Mercy shivers as a feeling of dread fills him. He jolts up, catching a glimpse of the shadowy figure at the corner of his room. He stares at it in horror, then scratches his eyes and looks again, but sees nothing.
He shrugs and rubs his head. "What a bad dream." He groans. "Wonder what I'm going to do today that's Saturday." He mumbles as he gets up from bed. "It's even my birthday."
He walks to his room mirror and sees the shadowy figure standing behind him. He quickly turns in horror, but sees nothing.
"Really?!" He shouts in frustration. "My first wine consumption and I'm seeing demons or evil spirits?!" He laughs aloud. "I need a whole shop then!" He jokes aloud, but stops the moment his reflection doesn't laugh with him.
He quickly bolts out of his room, straight to his mum's room, eyes wide in horror. "Mum?!" He shouts, knocking on her room door hurriedly.
The door swings open, revealing a horrified looking mum. "What is it?!" She shouts in panic.
Mercy quickly runs into her room. "Good morning, mum. I'm being haunted mum!" He shouts in panic.
"How do you mean love?" His mum asks in confusion. "Haunted by what?"
"By an evil spirit!" Mercy shouts.
"Can you explain what happened?" She asks worriedly.
Mercy nods and explains what happens.
His mum sits down on her bed, reasoning what he just said. She bends her head, staring at the floor in horror like it is telling her secrets. She looks up sharply. "Go prepare. We're going to pastor Nelson."
"Okay, mum." Mercy mumbles.
"Good. Go get your sister."
Mercy leaves the room and comes back with Amanda.
They all kneel and pray for some minutes, ending it with their usual The Grace, Surely and Psalm 23. And then they all get up.
"Amanda dear, please go prepare. We're going to pastor Nelson." She says quickly.
Amanda stares at her mum, worry all over her face. "Is everything alright mum?" She asks.
"It will be, hon. Just go prepare quickly."
Amanda sensing danger, rushes to her room to get ready.
"Let's go." Miss Emmanuella says hurriedly. She quickly walks to the door, but pauses as painful flashbacks begin flashing through her mind.
Mercy walks to his mum, his eyes widening the moment he sees his mum is crying. "What is it mum?" He asks in worried tone. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." His mum answers quickly. "I'm sorry." She says in a weak sad tone.
Mercy smiles at her warmly, cleaning her tears with his hand. "As long as you keep believing me, everything will be fine." He says calmly.
Miss Emmanuella smiles back and sniffs. "Thanks my love." She cleans her face with her top. "Now let's go get you ready."
†‡†‡†‡†‡†‡
Miss Emmanuella, Amanda, Mercy and surprisingly, Mrs Anna sit quietly in the pastor's office, listening to his words of wisdom.
"Ma'am, I have looked into your son with my eyes of vision and couldn't find anything." The pastor says calmly. "It is obviously the works of horror contents and his imagination."
"So you mean he was imagining those things." Amanda asks worriedly. She is the most disturbed, after the event was told.
The pastor nods. "Yes." He sighs. "I'm afraid so."
"But it felt so real!" Mercy shouts in defence. "I know what I'm saying!"
The pastor gives Mercy a look of pity. "I know. It feels so real atimes, that you actually believe it."
"You don't get it, do you?!" He shouts.
Mrs Anna looks worried. They all are.
"Mercy dear." She says gently. "Do you watch horror contents?"
"Yes ma'am." He says with a nod. "But it's once in a blue moon. In fact, I haven't watched any for six months now."
"They can still occur though." The pastor says calmly.
"No! They can't!" Mercy snaps. "Are you trying to call me an upcoming deranged psycho?!"
"Mercy!" His mum scolds. "Manners." She says clamly.
Tears begins running down Mercy's face. He begins laughing. "Wow! Just wow! Who knew my mum wouldn't believe me on my birthday!" He says with a sad laugh. "She would rather believe her pastor and tag me as a deranged psycho!" He snaps.
His mum feeling hurt slaps him hard on the face. "How dare you?!" She shouts.
"How about you ask this fake trash that question!" He snaps, pointing to the pastor, then zooms out of the pastor's office.
Miss Emmanuella feels a deep unsettling pain in her chest. A part of her wants to go after him and apologize. While the other part thinks he deserves it.
She sighs. "We are sorry for the drama." She says in a pleading tone to the pastor.
The pastor smiles warmly. "It's okay. He's just a kid."
Miss Emmanuella nods in agreement. "We are off now."
"Okay. Do have a nice day..." The pastor trails off. "And please don't miss tomorrow service."
"Okay." Miss Emmanuella nods.
They all leave, leaving the pastor alone in his office.
The pastor sighs. "What a spoilt brat." He says in disgust.
The shadowy figures watches everything from a corner. It laughs aloud, but the pastor can't hear him. "Humans sure are something." It says. "Just wait till the boy accepts." It disappears.
Mercy decides to walk home since it isn't too far.
"Stupid pastor!" He growls. "I know I'm not imagining things! I'm ok! Fine! Good!" He tries to calm the anger boiling in him, but fails. "On my birthday!" He breaks into tears. "Mum slaps me on my birthday!" He sniffs. "I only got a happy birthday from everyone and a slap from mum!" He snaps. "How beautiful! The best birthday ever! Best birthday gift ever!" He pauses, his crying intensifying. He looks at his palms, his tears dropping onto them. "Mum...." He sniffs. "You..." He chokes and coughs. "You promised to always believe me and support me! But no!" He growls. "You believed a stranger over me! And to make things worst! You slapped me because of him!" He coughs. "I know what I saw was real! I-" His eyes widens in horror as dark flashbacks flashes before his eyes. Some; clear, others; blurry. "Damn it! Stop!" He shouts in pain pressing his head with his two hands as more tears runs down his face. "Damn them! Damn them all! None of them wants to understand me! I will kill that man! Let him just wait and see! I'm so going to butcher him up!" He slaps himself hard. "Shut the hell up! What the fuck am I saying?!" He breaks down more. "It took me years to be okay, but one day to go back to square one!" He sniffs. "Damn it all!" A sadistic wide smile appears on his face. "I guess it's inevitable after all." He says calmly and continues his walking, crying and smiling sadistically.
He reaches his home and sits in front of the entrance, waiting for his mum and sister.
An hour later, Mrs Anna parks her car in front of the house. "Go apologize to your son." She tells Miss Emmanuella calmly. "He might have been rude, but you did him dirty today that is his birthday."
Miss Emmanuella sighs sadly. "I know." She says in a sad tone as she turns to look at Mercy. She turns back to Mrs Anna. "Thanks for your support."
Mrs Anna nods. "You're welcome. Now go." Mrs Anna says with a gentle tone.
Miss Emmanuella nods with a soft smile and comes down from the car. Amanda also comes down from the car. They both walk to the house entrance and stop.
"Bye hon!" Mrs Anna shouts at Mercy and zooms off.
Miss Emmanuella sighs. "Look, Mercy, I'm sorry."
"Why? You promised, didn't you?" He sighs. "It's okay."
Miss Emmanuella, knowing not to push any further is best, opens the door and they all walk in. Mercy being the last, locks the door behind him.
Miss Emmanuella and Amanda drops the bags they are carrying on their dining table, while Mercy goes to his room.
He lies on his bed, lost in thought. For some reason he remembers the shadowy figure from somewhere, but can't pinpoint where exactly. He sighs tiredly. "Damn it all!" He growls.
"Go get your brother." Miss Emmanuella says.
Amanda walks to Mercy's room and pauses before his door. Knowing Mercy fully well, she sighs and knocks softly.
"I'm on my way." Mercy says dryly.
Amanda smiles to herself and walks away.
Mercy sighs. "Just be happy." He groans and fakes a genuine smile. "Need to check my look." He groans and walks to his mirror. He looks at himself with intensity. "Perfect."
A sudden pressuring presence fills the room. The pressure is so intense that Mercy freezes, too scared to move.
His eyes widens in horror, tons of sweats running down his body as his eyes lands on the shadowy figure.
The whole room and his room white light bulb turns blood red.
"We meet again." The shadowy figure says in it's normal deep dark tone that sends more fear into Mercy and causes him to tremble.
"You..." Mercy trails off in a shaky voice, too scared to talk.
"So, you do remember me." The shadowy figure says. "Of course you would. I'm not something one forgets." He walks closer, stopping a few steps away from Mercy. "Turn around." It commands.
Mercy quickly turns around.
"Sign a contract with me and save your family or sacrifice your family and get rid of me. Pick one." The figure says in a calm but cold tone.
Mercy stares at it in horror, his whole body shaking. "No..." He chokes, his voice too shaky. "None."
"I see." The figure says dryly. "I'll make the choice for you then. Your mum and sister will walk through this door. If you accept I spare them. But if you don't..." It trails off. "I'll brutally murder them in your presence and let you go."
"No..." Mercy says shakily. "Please spare them."
Mercy room door opens, his mum and sister entering.
"No! Run!" Mercy shouts.
"It's pointless." The figure says.
"I thought you told him?" Miss Emmanuella asks Amanda.
"I did mum. I don't know why he is sleeping."
Mercy eyes widens in shock. "What?!" He shouts, the figure bursting into a loud and dark scary laugh. "I am here!" Mercy shouts louder. "I am here!" He adds more louder, but Miss Emmanuella and Amanda don't notice his presence.
"You have three seconds." The figure says. "Three..."
"Please don't!" Mercy shouts at the top of his voice.
"Two..."
"No! Please!"
The figure appears behind Miss Emmanuella and Amanda. "One..."
Miss Emmanuella turns around quickly, shocking the figure.
"She noticed?!" The figure says, panicking but hiding it from Mercy. It leaves her back and appears in another corner of the room. But surprisingly, she turns and looks at the corner with intensity, irritating the figure.
Amanda looks at her mum worriedly. "Mum? What is it? You are scaring me." Amanda says in a scared tone.
"I don't know but I feel an evil presence I only felt a long time ago when I was still with your dad." Miss Emmanuella says, sounding stressed. "I can't see it, but I can feel it. And I feel this situation is strange and our Mercy is in danger."
Amanda gulps in fear, wishing her mum is joking.
The figure glares at Miss Emmanuella. "Times up." It growls and rushes towards her and Amanda.
"Stop! I accept!" Mercy shouts.