The Demon Side Read Free Page A

him.
    “Dad? Can I ask you something?”
    “Fire away, baby,” Mr. Divad said.
    “You remember what I said about happy thoughts?” Etta’s tone was low and sheepish. Whatever she was talking about, she appeared embarrassed mentioning it.
    “Yes?” Mr. Divad looked puzzled. I became intrigued by their awkward body language. Maybe this conversation would give a little bit of dirt that I could use later.
    “Can we do that here, too? Just for a little bit until we settle down?”
    “Sure thing, baby, but we really need to work past all of that. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll bring the rest of the stuff in.” Mr. Divad kissed Etta on her forehead and exited the room.
    Happy thoughts! She wanted to block me from gathering more information. I thought I felt a hint of anger, but I wasn’t going to lose the upper hand in my own house. I couldn’t give her a chance to block me out. With any luck, her father wouldn’t honor Etta’s request.
    “Don’t you dare,” Etta said, but before she could get up. I had already caught up to her dad. Flashes of Etta screaming, blood, hospital rooms, and pain filled Mr. Divad. Of everything a forty-something-year-old Marine could have possibly gone through, all he saw was his daughter’s pain? Oh, there must have been something else going on. Viewing the flashes, I stopped at one that I had seen before. I watched the scene play out.
    Etta lay in a crimson red bath water. Her tears fell on her bleeding wrists. Etta’s mom screamed “John!” over and over again. Then Mr. Divad, John Divad, in a white tank top and light blue boxer shorts, barreled into the poorly lit stale beige bathroom. I paused John’s thoughts to better examine the details. Over the toilet was a small window. On the other side of the window blazed my Hell. Darkness streaked by flames, but in that Hell, a face stared in through the glass, smiling. I didn’t need to see any more.
    Popping out of John, I met Etta’s angry glare. She didn’t need to say a word. I walked to our room and took my spot in the attic just above the closet, where I enjoyed watching rats burrow and build little homes for themselves. One of my favorite pastimes was to put a couple of them in an empty box, let them starve for a bit, and then throw a scrap of food in and watch as they tore each other apart. They were my little minions, always great for a scare. One of my favorite tricks involved dropping one on the dining room table during a dinner party. But there would be no playing with the rodents tonight.
    The face in window bothered me. If the Divads had already experienced a Demon, it could pose a serious problem for me. That would also explain not seeing any attacker in Etta’s thoughts. Demons aren’t the same as ghosts. First off, ghosts aren’t real. Second, Demons are bound to an item, person, or property. Demons have the option of following a family or person if we choose, moving from one house to another, continually torturing a person. It’s a rare occurrence, but if one is lucky enough to find a person or place that either generates enough fear or is so despicably horrible to fuel the power needed to exist on Earth, then you can bet he wouldn’t just let them waltz out of his life. Another problem is that no two Demons can occupy the same place or own the same person. If the Divads had in fact lived with a Demon before, I might be getting a very unwelcome guest.
    Although he would own whichever family member he attached to, I would rightfully own this property. Should the unwelcome guest appear, we would have to fight for both. I had no interest in a turf war, but I wouldn’t give up my home so some other jerk could move right in. My only hope was that, like me, he’d decided to stay at Etta’s last home and torment the next family. To be safe, I had to get rid of the Divads, and soon.
    I waited for a few hours until I could be sure everyone was asleep before climbing down the attic access. I stood at the edge