— Forgive me, God, for stealing your sacred property, but it is needed to save the child .

Are you asking for forgiveness from the picture? How trite,” Lucia said, drawing on the mural with a marker.

- Here you are - a demon, you should know what your relatives are afraid of. Help me with exile. What else do I need? What items are missing?

“Yeah, that’s what I told you right off the bat!” And then you end me and escape your fate? No! So that you know: expel me, others will come.

- I didn't mean to. Moreover, how can I exorcise the first of its kind ghost demon? - the demon nodded her head in agreement, then began to draw devilish symbols on the icons. "You want that demon, don't you?" So help me deal with it! I just want to save that boy.

Ah, I think I get the point. You want to save as many people as possible, hoping that it will be credited to you in Heaven later. And you think that when I take your soul to Hell, the angels will come to your aid? – the demoness stopped drawing, went up to Dave, poured her red paint on him, and started mocking him, running the brush over his soiled face. - So, I want to break you off: there they will only count what you did to me three years ago, and what you helped me collect spirits. — Dave pretended to ignore all her words, but these words hurt him to the core. And Lucia then suddenly turned the brush over and stuck it in his eye. "So you're mine anyway!"

He clutched at the wound in fear, and at that moment an assistant priest approached him:

- Do you need something?

Jenex quickly hid things under his jacket, looked around, and all the paint had already disappeared.

- No thanks. I've already prayed and I'm leaving. God bless you.

Dave, slowly moving towards the exit, looked inquiringly at the chandelier on which Lucia was swinging.

“Well, okay,” the ghost demon sighed, flying off the chandelier and landing on her husband’s shoulders. - From the items you took everything you need. True, more chains would not interfere. And I'll tell you the rest on the spot. We don't want you to screw up like that, do we?

Leaving the church, they went to the victim's house, following the visions. Finally, they came to a tall multi-storey building, and went up to a cozy five-room apartment. Dave called and the door was opened by the woman who was in that car.

“Oh, are you the one we nearly hit today?” I am very sorry for this incident. If you wish, we can compensate you.

She invited the guest to the apartment, and Dave stood in the hallway and explained:

- No, it's not worth it. It's my own fault, I was in a hurry. I'm here on a different matter. I am a writer Dave Jenex, investigating various paranormal phenomena. Are your neighbors complaining about strange noises and you haven't noticed anything?

— Well, there are sometimes rustles behind the wall, but nothing unusual. And anyway, how can you believe in any nonsense about ghosts and poltergeists?

“I didn’t believe it myself until it touched me. May I speak to your son? - the hostess looked at him with disbelief, and at that time, Lucia, out of boredom, tried on coats and fur coats hanging on a hanger, and tore and burned the unsuitable ones. Don't worry, I'll just ask him something. After all, children are most exposed to the action of various paranormal phenomena. And what they say is not always their fiction.

The woman led him to her son's room, and while they were walking, Lucia said to her husband:

- Well done, well played. Now we need to find out the name of our demon, - Dave looked at her, not understanding why, and then she explained: - It's just interesting to know what kind of bastard dared to come here without asking permission. Yes, and it will be easier to expel him. It's Name Magic, haven't you heard?

They entered the room where the boy was sitting at the table and drawing a horse against the backdrop of the forest. This alarmed Dave a little, because gloomy drawings with fire, blood, monsters hung on the wall. Mom approached him and introduced him to the guest, but the boy, not paying attention, continued to paint the trees. Then Dave himself approached him:

- Hello, I'm Dave, and what's your name?

- Eric...

— Really? OK. Listen, I'm very curious, did you see anything unusual in the square today? - now Eric got excited, took an orange pencil and began to draw a fire in the forest. - For example, when you and your parents drove past a large church? Didn't you feel anything? The boy became more and more worried, even angry. Having finished drawing the fire, he took a red pencil and began to draw blood on the horse and grass. But Dave continued to put pressure on him: — Pain, fear, anger, maybe even hatred? Why did you draw such creepy drawings?

Eric, after these words, broke his pencil in anger, and began to mutter something under his breath. His mother stood by, stunned by what was happening. And Lucia sat contentedly on the bed, and looked with tenderness at the pictures. And then the writer asked again:

“Now, seriously, what is your name?”

- I'm Eric! Mom, get him out of here.

His mother felt that something was still wrong, but the maternal instinct won out in her, and she tried to expel the guest. And when his father came to Eric's defense, Dave suddenly saw how Eric's drawings come to life, monsters crawl out of them, violent screams are heard. And in the middle of all this chaos, Lucia danced on a pole, and Eric's face changed, as if his demon was coming out.

- Stop! Okay, I’ll leave, but first I’ll ask him one more question… just one, and you’ll know the truth, — the visions disappeared, and Dave broke past his parents, approached the boy and, putting his hand in his pocket, asked: — You won’t confess in a good way — you have to act in a bad way.

- What do you want from me? Mom, tell him I'm Eric! — he got up from the table, stood in front of Dave and looked offendedly into his red eyes.

- So, in a bad way ...

With these words, the writer grabbed Eric by the hand, and with the other hand he took out a cross from his pocket and put it on his hand. The cross hissed and smoked loudly, and Eric began to twitch in convulsions. His mother stood in horror, and his father immediately pulled the offender away from his son. But when all three looked at the boy, they were horrified: his face was disfigured with scars and burns, his clothes were torn in places, bruises, scars and long claws appeared on his hands, his eyes turned black, and when he smiled, fangs became visible.

"Here you are, freak!" Lucia greeted the demon, but when she didn't hear an answer, she realized, "Damn, don't tell me he can't see me either." Hello, I say, creature!

But Eric did not notice her, but instead immediately attacked the medium Dave. But he did not lose his head - he caught him with a cross, laid him on the bed and shouted to his parents:

- Knit him!

- Chains! Added ghost demon.