《Keepers of Truth》 interrogation Rayan was seated in the interrogation room. This was typical of the last couple of months. He had come close but they finally had him. Rayan groaned, more irritated with himself than the bald brawny individual sitting in front of him. His sister was God knows where in this place, and any minute that thing could walk in as if he were another cop. Except it wasn''t. The man took a sip of his coffee, taking in a deep breath he spoke. ¡°Now, before I start you should know I¡¯m not the one investigating the huge pile of charges against you.¡± ¡°Theft, vandalism, assault on an officer, kidnapping,.¡± The mans face went grim. ¡°Murder. So, explain to me, was he beating you and your sister or were you just plain done with your old man?¡± Rayan Snapped. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my dad!¡± But Rayan could see the cop wasn¡¯t even swayed a little, even if his expression did not change. Lately no one could get anything past Rayan. Lies, emotion, even simple thought- he could see them all plain as day. ¡°Ok, ok just calm down and talk.¡± Placing his palms in front of him in a defensive gesture the large cop continued. ¡°We brought search teams in across the state to find you, but you just came right into the station. What was the point of that?¡± Rayan had to calm himself down, outbursts like that would get him no where, he had to get him and his sister out of here before it came back. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll talk but you won''t believe a word of it.¡± This was the best he could do, he needed a plan. ¡°Everything started about 2 months ago .¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Rayan! Rayan wake up!¡± Shouted a high pitched voice from across Rayan¡¯s room. His eyes adjusting to the quick flash of the lights, Rayan got a look at the intruder. His little sister, standing just over four and a half feet tall, she had burst into the boys room full of energy. ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up¡± Rayan said with a hoarse early morning voice. ¡®For the first day of summer she was sure waking him up early.¡¯ ¡°Whats up?¡± Rayan continued than sat up in bed. Jesse ran out of the room. Rayan didn¡¯t notice, he was busy taking a drink of the water beside his bed. ¡®That''s better¡¯ he thought, placing the glass down. ¡®When did Jess leave?¡¯ Rayan got up to look for clothes, which was hard considering his room looked like a train went through it. Piles of clothes and general clutter were strewn throughout the room. The walls were filled with posters displaying everything from Star Wars to Undertale. Yup Rayan didn¡¯t have many girls up here, or more accurately none, besides his sugar helion of a sister. Going down the stairs to the aloring smell of bacon Rayan nearly had a heart attack as his father came around the corner nearly trampiling him. ¡°Oh, there you are! Why aren¡¯t you dressed yet?¡± His father bellowed with his deep voice. The man was easily over six feet tall with a bulky stature, sporting a neatly trimmed black goatee. Rayan looked nothing like him, with long shaggy brown almost black hair standing just shy of six foot, his frame was not bulky like his father, but he was by no means scrawny, he was lean with developing muscles (probably accounted by his fathers self defense training). Rayans dad had always been adamant that the he learn to defend himself. ¡°Dressed for what? It¡¯s the first day of summer you¡¯re lucky I¡¯m wearing pants.¡± Rayan joked rubbing his stomach. ¡®Man that bacon smells good¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± The older man replied with an ¡®are you serious look on his face¡¯. ¡°About my pants?¡± ¡°NO. You promised to take Jess to Eric¡¯s birthday today!¡± ¡®Crap that must be why she left in such a hurry.¡¯ Hopefully he had enough time to eat and dress. ¡°Well, you better hurry you got¡± His father paused to look at his watch. ¡°26 minutes before I drop you both off at Eric¡¯s house¡± His father spoke in a matter of fact way. The bald man was almost smiling. ¡®Well, I was never known to eat bacon slow¡¯ was the first thought to pop in his head. ¡°Wait. Drop us off? You¡¯re not staying?¡± Rayan asked. ¡°Sorry, I don''t get summers off. I¡¯ll be here when you¡¯re back.¡± His father looked directly at Rayan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re almost fifthteen you can watch your sister, it¡¯s right across town, if you need anything call I¡¯ll pick you right up.¡± This helped Rayan ease a little, he couldn¡¯t help but feel happy his father trusted him. ¡°Ok, but you¡¯re going to explain that to Jess.¡± ¡°25 Minutes¡± His father states with the slightest hint of a laugh, obviously having fun at Rayan¡¯s expense. ¡°Bacon!¡± Rayan ran to get ready, he was going to enjoy his first day of summer if it killed him! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡®Well, at least she¡¯s having fun.¡¯ Rayan thought as he sat to the side of he room. The house was nice with white walls and an open spaced living room where the children were hard at work making a mess. Pictures of the Eric¡¯s family were littered on the walls and shelves. The party was in full swing including cake, ballons, a room full of sugar doped up children and of course, the adults who hardly knew one another desperately trying to make small talk. Rayan didn¡¯t even fit in that category. Too old to play and to young to care about whatever the adults were talking about, Rayan was left a couple other teens who looked just as bored as himself. One was a small curly haired boy who rayan barely recognized from school named Danny. While the other was a petite brunette girl who Rayan recognized as Sarah. She was one of the less popular girls at Rayan¡¯s Middle school (Which surprised Rayan as she was very pretty) as well as the older sister of Eric. She was dressed in black hoodie and an annoyed look plastered her face.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. While she didn''t even try to make small talk, Danny wouldn''t shut up. Rayan was only half listening to something about space, western and a firefly when Sarah suddenly spoke up. ¡°Hey Danny, would you mind getting us some cake and maybe something to drink?¡± She said while pointing to the kitchen. When danny looked that way Rayan saw a quick wink come from her. ¡°Uh, sure. But when I get back I need to tell you about the reavers!¡± Danny quickly got up to head for the kitchen. Sarah than looked right at Rayan . ¡°Let¡¯s go before he comes back.¡± She said than grabbed his arm and led Rayan upstairs. ¡°Wait, what about the party?¡± Rayan didn''t know where she was taking him but several puberty based thoughts flooded his head. ¡°What about the party¡± Sarah replied in a sarcastic tone. Before the duo reached the top Sarah took a final glance to see if anyone noticed them. As they moved forward Sarah brought them to a wood paneled door. The words ¡®Stay Out¡¯ posted across a sign adorn the door. Rayan was practically sweating, he had never been in a girls room before. He had always hung out in living rooms or other place where parents could see. Now here he was a beautiful girl leading him to do God knows what. ¡°Ok, don¡¯t make any noise.¡± Sarah ordered Rayan, then proceeded to turn the knob opening the door. ¡°Huh¡­¡± This wasn''t what Rayan had anticipated, the walls of the room had dark victorian style wallpaper covered in various posters of punk rock bands. A large bookshelf dominated the right hand wall neighbor by a desk covered with various papers and books. The bed was queen sized and was decorated an assortment of stuffed animals and Jack skellington blankets. ¡®Well at least that part is sorta normal.¡¯ Rayan thought to himself. ¡°Huh?¡± Sarah mocked Rayan. ¡°That''s your reaction?¡± She asked with a grin as she walked over to the bed. ¡°Oh, Sorry. It¡¯s just this isn¡¯t what I imagined a girls room would look like.¡± Rayan made a general gesture through the room. Sarah crossed her arms. ¡°And what did you imagine?¡± She said with a smirk enjoying his naivete. ¡°More pink and boy band I guess, less¡­..¡± Rayan trailed off not finding the right words. ¡°What, Weird?¡± Her smirk faded quick. ¡°No, I mean¡­¡± Rayans face started to feel hot. ¡®Oh crap, one minute and I¡¯m already insulting her¡¯ Sarah started to laugh. ¡°Oh, I sooo got you. You should have seen you face!¡± As her laughter continued Rayan found himself slowly moving closer to the door. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna head back downstairs.¡±Rayan stated more to himself the the girl who started to have trouble breathing. His face was a full blown tomato. ¡°Oh come on, please don¡¯t go. I¡¯m only playing with ya.¡¯¡± Sarah''s laughter had subsided. This didn''t help Rayan, he had always been shy and now the first time a girl had taken him to his room she burst into laughter. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know I need to keep an eye on my sister.¡± ¡°Come on She''s okay, Its a birthday party for God''s sake¡± Sarah retorted, rolling her eyes. ¡°Besides, I brought you up here to talk to you.¡± Rayan did get a little curious from that what could she have to talk to him about. ¡®If she was just tired of the party she could of come up by herself¡¯ ¡°What do you mean? Talk about what?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and sit down.¡± She told Rayan. ¡®Why does this suddenly feel like an interrogation?¡¯ Rayan went for the desk chair and promptly sat. Sarah gave a face and stop patting the bed the bed beside her. As he got situated Sarah leaned closer, elbows on her knees. ¡°Can you tell me about your family?¡± ¡°My family? Why?¡± ¡°Just trying to start a conversation.¡± She pressed ¡°Well where do I start? It¡¯s just us three, Me my dad and Jesse.¡± Rayan replied. ¡°What about your mom?¡± ¡°She''s not around anymore...¡± This was getting a little personal, Rayan was visibly getting uneasy. ¡°Sorry to pry¡­¡± Sarah apologized. ¡®Perhaps this wasn''t the best idea.¡¯ Sarah though. ¡°No.. It- It¡¯s okay, you just took me a little off guard. My mom died when I was born.¡± Sarah wanted to stop, but she knew she couldn''t. Rayan started to speak. ¡°What about you? What''s your family like?¡± Rayan figured it was safe to ask considering she brought up the subject. ¡°Not much to tell really. We¡¯re a genuine nuclear family.¡± Sarah stated. ¡°Though I sometimes feel out of place. I was actually adopted, and I guess the stuff I¡¯m into really doesn¡¯t help¡± She continued and pointed to the desk. Rayan turn in his chair and took a look. The surface was covered in drawings and stacked high with books. The pictures depicted various symbols and even the odd monster. Rayan had the look on his face. The same look that Sarah had grown accustomed too when she showed people her research. ¡°Do you actually believe in this stuff?¡± Rayan asked picking up a picture of what looked like a hoofed man with two protruding horns. Sarah sat up straighter. she took a deep breath as if this was something she was used to answering. ¡°Well to be honest, some of it.¡± Sarah said while scrunching one eye. ¡°Some of it?¡± Rayan inserted. Sarah stood up and walked to her desk. ¡°Well there is so much lore and stuff, it can¡¯t all be true.¡± She told Rayan as she grabbed a book in each hand. ¡°These sometimes contradict one another. ¡° She held one book out to Rayan. ¡°The Paranormal Almanac.¡± Rayan read out loud. ¡°That says that all otherworldly entities were never human .¡± Sarah gestured to the second book. ¡°While this one says they can be both.¡± This was getting a little to weird for Rayans taste. ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡± Rayah said visibly uncomfortable. Sarah tensed. ¡°Ok, but promise you won''t laugh or call me crazy.¡± The girls said giving Rayan a serious look. At this point Rayan was on edge, he didn¡¯t want to be brought into whatever occult crap she was into. However curiosity got the better of him. ¡°Promise.¡± A pregnant breath lingered as Sarah built the nerve to speak. ¡°I¡­ can seen things.¡± Sarah admitted.¡±Crazy things¡± ¡®Oh God, she really is crazy.¡¯ Rayan had held this thought. ¡°Like what?¡± Rayan questioned. ¡°Well all sorts of stuff, Lights, wisps....¡± Sarah paused ¡°But lately its been shadows.¡± Rayan sat there not knowing if he should tell someone or not. This girl definitely had problems. Sarah let out a long winded breath. ¡°It feels nice to get this off my chest, I haven¡¯t even told my parents this.¡± Sarah added. Rayan suddenly started to feel like a jerk, this girl had tried to confine in him and all he could do was think she was crazy. This still left the question of ¡®why him?¡¯. ¡°Alright not to be rude, but why tell me all this?¡± Rayen hated the way that sounded. Sarah eyes wandered the room before she met his gaze. ¡°Because...Because I think your dad can to.¡± ¡°What, my dad?¡± Rayan asked, failing to suppress a chuckle. ¡°Yes, your dad¡± Sarah''s face hardened at Rayan¡¯s snicker. ¡°What would make you think that?¡± Rayan asked straightening his face. ¡°Remember when the found that body last year?¡± ¡°Yeah, the one in the woods.¡± Rayan Recalled it had been an animal attack. The town was small and boring, so people were talking about the incident for weeks. ¡°Well I saw one of those shadows covering Mr. Daniel¡¯s face, when they were carrying the body off, . ¡± Sarah stated arms now crossed. ¡°Your dad was staring right at him, even with a dead body not twenty feet away.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll admit that¡¯s a little weird¡± Rayan said still sceptical. Sarah then continued, glossing over Rayans statement. ¡°I decided to keep an eye on Mr. Daniel.¡± ¡°You stalked him?¡± Again Sarah pretended not to hear Rayan, and continued without skipping a beat. ¡°And there again a week later outside the man''s house, your dad was doing exactly what I was. The crazy part is the next day when I went back, the shadow was gone and there was a for sale sign in front of the house.¡± Rayan didn¡¯t know what to think, his father was just a regular bank manager. There was no way any of what this girl said was true. ¡®But the story adds up¡¯ Rayan did Remember Mr. daniels moving around that time last year, and if Rayan recalled correctly his father did take some sick days off work. Rayan quickly stood up from his chair. This was all too much for him. Sarah seeing rayan Raise followed suit. Trying to find a reasonable excuse Rayan lifted his phone. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I¡¯m gotta take jesse home¡± Rayan informed her. ¡®It¡¯s not exactly a lie.¡¯ ¡°Hey! Wait.¡± Sarah told Rayan as she grasped his wrist. ¡°Here take my number. Just call if you see anything¡­.Weird.¡± ¡°Uh, alright I guess¡± Rayan was taken back. ¡®Thought I¡¯d be more excited to get a girls number.¡¯ Heat By the time the bus reached their stop the sun was setting. They still had a few blocks to go, but nothing would dull jesse¡¯s fun. She had to skip and jump over every crack in the sidewalk. Rayan smiled, there wasn¡¯t much else that made him as happy as when his sister was smiling. But his good mood didn¡¯t last long. They were only a house over when rayan noticed it. His home, the front door was open. Just standing there he could feel the ominous shroud that perverted the house. As if there was a pile of bodies hidden under the foundation, the house felt like death. Before he could say anything Jesse ran right to the door. ¡°Daaad, we¡¯re home!¡± Jesse announced to the house. Thoughts of what sarah had said earlier flood through Rayans mind. ¡°No! Jesse wait!¡± Rayan called out, but it fell on deaf ears as jesse ran passed the opening. Rushing through the door after her, Rayan saw a mess on the far side of the living room. ¡®This isn¡¯t good, I need to find Jesse.¡¯ The mess consisted of a lamp and several scored books laying next the remains of the sofa. ¡®Was there a fire? That might explain the door being open.¡¯ Beginning his search for his family Rayan just couldn''t shake the feeling that something worse than a fire took place. ¡°Jesse?¡± Rayan yelled in a whispered voice. THUMP! ¡®Upstairs!¡¯ ¡°Jesse!¡± Whispering gone, Rayan called his sister in a louder tone. The teenager quickly went for the stairs, but stopped and noticed something smeared on the wall next to the banister. Rayans heart sank. ¡°Blood..?¡± The word seemed to echo from his mouth. A bloody handprint painted the wall. Rayan Forwent a quiet pace and rushed up the stairs. Light came from the door across Rayan''s room. He came to a sudden stop. The light from under the door flickered as if by candle. A voice echoed through the air, low in a monotone chant. ¡°What the Hell?¡± Rayan said out loud, realizing he shouldn¡¯t have made as much noise as he did. Rayan crept towards the door and peered inside. The room was his father¡¯s study decorated in pictures of the family and lined with shelves full of books. On the far wall a large wood desk sat with the office chair pulled away. Further to the right his father could be seen with the chair beside him.Jesse was laid sprawled in said chair. His father was looking directly at the wall while speaking. Rayan thought for a moment that he saw the wall glow. At this time Rayan¡¯s eyes began to ache, like pressure was building behind them. As Rayan lifted his hand to rub the discomfort the door slowly opened with an audible creak. His father''s head snapped toward him. Rayan wanted to feel happy his father was there and not some stranger or worse yet a burglar, but all he felt was fear. A shadow loomed over his father''s face. ¡®Ah, another headache.¡¯ A feeling of dread radiated off of the adult. The more Rayan looked, the more he saw that whatever was there wasn¡¯t his dad. Like a cloak made of an evil taint replaced his fathers form. ¡°There you are.¡± The Shadow said to Rayan as he picked Jess up from a leather chair. ¡°Did you guys have fun?¡± ¡°D- Dad what¡¯s wrong with you f- face?¡± Rayan wimperd more scared than he could ever remember. ¡°What do you mean? Nothing, Rayan are you feeling ok?¡± The shadow spoke. Rayan could now make out that this shadow was overlapping his father. ¡°Why don''t you get some sleep.¡± The not-father reached for Rayans arm. Rayan jerked away. Now looking at his sister, he saw she was sound asleep in there father''s arms. ¡®That¡¯s not normal¡¯ ¡°Who-..What are you?¡± Rayan was able to speak again.¡±Put my sister down!¡± An evil grin spread across its face. ¡°Oh, I get it you can see me!¡± The thing croaked in a deep raspy voice. ¡°I knew you had decent blood considering your old man, but this is a shock.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I said put her down!¡± ¡°Oh I plan to, but you, you might be useful.¡± Rayan didn¡¯t like any part of that statement. ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean!¡± Rayan was scared, scared for his life, his sisters, and his father.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Setting jesse down softly on the couch the shadow began to walk slowly towards Rayan. ¡°Well since your dad here has been so inviting, I thought I''d brings some friends along. You and your little sister here seemed like good firestarter for me, though I guess she''ll have to do by herself I might have a few good uses for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to tou-¡± Was all Rayan could get out before pain erupted from his head. The boy had let out a hellish scream.This seemed to please the shadow. Placing his extended palm down as a purple aura faded from the Man''s hand. ¡°Woah! That¡¯s rich! Won¡¯t go down easy huh?¡± The Shadow positively glowed with excitement as it raised his father¡¯s fist. ¡°Well call me old fashioned, but I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡± Then with a practiced swing Rayan saw darkness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡®OW¡¯ Was Rayans first thought as he slowly regained consciousness and ¡®Why are my hands tied up¡¯ was the second. As Rayan reoreatainted himself, the shadow was hard at work drawing a circular sigel on the wall. From Rayans fathers slit wrist. ¡°Uuuuhhhh¡± Rayan audibly groaned, with the punch and migraines Rayan felt like a train whistle was lodged in his brain. The shadow turned toward Rayan, called by the sound of misery. ¡°Oh, so sleepy beauty wakes.¡± The shadow mocked Rayan. ¡°I guess I got pretty lucky, it usually takes weeks for a human to truly see me.¡± Rayan was still at the edge of consciousness, not fully understanding what the shadow said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to thank your little gal pal when I¡¯m done, she did give me a good lead on a body.¡± The shadow stated with a dangerous smile. Was Rayan hearing this right? ¡°What the hell are you talking about!?¡± Rayan ordered an answer, while struggling against his bonds. Rayan felt a heat build inside him. It was actually starting to make his skin crawl. The shadow ignored Rayan, enjoying his ignorance. The thing went back to work on the wall. ¡®I need to get out of here¡¯ Rayan started to really use his strength, but no matter what he did he made no headway. I scary thought came to Rayan ¡®This things done this before...¡¯ As if on cue the shadow finished the drawing. The sigel was now surrounded by a familiar five point star. ¡®Oh god¡¯ Now finished with his ¡®bloody¡¯ work the creature picked Jesse up in a fireman''s carry. It took a moment to shoot Rayan a sinister glance. Rayan was helpless, he had thought himself strong (At least compared to others his age), but here he was going to watch his sister die. Tears streamed from his eyes. ¡°Let her go! That''s my sister!¡± Rayan let loose as a sniffling sob. ¡°Oh, but I¡¯ll be quick.¡± The grin on the shadow face stretched impossibly big, almost ear to ear. Despite Rayan¡¯s continued plead, the shadow walked over to the desk and lifted something that horrified Rayan. A bloody boxcutter. Rayan began to scream. His wrists were bloody from the effort placed into breaking his bonds.The shadow walked to Rayan¡¯s sister savering the torment. The heat in Rayan had grown to feel like a star was situated in his chest. ¡°Ka te nom et¡± The shadow chanted holding the blade center mass with itself. ¡®She¡¯s going to die¡¯ Rayan mind spoke softly. He could only stare blankly. ¡°Los mie nom sho¡± It placed the blade even with Jesse throat hair held in its other hand. ¡®Jesse is going to die¡¯ Rayan placed the last of his strength into his arms. Letting go of a bellowing roar Rayan could feel the heat move through his chest to his arms. The shadow turned away from its evil task just in time to see a yellow orange light emanating from the boy. Rayan felt the heat in his hands as his bonds burt away. It hurt, all the skin was burning off halfway up his forearm. But Rayan didn¡¯t slow down. The Moment he was free he tackled the monster. The blade went skittering off across the floor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The shadow for the third time today was left bewildered. First, Sarah (who on her own was rare for a human) gave him an even better vessel, one that could already be linked with. He had been ¡®haunting¡¯ her for weeks trying to get her to see him enough to possess her. Second, was the family of his newly acquired body. The girl had quite a bit of strength in her, this on itself was ¡®only¡¯ as hard to find as someone like Sarah. But the boy. The boy was able to see him just as easily as he saw his father. It is unheard of for humans to see through the veil. Into it, sure, but completely through. That¡¯s impossible. ¡®Guess I can take him apart and see how he works.¡¯ The cheshire smile grew wider. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rayan was doped on adrenaline. He didn¡¯t even feel the seard flesh of his arms. Even with this and surprise on Rayans side, it was an uphill fight. The shadow was winning, Rayans mind was racing but he still knew he couldn¡¯t win the way things were going. The shadow moved impossibly quick and got a grip on the boys arm. Squeezing with enough strength to cause Rayan to let loose a scream of agony, the shadow spun and pinned Rayan to the hardwood floor. Rayan was struggling with all his strength. He Remembered how his father used to spar with him, but what this thing was doing was on a completely different level. ¡°Ssssshhhhh just go to sleep.¡± The thing whispered into Rayans ear. The shadow moved one hand to Rayans forehead. ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHH.¡± Rayan screamed. ¡°I said SLEEP.¡± It gripped Rayan¡¯s full face. ¡°AAAAAHHHHH¡± ¡°What''s wrong with you!¡± The shadow questioned with an impossibly deep voice. Rayan struggled to see with either blood or tears filling his vision. But the shadow looked distraught. Rayan took this chance and freed his arms from the creatures grip. Rayan punched it square in the nose. This seemed to surprisingly calm it. ¡°Aww you think that''s a punch.¡± It said with blood dripping from its nose. The shadow drew back its fist and impacted rayan with an audible crunch. ¡°That''s a punch.¡± It said calmed down. Rayan mewed, the only reason he was still conscience was the fact he bit his tongue. He didn¡¯t even feel pain at this point. Rayan felt that heat raise through his chest again. ¡®I hope this works¡¯ Rayan raised his hands reaching for the shadows head. ¡°Oh, finally gave up I was just starting to have fun¡± The shadow mocked Rayan. Rayan felt pain, anger, sadness and most of all hate. This thing took his father mercilessly beat him and was going to kill his sister. The heat in Rayans chest exploded through him. ¡°What are you-¡± Was the last thing the shadow said as its head burst into a crimson mist. Faith Rayan was left barely conscious alongside his sister. Was this it? Was that thing gone? No, whatever it was, Rayan saw it leave. It was like a rat fleeing from a sinking ship,and whatever Rayan did just slowed it down. Rayans eyes though swollen and bloody, began to leak tears. He killed his own father. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to justify it. Yes, it would have killed jesse, and done god knows what to him, but there must have been another way. The pool of blood reached Rayan. Looking at his gore covered hand, Rayan couldn''t tell what blood was his father''s or his own. ¡®This is a waist.¡¯ What matters anymore? When the police show up he was either going to jail or the mad house. He might as well just sit here and wait for the inevitable. ¡°Mmmm Rayan?¡± A tired whisper sounded from the sleeping girl. Rayan quickly looked over to see jesse was still asleep. At least there was that, she wouldn¡¯t have to see her father in that state. This is why he needed to keep going. Jesse was the only family he had left in the world. The shadow is still out there, Rayan knew it would be looking for them. It needed them for something. If he gave up now he would never see her again, and that thing would have an easy time getting to her. But Rayan for whatever reason could see it, and that was their only shot to survive. Standing up and almost collapsing from the pain in his head, Rayan walked to jesse and lifted her quickly before the pool of blood reached her. Rayan was surprised by how little his arms were hurting. Almost all of his skin halfway up the forearm burnt away leaving a messy red and pink speckled with blisters. ¡®Must be the adrenaline, to bad its not helping with my head.¡¯ Rayan set Jesse in the living room sofa, so if she woke she wouldn¡¯t see the horrid scene in the study. Rayan knew that he couldn¡¯t just run away without a plan and supplies. So he got to work dumping out his and Jesse¡¯s school bags, and collected what would be needed. He knew jesse probably wouldn¡¯t like his fashion sense but he packed her an armful of shirts and pants. His own was the same he didn¡¯t even bother looking at what he grabbed. When he finished with regular clothes he picked out a simple hoodie for both of them with no designs in hope of going unnoticed. Further in his room he took several other items a folding pocket knife, that every boy around his age carried and his life savings. Which was an astonishing $115, twenty five of which was on a Pizza Hut gift card. Rayan sighed leaving the room and made a quiet note on how he should have saved his money. He then made a stop by his father''s room. It was a simple single bed with a dresser and walk-in closet. The walls were adorned with pictures of Rayan, Jesse and their father¡¯s younger self. Rayan quickly opened the closet and found what he was looking for, a black metal case about the size of a shoe box. On the front was a combination lock. Rayan remembered what his father told him when he showed the combination. ¡®Never open this box unless it is absolutely necessary.¡¯ ¡®I have a feeling this counts.¡¯ ¡°03-25-99¡± Rayan mouthed the numbers as he turned the combo. His heart grew heavy when the lid opened with an audible click. A clip of money, his and Jesse¡¯s birth certificates. But the sight that dominated the box was a silver revolver. Rayan wasn¡¯t familiar with different brands and types of guns. His father always teaching him to settle things with his fist. However, his dad made sure he could always protect himself and Jesse, and when his own hands wouldn¡¯t be enough this was the last resort. Rayan cautiously picked up the firearm placing it deep in his own bag. ¡®Hopefully I¡¯ll never have to use this¡¯ Rayan thought to himself but he knew in his heart if that thing comes back he wouldn''t hesitate. Not even for a second. Next was the money. $300 all in twenties. ¡°Well at least dad was more prepared than I was.¡± He said placing the monet directly in his pocket. Rayan had fished getting everything he thought might be useful, but the adrenaline from the fight was starting to wear off. Pain was building up even more around his head and and forearms. He began to sweat from the shear agony. Rayan dizzily walked to the bathroom. When he flicked on the light to his horror he saw his reflection in the mirror. Rayan was absolutely covered in blood. He knew he couldn¡¯t leave like this but the pain was overcoming his need to wash. Knocking over pill bottles and soap he found what he was looking for. Rayan took two painkillers and pocketed the rest. They were going to take a while to work so Rayan wetted a towel with cold waterIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The relief was almost immediate when he pressed the cool cloth it to his face. ¡®Wait¡¯ ¡­¡¯Is that steam?¡¯ It was, the water seemed to evaporate almost immediately as it touched his face. Finally back from his trance like state Rayan remembered what happened earlier. The intense burning and energy that seemed to explode from Rayan when he needed it. Rayan continued to wet his face until it seemed he cooled down enough that water stayed on his skin. His head seemed to have been relieved the migrain as he cooled down back to his normal body heat. After changing his shirt and wrapping his arms in bandage he leaved the restroom. Rayan knew it was time to go. Rayan went down to the living room, both of the packs slung over his shoulder. When he reached the corner of the stairwell he looked up to find a light around the corner quickly moving across the wall. Rayan took a step backwards, but still dizzy, he stumbled barely catching himself. The beam of light shot towards him. ¡°Police! Hands up!¡± The silhouette shouted to Rayan. ¡®Oh, no¡¯ Rayan thought to himself. He had no idea what to do if he went to jail, jesse would be left unprotected. Rayan thought over his options. ¡®Should I try that thing with my hands again? I don''t want to kill him.¡¯ Rayan didn¡¯t know if it was possible to use that power and not kill. In fact he wasn¡¯t sure if he could do it again at all. Rayan was left with only one option that he could think of. ¡°Please! I need help!¡± He whimpered to the police officer placing his hands into the air. The cop lowered his weapon. ¡°What happened? We got reports of screaming coming from this location. The door was open.¡± The cop questioned Rayan. Rayan thought this was the best option. Sure the cop would want to bring him in, but first he would search the house and Rayan and Jesse could make their escape. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± A high pitch scream came from upstairs. Rayan Looked at the sofa and saw Jesse was missing. ¡°Stay here!¡± The police officer quickly shouted to Rayan as he ran up the stairs. Rayan completely disregarded what he was told and followed close behind. As they came to the source of the scream Rayans heartbeat intensified at the sight he saw. Jesse was near the door staring wide eyed at the headless corpse of her father. But something hung in the air. At the top corner of the room Rayan saw the shadow perched like a bat. Rayan saw it much more clear than before. The form was made of an all black twisting void, with a clear, if horrifying face. Two protrusions came from its forehead resembling horns. The whole creature was about the size of a house cat. Rayan had no idea of what to do and in an immediate response he pointed at it and yelled to get the cops attention. The Demon turned to look at Rayan, a smile already across it ¡®face¡¯. ¡®This just might work out¡­¡¯ The shadow thought. And so the creature awaited the the gaze of the uniformed individual. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tony Edelman was a good man. The father of two children, both of which were now in college, an active member of the community and an active up holder of the law. Found himself in the most insane night of his career. Responding to an assumed domestic dispute was now a body with no head, two children, and some kind of satanic circle on the wall. Tony had always been a devout christian man the Deacon of the local church. So when the beaten and bruised teenage boy started to scream and shout next to him, pointing at the corner of the room,Tony had taken it very seriously. When he looked at the spot the boy was pointing at he had trouble seeing anything, but when he went to look away out the corner of his eye he saw it. The only word he could use to describe it was demon. ¡°Oh my God¡­.¡± Tony said in a trembling voice. Tony lifted his gun, but before he could get at shot off. The demon was already launching itself at the man. The thing latched on to him, Tony had tried to pry it off, but the blurred form passed right through his grip. ¡°Aaaahh!¡± Tony screamed hunched over in pain. The creature on his arm seemed to slowly sink into his flesh.At this point Tony new he had little chance of escape. But the children still had a chance. All he had to do was stall it. ¡°Run! Get out of here!¡± The cop screamed with all of his breath. Rayan who was watching dumbfounded didn''t need to be told twice. After grasping Jesse wrist ran full speed out of the house. Tony kneeled to the floor placing his palms together he prayed. ¡°It won¡¯t work¡± The demon whispered into Tony¡¯s ear. ¡°You¡¯re already going to be mine. Thanks to that little Rayan boy.¡± The cop knew how this would end, he could already feel his connection to his mind waver. But still he prayed louder. ¡°You belief may be strong.¡±The creature continued. ¡±But your god isn¡¯t listening.¡± ¡°Demon, You may take my body and freewill from me, but I will fight you for as long as it take for those children to get away.¡± And with that Tony Edelman fell over unconscious. ¡°That boy is very interesting.¡± Baal knew would it will take awhile to claim this body because the previous owner was still fighting him. But that was okay, he was a patient being, he would get his prize. He always did.