There?s a demon living in my attic and she has three rules (Part 8)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
The Captain showed up for the second of his yearly visits right as the young dumb-****s were being scared off by Burnface, Legless Linda, Flying-Head Stu, and even Mentally Challenged Rob (a fat ghost that licked everything he saw and almost drowned you in saliva; he sucked for real battles but was great to chase people away).
Those that were trespassing my property that night had no idea of the true horror they were experiencing, and how close to being reduced to nothingness they were.
Luckily, Pandora single-handed defeated the soul-eater once again ? he wasn?t as strong as he was scary. Still, I was always terrified when I heard the sound of him approaching; just listening to his heavy steps, or remembering the glimpse I caught from his face the other time was enough to send me into a panic attack and nearly crush my mind.
On my previous entries, I?ve been relatively laid back about my otherworldly visitors because most things are just bizarre and I know that Pandora can always handle them, but this unnatural creature was one of the most horrific things that my mind could conceive, and its danger was overwhelmingly real.
I?d feel so guilty and angry if The Captain caught one of the foolish teenagers, and not being able to do anything but lay in my bed and wait made me horribly anxious. I?m ashamed to say, but I broke down that night.
?Hey, hey, it?s okay, sweetie?, Old Lady immediately made me know that she was nearby, as I trembled under the blanket. The already familiar presence helped a little bit.
?Can I ask you a favor??
?Anything I can help you with, as long as it?s within my reach?, she replied, solicitous.
?Can you tell me what brought you here? Or anything you remember about yourself when you were alive??
I felt a gentle pressure over my hand, like she was grabbing it with her two; she reminded me a lot of my late grandmother in this sense.
?Of course, dear. There isn?t much to tell, but I?ll be glad to share it with you if that?s what you want?, she slightly raised her voice to superimpose the uproar outside. ?I hear most people are here for bad reasons, but I?m just passing the time until my son returns from the Vietnam War.?
?But didn?t you know--?
?It?s fine, darling. People insist that the war has been over for a long time, and everyone have already returned if they could, but he?s always been a forgetful boy, and so clumsy, the poor thing. That?s why I need to be patient?, she sighed and paused. ?Maybe he has passed too, but that?s all the more reason to wait so we can cross together. He?ll come, I?m sure. A mother?s heart knows.?
I used my other hand to squeeze the air where I imagined hers to be.
***
That night, when Pandora came to tell me it was safe to leave the bed, she asked if I had a moment to talk ? something that never happened before.
?You see me with too kind eyes, but I have to burst this bubble for you, roomie. You should know that I killed the previous owner of the house.?
It took me a while to process it. As far as I know, Mr. Lou was an old widow, beloved by the community if a little eccentric, and he was very fond of the Sioux Manor ? that?s why he refused to leave such a dangerous place and go stay with his relatives.
?Did you have a good reason for it? Was he bad to you??
She laughed. ?You really think that whatever I do is justified, don?t you? If I tell you that I just ate a puppy you?ll say okay, I guess the puppy was actually Cerberus.?
?I just know that you?re smart enough to not act senselessly?, I retorted, without hesitation; Pandora seemed shocked.
?Well, you?re surprisingly right this time. You do realize that the farm was extremely cheap even for a creepy property, right? Old Lou?s family wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible because their dad was murdered.?
Pandora sucked at explanations, so she just picked an icy and fluffy memory from her head and implanted in mine.
This dream was completely different from the other; it was somewhat blurry and poorly-lit, like something recorded on a cheap disposable camera.
I watched Mr. Lou, a likable old man, limping slowly around the property; these days he had an employee to run the farm, because he himself couldn?t do much. The man, around 40 years-old and always wearing a cowboy hat, took care of the animals and helped him in some tasks around the house too, like basic cleaning and cooking, but he wasn?t allowed to stay the night.
Mr. Lou treated Pandora with an awkward gentleness, like she was an estranged daughter he had been recently reconnecting with; since she didn?t have a name, he called her Girl ? not very imaginative.
I watched in horror as Mr. Lou uncovered his head when he heard the heavy footsteps entering his bedroom; Goofy Voice had told me that the old man didn?t leave the bed when it was likely that something bad would show up, because he couldn?t escape quickly anymore.
But it seems that, assuming that he was almost dying anyway, Mr. Lou?s curiosity took the best of him and he decided to steal a glimpse from the aberration that had chased and intrigued him over the last decade.
He let out a hideous scream; The Captain was a giant animalistic black smudge, that somewhat merged with the natural shadow on its surroundings, consuming everything.
The horrid ghoul let out a satisfied roar when it realized that Mr. Lou was taking a peek at him; with atrocious, unavoidable speed, it caught him and started eating ? no, suctioning ? his leg; it started disappearing completely, leaving no blood or chewed bones behind.
Pandora smashed his prot?g?e?s head to kill him before he was completely devoured, so at least his soul could be saved.
After that, chaos ensued; the employee found Mr. Lou?s body the next morning, and thank God he had a solid alibi for the time of death ? besides, there was nothing to inherit but the property, so the cowboy didn?t profit from his boss? demise.
Mr. Lou?s family hated the house with all their might, even more now that they suspected it had killed him, so they decided to sell it for pennies. And that?s how I ended up here.
The next morning, I let Pandora know that I watched everything and that she did the best that she could. She brushed it off.
?Thinking about it, that?s pretty much how Legless Linda died; she hates her nephew?s guts because she thinks he murdered her, but it was just us trying to save her partially.?
?That?s awful! Have you told her that??
?Of course, dumdum. But she won?t believe me, even after seeing Old Lou suffering from a similar fate. You should have realized by now that the ghosts here are all biased and stubborn.?
I had a somber look on my face. She then added: ?Cheer up, sunshine! You might die from that too, but I?m getting more powerful, so I?ll probably only fail to save your feet.?
***
After Lakota patiently clarified all my doubts about the Sioux Manor, I finally understood why The Captain returned from time to time: unlike our ghosts, who still belonged to the material realm, The Captain and other entities like him belonged to an outer plane. So, even if Pandora slashed him to bits, he?d just reform on his natal plane (Hell, Abyss, or something like that) after a while.
But, having Pandora and the other resident ghosts around to protect me, I was able to deal with even that.
There was only one thing in the world that I couldn?t handle, and it hit me like lightning the day after The Captain came.
An unknown number called me; I figured that maybe some door to door salesman saw my warning sign by the gate and wanted to be allowed in, or even one of the kid?s parents called to apologize ? it wouldn?t be the first time for both things.
It was his sister.
I can?t bring myself to say the name of my ex-fianc?e because it makes me tremble, so forgive me for not reproducing her every word here.
?Melinda? Are you with ??
?Why would I be?? I replied, somewhat harshly. I used to be friends with this woman, but when I told her about the aggressions, she was dismissive and said that all couples are like that. She?s the reason why it took me so long to ask my parents for help.
?Because my brother said that he would make things right with you. And now no one has seen or spoken to him for over a week.?
​
PPT


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