Hell of a Vacation Part XI

But for Now They're Gone

GRAPHIC | Tara Espinoza


Previously… “STOP IT.” Louder and louder, mi glutos vian animon. “NO.” all of a sudden, everything stopped…

Krystal’s head slowly stopped hurting, and her eyes opened and closed a few times over until they adjusted. Jakob was there, holding her hand with his head bowed as if he was saying a prayer.

“Are we… related?” The first words were to leave her mouth as soon as she could.

“I will tell you everything as soon as you’re better, but yes, we are, and right now, that’s all you really need to know,” He responded with a big sigh of relief as he realized she had won.

“No, I need to know what’s going on….”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Our family was cursed; my mom came here several years back. She’d fallen ill and asked some voodoo doctor if there was anything he could do. She said she’d do anything. He cursed her and her family for trying to avoid death when he healed her. Since we were there with her, he put demons in our minds, just you and I. You probably don’t remember because he ensured we stayed away from each other by erasing every memory we shared. When you left, I waited, and our demons fell dormant. He knew you’d come back to learn more about mom. That’s when our demons would become active again. That phrase they repeat? It’s Latin; it just means they want to devour or swallow our souls, which is what happened to mom. They don’t stop until they’ve been cursed back out. Fighting the way we did is what kicks them out. They feed off of negativity. This means they could come back eventually, but for now, they’re gone. That’s what matters.”