The frail and pale hand trembled as it reached out to touch the unsightly face. Pain gripped Jack's heart as if it was being twisted by a knife, causing him to sway unstably. Despite the disbelief, he wished that all these were a nightmare.
With a snarl, the woman opened her mouth wide like a gaping maw, her rotten teeth latching onto the frail hand. An audible crack echoed as her bite broke his hand.
A bloodcurdling scream filled the air. Jack clutched his hand, struggling to get free from the monster's bite. But his weakened state and intense pain made him incapable of escaping. He yelled at the woman desperately, "Let go of me, let go, Shirley! It's me, Jack!"
Apart from growling, the woman hardly spoke, her bloodshot eyes staring intently at the young man. She emitted a chilling light, as if she wished to devour him whole.
"Oh, God—Save me! Save Shirley!"
Even with her jaws clamped around his hand, the young man did not lose hope in the woman. He glanced back at his family, yearning for their aid.
Even if he didn't beg, the middle-aged couple and the girl would have rushed forward. But they were stopped by a young man with black hair who said, "No, don't do it. I advise you to wait. If you want him to return to his former self, wait."
"My God, he's like this now, and you want us to wait?" The girl glared at the black-haired young man, "His hand's nearly bitten off. That monster will eat him alive." As she spoke, she was ready to charge forward, only for the woman to suddenly glare at her.
Startled, the girl took a couple of steps back. She was genuinely scared by the gruesome face of the woman, her mouth smeared with blood from her brother's mangled hand. The sight of the blood-drenched rotting teeth, the stench of her halitosis, caused the girl's stomach to churn.
But she was terrified, having just gathered the courage to throw the cup, only to be paralyzed by the terrifying stare. "God..." she stammered, but before she could finish, the woman lunged at her, her blood-soaked mouth gaping.
"No, my God, don't hurt Clarice—" The young man cried out in despair. Trembling, he lunged at the woman, unable to bear the thought of the monster harming his sister. It was untenable, even if he was to die.
He ignored his nearly severed hand and straddled the woman, grabbing her neck with his other hand. His uninjured hand tightening around her neck.
"Die—"
He gritted his teeth, seeming to invoke every ounce of his strength to choke the woman. His only thought was to protect Clarice at any cost. This damned woman.
"Gurgle—" The woman's eyes bulged out, perhaps due to lack of oxygen, her mouth twisted. She struggled under the young man's weight but was pinned down. Her hands tried to choke Jack in retaliation.
"Die—"
This time, Jack erupted with all his energy. Along with the tightening of his grip, a loud cracking sound echoed, resembling a breaking bone. The woman's eyes swelled up and burst, dangling from the sockets. A mix of white, black, and sticky substance sprayed out from the hollow eye sockets, splashing over Jack's face. The warmth of the fluid caused him to black out, and he collapsed.
"Jack—" Someone seemed to be shouting his name.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Slowly, Jack opened his eyes, feeling as if a century had passed. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the worried faces of his parents but not the face he worried for. He furrowed his brows, "Where's Clarice? Is she alright? Where is she?" "It's all right, everything is fine, Jack!" The middle-aged man's voice rang in his ears. He turned his head and saw Clarice at his side, smiling at him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Thank God, I was really afraid, just now."
Jack knew what had just transpired.
"Shirley—" The middle-aged woman muttered but was silenced with a glare from the man. She looked at Jack, her heart full of relief yet tinged with worry. That woman was the nightmare in Jack's heart.
"No, she doesn't exist, she never existed. There's no Shirley, only you guys, thank God for allowing me to continue being with you." Jack extended his hand, trembling, and embraced the middle-aged couple.
The dark-haired young man had already stepped outside. The girl named Clarice walked him out, pushing open the iron gate. The old car was parked by the roadside. Nobody would be interested in stealing such a car.
"Thank you very much. Is that... woman still here?" Clarice asked the dark-haired young man.
"Of course, she's still here." He nodded and held up the small cloth bag. "Everything is fine now."
Clarice nodded, took a roll of bills from her jeans pocket and handed it over. "This is all we have. I'm sorry... we could have given you more, but..." She shrugged with an embarrassed and helpless expression.
The dark-haired young man looked at the roll of bills in his hand and said, "It's a little less according to my usual rates, but it's okay. I often do these things, it doesn't matter if I get paid less once." He nodded at the girl and walked towards his car, opening the door.
"Hey... I still don't know your name, exorcist." Clarice called out to the dark-haired young man. "Should we exchange contact information? I mean... if Jack has this problem again..."
The young man stopped and smiled. "No, definitely not. The reason why I let him kill Shirley with his own hands was mainly to let him kill his own inner demon. Only by killing their inner demons can they avoid falling again. Nobody can confuse him anymore. Also... that woman seduced men to keep herself looking more attractive, but it's bad news for the men who sleep with her. Let Jack abstain for a while."
The dark-haired young man gave a slight smile to the girl. "Also, remember, my name is Jason. If needed, I will find you. And, I'm not an exorcist, I do this part-time." With that, he got into the car, waved his hand, and drove into the dimly lit street, quickly disappearing from sight.
Clarice stood still, somewhat in a daze. Thinking back on what had happened, she felt a little scared and hurriedly entered the iron gate, locked it, and went upstairs.
After making several turns, the car stopped at a motel. He walked straight in and went upstairs.
"Hey, Mr. Jason, hello." The young woman at the front desk blinked at Jason and waved hello.
"Hello... let me guess your name, Carly?... Julie? Jessie?" Jason pointed at her, walking towards her with a smile. "Nina, Nina... I got it, didn't I?"
"You really hurt my feelings, Mr. Jason," the young woman pretended to be heartbroken. "But... someone came looking for you today. I told him you weren't here and to come back tomorrow morning. I know... you usually only go out at night. Do you like the nightlife in Los Angeles? Picking up girls?"
"You did well, Nina!" Jason winked at her. "But... I don't go out at night to pick up girls. There's already a beautiful girl here, why would I need to go out? If you agree, I'll take you out for coffee tomorrow morning. Also, I go out to catch the baddies in this city, very bad baddies!"