceiling, presumably heading towards Heaven. Millie sighed, sitting down. She was trying to calm herself, while taking it all in. Meanwhile, Father Ray packed up his metal box, and stood before her.

"Well, I'm glad your brother was saved, but I think you should get rid of that book sooner rather than later." He looked over at Nathan's lifeless body in the corner. "Take a picture for evidence, and when you notify the police of what has happened, do make sure to call me beforehand. I think they would appreciate your story more with a witness." With that, the priest took his leave.

Millie looked over at her brother's body, and wondered what she was going to tell her parents. How could she broach the subject, let alone tell them what had happened. Would they even believe her? *Of course they'll believe me. Father Ray will back me up!* Just then, a dim glow captivated her attention.

It was Nathan's phone. It had a messy message that said, 'Herlp. Blacfk boolk bno goo'. *A good brother, helpful, and truthful until the end.* She closed the message, and noticed Nathan's bank account was still open. Millie sheepishly cancelled the transfer to his fancy college. Next she shifted it towards her account.

Millie's eyes went wide. Her brother's account had had a little over twenty thousand dollars! It was one of his last wishes, but still, that was a generous amount of money. *Last wishes*. The thought bounced in her head, until she put his phone aside. Millie grabbed the black book, and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Through the kitchen windows the moonlight shone, bathing every surface. The moon gave Millie hope, and renewed her sense of duty. She rummaged around until lighter fluid and matches were found. Her feet brought Millie out into the gentle fall air. It was quite contrary to the violent winds of the day prior.

With reverence she took a picture with a quick flash. Then she set the black book in an old worn out fire pit. Lighter fluid doused the black book, saturating it. The can of butane dropped down next to the dark book. The pair snuggled up amidst the ashes of days gone past. A match lit, then fell, only to be caught by those below.

Millie watched as flames erupted from within the fire pit. The blaze tore apart any trace that a black book had existed in the first place. With her vigil complete, and brother's wishes attended to, Millie looked up to the stars. She wondered if Nathan and Grandfather Jeffrey would get along in the afterlife.