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“Certainly. I’ll set up my things.” He crouches next to the duffel bag while I stumble to the bathroom, lock the door, and turn the fan on.

“What the fuck, Annoth?” I hiss out loud. “You hired an exorcist?! A real exorcist? I didn’t even think that was a thing anymore!”

While you were asleep, I took the liberty of contacting him, she purrs. Come now, Theodore. This will be the easiest way for us to be rid of each other.

“What?”

I cannot complete my mission with you in your…current state, and I cannot be recalled back to the Seventh Tower except under extreme circumstances. Father Benjamin will exorcise me and I will be on my merry way, never to trouble you again.

When I’m finally able to control my breathing, I mutter, “I guess…that makes sense. Are you sure he’s a real priest though? I’ve never met one that looks…like that.”

Tsk tsk. Contain your lustful thoughts about the Father, please, Theodore. Unfortunately, I am not here to make you commit sins of the flesh.

“I’m not…that’s not…” I shake my head. How is this my life right now? “Ok, fine. What do I have to do for this to work?”

Pay him the money and do what he says.

I flip the card over and think I might be sick. “Six hundred dollars?! That’s extortion!”

Annoth gives a loud sigh. Theodore, my pet, as much as I have enjoyed our time together, we must end this.

Pay the priest and get on with it, or I shall make your life very difficult indeed.

I may not be able to take full control of your body or mind, but there are other things I can do.

There’s a terrible scratching sensation at the back of my head, and I grit my teeth against it.

“Ok, fine! Just stop doing that, for the love of God!”

The Almighty has nothing to do with this, I assure you , Annoth laughs. Before I have time to consider any of that in more detail, I hear Father Benjamin’s voice in the hall.

“Mr. Keating? Is everything alright?”

“Yes!” I call back, then flush the toilet and run the sink for a minute before I emerge. “Let’s get this over with. ”

“Well,” says the priest with a smirk. A very attractive smirk. “I’m afraid I need to ask you some questions first, and…I require payment up front.”

“Uhh…sure.” I go to my bedroom dresser and fish my emergency stash of hundreds out of the sock drawer, count out six of them, and go back to the living room. Father Benjamin takes them and stuffs them into his pocket, not bothering to count.

“When did the signs of demonic activity begin?” he asks, taking a pen and a small notepad out of his bag.

“I guess…maybe two days ago?”

He writes down a note. “And what activity has there been?”

“Voices…I mean, one voice, in my head. Uhm…shadows? Like, a shadow creature, and weird stuff with the TV and lights.”

“Destruction of property?” Father Benjamin motions around the apartment, which does look like it was hit by a particularly violent poltergeist. Unfortunately, that’s all on me.

“Yes,” I say. Annoth snorts in my head. “Yes, she’s been quite destructive.”

“She?” The priest raises an eyebrow. “A female demon? Interesting.”

“Well,” I say with a shrug and an involuntary grin, “it’s the 21st century now. Women run the world, right?”

His face splits into a smile and he actually laughs. It’s a bit loud and ridiculous, but it makes me smile even harder. “I can see she hasn’t damaged your sense of humor. That’s good.”

This is quite painful for me to witness, Annoth says dryly, and I clear my throat, trying to get the conversation back on track, even though all I want to do is make him laugh again.

He clears his throat too and the smile disappears. “Has the entity told you her name, or made any demands?”

“She said her name was…Annoth’zagoz, and she wants me to…commit crimes, I guess? She said I should strangle the neighbor’s dog, hurt people, stuff like that. ”

“And…have you given into any of the demands?”

“Of course not!”

“Have to ask.” He holds his hands up, then sets down the notebook and pen. “Now, if you follow my directions, this might be quick, but I can’t promise it’ll be painless. Ready?”

“I guess so,” I sigh.

“Sit on the couch, please.”

I move over and sit down, anxiously running my hands through my hair and scratching the two-month beard I’ve managed to grow.

“Have you done this before?” I ask as Father Benjamin takes a large crucifix out of his pocket.

“Of course,” he replies with a reassuring smile. Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better.

“How common is…demon possession?”

“Mr. Keating…” he laughs. “I’ll need you to be quiet for this first part.”

“Right,” I sigh. “Sorry.” He holds the crucifix up and starts speaking quickly and quietly in Latin. I learned some for my Confirmation classes as a kid, but I can’t follow anything he’s saying, so I just clench my hands together and close my eyes.

Nothing is happening, says Annoth. Why is nothing happening? I ought to be able to feel myself being drawn out of your body.

“I don’t know,” I reply out loud, not thinking. Father Benjamin falters slightly and looks up at me with his eyes wide. I just shrug my shoulders, trying to stay silent as he continues speaking in Latin.

This is ridiculous, Annoth seethes after another full minute where nothing happens. This priest is either incompetent or fraudulent and must be dealt with accordingly.

“No!” I snap.

The priest stops speaking and lowers his crucifix. “Do you feel anything? ”

“Uhh…yes, she’s…she’s resisting it,” I tell him. “She’s fighting it.” He looks slightly taken aback, but goes back to his bag of supplies and returns with a clear, plastic bottle bearing a gold cross.

“Holy water,” he says. “Sometimes…it takes more time for it to start working.” I close my eyes and nod as the droplets hit me. He continues speaking in Latin, but I still don’t feel anything other than Annoth’s anger building.

I try to talk to her down inside my head. Just be patient.

I am patient, she snarls, but something is very wrong here. This priest is not a believer. It is the only explanation.

What do you mean?

I will test his faith, she murmurs, and then we shall see .

Before I can say or do anything to stop her, the windows darken with shadows that seem to be pouring out of my body.

Father Benjamin has his eyes closed, but they snap open as the lights begin to flicker and the shadows start to take shape in front of me.

“Holy fuck!” he yells, dropping the bottle and throwing an arm up over his head.

“Stop it!” I shout at Annoth. Her looming form and burning ember eyes hover in the middle of the room between me and Father Benjamin, and he scrambles away as she extends a shadowy, clawed hand toward him.

“Now do you believe, priest ?” she growls.

“Oh my God…” he gasps, his eyes wide and glassy with fear.

“Oh my fucking God, it’s real…” Annoth suddenly lunges toward him and he scrambles toward the door of my apartment.

She wraps a shadow around his ankle and jerks him backward, slamming him into the floor.

He rolls over, looking dazed, and I move to stand between them.

I’m not sure exactly what I can do against a demon, but I’m not willing to be responsible for his death, so I put my hands up and scream at her to leave him alone.