Harly

Chapter Fifteen (Edited 08/2021)

Norman made it to the hospital in record time. In his car he brought with him Andrei and two of the other clergymen to study Lil's decline in health and determine if it was Harly's doing, or just something that will pass. I wasn't entirely hopeful though.

Lilly started to doubt Harly's character, and then he leaves and she suddenly gets sick? It's all too convenient. I was ready for them to trap Harly in the box, now.

My suspicions were confirmed by Andrei when he checked up on Lil. She was awake now, quietly talking to the rest of us. She hadn't eaten much, and much to her dismay, they had to give her an IV to keep her fluids up.

"And the doctor hasn't figured out what it could be yet?" Andrei had asked, placing his hand on Lil's forehead. Her fever was still hovering in the low 100's, but nothing like it was this morning. Well, I thought as I glanced at the clock, yesterday morning.

We had been in the hospital for twenty-eight hours. They did all kinds of tests on Lilly, blood work, even an MRI.

"They just assume it's a really nasty bug," Elle muttered miserably. She sat on the bed with Lilly, smoothing her hair back.

I sat off to the corner by myself, feeling terrible.

This was my fault.

If I hadn't brought the stupid box. If I had just left it behind, none of this would have happened. I'm sure the kids and I would have bonded just fine without the threat of a demon on our backs. Lilly would be happy and healthy, and we would have all been fine.

If I had only left behind the stupid box.

I abruptly stood, feeling my eyes prickle with tears, and stepped into the hallway. I leaned back against the wall outside of Lilly's room, tilting my head back to will the tears away.

Norman came to check on me, probably assuming this was what was happening.

He didn't say anything, but stood with me against the wall as I tried, but ultimately failed, to keep myself from crying.

When Andrei came out into the hallway as well, I had gotten control of myself and was just trying to calm my thoughts. I heard the door to Lil's room click shut softly, so I turned to look.

Andrei looked grim from the situation at hand, but there was a sparkle of something in his eye. Hope?

"We finished the box," he started off, and I felt my spirit soar. That was the best news I've heard for weeks. "There's one small set back." Less good news.

"What's that?" Norman asked for me, and in a gesture of friendliness, put his hand on my shoulder. It actually worked to keep me calm, the feeling of someone else comforting me the best to his ability.

"Inside the box," Andrei began, pulling me into the story the church passed around for years. "Should have been a small wooden figure in the shape of an X. When the brother's before me contained him, they had to bind him to the object and lock his spirit inside it. But the box you brought us doesn't have that piece." He shuffled through his coat, feeling around until he found a picture. He handed it to me and I looked it over.

It was a simple piece. Two thin, bumpy sticks tied together with thread. It was as he said, the shape of an X. It looked rather plain. "I heard it inside the box when I was a kid, but Lilly was the one who opened it. It must be inside her room somewhere."

Norman and I began planning immediately. We'd slip away, go to the house and find this object, and Andrei said he had ways the church discovered to thwart the demon's act of harming Lilly. So they'd do their magic here and we'd meet back up when I had all I needed.