don't worry. Everything will be okay by the time they get back."
"What will you do that they can't?"
Alex smiled.
"Something I don't want their cameras to see. That's for sure."
They rejoined Donna and Keith in the living room. They'd done exactly like he'd asked. A large bed sheet, riddled with holes, sat in front of Kim, folded over. An empty plastic trashcan was on top.
Kim was lashing out once again. She didn't leave the chair, but snarled and glared at Donna and Keith, who stood on the other side of the room. Her demeanor changed to docile, almost afraid, when Alex walked down the stairs. This fact wasn't lost on Donna.
"It's…scared of you," she said.
Kim looked at Alex with a sad, hopeful stare.
"Mast—"
Alex shut her down with a point of his finger and a glare. He definitely didn't want the demon to address him by their favorite nickname in front of three witnesses.
His phone still sat on the couch where he'd left it. He picked it up and scrolled for the app he was looking for.
"Keith, you've got the most important job now. Are you up for it?"
The boy pulled away from his mother, his eyes eager.
"Yeah. I'll do anything to help my sister."
Alex smiled. "That's what brothers do. Okay, take this phone. I want you to record everything. This is for my own notes, so believe me, it's important. Stay right here on the couch, and just point it at your sister."
Keith took the phone. "No problem. I record videos all the time at my school."
Alex shook his head. When he was ten, he could barely handle the remote to the TV. Now kids were sleeping with phones.
"Donna, Jason, come with me, please."
They approached Kim, and suddenly the girl looked like herself. She studied her parents' faces, confused, as she gripped the dining room chair. There was dried blood still on her face, but her face was her own.
"Mom? Dad?" she said. "What's happening? I…don't remember."
"Oh, Kim!" Donna said. She tried to rush past Alex.
He stopped her. "Don't. It's not her. It's just a trick."
The darkness returned to Kim's eyes.
"I don't want to leave," she said. "I want to stay. I want to play."
Alex ignored her and looked to her parents.
"Okay, stay here by the trashcan and…just wait."
"Wait for what?"
"You'll see."
He took a deep breath as he stood over Kim. She still wore her spaghetti-strap shirt, which was a good thing. Both her arms were completely exposed.
Alex reached out and grabbed both of her shoulders. Kim leaned her head back and howled in agony, gripping the sides of the chair. Her voice changed several times.
"Kim!" Donna shouted. She tried to reach out, but Jason held her back. "He's hurting her!"
"No, I'm not," Alex said calmly. "She'll be fine."
He held onto her left shoulder while running his hand down her right arm, loosening the demon. Demons not only obeyed Alex's every command, but his touch injured them, even when hiding inside a human.
The sensation was uncomfortable for him as well. It felt like his hand was being stabbed with a thousand tiny needles. He continued to stroke her arm, but the demon continued to resist. Alex began to worry about Kim. Her own screams blended with the demon's as her eyes rolled back in her head.
"Come on, Kim," he whispered. "You can do it. Just hold on."
Finally, as Alex's fingers slid over her wrist, he realized he was no longer feeling human flesh. He looked down to see a demon's forearm, protruding slightly from Kim's own arm. It gave the illusion Kim had two limbs grafted on top of each other.
Bracing his right arm against Kim's chest, Alex pulled as hard as he could with his left hand. More of the demon loosened from Kim's body. The arm, completely up to the shoulder, was visible, as was part of the head. Kim leaned forward, an unexpected positive. The demon was mostly free, its waist merging with
Tom Robbins
Gayle Callen
Savannah May
Peter Spiegelman
Andrew Vachss
R. C. Graham
Debra Dixon
Dede Crane
Connie Willis
Jenna Sutton