May Devil Take Your Soul?

twenty one

The doors slammed.

Windows rattled in their frames—hard, violent, like fists pounding to get in. The floor vibrated beneath their feet, a low humming that traveled up through their bones and settled in their chests.

Taehyung couldn't move.

Lily was wrapped around him, her small body pressed against his, her fingers digging into his throat. He didn't feel the pain of dying—he was beyond that now. But the pain of knowing it was his daughter's hands... that was killing him.

Lorraine's voice rose. Louder now. The ancient words filled the room, clashing against the slamming doors, the shaking windows, the humming earth.

AD stood beside her, Bible open in his trembling hands. He read aloud—verses of protection, verses of banishment. But nothing worked. The words bounced off the darkness like stones thrown at a wall.

Lily's fingernails pressed deeper into the side of Taehyung's neck. The skin throbbed. Burned. Her face twisted into something inhuman—features too sharp, smile too wide, eyes swimming with too many pupils.

Taehyung closed his eyes.

His heart pounded so loudly it filled his ears. His arms stayed wrapped around her. He couldn't let go. Even as her grip tightened. Even as her laughter scraped against his soul.

I don't want to die.

The thought came out as a whisper from his lips. Broken. Desperate.

He didn't want to die. Not yet. Not before he freed her. Not before he broke the curse that had taken his daughter from him.

THUD.

Lorraine's hands closed around Lily's head from behind. One sharp movement—a firm, precise grip. Lily's eyes rolled back. Her body went limp. Her fingers slackened around Taehyung's neck.

He gasped. Air flooded his lungs. His hand flew to his throat—red marks burned into his skin, dark and angry.

But Lily was unconscious in his arms.

He cradled her against his chest, his whole body shaking. His daughter. Still his daughter. He pressed his forehead to hers, breath coming in ragged heaves.

"We have to move quickly." Lorraine's voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos. "We can't keep her unconscious for long. She's fully possessed now."

She turned and walked toward the hall. Her steps were fast, purposeful. AD followed, Bible still clenched in his hand.

Lorraine knelt by a bag and pulled out a small jar of white powder. Then a bottle—clear glass, sloshing with holy water. She moved back to the center of the room, her eyes scanning the floor.

"Lay her down," she said to Taehyung. "Here."

He lowered Lily gently to the marble floor. Her face was pale. Too pale. But peaceful in unconsciousness—the only peace she might have left.

Lorraine worked quickly. She poured the white powder in a slow, steady circle around Lily's body. Her hand didn't tremble. The line was perfect—unbroken.

Then she uncapped the holy water. She walked the same circle, dripping it over the powder, sealing the barrier. Water and salt. Protection.

She straightened up. Reached into her pocket. Pulled out a small talisman—leather, worn, marked with symbols Taehyung didn't recognize. She pressed it into his palm.

"Hold this," she said. "Stay inside the circle with her. Don't let her leave it. No matter what."

She turned to AD. He stood near the doorway, Bible pressed against his chest, his knuckles white around the spine.

"I'm going to break the curse," Lorraine said.

"No." AD stepped forward. "You can't go alone. I'll go with you."

"No." Lorraine's voice was firm.

"I'll go." Taehyung tried to stand. His legs buckled. His hand went to his throat. "I'll—"

"No." Lorraine cut him off, her eyes hard. "AD, nothing will happen to me."

"Lorraine—"

She held up her hand. "Nothing will happen."

AD's jaw tightened. His eyes searched her face—looking for hesitation, looking for fear. He found none.

"And Taehyung." Lorraine looked at him. "You're already too injured. And you don't have enough power to fight her there. Neither of you do."

She pulled the book from her bag. The skin-bound book. The devil's book. She held it against her chest, the same way AD held his Bible.

"Don't let Lily out of this circle." Her voice was quiet now. Final. "She's fully possessed now. The circle is all that will hold her."

She turned toward the door.

AD stepped forward, his hand reaching out. "Lorraine."

She stopped.

He looked at the book in her hands. Then at her face. A small smile crossed his lips—not happiness, not comfort. Something deeper. Something that said I trust you without the words.

Lorraine nodded once.

Then she walked out into the rain.

The door closed behind her.

The room fell silent.

Taehyung sat on the floor, Lily's unconscious body inside the circle of salt and holy water. The talisman burned against his palm. His throat throbbed with every heartbeat.

AD stood at the door, Bible open, his eyes fixed on the darkness outside.

The windows stopped rattling.

The doors stopped slamming.

The humming beneath their feet faded to nothing.

but it indicate that this nothing follow something more dark then this night.

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