Everyone Here Is Dead But Her

Author: Paula Rodriguez

Chapter 4: Deliverance or Damnation

Like watching a show. Whether Emily could be saved wasn’t important.

People are like this.

To their disappointment, I didn’t bring any exorcist tools and couldn’t do any of those movie-like special effects. All those tricks require power.

I know the fancy moves, but they’re meaningless without the strength to back them up.

I walked over to the chained girl. Her eyes were bright, watching me warily.

A perfectly good person, chained up like a dog here—so pitiful.

“Do you have any white bread?”

No one paid attention to me. I let out a sigh, feeling a flicker of irritation.

I looked at the Carsons. “Do you have white bread at home?”

“Yes, yes…” The old man reacted. “Do you want it toasted or plain?”

Knowing to ask toasted or plain—it looks like exorcists have come before.

“Plain.”

“Alright, I’ll go get it for you.”

“No need, I’ll go with you.”

Clang clang.

Under the astonished gaze of the two elders, I shook a heavy frying pan. After adding a bunch of seasonings, a strong aroma of grilled cheese filled the air.

The kitchen was cramped, with faded linoleum and a window that looked out over the empty fields. The sizzle of butter and cheese was comforting, familiar. For a moment, it felt like any other night.

“Sir, are you hungry?”

“No, it’s for Emily.”

“Sigh, she won’t eat it… we’ve tried everything.”

As I was leaving, I saw a sausage on top of the fridge. I unwrapped it and put it in the plate, just in case the girl liked it.

I put the plate where Emily could reach it. She crawled over, sniffed, and rolled her eyes in disgust.

“Uh, my cooking can’t be that bad, can it…”

I pushed the plate closer. She got angry, violently knocking the plate away.

The plate rolled away, then somehow ended up back at my feet. Just a bit of grilled cheese left.

“Really? My cooking isn’t that bad.”

When no one was looking, I nicked my finger. Let a drop of blood fall into the plate.

This time she sniffed again, her eyes lighting up, and she started eating in big mouthfuls.

“Amazing! Amazing!”

“She’s eating! The girl is finally eating.”

“The exorcist is indeed capable.”

The onlookers whispered. Although all their words praised me, I couldn’t feel happy.

Miles was right—this girl definitely has a problem. To relish an exorcist’s blood, she’s either possessed or something worse.

But she’s human.

I got closer, stretching out my arm to her. Emily threw away the plate and bit into my wrist, frantically sucking.

Evil, chilling, dark, sticky, fear, madness.

Countless negative emotions surged into my mind, making me shiver several times.

“Sir, that’s not okay!” the Carson old man shouted.

I waved my hand, looking at the girl sucking my blood.

Her expression was calm, thirsty, yet helpless.

The flask vibrated lightly. Emily retreated a few steps, looking dazed.

Allie was afraid I’d lose too much blood, so she startled Emily away.

I patted the flask to comfort Allie, telling her I was fine.

The wound didn’t hurt, just felt numb and itchy.

“Allie, is this dark energy?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so either. Then, is it demon energy?”

Allie was silent. She’d never seen demons before, so she couldn’t tell demon energy.

My mentor and I dealt with plenty of ghosts. I know dark energy. Demons? That’s new territory.

“Sir, treat your wound first.”

I grabbed the gauze, but my knees gave out. Hit the ground hard.

I didn’t fall because of blood loss, but from being startled.

The Carson old man in front of me was covered in scratches, the deepest wound on his neck, with dark red blood gushing out.

Looking at the townsfolk, each had more or less scratches and bite marks, all with fatal wounds.

Many already had flesh rotting, pus and blood dripping everywhere.

The stench hit me, and I gagged, but forced myself to hold it in.

After being bitten by Emily, I saw the town’s true appearance: corpses everywhere, flies buzzing, countless bodies rising and falling—a living hell.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. The wounds on them looked like animal bites, but not from large animals.

Combined with the rumors that Emily was possessed by a demon fox, the wounds did look like they were made by a wild animal.

The light on the hilltop was on—that was Miles’s house. The faint, flickering light seemed to have a calming effect.

The bad feelings slowly faded.

“That’s all for today. I’ll rest for a bit.”

As I left, I glanced at the girl again. She lowered her head, growling something in her throat.

I guessed she was saying, “Help, save me, help.”

I chose a house close to Miles’s to stay in.

The wound on my wrist was already swelling and turning black—I had to treat it quickly.

I pulled out the flask’s cork, and a red figure floated out—it was Allie.

Allie’s a ghost. One I keep around.

Usually, only evil exorcists keep ghosts, but I had no choice. My power was stripped by my mentor. I can’t destroy ghosts, can’t deliver them either, and letting her wander isn’t right.

So I just keep her with me.

Allie’s cold lips pressed against my wrist, biting down and tearing off a large piece of flesh.

“Gently, that hurts!”

That bite hit an artery. Blood sprayed everywhere.

She wanted to bite again, but I snorted, scraped the flask with my nail, and the piercing screech brought clarity back to Allie’s eyes.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine, not your fault.”

The rotten flesh and black blood were eaten clean by Allie, then she used her power to seal the bleeding point. The wound was taken care of.

Just my head hurt a bit.

The side effect of keeping a ghost: why should a living person keep a ghost? You pay with your lifespan.

I don’t know how much of my essence and life Allie’s actions just now cost me.

But thinking of Allie’s tragic past, I don’t regret it. I’ll last as long as I can.