Chapter 12

Rachel sipped her bitter coffee as she sat in a red vinyl booth. Red checkered floors and bar stools complemented the white walls of Mel's diner. Sizzling bacon and the homely scent of pancakes and syrup lingered in the air. She ducked her head as customers' chatter filled the air, their sidelong glances prickling her skin with unease.

A sigh slipped from Rachel's lips as she checked her pager, but there was no response from Emily. There'd been silence for three hours since that fire alarm stunt. She glanced at the jukebox by the kitchen, its jazzy tune clashing with the persistent hum that buzzed in her mind. Restless, she shifted in the booth and sipped her coffee.

"What's a teenager doing drinking coffee?" A cheerful hostess asked, approaching Rachel's booth with a coffeepot in hand.

Rachel forced a smile, her mind flickering to the chaos of last night. "Didn't sleep much," she said, watching the hostess refill her cup.

"Up practicing your shot for the basketball championship?"

Rachel's eyes widened. "Umm, yeah, championship. Coach has been on us hard," she replied as she sipped her coffee.

Rachel spotted Sara at the front door. "What's she doing here?" she muttered, watching her perch briefly on a barstool.

Sara's gaze slid toward her. "Rache... we need to talk," she said, abandoning the stool to slide into the booth across from Rachel. "What the fuck is wrong with Emily?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know. I've been trying to page her, but she isn't responding."

"I told you she was crazy," Sara smirked as she pulled out a Polaroid camera.

"Say Sara was right!"

Rachel blinked heavily as a bright flash came from Sara's camera. "What was that for?"

Sara glanced at the photo and chuckled. "To commemorate the occasion, of course. It's not very often Rachel is so wrong about a person's character."

"She's not crazy... it's just-"

"A teenage moment that probably put her in jail?"Sara chuckled, then looked at the photo."Damn, Rachel, you're even photogenic when I try to get a horrible shot," Sara said as she scooted the photo across the table.

Rachel rolled her eyes and snatched the photo. At first, it showed her laughing beside Emily in a mulberry booth, coffee cups, and plates of pancakes strewn around them—Emily with a milk mustache, wielding a fork like a sword. Her breath caught. She blinked, and the image morphed: now it was just her, arms thrust up to block a blinding flash.

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at Sara, then back at the photo, heart pounding.

"Okay, that was weird," Rachel muttered out loud as she returned the photo.

Sara's eyebrow raised. "You think so? I find it hilarious."

"No, I thought I saw something," Rachel said, peering into her empty coffee cup.

"You're a mess, Rache, "Sara snickered, but don't worry, I got you.

"What are you talking about?" She groaned, frowning as she stared at the same cup—now inexplicably full again. Her eyebrow raised for a moment. She bit her lip and then glanced up at the jukebox.

"I mean this," Sara said as she slid a purple pill towards Rachel.

Rachel's eyebrows lowered as she picked up the pill. "Is this...Gloom?"

"Not so loud, Rache! Damn...yes, it's Gloom."

Rachel leaned forward. "What are you doing with this?" She whispered.

"Helps with anxiety and stuff. Don't believe what the media is saying about this stuff. So long as you don't go crazy, it's perfectly safe," Sara explained as she shrugged and pulled one out of her pocket.

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

You're missing out. I promise it will help your nerves," Sara said as she swallowed the pill.

Rachel drifted inwards as she fixated on the hum. It buzzed in the back of her mind like a fly that refused to leave her alone in summer. She focused on anything to distract from the echo thumping in her brain.

"And this is safe?"Rachel asked as she glanced at the pill in her hand.

"One pill, Johnny, is feeling fine. Two, Johnny is doing alright. Three, Johnny should call it a night," Sara joked.

"And four?"

"Johnny a Hollow," Sara said flatly.

"Fuck it."

Rachel sighed and then quickly swallowed the pill. Her body tensed up, expecting an immediate jolt of something.

Sara laughed. "Oh my god, Rachel...that's not how this works. You've never done drugs before, have you?"

"Ummm, no."

"Looks like I'm playing babysitter, then. Come on, let's go," Sara said, gesturing for Rachel to follow her.

"Wait, where are we going?"

"We're going to my house."

Rachel glanced down at her pager, checking for Emily's response that had never come. "Okay, fine, " she replied as she got up. Her shadow lingered in the booth seconds after Rachel left.

Sara's car engine hum startled her as she entered the passenger seat.

"Jeez, Rache...chill out." Sara laughed as she turned on the radio. A bass-heavy mainstream pop song played.

Gloom groove, set me free,

Silence the hum; let me be.

Dancing in the neon glow,

Forget the world; let it go.

The bass drowned out the hum in her mind. Her thoughts cleared, and her body relaxed as Sara drove. She nodded as her eyes lowered and a smile stretched on her face. Autumn leaves looked more vibrant across the gloomy afternoon sky. Rachel's senses sharpened as she glanced out the window, mindlessly observing stores that rushed past.

"Feeling better?" Sara asked as she stopped at an intersection.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah... I feel really relaxed. I like it," she replied, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"You can take a nap if you want. My house is on the other side of town."

"I think I might do that," Rachel said as her eyes closed.

As sleep took her, Rachel found herself before a Southern Baptist church. The church siding was white, dingy, and weathered from years of climate abuse. It had a large, bland, brownish wooden door and two mosaic windows. The unkempt grass that stretched up the hill surrounding the church had a picket sign displaying church hours. A rock and pebble path leads up to the church, which loomed at the top of the hill.

Dust painted her palms as she pushed the door open. The wooden floors creaked under her shoes as she gazed at the empty wooden pews. Mulberry bibles were scattered on the pews while a large engraved cross was hung behind the podium. The sound of an elderly man humming a choir tune caught Rachel's attention as she neared the podium.

"Hello?" She said as she cautiously tilted her head to see who was humming.

She saw an elderly black man with freckles. The man hummed as he read a bible alone, oblivious of her presence. His eyes were milky, and his stubble-white hair glimmered in the sunlight as it beamed through the mosaic windows. He wore a designer black suit and a mulberry tie.

"Hello?"

The man turned his head slowly towards Rachel. His eyes narrowed as he looked her over before closing his bible. "Here already Prime?"

"I'm sorry, who are you, and what do you mean by Prime?"

"A woman of destiny, fate. God has chosen you."

"I am just a teenage girl," Rachel flatly said as her eyes drifted towards the bible in his hand.

The elderly man smiled. "And what of it? We all play our part, threading God's plan in one way or another."

Rachel balled her hand in a fist."I want to save Emily this time."

The man sighed as he put his bible down. "Fallen in love with the devil again, I see."

Rachel's eyes blinked as her gaze drifted towards the floor. "What?"

"Don't be like Eve, child. Her words are filled with half-truths and lies. Her voice is venomous and echoes deceit," The elderly man said as he glanced up at the cross.

A scratching sound like claws on a chalkboard caught Rachel's attention as she looked at the windows. A static shadow resembling her physique clawed at the window. Its eyes glowed mulberry, and a grin stretched across its face as it slammed on the window.

"Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ ₱ł₲, Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ ₱ł₲...ⱠɆ₮ ₥Ɇ ł₦!" It yelled, its voice crackled with static distortion. 

Rachel's body froze as her heart pounded in her chest. Her legs felt glued to the ground as she clutched a bible. Her breathing was short and fast as she watched the static doppelganger vault towards the door.

"ⱠɆ₮ ₥Ɇ ł₦, Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ!"It yelled as it knocked on the door. 

"This is a place of God, be gone, Demon!"Rachel shouted at the top of her lungs.

"ⱧØ₩ ₵Ʉ₮Ɇ! ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ'₴ ₦Ø ₲ØĐ ØⱤ ĐɆ₥Ø₦ ⱧɆⱤɆ ฿Ɇ₴łĐɆ₴ ɎØɄ, Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ," It chuckled as the door creaked open. Its sharp nails dragged across the door as it peered inside and grinned. 

"Stay away! You're not real!"

"Đł₴₴Ø₵ł₳₮ł₦₲ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣ ₳₲₳ł₦, Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆ? ₳₣Ɽ₳łĐ Ø₣ ɎØɄⱤ Ø₩₦₴ɆⱠ₣, Ⱨ₥₥₥," It said as it walked, pews crackled with static then levitated. Bibles glitched in and out in random places.

Rachel's eyes teared as she curled into a ball, refusing to look at the static figure approaching the podium.

"ⱠØØ₭ ₳₮ ₥Ɇ Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆ!"

Rachel curled up tighter. She yelped as she felt her hair being pulled.

"₱₳₮ⱧɆ₮ł₵," The static figure chuckled as it pulled her up by the hair. 

"Leave me the hell alone...I just want to be fucking normal!"

"₮ⱧⱤɆ₳Đ₴ ₱ɄⱠⱠ ₮ł₲Ⱨ₮, ₮ⱧɆɎ ₩Ɇ₳VɆ ₥Ɏ ₣₳₮Ɇ," It cackled as it threw Rachel off the podium. "ĐɆⱠɄ₴łØ₦, ĐɆ₦ł₳Ⱡ, ₲ɄłⱠ₮, ₳₦Đ ⱤɆ₲ⱤɆ₮. ₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ₮ⱧɆ Ø₦ⱠɎ ₦ØⱤ₥₳Ⱡ ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ɎØɄ."

The elderly man shook his head. "She is not ready."

"₣₳₮Ɇ ĐØɆ₴₦'₮ ₩₳ł₮," It said as it stepped down from the podium. "₳ ₴Ⱨ₳ĐØ₩ ₴₮ł₮₵ⱧɆĐ ₮Ø ₳ ⱧØⱠⱠØ₩ ₴₮₳₮Ɇ."

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Sara's voice boomed as Rachel's eyes snapped open.

Rachel rubbed her eyes and blinked as she gazed at Sara. Her body and voice glitched in and out briefly.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Sara's voice boomed as Rachel's eyes snapped open.

Rachel rubbed her eyes and blinked as she gazed at Sara. An uncanny sense of deja vu lingered in her brain. The hum was gone; everything was eerily silent for the first time since last night. Her reflection in the window grinned at her. She tried to recall what she had dreamt of, but the memory faded like an old photo.