The Sacrifice

By Anthony M. Corelli

A young couple has just moved into a rental property in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. They are expecting a child, and this house is supposed to be the beginning of something special. Unfortunately, it does not take long to realize that something is not quite right. The first night in this new home introduces them to a terror that shakes them to the core. Young Gio and Bridgette call a priest to come and bless the house only to find the priest cannot help them with this nightmare.

Pastor Anthony Corelli is an exorcist who is recovering from a case that almost cost him his life. Still filled with the grief of losing a team member, Pastor Corelli is with family and friends celebrating the adoption of their new daughter. Unexpectedly, the phone rings. It is Bridgette Wilson. The desperation in her voice leaves no doubt that she is struggling with a demonic infestation. Pastor Corelli and his team decide to head out right away.

By the time Anthony and his team arrive at the home of Gio and Bridgette, they are greeted by the Aurora Police Department. It turns out that a horrible homicide has been committed, and the suspect just happens to live next door. Soon Anthony and his team find themselves face-to-face with a detective who is not very accepting of an exorcist clouding up his investigation.

A demonic entity, a series of homicides, a murderer on the loose, and a plethora of secrets all stand in the way of Anthony’s goal of helping this family. Just when Anthony thinks he has this case figured out, a new twist sets him right back at the beginning. He quickly realizes that this is no ordinary demon. This is an ancient evil that has been tormenting the human race for centuries. His only hope is to rely on God.

If you thought The Struggle was full of twists and turns, The Sacrifice will have you on the edge of your seat. The Sacrifice will have you continuously second-guessing your theories. The ending will not only rattle you to your core; it will force you to reconsider your theology on the demonic.

When the dust settles, many casualties will have taken their toll. Skeptical detectives will have no other choice but to realize that demons are real, and they are capable of mass destruction. In spite of the many losses, Jesus comes through in a miraculous way, demonstrating his love for his children. Anthony and his team will be humbled but strengthened as they continue to help those living in The Struggle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638855408

Book preview

Chapter 1

Welcome Home

It was a beautiful winter day in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. In typical Colorado fashion, it had snowed about eight inches two days prior. Now, it was a mild sixty degrees. In other words, it was a perfect day to move into a new house. Well, it was not necessarily a new house, but it was new to them. This rental home was the first home for this couple that was starting their lives together. All in all, it was a good day.

Giovanni Dotavi and his girlfriend Bridgette Wilson were excited to finally move in together. They had been dating for approximately five months and had recently found out that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was unexpected, and there had been some difficult discussions about keeping the baby. Giovanni was a Christian, not a good one, but a Christian, nonetheless. His faith did not allow him to consider an abortion. He was already carrying the guilt of having sex out of wedlock. In his thinking, two wrongs didn’t make a right.

Bridgette, on the other hand, was not opposed to it. She already had a son and had not planned on having other children. The initial conversations were turbulent, but they decided they would make a go at the relationship. This would include raising a new child together. Bridgette’s son Billy was also excited to have a father figure and a new sibling. This was the family that he had always wanted.

Giovanni Dotavi was a twenty-three-year-old man who worked as a mechanic. He was a hard worker but was still very immature. He was the type of man that always had a girlfriend. In other words, he hated to be alone. His codependence was evident to everybody but Gio. He had fallen for Bridgette after a brief period of being alone. He loved that fact that she was older and had her stuff together. He admired that she was raising a child on her own.

Bridgette Wilson was a thirty-year-old divorcee with a very dominant personality. She was the type of woman that got what she wanted. When she had met Gio at work, she knew that she had to have him. She was a hard worker and did her best to keep a roof over the head of her son. She was also coming off a very turbulent relationship and had taken some time off from dating. She had some flings, but nothing serious. She and Gio seemed to have a lot in common and had a very intense relationship brewing. She was happy to be starting her life over with this younger man.

Billy Wilson was thirteen years old. He was a good kid who loved life. He was excited to have Gio as a father figure although there was only a ten-year age difference. In a lot of ways, it made them closer. He was good in school and had a goal to one day work at his uncle’s mechanic shop; the same shop where Gio and Bridgette worked.

Gio and Bridgette made up their mind to find a nice neighborhood for Billy to have an excellent school to attend. Since they were combining incomes, they could afford a bigger house in a nice neighborhood to raise their children. They sought to find a rental property that could sustain them for a few years while they saved up for a down payment on their own home. Their three-year plan included a new home and a wedding.

Gio was internally struggling with living with a woman out of wedlock. He was not the best Christian in the world, but he was trying to get his faith back on track. His plan to find a good Christian woman who was willing to wait to have sex until marriage was squashed by his lust for Bridgette. He was not blaming anyone for what he considered a sin. He was fully responsible for his behavior. He just had some hidden shame that he did his best to keep from Bridgette. He didn’t want her to feel bad for something he considered his fault.

Bridgette, on the other hand, was raised in a Catholic home. She was the type of Catholic who attended church on Christmas and Easter. That was enough for her. She did not attend church with Gio although she did not deter him from going. She saw it as a good thing that her new boyfriend believed in God, even if he went to one of those weird churches. Gio hoped that one day she would attend with him. He trusted that over time, he could show her the benefits of going to church. For now, they were simply happy to be together.

The search for a rental home had been difficult. Their budget would not allow them to live in the area that they wanted. They had looked at several properties in their price range, but none of them seemed to fit. It was important for them to live in a neighborhood with a great school district. Gio had finally decided to look for a second job for them to afford the higher rent.

Gio had gone to his boss, Randy Wilson, to let him know that he would be looking for a second job. Randy Wilson was Bridgette’s brother, and he was accepting of Gio in their family. He had actually sat Gio down and asked him if he were sure that he could handle Bridgette. In most instances, the brother of your girlfriend is concerned for his sister. In this instance, he was concerned for his sister’s boyfriend. They had always laughed at the Wilson family dynamic.

Randy asked Gio to explain the reason for the second job. Gio explained that in order to afford a home in a better part of Aurora that had the school they wanted for Billy, they needed more money. Randy stated that he may have a solution. In a very generous gesture, he gave Gio a raise. It was not enough to afford the home they needed, but it was close. The second part of the solution seemed like a godsend. Randy stated that the house that he and his wife Sandy were living in was about to come available. They had been looking for a bigger home themselves. Randy suggested that they move into the house that he and Sandy were currently living in.

Gio, of course, asked about the rent. He was shocked at the low cost of the rent in the exact neighborhood they were looking in. It seemed too good to be true. Before he could even think, Randy was on the phone with the landlord. The landlord lived in California and did not return to Colorado often. The thought of having a seamless rental exchange suited the landlord. In the matter of a few minutes, the deal was set. At the end of the month, Randy and Sandy would be moving out. Gio, Bridgette, and Billy would be moving in.

Gio went down the hall and asked Bridgett if she was ready to move into their new house. She was ecstatic to find out that it was her brother’s old house. She had spent a lot of time there and knew the house was perfect. It was not the biggest house in the world, but it was nice. It was perfect for a new family starting their lives together. Within the matter of about ten minutes, a lease had come through e-mail. Gio and Bridgette signed it and were ready to e-mail it back.

Bridgette turned to her brother and asked, Why are you guys moving out? You don’t need more room. That house is perfect for you, guys. What aren’t you telling us? Randy’s face sunk as he was obviously avoiding the question.

He said, Well, the first reason is Sandy just doesn’t like the house. You know she always get what she wants. The second reason is that Sandy is also pregnant. We want to move to a different part of town.

Bridgette was elated. She hugged her brother as she jumped up and down. She loved the thought of having a niece or a nephew. She congratulated him and then told him to pass on her congratulations to Sandy. Gio also congratulated Randy, and they all agreed to go out and celebrate as soon as their schedules allowed. Gio walked over to the scanner, scanned the document, and hit send. As he watched the e-mail go through, he had a thought, Why doesn’t Sandy like the house? The excitement of the day allowed him to avoid asking the question, but in the back of his mind, he knew something was not right.

*****

Moving day was chaotic. The early morning involved helping Randy and Sandy load their moving truck. This took until about noon. The second part of the day involved cleaning the house. Mysteriously, Randy and Sandy had to get on to unload at their new home, leaving Gio and his pregnant girlfriend to clean up the mess. Luckily, a few of Gio’s family members and friends came to help. The cleanup took about an hour with everyone contributing. After devouring several pizzas, the crew was back to work. As dusk began to settle, the final boxes were unloaded.

Gio and his friend Carlo Pingatore were caravanning to the rental shop to return the moving truck. Gio stopped to get gas as Carlo pulled up to the other side of the pumps. Carlo and Gio had been friends for a long time. They had met during their freshman year in high school and had been inseparable ever since. With names like Giovanni Dotavi and Carlo Pingatore, they were destined to meet. They were the only Italian kids in the school, so it was inevitable. They both loved the Aurora area and had stayed close.

Carlo commented on Gio moving up to a nicer part of Aurora as if they were moving to the other side of the planet. Gio said, Are you serious? It is like a fifteen-minute drive. The two laughed knowing that they would still have their Friday night poker games. The boys would have no problem driving to the new house on Nucla Way. They began to discuss how great it was going to be since the new house had more room. Gio informed him that he had not yet run the idea by Bridgette, but he didn’t see a problem.

Carlo said, You better check with her first before you get too far ahead of yourself. She can probably take both of us out if we are not careful. This was both funny and true.

Carlo’s mood became serious as the truck continued to fill up. You are going to think I am nuts Paisan, but that house is creepy.

What do you mean?

I don’t know, man. I just get a weird vibe in that place. When I was using the bathroom upstairs, I felt like someone was in there with me. I even looked behind the shower curtain just to make sure there was no one in there.

Gio would normally make a joke about something like this, but he saw the sincerity in Carlo’s eyes. Well, I will pray over the house tonight, and we will see what happens.

I can see if my priest can come and do a blessing over the house. I know you are not Catholic, but what would it hurt? Gio did not argue. He figured that Bridgette would be happy about that. He asked Carlo to check and see if the priest could come by soon.

After dropping off the truck, the two friends talked about the future and the fact that Carlo was going to be an uncle, sort of. Gio said, Don’t worry. I will make sure that the kid calls you uncle. Your job is to act like an uncle. Don’t be one of those douche bag uncles. You need to be the best uncle ever.

Carlo adamantly agreed. Carlo pulled his car in the driveway, and they both got out to check on the progress. Carlo stopped on the sidewalk and said, Yeah, this house gives me the creeps.

When they got inside, most of the helpers had left. Gio’s sister, Maria, was the only one who had stayed back and was helping to get the beds made for the family to have a place to sleep. Maria had agreed to stay in the nursery to help get the kitchen set up in the morning before heading back to Greeley. Gio and Bridgette were grateful for the help. They had all worked their tails off and were tired. They agreed to get some fast food, take a shower, and relax. They had the beds made and the television set up. That was enough work for one day.

The five of them sat around the dining room table and ate way too many cheeseburgers and fries. It was a reward for all the arduous work. Billy suggested that they go down to the family room and watch a movie. The group wavered between being too tired and the thought of enjoying a little relaxation. They agreed, joking that most of them would be asleep before the movie ended. Billy suggested that they watch the latest horror movie that had just been released for home viewing.

Soon the group was all lounging on the enormous sectional couch that took up most of the family room. Gio was excited to have such a big family room to watch movies and sports. This house was perfect for them at this stage of their lives. It was just the right size for a family of four. The layout was perfect.

On the main level, there was a living room and a kitchen with a small dining area. Entering through the front door put you right in the living room. Continuing to the back of the main level led you to the kitchen and dining area. At the back of the main level, in the dining area was a sliding glass door that led to a small deck. When walking in the front door, immediately to the right was the exit to the garage. Just past the garage door on the right were two sets of staircases, one down and one up. The staircase leading down was only four steps and led to the large family room area. After coming down the stairs, a turn to the left would lead you to two doors. Left would lead to an unfinished basement where the washer and dryer were housed. Straight was an enormous master suite.

Upstairs from the living room led to a long hallway. Turning left down the hallway was the nursery. Directly at the top of the stairs was a large bathroom. To the right was Billy’s bedroom. The only downside to this house was that there was no bathroom on the main level. Guests would have to go upstairs to use the bathroom.

The group all settled in as the movie began, and someone decided to turn all the lights off to intensify the horror movie experience. They all laughed at the thought of having the lights off. This would undoubtedly prompt some serious sleeping. The group managed to make it about a half hour due to some pretty scary parts of the movie. Soon, only Carlo and Billy remained awake. The movie was entertaining, but Gio, Bridgette, and Maria were simply too tired to make it to the end.

As Gio slept, he felt a nudge on his left leg. He was too tired to make sense of it, so he ignored it. A second nudge was a little harder. He opened his eyes for a second but did not realize where he was. A quick glance around the room reminded him that he was in the new house. Then a third nudge caused him to turn to his left. In the light of the television, he could see that Billy’s eyes were the size of saucers. He assumed that the movie was scaring the young man.

Billy whispered, Gio, there is someone standing at the top of the stairs.

Gio was still half asleep, so it took him a couple of seconds to make sense of the statement. He looked on the sectional and saw five bodies. That meant that no one else should be upstairs. Gio looked at the top of the stairs, and there it was. It was a human figure that looked completely black. He was unsure if his eyes were just seeing a shadow or if it was an actual person. He was trying to process. Sometimes a new house comes with new shadows and noises that will scare a new tenant. Was this one of those, or was this something to be concerned about?

As he tried to make sense of it, he saw the shadow move slightly to the left. Now his adrenaline spiked. There was someone standing at the top of the stairs. He shouted, How did you get in here? What do you want? This shout immediately woke up the rest of the group.

Carlo, who was dozing, was the closet to the stairs. He looked up and saw the figure staring down at them.

By this time, Gio was up on his feet. He shouted again, Who are you? What are you doing in my house? There was no answer, so he went into fight mode. He was going to protect his family at all costs. As he starting taking steps toward the staircase, the figure moved toward the front door. Gio made it up the small flight of stairs in about two steps. By the time he made it to the front door, there was no one there.

Carlo was right behind him as they looked out the door to see if they could see anyone running. They even walked out into the driveway and looked up and down the block. They went back in the house, which was lit up by Bridgette who was turning on as many lights as possible. As they walked back in, Gio saw the garage door to his right. He motioned for Carlo to be ready. He would open the door and see if the intruder were hiding in there. He opened the door and turned on the light. There was a mess of boxes everywhere. They surveyed the garage, but no one was there. Even the door that led to the backyard was blocked by boxes. No one could have escaped via that route.

They walked back into the house and searched every nook and cranny. They looked under the beds and in the closets. There was nobody there. Everybody’s heart was racing as they all settled back into the family room. They needed to debrief. Something crazy had just happened and there had to be an explanation. They simply needed to talk it out and see what they heck had just transpired.

*****

Gio asked, Does anybody remember if we locked the front door? Carlo stated that he was ninety percent sure that he did when he went out to his car to get his cell phone charger. No one remembered going outside after Carlo came back in. Because Carlo could not be one-hundred percent sure that he locked it, they all assumed that a stranger had simply wandered into the house. Everyone accepted the theory, with the exception of Maria.

Maria stated, That was not a person. The figure was all black. There were no human features like a face or hands. The group argued with her. She said, Why don’t we do an experiment. Billy, you go stand at the top of the stairs and we will shut off the lights. Then we will see if what I am saying is true. The group all agreed, assuming that the results would be the same. Billy turned off all the lights upstairs and the group all took their places on the sectional sofa.

When Gio turned out the lights and sat back down, it was apparent that Maria’s theory was more than likely correct. All four of them could clearly see that it was a person standing at the top of the stairs. Gio said, Honestly, I can not only see that it is a person. I can see that it is Billy. Bridgette immediately turned on the light switch and the group sat in silence.

Finally, Carlo said, It could have been a dude that was dressed in black clothes and wearing a mask on purpose. Maybe he was going to rob the place and we stopped him? The group agreed with the theory. Of course, it was possible, but it seemed like the alternative was too much to handle.

Other theories were discussed, including entry through the back-sliding glass door. The group was on edge, but it was getting late, and sleep was necessary, considering how much needed to be done the next day. They made sure the house was secured. Carlo agreed to sleep on the sofa, and Maria went up to the guest bedroom. Billy retired to his bed as well. Gio and Bridgette went into the master bedroom and shut the door behind them.

Bridgette asked, Do you think we will be okay here?

Gio was not sure, but he wanted her to feel safe in their new home. I think so. We just have to make sure that we lock all the doors. I am sure that if it was a burglar, we scared him away.

What if it was a ghost?

Well, then, that is easier to deal with. Carlo said that he will have his priest come over and bless the house.

Bridgette seemed happy with that. She continued brushing her teeth. Then it hit her. The question that Gio should have considered before he opened his big mouth. She asked, Why would you and Carlo be talking about blessing the new house? Is there something you are not telling me?

Now he was stuck. He did not believe in lying to anybody, but the answer was going to make it worse. He erred on the side of truth and said, Carlo said the house creeped him out, so he thought it would be a good idea. I think it is a good idea too. You never know what went on in a house before we got here, even though it was your brother. I say we do it.

She nodded her agreement, and they switched places at the sink. After brushing his teeth, they both climbed into bed. He held her close to him knowing that she was scared. Gio thought about her son and his sister upstairs. Would they be safe? He was unsure what he was dealing with. If he was honest, he knew perfectly well that what was on the top of the stairs was not a person. He was sure that most everyone else in the house thought the same thing. It is easier to live in denial about such things. That is what they were choosing to do.

*****

At approximately fifteen past three, the entire house was woken up by a blood-curdling scream. It was the kind of scream that will make a person go from asleep to on their feet in the matter of seconds. Gio jumped up and began to run up the stairs. He knew his sister well, and he had never known her to scream like that. He knew something was very wrong. He made it up the stairs in a matter of seconds. Billy was standing in his doorway, and Carlo was right behind him on the stairs.

He went into the nursery and found his sister curled up on the bed pointing toward the rocking chair that was on the opposite side of the room. She could not speak. She could only point. Gio was unsure what he was supposed to be seeing, but he could not see it. He was unsure what to do. He went over and sat on the edge of the bed. By this time, everyone in the house had made their way to the room.

This room was large and was only partially set up. It was easy to see that the room served two purposes. As you walked into the room, you could see a gliding rocking chair directly in front of you with a gliding footrest in front of it. It was the type of rocker that a mother would use when nursing an infant. Directly behind the rocker was a crib. There was a window on the far wall, and below that window was a changing table.

Directly to the right of that on the adjacent wall was a dresser that had five drawers and two doors. Also, on that wall, closer to the door, was a daybed where Maria was curled up in a ball, obviously terrified. There was a closet immediately to the right when you walked in the door that had sliding mirrored doors. On the floor were boxes that had not yet been unpacked. There was not enough clutter to hide whatever Maria was pointing at. Whatever had scared her was gone.

Gio sat next to his sister until she was able to calm down. Everyone in the room stood in anticipation, but they all knew not to