Page 175 of Evil Hearts

Linx hisses and his fur raises on his back. He has one foot on the bottom step and his eyes are trained toward the front door. He feels it. The entity. Something dark and yet why am I drawn into its embrace like a long-lost lover?

I push myself toward the steps. Taking one step at a time slowly, I make my way toward the front door. The presence is stronger than ever, but still not close enough for me to decide if it’s something that will actually harm me or not. I take a deep breath and slide the key in the doorknob and turn the handle.

The first thing I notice is the thick air inside of the home. I make a mental note that a cleansing needs to be done as soon as possible. Lingering spirits are not something I prefer to deal with right now.

Linx slips in silently behind me and even with his fur standing on end and an annoyed expression, he moves over to his favorite recliner and jumps into the center. He settles in, staring at me as if this is all my fault. In a way, I guess it is. I could have sold it and moved on to other places.

This place has always felt like home to me. An evil entity won’t change that fact. My heart and soul belong here, and this is where I will be. I close the door and opt to grab my stuff later. I move room to room, exploring old memories with my aunt. Every single thought brings tears to my eyes. Some are good tears and some are just plain sad.

When I reach the main bedroom of the house upstairs on the second story, I hesitate to enter her room. This was her private space. Another breath and I twist the knob and it creaks open loudly. A wave of distress hits me straight in the chest.

Searching the room for whatever is here with me. A large bed is in between two windows along the back wall. Beautiful hand carved wooden nightstands with sleeping sigils engraved along the surface are next to it. A dress with protective sigils carved into the wood sits off to the left and to the right is the entrance to the bathroom.

The presence nearly overwhelms me, and I drop to my knees as I cough. Damn. It’s so strong. So large. I won’t be able to rid myself of this. I will need to gather some help.

My chest tightens, and it feels as if fingers are wrapped tightly around my throat, choking me with its strength. I fight for my life and bring my magic forward as I attempt to push it away. To protect myself.

It takes all the energy inside of me, but I lessen their grip on my throat and whoever has me in their hold releases me. I drop to my hands and gasp for air. A coughing fit burns my throat and I wait for the pain to pass and the coughing to cease.

When I can finally breathe without wheezing, I stand slowly, holding onto the door frame next to me for support. The clawing pressure eases as it moves away from me. I don’t feel better about that.

Knowing it can touch me only makes me feel like this is far more dangerous than I first thought it was. An entity can only touch you when it is old and has been here for far longer than it should have been. The odd thing is, I’ve never felt a presence here before. Was I just not paying attention or is this a recent development?

This isn’t a good damn thing. It could take months to get rid of this entity. What if I can’t get rid of it? Am I stuck wondering if it will kill me in my sleep?

“Shit.”

Holding my now sore throat, I make my way into the bathroom to see how bad it really is. What I find leaves me standing therewith my mouth open wide in shock. There is a hand print shaped bruise along my throat. Fingernail tips indented along the left side of my throat.

It’s a woman. The entity in this house is clearly a woman, and she doesn’t like that I’m here. What will she do if I stay here tonight? Will she harm me? Kill me? I don’t think I want to find out. I can’t just leave and let her take the house from me.

This house is mine and I won’t cower even if I want to. I leave the bathroom and make my way back to my car to get my boxes of stuff. I need my ingredients. I could probably find everything inside the house, but that would take far too much time searching. I need to ward the bedroom and fast.

I bring in everything, taking my clothes to the bedroom and the boxes to the room where my aunt keeps all of her potion items. The room is so cold and empty without her here and my heart aches. I watch as a memory plays back and I can practically see an outline of my aunt moving around the room with such grace and expertise.

She taught me so much over the years and I never tired of watching her work. The image disappears and sadness is left behind. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and force myself forward to unpack the stuff from boxes. I place everything on the work benches scattered all over the room.

Finding the ingredients I need, I mix the potions that will keep me safe tonight. One to drink so that if she passes my warding potion, she won’t be able to actually harm me. At least, that’s what I hope it will do. In theory, this should work, but I’ve never needed to test it before.

This entity is stronger than any I’ve ever crossed. It has a hate for me, so why do I feel so drawn to it in such a deeply personal way? Something is different and weird things are happening. I don’t know how to process everything that keeps happening. This is just one more in a long line of mess.

When the potions are complete, I drink one and the other I carry with me upstairs. I sprinkle its contents along the outer edges of the room while chanting a spell.

“Spiritus mali non possunt huc intrare. Nihil intrat quod malevoli desideria habet. Nihil intrat quod cogitationibus nocumentum et perniciem habet. Hic non potest intrare malum. Spiritus mali non possunt huc intrare.”

I repeat the words until I’ve circled the room counterclockwise twice and sprinkled the entire contents around. A golden glow emanates from all over the room and then disappears. Satisfied that it worked and that hopefully this does the trick, I head for my suitcases and unpack some things for a shower.

It’s getting late and I think that a shower before bed is just what I need to relax. It took far too long to create both potions. Maybe it won’t be an eventful night and I can get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.

I turn on the water and stare at my image in the mirror as the water heats. The bruise on my neck has darkened considerably. It hurts to touch, but otherwise it will be fine.

The real question here is, does she want me dead or is something else going on?

Chapter 3

Isit up, startledawake by a cold breeze across my bare breast. I sleep naked, it’s just more comfortable. I like the feel of soft sheets against my bare skin. Plus, I get so hot at night. So when a cold wind slips over my nipples as if kissed by an icy mouth, I can’t help but rub the ache away with warm hands.

The air feels hot in the room around me, so I climb from the bed, unsure where the coolness came from. Shivering at the possibilities, I head for the bathroom. Glancing at the window, I can barely see the sunrise lighting the sky.

---