Chapter 12 "Unfinished Business"
MAYA
The lead came at 11 PM, when Maya was about to give up for the night.
She'd been scrolling through obscure forums and Reddit threads, reading accounts of possession and supernatural experiences, most of which were obviously fake or exaggerated. But then she found a post from three years ago:
My sister started speaking Latin in her sleep after visiting Hollow Creek. She had no memory of learning it. Eventually found a local woman who helped some kind of spiritual healer or medium. If you're in the area and experiencing something similar, I can try to find her contact info.
Maya's heart jumped. She clicked on the username u/HelplessHolly and sent a direct message: I'm in Hollow Creek now. My friend is experiencing something similar. Please, if you have that contact info, I desperately need it.
She didn't expect a response. The post was three years old. The user probably didn't even check their account anymore.
But twenty minutes later, a notification popped up.
I'll send you the number. But be careful. This woman is... different. My sister said she helped, but the whole thing was really weird.
A phone number appeared. Area code 617 Boston area, but close enough to Hollow Creek.
Maya immediately texted Kelly: I found something. Call me.
He called within seconds. "What did you find?"
Maya explained about the forum post, the spiritual healer, the phone number. "I know it's a long shot, but"
"It's more than we had before," Kelly said. "Did you call the number?"
"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first."
"Call it. Now. Put me on speaker."
Maya switched to speakerphone and dialed with shaking hands.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. Maya was about to hang up when someone answered.
"Yes?" A woman's voice, older, with a faint accent Maya couldn't place.
"Hi, um, I got your number from someone online. Their username was HelplessHolly? She said you might be able to help with" Maya paused. How did you even phrase this? "With something supernatural. Something happening to my friend."
Silence. Then: "What kind of something?"
"She's been having episodes. Speaking in languages she doesn't know. Her eyes turn black. She doesn't remember any of it."
More silence. "Where are you located?"
"Hollow Creek. Massachusetts."
"Hollow Creek." The woman's tone changed became sharper, more interested. "And when did these episodes begin?"
"Last week. After a party."
"I see." A pause. "My name is Delilah Cross. I'm a sensitive some call it psychic, though I dislike the term. I help people who are experiencing spiritual disturbances. But I need to tell you, if your friend is truly possessed, I may not be able to help. My abilities are limited."
"Can we meet you?" Maya asked desperately. "Please. Just to talk. To get your opinion."
"I'm in Boston. That's an hour drive."
"We'll come to you. Tonight. Right now."
Kelly grabbed Maya's arm, mouthing Are you sure?
Maya nodded.
"Very well," Delilah said. "I'll text you my address. But I'm warning you if this is dangerous, if there's genuine evil involved, you may be putting yourselves at risk by investigating."
"We understand. Thank you."
The call ended. A text came through with an address in Cambridge.
"Are we really doing this?" Kelly asked.
"Do we have a choice?"
"We could wait. Do more research. Talk to my dad when he gets back"
"Kelly, Ember is sleeping with her eyes open. She's losing time. She's speaking in dead languages. Whatever this is, it's getting worse. We don't have time to wait."
Kelly grabbed his keys. "Then let's go."
KELLY
The drive to Cambridge took seventy minutes, and Kelly spent every one of them questioning their decision.
They were driving to a stranger's house in the middle of the night based on a Reddit post and a phone call. This was how people ended up murdered in true crime documentaries.
But Maya was right. They didn't have time to be cautious.
Delilah Cross lived in a narrow townhouse tucked between a Vietnamese restaurant and a used bookstore. The lights were on inside, warm and inviting, which somehow made Kelly more nervous rather than less.
"Ready?" Maya asked.
"No. But let's go anyway."
Delilah answered the door before they could knock a woman in her sixties with silver hair in a long braid, sharp blue eyes, and the kind of face that had clearly been beautiful in youth. She wore flowing clothes and multiple necklaces, fitting every stereotype of a psychic medium.
"You're younger than I expected," she said, stepping aside to let them in.
The interior smelled like incense and old books. Every surface was covered in candles, crystals, tarot decks, religious icons from multiple faiths. It should have felt cluttered, but instead it felt intentional, purposeful.
"Sit," Delilah commanded, gesturing to a worn velvet couch. "Tell me everything."
For the next thirty minutes, Maya and Kelly took turns explaining the party, the blackout, the speaking in tongues, the black eyes, the deaths in Hollow Creek, everything.
Delilah listened without interrupting, her expression growing graver with each detail.
When they finished, she stood and began pacing, her hands clasped behind her back.
"This is worse than I thought," she said finally.
"So you believe us?" Maya asked.
"Of course I believe you. I've encountered similar cases before though none quite like this." Delilah turned to face them. "Your friend is possessed. But not by a demon."
"Then what?" Kelly demanded.
"A human spirit. Someone who died with unfinished business, unfulfilled rage. Someone who's using your friend as a vessel to accomplish what they couldn't in life."
"Can you help her? Can you... I don't know, exorcise it?"
"Exorcism only works on demons. Human spirits require different methods specifically, they require resolution. Whatever this spirit wants, whatever drove them to possess your friend, must be addressed. Only then will they leave willingly."
"And if they don't leave willingly?" Kelly asked.
Delilah's expression was grim. "Then your friend will eventually be consumed. The spirit will take over completely, and the person she was will cease to exist."
Maya made a small, wounded sound.
"How do we find out what the spirit wants?" Kelly asked, his voice tight.
"You investigate. Find out who this spirit is or was. Learn their story. Understand their pain." Delilah moved to a bookshelf and pulled down a worn leather journal. "I can give you tools to protect yourselves, ways to identify the spirit's presence. But the rest the research, the resolution that's your responsibility."
She began pulling items from various shelves small pouches of herbs, vials of oil, papers covered in symbols.
"These are for protection," she explained. "Keep them with you at all times. They won't stop the spirit, but they'll make you less... visible to it. Less interesting."
"What about Ember?" Maya asked. "How do we protect her?"
"You can't. Not while the spirit is inside her. But you can try to strengthen her will, her sense of self. The stronger she is, the harder it is for the spirit to take complete control." Delilah handed them the pouches. "And whatever you do, don't let her know what's happening. Not yet. The spirit might hear. Might react. Wait until you understand what you're dealing with."
Kelly pocketed the pouch, feeling ridiculous and terrified at the same time. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes. Be careful. Human spirits can be just as dangerous as demons more so, sometimes, because they remember what it means to be human. They know how to hurt, how to manipulate, how to destroy." Delilah walked them to the door. "And if you need me again if things escalate call immediately. I may not be able to exorcise the spirit, but I can at least help contain it."
"Thank you," Maya said, her voice small.
"Don't thank me yet. You haven't saved your friend. You've only just begun."