As time stretched uncomfortably, the silence in the room grew heavier—
Like the house itself was holding its breath.
Suddenly, Carolyn stood up from her seat.
Her movement was too smooth… almost robotic.
The others barely had time to register before she said in a flat voice,
"I'm going to the restroom."
She turned without waiting for a response.
But both Freya and Leah's eyes snapped to her at the same time.
It wasn't just what she said—
It was how she looked.
Dark circles had formed under her eyes out of nowhere, giving her a gaunt, drained appearance.
Her face had gone pale, her lips colourless.
But it was her expression that set off all alarms.
There was no emotion.
No tension. No fatigue.
Just… blank.
"____"
Freya's eyes narrowed.
Carolyn slowly began to walk toward the staircase, her steps deliberate and slow.
But then, she stopped halfway up.
She turned her head, her lifeless gaze landing on April and Cindy.
"____"
"Do you want to come to the restroom?"
She asked, her voice eerily soft, like a her normal self—
But without any warmth behind it.
"____"
April, startled, glanced at Cindy,
And she hesitated—
Then nodded slightly.
But just as April's lips parted to agree, Leah stepped forward smoothly.
"It's best that the girls don't go with you,"
she said, her voice calm but firm,
"There's a chance they might… see something. And get scared."
A long pause followed.
Too long.
"____"
Carolyn stared at Leah.
No response.
Just staring.
Then, without a word, she turned and continued walking upstairs.
Freya and Leah exchanged a quick look.
That wasn't Carolyn anymore—
not fully.
After Carolyn disappeared upstairs, her steps fading into the wooden ceiling above, Freya's eyes narrowed.
Her gut was screaming, and her instinct told her Carolyn was up to something.
She gave a subtle signal—
A slight tilt of her head and a flick of her fingers.
Leah, already on edge, caught it immediately.
Without wasting a second, she moved to the girls and Roger, her voice calm but edged with urgency.
"Listen to me carefully,"
She said, crouching to meet April and Cindy at eye level, her tone gentle yet firm.
"No matter what happens, no matter what she says… do not listen to Carolyn. Don't go with her. Don't answer her. Don't even open the door if she knocks."
Roger's eyebrows furrowed.
"Wait, what are you saying?"
But before Leah could respond, Cindy's voice broke the silence, trembling.
"Did… did Mom get possessed?"
The words hung heavy in the air.
Everyone turned toward Leah.
"____"
"____"
"____"
The room stilled.
Roger's face paled, his jaw tightening as his gaze bounced between Leah and Freya, silently begging for an answer.
Freya stepped in then, giving a slow, solemn nod.
Nod~
"We believe something is influencing her. Something dark."
Leah added softly,
"We didn't want to scare you… But yes. It's likely she's been partially possessed. We've been watching her closely."
Roger's expression crumbled.
"My god…"
April pulled Cindy closer, her little hands clutching her sister tightly.
Fear was settling in, and yet… so was understanding.
They weren't imagining the changes.
The coldness. The silence.
The strange behaviour.
Their mother wasn't really their mother right now.
Freya took a deep breath and turned to Roger.
"We'll do everything we can to bring her back. But for now… we need your trust. Don't leave the living room. Don't respond to her voice unless one of us is with you."
Roger slowly nodded, wrapping his arms protectively around his daughters.
Upstairs, the hallway was silent—
too silent.
The shadows clung to the corners, almost breathing, almost watching.
Carolyn walked slowly, her steps unnaturally quiet, her movements stiff but deliberate.
She reached the master bedroom and opened the door with a soft creak.
The moment she stepped inside, something shifted.
The air felt heavier.
She moved to the window, pulling aside the curtain with a slow, robotic grace.
Outside, the twisted silhouette of the old tree stood stark against the dim moonlight, its leafless branches curling like claws reaching for the sky.
Carolyn stared at it—
unblinking, unmoving.
"____"
And then, her face twitched.
Her eyes, once tired and kind, shifted—
The whites dulled to a pale, unnatural hue.
The pupils twisted into thin black dots, like the dead stare of something not human.
Her lips curled upward slowly into a sinister smile—
one that did not belong to her.
The room darkened subtly, shadows swirling behind her.
Without blinking, she whispered something to the tree—
words too old, too guttural to be English.
Something foreign… something dark.
And as she whispered, a cold wind brushed through the room despite the windows being shut.
Carolyn was no longer in control of her body.
It was Bathsheba.
Meanwhile, on Downstairs...
The living room was suddenly drowned in a heavy, suffocating silence—
As if time itself had paused.
No wind, no creak, no ticking of the clock.
Just stillness.
Everyone noticed.
Roger looked around, confused and alert.
Leah stiffened beside her, her posture tightened.
And then—
A blood-curdling, piercing scream tore through the silence.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Carolyn's voice.
Agonizing.
Terrifying. Raw.
It echoed down the stairs like a tortured wail from the abyss.
The girls—
April, Cindy, Nancy and Andrea—
All screamed in fright, huddling together.
The Perron children looked toward the staircase in horror.
"Carolyn!"
Roger shouted, panicked.
Without thinking, he jumped up, ready to bolt upstairs to his wife.
But—
Freya stepped in front of him with a firm, commanding expression, her hand outstretched.
"No."
"That's my wife!"
Roger snapped, his voice cracking with emotion.
"I know. But if you go now, you won't be able to help her."
Freya's voice was calm but resolute.
"You'll only make it worse."
Roger hesitated, trembling, his fists clenched.
He could hear her—
His Carolyn—
screaming, like she was being torn apart.
Every instinct in him screamed to run to her.
But then… Freya's eyes flickered with something.
A silent warning.
Leah stepped beside her, whispering low,
"She's still inside, but… not for long."
Roger's heart sank.
The scream continued to echo in his ears—
until it abruptly cut off.
Like a wire had been severed.
Like someone had hit mute on life itself.
And that silence returned.
Suddenly, Nancy screamed.
Her body jerked back violently—
Something invisible had seized her by the hair, yanking her toward the stairs with terrifying force.
"DAD!!! HELP!"
She shrieked, her heels scraping against the wooden floor as she clawed at the air, tears welling in her eyes from both fear and pain.
"Nancy!"
Roger shouted, lunging toward her—
But Freya was faster.
With a sharp motion, she stepped forward, her fingers weaving through the air as ancient words flowed from her lips like water.
A blast of repulsive energy burst from her, like a shockwave.
A shimmering ripple rolled through the room, invisible to the naked eye—
But its impact was undeniable.
The force slammed into the direction from which Nancy was being dragged from,
sending books, a lamp, and a nearby chair flying away as if hit by a sudden explosion.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the air for a split second—
like something monstrous had been repelled.
Nancy's body hit the floor, sliding to a stop.
"Nancy!"
Roger was by her side instantly, pulling her into his arms.
She clutched him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, her entire body trembling.
"I-It pulled me… it pulled me, Dad… I didn't see anything, I swear—!"
"Shhh, it's okay, baby. I've got you,"
Roger whispered, stroking her hair, though his own heart thundered with dread.
Freya's eyes scanned the space where the entity dragged Nancy, her expression tense.
She could still feel it—
Not gone, just watching.
Lurking.
The Perron children huddled closer, fear written all over their faces.
"It's very cunning,"
Freya muttered grimly.
Immediately, Freya sprang into action.
From a small pouch tucked in her coat, she pulled out a leather satchel filled with salt,
Her hands moved swiftly, drawing a circular barrier across the living room floor,
Creating a protective perimeter around the Perron children and Roger.
Her voice dropped into a focused chant, low and unwavering:
"Sana Sanctus Custodia… Per Lumina Et Veritas… Defende Hoc Locus."
With each incantation, the salt shimmered faintly, glowing for a heartbeat before settling into place,
The air around the circle was growing heavier but safer.
Leah immediately stepped beside her and helped her.
Together, they worked in seamless coordination—
experienced, practised.
Roger looked at them, eyes wide.
"Why… why now? Why didn't you do this before?"
Freya didn't look up.
"Because Jojo was here."
She placed another line of salt near the staircase and continued,
"He's strong enough to kick this old bitch's ass with just a swing of his leg. But now he's gone—and Bathsheba knows it. She's already possessed Carolyn. I waited for her to make her move… because the moment we seal this place—she gets violent. Desperate."
The girls behind Roger huddled together tightly, watching the glowing salt lines and whispered spells with wide, terrified eyes.
Cindy held Nancy's hand tightly, still shaken from her attack.
Freya stood up straight after placing the final glyph and looked toward the top of the stairs.
"Now she knows we're putting a barrier. She's going to come at us hard."
As if on cue, a loud thud echoed from upstairs, followed by a chilling, guttural growl that did not sound human.
The room froze.
THUD. THUD.
A deep, guttural growl echoed once more, closer this time, like something crawling inside the walls, each thud against the wooden floorboards syncing with the chilling creak of the old stairs.
Everyone's eyes locked on the staircase, the shadow of something twisted slowly descending from above.
But then—
CRASH!
Without warning, a heavy wooden chair from the far corner of the room, placed just outside the salt barrier, flew through the air like it had been launched by a cannon.
April let out a scream as it came straight toward her—
But Leah moved fast.
With a sharp tug, she yanked April to the side just in time.
The chair slammed into the wall, splintering into shards and leaving a deep crack in the plaster.
Freya didn't flinch.
Her eyes flicked to the broken chair, then back to the stairs.
"The barrier only blocks her entry. So be careful of something thrown in."
Roger pulled April and Cindy closer, shielding them with his arms while keeping an eye on the stairwell.
Nancy huddled in his grip, still sobbing quietly from the earlier attack.
Andrea was looking at this scene with wide eyes and was too stunned to react.
Leah stepped quickly back into the salt barrier, heart pounding but face calm, whispering to April:
"Stay inside the circle. No matter what happens."
The growling was now at the landing of the stairs.
And then, a pair of bare feet stepped into view—
pale, bruised, and wrong.
The rest of Carolyn slowly followed, her movements jerky, as though her body were being pulled like a puppet.
Her head was slightly tilted to one side, strands of hair obscuring her face—
until she slowly raised it.
Carolyn's eyes were no longer human.
Milky white sclera with small black irises burned with a sinister glow, and an inhuman smile twisted her lips.
Carolyn—
or rather, Bathsheba, who was in control of Carolyn's body—
let out a low, eerie chuckle that echoed around the room like nails on glass.
Chuckle~
She stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes gleaming as she extended a hand toward Cindy and April, her voice suddenly sweet… too sweet.
"Girls, come here, love. It's alright. Mommy just needs a little help, that's all…"
Her voice was soothing, warm, almost normal.
And for a moment, April actually took a step forward, her young heart aching to believe that her mother was still in there.
But before anyone could react—
"NO!"
Cindy screamed, her voice cracking through the room like lightning.
Her small fists clenched, face twisted in defiance and fury, and tears streaked down her cheeks as she stared straight into the eyes of the monster who possessed her mother.
"NO, BASHEBA! YOU OLD-BITCH! LET MY MOM GO!"
"____"
Silence.
A stunned, dead silence fell over the entire room.
Even the demonic presence recoiled for a moment.
Roger froze, his mouth slightly agape, blinking in shock at his daughter's outburst.
He had never heard Cindy speak like that—
not to anyone, let alone her mother.
But what twisted his gut wasn't the language.
It was the fact that she wasn't wrong.
His daughter was protecting her family, facing down the thing possessing Carolyn's body—
And in that moment, everyone could feel it.
This wasn't Carolyn anymore.
The twisted smile on Carolyn's face twitched.
Bathsheba's rage seeped through the mask, her eyes flashing black for a second.
Then, a raspy voice, layered with Carolyn's tone, replied:
"So… the little lamb bares her teeth… Mother must discipline you."
The room darkened slightly, the air thickening.
Leah stepped forward, wand ready, shielding the girls with her body.
Freya raised a hand, eyes locked on the figure above.
"Stay together. Do not break the salt line."
She commanded.
Then she whispered low to Leah, her voice calm but urgent:
"Cindy seems to have touched its nerves."
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!