The frigid night air filled Deb's lungs as she stood in the parking lot. Snowflakes gently drifted from the sky, sticking to her face and glasses. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to break free. She stared wide-eyed at Zack, who was surrounded by a shimmering barrier.

As the car screeched to a halt inches from the barrier, Zack glanced over at Deb, fear playing in his eyes. His once blue eyes glowed a dim pink, the same color as the barrier that shielded him from harm. He looked like a demon straight out of her nightmares.

"Deb..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. The sight of terror etched across her face seemed to break something inside him. He dropped the barrier, clenched his teeth, and shot into the darkness with impossible speed.

"Zack, wait!" Deb called after him, but he was already gone.

Jessica emerged from her car, looking grim and apologetic. "Deb, I'm so sorry you had to find out about all this like this," she said, her brown eyes filled with regret.

"What the hell was that, you could have killed him. What is Zack exactly?" Deb stammered, her mind racing with questions and confusion.

"First years aren't supposed to know about this stuff, let alone be involved," Jessica replied, avoiding Deb's question. "We need to get you back to St. Jerome's dorms. They're on lockdown while we take care of this situation."

"We? Who is we exactly? I need to know what's happening!" Deb protested, her voice shaking.

"Sorry, Deb. Rules are rules. You'll get your answers when you are ready," Jessica said firmly.

As they drove back to the dorms, Deb couldn't help but be bombarded with all the questions swirling around in her mind. She knew Jessica would remain tight-lipped, but how could she just sit in a dorm when she knew what would happen to Zack if they caught him?

Upon arriving at St. Jerome's, Abby marched up to Jessica, her hazel eyes blazing with annoyance. "Zack is our best shot at finding Gluttony, and you let him slip away?" she barked.

"Deb needed to be taken care of," Jessica retorted defensively.

"Deb can take care of herself," Abby huffed, storming off.

Deb trudged to her room, her thoughts consumed by images of dancing with Zack at the winter formal, their all-day birthday date, and his heartfelt confession of love. And then the images of Ethel convulsing as Abby electrocuted her, flooded her mind.

Collapsing onto her bed, she stared at the ceiling, haunted by Zack's terrified expression as he fled from her. She knew she had to find him, taking a breath she gathered her knives and slipped out of her room.

-----

The cold wind whipped through the abandoned storefront, causing Rob to shiver as he struggled against Gluttony's iron grip, before being tossed across the dingy floor. Gluttony towered over him, a sinister grin plastered across his monstrous face.

"Alright, Rob," he said mockingly. "Tell me where Ethel they are keeping Ethel, and I might just reconsider killing you."

Rob swallowed hard, his throat dry from fear. He had no choice but to trust this demon if he wanted to survive. "She's... she's at a secret underground facility beneath St. Jerome's Parish. She told me about their training ground when she escaped from there the first time."

Gluttony's twisted smile widened. "Exorcists are just so predictable." Dragging Rob towards the exposed pipe, he used some loose wiring to tie him securely. "Stick around, Rob. If Ethel's where you say she is, I'll be back for you." With a menacing laugh, Gluttony vanished into the night, leaving Rob to contemplate his fate.

-----

Deb had just made it to her car when her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Boon, Ahmed had been found unresponsive in the Quad and was being rushed to Grand River Hospital.

Heart pounding, Deb apologized to Zack in her mind, he would have to wait just a little bit longer. Silently, she unlocked her car and slipped inside praying Ahmed would be ok, unaware of Abby following close behind.

The hospital's sterile halls seemed to echo with the urgency of Deb's footsteps as she raced to find her friend. Upon reaching the nurse's station, she inquired about Ahmed's room, only to be told that no one was allowed inside.

"However," the nurse added gently, "you can look in on your friend through the window."

Deb nodded her thanks and quickly made her way to the specified room. Peering through the window, she saw Ahmed lying motionless in the bed, tubes, and machines humming around him. Hot tears blurred her vision as she silently prayed for his recovery.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Ahmed didn't deserve this," she thought bitterly. "None of us did."

"Deb," a soft voice called out behind her. Startled, she turned to see Abby, wearing a mask of sympathy. Gently placing a hand on Deb's shoulder, she said, "I know this is hard, but you need to understand that this is the true nature of demons, like Zack. They destroy everything good in the world, just like they're destroying Ahmed."

"What is happening to him?" Deb asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Once the curse takes full effect," Abby continued, her words measured and deliberate, "Ahmed will be just as dangerous as any other vessel. Do you really want to see anyone else get hurt?"

"No, I don't." Deb's voice trembled as she spoke, her heart heavy with the weight of her decision. She looked back at Ahmed through the window, then met Abby's gaze, resolve to shine in her eyes. "What do you need me to do?"

A pleased smile graced Abby's lips. "Help me capture Zack," she said. "If we can find him, he can lead us to the sin that did this and no one else will have to suffer."

"Alright," Deb agreed, wiping away the last of her tears. "I'll help you."

-----

In the abandoned storefront, Rob fought against his restraints, the exposed wiring cutting into his wrists. Panic clouded his mind, only making his situation more desperate. Suddenly, Gluttony reappeared, Ethel in tow.

"Congratulations, Rob," Gluttony sneered, an unsettling grin spreading across his face. "Your usefulness knows no ends."

"Give me the names of the exorcists, and I might consider letting you go," Gluttony offered, his voice dripping with false sincerity.

Bitterness surged through Rob, "Well I think I caused enough harm for one evening, or did you and the exorcists guarding Ethel negotiate the trade peacefully."

"I think my methods were more than fair," Gluttony said with a cruel smile. "But if you have nothing to offer then I am afraid it is time for you to die."

"Wait!" Ethel interjected, desperation evident in her voice. "I know who started the fire. I'll tell you if you let Rob go."

Gluttony eyed her suspiciously for a moment before relenting, amusement flickering across his face. He untied Rob, who wasted no time scrambling to his feet and fleeing into the night.

"Abby was the one who started the fire," Ethel confessed once Rob was gone, her voice heavy with the weight of betrayal. "She's the one responsible for the death of your family."

-----

Rob's heart pounded as he stumbled into the hospital, still reeling from his narrow escape. He glanced around anxiously, seeking help until he stumbled across Ahmed's room. Beyond the door, he could see his friend hooked up to a myriad of machines, his body occasionally jerking in response to the shocks coursing through him. Rob's stomach churned at the sight.

"Did you see anything?" Lindsay's voice startled him as she approached from behind.

He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, lying through gritted teeth. "I don't know what happened to Ahmed, I was too busy trying to find a way to sneak Zack into the dance."

Lindsay looked relieved, offering him a comforting smile. "The doctors think Ahmed will make a full recovery," she assured him, her eyes filled with hope.

"Thank you," Rob replied, his voice weak as he moved towards the waiting room. Boon sat there in tense silence, the two boys exchanging a brief, knowing glance before turning their attention elsewhere.

Jessica entered the waiting room, her steely gaze locking onto Rob as she took a seat beside him. "Where is Zack hiding?" she demanded, but both boys refused to acknowledge her inquiry.

"Nothing's scarier than watching a friend become a vessel and having turned into a monster before your very eyes," Jessica added, nodding towards Ahmed's room.

"None of this is new to me," Rob retorted bitterly. "It's all the exorcists' fault anyway."

"Explain," Jessica commanded, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Abby lit the fire at Kyle's house that killed those twenty people," Rob revealed, his voice filled with anger. "Kyle became Gluttony in that fire. So, in a roundabout way, the deaths and Zack's curse are all your fault for not doing anything even though Abby broke the rules and killed innocent people."

Jessica's eyes widened in shock, the missing piece of the puzzle finally falling into place. Without another word, she rose from her seat and hurried out of the hospital.

-----

Meanwhile, Zack paced nervously in the woods behind Kyle's burned-out home, his breath misting in the cold air as he wondered where Rob was. Suddenly Ethel appeared from the tree line.

"Easy to find you by following your aura," she taunted. "You'll need more training to cover your trail."

Zack said nothing, pulling out his phone to display his location on the Find My Friends app. "My friends know I am here." Ethel nodded her approval of the countermeasure before a dagger sliced through the air, embedding itself in her shoulder. A second dagger flew past, narrowly missing her as a flashbang exploded, blinding Zack.

Ethel pulled Zack to his feet, attempting to escape when Deb stepped in front of them, blocking their path. She flashed them her phone, which showed Zack's location "Now you are going to tell me the truth about everything." She demanded.

Abby emerged from the woods behind Deb, "I am afraid explanations will have to wait," her eyes widened for a moment realising Ethel had escaped once again "It is time to put these monsters down and save the citizens of Waterloo from their evil."

Confusion clouded Deb's face; "I thought we were just going to catch them so they can tell us where to find the sin."

Abby pushed the dagger deeper into Ethel's shoulder to show her seriousness, then drew a revolver, aiming it at Zack's head. "We did that, now it is time to finish the job."

Jessica arrived just in time, "What the hell are you doing! Stand down right now Abby, the boy has done nothing wrong!" she ordered. "I knew that you always push the envelope, but murdering those people in that fire, you know there will be consequences."

"I found the monsters and I destroyed them, I did my job! I kept the city safe! this boy will be just like all the others one day, so why should I wait until someone gets hurt before I strike him down?" Abby insisted, frustration clear in her voice.

Jessica countered "No one asked you to murder innocent people, including children."

Abby defiantly declared "Everyone in that house was guilty for befriending monsters! For growing up to become a monster!" her resolve was unshaken.

With no other choice, Jessica drew her firearm and aimed it directly at Abby, the tension in the air electric as the standoff between exorcists and vessels reached a breaking point.