"Am I a bad mother?" Rose sobbed. "Am I? I tried to raise her right, I really tried...."

Beth Jenkins comforted Rose Zaslow with a firm hug. Both women were sitting on Rose's couch. Rose hid her tear-streaked face in her hands, and Beth clasped her Holy Bible tightly while she tried to calm Rose down.

"It's okay Rose. I'm sure Lori's just fine. She just got scared and ran off, that's all."

"But the school said... they said she attacked some people." Rose looked up, revealing eyes that were bloodshot from more than tears. "What did you want with her? Why was Jericho there? Why did he make my daughter run away?"

"Now, Rose... Reverend Jericho loves children and part of his ministry is to see to children in need. After what's happened, he figured she might want to hear about Jesus Christ and his plan for us. He just wanted to talk, that's all. He loves talking to children."

"But he scared her."

"Lori scared herself, Rose. But it'll be okay."

"How can you say that?" Rose sniffed. "The police won't even report her missing until she's been gone for two days! They aren't even LOOKING!"

"Shhh, Rose. Yes they are. Reverend Jericho was talking to them just a little while ago. He called me on the phone and told me, and I came right over. He's prayin' over this thing right now."

"Oh, that's not going to HELP anything! I want my daughter!"

"You'd be surprised at what prayer can do, Rose. Especially for our children. Satan wants our children, Rose, he really does. And if we aren't righteous then the devil will snatch them right out of our hands."

"Now you're being silly," said Rose.

" Jericho said it himself. When I took Deborah to see him he started talking about all the things that could happen... especially if there ain't no strong righteous foundation in the home."

"Things like what?"

"Have you noticed anything strange with Lori lately? Strange behavior? Things turning up missing or broken?"

"Y-yeah. Lots of things get broke around here. Especially the expensive stuff, like the TV... got no idea how that happened, but I know Lori wouldn'ta done it."

"You ever hear Lori talking to strange people on the phone... people you don't know?"

"No, but... but lately she's been talking about... about this guy. Waid something. I can't remember. She said it was a ghost and that he was the one that hit that boy at the school."

"Rose, you know they were playing that... game... at my house this weekend. The one where they summon Satanic spirits."

"It's a ouija board and its not satanic."

"You just said there were strange voices."

"I never heard any voices. Lori's the one, but she's just playing games. Right?"

"I don't know, Rose."

"Well... what else did he say?"

"Does Lori seem fascinated with dark things. Like ouija boards or... or the Sovereign."

"Sovereign? Everybody's talking about 'em-"

"But does she worship them? Or dream about them? Or get defensive when somebody brings them up?"

"Well... uhh... the other day Jericho was on TV going on about it and she got a little upset. Didn't like what he had to say. I didn't see nothing wrong with what he was sayin' though."

"I think there's something goin' on with your daughter, Rose. Something you maybe noticed, but shut it out because you didn't want to see. But you see it now, don't you?"

"I... I don't know."

"The Lord can save your daughter, Rose..."

Frank had heard enough. It was making him sick... and being sick made him feel guilty. God. Jesus. The Lord. What was all this? Was this the same God that took his family away... and then his wife... and then left him like THIS for all eternity?

Frank watched as the women talked. He wished they could see him. Or hear him. Or even feel him as something other than a kiss of icy cold across their skin. If only he could DO something! Lori was the only one... who could help him, and he couldn't even help her in return!

He had to find out where she was. Frank tried to return to the physical world again. He strained muscles that did not exist, concentrated, tried to force himself back out of this ghostly plane... but it was to no avail. It was too soon since the last time. He was still too weak.

Lori was in trouble. The frightening disturbance in the auras of Beth and the others told him more than he needed to know. They weren't NORMAL. Their colors were streaked with dark rivers and dotted with whirlpools and sinkholes, like the atmosphere of some stormy, alien planet. Frank didn't know what it meant, but it wasn't good. Perhaps they weren't completely evil, if there even was such a thing, But the simple *wrongness* about them was as plain as the sun in the sky. At least to him.

They had been after Lori at the school, and if she wasn't here then that must mean they found some way to grab her after she left the school.

But he had no idea where they had taken her, and there was nothing he could do to find out. Nothing at all.

Or was there?

---

"Rose, I want you to come to Bible study this week."

"I can't talk about anything like that until I get my daughter back?"

"Well, I can understa- OH!"

"What?"

"I just had a cold chill. OH! It happened again."

"I can turn up the heat a little. They came and fixed it... it works now."

Rose started to get up, but a bolt of icy cold shot straight through her body, starting from her chest and emerging from her back.

"AAAH!" Rose screamed and sat back down. "I FELT something!"

Beside her, Beth jerked and hissed as if someone had dumped ice water down her blouse.

"Oh my goodness..."

"What is it, Beth? What's going-"

Rose gasped as an icy *something* settled onto her chest. There was no weight, but a coldness nestled gently between her breasts and then began moving slowly up and down her torso. Rose froze in panic.

"Beth... Beth... there's something touching me, Beth..."

"Get thee behind me, Satan!" shouted Beth. She jumped up and clasped her Bible tight against her own chest. "OurFatherWhoArtInHeavenHallowedBeThyName-"

Suddenly the cold hand was gone from Rose... and it immediately clamped down over Beth's lips.

"AAAGH!"

"Beth, what's happening... Beth?"

"It doesn't want me to PRAY!"

The hand grasped Beth's throat... and then a second one began to play around her waist and back, like a cold lover stroking her skin. Then it took a sudden detour down between her legs and up her back
"AAAAIIIIIIGH!!!!!"

Beth turned and ran for the door so fast that she almost didn't have time to stop and open it. She was out of the apartment and down the stairs faster than anything either woman had ever seen

"WAIT!" shouted Rose. "BETH!"

She heard Beth's car door slam. The engine revved, tires screeched, and Beth pulled out of the lot.

Scared for her life, Rose shivered on the sofa in a fetal position...legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. She was too frightened to run, even though Beth had left the door wide open when she left. She was alone. Beth had left her.

Rose frantically tried to remember a prayer... ANY prayer, but she was so terrified that she couldn't remember a single word...

"Oh please... oh please go away.... leave me alone.... please..."

Little did she know that Frank Waid had already left the building.

[To Be Continued]