Chapter 8 – The Husband’s Vow

Long after Father John had departed, Thomas remained at the cooking table, the silence weighing heavily on him. As though the walls had retained the cold from the altercation earlier that evening, the air felt colder. The priest's hands trembled as he grasped his Bible, and he continued to observe the dread in his eyes. What chance did Thomas have if the contents of this mansion could frighten an individual like John, who was equipped with experience and faith?

He combed his hair and looked up at the stairs leading to the second story, where Eva was sleeping, or at least her body was asleep. Eva was no longer the woman up there. Not entirely. Her face was being worn by something else. However, she was still his wife and the mother of his children. And if there was even the smallest chance of saving her, he would fight for her.

His knuckles were white as he tightened his hands. He had promised to love her through good times and bad. He hadn't spoken those words carelessly, and he wouldn't leave her now—not to anything, not to some damned ghost.

The following morning, Thomas greeted Pastor John at the door when he returned. His expression was stern yet resolute.

Thomas stated icily and firmly, "I'll do whatever it takes." "This is going to be a battle. And we will prevail.

John looked at him for a while, his face unreadable. Then he nodded slowly. Thomas, you'll require more than just willpower. This spirit has been consuming the residence and its prey for decades, so it won't go away quickly. It can destroy families.

Thomas's mouth clenched. "I'm not interested. I won't lose her.

The issue weighed heavily on each of them as they sat seated at the cooking area table. Even though neither man appeared to want to drink, Thomas poured a second cup of coffee.

John spoke in a low, thoughtful voice as he leaned forward. "You must comprehend something. This spirit is shrewd. It digs deep into people's regrets and concerns rather than merely possessing them. Families are split up by it. It is skilled at setting people against one another. And it's working on David right now.

The thought of his son made Thomas wince. Over the previous few weeks, David had changed; he was more reserved and irritable. Although he was always an odd and inquisitive child, something felt... off lately. His siblings increasingly shunned him as he mumbled under his breath and spent excessive time alone.

"I am unable to reach him," Thomas acknowledged. "He seems to be slipping away."

John gave a nod. That's the spirit's job. Children are the first to be twisted made into their pawns. David may be unaware of what is happening to him. The ghost is his companion, he believes. And it will continue to feed on your family for so long does it has him.

Thomas felt a knot in his stomach. In front of him, his family was disintegrating. Because of the evil that lurked inside this house, Eva began to slip away, and at last, David was as well.

A hand was placed on Thomas's shoulder by John. The priest continued softly, "Unity is the only means by which to fight this." "You need to keep your family united. Whatever occurs. The spirit prevails if it splits you.

Fear grasped at the corners of Thomas's head as he nodded slowly. Could he save his wife, protect his kids, and prevent his collapse?

He was unaware. He had to try, though.

The remainder of the morning was devoted to John and Thomas devising a strategy to safeguard the kids and prevent Eva from further descending into the realm of the spirit. They were aware that seclusion was essential since the spirit would have fewer opportunities to undermine the family if it couldn't use the kids to turn against one another.

John tapped his Bible and remarked, "I'll have to bless the residence again, room by room." In particular, the kid's rooms. Additionally, we must keep them as far from Eva as we can. The ghost is going to utilize her to reach them since she is no longer herself.

Thomas's chest grew constricted. His heart ached at the idea of splitting the wife from their kids, but he knew it was necessary. Their being around her was unsafe. No more.

They agreed that Lily, Simon, and Ethan would remain in the same room for the time being, closely supervised by Thomas. But the wild card was David. They would need to closely monitor the youngster because he was already too deeply influenced by the ghost.

A thick stillness descended upon the home as they worked out the strategy. The demon wouldn't take this well, and both men knew it. It would fight harder the closer they got to chasing it away. The worsening of the situation was inevitable.

That night was the first indication of trouble. Eva was seated in the window-sill recliner in her living room, gazing up at the fading sky. However, she did not answer when Thomas shouted her name.

The locks of hair on his hands stood on end as he walked slowly toward her. Her sitting position seemed strange—too rigid, too still. Even though she had her hands folded nicely in her lap, her fingers seemed to have a mind of themselves, twitching every few seconds.

"Eva?" Thomas touched her shoulder and whispered.

Too slowly, she turned her head. And she seemed to have lost how to be humane since her eyes were icy and vacant when they met his.

Then she grinned.

It wasn't her smile, though. It was too sharp, too wide, and something something nasty was behind it.

Her voice was a low, scratching whisper as she leaned closer. "Want to learn a secret?"

Thomas took a deep breath. "What's the secret?"

Something unnatural grew deeper in her voice. "She won't be returning."

With his heart thumping in his chest, Thomas flinched back. His wife wasn't the object in front of him. It wasn't her, even though it was speaking and wearing her face.

Eva got up and left the room before he had time to say anything else, her bare feet smacking the floorboards as she did so. She ignored him when he called her name and followed her. She vanished into the darkness and the corridor.

Thomas discovered she was standing in the children's room with her hand resting on Lily's pillow an hour later.

He pulled her aside and yelled, "How did you end up in here?"

Eva looked perplexed and blinked. "I... I can't recall."

Thomas, however, was aware of the reality. The devil was becoming more powerful and infiltrating her thoughts.

Thomas lay awake that night, gazing at the ceiling while Eva slept next to him. Her lips twitched occasionally, as though she were speaking to somebody in her sleep, and her breathing was shallow and slow.

He was aware that a spirit was still waiting and watching inside her. It was just a question of time until it attempted to complete what it had begun.

Thomas, however, was not going to permit it to occur.

His heart ached from the amount of weight of what needed to be done, and he rolled onto his side to watch her sleep. He would never lose the lady he loved, not because of this curse or anything else.

His voice was raspy with emotion as he murmured, "I'll get you back." "Whatever it takes, I don't care. I won't lose you.

Even when sleeping, Eva's lips curled into an odd little smile as if in answer. And from her lips came a murmur, too faint to be real:

"She has already left."

Thomas's heart pounded in his chest as he froze. Eva hadn't said anything.

The demon was making fun of him.

Thomas realized then that the fight for his wife's soul was only beginning.