The laser gun's beam sliced through the air, striking the flying demons in quick succession. Their bodies convulsed mid-flight, then dropped like stones—only to twitch violently on the ground. A sickening pop echoed as each corpse ruptured, birthing a new, full-grown demon from its remains.
Simon lowered the weapon with a sigh, wiping sweat from his brow. His eyes scanned the market square one last time. Over twenty-four demons and eleven hulking monsters milled among the ruins. And there, standing motionless at the center of the horde, was the black figure—watching him.
"Hey, Alucard," Simon called over his shoulder, voice tight. "Can you drive?"
Alucard, leaning against their scavenged car, raised an eyebrow. "A little. Why?"
"Just asking." Simon limped toward the passenger seat, gritting his teeth.
Alucard's gaze dropped to Simon's leg. "Mind if I ask why you were limping before I picked you up back there?"
"Some shitheads busted into the store with enough force to shatter the glass," Simon muttered, sliding into the seat. "Shards went into my right leg like bullets. Dang it!"
"Okay, just don't touch it. We're almost there."
Alucard revved the engine, peeling away from the market. Six tense minutes later, the hotel loomed ahead—a relic of luxury with grand archways and intact windows. The group spilled inside, claiming rooms: the boys took one bedroom, the girls three. Bathrooms were marked like territory—one for the boys, the rest for the girls. Exhausted, most collapsed into sleep.
Except Simon and Jessica.
Jessica knelt beside Simon on the couch, antiseptic spray in hand. "Okay, this'll hurt a little."
She sprayed the wounds, then pressed a bandage firmly against his calf. Simon didn't flinch.
"Doesn't hurt at all," he lied.
Jessica smirked. "Really? Because your face is red."
"Nah, I'm alright."
"Oh really?" She doubled the pressure.
"GOD!" Simon jerked.
Jessica's smirk widened. "You were saying?"
"Shut up."
"Alright then." She finished wrapping the bandage, then sat back. "So… why'd you come to that school?"
Jessica sighed. "I didn't want to. The others insisted. Rumors said it was haunted by 'worse than ghosts.'" She glanced at her hands. "Guess the rumors were right."
Simon leaned forward. "When I came to rescue you, what happened before I got there?"
"I entered a strange 2D portal—"
"Wait, what?" Simon's head snapped up. "A portal?"
"Yes. No idea how it got there. We were all confused."
"Did anyone go in?"
"I did." Jessica's voice dropped. "I shouldn't have. I saw things… things I shouldn't have."
Simon's pulse spiked. "Like what?"
"A dragon. Massive—black and purple, sleeping next to shiny crystals and weapons. There was a sword… dark blue and green, with a skull on the hilt. Its eyes burned with green flames—not like normal fire. They didn't move. And it was talking—'hshush eshush leshush'—gibberish." She shuddered. "I grabbed what I could, but the demon lord chased me. He was fast. Threw his scythes, jumped—I barely made it out."
Simon's hand flew to his temple. Voices—hissing, overlapping—flooded his skull the moment Jessica mentioned the sword.
"Simon?" Jessica's voice wavered. "You good? What's wrong?"
"I'm fine. Just… hearing voices."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Since 7 AM yesterday."
"Wow. You need sleep."
"Yeah. I should." Simon stood, wobbling. "Good night."
"Good night. Let me help you—"
"No. It doesn't hurt. Just rest."
Jessica arched a brow. "Doesn't hurt? You can't even stand straight."
"I'll be fine. Just need sleep."
"Okay. Your call. Need anything, tell me."
"Thanks. Night."
Jessica left with a sweet smile. Simon exhaled.
"After all that, and she's smiling," he muttered. "Thanks, God—a clown. But at least she's making me happy."
He limped toward the boys' room—then froze. Noises. Muffled, then silence. He creaked the door open.
Alucard and Markus lay "asleep"—one on the floor, the other on the bed.
"Okay," Simon said flatly. "What did you hear?"
No response.
"Maybe I wasn't clear." He grabbed a metal bottle. "What did you BOTH hear? And I know you're faking. Five seconds. Five… four… three… two… ONE."
Alucard bolted upright. "Okay, okay! We thought something was outside, so we listened!"
"Liars." Simon raised the bottle—then staggered, vision blurring. Alucard lunged, catching him before he hit the floor, and hauled him onto the bed.
Simon woke at 9 AM to the smell of pancakes. The others sat around the dining table, plates stacked with eggs and canned food.
"Good morning," he rasped.
"You're alive!" Alucard grinned. "Sit. We just started."
"Pancakes, eggs, and your canned loot," Markus added.
Simon joined them, shoveling food into his mouth as the TV droned. Then—
"Simon," Lesley said suddenly. "Why did you come to that school?"
Simon's fork paused. "I was home. Resting. Then… I heard a voice. 'Follow me.' Calm. Weird, since I live alone."
Markus leaned in. "How?"
"I checked everywhere—nothing. Then I saw something far away. I took two steps; it stepped back. I stepped back; it stepped forward. So I grabbed a flashlight, gun, and knife… and chased it."
"You chased it?" Isabel gaped.
"Dumb, yeah." Simon rubbed his temple. "It led me to the school. As I got closer, I started hallucinating—green lines on the right side of my vision, blue lines on the left. Four each. Perfectly synced. And the voice got clearer: 'chhh oshhh mshhh eshhh.' Then I saw Jessica. The demon lord was about to kill her. I stabbed a demon in the eye, grabbed her shield, and… you know the rest."
A heavy silence.
"Creepy," Jessica whispered.
"Yeah."
Alucard cleared his throat. "Hey, Simon. What happened to the thing following us? Was it just the demons? Or…?"
"Wait," Lesley cut in. "Something was following us?"
"Yeah," Alucard said.
"Where?" Jessica frowned. "We only saw you yelling 'hurry up.'"
Simon's breath hitched. Flashbacks—the black figure. A memory of rain. A corpse with a bullet in its head. A car, someone watching—
"Simon!" Alucard's voice snapped him back.
"W-What?"
"You okay?"
"Headache." Simon massaged his temples. "What was I saying?"
"The thing following us."
"Right. I noticed it when grabbing supplies. Tall, black, standing behind a tree. I lured it into the store, tried to stab it—it vanished. Then the demons rushed in. When we left… it was there. Staring. Not part of the horde."
"How'd it disappear?" Isabel whispered.
"No idea."
Markus broke the silence. "What now?"
"Dunno." Simon shrugged. "Contact the military. Or—right. Carson City. That guy from the livestream. But first, gas and supplies. Let's move."