CHAPTER 9

Damon and Vanessa were gripped by an unbearable anxiety as they faced the agonizing reality that their daughter, Allison, had still not been found by the investigators. The team assigned to the case was renowned as the best in the country—so efficient that their longest investigation had never exceeded an hour and forty minutes. But now, their precious daughter had been missing for over two torturous hours.

Vanessa was inconsolable, her tears streaming down her face as she muttered repeatedly,

"It's all my fault" while Damon did his best to comfort her, though he felt the pain just as deeply.

"She'll be found" Damon said, his voice strained from repeating the words so many times, trying desperately to believe them himself.

Vanessa, her words choked by sobs, whispered,

"She might...have...oh...killed someone" Her teeth chattering as a wave of cold fear gripped her.

Damon took a deep breath, trying to mask the tremor in his voice.

"If that was the case, she would have been found" He replied, forcing a calmness he didn't feel. He knew he had to stay strong—for Vanessa, if not for himself. If he allowed his emotions to overwhelm him, Vanessa would completely fall apart, leaving him to not only worry about Allison but also to take care of a broken wife.

In a desperate bid for information, Damon picked up his phone and dialed the lead investigator.

"Any news?" He asked, his voice laced with nervous whispered.

"Nothing yet, sir" The investigator responded, though the confidence in his voice was wearing thin.

"But be rest assured, she will be found. No mission of ours has ever failed, and your daughter won't be the first. We've got the best tracking dogs in the state—they'll pick up her scent soon enough"

Despite his reassurances, doubt gnawed at the investigator's own thoughts. He had never faced a case like this—a teenage girl vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace. 'It could be because she's possessed by a demon as Damon had warned. Eh...she probably just have mental health issues' 'But where could she possibly be?' The question haunted him, disturbing his usual cool-headed demeanor.

As Damon tried to comfort Vanessa with the investigator's words, a sudden knock echoed through the quiet house. Both parents sprang to their feet, hearts pounding with the hope that the investigators had arrived with news. They rushed to the door, flinging it open, only to freeze in shock at the sight before them.

There stood Allison, her expression a mixture of fear and exhaustion, her clothes disheveled and dirty. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stammered.

"Mom? Dad?"

Without a moment's hesitation, they enveloped her in a crushing embrace, their own tears mingling with hers. Damon pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers desperately.

"The demon… gone?" he asked, his voice trembling with hope.

Allison nodded, tears spilling over as she confirmed

"It's gone."

"You've grown so much." The words tumbled out, imperfect but full of raw emotion, and the sentiment behind them was clear.

Vanessa and Damon were overcome with a mix of disbelief and joy. The nightmare that had haunted them for the past three year was finally over. They clung to her, holding her tightly, as if afraid she might slip away again, all while ignoring the stale scent that clung to her clothes. Vanessa showered Allison's face with kisses, unable to contain her relief and happiness.

"I'll be right back. I need to go to my room" Allison said, her voice suddenly filled with a lightness they hadn't heard in years. Her parents tensed, reluctant to let her out of their sight.

"I'll be fine" She assured them with a firm voice.

"The demon isn't coming back. Trust me." With that, she turned and walked toward her room—the room she hadn't set foot in for three long years. The room that had once been her sanctuary before she was taken from it, firslty locked away in a cell, then a mental hospital, and finally, a cold metallic chamber.

Vanessa and Damon exchanged a glance filled with uncertainty and followed her quietly, their hearts heavy with a mixture of hope and lingering fear. They stood at her door, watching as she re-entered the space that had been a part of her former life. They needed to see for themselves that their daughter was truly back—that this wasn't just another cruel trick played by the demon that had tormented them for so long.

Only time would tell if their nightmare was finally over.