《Demon》


 Chapter 1

    The sharp cold cut at his face like razor blades as he ran through the streets. There was no moon to light up the darkness around him, and the streetlights in this part of town were broken. He would have been a strange sight if there was anyone around to see him, but the area was desolate.


    He could feel it. He could smell it. He could taste its putrid flavour in the air. There was a monster near. Then a scream echoed in the distance, and he closed in like a moth to a flame.


    He slowed down as the sight in front of him confirmed that there was no one to be saved. The body on the floor being ravaged by the monster on top of it couldn¡¯t scream anymore. But while no one could be saved, something could be destroyed.


    He picked up a grate from the gutter and threw it at the monster. It went through it, as if the creature didn¡¯t exist, and loudly clanged against the floor. It served its purpose. The almost human-like thing stood from its dinner and turned towards him.


    Human-like. No clothes covered it, but it didn¡¯t have any sexual organs to cover. That was one of the many things that differentiated it from a human. It lacked any facial features other than an unnaturally large mouth filled with needle-like teeth, running all the way down its neck as it opened it to reveal its wet tongue that tasted the air around it, throwing specks of blood around.


    He didn¡¯t know how it could sense him without eyes, but it ran towards him, bringing his attention to its last defining feature: Claws. Deadly claws. Where a human would have fingertips and nails, this thing¡¯s fingers and toes curved into sharp points that looked like they could playfully rip people apart.


    He stood there, mouth open, drawing in deep breaths, eyes wide against the wind, as the monster ran towards him. He could feel the vomit rising in his stomach, but the adrenaline rushing through him kept It down. The smell of human blood reached his nose, shocking him like a sudden wake from a nightmare. For a split second he felt like he was falling, and the thought that he might pass out ran through his mind, but he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, readying himself.


    The thought crossed his mind that if the creature had eyes then he would be able to see manic hunger clear within them. He tackled it to the ground by crouching low and grabbing its legs. Unlike the grate, he didn¡¯t go through it. He felt sharp pains as the creature¡¯s claws cut him as it flailed wildly, but he could ignore the pain as rage filled his mind and clouded his vision. He had one last brief thought that he wasn¡¯t much better than this creature: Just following his own destructive instincts. Then he was in the fight for his life.


    It tried to bite at him but he used his arm to keep its head down and mouth mostly shut as he punched it. It tried to grab him with its claws but it wasn¡¯t a smart creature. He managed to wedge it¡¯s arms down with one arm. Then its disgusting mouth pushed its way open and the tongue lashed out, wrapping itself around his neck. He¡¯d had no idea the tongue could be this powerful as it started to crush his only source of air. He panicked, but the fear and desperation led him to what might¡¯ve been the most effective course of action. He grabbed the tongue with both hands and jumped to his feet then stamped down on the creature¡¯s face. Its sharp teeth pierced his shoe and foot, but he didn¡¯t care. He pulled the tongue as hard as he could, and he could feel it as it started to rip from the monster¡¯s throat.


    As his vision started to cloud, his determination won through. With a sickening sound, the tongue came free and the monster convulsed on the ground. He unwrapped the tongue from his neck, then punched the monster in its open wound until it stopped spasming. He had to be sure before he could calm down.


    He surveyed the scene before him: Two bodies and a lot of blood. Truly a nightmare. As the adrenaline left him, he felt unconsciousness and nausea greedily gripping at him, fighting each other to pull him into their caress.


    *


    It was Edward¡¯s first day of college. He¡¯d recently moved to Crowlford, because of his father¡¯s job, which involved moving around a lot. And he had enrolled into the nearest college. However, he didn¡¯t go.


    Was last night a dream?


    His memories of last night were surreal, and horrific. He was too scared to leave the house. Instead, without even brushing his teeth, he made his way out of his bedroom, past the empty room that would be his father¡¯s when he eventually got there, and went to the living room, with his laptop, and turned on the TV to check the news. He turned his laptop on as well to see if he could find anything online, but there was no mention of what had happened the night before. Had it even happened? He hoped not. He hoped it was just a nightmare. It didn¡¯t seem possible for it to be real.


    The hours went by without any new stories relating to what he remembered happening. There had definitely been a body. Someone died. The college opening hours came and went. Perhaps it had just been a dream. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. He thought about going to the place it had happened to see if there was any sign of it being real, but he realised he didn¡¯t even know where it had happened. He looked at maps of the town online but nothing seemed familiar. The day came to a close, and he realised he hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day; but he had no appetite. Tiredness came to him, but he didn¡¯t want to have another nightmare.


    *


    It was night, and Edward had somehow ended up missing the entire first week of college. Paranoia had him firmly in its grasp. He had convinced himself that a news article could pop up late. The ¡°nightmare¡± had felt too real.


    That night felt different. There was something in the air. Confused, Edward looked around his apartment for anything out of the ordinary, but there was nothing. It was as if there was a smell that he couldn¡¯t place. Edward worked up the courage to leave the house to follow it. He had his phone, so he could follow the map of the town and would be able to find his way back. However, as he got further and further from his house he found that he was paying less and less attention to the map. He put the phone away.


    Whatever it was that was drawing him to it felt stronger and stronger until he turned a corner and saw an unexpected sight.


    Confirmation.


    He could see the monsters from his nightmare.


    It was dark and they were in the distance down the road, but he was sure they were what he¡¯d seen before.


    He froze. A cold sweat enveloped him. They looked¡­. Unnatural. Something unknown. Something impossible. Something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. Seeing them felt wrong. Their clawed fingers, their hairless body, their lack of facial features.


    This time, however, was different. They weren¡¯t alone. There were also dark figures with them and they looked to be¡­. Fighting? Edward carefully and quietly crept closer, until he could see that the dark figures looked like people; people fully clad in black clothes and masks. He heard the sound of laughter and turned to see a group of people crossing the road from the corner he¡¯d come from. They glanced in his direction and then carried on, as If they couldn¡¯t see the monsters and the people fighting in the middle of the road.


    One of the monsters set its sights on him and started walking his way. He instinctively took a step back. Memories of that night came back to him. That night he had killed one of these things. But right now he didn¡¯t feel that instinctive desire to rip this creature apart. He just felt fear.


    ¡°Civilian!¡± one of the people shouted, and the nearest person to Edward looked his way, looked at the monster, and sprinted towards it. As it prowled towards him like an eyeless monstrosity eyeing up its prey, the person closed in on it with what Edward could just about make out to be black knives, one in each hand. As Edward watched the person sliced at its legs, causing it to fall to the ground. The person then expertly dove down on top of it, stabbing it with their knives. Edward continued to back away as the display unfolded in front of him, like a professional killer taking down their target.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The creature stopped moving and the person looked in Edward¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Can you see me?¡± the sound of a woman¡¯s voice asked.


    Who the hell are they? Edward thought erratically. I¡¯m sure the people crossing the road couldn¡¯t see them, just like the monsters. And¡­. They might be even more dangerous.


    Edward decided to turn around and run away. He didn¡¯t hear any footsteps behind him, and as he turned the corner he glanced back to see all of the people clad in black busy with the naked, human-like monsters. He carried on walking, constantly looking between the map on his phone and behind him in case anyone was following him.


    Right, so either I¡¯ve gone insane and I¡¯m seeing weird scary creatures out of some horror story and people who fight them, or they¡¯re real and for some reason no one else can see them.


    Neither possibility seemed good.


    *


    It was a typical day at Crowlford College of Technology. Students filtered their way through the front doors, some loitering in the lobby, others heading straight to their classes. A variety of different looking people, from all sorts of different walks of life.


    The students of one particular class noticed a new addition. A blonde girl wearing a leather jacket watched as a guy walked in with short dark hair, wearing a plain black zip-up hoodie and jeans. However, what stood out was the t-shirt.


    As he went to sit by himself, not knowing anybody in the classroom, having missed the first week, the girl got up, much to the chagrin of the boy next to her, and went to join him, surprising him.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Beatrix¡± she beamed at him, making him feel very uncomfortable.


    ¡°Err¡­ Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Edward¡± he replied. The rest of the classroom was abuzz with chatter as everyone waited for the teacher to turn up.


    ¡°That t-shirt looks like some kind of metal band¡± she inquired, staring at it. Edward looked own to see which one he was wearing.


    ¡°Ah yeah. They¡¯re an old Iranian rock band. Popular in the 60s. My dad kind of collects them.¡±


    ¡°Iranian rock?¡± she seemed shocked. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll have to look into it. Hey, do you do any martial arts, or, like, boxing or anything?¡±


    Edward was pretty taken aback by the strange change of topic. Before he could answer, the room went quiet. Someone had walked in, who seemed considerably older than the rest of them. The teacher.


    ¡°That¡¯s Mrs Clark¡± Beatrix whispered to Edward.


    Mrs Clark went to her desk and looked around the room. Her gaze lingered on Edward. She was obviously aware of his late start. However, she didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s begin, shall we?¡± Mrs Clark said, signalling the start of the lesson.


    *


    The next and last class of the day saw Edward entering a room already full except for one seat. He had no choice except to sit down next to a boy with bleached-blonde hair who was already reading a book. Bram Stoker¡¯s Dracula? Pretty fitting for an English Literature class. The boy didn¡¯t acknowledge Edward sitting next to him, which suited him. Perhaps this lesson will be peaceful. Beatrix had bombarded him with questions about music, keen to find out what he listened to. If his new neighbour was the silent type then that worked for him.


    The teacher turned up and started to talk about the structure of basic plot in stories and how every story followed a certain structure. He then told the class to get into pairs and each come up with a basic outline for an introduction to a story. Edward turned to his silent partner.


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡± his partner said. He sounded fairly posh, surprising Edward, and he flashed a charming smile. ¡°My name is Arthur¡± he continued, extending a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m Edward, but feel free to call me Ed for short.¡± Edward replied, shaking Arthur¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Do you mind if I go first? I¡¯ve already got an idea¡± Arthur asked politely.


    ¡°Sure¡± Edward replied.


    ¡°Well, I find for an introduction two things are important. Firstly, the setting of the story needs to be shown, as well as an interesting situation to keep the reader interested. It should display the author¡¯s skill at writing as well as slightly confirm the basic theme of the book, and spawn questions in the reader¡¯s mind that will cause them to keep reading to find answers.¡± He paused, seemingly waiting for Edward¡¯s approval before continuing.


    ¡°That sounds¡­. Right¡± Edward answered, slightly out of his depth.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve got a basic setting in mind for what I think would make an interesting story, although I¡¯m not sure how to make an effective introduction for it. In this story, demons exist. They roam the world hungering for human flesh.¡±


    A chill ran down Edward¡¯s spine. Demons, huh? He thought back to the monsters he¡¯d encountered. Could they be demons? The first one he¡¯d encountered had been eating a person¡­.


    ¡°But demons are pretty overdone¡­ So I was thinking, my setting would be in this time. Maybe even this town. Only certain people can see demons¡­..¡±


    Only certain people? A memory of the night before entered his mind. The couple crossing the road, looking down the road where the monsters had been, and walking on as if they couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Can you see me?¡± The woman in black had asked.


    ¡°If people believe in demons then they can see them, otherwise they can¡¯t. However, once a person does believe in them, the demons will hunt that person down until they kill and eat them¡­.¡±


    Does he know? What I¡¯ve seen? Has he seen them too? Are they real? Edward was suspicious now. What Arthur was saying rang too true.


    ¡°What do you think? Seem interesting?¡± Arthur asked.


    It could just be a coincidence¡­ This is English Literature, and he was reading Dracula. An idea like this shouldn¡¯t be that surprising¡­


    ¡°Sounds¡­ interesting. Perhaps a bit¡­ scary?¡± he replied, thinking of what to contribute to the conversation.


    ¡°Well, of course. It would definitely be a horror. I think being able to bring out fear in the reader is a real sign of skill as a writer¡± Arthur said.


    ¡°Well¡­. Where would you go with it? Would it just be a story of demons hunting down and killing people?¡± Edward asked, curious now. Arthur turned thoughtful.


    ¡°Hmm. Well that might work for a horror book. Or maybe a short story. After all, if demons were real, what could normal people possibly do against them? I think it would be fun to explore the helplessness of a person being hunted down by demons, with nothing they can do to fight back.¡± That chill returned to Edwards spine.


    ¡°Well¡­ that if there were people that could fight them?¡± Edward asked. He had seen people fighting them, after all. Them? Was he associating demons with the monsters he¡¯d seen? It¡¯s just a coincidence. He assured himself.


    ¡°How would they fight them? Who was it that said¡­ the only way to fight a monster is to become a monster yourself?¡± he replied, seemingly having an answer for everything. ¡°Wait, no, that¡¯s not the quote. ¡®Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster¡¯. That¡¯s the one. It could be an interesting notion to explore if the story was about people fighting monsters, but that would be more of a fantasy action story than a horror story I¡¯d imagine. I¡¯m not ruling out the idea, but I like horror. Perhaps if my horror story sells well I¡¯d then write a story in the same setting with people who can fight demons. For a horror though, having no way to fight back would be effective I think.¡±


    Maybe I¡¯m not trapped in a horror story, then. Edward thought.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± came an interruption; their teacher. A middle-aged, balding man. ¡°How are your ideas for introductions going?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Whoops.¡± Arthur said, almost charmingly bashful. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten caught up in discussing settings rather than the structure of an introduction.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s great that you seem¡­ motivated, but try to get a basic outline for an introduction done first. We¡¯ll be talking about what makes a good setting eventually, but this lesson we¡¯re looking at introductions.¡± He said.


    And so Arthur and Edward worked on the less interesting subject of structure and dropped the talk of demons for the rest of the lesson.


    After the lesson finished, Edward returned home. He spent the rest of the day looking up theories on demons and monsters online to see if anything rang true with what he¡¯d experienced, or even what Arthur had talked about.


    The now-familiar feeling returned. Something was pulling him outside, somewhere where he knew monsters would be. Monsters that only he could see. People that only he could see. That night, however, he ignored the feeling. It did, eventually, disappear.

 Chapter 2

    Edward found himself waiting outside of an unfamiliar building. It was almost 6 p.m. College had ended an hour before, and the sun was slowly setting. With him was Beatrix, who had forcefully become friends with him, then dragged him here. She¡¯d also brought someone named Tom, who was in their Social Studies class. Edward had also convinced Arthur from his English Literature class to join. There were several strangers waiting with them, waiting for the doors to open. They were all there for a boxing class. Beatrix had wanted to try it out, but hadn¡¯t wanted to go alone. She had a passion for boxing.


    The door opened, and a tall well-built man came out to welcome them all in. In they went to a large open hall, with some upbeat music playing from a set of speaker. He gave the order for people to remove their shoes and socks and starts jogging around the hall for the warmup. While people were jogging he spoke to a few of the members, and Beatrix went over to him to introduce herself and tell him that she and her group were new.


    As they jogged round the room they noticed doors to other rooms in the building. One was full of gym equipment, and the other seemed to be another fairly large hall lined with punching bags. Beatrix joined them and informed them that they had to pay at the end of the session, and that the class would be suited towards beginners.


    The first half hour was an intense warm up that had Edward exhausted by the end. Looking round he found that Arthur and Tom were in similar shape. Beatrix, however, seemed perfectly fine. The next half hour was going through basic movements and a ¡°how-to¡± of throwing a jab and a straight.


    For the last hour they were asked to get into pairs and practice different combinations on each other, while being careful not to hit each other and to keep up guard, and eventually they did some light sparring before stretching at the end.


    Beatrix was obviously the better of them all, perhaps even better than the strangers there who seemed like they turned up there a lot. She went through it all with a practiced ease. She had obviously done it before. Arthur seemed to pick it up fast, following instructions on technique perfectly, although he didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying it much, and looked worn out by the end. Tom looked to be getting into it, a look of grim determination on his face, even though he didn¡¯t pick it up very fast. He was sloppy, slow, and definitely tired, but he acted like he was set to keep learning.


    Edward felt worn out by the end, although it was a good worn out. The two hours had finished, which meant that he could definitely get through it, and he knew it would get easier the more he practiced. He even found during the lesson that his body couldn¡¯t move as fast as he wanted it to, with a lot of the movements being new to him and him running out of stamina fast. A part of him wanted to find out what it would be like to be able to be in good enough shape to move how he wanted to. Considering Beatrix¡¯s passion he thought it likely that he would return.


    As he emerged from the building it he was met with a shocking darkness.


    It has been two hours. He realised. The sun had completely set and it looked like night-time should. The sight of the dark night brought back memories of monsters.


    I wonder if they only come out at night¡­ He couldn¡¯t help a sick feeling gathering in his stomach. Luckily he was interrupted from his thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is for me¡± said Arthur, a polite smile on his face, as they gathered together by the entrance.


    ¡°Fair enough¡± Edward replied. ¡°I might come back.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­¡± Tom said, still short of breath. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely¡­ come back¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Beatrix replied enthusiastically. ¡°We could make it a weekly thing! I¡¯m gonna try out the more advanced classes too. There¡¯s one on the weekend¡­ They wouldn¡¯t be a good idea until you¡¯re used to this class though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll still come!¡± Tom responded, looking keen.


    ¡°See how you feel tomorrow¡± she said with a knowing smile. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m gonna head home now.¡±


    After exchanging goodbyes, Arthur and Tom went their separate ways. Beatrix, however, lived in the same direction as Edward, so they headed back together. Edward felt overly conscious, but luckily Beatrix seemed able to carry a conversation pretty much by herself.


    ¡°You seemed to pick it up pretty fast¡± she said, sounding surprised. ¡°Tom was pretty slow, but he seems pretty enthusiastic.¡±


    I wonder why¡­. Edward sarcastically quipped in his head.


    ¡°Arthur seems like he¡¯s done it before though, but he didn¡¯t seem to enjoy it, and didn¡¯t seem to want to come back. I wonder why¡­¡±


    ¡°Did he?¡± Edward asked, interest piqued. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he seemed particularly good.¡± He added.


    ¡°Well...¡± she started thoughtfully. ¡°He didn¡¯t put in much effort, and during the sparring he went pretty slow, but he didn¡¯t make any mistakes, and he didn¡¯t struggle with the warm-up. Maybe he knows a martial art or some other combat sport? He definitely seemed experienced, even if it was that noticeable¡± she concluded.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡± Edward answered. ¡°So have you done boxing before?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yep! Been doing it most of my life! My dad used to be a boxer, and I guess he passed on his passion to me. The first thing I did when I moved here was look up nearby boxing classes.¡±


    She talked about boxing for quite a while, bringing up famous boxers that Edward didn¡¯t know, and talking about matches that he hadn¡¯t seen. Eventually he had to interrupt her, though, as he had to split off from her to head his way home.


    ¡°I might see you tomorrow around lunch time¡± Edward said as they parted ways.


    ¡°I finish around then, so yeah!¡± she replied cheerfully, and went on her way.


    Edward started walking the rest of his path home, thinking about how satisfying the day had been. Beatrix and Arthur seemed friendly enough. He wasn¡¯t too sure about Tom though. Something about him seemed difficult to get along with, but if Beatrix was friends with him then he couldn¡¯t be all bad.


    He stopped after about thirty seconds of walking, however, and swung round, shocked by a familiar feeling. That same feeling, as if some invisible force was puling at him, the feeling that had led him to monsters. The last time he¡¯d felt it he had stayed at home and ignored it. This time, however, he realised it was in the direction Beatrix had gone.


    His mind was split. These monsters could be a figment of his imagination, in which case she would be fine. However, if they were real, they they¡¯d surely kill her. But even if I go, will I be able to help? I might die as well. His mind raced back to that first encounter. He still didn¡¯t know if it was just a dream or not, but he¡¯d actually killed one with his own hands. He wanted to go and find out, but he couldn¡¯t move. It was like invisible ropes bound him, but it was his fear. He needed to go, to run, towards what could be death, and what was definitely the unknown. Unreal monsters that shouldn¡¯t exist, that could kill him, that he shouldn¡¯t have any part of. He forcefully took a step forward. He concentrated on breathing calmly, and took another step. He closed his eyes and stopped his thoughts. He opened them again, feeling surprisingly normal again, and ran towards whatever it was that was pulling him towards it.


    *


    The monster he saw this time was unlike the ones before. It was bigger. A lot bigger.


    It was just as unnatural as ones he¡¯d seen before. It made his stomach churn. The cold air hit him like a bucket of water being splashed over him as his sense intensified, as if to make sure he didn¡¯t think he was seeing things. He felt like he was going to pass out, but he stayed on his feet.


    It stepped forward. Its toes, if they could be called toes, spread out around its feet, if they could be called feet. They looked like a fleshy base of a tree. Beatrix was nowhere in sight, but there weren¡¯t any bodies on the ground, not that Edward could see. It looked as tall as an adult, but it was hunched over, and it was as wide as the front of a car. It reminded Edward of a gorilla. It used the stumps of its arms to help itself walk forward like a gorilla would with its knuckles. A part of it moved, from where its head should be, and as it came closer Edward realised that it had no head. Instead, the top part of its chest opened and closed where the collarbone should be, and down the centre of its chest, as a mouth. It was far more intimidating than the previous monsters, and this time there was no sign of people fighting it. Even the memory of killing one of the more human-like ones from before didn¡¯t help. This was much larger, and he didn¡¯t know how he even could go about fighting it. He turned around to consider running away, only to be shocked even more.


    Standing there, in her signature leather jacket, was Beatrix. She had a very serious expression on her face.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Can you see that?¡± she asked, pointing to the creature making its way up the street.


    She can see it. He didn¡¯t know what to say, though. He was in shock. The sound of the creature¡¯s footsteps could be heard, as its heavy feet hit the ground, and Edward turned around as the sound sped up, to see the creature break into a charge towards them. He took a step back. To his surprise and horror, Beatrix stepped forwards, in front of him.


    ¡°Stay behind me¡± she said. She outstretched her arm towards the creature, and Edward could see what looked like wisps of black smoke suddenly pour forth from beneath her sleeve. It rushed forth and took shape into a creature that then ran towards the one running at them. This one looked to be in the shape of a large wolf-like creature. It took on solid form, revealing that it was definitely not a wolf, even if it was shaped similarly to one. It was dark, possibly completely black, it was hard to tell without much light. Edward had never encountered an actual wolf in his life but the creature was also larger than he imagined a wolf to be. It ran towards the other creature.


    Big as it was, however, it wasn¡¯t as big as the almost car-sized monster. As it closed in, it slowed down warily. The other creature stopped in its track too, then lifted itself to a full standing position, revealing its true height. It looked to be somewhere between eight and ten feet tall.


    As its arms raised it could be seen that the stumps weren¡¯t really stumps at all. Its arms split into long tendrils that ended in talons the size of a sword that looked like they could pierce an adult¡¯s chest. As Edward looked on in horror he couldn¡¯t help thinking that it looked like some kind of man-eating plant.


    Its tendrils rose into the air and struck like a snake at the wolf-like creature. However, the wolf was prepared, jumping back and then circling around it, clearly the more agile of the two. The monster with tendrils made it apparent that it didn¡¯t need to be able to move around fast though, as its deadly tendrils were flexible and fast enough to attack in any direction, and it didn¡¯t seem to have any eyes, like the pale human-like creatures Edward had encountered, so it wasn¡¯t as if the wolf had managed to get out of view by going behind it. Does it even have a front and a back? Edward wondered.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to find people who can see them¡± Came Beatrix¡¯s voice, interrupting his thoughts. Her eyes were on the battle, her arms crossed, seemingly deep in concentration.


    ¡°Them?¡± he asked, wanting to know exactly what they were.


    ¡°Demons¡± she answered matter-of-factly.


    He didn¡¯t know what to think. Was that really an answer? That single word didn¡¯t explain anything.


    Suddenly her arms weren¡¯t crossed anymore, and her knees were bent, as if she was ready to move. Edward followed her stare back to the fight, which alarmingly was getting closer to them. He took a step back once again.


    She nodded approvingly, seeming to notice.


    ¡°Stay behind me. Normal people can¡¯t even touch a demon. If it hits you, you¡¯ll be dead.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry-¡°


    Then it happened. In that brief instant she¡¯d looked toward him one of the tendrils flung their way. It didn¡¯t look close enough yet, but seemingly its range was deceptive. A talon came arcing towards her.


    All thought left Edward¡¯s mind in that instant. Fear disappeared too. Strange memories came flooding back, and instinct took over. An urge, like a hunger, to fight.


    *


    She¡¯d wanted to reassure him, and make sure he didn¡¯t do anything stupid. Also she didn¡¯t want him to run away. If he could see demons too, then she needed to talk to him. Perhaps take him to the organisation. If he could become another able body to fight against demons then that would be perfect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry-¡°


    Her sentence was cut off as she looked to him, and suddenly he had rushed past her, doing the stupid thing that she had hoped he wouldn¡¯t. She tried to grab him but somehow he was too fast for her. Before she knew what had even happened he had a talon grabbed in his bare hands, attached to a tendril from the demon that her wolf was fighting.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t help exclaiming.


    People shouldn¡¯t be able to touch demons. It was a one-way deal, which made them so frightening. Even if you could see a demon, if you tried to touch it your hands would just go through it. It could, however, harm you. Yet here he was, somehow holding it back in front of her. A hostile growl came from his mouth, confusing her more. She watched as he stepped forward, and freeing one hand he swiftly grabbed the tendril that the talon was attached to, and then he started trying to pull the two apart.


    Even if a person could fight a demon, he shouldn¡¯t have the strength to do that. Yet he his hands gripped it firmly. Amazingly he then opened his mouth and bit at its flesh. Beatrix thought she might have seen abnormally sharp teeth for a moment, but it was hard to tell. He bit down hard on the flesh and tried to rip its talon from its tendril. As he tried, her own wolf took the chance and jumped at the tendril between him and the demon and bit it apart, separating Edward from the demon. As the half a tendril went limp in his hands he seemed to lose interest in it and threw it to the ground. He then took a step forward.


    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted, reaching out and grabbing him. His head whipped around, glaring at her. She saw no reason within his eyes, they looked like the eyes of a wild beast. However, as he looked at her he seemed to calm down, and he seemed to almost go limp as he came to, as if being freed from a dream¡­ or a nightmare. He looked confused.


    ¡°Stay here¡­ and watch.¡± She said, hoping he wasn¡¯t going to run. She wanted answers. First though, she had to kill the demon. While people can¡¯t normally interact with demons physically, there were ways around that limitation. She ran into the battle.


    Something existed to battle demons, something akin to magic. It was what allowed her to keep her wolf demon under her control.


    As she closed in on the demon, with her wolf knowing what to do and backing away, the demon¡¯s tendrils came flying at her, aiming to pierce her and likely feed her to its oversized mouth. She displayed one of the ways humans can even the odds and threw a fist as if trying to punch the talons flying towards her. As she did she shouted out words of a long forgotten language, and a glowing circle appeared before her fist. The tendrils rebounded off. Symbols floated along the surface of the circle, the barrier that could defend against demons. She held it in place as the talons violently deflected off it, then the barrier disappeared and she closed the distance more, managing to close in on the massive, intimidating figure. Its mouth opened invitingly as it leaned towards her and took a step towards her. She created another barrier however, causing it to crash into it. The barrier caught it off-balance, and she circled around it, allowing the barrier to disappear and creating another one behind it at an awkward angle so it couldn¡¯t move its feet to regain its balance, and the demon fell to the ground. She then immediately jumped on top of it, creating another barrier beneath her, landing on it and stopping the demon from getting back up. Her wolf closed in, immediately aiming for vital spots. The demon had what looked like oversized veins protruding from its body, and her wolf went to work tearing away at them. Blood gushed forth.


    The creature¡¯s frighteningly flexible tendrils came to attack Beatrix from above, but she created another barrier with her other hand above her, effectively pancaked between them and protected from the attack.


    With the demon trapped, it was easy work for the wolf to tear it apart with its sharp teeth, and the demon eventually stopped moving, a massive puddle of blood forming beneath it. Beatrix blew a sigh of relief and jumped off the barrier she¡¯d used as a platform. She was relieved to see that Edward was still there, watching the scene unfold.


    She took out her phone and dialled a number. She¡¯d requested backup but they hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The phone was answered on the other end and she turned away from Edward as she spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed the demon, but we have another problem. There is someone here who can see them.¡±


    She patiently waited as the voice on the other end spoke about the usual procedure that she already knew.


    ¡°I know.¡± She answered impatiently. ¡°This person isn¡¯t just any victim. He actually hurt the demon with his bare hands.¡±


    As she expected she was barraged with questions.


    ¡°You¡¯re on your way here anyway right? Since we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re dealing with we need to take him in.¡±


    The person agreed with her, and she hung up, then walked over to Edward.


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± he asked, seeming suspicious, which was to be expected.


    She smiled her usual friendly smile, putting him at ease. Her heart stung a little as she manipulated him in that way, but it had to be done.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only person who fights these demons¡± she explained. ¡°You must have a lot of questions about what¡¯s going on. You might have thought you were crazy. Trust me, I know. I¡¯ve been there. But you¡¯re not. I contacted the group I belong to so I can take you to them and we can answer your questions.¡± She explained. She did know how he must have felt. When she¡¯d first been able to see them she¡¯d thought she¡¯d been hallucinating. He seemed relieved to hear her words. He tensed again, looking beyond her, and she turned to see her wolf returning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s under my control.¡± She put out her hand and petted it, to show Edward that it wasn¡¯t dangerous. It was a weird sensation trying to pet a demon in the shape of a wolf. It didn¡¯t have fur, but it¡¯s oddly textured skin and the slight black mist emanating from it almost gave the illusion of it. Instead, it was quite rough and solid, and it didn¡¯t give any reaction.


    Then it turned away and made its way back to the body of the demon.


    ¡°You might not want to watch this¡± Beatrix warned, as it started to eat parts of the body. Edward didn¡¯t look as disgusted as she¡¯d thought he would be. He looked confused for a moment then looked as if he¡¯d worked something out and nodded knowingly.


    ¡°You can control demons and create barrier, huh? Yeah I think I would like to meet your group¡± he said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°But first we¡¯ve got to wait for¡­.¡±


    Then it happened. A tranquilizer dart appeared, sticking out the side of Edward¡¯s throat, aimed perfectly. It stunned her for a second, but she¡¯d been expecting something like this. Edward looked confused as he raised his hand towards his neck but found himself unable to lift it all the way. Then his legs buckled, but Beatrix grabbed him and guided him to the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be alright. This is the way is has to be.¡± She said reassuringly, or as reassuringly as she could sound in that situation as he looked at her with confused eyes, and he fell into unconsciousness.


    A man clad fully in black walked towards her, a gun in his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing your uniform¡± he commented disapprovingly.


    ¡°Well duh¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like I planned to go out and kill a demon. It just came out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Did anyone see you?¡± he asked.


    She motioned to Edward.


    ¡°Anyone looking out of their window would¡¯ve just seen a crazy girl and guy looking like they¡¯re re-enacting a scene from a movie or something.¡±


    ¡°Good point¡± he said. He looked over his shoulder as more people fully dressed up came in their direction. ¡°Let¡¯s get this¡­. Strange case¡­. somewhere private.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a demon¡± she said. ¡°He can¡¯t be. He¡¯s my classmate at college. But¡­ obviously¡­. There¡¯s something strange about him.¡±


    ¡°Obviously¡± came the reply. ¡°Let¡¯s find out what it is.¡± And he motioned for the other people to pick up the motionless Edward.

 Chapter 3

    Suddenly he was wet and freezing cold. His eyes snapped open and he gasped in surprise. It took a moment for the world to come into focus, but when it did he saw a man standing there with an empty glass in front of him. He looked around, realising how sluggish he felt as he did so. It felt like his vision was a second delay behind. As he did so he realised he was tied to a chair. He could only move his head.


    The room looked like some run-down building. The plain white paint on the walls was falling away to reveal the brick underneath. The only door in the room had a rusty handle and the window on it was so stained that you couldn¡¯t see through it. The floor was also covered in stains.


    The man who¡¯d thrown water at him had long hair and was wearing glasses. Other than that, he seemed ordinary enough, and couldn¡¯t have been much older than Edward. There were two men behind him, one on each side of the door. They were dressed in black, but without masks this time. They, also, looked ordinary enough, although one held a deadly looking black knife, and the other what looked like a gun.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± asked the man with the glasses.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Edward asked. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for all the theatrics.¡± The man answered. ¡°But we had to be careful. We¡¯ve heard something about you that means you might be¡­. Dangerous.¡±


    Me? Dangerous? He was confused. I¡¯m not the one with a knife or a gun.


    ¡°Where¡¯s¡­. Beatrix?¡± he asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s nearby. Listen, I¡¯m going to ask you some questions, and I¡¯ll answer your questions in return. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a lot of them.¡± He sounded like he was a teacher explaining a topic to a child. It wasn¡¯t reassuring. ¡°Firstly, my name is Seymour. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Edward.¡± He answered flatly. He was sure they already knew his name. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re somewhere safe. We own this building. Edward¡­ what¡¯s your last name?¡±


    ¡°Attar¡± he answered, drawing a shocked look from Seymour.


    ¡°Attar?¡± he echoed.


    ¡°I get that a lot. My Dad is Persian. It¡¯s a Persian family name.¡± Edward explained. He tried to struggle against the ropes holding him, but they didn¡¯t budge at all. He could feel himself starting to panic, but he tried to keep calm. Meanwhile, Seymour looked over to one of the guards and gave a nod. The guard left the room, immediately replaced by another.


    ¡°Alright, so, have you been seeing anything out of the ordinary recently?¡± he continued.


    The situation felt surreal. I¡¯ve been kidnapped, right? And he¡¯s asking me if I¡¯ve seen anything out of the ordinary¡­.


    ¡°Is this some kind of sick joke?¡± Edward answered, finding himself becoming more and more angry. Seymour winced, and Edward thought he might¡¯ve seen fear in his eyes.


    ¡°Alright, perhaps I should explain our situation to you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Please do.¡± Edward answered sarcastically, smiling bitterly.


    ¡°Demons¡± Seymour answered, looking at Edward carefully. Seeing no shock on his face, he continued. ¡°They prowl the night, hunting humans to feast on their flesh. We find them and stop them, to protect the public, and to keep them a secret. And because of that, you are a cause of concern for us.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Edward asked, although as he thought back to his actions he felt like he might already know the answer.


    ¡°Beatrix tells me that you grabbed an appendage of the demon and managed to hold it back. Something that a normal human can¡¯t do.¡± Seymour answered.


    ¡°Yeah but I did it to protect her! It attacked her and I stopped it.¡± Edward protested.


    ¡°Even so, it means that you¡¯re not a normal human. You might even be a demon.¡± he explained.


    ¡°I am not a demon.¡± Edward said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Are you sure? Beatrix also said that you tried to rip that demon¡¯s appendage apart with your own teeth.¡± Seymour continued.


    Edward lowered his gaze, thinking back. It was true. He¡¯d lost any semblance of rational thought when it had happened, and some kind of bestial instinct had taken over. Was he a demon?


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alone with your thoughts for a bit, but I¡¯ll be back with more questions soon enough.¡± Seymour said, before leaving the room. The two guards, however, stayed.


    *


    Beatrix was apologising for Edward¡¯s situation and trying to assure him that everything would be alright. It was difficult to feel assured when he was tied to a chair.


    ¡°If you¡¯re sorry then untie me and let me go.¡± He¡¯d said in response. The guards had exchanged worried looks, but Beatrix had sadly shook her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± she said. ¡°We need to know what you are.¡± Her expression turned serious. Edward could see the conviction there, on her face. Even though she seemed sorry, she also had no doubts.


    Seymour reappeared, making his way through the door. Beatrix looked to him with expectation.


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to move you. To somewhere more comfortable.¡± Seymour said.


    Beatrix looked surprised.


    ¡°I mean¡­ Good. But¡­ why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah, why now? You¡¯ve already kidnapped me and tied me up. The chance to politely invite me round for a cup of tea has passed.¡± Edward said, smiling. He did like the sound of being somewhere more comfortable though.


    ¡°Well, after making a few phone calls, we¡¯ve decided that if he¡¯s not a demon, he could be a valuable ally. A person who can naturally fight against demons, if taught well could really help us out.¡± Seymour answered.


    Edward¡¯s stomach sank. Would they force him to fight those things again? As he thought about it, he wasn¡¯t as repulsed or as scared as before, and that worried him more.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°We will, however, have to tranquilise you again. But this time when you wake up you won¡¯t be tied up.¡± Seymour said.


    Edward¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Although¡­ I can¡¯t do anything about it¡­ He struggled once more against the rope that bound him, but it was of no use.


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± He said, looking at Seymour.


    One of the guards stepped forwards, holding a gun to Seymour. Edward guessed it must¡¯ve been one that shot tranquiliser darts. Seymour put up his hand.


    ¡°Not this time. I¡¯ve got my own instrument for this, a slightly less threatening one.¡± Seymour said, holding a syringe, seemingly out of nowhere.


    Edward looked over to Beatrix and noticed she had gone pale. Edward surmised that she wasn¡¯t one for needles.


    ¡°You can all leave, don¡¯t worry. I had a couple more questions for him anyway. I¡¯ll call you in when it¡¯s done.¡± Seymour said, waving them away. Amazingly Beatrix and both the guards left. Disturbingly, however, Seymour locked the door behind them.


    ¡°Before we move you, I have an important test¡± Seymour said. The tone of his voice had changed completely. He seemed¡­ excited. Edward felt dread wash over him. He struggled desperately in his chair. ¡°I want to see your ability for myself.¡± Seymour continued. He pulled back the sleeve of his top to reveal what looked like tattoos at first glance. However, they moved across his skin as Edward watched. Then they seemed to lift from the skin, turning into what looked like black smoke that swirled in front of Edward. Beneath the smoke something moved. Then the smoke dissipated to reveal one of the pale-skinned featureless monsters Edwin had seen before, with its mouth that seemed to extend down it¡¯s neck, and its hands that ended in claws.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Edward exclaimed, but Seymour remained silent, backing away and smiling.


    The demon opened its horrific mouth lined with sharp teeth and its tongue extended to taste the air. It seemed to notice Edward, and if it had eyes it would be looking right at him. Its arms rose, and it extended its claws towards him.


    Edward struggled madly, eyes wide open with panic as the claws reached towards him. It felt like all the fear he could possibly feel was in his throat. He couldn¡¯t move. He¡¯d seen what these creatures could do. Its claw grabbed his shoulder, and it could tell he was there. Its mouth opened wide, a hungry hiss coming from its throat.


    Then rage gripped him, filled his every being, and a growl escaped his own mouth. Suddenly the ropes stretched and snapped as he pulled against them. He grabbed the demon¡¯s wrist and stood up, the chair falling over behind him.


    The demon lunged at him mouth-first, and he had to grab it by the forehead, trying to keep it back. He saw its other claw come towards him and managed to instinctively slam it head-first into the ground, then pulled away from it, but its claw on his shoulder ripped his flesh as he desperately pulled away from it. It immediately jumped up to its feet, and started to lick its claws for a taste of his blood. Repulsed and angered, Edward immediately rushed towards it and grabbed its neck with both hands, pinning it against the wall. It wasn¡¯t suffocating, though. In fact, strangling it didn¡¯t seem to affect it. Its tongue whipped around wildly and it grabbed Edwards torso, cutting into him with its claws. Instinctively Edward grabbed tightly and ripped one hand away from its throat, pulling flesh away. He looked in confusion at his own hand for a second, noticing he had claws of his own. Then as he realised the demon was still moving, gripping him tighter and tearing into his flesh he pushed its head against the wall and ripped what remained of its throat away with his other clawed hand. The demon went limp. He let it fall and pulled its claws free of his torso, wincing in pain as he did so. Then he looked over to Seymour. His eyes were wide, but not in fear. He seemed excited. Edward took a step towards him.


    Seymour raised a hand and pointed it towards Edward, quietly saying something. Suddenly Edward couldn¡¯t move again. He struggled but to no avail. He looked down to see translucent glowing chains wrapped around him, with strange looking symbols running across their surface.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true.¡± Seymour said, seeming happy with himself. ¡°I am going to move you. I just wanted to see it for myself.¡± He said, as if that explained his actions.


    Edward felt the adrenaline fading, and somehow he was calming down. Now that the demon was dead, his bestial instincts faded as well.


    ¡°What¡­ the hell¡­ is wrong with you?¡± he managed to say between heavy breaths.


    Loud knocks came from the door. Seymour walked towards him.


    ¡°Like I said, I just wanted to see for myself.¡± He said, a satisfied smile on his face. Then he stuck the syringe into Edward¡¯s neck, and his consciousness faded.


    *


    The next time Edward woke up, it was in a bed, and he could move. He opened his eyes to the abusive light and looked around. The room he was in was much better quality than the previous one, and it had a bright light shining down, illuminating everything. The walls were white, hurting his eyes even more. There was, surprisingly, a desk and a television. Next to the door was what looked like a light switch. He had no idea what time it was, or if it was even still the same day. He checked his pockets to find them empty. He futilely checked the desk draws just in case, but they were also empty. He angrily knocked on the door, but no answer came. He only succeeded in hurting his own hand. Eventually he calmed down and turned the light off, laying down in the bed again, and went over recent events in his mind.


    Finally a knock came at the door, rousing him. He found it amusing that whoever was on the other side hadn¡¯t just walked in. He heard the door unlock, but no one came in. Then another knock came. He sighed, going over to the door and opening it. Seymour was on the other side. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should hit him or ask to be freed, or both.


    ¡°Sorry about setting that demon on you. I¡¯ve been suitably told off. How are your ribs?¡± he asked.


    My ribs? Edward wondered. Then he remembered, the demon he¡¯d killed had grabbed him with its claws, on the shoulder and abdomen, and had definitely pierced flesh. He checked both to find that he didn¡¯t have any wounds. Did they somehow heal me?


    ¡°You heal fast.¡± Seymour said.


    ¡°Can I leave?¡± Edward asked impatiently.


    Seymour took a deep breath, seeming sheepish. He sighed. ¡°Yes¡± he said dejectedly. Edward narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ¡°Shocking as it is, mistake as it might be, unwise as it certainly is¡­. I¡¯ve been ordered to let you go¡­. No conditions, no strings. I¡¯m to escort you out and let you go.¡±


    Even though it seemed impossible that they would let him go so easily, Edward just wanted to get out of there. A wave of relief washed over him. Then annoyance washed over him. He realised he couldn¡¯t just leave.


    ¡°What are they?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I already told you, right? Demons. They kill people.¡± Seymour said, a wry grin on his face.


    ¡°What more than that?¡± Edward asked, needing more answers. ¡°And if what you said is true, if people can¡¯t normally fight them, then what am I? Will they come after me? Will I be safe? And how do you all fight them?¡±


    ¡°A lot of questions for a man just given his freedom.¡± Seymour quipped. ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t just tell you all that. Organisation secrets. You¡¯ll be given a phone number to call for emergencies. They¡¯re almost certain to come after you. They seem to prioritise people who can see them.¡±


    Edward couldn¡¯t believe it. It wasn¡¯t over. Would it ever be over? They were going to keep coming for him. He looked at Seymour. Seymour could see them, as could Beatrix, yet they seemed fine.


    ¡°How do you all survive if they come after you?¡± Edward asked.


    ¡°The Organisation.¡± Seymour answered, still smiling.


    ¡°So I have to just live my life knowing about them and knowing they¡¯re after me, unable to do anything about it, unless¡­¡± Edward said, realisation dawning on him.


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Seymour asked innocently. Edward was starting to hate him.


    ¡°Unless I join you.¡± He ended.


    ¡°Well, that would certainly make things simpler wouldn¡¯t it? If we¡¯re willing to have you, of course.¡± Seymour said.


    Edward smiled bitterly. ¡°Of course you would. Like you said, people can¡¯t normally fight demons, but I can. You¡¯d definitely have me.¡± He said.


    ¡°Maybe¡± Seymour said, shrugging. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be my call to make.¡±


    Edward felt¡­ angry. He had to join them. It was his only real option. Maybe he could survive on his own. Maybe¡­ But he doubted it. He had to join them. He had to¡­.


    ¡°Damnit.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ join you.¡± He said sadly.


    ¡°Great!¡± Seymour answered immediately. He took a step back and motioned for Edward to come with him. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to someone who will formally decide whether to take you on or not, but they¡¯ll definitely let you in, then you can learn all about us, and all about them, the demons.¡±


    Edward looked at the ground, shaking his head in frustration, then, as much as he didn¡¯t want to, took a step through the doorway to follow him.