The Day after Halloween

The young woman had regained her strength and turned to face him. She looked directly into his eyes as if she were gauging his sincerity.

"He knows everything about me... every little secret. He invaded me... my being... and then used everything he learned..." she told him.

"Used it for what?" he asked.

"To get me to... to... take what he wanted..." she responded, and despite the vagueness, the young man understood the meaning.

Matt tried to fathom her message without showing judgment, but it was confusing, so he asked, "You had no body... bodies. How did... I mean... what happened?"

"It's hard to explain... like feelings... like our spirits... like..." she started.

"Your souls?" he interrupted recalling Gus' theory.

"Yes... like that and it was very strong," she explained.

"What... what does he know... what did he learn about you?" he asked, recalling her earlier comment.

"The things you keep inside and never tell anyone... not your parents, not your friends, not your priest, not your lover... not your husband. The most intimate things..." she responded.

"How did he use the... the things?" Matt asked naively.

"To get me... excited... to do it..." she replied, still looking into his face.

Suddenly, the vision of her receiving pleasure on the bed came rushing back and before he could stop, he fired out, "Shit, Heather. I had sex with that woman, but it was... duty... to get you out! You're in there making love to the bastard!"

Instantly, a look of profound hurt filled the young woman's face and she fell back onto the bed and then turned away. Matt let her go, but when he heard her begin to cry, he moved closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I didn't want it to happen... I was scared... and he was so powerful... I thought it was over..." she whimpered before he could speak.

"I know... I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to say," he replied, and then added in a soothing voice, "We've got to figure out how to make it stop."

Somehow, they managed to sleep, although it was fitful for both. Matt was ready to discuss things more the next morning, but when he saw her expression when she emerged from the bedroom, he decided to hold off. Instead, they sipped coffee, mostly in silence, and it was Heather that finally broached the subject.

"What now?" she asked.

"We need to figure out how to make it end. We may have to destroy the mausoleum," he replied, pleased that they were communicating.

"Okay..." she answered, and then after a pause, she said, "We should do that. What if someone else stumbles into their trap?"

Matt nodded his head and since she was being forthright, he decided to press her for more information, "Tell me more about being in there... what you learned... about him."

He watched as her expression became thoughtful, and after several seconds she replied, "I know it really sounds stupid, but not that much. It really didn't seem like I was there that long. I know his name was Bernard and he was part of a group called Mored, but when he was present, it was more about..."

"More about you?" he asked when she paused.

"Yes..." she answered as a distressed look swept over her face.

"Heather, don't. It wasn't your fault and I feel ashamed and stupid for what I said last night," he told her which brought forth a thin smile. After taking her hand in his, he continued, "What does Mored mean?"

"It stood for something in Latin, but I don't recall exactly. The group thought they could overcome death," she explained as her voice lowered.

"My God... I guess... at least he and his wife did. They took Gus' brother and wife... you... almost you," Matt responded, still struggling to accept what should have been unbelievable.

"I want this to end," Heather said and Matt could see her eyes pleading with him to find a solution.

Despite the issue of the demon's manipulation of his wife, he felt good about the conversation, as he thought they finally had everything in the open. Rather than dwell on events, he took her out for the day. They shopped some, had lunch, enjoyed the park and a museum before returning to the apartment just before sundown. Heather cooked them a simple dinner, and then they moved to the couch where they finished a bottle of wine as they watched a movie. It had barely ended when her soft purrs indicated she was asleep. Matt looked down at her angelic face, comfortably resting on his chest as they lay prone, and knew, despite all that had occurred, he was a lucky man. He thought about their upcoming church wedding and the need to buy her a new ring. The thought made him look at her finger and the small stone reminded him that he had selected something simple, as he had felt uncomfortable marrying the impostor. Then, like a bolt of lightning cutting through the dark sky, the thought hit him that it was the only physical connection between Heather and the demons.

"Heather... Heather... wake up!" he demanded as he pushed on her shoulder.

"What? What's wrong?" she called out as her eyes took in the room.

"I have an idea... a thought... about how he gets to you," he replied excitedly.

"How?" she asked, now giving him her complete attention.

"The ring... it's the connection between you and them... maybe it's the ring!" he exclaimed.

"Shit!" she answered and immediately started pulling it from her finger. When it was off, she dropped it onto the coffee table and said, "It was an ugly ring anyway."

Matt stood, picked up the band and walked to his desk where he opened a drawer and placed it inside. He returned to his wife and pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed," he said.

"I don't think we have to. I feel different already," she said and when he raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture, she added, "It's like a weight is off me... off my shoulders."

Matt knew that she might merely be feeling the euphoria of action, so he cautioned, "Good... but let's give it some time. Make sure it doesn't come back."

For the next week, they were on eggshells waiting to see if removing the ring would free her from the clutches of the demon. They met with the priest who was thrilled to see that two good Catholics wanted to get married in the church and they set a date in early January. Also, they shopped several places for the ring she wanted and finally selected a custom design. It was at the absolute limit of their budget and Matt knew he had little wiggle room finishing school and starting work, but with all she had endured, he knew it needed to be special.

Heather continued to state she felt relieved since removing the ring and was certain it was central to the sexual visits. Slowly, Matt came around and their discussions shifted to the mausoleum. They went back and forth about what to do, but with the pressure now off the young woman, they once more decided to park the matter.

Finally, the time arrived for her doctor's visit. They went together, but Matt remained in the waiting room as she went through a battery of tests. At the completion, they met with the 40ish female doctor in a small conference room.

"Heather, do you know you're pregnant?" she asked after exchanging pleasantries.

"Uhhh... what? No..." the young woman responded in surprise.

"Yes, not very far along. Just a few weeks," she clarified.

"How many weeks is a few?" the young woman demanded.

The doctor, sensing there might be an issue became visibly uncomfortable and said, "Three to six. It's difficult to be precise this early."

"I see..." Heather replied.

"I sense it was unexpected. You said on the form you used an implant... Implanon. How long have you had it?" the doctor asked.

"I don't know... it was... uhhh... I think in July, so three years and four months... maybe five," she answered.

"Well, that's past the effective period I'm afraid. Do you need a referral for counseling?" she probed.

"No... I'm fine..." Heather responded.

"Okay, when you're ready, make an appointment and we can remove the implant," the doctor advised.

On the drive home, Heather barely spoke and Matt suspected he knew what she was thinking. Sure enough, as soon as they stepped through the door, she unloaded.

"You knocked her up. You got her pregnant while I was... trapped!" she yelled.

Matt, having had time to prepare, replied, "No! It's ours. The doctor said three to six weeks, which means it's ours."

Rather than soothe her spirit as he anticipated, his words only seemed to inflame her, and she launched again, "No... it's not. It's... shit, Matt... shit! Were you worried about protection? Shit! I have a demon baby in me."

Matt knew that she had received the contraceptive implant before they were a couple but decided there would be nothing to gain by bringing it to her attention. She had made it clear she had protection when they became intimate, so he never thought about it. Still, he felt guilty when he realized that a year had elapsed and not once had he considered the risk.

"Heather, it was you, but it wasn't you. I know you had it far worse, but it was very confusing for me, too," he declared.

"Fuck that, Matt. Fuck that. You humped her and knocked her up," she fired back, using words he rarely heard.

Now angered, the young man responded with equal emotion, "Really? Really? You sure your fucking lover didn't put a baby in you while you rode his cock? Maybe, that's why he kept showing up!

Rather than respond, Heather looked at him in a strange way and then slowly rose and disappeared into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her which gave him the opportunity to consider the exchange. He knew he had grossly overreacted, given her fragile state, but her pointed words had hurt his psyche, given all he had dealt with and it was several minutes before he followed.

He found her on the bed, and he sat next to her and gently stroked her side before saying, "I'm sorry."

At first, she didn't respond, but after a few seconds, she finally said, "My God, Matt. Whose baby is it? Ours? Yours with her... or..."

"Yours with him," he answered to fill in the gap.

"Shit!' she cried out in distress.

Suddenly, a wave of emotional energy swept through the young man, and he responded, "Look, Heather. It's our baby. They never had children when they were alive or when they stole the bodies of that poor couple. They didn't want kids, so the baby is ours. Period!"

His adamant declaration silenced her and she stared up at him for a time before responding, "Good."

Two months had elapsed since the doctor informed them of Heather's pregnancy. In the interim, she had received her ring and they had married in a lovely church ceremony. Heather looked radiant in her wedding dress and only Matt was aware that her tiny pink nipples had transitioned to blood-red as a result of the life she now carried in her tummy. Miraculously, with no further demonic visits, the incredible events were rapidly receding in their memories, and their thoughts became focused on the future. Soon, they would have a child, a baby boy if the tests proved accurate, and Matt would enter the working world. Heather looked forward to finishing school, being a mommy and establishing the home she always wanted.

Matt had a smile on his face as he walked towards the apartment contemplating all that lay in store for him in the future. Freed early from school obligations, he hoped to spend some intimate time with his beautiful wife that afternoon. However, when he opened the door and stepped inside, he was surprised to hear whimpers emanating from the bathroom. He moved silently towards the door, excited at what he might find, and slowly pushed the door open.

Through the opaque shower curtain, he could tell his wife was beneath the spray, and by her sounds, in a state of sexual arousal. A grin formed on his face and he stepped towards the tub, but when he slowly pulled the plastic sheet aside, the scene before him put him into a state of shock. Heather, with her head turned sideways and her eyes squeezed shut, had her body pressed hard against the far wall, but her ass protruded back as an unseen lover hammered into her pussy. Deep sensual moans of pleasure emerged from her half-open mouth in apparent rhythm with her lover's thrusts. Instantly, his thoughts went to the mausoleum and the demon who had somehow, once again, managed to infiltrate his way into their world. He wondered how, after their long period of freedom, he had managed to return and knew he had to save his wife from the unwanted sexual onslaught. However, just as his body tensed to move, his attention was drawn to her hand, and there on her finger was the simple ring that he had placed in the drawer many months ago.