I didn't push him for answers on the way back. I'm sure Danny will end up telling me when she gets back anyway. As soon as we got back, I headed to the kitchen to make some coffee while he set the laptop up in the living room.
After walking slowly, making sure I don't spill on the floor, I place both mugs on the small coffee table next to the laptop and Mason moves up a bit, giving me space to sit next to him on the small two seater. It's strangely quiet as we sit and sip our coffee while he watches the footage on the laptop. "So, Felicia and Danny are your step sisters huh?"
I say, keeping my tone light. "Yeah, our parents got married when I was eight." "That's nice, who's older?"
"Me, I just turned 28 and the twins are 25"
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out a nice way of asking what happened to his dad. Luckily, as if he read my mind, he speaks up first. "I bet you're wondering why my parents aren't still together. He died just after I was born, car crash." he says, never taking his eyes off the screen.
"I'm sorry." Is all I can think of saying right now. I know exactly what it's like to lose a parent, and to have the other one blame you for it.
"Don't be. Can't miss what you never had, right?" He says with a small smile. "What about you? Where are your parents from?"
I knew this was coming, I guess I have to tell him. He did answer my question, after all.
"They both died when I was quite young. My mom, from what I can remember, was very beautiful. She had this laugh I'll never forget, with bright green eyes and dark red hair. My dad on the other hand, I don't really remember much of. The one night, men broke into our house and stabbed her in the chest while she was asleep. I heard the screaming and hid under my bed until I heard them leave. After that, I called for her but she never replied."
I stop and blink a few times, trying to stop my eyes from welling up with tears.
"You don't have to carry on if you don't want to." He says gently, covering my hand with his. "No, it's okay. It's just been a long time since I've told someone this story, you know?" He nods, and after taking a deep breath, I sniffle and continue.
"I'll never forget what she looked like when I walked in. Her sheets were drenched in blood, her nightgown soaked and shredded. I walked up to her, crying and screaming for her to wake up but she never did. So all I could do was creep up next to her, place her arm around my shoulder and cry. I guess I was in denial, I was just waiting for her to cough and start breathing again, so I sat there for hours until my dad got home.
As soon as he saw me, he ran to end of the bed and picked up a sharp kicthen knife, which they must have used, judging by the red liquid dripping off of it and onto the white carpet. He looked at my mom and then back at me, when I jumped off the bed and ran to him with my arms open, desperate for comfort, he started backing away slowly. I didn't understand why he didn't want to hug me until he forced me to get into the car and he drove me to the police station, still covered in her blood.
He told me to go with one of the police officers he had just spoken to and I did, still confused about everything and not really wanting to be away from my dad. The man asked me what happened and I told him everything, but he didn't believe me. Nobody did.
They thought I did it, my own dad thought I did that. They said there were no signs of forced entry and that the knife was from our own kitchen. After that they sent me away to be evaluated. I was there for weeks, constantly being questioned before they eventually let me go.
I was so excited that they didn't think I was crazy and that they didn't have enough evidence against me to prove I'd done anything, despite my fathers accusations. I was so excited to get home to my dad and tell him it wasn't me, I was sure that he'd look at me the same way again, like I was his little angel. Like I was someone he loved.
Unfortunately, when it was time to fetch me, he never pitched. I waited for hours outside on the step, adamant that he would be there soon. It was only when the sun set and a social worker fetched me, that I found out he'd hung himself that day." I stopped speaking after that, going from orphanage to orphanage. Until I met Mark, he was the first person to get me to speak after all those years." I let out a bitter laugh as I wipe the tears running down my face.
"Can you believe it? He literally would have rather died than see me ever again." Mason looked at me and I was surprised to see sadness in his his eyes. He didn't even try to hide it, he just moved closer and pulled me into a tight hug. I know it's weird, but I just let everything go. I cried for all the loss I'd faced, for all the years I remained silent, for the little girl who never had the luxury of being truly loved until she met the man who would break her heart all over again.
All the while he just held me, silently stroking my hair as the sobbing slowed down and eventually stopped. I sniffled again and relaxed my body. "Are you okay?" He whispers, still making no move to untangle me from his arms. I pull back, as much as I'd love to stay here all day, I'm all gross and snotty. I don't even want to know what my eyes look like right now.
I look at him, with my hand still on his muscular shoulder. "Honestly? No. But I will be." I say, giving him a small smile as I get up. "I'm just going to go splash some water on my face, I must look like a red eyed goblin." I say jokingly, leaving the room. As soon as he's out of sight, I hear him whisper, "You're beautiful." under his breath. My heart flutters at his words, which maybe I wasn't meant to hear.
I spend the next fifteen minutes under the hot water in the shower, allowing the water to relax me until I was sure my eyes weren't red and swollen anymore. After applying a little more makeup and tying my hair into a bun, I make my way downstairs, feeling a lot better.
As I reach the bottom step I hear Mason call out to me. "Hey, Kayla. Come check this out." I quickly walk to him and sit down, leaning closer to the screen.
He clicks on a few tabs before pausing and turning to me. "So obviously, we didn't get a chance to set up any cameras upstairs, but I did manage to find this. You ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." I say as he clicks the mouse and the video starts playing.
I'm looking at dofferent angles of the downstairs lounge and entrance rooms, everything is quiet except for the whispers between Chuck and Felicia. Suddenly, loud screaming erupts from the speakers. I watch Felicia and Chuck look at each other and start towards the stairs just as Mason comes running down.
He speaks to them for a few seconds before racing out of the door with me in his arms and Felicia and Chuck right behind him. My hands were covering my ears and my mouth is wide open. That's me, I'm screaming. But I don't understand, why don't I remember this?
I watch quietly as the door slams behind them, leaving the house in silence once more. Another minute passes before I hear the distant sound of the car starting, followed by the sound of tyres on gravel.
"Okay, so that's when we left. Watch the top left side of this screen right here." He tells me, pointing to the image of my living room. Just after he said that, the old mirror I hung up literally lifts itself off of the hook and flies across the room, shattering to pieces.
I look to Mason, but before I speak he says. "That's not even the worst part." He fast forward the video until the time reads 3:05. I gasp as a figure appears from the side of one of the frames, looks towards the camera and smiles. His eyes are exactly the same as when I last saw them; black and soulless. "Oh my God, Mason! Is that the priest!?"
He nods silently, pointing back at the screen. The priest moves towards the stairs where the shards of glass lay scattered on the floor. He picks a large, triangular shaped piece and cuts both palms of his hands.
He drops the bloody piece of glass back onto the floor before turning and slowly making his way back up the stairs. Before he disappears, the screens start switching off one by one. Just before the last one goes blank, I hear the faint sound of laughter. It only lasts a second before the last picture goes blank as well.
I carry on staring at the screen, completely thrown off by what I've seen. I look to Mason. "Why did the footage cut off?" "The batteries all died after that, it happens often. We always carry extras with us, it's not unusual for the batteries to die on an investigating. We just weren't there to replace them."
"Do you think he's alive? Can a demon even possess a dead person?" He shakes his head. "I've never heard of it before. Maybe he was alive, but from what the others told me earlier, he's not anymore."
I sigh and massage my temples with my fingers, trying not to get worked up again. I mean, I knew this would happen right? His body was missing, then it was found close to a message written in blood. He was bound to show up sooner or later, I just never thought I'd actually see it.
My thoughts are interrupted as Danny bursts through the door, her eyes wide. The others follow closely, all their faces as white as a sheet.
"How'd it go?" Mason asks casually, still looking at the screen. When he looks up and sees their faces, he stands up and rushes over. "Danny what's wrong? What happened?"
"Something very bad." She manages to say softly before shaking her head and running upstairs. Felicia walks forward, her hands balled up into fists in an attempt to hide the fact that her body is trembling. "It's the priest." She says, trying to keep her voice steady. "He's alive."
