Mr. Mathew and Dr. Cato walked through the hallways of the mental facility, talking as they went past each crazed patient. The screaming, slamming and laughing brought annoyance to Mathew, so he asked why they were doing all this for their plan.

“If we hadn’t, then the state government would be on our butts,” Dr. Cato explained.

“Sheesh Cato, I have no idea how you can keep yourself stable with all these lost causes. I mean, look at these failures of life.” He stopped Dr. Cato and opened one of the doors to a patient. “Look at this sick bastard… disgusting!” The patient was cutting herself with a pencil, leaving bloodied trails along her arms.

Dr. Cato sighed and shut the door. “Trust me, my friend. It’s only a matter of time. Have patience. I know it’s taking a little longer, but I know we can save her.”

“I sure as hell hope so. Say, how’s the kid doing with our special patient?”

“Oh, you mean Jack. I thought he was a good kid, not until I discovered some experimental pills in his possession… and something else,” Dr. Cato said, appearing to be a little nervous.

“What do you mean something else? Wait don’t tell me?” Mathew grabbed Dr. Cato’s shoulders. “Tell me Cato… is he…” He gulped as his eyes shook.

“I’m not too sure, but the more we keep a close eye on him, the more answers we’ll have.”

Mathew chuckled. “Well, how about you let those kids spend a day with me? I’ll make sure everything is fine.” He pulled out a beautiful cross pendant that was made from the finest marble beneath his shirt.

Dr. Cato sighed and smiled. “Alright, I’ll consider it, my friend. How about we get ourselves some lunch?”

Mathew chuckled. “That sounds good.”

They both walked towards the cafeteria, continuing their conversation. As they walked and conversed through the halls to get to their destination, Dr. Cato’s phone rang in the middle of their conversation. He answered it and it was more bad news, another nurse informed him that another patient had died in their sleep but this time it seemed as if someone shoved black tar down their throats. Dr. Cato grunts and wipes his face in frustration, he hangs up and looks at his pal Mr. Mathew.

“By how you’re looking at me, I give it that you’re going to have your hands full later?”

Dr. Cato sighs, “Yeah… so in the meantime can you look after the children?”

Mr. Mathew gave off a smug-like grin, and said “Gladly” in an ominous tone.

*************

Back in Jack’s room, where the air was serious but calm, Jack and Carolyn were discussing the possibility of escape. They were both relaxing in his room, forgetting the events that happened last night.

“Carolyn, do you think we have a chance of getting out of here?” Jack asked.

They both sat in silence for a moment. Carolyn was hesitant to give him a definitive answer, but she continued the discussion.

“That’s a hard question, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t impossible.” Carolyn got up and walked towards the door to check if Dr. Cato or anyone were coming, then she looked back at him and smiled. “Jack, I know you still have many questions about Angela, but for now focus on getting out of here. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you two get out with no problems. Understood?”

Jack slightly chuckled, and then sighed while crossing his arms. “If I recall, I’m eleven years old. How the hell am I supposed to come up with a plan to get out of here?”

She too chuckled.

“But you’re not wrong about Angela. I still have many questions, but like you said, I should focus on getting us out of this nut house. But even if I’m just a kid,” Jack said, getting up and walking towards the door. He stood by the nurses side, also keeping an eye out. “Carolyn, I promised my mother I wouldn’t hurt girls… and I intend to keep that promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Angela to the outside.”

Carolyn patted Jack’s head and thanked him, then she walked out and left for the day. Jack got out as soon as she left and proceeded to head to the yard. When he arrived shortly afterwards and spotted Candy with Angela, Jack knew he could count on Candy looking after her when he wasn’t present.

Jack walked towards them and Angela immediately jumped out from her seat and jumped onto him. He swore that every time she hugged him, Jack felt as if his soul was ready to take an express train out of himself. The little girl had such strength. Who would’ve thought.

Jack gently set her down to her feet, patting her adorable, messy hair. “Whoa Angela! You keep hugging me like that you’ll eventually break my back.” She looked up at him and grinned.

Candy came up to Jack and made a silly, feminine hand gesture as he placed his fist on his hip, then flipped his luscious hair. “Hey boo boo! Took you long enough! You know how hard it is to protect this chialdd… Like, oh my God! You better pay me some money if I keep doing this dangerous shit.” He grabbed Angela and embraced her, then grabbed her face, which puffed her lips out. “But she’s so damn cute! Her cuteness drives me to protect her innocence and I ain’t afraid of no one! I mean, look at this face. How can you hurt this lil white kisses drop!”

Angela’s eye twitched, and she looked like she wanted to growl. Judging by her face, Jack could tell she was getting pretty annoyed. Jack started to get worried for Candy. If he continued, he’d awaken a monster.

“Uh… Candy, I think you should let go of Angela.”

Candy looked at Jack and made baby noises as he continued puffing her cheeks out. Angela playfully bit Candy’s hand and he immediately let go of her.

She ran back to Jack’s side, giggling like a child her age should be doing. Candy flicked his wrist and rubbed it. “Ahh! You bit me!” Then his eyes narrowed with vengeance. “Aight momma, I’mma get chu next time, so you better watch out!”

Candy grabbed his hand and sat down. Both Angela and Jack sat next to him as he continued whining about how his precious skin was ruined.

While Jack wiped Angela’s clothes, he looked at Candy with a smile, which startled him. “Hey Candy?”

Candy shrugged from Jack’s random smiling. “Whoa, with a smile like that I’m guessing you’re happy again sugar?” He giggled.

Jack shrugged and his eyebrow rose from that disturbing yet convincing feminine giggle.

“Just kidding. What’s up, boo boo?” Candy replied.

Angela poked Jack’s face adorably, and he started fixing her messy hair. “I’m surprised you’re still standing… To be honest, I thought those kids would still harass her, especially after that day I saved her.”

“Well honey, they tried buuut! Yo best friend Candy here,” he pointed at himself and made a duck face, “did the impossible ooo yes!!”

“Oh, well what did you do huh? Scared them away with your weird poses?”

“Oh HaHa! No! Not exactly, you lil smartass of a chiaald.” He stood up and crossed his arms with his own self righteousness as sunlight reflected off his glamorous pale skin. “I pulled my pants down and showed them my tool of destruction baby!”

He laughed, then sat back down with such force that Jack thought he would break the bench. He spread his legs wide as he pointed at his crotch.

“HaHa! You should have seen their faces!” Candy smirked evilly.

Angela and Jack looked at him as if he were some disgusting pervert. She definitely looked at him in disgust the most, but Jack guessed that was just a way to fend off a bunch of bullies.

After that unusual situation, they laughed and hung out next to the fountain, enjoying the rest of their time together. As they enjoyed themselves, the tall kid who bullied Angela, and who Jack confronted, approached them.

The teenager pointed at Jack and looked serious. “Hey you!”

His aggressive tone didn’t go unnoticed. Angela hurled behind Jack. Candy and Jack got in front of Angela.

“What is it?” Jack responded more aggressively.

Candy quickly stood by Jack’s side and started to unbuckle his belt. “Hey, small boo boo, he’s my age! Let me talk to this handsome tall man!” Candy slowly walked towards him as he continued to unbuckle his belt.

The teen slowly started to walk backwards away from Candy. “You better not get any closer, yo-you faggot!” Candy stopped in front of him and looked him dead in the eyes. “I’m warning you! Don’t get any closer, you homo!”

Candy chuckled and took a step closer. He pulled his belt out and whipped the air. “Patience honey! You aren’t my type anyways, but if you get any closer, I’ll make sure I’ll whip you so hard you’ll regret calling me a faggot.”

The teen began to get nervous and started sweating.

“You have no right calling me that nasty word uglehh! So prepare yourself!” Candy said, then laughed hysterically, knowing that the teen wouldn’t do a thing.

He stopped retreating and cooled off. “Okay fine! Look, I’m not looking for a fight. I just wanted to talk to that kid, alright Fruit Loop.”

Candy chuckled and backed off for a moment.

Jack walked beside Candy and clenched his fists. “What is it? You wanna bully my new lil sis? Is that what you wanted to talk about?!” Jack shouted with a fierce tone.

Angela quickly clutched Jack’s arm. Her eyes and hands quivered and Jack felt her fear from all the shaking she was making, which vibrated his entire arm.

“No, it’s not that. I just want to talk, kid.” By the look on his face, Jack knew he was serious. The teen pointed at a random corner with his thumb. “Can I talk to you in private?”

Jack glanced at Angela and smiled briefly. She let go and clutched his pants instead. He then crossed his arms. “Hmm?” He looked at Candy and then nodded at him too. “I guess we have enough time.”

Angela didn’t want Jack to go and she wouldn’t let go either. Jack looked down at her. “It’s okay, sis. Candy can watch you while I talk to this guy.”

Slowly, Angela let go of Jack and made her way to Candy. Candy grabbed her hand and smiled at Jack. “Remember, be careful. We should always stick together.“

“It’s fine. It shouldn’t take too long,” Jack said.

“Are we all cool now?” the teenager asked.

Jack nodded. “Yes we are, we can talk over there, but if you do any funny tricks, I’ll make sure to get my friend over there to bite your wee wee off.” Jack extended his hand out to him.

The teen glanced at Candy and he waved feminine-like to him. Squinting his face in disgust, the teen gulped and shook Jack’s hand. “As long as Fruit Loop over there isn’t intervening, we’re cool.”

Jack looked back at Angela. “Don’t worry Angela, I’ll return. I promise.”

“Just watch yourself, okay?” Angela said, looking worried.

Jack gave her a smile and walked back to the two, giving Angela a head pat before leaving momentarily to talk to the teen. She stayed by Candy’s side like he insisted and frowned. Candy nodded and so did Jack as he walked back to the teen. Both Jack and the teen walked over to the corner where he pointed at. Even though they were walking somewhere close by, it felt like a long period of time for Jack because of the continuous thinking that was going on inside his head.

What does he want to talk about? Or what intentions does he have?

For Jack, this walk felt like an eternity. He noticed that the teen looked really worried and was still sweating with suspicion, but when they finally reached the corner, they began to talk. The teen crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as Jack stood there with clenched fists, ready to hear what he had to say.

He took a huge deep breath and leaned against the wall. “Before we should start talking, I’ll introduce myself. My name’s Randy. What’s yours kid?”

Jack swallowed, nervously. “J-Jack, that’s my name.”

“Huh, okay then.”

“So? What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

Randy breathed slowly, and didn’t reply for a minute. Instead, he glanced at both Angela and Jack throughout the entire minute. Jack didn’t like being in a corner alone with someone twice his size. He was growing uncomfortable, and a drop of sweat streamed down to his chin while his fists continued to tighten.

Randy finally broke the silence between the two. “There are things I want to tell you, kid, since you’ve finally associated with that girl,” he said nervously. “The truth is, there are things about this place that aren’t normal.”

After hearing that, it reminded Jack about all the bizarre events and situations he’d experienced, so what the teen said definitely got his attention.

“What do you mean?” Jack replied with a bit of curiosity in his voice.

“You know those two guys in charge of these buildings?” he said, pointing at them.

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“Yeah, what about them?”

“They aren’t who you think they are, especially Mr. Mathew. To make the story short, he’s the reason why everyone hates that little girl.”

Jack gasped, then narrowed his eyes and widened his arms outwards. “Wait! Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Now that Randy had gone quiet, he appeared to be looking back in the direction where the two were standing. This pause of silence was confusing to Jack, but he wanted to know why Mr. Mathew would do such a thing to her.

“What else?” Jack asked.

Randy blinked softly and raised his arm with ease. “I didn’t believe him at first. I mean, look at how innocent she looks.” He pointed a finger at Angela. “A poor little girl like her? Being labeled a demon was insane!”

Jack clenched his fists further. “Then why do you continue to torment her? What? Are you gonna tell me that you’re doing it just because? Or is it a joy for you all at this point.”

Slowly, Randy lowered his arm and a creepy smile widened. His face looked pale and empty. “You’re right kid. You’re absolutely right… But after what I saw, there’s no denying it.” He started to chuckle beneath his breath.

Jack slowly stepped back. “What are you trying to tell me?”

Randy looked back at Jack with a maniacal smile on his face. “I saw it firsthand. No, let me rephrase that.” He opened his arms out into the air. “We saw it! Everyone did!”

Jack was starting to get annoyed and angry. “Qu-Quit it! What do you mean by that?”

Randy started laughing like some lunatic, then pointed at Angela again. “Sh-She’s the devil! That’s what I’m saying kid!”

“No!” Jack grit his teeth as his narrowed eyes grew with anger, ready to throw it all down.

“Yes!” Randy shouted as he continued his maniacal laughter.

“Stop it! She’s not, look…” Jack regained his composure, but as for Randy, he continued laughing. “Listen to me! Mr. Mathew’s probably just manipulating you guys.”

Randy made a makeshift cross with his fingers, while he expressed a vile frown. He swiped the air with his arm as he had with his other hand over his chest. “The devil incarnate!”

Jack ground his teeth with intensity. He couldn’t bear hearing the lunatic say such disgusting things about her anymore. It was aggravating.

“I said stop it…”

“She’s possessed by Satan himself!”

A faint mist started to form around Jack. “Stop… Please!” Jack had his eyes fully closed and his mind started turning blank.

Randy, on the other hand, ignored Jack. Instead, he picked up a rock and started walking towards Candy and Angela. “I’ll kill her and free her from her prison!”

Jack couldn’t take it. His mind went dark and the windows across the building started to rattle. Randy then stopped and looked around. He got frightened until he saw Angela and presumed it was her who was doing the unknown, so he walked towards her.

As Jack’s eyes rolled back into his head, he slowly opened his mouth as a faint steam of black smoke drifted out of it. He slowly lifted his left arm and reached towards Randy. He stopped and opened his hand out, and Randy suddenly felt something stop him dead in his tracks. He couldn’t move, yet he kept staring at Angela as she talked with Candy. The anger built up inside him was ready to burst out like a hot pot of tea. The steam was about to explode off the lid at any given moment.

Jack slowly closed his hand and Randy couldn’t breathe. His eyes started to water and his vision got blurry. He gasped for air, trying to cope with his strangled breathing. It brought him down to his knees and his face turned as blue as ice. He shed tears of desperation and tried calling out for help, but he started losing consciousness.

Jack’s pupils were pitch black while a faint black mist surrounded his body. He chuckled quietly beneath his breath, but nobody could see him since he blended in too well with the lurking shadow that hovered in the corner.

As Randy was close to passing out, Mr. Mathew walked out and ordered his students to come back inside. Jack snapped out of his trance and blinked a couple times. He seemed confused and lost, but he spotted Randy on all fours, grabbing his throat and coughing heavily.

Jack hurried to his aid. “H-Hey are you alright?!” Randy stopped Jack by extending a hand out.

Randy regained his breathing, coughed one last time, then slowly stood up and looked at Jack. “Y-You see now kid, she almost killed me! Trust me. We’ve all seen it firsthand, and now you have, so let this be a lesson.” He started walking away, but looked at Jack one last time. “What we witnessed still haunts us to this day, so don’t make the same mistake we did.”

Randy walked away and before regrouping with his class, he decided to stare at Angela one last time. His anger was pinnacle, a vein popped out of his forehead and his fists clenched. He couldn’t be more livid towards her. Jack watched as Randy’s stare turned into an intense glare towards his newfound sister. Randy finally regained his composure, then spat towards her direction, and finally regrouped with his class.

What the hell just happened… What did he mean by that? Witnessed? Me?

Jack lost his train of thought for a good minute, but he couldn’t remember how he got halfway towards Angela and Candy. He shook his head and slapped his palms on his face. He really did need to escape the damned facility.

Candy got up and sighed with relief. He patted Jack’s back. “Sooo boo boo! What happened?”

Jack looked dead at Candy’s face. “Candy… I have one last favor to ask of you.”

Candy frowned, yet he still smiled and placed a hand on his hip. “Okay. What is it?”

Jack took a deep breath. “I know this sounds crazy, but… I need your help getting out of here.”

A brief pause of silence fell between the two. Dust blew past their feet. The sound of nature was clear as day, and the voices of the deranged could be heard next to them.

Candy continued smiling and placed his fist on Jack’s heart. “From the sound of your voice and the fast rate of your beating heart boo, I can tell you’re serious…” He winked, then lowered his arm and looked at Angela.

“Really? You’ll help me? You’re just not messing with me, right?”

Candy slowly blinked. “I may be a bad bitch, but I’m not heartless. I’m serious, so yes, I’ll help you. But I’m not doing this for you, boo boo. I’m doing it for her. I’ve seen that poor girl suffer so much, not just by the kids, but by other people too.”

Jack returned a smile and sighed with relief. “For a second there I thought you were messing with me by the way you always act, you know that? But you’re right, I’m not doing this for myself, I’m mostly doing this for Angela’s sake. She deserves a life outside like everyone else.”

Candy slightly chuckled and stayed quiet. He sat down and stared at some birds in a nest. “Thanks lil boo, but yeah… poor girl. Like you said, if only she could experience the same freedom those birds have and maybe… she can truly be a happy child.”

Jack’s eyes glistened. He had no idea Candy felt this strongly about Angela, but that did answer one question for him. It seemed like that teenager named Randy was right, the kids weren’t the only ones who treated Angela poorly. Jack had already assumed that by the nurse’s reaction the day she was with him.

“Is Mr. Mathew a threat to Angela as well?” Jack asked.

“Well… let me tell you something about Mr. Mathew boo. He’s a bad, selfish pig. You may not know him much, but everyone in school is afraid of him.” He stood up and did a yoga stretch. “Trust me, he’s not a guy you wanna mess with honey.”

“Is he the reason why everyone hates Angela?”

Candy placed a finger on his chin while popping his hip to one side. “Well, I guess that tall ass fool told you more than I thought. Yeah, he’s right. One thing you must know, boo boo, is…” Candy hesitated for a second. “Even though I’ve known you for a small time, I know deep down inside is the old ‘You’ you told me about, so I’ll say it again, I’ll do it. I’ll help you both get out of this mad house.”

Jack hugged Candy, which surprised him. “Thank you Candy! You were always a good friend, well… you were the only friend I had to be honest.”

They both looked at each other and laughed. Candy said goodbye and walked back to his school. Jack grabbed Angela’s hand and walked her back to the institution.

As they were walking to her room, she tugged on Jack’s shirt to get his attention. “Jack… um, why do you seem so happy?”

“Oh…because I have an awesome surprise in store for us.”

Angela blushed out of excitement and held onto Jack as they continued walking. Jack didn’t know much about Mr. Mathew, but if what that teen told him was true, Jack would make sure he’d pay for ruining Angela’s image.

Another thing that bothered Jack was Mr. Mathew’s relationship with Dr. Cato. Every time Jack saw them side by side they seemed more like pals than work buddies. Also, Jack was still pissed at Dr. Cato for making him believe he was asleep for two days.

What a manipulative jerk!

Jack also started believing Dr. Cato had always been full of crap ever since Jack had become friends with Angela… no wait! Ever since Jack had seen that damn smile. Even though Jack got fooled once, he now knew who the real Dr. Cato was.

When Angela and Jack arrived at her room, Jack looked down the hallway. Mr. Mathew was approaching them. Angela got behind Jack and seemed very afraid. Jack readied himself and watched as Mr. Mathew got closer. The man’s suspicious grin, those heavy footsteps echoing towards them, and those intense eyes; It all made his presence intimidating. Jack could feel himself shaking with fear from the man’s intense stare.

Mr. Mathew stopped in front of them. He had his hands in his pockets and looked at the children with a heavy glare. Jack took a sharp breath and gulped as he looked up at Mr. Mathew. The moment he stood before them, it was like staring at a giant. Being this close to him made Jack extremely nervous.

Mr. Mathew patted Jack’s head and looked at Angela, who hid behind Jack. “My little Angie! Don’t be afraid, I’m here to watch over you kids for a moment.” He squatted and rested his arms on his knees. He looked Jack dead in the eyes with the intention of intimidating him. “So kid, have you been feeling strange lately?”

Jack wondered why he asked such a weird question. But the intense stare was too much for Jack. He too was beginning to tremble.

“I-I-I don’t know what you mean?” Jack said with a shaky voice.

“Is that so?” Mr. Mathew sighed and stood up. “Follow me children. We gotta do something real quick.”

For Jack, Mr. Mathew gave off all the wrong vibes, but they had no choice. They had to agree or else something might happen to them. Jack presumed he couldn’t trust the man just yet, so he held Angela’s hand and nodded at her. He knew she believed in him.

They followed Mr. Mathew to an unfamiliar direction. Jack had no clue where he was taking them, but he hoped to God he didn’t do anything to Angela. He didn’t care if Mr. Mathew bullied him, so long as he didn’t touch Angela.

They walked for at least five minutes until they finally arrived at some nursery. It was much different than the one Jack was in, but it was bigger and more ‘Sciencey.’

Mr. Mathew opened the door and politely gestured for Angela to go inside, but as soon as Jack tried walking in with her, Mr. Mathew stopped him by putting out his giant, hairy forearm.

“You’ll have to stay outside for a couple of minutes. Angie needs to do her usual check up,” Mr. Mathew said politely.

Angela noticed that Jack wasn’t behind her, so she quickly panicked and tried to reach for Jack, but Mr. Mathew grabbed her.

“Brother pl-please!” Angela begged while squirming in the man’s grasp.

Jack tried calming her and said, “If anything happens just shout.”

Even though she really looked scared, she trusted Jack’s words. Mr. Mathew thanked Jack with a fake smile that was too obvious. He closed the door and Jack sat on a chair that faced the front of the nursery.

Jack sighed and waited for at least ten minutes. He grew anxious, so he jiggled his leg while crossing his arms, then he tapped a finger on his arm.

What’s taking so long?

Smacking his lips out of being impatient, Jack got up. He tried peeking through the window, but the visors were down, which made it hard to see through. Jack walked up to the door and placed his ear against it, trying to hear what was happening inside. He could hear mumbling and a bit of anger, but then he heard really muffled shouting and footsteps that stomped around a lot. He knew something was gonna go wrong. He knew he shouldn’t have left her side.

Jack opened the door and what he saw made him sick to his stomach. A nurse and Mr. Mathew had pinned Angela down on some weird chair with a device hovering over it.

What were they doing to her?!

The anger… the fogginess, it was building up so fast inside Jack’s mind. He was so shocked and paralyzed with anger that he couldn’t comprehend what to do. No wait… he was furious! Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Mr. Mathew pulled out a cross and placed it on Angela’s chest.

Jack saw smoke coming out of her chest. He wondered if they were burning her. He couldn’t take it… His head started to hurt with immense pressure, and then a swirling black vortex engulfed Jack’s vision.

With the burden of darkness set upon Jack’s sight, he was met with innocent giggling that was all too familiar. His fingers twitched violently as if every bone was cracking one by one upon hearing those soft noises.

“Is-Is this…”

“Yes,” the voice in Jack’s head whispered gently, tickling his mind with ease. “This is the truth Jack, so let me help you two… I’ve helped you before, haven’t I?”

“Y-Yes you… have,” Jack said quietly beneath his breath.

“Then show me how much you’re willing to give yourself to me.”

Jack’s mind filled with darkness. He could feel his eyes going white as a black mist formed around him. “O-Okay…” Once Jack said that word, he lost consciousness and stood there, feeling nothing. Just complete emptiness.

As the two struggled to subdue Angela, they didn’t notice Jack in the room. He walked in like a possessed doll and grabbed a nearby scalpel. He slowly approached the first person in his line of sight, which was the nurse.

After much struggling, Angela randomly passed out, surprising the nurse and Mr. Mathew. Just when the nurse was about to grab a syringe, Jack plunged the scalpel deep behind her knee and into the top of her calf muscle, then pulled it out. She fell back, shrieking in pain as blood poured out of her wound like a sprinkler. Jack slightly chuckled out of amusement.

Mr. Mathew noticed and stared him down, while cracking his fingers. “Jack, put the scalpel down,” he said politely.

Jack didn’t say anything. Instead, he lunged at Mr. Mathew like a deranged lunatic, but the man casually grabbed Jack’s arm and clenched it as hard as he could. Jack could feel his arm was ready to snap in half from the adult’s grip, so he extended his other arm out and tried stabbing Mr. Mathew. However, he caught Jack’s arm and got face to face with him.

Mr. Mathew noticed the faint mist around Jack, and his eyes bulged. “Boy, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I do know that you’re definitely not right in the head.”

He punched Jack so hard in the stomach that he gagged out a pool of spit. He then let go of Jack, who dropped on all fours.

Jack coughed from the devastating blow. Mr. Mathew was ready to knock him unconscious with a chop to his neck. Jack’s body quivered and drool dripped from his corrupt smile. He seemed to be enjoying what was happening, which freaked Mr. Mathew out. The adult hurdled his chop towards Jack’s neck, but Jack surprisingly got up and caught his hand.

Mr. Mathew was left stunned. He tried throwing a punch, but Jack used his other arm to catch the man’s punch. It caught Mr. Mathew off guard.

They both looked into each other’s eyes and continued struggling against one another. Jack gritted his teeth and yelled at him, making a horrific, shrieking noise. Mr. Mathew couldn’t believe a boy could possess such strength let alone make such a horrific sound.

Jack kept pushing Mr. Mathew, but the adult chuckled hysterically and overpowered him. Their arms rattled as they kept pushing each other. Jack finally overpowered him and caused Mr. Mathew to lose his balance. The adult tripped and caught his fall with his arms by twisting his body slightly to land on his hands.

Mr. Mathew saw the scalpel approach him. He blocked it with his forearm, which made Jack slice through his entire forearm. The man screamed in pain and pushed Jack away with all his strength. Jack fell backwards and lost the scalpel. Mr. Mathew grabbed his arm and spotted a huge, long, gaping wound.

He couldn’t believe it. His pride as a man was hurt, not to mention that the wound was caused by someone like Jack. His face scrunched with such anger that he grit his teeth and turned to Jack with eyes filled with immense rage. “You-you little shit!”

The adult grabbed his elegant cross necklace and put it on. He kissed the pendant and stared straight at Jack. He knew Jack wasn’t right. There was no way a boy like him could overpower him. He knew something else was aiding Jack’s abnormal actions.

With his arm pouring blood like a faucet, he readied himself like a linebacker. He took slow, deep breaths. “Prepare yourself, you little psychopath!”

Mr. Mathew lunged forwards as Jack stood up. He grabbed his head from the immense pain inside his head, then shook. However, he had no time to react. Mr. Mathew grabbed Jack and slammed him so hard against the concrete wall. A huge crack ran up towards the ceiling behind Jack. The ceiling rattled and people nearby felt the tremor.

Jack gagged out blood as the mist disappeared around his body. Mr. Mathew let go of Jack and grabbed his arm, then placed pressure on the wound. Jack fell face first. He was unconscious as a small trail of blood poured out of his mouth, staining the white tiled floor that was covered by their open wounds.

Mr. Mathew wondered if Jack was dead, but as he stared at the dent in the wall, a shimmer of light shone near his eye. He noticed his cross glowing.

Dr. Cato rushed in and saw the chaos the two had caused. He noticed Mr. Mathew bleeding profusely from his wound and spotted the nurse who called him on the ground tending to her wound.

“What the hell happened here?!” Dr. Cato spluttered. Then he spotted Jack on the ground face down with blood dripping out of his mouth. “Mathew! You didn’t?!”

Mr. Mathew cracked his neck and moved his shoulders. “Relax. He ain’t dead yet, but the little bastard tried to kill us!” Mr. Mathew pointed at his cross pendant. “Look Cato, it looks like you know who might’ve been involved.”

Dr. Cato also noticed that his own cross was glowing. “H-How though? Hold up…” Dr. Cato turned Jack over and saw nothing wrong with him. “It probably possessed him for a moment since he wasn’t the only one wearing one.”

Mr. Mathew started tending to his own wound by stitching it himself. “Well, you did say that this wasn’t the first right? Not to mention he might be a lead to her goal. Am I right?”

Dr. Cato remembered when Jack shouted at him and all the windows cracked. “There’s no denying it then. He’s definitely the one.” Dr. Cato picked Jack up and slung him over his shoulder. “I’ll take care of him. You take care of Angela and make sure her therapy goes as follows, but please take yourself to a hospital.”

Mr. Mathew made a faint groan. “It’s alright… I don’t need no damn doctor, I’ve got this,” he said while continuing to stitch up his wound.

Dr. Cato called an ambulance for the nurse and ordered that she cannot say a word. She understood and waited for aid. After the call, Dr. Cato carried Jack back to his room. He arrived and kicked his door open, then placed Jack on his bed and made sure that Mr. Mathew hadn’t fractured a rib or any of his internal organs.

He placed pressure on Jack’s torso and abdomen, which made Jack moan from the pain. Dr. Cato started getting worried. As the doctor listened to Jack’s heartbeat, he looked out the window and saw someone standing in the doorway. When he looked back, no one was there. Dr. Cato thought he was imagining things, so he continued to take care of Jack.

“God damn kid, you’ve been nothing but trouble ever since you got here, huh.”

When Dr. Cato removed Jack’s shirt, he noticed a bump in his pants. He reached into Jack’s pocket and saw the same pills he was taking, but the bottle had been refilled.

He shook his head in disappointment. “Who would’ve thought you would become a junkie too.”

While Dr. Cato continued to take care of Jack, he didn’t notice Carolyn watching from across the hall. She had her hands clasped near her abdomen, but more importantly, she looked angry and ready for something.

The following morning, Jack had no idea what had happened. He woke up with severe pain all over his chest and stomach.

Dr. Cato came to check up on Jack. “It’s good to see you’re up now. You were dehydrated and passed out. Do you remember anything else?”

Jack shook his head while rubbing his eyes. “The last thing I remember was opening that door and my vision got foggy.”

“Is that so?” Dr. Cato said suspiciously, slightly squinting his eyes.

“You alright? You seem kinda weird right now, especially with the way you’re looking at me.”

Dr. Cato nodded. “Yeah, everything’s alright.”

“O-Okay, if that’s the case, can I see Angela later? If that’s alright with you?”

Dr. Cato continued to stare at Jack suspiciously, but he nodded to Jack’s request and turned around, leaving without saying another word. Jack didn’t understand why Dr. Cato kept staring at him like that. It only made him wonder what happened yesterday and what really caused him to black out and forget everything.

Still feeling the suspicious gaze of Dr. Cato on him, even though he was gone, Jack couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Something isn’t right here? No, definitely not!” Jack said nervously.

Later that afternoon, Dr. Cato allowed Jack to pick up Angela from her room. Dr. Cato stood at her bedside while the two made their way out. Before leaving her room, Jack noticed Dr. Cato’s gaze was still on him. Jack didn’t like being stared at, so he decided to confront Dr. Cato.

“Angela, wait here. I’m going to talk to the doctor real quick.”

Angela nodded and stayed still, watching Jack make his way towards Dr. Cato. However, Jack’s trip was cut short because Dr. Cato put his hand out and smiled.

“Please Jack, go and have fun with Angela. We can talk later.”

Jack stood there for a moment to bask in all the strange mystery revolving around him. He just couldn’t comprehend what was truly going on. So without saying another word, Jack, with a single drop of sweat dripping down the side of his face, turned around and walked away from the doctor. He regrouped with Angela and they both walked out of the room to head to the yard and hang out for an hour as usual.

Dr. Cato, on the other hand, walked out of Angela’s room in a hurry to get back into his office.

He arrived and Mr. Mathew was already there waiting for him. Dr. Cato sat at his desk, watching Mr. Mathew light a cigarette with one hand. Fumbling with the lighter, he managed not to singe the cast he had on his arm. After a few puffs of smoke, Mr. Mathew stared out into the yard.

“Cato… we’re in a heap of shit my friend,” he said as he puffed out a huge cloud of smoke.

Dr. Cato sighed. “Yeah… you’re right about that.”

Feeling his mood grow into worry, Dr. Cato laid his head down on his desk to bask in his mistakes. However, he had something else to ask Mr. Mathew.

“How did you acquire such strength to do that Mathew?” Dr. Cato asked as he stared at the photo of Angela and her family. “How’s he even alive from such an attack… I just don’t know anymore.”

That said, Mr. Mathew too was shocked by this abnormality. “Yeah, no kidding! I’m surprised myself. But this does give us some closure though. We now understand why he’s special.” He walked over to a filing cabinet and retrieved a file. “Years of research have led us to the possibilities of the paranormal.”

Dr. Cato clutched his head, feeling a migraine coming from the talks that defiled science. “Please, not another word about stuff that throws science out the window, Mathew.”

“But Cato, there’s probably more to this world than what we’ve been told.” He grabbed his cross and stared at it. “And yesterday… was proof of that.”

Hearing Mathew talk made the doctor’s head throb with more pain, which grew into an actual migraine inside his mind. “God, my head hurts. Please, no more about stuff that isn’t real. You’ve already convinced me enough about stuff like that. At first, I thought you were crazy…” He stood up and walked over to the window to look outside and into the yard. “Until her dad showed me something. That’s when I became a believer.”

“Cato.” Mr. Mathew walked over to his friend, then patted him on the back. They both stared at the kids, but glared at Angela and Jack, who seemed to be having the time of their lives. “We’ll get more answers. This is only the beginning, my friend.”