Page 24 of Possess Us
He only smiles in response.
Only then do I look to see where he has brought me.
‘You have to be kidding!’ I recoil, sliding away from him and further into the car when I see what looms in the darkness behind him. ‘No. No way.’
‘You know this place,’ he says. ‘It frightens you. We knew it would. But this is where the next vessel is.’
‘I can’t go in there,’ I admit quietly.
He looks at the giant factory behind him. There are no lights on to indicate it’s occupied. It’s deadly silent. Rusted pipes andbroken chimney stacks stretch out and upwards. Soot stains the side of the building, along with decades' worth of dirt and grime. Mysterious barrels are stacked everywhere, and rusted cars are left for the elements to claim.
No other cars are parked close by. None except ours hidden behind a large tree.
To the world, it looks abandoned and derelict.
But it’s not.
‘It reeks of death. Of suffering,’ he says. He looks back at me. ‘But you know that, don’t you?’
‘I’ve been here before.’
‘We know. We can see glimpses of a human's memories when we possess them.’
‘You can?’ Embarrassment heats my neck and cheeks. What exactly has he seen? A million things I truly hope he hasn’t glimpsed fill my head, which of course makes the mortification worse because now I’m highlighting them all for the two demons still inside me.
He crouches beside me, the rain so light it leaves a small layer of mist on his mask. He lifts it, showing me his face. It’s no longer Tyler’s face. He never mastered emotions such as kindness or patience, yet now, Lust can easily manage them.
He waits silently, looking at me.
‘I don’t have a choice, do I?’ I ask.
He shakes his head and takes my hand in his. My fingers are curled into tight balls. He takes a moment to unfurl them, prising my fingernails from my skin before they can draw blood.
‘Who are these people?’ he asks.
‘Suppliers.’ I look at the old factory. A building containing unimaginable horror and pain. ‘It’s an auction house for people with particular interests or needs of the demonic kind. Wealthy men and women who bid on human beings.’ I look from thefactory to him. His head is tilted to one side, and he seems to be trying to understand.
‘They bid on people that they can kill in any way they like. The suppliers provide rooms, equipment, and clean-up services. Chain saws. Axes. Knives. Medieval torture devices. Tubs to repeatedly drown their playthings in. Pretty much anything you can think of, they are happy to provide. For a large price tag.’ I swallow painfully. ‘They supply the Brotherhood with their human sacrifices. They supplied them with me. It’s a human cattle market. But less humane.’
‘Death hangs heavy in the air here. Pain and blood.’ He smiles and looks to the building once more. ‘My brother will be thrilled.’ He follows my gaze as we see a couple step out from the tree line, a lantern in hand, guiding them in the darkness as they walk towards the building.
‘They will have an invite,’ I tell him. ‘We will need it to get in. These things are invite-only.’
‘Stay put,’ he says. Before I can say a word, he steps away. The darkness swallows him whole.
Was that a demonic thing? Or just a sly human thing?
As I watch, the lantern suddenly flickers out, and all that remains is the dark silhouette of the factory.
I wait, the silence deafening and the chill of the night air slowly creeping into the car.
I yell when something thuds onto the bonnet of the car. Two people, in a mess of tangled and desperate limbs, have landed on the hood, tearing each other's clothes off.
Lust appears back at the door, his hand out for mine. I jump at his sudden appearance, clasping my chest.
‘You made me jump!’
‘I’m a demon. I would be disappointed if I didn’t scare you shitless occasionally.’
