The Unconventional Exorcist

Disclaimer: I would like to get this story officially published somewhere, I just need some more beta reading/editing done beforehand. I have two sections of exposition that I'm not sure how to change, so any feedback would be great.

Warning: attempted sexual assault, description of a dead body with maggots, accidental murder, mentions of blood

***

‘Why do you think exorcists in movies only seem to make the situation worse?’ Her mother had asked her once.

‘I don’t know. Why?’ she’d replied.

‘It’s because they’re doing their job wrong.’

***

The grass flattened beneath Edna’s feet, leaving semi-obvious tracks behind. A slight breeze whispered through the trees, making the leaves rustle and push loose strands of brown hair falling from her ponytail out of her face. Though it was warm, she still wore a plain T-shirt and jeans with a lightweight jacket. She thought it was a shame the day was so nice; a dark rainstorm would’ve fit the mood better for an exorcism.

Edna took out her phone and re-checked the information. A year and a half ago, Yoko Hamasaki, a college student at Asahi University, went missing near the abandoned Fukuda Prison. The prison had operated from 1850 until 1990 when claims of unethical treatment closed it down. Police searched the premises and nearby areas for Yoko for months, but all they found was a bloodstain. Everyone surmised the worst. The last person who’d seen Yoko was her history teacher, Katsuro Ikeda. He’d told police she had gone to the prison as part of an assignment he’d given; students were to have written about a significant historical place of their choosing. The official search for Yoko ended after four months, though her parents and friends refused to believe that she was gone. Ikeda retracted the assignment, hoping to prevent another tragedy.

The ghost sightings started months after. Some adventurous middle schoolers had broken into the prison one night, wanting to draw on the walls. They’d run home screaming to their parents, saying that Yoko’s spirit had approached them. Word spread around the neighborhood, and this was why Edna was here (the usual Japanese exorcists were unfortunately busy with other spirits in different parts of the country). Yoko’s parents had called her out of desperation. She had a picture of Yoko on her phone, but she doubted the woman would look the same. Depending on how she died, she could have something as simple as a snapped neck or as complicated as multiple stab wounds. It was always different for tortured spirits who still had business in the mortal world.

Edna saw the prison as the surrounding forest ended. It was a typical, decrepit structure; peeling paint, overgrown grass, missing and broken windows, and a section caved in. There was even a sign, rusted and rotting, barely hanging on the withered gate, proclaiming ‘Fukuda Prison’ in Japanese.

“Why do Asian deaths always happen in abandoned buildings?” Edna asked herself, adjusting her circular glasses.

That had been a common theme in most Asian horror video games she’d played as a teen, and she’d exorcised spirits in old hospitals and factories and such when she’d gone to China and South Korea before. Edna paused halfway up the cracked concrete walkway leading to the prison’s front door to check her backpack one more time. Thankfully, she had all the essentials: high-beam flashlights, light snacks, water bottles, an extendable walking stick, incantation chalk, candles, matches, rubber gloves, and her exorcism book.

She took out the book and ran her fingers down the faded cover, tracing the words printed on it: Exorcism Rules and Incantations by Elaine Erikson. Her great-grandmother had written this, and it had been passed down to all the women in the Erikson family. Nearly every page had been written on, filled with notes of what rules still applied, what spells didn’t work anymore, and other helpful tips and warnings that allowed the Erikson women to be the most well-known exorcists in America. Edna had a lot to live up to. She opened the book and reviewed the rules that had been a staple in nearly every exorcism.

Rule One: Never surprise a spirit. Always let them know you’re there.

Rule Two: Never demand a spirit to show themselves. Leave that up to them.

Rule Three: Never state a spirit’s name. Always ask who they are.

Rule Four: Never say that you’re there to help a spirit. Ask if they need it.

Rule Five: Never touch a spirit’s remains without their permission.

Rule Six: Never force a spirit from their place of death. Ask for their consent.

Looking up at the door, rust flakes falling off the edges, she squared her shoulders and approached. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting ominous shadows on the prison walls. She paid them no mind and pushed the door open, hinges protesting loudly. Though she had been in many abandoned buildings throughout her twenty-five years of life, Edna could never quite contain the thrill she felt when stepping into a forgotten piece of history. Granted, she couldn’t marvel for long, or else she would be the next ghost to haunt this place. As she stepped through what was once the check-in area, she cleared her throat and spoke loudly.

“Hello? Hello! I’m trespassing on your territory!”

When no one answered, she rummaged through her backpack and took out the walking stick, pressing a button to extend it to its full length. It was made of lightweight metal; perfect for carrying long distances and hitting hard surfaces. Edna gripped the handle and struck the floor, the sound echoing in the room.

“Hello!” she called out louder, “I’m an unexpected guest!”

She began walking farther into the room, tapping the walking stick as she went. Hardly any sun shone into the building now, and Edna was wondering when she would need to take out a flashlight. A sudden gust of cool air passed over her body, and she halted her progress. Though it was almost dark, that was not a natural chill. She waited a few minutes to see if anything else happened. When nothing did, she started in the direction the wind had come from-the prison cells-tapping her walking stick all the way. Edna sucked in her breath when she saw what was left of the cell block. The floors, walls and ceilings were all cracked and chipped, and the bars on the doors and windows were so rusted they were on the verge of falling. More shockingly, every other cell appeared to be missing a toilet.

“I’m surprised this place wasn’t shut down sooner,” Edna mumbled.

Since she was starting to squint, she took off her backpack and grabbed a flashlight. As soon as she turned it on, she heard a noise farther down the hall. She pointed the beam in that direction but saw nothing. Standing up again, Edna had only taken two steps before a cell door came crashing down a few feet from her. She clenched her teeth in an effort not to scream; her mother had taught her that spirits were always triggered by screaming. The air slowly chilled, and her breath misted as if in winter. Edna lifted her flashlight again and this time the beam landed on something.

Spirits, like the living, don’t like having a flashlight in their face. Edna kept the beam pointed at the spirit’s stomach as she studied its face: almond-shaped eyes, thin lips, small nose and round head confirmed that the spirit was Yoko. She looked like a standard ghost (transparent, floating, glowing), except for being dressed in casual clothes. Edna could count on one hand how many times she’d seen Asian ghosts still in school uniform (though they had been high schoolers, not college students). Most of them described it as being worse than their death. Other than Yoko wearing boots, pants with a plain shirt, and a short jacket, she appeared to be normal. Clearly whatever killed her hadn’t been overly extravagant.

“Good evening,” Edna spoke in Japanese, “Are you Yoko Hamasaki?”

“I am. Who are you?” Yoko asked, her voice as soft as a breeze through a willow tree.

“My name is Edna Erikson. I’m an exorcist. Your parents sent me.”

“Really?! They’re not…here with you, are they?”

She floated closer, hands clasping her chest tightly.

“No, they’re not. I’m sorry,” Edna stated gently. “Do you need help, Yoko?”

“Yes, I need help! I…I think someone murdered me!”

“What makes you say that?”

“I…I don’t remember much, but I know I wasn’t alone. I-ah!”

Yoko suddenly clutched the back of her head and winced in pain. Edna took a step closer, wishing she could lay a comforting hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

“Where does it hurt?” she asked.

“N-Near the base of my head.”

“Would you mind if I had a look? To see what’s going on?”

“S-sure, yeah.”

Yoko slowly turned herself around, and Edna raised her flashlight. The exorcist inhaled sharply as the beam landed on a sizeable wound. Triangular, shiny with blood, and going deep enough to expose a sliver of skull, it had been a killing blow. Edna gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. She prayed that at the end of all this, Yoko’s death would’ve been an accident. But she doubted her prayer would be answered.

Yoko turned back around and floated closer.

“So…what did you see?”

“Well, you have a substantial wound to the back of your head that I believe caused your death. As for someone possibly murdering you-”

“Someone was with me in the prison, I swear!”

“What you and I need to do is find proof of one or the other, so you can move on to the afterlife, okay?”

Yoko stared at her, eyes swimming with worry and fear, translucent hands clenched into fists at her sides and visibly trembling.

“Let me reassure you that the spirits I exorcise always rest in peace, and you will be no different. I promise.”

She watched Yoko mimic a deep breath and unclench her hands.

“…Okay. What can I do?” she asked.

“First, we need to find where you died. Do you remember where that is?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but I might know the general area.”

“Lead the way.”

***

They found themselves at the back of the prison. Edna recalled from her research that there were rooms where the prisoners had been forced to work, making whatever the guards demanded of them. It had been a form of punishment as no breaks were allowed, and the work lasted from sunrise until sunset. Food was given only if a guard approved the results. Once again Edna found herself wondering just how the prison had stayed open so long.

“I remember being in one of these rooms, but I’m not sure which one,” Yoko said.

“I spoke with the cops who worked your case before I came, and they did say your blood was found back here.”

Edna clicked off her flashlight. The moon was like a spotlight shining through the half-missing roof, and the area was bright enough for human eyes. There were four rooms in total, though she ruled one out due to rubble blocking the doorway.

“So, I have an idea as to how you can find out which room you were in, but you won’t like it,” Edna stated.

“What do I have to do?” Yoko asked apprehensively.

“You know that pain in your head? In my experience, the memory of pain gets worse for spirits the closer they are to where they died.”

“My head has been throbbing…”

“It won’t be pleasant, and I’m sorry, but it has to be done if you want me to help you move on.”

Yoko hovered in silence for a few moments, wringing her ethereal hands and looking at the ground. Then she drifted over to the entrance of one room and leaned in slightly before shaking her head. Then she went to another room and flinched while letting out a grunt of pain. Edna quickly walked over and glanced into the room. Moonlight spilled through the rusty barred windows onto the cracked walls and rotting floor. Square tables were either standing upright or overturned, collecting dust. Items littered the floor, too rusted or broken to be categorized. The focal point of the room was the faded bloodstain near a standing table. Edna went over to it and noticed a corner of the table, along with the leg, was discolored. A closer look confirmed that the discoloring was blood.

“Well, you definitely hit your head here,” Edna said, “But like the police said, there’s no sign of your body being taken anywhere.”

“Could it be in the room?” Yoko asked, one hand on her head.

“That wouldn’t make sense, there’s no place to hide it.”

The two women were silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the wind lightly blowing through the trees outside. Edna took off her backpack and pulled out her exorcism book again, turning on her flashlight and quickly flipping through the pages to find something that would help. Yoko drifted closer to see what she was looking at.

“How can you read a book that’s been written all over?” she asked.

“Read it more than once,” Edna replied.

“Oh. What are you looking for?”

“Something that’ll help us figure out what to do next.”

She stopped in the middle of the book and traced some words with her finger. Nodding, Edna closed the book and placed it in her backpack.

“Did you find anything?”

“I did, but you won’t like it. We have to use the pain you feel as a guide.”

Yoko winced and crossed her arms.

“It’s the only way your body’s getting found tonight, okay? I’m sorry.”

Mimicking a heavy sigh, Yoko began to float around the room, following the intensity of the pain emitting from her head wound. Edna stayed close and kept her flashlight pointed at the ground so she wouldn’t trip over anything. They traveled down a crumbling hallway, passing by more cells. Yoko suddenly crumpled and clutched her head, grunting in pain. Edna moved quickly and knelt in front of her.

“Which way is it coming from, Yoko?” she asked.

Taking a shaking hand away from her head, Yoko pointed at a random cell. Edna slowly walked over and shined her flashlight into every corner. The only thing that seemed out of place was the rusty bed frame. Studying it, she noticed the frame had been moved a bit, if the subtle scratch marks on the floor were any indication. Edna looked under the bed frame and saw that it was covering a rather large hole. She remembered an officer telling her that they’d found this during their investigation but had only looked so much because the dirt was too shallow to bury a body in. And yet, here Edna was, pushing the bed frame away from the hole.

“Note to self: write in book to always carry rope with you,” Edna muttered to herself as she pointed her flashlight into the hole.

“Are you going to be able to get down there?” Yoko asked, floating into the cell.

“I should; doesn’t look too far a fall. Course we’ll see how my legs feel afterwards.”

She sat down and scooted close to the edge, legs hanging over the side as she mentally prepared herself to jump. Yoko was already floating down, unburdened by the possibility of several broken bones. Taking a deep breath, Edna pushed off the edge and fell into the hole, landing solidly on her feet. The smell of the place hit her out of nowhere and she covered her mouth and nose before she could dry-heave. She got the feeling that there wasn’t just dirt in here.

“They had poor plumbing too. Great,” Edna mumbled, immensely glad she’d listened to her mother’s advice about wearing extra-thick shoes. She made another mental note to write ‘bring some form of mask to block smells’ in the book.

“Um, Edna?” Yoko said, her voice coming from deeper into the hole.

“Did you find something?” Edna asked, carefully making her way over.

“I’m getting a big reaction from this mound here.”

Yoko pointed to a large pile of dirt and Edna shined her flashlight on it. The mound was a bit odd in that it was bigger than any of the others nearby. She opened her backpack and pulled out a pair of gloves, slipping them on before pushing dirt and things she didn’t want to think about off. It was slow going in that she was holding her flashlight with one hand while the other did all the work.

“I do not get paid enough for this,” Edna stated through gritted teeth, “Need to talk to mom about raising our prices when I get home.”

“I’m assuming your exorcisms aren’t always this gross?” Yoko asked.

“Not usually. Up until now, the worst one I had was digging through a pile of used needles to find a body at an abandoned hospital.”

“How did you protect yourself from those?”

“Many, many layers of clothing and gloves. What made that situation worse was the fact that it was in the middle of summer.”

Yoko paused to think before asking her next question.

“If being an exorcist is so aggravating, why do it?”

“Just because it’s a tough job sometimes, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done,” Edna replied, “Besides, the last thing the world needs is angry spirits causing trouble; the living do that enough already.”

At that point, she had wiped away half the mound and was starting to see a shape underneath. Bracing herself, she outlined the shape and brushed away as much dirt and crap as she could before taking a step back and holding up her flashlight. Yoko looked at the revealed body before gasping and turning away, attempting to hold back tears. The skin was sunken and grey, bones sharply outlined and wanting to break free. Maggots seemed to be everywhere, and the hair was almost gone. The hands had been crossed over the chest as if it were just another corpse in a standard casket.

“Definitely not an accident,” Edna said, “God dammit…I wish these things would work out differently just once.”

She could hear Yoko sobbing from behind her. Turning away from the body, she went over to Yoko and knelt next to her. She wished she could properly comfort the young woman, but for now, all she could do was use her words.

“I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you. For what it’s worth, you deserved so much better. I’m sorry.”

Yoko wiped her eyes and stared at the ground.

“I’m dead. I’m really dead,” she whispered, breaking Edna’s heart. A few minutes of silence passed between them before Edna shook her head and stood up.

“Let’s see if we can find out anything more about your death. Do I have permission to touch your remains?”

“Yeah…go ahead.”

Edna walked back to the body and positioned her flashlight on the mound so that the beam was aimed at the head. Flexing her fingers, she gently began probing the corpse’s head, trying to find good gripping points amidst the squirming maggots. She fought the urge to swat away the flies buzzing around her hands as she finally managed to grasp the head. Slowly lifting the head, Edna saw a congregation of maggots surrounding the wound, contorting as if they were one creature. She looked past the bugs and noticed something odd. Keeping a firm grip on the head with one hand, she reached into the wound with the other and grasped the object with two fingers before pulling it out. Edna lowered the head and began to examine what she found.

She turned the object over in her fingers, trying to find anything useful among the dried blood and bite marks. Grabbing her flashlight and shining it on the object, Edna realized that it was a piece of cloth.

“Hey, I found something,” she told Yoko, holding up the cloth.

Yoko drifted closer and peered at it. Then she winced and grabbed her head.

“Urgh…I-I’m seeing something…”

“Don’t fight it, focus on the images,” Edna coached.

Hunching over, the Japanese woman clutched her head tightly and grunted as memories swirled in her mind, weaving themselves back together as if on a loom. She snapped her head up with a gasp and covered her mouth.

“What did you see?” Edna asked.

“I…I know what happened,” Yoko whispered, “I know who murdered me.”

“Who?”

Yoko looked at Edna, determined.

“My history teacher.”

***

“You’re sure Ikeda was the one that killed you?” Edna asked as they made their way back to the front of the prison.

“Very. He followed me here under the guise of wanting to help me with the project,” Yoko replied, “But then he tried to…molest me, and when I said no, he shoved me, and I fell onto that table.”

“That doesn’t explain the cloth in your head.”

“I don’t think he intended to kill me, just shove me down, so he placed a handkerchief he had in his pocket over my wound and put me in the hole!”

“But how did he get in the hole? I can’t imagine an old man jumping without seriously breaking something.”

“He used a ladder, but I’m not sure where he got it from.”

“We’ll figure that out when we go and interrogate the perv.”

By then they had come back to the check-in area and Edna had to stop and take several deep breaths to calm herself. She couldn’t let her emotions compromise her professionalism. Whether the murder had been accidental or not, he had attempted to sexually assault, and quite possibly rape, a woman more than half his age. Ikeda would pay for his crimes. But she wouldn’t be able to make him pay properly if her emotions were running high. Once she was certain that her heart rate had reset to its normal beats per minute, she refocused on Yoko.

“Okay, I have a plan, but first I need to get you out of here.”

She knelt and began rummaging through her backpack.

“I can’t leave,” Yoko stated, “I’ve tried, but there’s like an invisible barrier or something preventing me.”

“That’s normal for all spirits, but I know a way around that.”

“Really?”

“Trust me.”

Edna took a piece of chalk and drew a large circle in the center of the room, filling it with an eight-pointed star with overlapping lines and eight smaller circles at the star’s points. She then put eight candles in the smaller circles and used the matches to light them.

“So, I’m a little late in asking this, and I technically don’t have to now, but since it’s routine, I’m going to ask anyway,” Edna stated, book in her hands. “Do you want to leave?”

“Yes, if it’s possible,” Yoko replied, becoming excited. “What should I do?”

“Float to the middle of the circle and leave the rest up to me.”

Yoko did just that and watched as Edna flipped through her book. When she got to the page she wanted, Edna took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Forces of mysticism, hear my plea. Within the sacred circle, a spirit wishes to be free.”

Clutching her hands together, Yoko tried to keep her nervousness down as the circle began to glow and the flames from the candles started climbing higher.

“Release them from this solitary confinement, so they may find the path to enlightenment.”

Yoko gasped as the flames shot up in the air as if they came from blowtorches. The drawing became blindingly bright, and Edna had to shield her eyes. White tendrils of light rose and circled Yoko, creating a luminescent cage that reached above her head. There was a pause, and then, with a sound of thunder, Yoko was struck by the light of the cage. She let out a short scream and felt as if her body was being pulled apart at the seams. Suddenly everything stopped; the cage disappeared, the candles went out, and an unconscious Yoko fell to the floor. Edna lowered her arm and slowly walked over to the circle, kneeling next to Yoko. Reaching out her hand, Edna hovered it over a glowing arm before attempting to touch. When her fingers didn’t pass through, she began to shake Yoko’s shoulder.

“Hey, time to get up,” she said, “We still have work to do.”

Eyes fluttering, Yoko groaned and shook her head, forcing herself to sit up. She rubbed her temples as Edna stood and went to gather her items. When she felt less dizzy, Yoko got to her feet and hunched over, hands on her knees. She froze when she saw that her feet were touching the ground. Quickly standing up straight, Yoko walked over to Edna, taking careful steps as she did, marveling that she could take steps at all.

“So, how are you feeling?” Edna asked, turning as she shouldered her backpack.

Yoko didn’t reply. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Edna and gave her a tight hug. After a few minutes, they each took a step back.

“Sorry, I…I’m okay,” Yoko said, smiling.

“You should be able to leave with me now,” Edna stated.

“Does that always happen?”

“Now, yeah. You should have seen me when I first started; one time I accidentally summoned a demon.”

Yoko stared at her in mild shock.

“Yeah, mom wasn’t too thrilled with me that weekend. Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

***

Katsuro Ikeda knelt at the small dining table in his living room, a warm cup of tea resting in his hands. Squarish glasses rested on a heavily wrinkled face, framing tired brown eyes. An antique clock ticked away the time, the pendulum swinging in sync with the noise. Other than the clock, Ikeda’s house was quiet. Nothing creaked, the lights didn’t flicker, and he didn’t live close enough to a railway for his house to shake from the vibrations. The silence was synonymous with his loneliness. He had been married once, though his wife had died years ago due to cancer. Despite their marriage being arranged by her parents, he had cared for her deeply, and it had taken some time for him to get used to not feeling her presence around the house.

Ikeda sipped his tea and glanced at the calendar pinned to a nearby cream-colored wall. Half the month had been crossed out in dark X’s, and if he lifted two of the pages, there would be one day circled multiple times in the same ink. He had been a teacher for many years, and he was now close to retiring. Though he should have been feeling a mixture of anticipation and relief, one thought refused to leave his mind. More specifically, one person.

Yoko Hamasaki had been one of his best students. She never came to class late, always participated in discussions, turned homework in on time, and continuously achieved high marks. After every class, Ikeda would see her talking with her friends about meeting up to work on homework or study, and occasionally they would chat about what career they were aiming for. Yoko had wanted to be an archeologist.

When had his admiration for her work ethic turned into something more amorous? He had blamed it on his loneliness and her smarts. Was it possible for a young woman to be too clever for her own good? Ikeda hadn’t been sure; his wife had been rather average. His feelings only grew when Yoko requested to research Fukuda Prison. In an age where people just wanted to forget, it was endearing to know that there was at least one person who wasn’t afraid to write about all the inhumane things that went on there. He had found out the truth about the prison the same way everyone else had, from the newspapers and various TV stations. Ikeda had been obsessed with the prison for a while and had researched everything he could to have a better understanding as to why that kind of place would exist. He had enjoyed discussing the prison with Yoko and told her what he knew to assist her with her paper.

He hadn’t meant to kill Yoko. The thought hadn’t even been in his mind when it happened. He had wanted to tell her how he felt, so he’d waited at the college half an hour after she’d left for the prison before going there himself. When she’d rejected him, he barely remembered pushing her, barely remembered her head striking the table. Seeing the blood on the floor, the life filtering out of her eyes…Ikeda wished he’d been having a nightmare. After carefully hiding her body, he’d gone home and taken an extra-long bath, as if doing so washed away his crime. Something terrible must have come over him to make a mistake like that. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

When the police came to the college days later, Ikeda had momentarily thought of confessing then and there but instead found himself playing the part of the sympathetic teacher, the one who canceled the assignment out of worry, who let Yoko’s mother cry on his shoulder after the police stopped searching. On the surface, he acted like his usual self, but beneath all the wrinkles and assorted liver spots, his heart clenched every time he saw Yoko’s friends half-heartedly studying, her empty chair a painful reminder of what they’d lost.

Ikeda had robbed the world of a brilliant mind. For a year and a half, he’d lived with that.

But then word began to spread of a famous American exorcist who’d come to scope out the prison at the request of the Hamasaki’s. All because some young teens had claimed to see a ghost roaming the empty halls. Ikeda didn’t believe in supernatural beings; they were just stories parents told troublesome children, things for the anime industry to capitalize on. Despite his beliefs, there he was, kneeling in his living room, staring at nothing, feeling like he was waiting for something. He lifted his head at the sound of a car approaching his house. Slowly setting down his tea, Ikeda carefully got to his feet, knees creaking slightly. He stood there until the harsh ring of his doorbell echoed throughout his house. Making his way to the door, he took a deep breath, grasped the knob, and opened it.

It seemed he would be retiring a dishonored man.

***

After stopping by the hotel Edna was staying at for a quick shower and change of clothes, plus calling the police to inform them of what she’d found, she and Yoko pulled up to Ikeda’s house in a small rental car and parked in his driveway. Edna turned off the engine and glanced at Yoko. She was staring at the house with no expression, hands clenched tightly in her lap, ethereal body sitting stiffly in the passenger seat.

“You ready for this?” Edna asked.

Yoko looked at her but didn’t move her head.

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of mixed emotions tumbling in my head right now.”

“That’s normal. Confronting your killer is never an easy experience. Just try to remain calm and follow my lead, okay?”

Mimicking a deep breath, Yoko nodded and unclenched her hands. The two of them got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Edna rang the doorbell and waited. Ikeda opened the door and before she could speak, he beat her to it.

“You must be the American exorcist everyone’s been talking about. Please, come in, I’ll make more tea.”

Thrown a little off-balance by Ikeda’s calmness, Edna and Yoko stood in the doorway for a moment, blinking. Shaking her head, Edna stepped inside the house with Yoko following close behind. After taking off her shoes and putting on a pair of slippers Ikeda had left, Edna walked down the hall and entered the living room. She and Yoko knelt at the dining table and waited as Ikeda made tea in the kitchen.

“Can he see me at all?” Yoko asked.

“No unless you want him to,” Edna whispered, “I’d wait for a bit, though. Confrontations don’t usually go this smoothly.”

Ikeda came into the living room carrying a tray with two cups of tea on it. He set the tray down on the table and kneeled across from Edna. He gestured to one of the cups before picking up the other one and taking a sip.

“Thank you for the tea,” Edna said, grasping her cup.

“Your Japanese is very good,” he stated.

“My mother had me take lessons.”

“I see.”

They were quiet for a bit, the ticking of the clock preventing complete silence. Edna felt Yoko staring at Ikeda, subtle anger coming off her in waves. Placing the cup back on the tray, Edna straightened her back and put her hands in her lap.

“If you know who I am, then I’m assuming you know why I’m here?” she asked.

“I believe I might,” Ikeda said, setting his cup down as well. “Is…is she with you?”

“She is. And we would both like to ask you about her murder.”

“Of course. I will explain everything.”

They listened as he talked, Edna keeping an eye on Yoko. She wasn’t even looking up anymore, and her hands were balled into fists and shaking, anger coming off her much more strongly now. Edna knew that they would have to wrap this up quickly.

“So, tell me, Mr. Ikeda, do I need to force you to confess to the police or will you come with me willingly?”

He let out a resigned sigh before answering.

“I will go willingly. I have lived with this long enough. It’s time for me to face the consequences of my actions.”

Suddenly the two teacups shattered, spilling tea everywhere.

“Are you kidding me?” Yoko hissed through her teeth, standing quickly. “Where was this a year and a half ago?!”

The furniture in the room began shaking and shifting, causing both Edna and Ikeda to scramble to their feet.

“Yoko…” Ikeda whispered, staring at her.

“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY MY NAME!” she boomed, floating a few feet into the air. The table, tray, and wall clock lifted off the ground, along with some appliances and silverware from the kitchen. Everything spun around Yoko as she advanced on Ikeda. Swiftly, Edna jumped in front of him and held up her hands.

“Yoko, stop!” she shouted, “I know you’re angry, but you can’t kill him!”

“Get out of my way! He will pay for what he has done to me!”

Several forks shot out of a floating drawer towards Ikeda’s face. Edna deftly swatted them away before they hit their mark.

“Listen to me! If you do this, you won’t be able to move on!”

The furniture stopped moving as Yoko looked at her, though it still hung in the air.

“What do you mean?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I mean, you’ll turn into an angry spirit. Look at your arms.”

Yoko looked and blinked in surprise; they were covered in black vein-like markings that were pulsing with an unknown energy.

“Those marks mean you’re starting to turn” Edna explained, “If you change completely, you won’t move on into the afterlife. And the only way to get rid of angry spirits is to tear them apart. I don’t want to do that to you, Yoko.”

The furniture lowered as Yoko sunk to the floor, staring at her arms with a horrified look on her face. Edna carefully made her way over to her and knelt in front of her, gently taking her hands and squeezing them.

“Oh…oh my God,” Yoko whispered, tears streaming down her face, “I almost…I’m so sorry…”

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Edna repeated softly as she hugged the crying woman.

Ikeda, who was pressed against the wall, slid down it with a hand over his heart, attempting to regulate his breathing. They all stayed that way until a police siren was heard.

***

“So…it’s over?” Yoko asked, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“Yeah. It’s over,” Edna replied.

They watched as Ikeda stepped into the police cruiser, hands cuffed behind his back. An officer slammed the door and approached the exorcist.

“He’ll go on trial as soon as possible, miss,” he stated, “And then he’ll never take a step outside a jail cell.”

“Thank you, sir. And the body?”

“It arrived at the morgue a few minutes ago, shortly before the parents. It’s currently being cleaned and will most likely be cremated.”

“Thank you again. Be careful driving back to the station.”

The officer nodded and walked back to the cruiser. As he drove away, Edna let out a sigh and turned to Yoko.

“Well, no point in hanging around here. You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

As they went to Edna’s rental car, she checked her phone. A lifetime of events had happened that day and it wasn’t even midnight yet. They drove back into town in silence, Edna focused on the road while Yoko stared out the window. She crossed her arms and slumped down in her seat, shoulders bunching at her ears.

“I still think you should’ve let me kill him,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t think you’d appreciate dying twice,” Edna stated simply.

When they reached the morgue, Yoko sat up and stared at the building.

“My parents are in there?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. Do you want to see them?”

Yoko nodded and they got out of the car. They walked into the building and followed the directions the receptionist provided Edna. Standing behind a glass window, they saw Yoko’s parents tell the mortician to cremate Yoko’s body. Her parents watched the body get placed into a casket and then slowly rolled into the furnace. Edna placed her hand on Yoko’s back as she never took her eyes off her parents, who were hugging each other and crying as the furnace doors closed.

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to them?” Edna asked when they went back outside.

“They’ve been through enough,” Yoko said, “Seeing me wouldn’t do any good.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. I’m ready to move on now.”

“Well, a gateway should be opening soon…”

Edna trailed off as a bright light appeared out of nowhere, opening to show a picturesque landscape divided by a river. A shallow path went through the river to the other side, somehow untouched by the flowing water.

“Oh, you got the path,” Edna remarked, “I would have thought you’d have the bridge.”

“The bridge is for saints and other holy people only,” Yoko stated, smiling, “The path will be just fine.”

She took a few steps forward but then paused and turned around.

“Thank you, Edna. For everything.”

“Just doing my job.”

With that, Yoko stepped into the gateway and onto the path. Edna had just enough time to see her get halfway across before the gateway closed and the light vanished. Her heart clenched as she slowly wiped tear from her eye. This was simultaneously the best and worst part of being an exorcist; seeing a spirit peacefully move on to the afterlife, but at the same time losing someone she could’ve called a friend. Taking a deep breath, she got into her car and drove back to the hotel. Falling onto the bed, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Hey, mom, just calling to tell you that I’m done.”

“Were you speaking in Japanese the whole time?” a bemused voice asked.

Feeling slightly sheepish, Edna cleared her throat and switched to English.

“Apparently, I was. Anyway, I’m gonna catch a flight home tomorrow, so if you wouldn’t mind lining up another job for me, that’d be great.”

“I’ll do that, as long as you take a few days off when you get back. Traveling to other countries tends to knock you out, you know.”

“I know, mom, I-”

A knock at the door startled her into sitting up.

“Everything alright, dear?”

“Yeah, hold on, something’s come up.”

She got out of bed, opened the door…and almost dropped her phone.

“Hi again,” Yoko said timidly, wringing her hands.

Edna just stood there, shock and disbelief stamped on her face.

“Sweetie, is something wrong?” her mom asked.

“I’ll call you back,” she said numbly as she ended the call.

Yoko was trying to speak but couldn’t quite find the words she needed. So Edna spoke instead.

“What are you doing back here?!”

“Well, I was on the path, but I kept looking back, and I wasn’t feeling as at peace as I thought I should, so I turned around and came to find you because I thought that maybe I could help with your work. If that’s okay.”

Edna took a step back and closed her eyes, a sigh of exasperated disbelief escaping her mouth. She turned and thumped her head against the door.

“This is it. This is how my mother kills me, this is what pushes her to end my life,” she muttered.

“Sorry.”