Orenda
Chapter 3 - Are You Ready?
I stare at the tiny slip of paper in my hands. An address is sloppily written on it. Rolf and his friends can't drive, so they told Imma and I to meet them at their house at midnight. They had a bus to catch. But do we go? We'll be walking into some strange person's house unprotected. I refuse to be the next headline, “She Deserved It” for next weeks newspaper. Not only is it a terrible act, but who the hell sees a crime and doesn't blame the criminal? Low-key criminals, to be honest.
“How much do you believe their demon story?” Imma asks.
“I don't know,” I say, “I mean, we just watched an exorcism but... I've just been lied to about this before...”
“You're miss spirituality,” Imma says, “Weird ghost shit is always drawn to you, so i'm not surprised you're in it again.”
“I wouldn't say that,” I laugh, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I would,” Imma says, “So if this is real, then it's only right you fit in it.” I smile and stare at the slip in my hand. I type the address into my phone. It takes thirty-four minutes to reach Rolf's house. It's 10:48
Imma and I start to get Bumblebee ready. Bumblebee is my motorcycle. They're a black and yellow sports bike. None of the bumble, all of the bee, and one-hundred percent cute!
At 12:06 we arrive at an old factory. We thought it was out of commission. The exterior is tall and made of large gray bricks. Instead of a door, there is a large, metal slate which slides open. It's rusted. Windows mostly cover the top of the building. They don't look too clean. Surrounding Rolf's home is a small forest, giving it an almost eerie look. Seems fitting. I knock on the door. The noise echos through the entire house. It takes Rolf a few minutes to answer the door. With a loud bang and clanking noise, the door slides open.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” Rolf says, outstretching his arm to show us the way in. Imma and I look at each other, then cautiously walk inside.
I take a moment to look at my surroundings. The house has two floors that are connected with two elevators in the two back corners. Between the elevators is a wall of weapons. A desk sits against the wall. It's covered in God knows what. There's also a punching bag and training dummy. A few holes reside in the dummy. Poor guy. To my right is a small a small kitchen area. It looks empty but messy at the same time. The pile of dirty dishes in the sink is actually really gross. To my left is the bathroom. Then in the center is a living room area. A large flat screen TV faces the back wall. A cream colored couch faces said TV with two matching armchairs beside it. Game systems surround the TV as well. I'd hate to have to find a wire in that mess. Maude and Derrick sit on the couch playing Boarding Lands.
I can see the upstairs through the balcony. Between the elevators is four rooms. Then on the left and right walls, each have one bedroom and one bathroom. The bedrooms being the two rooms closer to the elevators. The walls appear to be made of the same brick material as outside, but the bedrooms look like they have the same painted white drywalls as a house. Unlike the gray concrete ground on the first floor, upstairs is made of steel.
“Feels homie...” I say. Rolf laughs.
“So you can pretty much see where everything is,” Rolf says, the points to the right-wall bedroom upstairs, “That's my room.”
“Heyo!” Maude calls from the couch.
“'Sup,” Derick says.
“Hello, again,” I say, waving at them.
“Waddup?” Imma says.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Rolf asks, “We really only have Everest Dew and tap but at least you have options.” Want piss or water?
“Water, please,” Imma says.
“I'm all set,” I say. Maybe I'll have some tea when I get home. It's too late for coffee. Rolf walks to the kitchen to get Imma her water. He puts ice in it, then pours the liquid into the glass. He walks back and hands Imma her drink.
“So you were going to inform us about the... Demons?” I say. Imma takes her drink down in seconds. The ice clatters at the bottom of her cup when she finishes. She reminds me of that episode of Spongebob where he visits Sandy and just keeps screaming “Water!”
“Right!” Rolf says, claps his hands, then rubs them together. He waves at us to follow him. He walks to that weapon area and we follow him.
The table is littered with empty bullet shells, piles of salt, bottles of holy water, and more. On the wall in the back of it, there are guns and swords.
“Demons are evil entities that have been... What are you guys doing?” Rolf asks. Imma and I are looking at the weapons. He doesn't even have to ask.
“If you could find a small mister, you could make holy water grenades,” Imma suggests.
“If negative spirits possess people, why do you have weapons that could harm the host?” I ask.
“Woah, uh...” Rolf says, becoming awkward.
“They're demons, not spirits,” Derrick says.
“Have you seen an angel?” I ask.
“No,” Derrick says.
“Have you talked to one of these entities?” I ask.
“No...” Derrick says, this time quieter.
“Then why are you so sure they're demons?” I ask.
“Because that's what they are,” Derrick says.
“Okay,” I say. I'm so glad everyone did such in depth research on these creatures. Rolf tries to defuse the situation.
“So demons are evil creatures!” Rolf sputters, “They don't have any physical form, so they reply on possessing humans in order to terrorize people! However, there have been cases where demons did not possess people and used their non-corporeal form.”
“So do these spirits have powers like telekinesis?” Imma asks.
“Yes,” Rolf says.
“Is there only demons in this world?” Imma asks, “Or is there shit like vampires?”
“No, just demons,” Rolf says.
“Oh thank god,” Imma and I say.
“And to hurt them you use salt, iron, and holy water?” I ask.
“Yeah!” Rolf says, “We try to cause as little damage to the person they're possessing as possible and try to exorcise them as fast as we can.”
“And why are you telling us all of this?” I ask.
“We liked your moves!” Maude calls from the couch.
“You need to learn how to protect yourselves,” Derrick mutters.
“We were hoping you could join us,” Rolf smiles.
“Huh?” Imma and I say together.
“Yeah, you could move into our base. I mean, you'd have to help pay the mortgage, but you'd be a demon hunter just like us,” Rolf offers.
“How much is rent?” Imma asks.
“We're on a thirty-year payback plan with the bank. We pay $2,800 a month. So splitting that evenly between six people would be...” Rolf trails off.
“About $467 a month,” I answer.
“Six people?” Imma asks.
“You haven't met Gael yet,” Rolf says, “But his room is that one.” He points to the room between the elevators that's farthest to the right.
“My room is right next to his!” Maude says.
“Is he a nice guy?” I ask, feeling nervous about rooming with people I don't know.
“He's a giant teddy bear,” Derrick says. You can hear the eye roll in his voice.
“Derricks room is there, by the way,” Rolf says, pointing to the only bedroom on the left wall.
“So, you wanna be a hunter?” Maude asks, turning around with a huge grin on his face. I pause, not knowing what to say or what to do. I look at Imma for support. She just looks back with this cute smile on her face.
“...Okay... Yeah, it sounds like fun,” I say, warming up to the idea.
“How much do you believe their demon story?” Imma asks.
“I don't know,” I say, “I mean, we just watched an exorcism but... I've just been lied to about this before...”
“You're miss spirituality,” Imma says, “Weird ghost shit is always drawn to you, so i'm not surprised you're in it again.”
“I wouldn't say that,” I laugh, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I would,” Imma says, “So if this is real, then it's only right you fit in it.” I smile and stare at the slip in my hand. I type the address into my phone. It takes thirty-four minutes to reach Rolf's house. It's 10:48
Imma and I start to get Bumblebee ready. Bumblebee is my motorcycle. They're a black and yellow sports bike. None of the bumble, all of the bee, and one-hundred percent cute!
At 12:06 we arrive at an old factory. We thought it was out of commission. The exterior is tall and made of large gray bricks. Instead of a door, there is a large, metal slate which slides open. It's rusted. Windows mostly cover the top of the building. They don't look too clean. Surrounding Rolf's home is a small forest, giving it an almost eerie look. Seems fitting. I knock on the door. The noise echos through the entire house. It takes Rolf a few minutes to answer the door. With a loud bang and clanking noise, the door slides open.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” Rolf says, outstretching his arm to show us the way in. Imma and I look at each other, then cautiously walk inside.
I take a moment to look at my surroundings. The house has two floors that are connected with two elevators in the two back corners. Between the elevators is a wall of weapons. A desk sits against the wall. It's covered in God knows what. There's also a punching bag and training dummy. A few holes reside in the dummy. Poor guy. To my right is a small a small kitchen area. It looks empty but messy at the same time. The pile of dirty dishes in the sink is actually really gross. To my left is the bathroom. Then in the center is a living room area. A large flat screen TV faces the back wall. A cream colored couch faces said TV with two matching armchairs beside it. Game systems surround the TV as well. I'd hate to have to find a wire in that mess. Maude and Derrick sit on the couch playing Boarding Lands.
I can see the upstairs through the balcony. Between the elevators is four rooms. Then on the left and right walls, each have one bedroom and one bathroom. The bedrooms being the two rooms closer to the elevators. The walls appear to be made of the same brick material as outside, but the bedrooms look like they have the same painted white drywalls as a house. Unlike the gray concrete ground on the first floor, upstairs is made of steel.
“Feels homie...” I say. Rolf laughs.
“So you can pretty much see where everything is,” Rolf says, the points to the right-wall bedroom upstairs, “That's my room.”
“Heyo!” Maude calls from the couch.
“'Sup,” Derick says.
“Hello, again,” I say, waving at them.
“Waddup?” Imma says.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Rolf asks, “We really only have Everest Dew and tap but at least you have options.” Want piss or water?
“Water, please,” Imma says.
“I'm all set,” I say. Maybe I'll have some tea when I get home. It's too late for coffee. Rolf walks to the kitchen to get Imma her water. He puts ice in it, then pours the liquid into the glass. He walks back and hands Imma her drink.
“So you were going to inform us about the... Demons?” I say. Imma takes her drink down in seconds. The ice clatters at the bottom of her cup when she finishes. She reminds me of that episode of Spongebob where he visits Sandy and just keeps screaming “Water!”
“Right!” Rolf says, claps his hands, then rubs them together. He waves at us to follow him. He walks to that weapon area and we follow him.
The table is littered with empty bullet shells, piles of salt, bottles of holy water, and more. On the wall in the back of it, there are guns and swords.
“Demons are evil entities that have been... What are you guys doing?” Rolf asks. Imma and I are looking at the weapons. He doesn't even have to ask.
“If you could find a small mister, you could make holy water grenades,” Imma suggests.
“If negative spirits possess people, why do you have weapons that could harm the host?” I ask.
“Woah, uh...” Rolf says, becoming awkward.
“They're demons, not spirits,” Derrick says.
“Have you seen an angel?” I ask.
“No,” Derrick says.
“Have you talked to one of these entities?” I ask.
“No...” Derrick says, this time quieter.
“Then why are you so sure they're demons?” I ask.
“Because that's what they are,” Derrick says.
“Okay,” I say. I'm so glad everyone did such in depth research on these creatures. Rolf tries to defuse the situation.
“So demons are evil creatures!” Rolf sputters, “They don't have any physical form, so they reply on possessing humans in order to terrorize people! However, there have been cases where demons did not possess people and used their non-corporeal form.”
“So do these spirits have powers like telekinesis?” Imma asks.
“Yes,” Rolf says.
“Is there only demons in this world?” Imma asks, “Or is there shit like vampires?”
“No, just demons,” Rolf says.
“Oh thank god,” Imma and I say.
“And to hurt them you use salt, iron, and holy water?” I ask.
“Yeah!” Rolf says, “We try to cause as little damage to the person they're possessing as possible and try to exorcise them as fast as we can.”
“And why are you telling us all of this?” I ask.
“We liked your moves!” Maude calls from the couch.
“You need to learn how to protect yourselves,” Derrick mutters.
“We were hoping you could join us,” Rolf smiles.
“Huh?” Imma and I say together.
“Yeah, you could move into our base. I mean, you'd have to help pay the mortgage, but you'd be a demon hunter just like us,” Rolf offers.
“How much is rent?” Imma asks.
“We're on a thirty-year payback plan with the bank. We pay $2,800 a month. So splitting that evenly between six people would be...” Rolf trails off.
“About $467 a month,” I answer.
“Six people?” Imma asks.
“You haven't met Gael yet,” Rolf says, “But his room is that one.” He points to the room between the elevators that's farthest to the right.
“My room is right next to his!” Maude says.
“Is he a nice guy?” I ask, feeling nervous about rooming with people I don't know.
“He's a giant teddy bear,” Derrick says. You can hear the eye roll in his voice.
“Derricks room is there, by the way,” Rolf says, pointing to the only bedroom on the left wall.
“So, you wanna be a hunter?” Maude asks, turning around with a huge grin on his face. I pause, not knowing what to say or what to do. I look at Imma for support. She just looks back with this cute smile on her face.
“...Okay... Yeah, it sounds like fun,” I say, warming up to the idea.