...continued from yesterday
Amid her prayers for the Kupaku, Tabby smelled something that caught her attention. It was an all too familiar aroma that made the hackles on the back of her neck stand on edge. It was the sharp waft of tepid water. Anger boiled from the bottom of her being because it could only mean one thing.
"Neil David," Tabby said to herself. She could not say it out loud because she, along with Ivan, Tiny, and Rita, could not stop the prayers or ceremonies because they had to be done non-stop around the clock. The aroma told Tabby that Neil David's spirit was with them. She also knew that his spirit never lingered for too long because he always had to take possession of someone. It's the only way his soul could exist. The dilemma now is how to let someone know? He couldn't have possessed her grand uncles and aunt, nor her. The only logical conclusion is that it was either one of the Rizal brothers or Kealoha. That wouldn't make sense since all five were outside the office watching for signs and portents. That would only leave Serah.
While chanting, Tabby pretended to stretch and yawn and briefly glanced at the medical examiner. Yes, it's her for sure. Pale skin covered by a sheen of translucent slime. She smiled and nodded at Serah and kept chanting in Hawaiian. With Neil David in Serah's body, who knew what he was capable of? The frustration began to mount in Tabby's heart, but she had to be careful to not let her emotions get in the way. Serah ignored Tabby's salutation; she seemed to look off to one side of the group as they chanted over her father's body. At that moment, a hint of another aroma briefly caught Tabby's attention. It was that thing she always gave her father a hard time about; it was how he would pour a whole bottle of Puakenikeni perfume into the steam iron and then use it to iron his shirts. It had a unique bouquet with a hint of that hot iron smell. It was a quirk her father had about ironing his shirts that way, but he would never say why. Yet, there it was, flitting about her every so briefly. In her mind, she called out, "Papa? Are you here?"
Just then, Serah excused herself and left the office. She rushed downstairs to the back parking lot, where she began throwing up gallons of tepid water until she was surrounded by an ephemeral pond. She was too weak to stand because her entire being was hit by an almost demonic freight train. Serah Wong had a soul that was much too pure and good for Neil David to possess for any length of time. As a result, he was forced to escape her body before any trace of his evil intent was lost. What was he going to do now? What person would his spirit have to assault to achieve his means? Just then, an employee from the 7-11 next door wandered into the back parking lot for a smoke break. A young local, all of seventeen but arrested twice for robbery and possession of meth with intent to distribute. So many misdeeds in such a short span of life. Her father was a judge and helped her get off. 7-11 was her last chance at an honest job to set her straight. If she screwed up again, that would mean a hard time in an adult women's prison on the mainland. Her name was Loeka, and she was perfect. When Neil David took her body, he showed her all the horrible and unspeakable things he'd done to his victims, especially his cannibalism. It was meant to break her mind and consciousness so that she would never recover and never have any means to resist him. She'd be his walking puppet.
...to be continued
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