Chapter 14: A Griever
As I watched the steel gate close behind us, we headed into the nearby farm country. I knew we were here to execute a mandate, and I wouldn't lie—the thought of having to kill a human terrified me.
We soon arrived at the house. Her father answered the door, his eyes tired and desperate. "Are you the detectives?" he asked.
Klaus, the man the Captain had sent with us, stepped forward. "We are," he affirmed. "We're here to help your daughter, Grace."
The father didn't waste any time. He led us straight upstairs. As I walked into her room, she looked completely normal, calmly combing her hair.
"Grace," I said gently, "how are you doing today?"
She didn't reply. I asked one more time, and she suddenly screamed at me. I was startled; I couldn't understand why a simple question prompted such a violent reaction.
"Grace, they're here to help you," her father insisted.
"I don't need help! I'm okay! Can't you see? Don't you have eyes?" she retorted, her voice suddenly sharp and full of malice.
"Grace, you know you're not fine! You've been killing my damn cows for Pete's sake! You won't even take a damn shower!" he shouted, his frustration boiling over.
"Shut up!" she screamed back.
"Stop!" I yelled, stepping between them. I didn't think arguing would help anything.
I quickly led Kenji, Klaus, and Rana into the hallway. "What should we do? She's acting so normal. Is she even possessed?"
"She's possessed," Rana replied immediately.
"How do you know?" Kenji asked.
"When you've been a detective for a long time, you can feel it," Rana said simply. "So, how should we make her evil side come out?"
"We should tempt her," Kenji suggested. "Make her plead to a different God—that'll piss her off."
I thought that might actually work. I walked back into the room. "Hey, Grace, if you're really okay, then double-check your safety by praying to the great God Anima."
"WHAT!" she shrieked.
Wow, never knew she was so fierce, I thought.
"Sir, you need to step out of the house," Klaus told Grace's father firmly.
"Hey, Rana, lock down the house and put a restoring barrier on it," Klaus instructed. "It's about to go down."
Sorry this is a short chapter