Chapter 17
“Why?!” Royden bellowed on the floor of the Time Room, still shaking.
“The Time Room does not know—”
“Oh shut it!”
Royden got up and left. He got in the elevator and went down to the basement. Ms. Carol sat in a chair in the laundry room—reading.
“Hey, what was that all about?”
Ms. Carol smiled. “How was it?”
“Terrible. That horrible thing tried to kill me.”
Ms. Carol put her book down. “I didn’t know how much to tell you.”
“Something would have been nice.”
Ms. Carol motioned for Royden to sit next to her. He shook his head. “That thing is called Badchi. It is a demon of some sort. It haunted me for over a year when I was little. Finally one day I woke up and my family and I had been taken to a house similar to ours but different. There was no way out. Badchi killed my parents and kept me scared in that room until you found me in. I was amazed when you appeared and tried to help me. But then you left.”
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“But then you came back.”
Royden folded his arms. “I came back?”
“Yes.”
“Are you telling me that . . .?”
“You have to go back.”
“I’m not going back.”
“You have to, you already did.”
“I haven’t done a thing.”
“You’ve already done it.” Ms. Carol said patiently.
“I’m not going back.” Royden said loudly and clearly. “Today’s Monday, right? All I have to do is tell Mr. Bringum that I’m done and I can go back to a regular life. I’m definitely not going back to take on that horrible thing.”
“What was your life like before?” Ms. Carol asked, giving Royden a sideways glance. “Was it really any better?”
Royden tapped his foot. “It was better than this.”
Ms. Carol breathed deeply. “You came back later that day. You fought Badchi. You were stronger.”
“And did I win?”
Ms. Carol pursed her lips.
“Did I win?” Royden repeated, growing very annoyed.
“He has something there.” Said Ms. Carol critically. “He has something that he keeps his soul in. We will destroy it.”
“And if I don’t?”
Ms. Carol smiled as though she were trying to get a small child to understand something they couldn’t quite believe. “You will.”
Royden pounded his foot against the ground in dismay. “And what if I don’t?”
“I don’t think you realize how this works. You can’t change the past. Everything that you will do has already happened. Everything has already been changed. You just need to go back and do it.”
Royden grew very frustrated. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “I am not going to do anything of the sort. I’m through here. I’m going to tell Mr. Bringum right now that I want out.”
Royden ran out before Ms. Carol could say anything. He had no intention of going anywhere near that Time Room again. He felt bad for young Susanna Carol, but she seemed safe there. Badchi evidently wouldn’t kill her.
He pressed the button for the elevator. The doors opened to a dark tube. The bellhop appeared.
“Royden Doble of the—”
“Oh no.”
“—fifth floor Discovery Apartments—”
“No, no, I can’t.”
“—has a time slot for the Time Room—”
“I’m not going!” Royden yelled.
“—made for him on June 1, 1982 by Susanna Carol.”
Royden put his face in his hands and groaned.
“For this time slot Susanna Carol has included one article of clothing—a reflector button.”
Royden glanced through his fingers. “A what?”
“A reflector button.” The bellhop said. He could tell Royden didn’t know what that was. “A reflector button is a defensive shield that helps beings stay alive when they have to go through unsavory places with danger.”
“A shield.”
The bellhop nodded.
“And this thing will keep me safe?”
The bellhop nodded again.
Royden thought for a minute. This thing might be all he needed to find whatever Badchi’s soul was kept in. It was worth a shot.
The boy took the button, which looked like any ordinary button, and put it on his shirt. A jolt of adrenaline shot through him. “Let’s go.” He jumped into the tube.
Royden stepped from the closet. The door to the room lay in pieces. He bypassed it and went straight to the room without scratch marks. Susanna sat in the center of the floor again.
“I’m back.” Royden whispered, sitting down next to the girl.
Something close to a smile crept across her face for only a moment. “Thank you.”
“I’m going to get rid of that thing.”
The strange singing of Badchi met their ears. It came from the first floor. Royden glared at the floor. He stood up slowly, hoped that pin would work as promised, and started for the creature.
“Wait, where are you going?” Asked Susanna, terrified.
“I’m stronger now, thank you.”
Susanna looked confused. Royden went out into the hall and walked casually to the stairs. Badchi danced slowly around the living room. It sang in a gargled shrill voice. Royden stepped down on each step loudly. Badchi turned and watched. It still looked sad.
“Ba—d—chil—dren” It choked.
Royden felt braver than ever. That pin changed everything. With it on he was practically immortal. “You’re done here, Badchi. You won’t hurt anybody again.”
The thing frowned, but this time it didn’t cry. It studied Royden with its dead eyes for a moment. Something changed in Badchi’s appearance. It looked ready for him, ready for a challenge. It lashed its claws and opened its thin mouth slightly to show the silvery pins.
Royden didn’t back down. That button worked wonders. He was no longer afraid. He knew he couldn’t die. The idea that he had already done this before also helped his confidence. He saved Susanna once, he could do it again.
Badchi arched its back. Its claws twitched at the ready. Suddenly it jolted toward Royden, who dropped to the ground as Badchi collided with the stairs. Royden jumped up, grabbed a chair leg from the ground, and readied himself.
The creature let out a shriveled cry and glared around. Its dead eyes searching for meaning. Its mouth opened wider, it came at the boy again. Royden dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. This time Badchi changed its direction mid jump and came down on him.
Claws flailed to no avail. The button worked. Royden didn’t feel a thing.
The boy stabbed the creature with the torn chair leg. Badchi let out a high pitched cry every time, eventually jumping away.
It latched onto the ceiling and crawled around like a giant insect, letting out soft moans. Its head turned every which way. What was it looking for?
Royden took this time to scan the room looking for something that it might keep its soul in. What would a demon use for that sort of thing? It would have been nice if Ms. Carol told him.
He checked around a torn up couch and under some of the broken furniture, but nothing looked suitable.
Badchi tore its hand through the ceiling and Susanna yelled from above. The demon bore right through the wood boards in an attempt to grab the girl.
“Hey!” Royden shouted. He threw broken furniture at it, but nothing made it stop. “Susanna, run down the hall. Don’t let it get you.”
The demon shot a look at Royden, its teeth took up half its face now and continued to push its eyes and forehead back.
Footsteps led out of the room and down the hall on the second floor. Royden ran into the kitchen and looked around. Every drawer was empty. Besides the furniture nothing e
lse was on the first floor.
He heard Badchi climb up the stairs and followed. Susanna stood at the end of the hall, her face in her hands.
The demon slowly walked up to her, muttering its familiar phrase, its voice warped and twisted.
Royden sprinted up and tackled it to the ground. It tried to pull away but couldn’t break free of Royden’s grasp. It seemed to have very little physical strength outside of its claws.
“It’s soul!” Royden shouted. “What does it keep it in?”
Susanna slid down the wall to the floor. She shook severely.
Royden pushed the demon’s head into the floor as it flailed around trying to break free. Its teeth took the place of its head and waved in the air like antennae. They scratched at his skin but didn’t hurt.
The boy gave the demon a great shove and leaped off of it. He grabbed Susanna, hoping the button would protect her as well, and went into the room with the closet he appeared in.
Nothing in the room or the closet looked the least bit plausible for the demon to keep its soul in.
The air grew still again. Royden listened carefully for any signs of the demon. Nothing met his ears, not even singing or tapping.
“I want you to stay in this closet, alright? You’ll be safe here. I’m going to kill that thing.”
“You sure?” Susanna hiccupped.
“Positive.”
Royden went across the hall to the room where Susanna’s parents died. There was no trace of Badchi in the hall.
The walls were smeared with red. The bed was torn to bits. He tried not to look at it. He made his way around looking for anything that might be of use—anything out of the ordinary. Still he could not find anything.
The singing returned. It was louder now. It came closer every second. Royden didn’t care. He wanted Badchi to find him. With that button he could take him on again and again and it didn’t matter.
The boy continued his search in the parents’ bedroom. Surely it had to be there. He was running out of places to look.
And then he thought of something twisted and wrong. Very slowly he glanced at the bed. He covered his mouth as the sight appeared front and center in his vision. The bodies were torn and disfigured, but there was something else. Right on Mr. Carol’s face lay a book. Royden held his breath and inched over to it. He grabbed it and jumped away.
It was a children’s book. He didn’t recognize it. He flipped through the pages. Every single one had a drawing of Badchi. It looked like a child drew them. Some were colored in—some were just stick figures.
He noticed something else. Mrs. Carol wore a shiny black ring on her index finger. It was the same ring the black suit came out of. Royden pulled it from her finger without difficulty and put it on his own. Nothing happened.
Royden breathed a sigh of relief.
He was almost certain the book held Badchi’s soul. He felt a strange sadness emanating from it. Now to destroy it.
Right as everything seemed to come together the worst possible thing happened. The surge of strength and courage Royden felt suddenly dissipated. The button fell to the floor with a loud clank.
“No, no, no—what’s wrong?” Royden breathed exasperatedly as he picked up the button and tried to put it back on his shirt. It wouldn’t go. “Oh come on!” He protested fiercely.
The singing stopped. Royden felt a sudden jolt of immeasurable fear. He shuddered as the figure of Badchi stepped slowly into view in the doorway. Its mouth was closed now.
Its dreadfully dead eyes looked to the bed. The demon began to cry again.
Royden kept completely still. Badchi moved its head slightly. Its eyes now rested on Royden.
Without warning Badchi’s head disappeared and the long silvery pins took its place. The demon lurched toward the boy. Royden threw himself down. Badchi’s claws swiped at his calf. Royden took off out the door and down the stairs. He slid behind the counter in the kitchen. His calf bled profusely.
He took the book in both hands and tugged at it. It wouldn’t rip.
Badchi landed with a great force on top of the counter and let out an ear splitting shriek. Royden ran to the stove and turned it on high. Small flames erupted out from it. He shoved the book in. Badchi let out another shriek, this time in pain.
The demon leapt from the counter. It landed behind Royden and drove its claws into his ankle. Royden fell to the ground. The book landed on the floor beside him. Badchi pulled Royden away from the stove and through the kitchen. With great effort Royden threw the book at the stove. It landed behind the lit burner.
The demon dragged Royden through the living room. Strangely Royden glanced down at the claws in his ankle, but didn’t feel anything. His body was in shock.
“Susanna!” He screeched. His voice was hoarse and barely made it out. “Susanna!” He continued on.
Badchi’s head returned and it looked up as Susanna appeared at the top of the stairs. She took one look at Royden and disappeared.
“Susanna! Go to the kitchen. Destroy the book.” Royden croaked.
She reappeared. Badchi watched intently as she slowly made her way down the stairs. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the demon that haunted her for so long.
At the bottom of the stairs she ran into the kitchen. Badchi must have realized what was happening because it ran after her. Royden threw a piece of a chair. It made contact with the thing’s head and it faltered for just a second.
Badchi suddenly shrieked in agony and covered its face with its clawed hands. The demon erupted in flames. It staggered around and rammed its head into the wall. Susanna came out of the kitchen and watched through tears. A valiant look on her face.
The demon fell to the ground and writhed in pain. Its body grew smaller until nothing at all was left. The fire disappeared. A wisp of smoke rose gently into the air. It formed into a little ball and floated there for a few seconds. It shot across the room and into the black ring Royden wore. He pulled the thing off as quickly as he could. The ring bounced on the floor a few times and then stopped. Soft singing came out of it and faded away.
Royden tried to get up but couldn’t. His head swam and his vision was full of blotches. He fell back and lay sprawled on the floor. Susanna ran over but stopped short. She glanced up. Royden heard someone say something from above somewhere. He closed his eyes and fell out of consciousness.