Invisible Terror Collection Part 10

"No, Scott." Becka frowned.

"What?"

"You're not ready. You're not protected."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Ascension Lady ... what you did to her hair, her breath."

Despite the pain, Scott managed a grin. "Pretty cool, huh?" Becka shook her head. "No. That's the problem." He looked at her but didn't understand. "Remember with that Ouija board, when they were supposedly calling up Dad - remember that section we'd read in the Bible about the armor of G.o.d? The s.h.i.+eld and sword and stuff?"

Scott nodded, then winced. The pain in his head was getting worse.

"Are you okay?"

He took a breath, trying to fight off the throbbing.

"Yeah ..."

She kept a careful eye on him and continued. "Remember all the parts of armor we're supposed to wear?" Again he nodded.

"Well, we talked to Susan, and you're missing a piece. The breastplate of righ teous ness."

"The what?"

"Your pranks against the Ascension Lady, your unforgiveness toward her ... G.o.d sees those things as unrigh teous." Scott stared at her incredulously. "After all the junk she's pulled, you think a little practical joke is wrong?"

"It's not the joke, Scott. It's you. Inside. We're supposed to forgive - you know that."

The throbbing increased. Scott took another breath, trying to hold the pain at bay. "After all they've done to us, you're telling me we can't ..."

She nodded. "If you're in it for revenge, if you haven't asked G.o.d to forgive you for your wrong att.i.tude, that's exactly what I'm - "

She was suddenly interrupted by a terrified scream. It was Krissi. They rushed around the arch and into the room. Krissi was holding her right hand directly in front of her. It was trembling. "My hand," she cried, "what's happening to my hand?"

"Do not fight it." The Ascension Lady was also staring at it.

"Do not fight it, sweetheart, do not fight it."

"What's happening?!"

"Let it have its way." The Ascension Lady dug into her coat pocket.

Krissi continued staring. "What's happening? What's happening?"

The woman pulled a tablet and pencil from her pocket.

"Don't fight it," she repeated. "It's Juanita, she's wanting to communicate."

The group watched, wide-eyed, as the woman took Krissi's shaking hand and shoved a pencil into it. Then, placing the pad in Krissi's other hand, she commanded, "Write."

"What?"

"Let her write through you. She's using your hand to communicate with us."

"Please," Krissi was starting to whimper, "I don't want this - "

"Let yourself go. I promise you, you will be safe. Just let your hand go; let her write."

Krissi threw a frightened look at Philip. For a moment he was unsure. Finally he nodded. "It'll be okay, Kriss, we're right here with you. Go ahead and do what she says." Keeping her eyes glued to Philip for support, Krissi lowered her right hand to the pad. As soon as the pencil made contact, the writing began. It was wild and erratic, but she was definitely writing letters.

Julie moved for a better look. "It's Spanis.h.!.+ She's writing in Spanish."

"But ..." Krissi stared at her hand in unbelief. "I don't know Spanis.h.!.+"

"Let her have her way," the Ascension Lady kept coaching.

"Just relax and don't fight it."

The letters formed quickly and sloppily until an entire sentence was finished. And then the writing stopped. Just like that.

Krissi released the pencil and began rubbing her hand.

"What's it say?" Julie demanded. "Does anyone know Spanish?"

Becka stepped farther into the room. "I do." The Ascension Lady looked up and saw her for the first time.

"I knew you would come." She smiled.

"What's it say, Becka?" Krissi asked anxiously. "What did I write?" She turned the tablet around so Rebecca could see.

Becka felt that old familiar chill. It read: "Ustedes son mios."

"What's that mean?" Krissi asked. "Translate it for us." Becka fought to keep her voice from shaking. " 'You are mine.' "

Everyone grew silent. Everyone but Krissi. " 'You are mine'?

That's stupid. What's that supposed to mean, 'You are mine'?" The group turned to the Ascension Lady. But even in the dim light it was possible to see that most of the color had drained from her face.

"Are you all right?" Julie asked.

The woman stared straight ahead as though she saw something no one else could see. Suddenly she cried out in alarm.

"Stay away! Stay away!"

"Priscilla? Ms. Bantini?" Julie reached out to touch her, but the woman paid no attention to her. Her eyes were wide with horror.

"No!" she shouted. "Not the children! Get away! Get away!" She threw up her arms just as the camping lantern exploded, sending shards of gla.s.s in all directions, plunging the room into darkness and chaos. Everyone shouted and screamed - but none so loudly as the Ascension Lady. "Stay away! I am here to help!

Stay away!"

"Turn on a flashlight," Philip shouted. "Someone turn on your flashlight."

"Mine's dead," Darryl yelled.

"Mine too," Julie cried.

"No, please! Get away! Get away ..."

The floor began to shake. Instantly. Hard and violent.

"It's an earthquake!" Ryan yelled.

But this was no earthquake. It was more like a roller coaster gone berserk. The floor rolled and pitched in every direction.

Everyone screamed. Unable to stand, unable to crawl, they were bounced and tossed across the room like rubber b.a.l.l.s, smas.h.i.+ng into walls, hitting doorframes, screaming against the terror and chaos.

"Nooooo!" The Ascension Lady wailed. Her voice rose above their heads. "Put me down! Put me down!"

Chapter 9.

8:57 p.m.

Let me go! Oh, please, put me down!"

The woman's voice seemed to be rising higher and higher.

Something was lifting her above their heads! The floor continued to buck and pitch, and a howling wind filled the room. Just when it seemed the noise had reached its peak, the Ascension Lady was hurled through the arches, toward the entry hall, and up the stairs.

"NOOOOoooo!"

The shaking stopped. So did the wind. There was only silence ... and the quiet groaning and sobbing of kids.

Then smoke seeped into the room - a freezing, impenetrable fog that filled the darkness. With the smoke came an even stronger smell of sulfur. It was overwhelming, burning the back of Becka's throat, making her eyes water. The voices around her grew louder - coughing, groaning, weeping.

"Help me ... please ..." The cry was weak, but Becka immediately recognized the whine. It was Krissi. She sounded as though she were just a few feet to the right.

"Krissi, Krissi, are you all right?"

"My face ... what happened ... to my face?" Becka rose to her knees and crawled blindly in the fog and darkness toward the voice. "Krissi, what's wrong?" She reached the girl's leg, then felt her way up her body toward her head.

"My face ... Becka ..."

"It's okay, Krissi. I'm right here, I'm right here." At last Becka felt the girl's shoulders. The fog was so thick she had to bring her eyes in very close to see. Krissi had both hands covering her face. Becka pried them away. And then she gasped.

The beauty queen's face was shriveled like a piece of old dried-up fruit. The sagging eyes and drooping mouth belonged on a two-hundred-year-old hag, not a seventeen-year-old beauty.

Krissi saw the horror in Becka's eyes, and her hands instinctively shot back to her face. Carefully her fingers traced the wrinkles. "Becka ... help me ..." Tears spilled down Krissi's cheeks as her fingers explored every crevice, every fold. "What's happening?"

Becka felt a wave of revulsion sweep over her, but Krissi was her friend. She pulled the hideous face into her arms. "It's okay, Krissi. It's okay."

"My face ..." She was crying now. "Dear G.o.d ... not my face ... please ... please, make it stop, Becka. Make it stop." As Becka held Krissi, her mind raced. What was happening?

Was this for real? Or was it another demonic counterfeit? What could she do?

"Beck?"

Her ears perked up. "Scotty," she called. "Scotty, over here." She could hear him crawling toward her. When he arrived he looked more haggard than ever. "What happened?" he gasped.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of anything like this."

"Are we ..." He hesitated. "Are we in h.e.l.l?" The thought sent Becka reeling. She fought it back instantly.

"No, we can't be. We're Chris tians. This is demonic. It's an illusion."

Scott grabbed his head and winced. "Aughhh!" Becka watched helplessly as he battled the pain. It lasted for several seconds. Finally he looked up to her. "That was a beaut."

"Scott, listen to me. You've got to protect yourself. You've got to get rid of your unforgiveness." He looked at her blankly. She grew more frustrated. "I can't fight this myself! You've got to forgive the Ascension Lady and help me!" Before he could answer, there was another cry, weak and pathetic. "Help me, help me ..."

"It's Philip," Scott said.

"Please ... help me ..."

He spun around and disappeared into the fog.

"Scotty! Wait!"

He didn't. "I'm right here, Philip," Scott called. "Where are you? What's wrong?"

The voice was full of fear. "I ... I ..." Scott followed the sound. A moment later he found Philip curled up in a little ball, eyes wide in fear. "Philip, what's wrong?"

"I ... I ... Scotty, I don't know anything. My mind ... it's, it's ... going."

"No, man," Scott answered. "It's a trick. They can't do this sort of thing."

"But I - I'm stupid! I don't ..." He paused a moment as if trying to remember something. Suddenly he blurted, "I can't even remember my name. Help me!"

"It's a trick. They're messing with your mind - "