Marko turned and looked at the physician saying, “I see the possessed seeker. We’re gonna have to take him unaware.”
“Why are you looking at me,” asked the physician nervously.
“I need your help.”
“But…but, I’m not a warrior,” blurted the physician.
“I’m not asking you to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Just help out while I exorcise the demon.”
“I’ll do it,” volunteered Andrea.
“Thank you. No offense, but this thing is pretty strong. I may need help restraining it. Besides, I need you and your sister to do something equally important. Go find the other search parties and let them know where we found the seeker. Get to them as quickly as you can and tell them to get down here. If things go sideways, then we’ll need backup.”
They nodded and raced off. Marko peered around the corner a second time. The possessor of the seeker’s body stood at the end of the hallway launching volleys at the force field between it and the iron double doors of the antiquities vault. The forceful energetic assault made the invisible momentarily visible, as each impact caused the electromagnetic field to waver and the steel doors behind it momentarily appeared to ripple like a mirage.
Marko grabbed a decorative vase from a nearby display pedestal and snatched a marker from the physician’s pocket protector to draw a binding rune on the vase. His words were drowned out by the seeker’s commotion, as he activated the spell with his breath like a match to kindling. The symbols momentarily glowed. Marko thrust it at the physician, who was cautious expecting it to be hot.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“I’m going to exorcise the demonic spirit from that seeker’s body. All you have to do is capture the spirit in that makeshift ghost trap,” explained Marko.
“And just how the hell am I supposed to do that?”
“Just remove the lid, hold it still while I breech the seeker’s crown chakra, let the spirit flow into the trap and then put the lid back on. Surely you can manage that much. I’m doing all the hard work.”
“How do you figure?”
“Are you serious? Ok then, how about I let you risk getting blasted and wrestle that thing into a headlock?”
“Fair enough, alright let’s get this over with before I come to my senses,” urged the physician.
“Here we go. Try to keep up doc. We’ve only get one shot to get this right.”
Marko took a plastic capsule from his pocket, opened it and pulled out a rosary of jet beads and cross. He closed his eyes, momentarily pressing it between prayer hands, uttering a quick petition for success and protection. Marko opened his eyes. He counted to three, before rushing around the corner and down the hall. The physician struggled to keep up, while holding on to the large vase and keeping the lid from rattling off.
The possessor of the seeker’s body was so intent on breaking into the vault that they were able to approach it undetected. Marko raced up and throwing an arm from behind around the seeker’s neck, forcibly yanking him backwards. He authoritatively commanded the demonic spirit to vacate the seeker’s body, while pressing the rosary cross onto the top of the seeker’s head. The physician stepped back, unnerved by the violent bucking of the seeker’s body and unearthly voice uttering curses and threats. Marko tightened his grip and the seeker’s head began to sizzle and smoke underneath the cross. He looked over at the physician.
“Alright bring the trap over here and hold it under his head.”
The physician removed the lid and held the vase in position with trembling hands. Marko pulled away the cross and a black, viscous looking substance began leaking from the top of the seeker’s head. The physician nearly dropped the vase.
“What the hell is that,” he shouted disgustedly.
“It’s ectoplasm.”
“I don’t want that getting on me,”
“It won’t, as long as you hold the vase close and still.”
“I’m gonna lose my shit, if that gunk gets on me,” the physician warned quaveringly.
A sudden spurt of ectoplasm startled him and he jumped, nearly dropping the vase. The ceaseless bucking and twisting of the seeker’s body began tiring Marko’s arms. He was going to need help. Recognizing borderline hysteria in the physician, Marko tried to keep his own voice calm.
“Hey doc, I’m gonna need you to put that vase down and help me hold the seeker.”
“What? You didn’t say anything about having to touch that…thing.”
“I just need you to help me hold him still, long enough to get the spirit exorcised into the trap.”
“What if that…”
“Ectoplasm?”
“Yeah, what if that ectoplasm gets on me?”
“It hasn’t gotten on me has it? No it hasn’t, so it won’t get on you either if you’re careful. C’mon man, I need your help. You can just grab and hold his legs still, if you want.”
A sudden fountain of ectoplasm overshot the vase and flowed over the physician’s hands. Before Marko could reassure him, the vase went crashing to the floor as the physician stumbled backwards staring at his hands in horror.
“What the fuck! You told me it wouldn’t get on me. Now, I’m infected! I don’t want that thing inside of me!”
Distracted and tired, Marko momentarily loosened his grip and the seeker was suddenly free. One superhuman blow to the face left Marko dazed. Still clutching the rosary, his clumsy attempts to recapture the seeker were easily blocked. The physician screamed and turned to run. He was quickly overtaken and brought down on his back. The physician’s screams were abruptly cut off by ectoplasm flowing down the seeker’s face and into his open mouth, as the demonic spirit wrestled him into submission. The seeker’s vacated body fell to the floor, like a puppet with cut strings. In the physician’s body, the demonic spirt was up and running before Marko could fully recover his senses.