Demon Jack Read Free

down, and I could see with perfect clarity, despite the gloom.
    “Essie, if you’re still in there. It’s Jack. Think you can try and get a word in?” I said, keeping my voice as even and neutral as possible. I didn’t know what had Essie, but anything that can take a body over has to beat the host’s will to do it. It has to be able to shove the original personality aside and then maintain that control. Regardless, it was a fight, and this thing had won said fight real fast, taking her over in a matter of minutes.
    There was a slim chance Essie was in there, somewhere. If I could get through to her, reach past the thing that had her with the right words, I could get her to at least try to force it out.
    If it didn’t work, I’d have to kill her. It wasn’t a notion I was keen on, but it wasn’t something that would keep me awake at night either. I liked Essie, but I wasn’t expecting this thing to just let me walk out the door. In a situation of me or x, there is no “or”.
    “Host.” It growled again, its voice echoing off the walls. The building had emptied out, leaving just me and what had once been the closest thing I had to a friend staring at each other across an expanse of refuse littered concrete.
    “Essie, listen to me. That thing, whatever it is, can only stay in there as long as you let it.”
    Essie’s face contorted with pain, the green light radiating from its eyes dimming. She shook her head violently, a thick, wet snarl echoing out of her throat. Her eyes fell on me again, the light brighter, almost radioactive.
    She had tried to fight it, and she had lost.
    That settled it.
    “Essie, if you can hear me, I’ll try and make it quick,” I said.
    She burst into motion at the same time I did. She was fast, I mean really fast. Her muscles far exceeded what a woman Essie’s age would or should be capable of in a sane world. She became a literal blur as she moved, circling me to come at me from my flank. I tracked her, moving my sprint out wide in counterpoint, fighting to keep distance between us.
    I had been in more than my share of fights. Most often, a fight, a real fight, devolved into a chaotic mass of flailing limbs and wasted motion within seconds. It was the guy that could keep his head in a fight that won out every time over the guy that could hit hard. Strength and speed definitely helped, but they weren't the key to an assured victory. More than anything, it was about patience. It was about waiting it out, defending for a chance at offense and picking your shots.
    She leapt at me. I took two running stops and dropped into a slide, baseball style, slipping under her and rising back to my feet only to duck down and avoid a clubbing blow that probably would’ve taken my head off if it had connected. She swung at me again, and I stepped in taking the blow on the shoulder instead of the side of my head.
    It was like being clubbed with a wrecking ball.
    Whatever had Essie fought with the instincts of a half crazed animal. It swung for the fences every time, nothing was controlled or measured. I ducked or sidestepped every shot as it came towards me, compensating for my disadvantage in the speed department by constantly moving, making her work to adjust to my position and keeping her guessing as to where I’d be next.
    I stepped to the side, a punch aimed at my gut only missed by inches. I realized that the wild animal act had been a total ruse the split second before her right hand connected with my jaw. She caught me just beneath my ear and a cloud of red-hot pain blossomed through my already aching head, sending torrents of agony running down my neck and into my shoulder. Spots danced in front of my eyes. I hit the ground about ten feet away, my breath knocked out of me in one massive rush of air.
    I lay on my back on the cold concrete, blinking stupidly at the ceiling, too dazed to think. Sounds came to me from far off, the sound of footsteps, labored breathing, a slow undulating growl