Chapter 3: Message to the Damned

Four weeks passed, Angelica hasn't been going to work. The morning sun burns through the
shades. Angelica lazily makes her way toward the fridge. The clink and clanks of empty beer bottles
echo throughout the empty house. She retrieves a beer from the fridge and walks back to bed.

Before she could open the new bottle, a loud knock on the door startles her. From the hallway,
she peeks at the door like a curious cat. There was a knock again. This time, louder. She slowly
approaches it. With every step, her heart races. The unlit room, makes it seem like she's treading into the
heart of the abyss itself. She gently places her hand on the cold door knob and slowly turns it. Deep
down, she hopes that it was Houa.

The door opens. Light rushes into the dark room, blinding her. After a few blinks, her eyes
adjust to the light. Standing in the doorway is Kimberly.

Hi Angi. Kimberly smiles. She looks at Angelica from top to bottom. Angelica's hair was
messy and unkempt. Her dirty tank-top and shorts smell of booze and cigarettes. Short hairs sprout all
over her long legs.

Hi Kim. Angelica force a smile, still blocking out some of the sun with her hand.

You haven't been at work and we're all worried.

I've just been dealing with... Angelica pauses, rubbing some remaining crust from her eyes.
Stuff.

Kimberly peeks past Angelica. The silhouettes of beer bottles litter the dark interior like grass in
the night. Kimberly looks at Angelica sadly. Honey, we know happened. Angelica turns away from
her gaze. We're here for you. She moves in to hug Angelica.

NO. Angelica backs away, clinging to the doorway for dear life.

Please, Angie. Houa wouldn't want you to be like this.

How would you know what he wants?! Angelica roars.

Kimberly's mind races to come up with quick response. Well, let's ask him. She retorts.
Angelica looks up at Kimberly, intrigued. Kimberly notices the hope in her eyes, and quickly jumps at
the opportunity. Yeah, she continues. I can call the other girls and we can drop by later tonight to
contact Houa.

OK. Angelica restrains her hopefulness.

Cool beans. We'll be here around 8pm. Kimberly turns and walks away, breathing a quiet sigh
of relief.
 Angelica goes back inside the house. She opens the blinds. Sunlight radiates into the house,
revealing the garbage dump of empty beer bottles and cigarettes butts. Angelica looks around, taking in
the magnitude of the mess. She sighs and ties her hair into a ponytail.

She starts tossing the beer bottles into a large garbage bag. By the time she was done, she had
filled four bags. She tosses the cigarette butts into the garbage then throws it in the dumpster. She wipes
down the floors, tables, and counters to remove the residual mess.

Angelica opens one of Houa's cabinets, and takes two Frebreeze spray from his stash. She patrols
through the house, shooting Frebreeze down every corridor like a pair of pistols. She puts her dirty cloths
into the washer. She takes a warm shower and shave her legs.

* * *

Night came along. Houa walks through the door. A single light was on in the living room.
Anglelica is sitting on the couch riddled with anticipation. He huffs angrily and sits next to Angelica. I
tried every place I could find. Houa talks out loud, knowing that she can't hear him. There is no
psychic reader that can hear me. His head droops in defeat. You would think that in a town this big,
there would at least be one Woopie Goldberg.

Houa turns and looks at Angelica. I'm sorry, Hun. I will find another way. Houa pauses,
sensing a change. He stands up looks around the room. It is clean. The clutter of bottles and cigarettes
are gone. A small smile creeps on his face and he looks at Angelica. This could be very good.

There was a knock on the door. Houa turns and looks at it, confused. Angelica bolts off the
couch and answers the door.

HI!. Four girls said in unison.

Hey. Angelica forces a smile. Houa peeks from behind her. The four girls are very attractive.
Their casual attires are a snug fit, yet very modest. Houa recognizes Kimberly from the group. He notices
a large brown woolen bag in her hand, but quickly turns his attention to the other three pretty girls who
are unknown to him.

Each of the girls walks up and hugs Angelica. From the exchanges, Houa learns that the brunette
with the green eyes is Maggie from book club the red head with the pale skin and cute freckles is
Amelia from the local Doctor Who club the girl with the cute dimples and black silky hair is Shannon
from her church. Angelica escorts them to inside, as Houa follows beaming with hope for Angie and a
little disappointment that she never introduced him to these gorgeous women.

The girls sat down facing each other with a coffee table separating them. Wow. Kimberly
looks around, marveling at how clean it has gotten.

So how were you planning to do it? Angelica asks quickly, skipping the small talk. Kimberly
gives a deep sigh and reaches into her large bag. She pulls out a wooden board and sets it on the table.
Houa walks closer to get a good look. A wooden teardrop shaped object with a hole in the middle rests on
it. Inscribed on the board was; the letters of the alphabet, the numbers zero through nine, the word yes,
the word no, and the word Goodbye. Houa's gaze moves to the word on the top center of the board
Ouija. His heart sinks. This is going to be VERY bad. Houa leans on a wall, arms-crossed, keeping a
close eye on the transpiring events.

This is called a planchette. Kimberly holds up the teardrop object for everyone to see. We set
it on the middle of the board. All of us, except Shannon, will place a hand on it. She will be our scribe.
Her job is to write down the letters to decode the message. The spirit will use our life energy and channel
it through the planchette to communicate with us

Here are the ground rules. Only one person can ask a question at a time. Keep a level head and
we must say goodbye to end the session. Got that? The other girls nod. Shannon takes out a notepad
and pen. Kimberly lights up five wide candles and placed them around the room. She lights up a sixth
one and sets it next to the Ouija board, then turns off the lights.

The house went dark except for the light from the candles. Which is even creepier than if it was
completely dark. The candle lights bounce shadows on the walls, amplifying the smallest of creatures,
and making abhorrent silhouettes of even the most timid of objects.

Angelica, Kimberly, Maggie, and Amelia each place one hand on the planchette. I call to the
spirit of Houa Xiong, says Kimberly. Use our combine energy so that you may commune with us. She
pauses and the girls stare intently at the planchette. They waited in silence for a few minutes. Nothing
happened. Angelica disappointing sigh.

Houa notices that an eerie fog is rising from the floor below the Ouija board. He looks around at
the girls, but they continue to chatter unaware of the encroaching danger. As the fog grows and moves
past the ladies, their breaths became visible and they begin to shiver. A pale white hand slowly reaches
out from the fog Houa seems to be the only one able to see it. It was so thin, as if just skin and bones.
He watches it intently, juggling scenarios in his head, preparing for the worst.

The ghastly arm found its way to the Ouija board. Its cold fingers rests on the planchette, besides
the other girls'. That instant, the fog spreads quickly to the rest of the room. The girls shiver violently.
Houa notices goosebumps all over the ladies' bare legs and chests. Of course, those catches his attention
first he may be dead but he's still a guy.

A head slowly rises from the root of the arm. Damp dark hair flows heavily along the white dress
of the figure's feminine body frame hiding her face.

Who are you? asks Kimberly, after mustering some courage. The ghost quickly moves the
planchette, stopping on one letter then moving to the next Shannon writes sloppily in order to keep up.
About seventeen times, Houa counted.

The Lady in White. Shannon reads. The girls pause, exchanging concerned looks.

Do you know Houa? Angelica asks. The planchette begins moving again. Shannon continues
scribbling down letters. The planchette stops.

He...is...here. Shannon reads. Angelica's heart skips a beat almost taking her hand off of the
planchette.
 Can I talk with him?

The Lady in White slowly turns her head towards Houa bones cracking with every inch. Her
long hair shifts to one side, revealing her hollow eyes and bony cheeks. She gives him a creepy grin. The
planchette starts moving again then stops.

No. The girls read. Angelica lets out a quite whimper and falls silent. Even through the dark,
Houa can feel her heartache. He sees something twinkle around her eyes from the candle-light tears.
The same burning rage begins to swirl inside Houa again.

He walks towards the Lady in White the rage building with each step, overwhelming his sense
of caution. Houa lunges at her, knocking over some furniture in the process. The girls turn to direction of
the noise. Houa punches the ghost's face repeatedly forcing her hand off the planchette.

The Lady in White hisses angrily. Her hair wraps around Houa's neck and arms like tendrils,
stopping his assault. They lift Houa into the air as he struggles fruitlessly. More tendrils emerge from the
ground, knocking over chairs and drawers. The girls look around the room, frantically, trying to make
sense of the noises.

On its way to attack Houa, one tendril hits Angelica knocking her down. Seeing the woman
he loves hurt, Houa unleashes his rage and lets out a ravenous roar sending a shock-wave that tears
apart the tendrils, knocking down books, and swirling the pages in a twister. Houa lands on the ground
and walks toward the Lady in White. A loud but gentle creek of an opening door stops him in his tracks.

Houa looks behind him, towards the coat closet. A shadowy figure of a man slowly hovers out of
the ajar door. He's wearing a large trench coat and wide brim hat. On his right hand, blades attach to his
fingers like claws on his left arm, there's a hook instead of a hand. Yellow eyes and white teeth shines
from the darkness of his face. Houa scoffs. You must be the Boogyman. The man smirks at the sound
of his name.

A loud screech, like a scratch on a chalkboard, came from the far corner of the room. Houa turns
and sees the back of a large demonic imp. Its long razor claw made the scratch on the wall. It body is
black and wingless with a muscular upper body, a long slim tail with an arrow-shaped tip, and hooves
instead of feet. The Imp turns and looks at Houa. Its eyes glow an eerie yellow, and black patterns covers
its red face.

I don't know what you are, but Darth Maul called...and he wants his facial design back. says
Houa. The Imp smiles, bearing its long yellow fangs. Houa looks around at the three spirits, formulating
a new plan. It was hard enough fighting The Lady in White alone. With these two new combatants, the
odds are greatly stacking against him.

The Boodyman walks towards Houa. The Imp also moves in, its index finger on the wall
screeching along the way. The girls cuddle closer together, terrified unable to see the footsteps and
screeching that's converging on them. The Boodyman walks past Amelia, his hook brushes her neck. The
cold steel makes her scream.

Something touched my neck! Amelia tells the girls.

 The Imp walks past Kimberly, his claws graze her shoulder. She screams in pain.

Something scratched me! Kimberly shows the three scratch marks to the girls.

The Boodyman lunges at Houa with his claws. Houa dodges it and punches him in the face
knocking him back. Houa screams as he felt three painful slashes on his arm. The Imp comes in for
another attack. Houa dashes in, elbowing its face and kneeing its stomach, before the Imp's attack could
land. A sharp pain in his calf drops Houa on one knees. He turns and sees the Boodyman standing behind
him. The Lady in White rises back to her feet, returning to the fight.

The Boogyman and Imp runs at Houa, claws exposed The Lady in White shoots a spike of
hair. Houa rolls out of the way. The three attacks collide, resulting in an explosion that sends the
Boodyman and Imp flying towards opposite walls and knocking over the two sofas that the girls are
sitting on The Lady in White wrapped herself in hair, like a cocoon, soaking some of the damage.

We have get out of here! Kimberly yells. The girls get on their feet, still recovering from the
shock-wave. They ran for the door. A hair tendril grabs Angelica's ankles. She screamed as she hits the
ground. Houa turns to her. She tries to untie the tendril but its grip is too tight. Houa imagines his arm as
a blade and karate-chops the tendril severing it. Angelica sees the tendril being cut from an invisible
blade, and is shocked, but there is no time to analyze it. She gets up and runs. She gets to the door and
looks back. Angelica sees three large and evil figures moving in on the silhouette of a short man. The
short man stands in place, facing the three horrific creatures prepared to fight. Angelica's heart swells
and tears fill her eyes. She knows who this little man is The man that always fights to the end The
man that always stands...so alone, in the face of adversity The man...she loves. She reluctantly turns
away tears flicking off her face, shimmering in the moonlight, as she escapes into the night.

Houa stands facing the spirits. Angelica is safe. This is an acceptable fate. The Boogyman raises
his hook The blade splits into three. The Imp growls large bat-like wings emerge from his back.
The Lady in White levitates off the ground her hair forms over a dozen sharp tentacles. Houa takes
note that the three spirits aren't good at attacking in unison. They've been attacking as individuals and not
combo-ing on top of each other. Also from the looks of things, they have shown their true power.

Houa looks at The Lady in White and her many tentacles, and lets out a long sigh. Whelp. I've
seen enough Henti to know where this is going. The tentacles stab at Houa, but he manages to jump out
of the way. He punches The Boogyman in the throat staggering him. Houa feels the tendrils wrap
around his legs, immobilizing him. The Imp drives in. Houa catches it and bites his neck. The Imp
snarls in pain.

Houa grabs The Imp's wrist and swipes its claw at the tendrils around his leg The Lady in
White screams from pain. He throws The Imp at her, knocking her to the ground. Houa screams as The
Boogyman slash his back with his claws. Houa drops to one knee. The Imp flies in and slams him on the
ceiling then throws him at the floor.

Houa smashes into a table, breaking it. Before he could recover, The Lady in White stabs him
with a tendril. Houa recalls Kimberly going over the rules of the Ouija board and starts walking towards
it. The Boogyman cuts Houa's calf he falls but continues limping on one leg. The Imp moves in and
scratches his other calf Houa falls on his knees now crawling towards the board.
 The Lady in White stabs him he continues to crawl. The Imp scratches him again he keeps
crawling. The Boogyman impales him with his hook Houa lets out a painful roar but still crawling.
The three creatures snicker and lick their lips, savoring the anguish of their prey continuously
attacking and taunting him as he crawls.

Finally, Houa reaches the Ouija board. His body broken and battered. Pain pulses through him
like electric waves. He throws his torso onto the coffee table. He slams his hand on the planchette. The
evil laughter stops in their horrific ecstasy, they didn't foresee their prey's intentions. Realizing his
plan, the creatures lunge at him Houa moves the planchette over the word Goodbye. The creatures
howl as their bodies disappear into dusts the spell that had summoned them has been broken the life
force that had fueled them has been severed.

Houa falls on his back, heaving from exhaustion, his body aching from pain. I just need a nap,
he says to himself, closing his eyes. His eyes have barely been close for a few seconds when he hears
clapping. Houa opens his eyes and looks up. He sees a young man smiling and clapping at him. He's in
a black suit with a white flannel and an open collar. His hair is short and spiky.

Very impressive. The man smiles.