Chương 7: Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 7)

NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 7 ASHLEY Ashley Yates trudged into the dimly lit foyer and wheeled her suitcase behind her like a reluctant companion. Exhaustion pressed down upon her, etching deep lines onto her face. With every step, the floorboards creaked.

"Hello?" Ashley called out, the sound swallowed by the oppressive silence that greeted her. Her voice bounced off the cold walls.

"Dave, are you home, sweetie?" No one answered.

"Viv? Xavier?" Well, at least they're in school, Ashley thought. Xavier tended to skip school whenever she wasn't home, but that changed a few weeks ago. Ashley reckoned it had something to do with a girl, and though Viv kept her lips sealed, she proved her suspicions were correct when she saw him walk around the house glued to his phone, constantly texting someone named Carly. A new girlfriend? A crush? Viv hadn't mentioned a girl by that name before, and if she was from the right family.

She entered the house, put her luggage to the side of the door, and took off her shoes. She opened the closet door and grabbed her slippers. With Dave probably at work, she had the house to herself. At least her boss gave her a day off after attending the conference in Miami. With jet lag wrapping a band around her head, she welcomed a nap. She shivered all of a sudden.

"Why is it so freaking cold in here?" She remembered looking at the weather app on her phone while waiting for her flight back to Florida. It was supposed to be sunny throughout the week at a steady seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit across the Willamette Valley. A little dash of a waning summer before the cold would set in. However, her house felt much colder than outside. She checked the thermostat—sixty-five degrees—the same temperature she had left it at before leaving for the airport.

No, it was much colder than that. She increased the temperature by ten degrees, hoping that should alleviate the chill. She grabbed her luggage and walked up the stairs, checking Viv's and Xavier's rooms in case they were in the house. When she found the rooms empty, she smiled. She went into the master's bedroom and started stripping.

"Alexa, play my Spotify playlist," she called out from across the room. ABBA's I Have a Dream blared from the speakers. It reminded Ashley of her and Dave's twelfth anniversary, cruising on a ship around the Southern California coast, and this came on, sang by this gorgeous woman with a beautiful voice. They danced in the ballroom for what felt like hours. It was probably the most romantic date Dave had ever set up for her, and Dave was rarely the romantic type.

A good change, especially after what we've been through these past couple of years. A few months ago, she almost lost her job and the house and was considering moving three states to a much cheaper city. But then that turned around when Dave won a raffle from a radio contest and got a massive bonus from work, and Ashley got promoted from her job with over thirty grand more than she expected. Even Dave was due for a promotion in a few days.

With their crisis behind them, Ashley began focusing on her kids and health, proudly losing twenty-four pounds in three months since she bought some gym equipment with Maxine's help and started dieting. Dave had noticed the changes as well, and for almost seventeen years of their marriage, they had never had such intense sex for a long time, multiple times a week. Ashley felt like she was back in her twenties.

Even the kids' tempers had lessened over the past few months, gaining good grades, and Vivian's on a fast track for valedictorian if she keeps it up. And Xavier was getting scouted by several colleges to play baseball for them with a full-ride scholarship after he graduated the following year. Ashley hoped he would get it. Her family was blessed after all the hardship they had to endure. Her marriage succeeded from the brink of collapse. Her own children stopped hating her. Dave was sexually attracted to her again.

And she found success in her work. Stripping off her clothes, she headed into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She and Maxine had talked about Botox many times over the past few months, and though Maxine was considering it, Ashley didn't know if she should, too. But since she lost all that weight, it did make her younger-looking. But she hated her forehead and how her cheeks sagged a little from under her eyes. We have the money now for treatment, Ashley thought. A first visit wouldn't hurt.

Maybe a consulting exam. Setting up her facial mask that she would put on later, she noticed something wedged behind the door. She picked it up and brought it to the light. It was a rag. And the stain on it looked blood red. I watched her pick up the rag with anticipation, and her eyes widened, her body faintly glowing from green to a lighter orange. Another thing about creating a dungeon was when a delver entered my domain; they were surrounded by an aura that only I could see.

Green for full Resolve—a delver was calm, alert, or relaxed—and I reckoned a lighter orange was the start of Ashley's shedding Resolve. A glimmer of hope wormed its way into my gut.

"Please," I whispered.

"Call the cops, Mrs. Yates. Call the cops. Find my body." Maybe if I'm found, I can be free from this gem? Maybe, just maybe, I could see my family again. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The demonic entity floated next to me, watching the scene unfold curiously. At least it followed my command not to attack Mrs. Yates, but I could feel its hunger growing. It wanted to attack. Wanted to take her. Wanted to lunge. But it held back. For now.

Ashley dropped the rag on the sink, taking a step back. I didn't know if she was shocked to see it or concerned that Dave was hurt. It wasn't his blood. It was mine.

"Bring it to the cops. It's my blood, Mrs. Yates," I said eagerly. She grabbed her phone.

"Yes. 911. Come on!" I cried out. But instead, she dialed Dave's phone. His phone rang in the basement, but Ashley couldn't hear it since she was upstairs. It went to voicemail.

"Dave, I'm home," she said. She looked pissed, and my stomach dropped.

"Um, call me when you get the chance. We need to talk about something." Putting on her bathrobe, she grabbed the rag from the sink and scrunched it up. Then, she marched out of the room, down the stairs, and headed for the basement. Throughout all of this, I followed her closely. So did the Possessing Demon. She looked angry, muttering as she opened the basement door and walked down the steps. I was shaking, nervous that she would see the body.

Dave's body, his head still crushed by the cabinet, was on the northern corner of the basement, hidden under a dimly lit cover. However, Ashley turned southward toward the incinerator and chucked in the bloodied rag. She took a deep breath and watched the piece of evidence of my murder burn into ash within a minute. Ashley was in on it. She knew. She knew what Dave had done. I could see it through her face. She looked offended that her husband left such damning evidence behind on their bathroom floor.

She pivoted her heels and marched toward the stairs again, anger boiling. I readied a telekinetic attack once she saw the body, but she pulled out her phone again and decided to text Dave. She missed the body and continued up the stairs, still typing on her phone—its loud click-click-click following her. I could see it unfold before me. Once she sends that text, she will hear Dave's phone chime under the TV stand, and she'll return to the basement and check out the noise. Then, she'll see Dave's body.

I didn't want her to find the body yet. Not with her Resolve still high. Quickly, I flew toward the front door and used [Telekinesis] to ring the doorbell. Ashley stopped texting, ears trained on the doorbell. She glanced over at the clock stamped on her phone—10: 04 AM. She probably wondered who would visit them this early. She entered the kitchen and headed toward the front door. She opened it, but there was no one there.

"Hello?" She called out. She walked out to the front porch in her bathrobe, looking around behind the bush to see if anyone was there, but found no one. She looked for a package just in case it was a delivery driver dropping off something, but nothing was left on her porch. I could tell that Ashley was a little freaked out. She walked back to the house and sent Dave the text. Luckily, she was too far away to hear the phone chime in the basement. When she entered the house, she shivered again.

"You gotta be kidding me," she muttered under her breath and strode toward the thermostat. Displayed on the screen was the same temperature she set it as.

"Is this fucking thing not working?" She sent Dave another text: Thermostat broken. Home Depot tonight? She set the thermostat up a couple more degrees and returned to the stairs to shower. She turned the shower handle to warm. Okay. It's probably time I fuck with her head. I triggered [Strange Noise]. Footsteps shuffled down the hallway, passing by the living room and letting out a child's laughter. Ashley paused, turned, and craned her neck from the bathroom door frame, watching the open bedroom door warily.

She grabbed her bathrobe again from the shower hook and quickly put it on.

"Vivian? Xavier? Are you guys home?" She asked, but no one answered.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school? If I catch you skipping class again, you guys are grounded!" I watched her take the bait. She slipped out and walked toward the door. I still have plenty of juice left with [Strange Noise], so I created sudden loud footsteps coming down the stairs as if someone was running through it. Ashley stiffened and kept the door ajar, her chest heaving forcefully. She had a direct line of sight to the stairs and knew no one rushed down on them.

The demon floated next to me, waiting eagerly for orders. It wanted to join in.

"Not yet," I said.

"Wait." Ashley's aura switched to a bright orange. I smiled. That must have freaked her out even more.

"Hello?" She called out. She couldn't help it.

"Is someone there? Dave?" Suddenly, her phone rang, and Ashley jumped from the shrill noise.

"Fuck! Eat balls!" She looked at the caller ID: HODGE. Steadying her breathing, she pressed the green button.

"Hodge, hey," she answered.

"What's up?"

"Hey, Ashley. Did you just get home?" Hodge asked. Hearing his voice again made me shiver.

"Yeah. A few minutes ago. What's up?"

"Dave called me early in the morning, but Maxine said he wasn't answering his phone when she called. I called him too, but he didn't answer. Alvin told me he dropped him off and made it home okay." I went to the basement and realized that Hodge called him a minute ago. I was too distracted, freaking out, Ashley.

"I think he's at work," Ashley said.

"What did he call about?"

"Something about the gem. That's all I got from the voicemail."

"The gem? The one Kirk bought?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Ritual was a no-go last night, and Dave brought the gem home to get rid of it. You got the incinerator?" Ashley went rigid.

"Wait, Justin, what do you mean it didn't work? I thought you got everything ready."

"I don't know. It just didn't work, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Hodge sounded frustrated.

"But what about Dave's promotion—""Look. I can't talk about it over the phone. Maxine's coming by your house in a few. Can you call Dave for me? Find out what he's complaining about?"

"Yeah, of course. Um, the incinerator was on when I got home. I think Dave may have used it before he went to work."

"Okay. Well, can you find the gem?" Ashley nodded.

"I'll go down there. I'll call you back if I find it."

"Thanks, Ash. The others and I will come by after school."

"Alright. I'll send Xavier and Vivian to go to the movies with their friends or something."

"Good."

"Wait, should I be concerned?" Hodge paused.

"I'm sure everything's fine. Gotta go." Hodge dropped the call. Ashley walked out of the bedroom and tentatively climbed down the stairs. She listened to the house creak from a strong wind blowing outside, but with [Strange Noise] already starting its cooldown, I couldn't produce another sound for the next ten minutes. When she was sure that no one was in the house, she quickly headed straight for the garage, frowning when she found her car was missing. She promptly messaged Vivian. ASHLEY: Did you take my car?

It took a minute for her daughter to reply. VIVIAN: It was Xavier. Sorry, mom. Ashley groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Fucking unbelievable." Then she noticed that Dave's car was still there. Ashley's aura turned darker orange as all the hairs stood up from her body. Dave must still be inside the house. He never left for work. The demon inched closer, eager to strike. Half a dozen flames licked from its billowing cloud. I realized it was excited, sensing Ashley's fear like a moth to a flame. Ashley dialed Dave's number and heard it ringing down the basement. She froze. I could see her mind clicking into place.

She was down there a moment ago, and she never saw him, realized that she wasn't paying attention. Using [Levitate], I hid my gem under the couch again and triggered [Telekinesis] to shut off the lights. [Power: 7/10] Ashley walked toward the basement door and slowly opened it. The darkness below beckoned, and she visibly trembled.

"Dave?" She called out.

"Are you down there?" Her aura's Resolve turned red. The demon's cloud grew with hunger. I turned to the demon.

"Do your thing," I said.

"She's part of the cult. Make sure she suffers."