“What’s in her?” Dex’s head snapped up. “A demon, that’s what.”
Roman shook his head. “No. You’re right, but it’s not just that. There are three entities lying there.” He pointed over at me. “One is Perry. One is demonic. The other is another entity. It is weak and is has no power anymore. But it is a spirit, a vengeful one. And if my guesses are correct, there was something haunting Perry before. Something that was wronged or ignored. It made a powerful pact, deal if you wil , to gain Perry’s soul. But was lost before it could even happen.”
He looked to Ada. “And this miscarriage. Perry would have been at her lowest, most vulnerable. It’s times like that, or pregnancy, when something foreign can grow and latch on with the baby. Even if the baby was eventual y lost.
Though you can bet it was because of this spirit.”
At the mention of baby, Dex had let out a hot puff of air and turned around so his back was to everyone, leaning on his hands against the wal .
“It was Abby,” he said quietly, almost to himself. Roman had to take a few steps closer to him to hear.
Dex continued, “She was haunting me when Perry was with me in Seattle. She’s an ex...she died. Years ago. But she comes around every now and then. You know, she died because of me. And I don’t think she’l ever forget it.”
“She wil now,” Roman said. “The demon gained access to Perry through her, played on her fears through her. To get to you. This spirit is no more. Demons don’t keep their bargains.”
Dex stil didn’t turn around. He shook his head from side to side so his hair flopped back and forth. y,“So that’s it. It has one ex-girlfriend of mine. And it’s not satisfied. It wants the only person left on this earth that I...that I’d do anything for. Just throw her into the pot, who cares. I lost her once, I cannot lose her again.” Dex’s voice cracked and split with anger.
“Life is unfair for a lot of people and for a lot of reasons,”
Bird spoke up from the floor, his fingers tracing circles on the taught drum top, his voice steady as a tree. “This isn’t about you Dex, though I know from experience your intentions are good. This is about Perry. This is about what we can do to help her. We can’t waste time placing blame on each other or being angry. That’s what it wants. We need to help her. And we need to hurry. You can deal with everything else afterward.”
There was little sound or movement from Dex for a few beats. Then he raised his head up and turned around. He walked through the smoke, which stil hung in cloying clouds, and stopped beside Ada. His eyes were wet and wide but held a fierce determination that brought out a rise of hope from somewhere inside me. He offered his hand to her.
“I’m extremely, unrelentingly sorry for what I did to your sister. To Perry. And, by default, to you. Little fifteen.”
Ada eyed his hand like he had cooties. The reluctance didn’t last long. She stuck out her hand and they shook firmly. She even managed a smile.
“Good,” Roman said, looking from one to the other. “We need a united front against this. Even with Bird acting as my helper, I wil need you both to be strong and to have no fear. You have to believe that we can beat it. We are superior to this beast and we wil get out. But you must have conviction in your beliefs. To doubt is to endanger al of our lives, and especial y Perry’s.”