Chapter 15 - Breaking the Hold
The creature let out a final, desperate roar, summoning a wall of thick black smoke to block the door. Arthur knew they could not outrun this barrier. He reached into his bag and pulled out the thick bundle of dried sage and a lighter. He flicked the lighter, ignoring his shaking hands, and set the sage ablaze. Thick, fragrant white smoke billowed into the air, clashing violently with the creature's black fog. The holy smoke created a small, glowing tunnel straight toward the doorway. Arthur and Mason plunged through the cleansing smoke, coughing as the opposing forces battled around them. The monster shrieked in agony as the sage burned away its shadowy form. They reached the threshold, feeling the solid wooden floorboards of the real house beneath their feet. They stumbled out into the hallway, collapsing onto the carpet in a heap of exhaustion. The portal behind them was still swirling, threatening to pull them back in.
