Possessed

Like just witnessing the cleansing had drained me, as soon as Trisha and Isaac left the basement, I felt weak and tired. Amy saw me stagger and helped me sit back down.

“You can’t stay here, Fran,” she said, concerned.

“Tomorrow,” I mumbled, feeling around to sneak into my sleeping bag. “Promise.”

She sighed to swallow what she would’ve wanted to reply and tucked me in.

“Here’s your phone,” she said, slipping it in my hand. “Kujo and Joseph are here with you, but just dial me if you need anything.”

I just nodded, eyes already closed. I fell asleep so fast, I didn’t even hear her leave. It could’ve been five minutes or a whole year later that the yelling woke me up, and Kujo’s growls kicked me wide awake. It was pitch black down in the basement, meaning it was night outside. And somebody was yelling at the top of their lungs in the garden, repeating the same word.

“Price,” said Joseph.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag a