POV Seth

Seth stepped out into the warm June evening just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Closing the distance from their last patrol of the campus’ outer ring, two middle-aged security guards barred his path, silently demanding an explanation as is standard when nearing curfew.

“I just finished a session with Dr. Yan,” Seth explained.

The pair shared a quizzical look, before regarding Seth with concern. “That on the books, Sport? It’s more than a little after office hours.” The older man frowned at Seth.

“I requested a later session, because I had exams all day and thought a nap might mentally prepare me for my session afterwards. They accommodated me, although I wasn’t expecting a session this late,” Seth confessed.

“Which doctor did you say?” The officer was pulling up records on his handheld device, verifying Seth’s claim.

“Dr. Margaret Yan,” he repeated.

The older of the pair nodded as he looked over her schedule for the day. “And your name?”

“Seth Wright.” Seth felt the sinister chill of the therapist’s vengeance looming.

“You talk to anyone about your sessions? Preferably today’s session, and in writing.”

He couldn’t remember. It was an odd question. “I think so. I scheduled it for Sunday.”

“The day after the game?”

“Uh yeah, is that weird?”

The older officer shrugged. “I don’t know about weird, but it’s never happened before.” He smiled at his own joke. His brows furrowed deeply. He closed his application. “I’ll be frank with you, Sport, I can’t find shit all about your sessions. Not for today or any day this week.”

Seth couldn’t hide his shock. A firm squeeze of his shoulder promptly forced his panic down. “You’re in breach of curfew officially as of twenty minutes ago. We’re supposed to detain you. But as luck would have it, I traced your location to Dr. Yan’s office just now. So I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to grab that buggy over there, and take you straight home and log your arrival personally. So no funny business, you hear?”

“Yes, sir.” Relief washed over Seth.

“You mind saving me a seat, Paul,” the old guard spoke to the younger one. “I’ll have to rush dinner.”

“It was chilli you wanted, with a nice hot butter bun, right?” Paul replied. Guilt gnawed at Seth, but it was better than a report to his sponsors that he’d broken curfew.

“Don’t look so glum, kid. It’ll be ten-minutes tops to the barracks. Still plenty of time to eat, and I can get my coffee to go.” The older guard lightly punched Seth in the arm. He nodded toward the buggies, signaling for him to get in.

“You’ll escort him to Security Station A,” came doctor Yan’s voice. “I have half a mind to write you both up for non-compliance of curfew laws.” That woman’s voice tore through Seth’s mind like raking claws.

“But you kept him past curfew,” the younger of the two uttered while looking anywhere else. Her attention was honed in on the other man, who stared daggers at her.

“You and me, Missy, we’re gonna have words with the Headmaster about what went down here. And don’t you think I can’t smell your bullshit a mile away? I tore down demons with more brains than you.” The older man moved in front of Seth, shielding him from the viper in the guise of a therapist.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Badge number,” she hissed.

The old man jutted his chin out at her, his large frame towering over her, his muscle tensing. “Your session should have ended thirty-minutes ago, that’s the rules. His breach of curfew is on you, Missy. Maybe you should write up yourself.”

“Badge. Number. Now.” she repeated with every ounce of command she could muster. Of course, with Seth standing there, it was unlikely she’d deny the session. She could, and there’s nothing he or the officers could prove otherwise. Why such an underhanded tactic? Was she really trying to get him kicked out of the Academy? For what reason? Considering she murdered people because she could, his removal was mundane by comparison. Seth felt his panic resurfaced with a vengeance.

“Sergeant Will Noland to you, doctor. Badge number SD173-894.” Sergeant? Seth held onto the man’s firm voice, clinging to each word like a lifeline, while forcing his mind to think only of the words. He was an active soldier? Here, at the Academy?

The soldier turned abruptly and patted Seth on the shoulder. “Sorry, Sport, this issue has a bit of history and you just got caught in the crossfires. I’m having Paul here take you to Security Station A. As for me, I’m going to make a report, right fucking now,” he shot to the doctor, then turned back to Seth, “to the Headmaster to see if we can’t get this mess sorted before lights-out. Paul,” the sergeant barked at his partner. “Dinners on me next time, okay? You go ahead and take my rations to the kid when you come back out on patrol. He doesn’t need any of this bullshit.”

Paul nodded and gestured for Seth to come with him as the Sergeant stormed into the administration building with the doctor scowling after him. She didn’t even glance Seth’s way when she followed the soldier into the building, granted at a controlled and unhurried pace. She’d done this all before, that much was apparent. How many people has she ruined, just because she could?

“Followed your game this past weekend,” Paul said, attempting to distract Seth from this growing disaster. He took a leisurely pace down the outer ring of the Academy, not so much as looking at the herd of buggies waiting to be used.

Seth gestured to them in a silent question. His throat had run dry, and words refused to form.

Paul nodded at them. “You want to enjoy the nice evening we got here? I might not be full-time military like Will there, but I served. I’m pretty sure if a demon pops up, I can take him.” The grim look on the former veteran’s face told Seth a different story. “Honestly, I kind of wish Will was here instead of me. The dark still makes me…”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to talk about it. No one wants to talk about it,” Seth forced himself to say, despite how desperate he was to hear every detail.

“I need this. This is normal,” Paul said. “Safest place top-side to work. I was lucky. A pal of mine pulled a few strings. Didn’t expect to be put on night patrol, though. But it ain’t bad. Nothing has happened. I guess I’m just not used to it. Don’t matter anyway, I can’t sleep at night anymore. Will’s been a huge help, though. Ah, sorry kid, I’m runnin’ my mouth. You don’t need to hear any of this.”

He needed it. He needed to know. This man was recovering, returning to a state of normality. Seth couldn’t bear to take that from him. “Would Will tell me?” Seth croaked.

Paul shrugged. “If you ask, he might. Sometimes… well, I shouldn’t say.”

“Go on.”

“Sometimes, kid, I wonder if we ever leave the war. Or if we’re just stuck there,” he tapped the side of his head. “Stuck fighting those monsters forever. I feel like that now. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to just forget it all happened. Part of me doesn’t want to forget, you know. I lost a lot of buddies. They should be remembered. But maybe forgetting is healthier, you know? To help me move on. But there are people like Will. Will made a choice to not leave. Not in here,” Paul tapped the side of his head again, then his heart, “And not here. It’s like those monsters don’t even scare him. They scare the shit out of me. Every fucking night…”

Just like Seth. His dreams were filled with monsters.

“I like you, kid, so I’m gonna tell you something that’s gonna make you piss yourself. But I need you to keep it together. Will and I know where you are, and I already sent for a guy to keep guard. But the last person we put in holding under that woman’s orders, he didn’t come out for a week. We were told they went straight home. Didn’t think to follow up after his scheduled release. It’s just curfew right.”

“What did she do to them?”

Paul shrugged. “Nothing. Like literally nothing. She just left them there.” The silence stretched for a long moment, implying more. “Including no food. No water. For a solid fucking week. He wasn’t even supposed to be in holding past dawn! There wasn’t even a fucking log…”

“Wait! Are you saying she killed them?”

“Officially, the kid went home. Unofficially, I’m going to give you a fuck ton of food cubes, and more water than you’ll know what to do with. Let’s just say the boys in holding didn’t care about getting nailed with the blame.”

“I think it might have been intentional,” Seth admitted.

“Between you, me, and that security drone,” Paul pointed to the drone that had passed them by, “me too.”