"Are you still thinking about going to poke around in that creepy old house today ?", Jesse yawned , slumping in his chair as they all picked at breakfast .

       " After last night , I think we have to ." , Diana said . "Apparently , this thing followed you guys from there , so there may be some sort of clue there ."

       "And Chief Potter said that the guy her uncle suspected for those other murders lived there , remember ?" , Faith reminded everyone . "Everything ties back to the house ."

       "Good point !" , Ashley chimed in . "I'll be honest with you , I'm not exactly looking forward to it , but I'd sure as hell rather go rummage around that old ruin than have a repeat of last night ."

       "No shit !" , CC interjected . "If I'm gonna be kept awake most of the night , dodging demons and being interrogated by the cops aren't at the top of my list of preferred reasons !"

      Everyone nodded , silently agreeing with the drummer . Chief Potter , along with several of her officers , had arrived just as the EMT's had finished loading Randy Morris into the ambulance . She had sent two of them back to town with the dog , instructing them to drop her off at the vet's , and then go to the hospital and question Randy at the earliest opportunity . 

       She then followed everyone into the house , along with a patrol officer , who went upstairs to snap pictures of the boarded - up window , while she stayed downstairs to question the group . They recounted the strange incident in the bedroom , and hearing Randy screaming outside , including the odd things that he and Diana had witnessed , because Faith was still unwilling to divulge what had disturbed her so badly . By the time Chief Potter left the house , it had been nearly three AM , so no one had gotten much sleep , and they were all feeling the effects .

      At that moment , Crane and Jenny walked in from outside , carrying a book and several containers .

       "Hopefully we've fixed it where that thing can't get in here again ." , Jenny said , grabbing a pair of coffee mugs from the cabinet and filling them from the freshly brewed pot on the counter , as Crane carefully sat everything down .

       "Indeed . Miss Jenny and I have marked protective runes on every possible point of egress to this dwelling , and performed incantations to reinforce them ." , Crane informed them . "It will be difficult , if not impossible , for our unwelcome visitor to gain entry again , at least not without causing itself considerable pain . Thank you , Miss Jenny ." , he said , as she handed him the coffee she'd poured for him .

       "I know that's one of those jars of holy water you were flashing around last night , but what's in the other container ?" , Jake Pitts asked him .

      "After we finished placing the runes , Miss Jenny and I walked out to the road to inspect the truck , and the surrounding area , and we found a substance that appears similar in nature to that which was on Miss Faith's sleepwear ." , Crane responded . "I felt it prudent to collect a sample for later analysis ."

       "Well , the dog bit it , that would probably at least sting a bit ." , Alex said .

       "And with that flash that Jenny and I saw when it touched Faith's necklace , I'm willing to bet that it was hurt before the dog came anywhere near it ." , Diana added .

       "It sure as hell sounded that way !" , Jinxx said . "We heard it all the way downstairs , with the door shut ."

       After Jenny and Crane had eaten some breakfast , everyone put on their coats and boots and left the house . Jenny grabbed the rope and grappling hook from the SUV , then everyone started for the abandoned house , with Joe , Alex , and Jake Pitts all recording as they went . They followed the route that Faith and the guys had taken when they found the body , to see if anything had been overlooked , but they found nothing new .

       As they approached the decrepit building , Crane motioned for everyone to stop , and said , "When we enter , no one is to go off alone . Make sure at least one other person is near you at all times , we have no way of knowing if the creature is continuing to use this as a refuge ."

       Jake Pitts and Yanni volunteered to accompany Jenny in her attempt to access the upper floor , as they both had some experience with rappelling and rock - climbing . As they walked around the side of the house , the others went inside . 

       As they made their way through the living room into the dining room , where the seance had been held, Ashley nudged Faith and said , "Look at that thing . It's even uglier up close than it was through the window ."

       Jake Wells glanced up to see what Ashley was referring to , and his eyes immediately went wide . "Crane ! Check that out , man !" , he exclaimed . "Am I crazy , or does that look like a gateway mirror ?"

       "Excellent observation , Master Wells !" , Crane said , as he moved to examine the object . "You have obviously been spending some more time perusing the contents of the vault . Your mental faculties are not in question ."

       Everyone circled around to inspect the large mirror , wondering what the two were talking about . The item was relatively large , roughly three feet square , with a mottled , discolored glass , and grotesque figures crudely carved into the wooden frame , which had practically petrified with age . 

      "Looks pretty old ." , Andy observed .

      "Indeed it is , Master Andy ." , Crane replied . "Observe the carvings along the bottom of the frame . This is Sumerian cuneiform , which dates this item as being no less than four thousand years old ."

       "What the fuck ?" , Andy , Ashley , CC , and Joe blurted out simultaneously .

       "What does that mean , exactly ?", Jinxx questioned . " Do you mean it's some sort of actual gateway to hell or something ?"

       "To hell , or whatever dimension these things come from ." , Jake Wells told him . "This type of mirror was enchanted to allow certain beings to access our physical world , and sometimes to be able to retreat back to their own realm , if they feel threatened , or something like that ."

       "Quite so !" , Crane said . "It provides the denizens of the lower planes with a means of perpetrating discord upon us . If we can translate the writings here on the frame , then mayhap we can determine the actual nature of our 'friend' ."

       Jon , who had been walking around the room peering into drawers and around the furniture , suddenly said , "Hey , guys , I might have found something we can use ."

       Everyone turned towards him , and saw him bring his hand from behind the sideboard , covered in years of dust and grime , clutching a book . He flipped it open , scanned it briefly , and said , "It looks like somebody's journal , or something like that . And it's pretty obvious that they didn't want anyone to see it , since it was hidden in the back of this thing ."

       He passed it to Diana , who was standing closest to him . She opened the front cover and scanned the first page , saying , "According to this , it belonged to somebody named Gregory Thomas Horton ." She flipped to the back of the book , then back several pages . "First entry is dated March 16th , 1977 , and the last is September 8th , 1979 . And listen to the last one ."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  "He's starting to ask questions , wanting to know where we go at night . I tell Aksu that we can't harm him without giving ourselves away , but I don't know how much longer it will work . I'm losing more and more time , and I'm starting to think that Aksu is trying to go back on our agreement to share my body and wants to take over completely ."

          "I think I may have made a really bad choice . It seemed like such a good idea when we talked about it ; I get the chance to get even with the assholes who've made my life miserable , and Aksu gets to experience things through me , but now I don't think that was the real intent , after all . Billy and Homer had it coming , but there was no reason for what we did to old Mrs . Gruber , or Judy Everett . And now I have to watch myself around Gramps , and he's the only one who ever gave a damn about me since my folks died ."

        "I have to go now , he just came home , and I don't want him to see this . Or me . If he does , he'll know , and I don't think I'll be able to stop Aksu if Gramps actually sees him ."

       "Aksu . The Sumerian word for fear , according to what the books say ." , Jake Wells observed .

       "That seems to fit with everything that's been going on ." , Alex responded . "Diana saw Molly injured , Faith saw ... whatever she saw , and what do you bet that it turns out that trucker has some sort of phobia about bugs ?"

       "A demon who uses our deepest fears against us ." , Crane pondered . "Difficult to counter , and incredibly dangerous , when it can use our own minds to incapacitate us ."

       "What if that's not the only reason ?" , CC blurted out .

       Everyone looked at him curiously , and Crane said , "Please elaborate , Master CC . What makes you say that ?"

       "Well , the chief said the other day that all of the bodies were missing the adrenal glands ." , he continued . "People manufacture adrenaline when they're scared or excited . What if that's what it wants ?"

       Cranes' eyes widened as CC spoke . "That is an absolutely brilliant thought , Master CC ! It makes perfect sense , given the nature of the creatures actions . Granted , we cannot abandon other possibilities , but I think that this does warrant further research ."

       "So , basically what you're saying is that this thing may be the ultimate adrenaline junkie , am I right ?" Jinxx inquired .

       "Yeah , I think that pretty much covers it , dude !" , Jake Wells replied .

      "Maybe we should go find an army - surplus store and get some flak jackets or something ." , Andy muttered .

       "Crane ! We found something !" , Jenny called from the top of the stairs .

       "What is it ?" , he called back .

       "JP found a diary , apparently it belonged to the old man that Chief Potter said they found dead here , Elias Horton . Maybe there's something in here that will give us a lead !"

       "Excellent ! We've had some degree of success as well , so perhaps we should make our way back to the house , where we can discuss our theories , and look over these writings in a bit more detail ."  

      "We'll meet you outside !" , Jenny replied . 

      As everyone else was preparing to leave , Crane stripped the filthy cloth from the table and began draping it over the mirror . He noticed the others watching him , and said , "I do not wish to take chances with this item . Since there haven't been any other reports of unusual activity , it's likely that this was the only creature attached to it , but there is no need to take unnecessary risks ."

       When he finished , everyone exited the building , meeting up with Jenny , Jake Pitts , and Yanni in the yard . As they made their way back , Diana took out her phone and dialed a number . She spoke briefly , then ended the call .

       "Checking in with Molly ?" , Alex queried .

      "No ,I did that earlier ." , she replied . "I was talking to Chief Potter . I asked her to come over , so she can keep up on what's happening . I also asked if it would be possible to speak to her uncle at some point , to get his perspective on things .

      " What did she say to that ?" , Jenny asked .

      "She's going to go by and pick him up on her way over ." ,Diana replied .

      "Marvelous ! Perhaps he can provide some information on the contents of the journal entry you read earlier , Agent Thomas ." , Crane said . "Since he was present for the original spate of crimes , he could very well have some valuable insights ."

     As they reached the road in front of the house , everyone looked at the truck , still sitting where Randy had left it the previous night .

       "Do you think this means we have to unload everything ourselves ?" , CC inquired .

      "Well if it does , it can wait 'til tomorrow !" , Andy stated . "I don't know about the rest of you , but I don't think there's enough coffee in this town to motivate me to do it today !"

       "And not enough money in the fuckin' universe to get me to do it after dark ." , Ashley replied , to which everyone else nodded in silent agreement as they filed into the house to prepare for their visitors .