Rob searched for Deb among the library bookshelves, a week's worth of planning was about to pay off. He needed to make sure everyone was on the same page for the night. The late winter sun was setting, dying the library interior a glowing orange.
"OK, so you're sure you can get the keys from Pablo?" Rob said, struggling to catch his breath. "I'll search Pablo's office, I never play anyway."
Deb, leaning against her chair with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "We still have to worry about him leaving the game early. If you get caught, I don't know how you will be able to talk yourself out of it."
Rob sighed, understanding the gravity of the situation yet wishing there was another way. "It's fine, Deb. You know if there is one thing I am good at, it's talking. Just get me the keys and I can take care of the rest."
"Deal," Deb agreed, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Now let's get you to the locker room before people start to wonder where you are." Rob nodded, realizing he was cutting it close to came time.
It was the last basketball game of the season, the bleachers were filled with excited fans, their cheers echoing through the gym. Rob sat on the bench as usual, eyes scanning the crowd in search of Deb and Pablo, she had assured him that he would be there. Instead, his gave fell on Leona as she arrived at the game.
Leona weaved her way through the masses with Sarah trailing behind her. They took their seats close to the Waterloo bench, directly behind Boon. Leona leaned in to speak to him, her voice barely audible over the cheers.
"Boon, we found something," she said urgently. "That weird pixelation you were talking about is the result of the video being tampered with."
"What? So it has nothing to do with the fact I dropped the camera?" Boon asked, his confusion flaring momentarily before curiosity took over. "Can you fix it?"
"We might be able to fix it. Someone edited out about two hours of footage," Sarah explained, her eyes darting around nervously. "My question is why anyone would bother editing a movie of you sleeping, the run time isn't really the problem with that one."
"Something must have happened during those two hours then, right?" Boon's eyes widened. "I mean why else would someone edit it out."
"Well I mean maybe, but are you sure you didn't accidentally cut out a section of footage when you were trying to upload it?" Leona asked, clearly trying to figure out a logical explanation for the footage.
"Is that possible?" Boon asked, now unsure of himself.
"It doesn't matter," Sarah said, "We'll restore the footage and it will be as good as new." Before Boon could thank them, he was called subbed into the game.
The basketball court was alive with pounding sneakers, sharp whistles, and raucous cheers. The University of Waterloo players were being decimated by Western, all thanks to one enormous brute named Bijan. Bijan's monstrous form barreled down the court with a single-minded fury, leaving injured UW players in his wake.
"Zack, you've got to do something," Boon urged, his green eyes blazing with frustration. "Use your vessel powers and take that guy down."
Zack glanced over at the stands, where Pablo sat, watching intently. "I can't," he replied through gritted teeth. "Pablo's here. He's an exorcist." Zack hoped their plan for the night would go off without a hitch as he looked up at Deb, who had taken her seat next to Pablo.
Deb shivering dramatically. She turned to Pablo, feigning a wide-eyed vulnerability. "Pablo, I'm so cold. Can I borrow your coat?"
"Of course," Pablo said, draping his coat around Deb's shoulders without hesitation. As she settled into its warmth, her nimble fingers searched the pockets, finally closing around a set of keys.
"Got it," Deb whispered, carefully dropping the keys behind the bleachers for Rob to find.
Rob had moved from the bench while the coach was distracted by a bad call, slipping under the bleachers to retrieve the key and head to Pablo's office.
Above him, Sarah sat on the bleachers, her camera in hand. Kenzie had sat next to her, she was watching the game with a mixture of awe and horror.
"Hey, I've seen you at a few games, are you one of the player's girlfriends?" Sarah asked, her voice barely audible over the noise of the crowd.
"Oh, no," Kenzie replied, concern etched on her face. "A friend of mine is on the team." she pointed to Zack, who was racing up the court.
"Oh same here," Sarah agreed, snapping a photo of Zack.
"Are you with the University paper?" Kenzie asked.
"No, photography is just a passion of mine." Sara gestured to her camera. Sara turned her camera to the stands, pausing when she got to Deb.
"Nice," Kenzie said absentmindedly, her attention returning to the game.
-----
Rob hurried through the parking lot towards the dean's office, the cold metal of the keys pressing into his palm. He could hear the gravel crunch with each footstep as he half-ran through the lot. As he turned the corner an unexpected sight brought him to a sudden halt.
Ahmed's car was parked, inside, Ahmed sat alone, tears streaming down his face as he stared blankly at the steering wheel. Rob hesitated before making his way over to the car and tapping on the window.
"Ahmed?" he called softly, as Ahmed rolled down his window. "Are you alright?"
Ahmed's red-rimmed eyes darted up to meet Rob's gaze. "I... I don't know," he choked out, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Can I come in?" Rob asked gently, and Ahmed nodded before unlocking the passenger door. Settling into the seat beside him, Rob wracked his brain for something comforting to say, but the words eluded him.
"Listen, Ahmed," he started, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, he knew he should be looking for the book but he couldn't leave Ahmed this way. "You don't have to tell me what's going on, but I promise you when you are ready to talk I will listen, okay?" Ahmed nodded but still didn't say a word, he just kept looking straight out the front window, "I have to take care of something important right now, but I'll right come back. Hang in there."
Ahmed nodded, wiping away the fresh tears that had begun to fall. With a final pat on the shoulder, Rob left the car and resumed his mission, his heart aching at the thought that he wasn't able to help his friend.
-----
Back on the court, the game continued to escalate in intensity. Bijan, was relentless, easily making his way through their defense. As yet another teammate was removed from the court due to injury, the coach scanned the bench, desperate for a replacement. His eyes landed on Kristian, whom he'd all but forgotten was part of the team.
"Kristian!" the coach barked. "Get in there!"
"Wait, Coach," Olivia whispered, grabbing Kristian's arm. "He can't play tonight, he is on rest."
"Olivia, the team needs me," Kristian insisted, shaking off her grip. "I have to help them." He moved towards the court, determination etched on his face.
"Fine," Olivia huffed, rolling her eyes. "But just remember if Ethel finds out, she will be pissed. I am not sticking around to be blamed for letting you do this." With an exasperated sigh, she stood and left the game, disappearing into the crowd.
As Kristian joined his teammates, he couldn't help but feel a sense of purpose wash over him, he was going to his new abilities to the test and come out on top.
-----
Rob finally slipped into Pablo's office, his heart pounding in his chest. The dimly lit room was eerily quiet, the only sound being the ticking of a small wooden clock on Pablo's desk. He scanned the bookshelves, they were filled to the brim with dusty leather-bound first editions of the classics, but there was no sign of a master text of all supernatural creatures.
"Looking for something?" a voice whispered in his ear, causing Rob to jump.
"Olivia!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "What are you doing here?"
"The game got boring," she replied, her brown eyes narrowing suspiciously. "I thought I would see what the Scooby gang was up to."
"Ha ha, very funny," Rob muttered, running a hand through his curly hair. "Well, sorry to disappoint you but it looks like there is nothing here, so you can just go."
"I don't think so," Olivia said, she smiled at him, "Ethel has been wanting a one-on-one with you. This seems like a good time for it, wouldn't you agree." Her words had Rob's blood run cold. It was clear to him Ethel only wanted to intimidate him into telling her what they knew.
---
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Back in the gymnasium, Kristian was proving himself to be an unexpected force on the court. With each powerful stride, he dodged and leaped past the opposing players, his agility catching the coach completely off guard.
"Who knew the kid had it in him?" Reynolds murmured, his surprise mirrored on the faces of the crowd.
Bijan, charged towards Kristian with a sneer, clearly intending to knock him out of the game. But Kristian anticipated the move and sidestepped at the last moment, sending Bijan crashing to the floor.
"Didn't see that one coming, did you?" Kristian taunted, unable to suppress a grin. Then, without warning, his eyes shifted to an almost navy blue, his vessel side peeking through if only for a moment.
"Get a grip, Kristian," he chastised himself mentally, attempting to will his eyes back to normal. "You're dead if anyone saw your eyes." He glanced around nervously, hoping that none of the exorcists sitting in the crowd had seen the commentary change.
-----
Elsewhere Rob was struggling against his captor, "Ow, ow, ow!" Rob yelped as Olivia grabbed his ear and practically dragged him towards the university ice rink. "It is going to be hard to answer Ethel's questions if you tear my ear off."
"You've got two don't you?" Olivia said curtly, her grip on his ear unrelenting.
As soon as they entered the arena, Ethel stood by the edge of the rink, her eyes like daggers piercing into Rob. "We need to talk, I know you saw what happened to Maria. You need to tell me everything," she demanded.
"Maria? I don't know any Marias" Rob feigned confusion, trying to keep any details hidden for now. "Sorry, but I think you got your wires crossed."
"Shut up, Rob," Ethel snapped, clearly not fooled. "I read the incident report, it wasn't hard to steal. Now, tell me what you really saw that night."
Rob swallowed hard, clearly, ethel wasn't going to let him go until he told her everything. At that moment he wished he had just stayed at the game.
Back at the basketball game, Kristian's sudden talent was causing a stir. Zack approached him, urgency in his voice. "Kristian, you have to tone it down. you're going to..."
"Win the game," Kristian interrupted his focus on the game. "I'm just doing what you are too scared to do."
"Fine," Zack conceded, knowing he couldn't force Kristian to leave without causing a scene. As he returned to the game, part of his focus was still on Kristian and he didn't see the Western player. Zack was sent flying backward from the impact, landing on his arm with a sickening crunch. The crowd gasped, and even Pablo winced at the sound.
"Zack!" Kristian yelled, rushing to his side along with the rest of the team. But before they could reach him, Zack's healing powers kicked in, and he was already on his feet.
"I'm fine" Zack reassured them, waving his arm. "It sounded worse than it was." The whole gym seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as Zack appeared unharmed.
---
Back at the rink, Rob hesitated before answering Ethel's question. "I didn't see anything, whatever it was, I literally couldn't see it," he explained, his voice barely a whisper.
"So this thing is invisible, that complicates things," Ethel said icily, her disappointment and frustration evident in her tone. "This thing is more dangerous than I thought, and with Pablo still looking for us it is going to be hard to take care of it."
Rob watched Ethel become lost in thought, she was clearly trying to think of a solution. He knew Ethel wasn't really their enemy but she wasn't really reliable either. As he questioned how much he should really tell Ethel about the invisible creature, a familiar scent wafted through the air.
Dread settled in Rob's stomach like a stone. The creature was here, with them, in the room. Before he could say anything, the invisible force grabbed Olivia and hurled her against the wall with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
"Run!" Ethel instructed, but the creature moved too fast. Its fangs sank into her neck, and she let out a cry of pain before managing to pull it off of herself.
Rob rushed to Ethel's side, helping her limp away from their unseen pursuer. Fumbling for his phone to call Zack, he dropped it, letting go of Ethel for just a moment attempting to retrieve it. But that moment was all it took, Ethel lost her balance and fell onto the ice, prompting Rob to ditch his phone to make sure she was ok.
Trying to slip, Rob made his way to her side, her body now paralyzed by the venom coursing through her veins. They could only wait in terror as the sounds of the creature told them it was circling the rink.
-----
The basketball game had ended in a victory, Jessica and Father Bill were busy preparing dinner when Pablo and Deb arrived with Zack in tow. Both hosts were rendered speechless by the unexpected appearance of Zack. The ensuing meal was punctuated by long, awkward silences, broken only by Pablo's seemingly naive questions about Zack and Deb's past relationship.
"Tell me, why did you two break up?" Pablo asked innocently. "From what I was told by Abby, the two of you were inseparable."
"Our families really just didn't get along." Zack lied, trying to sound convincing.
"Awe, a real Romeo and Juliette situation," Pablo mused, "Shame it broke up such a promising relationship."
"At least no one died in the end." Father Bill said as he ate some of his salad.
"They are still young," said Jessica, as she eyed Zack. "I need some help plating dessert, Zack why don't you help me out." Zack followed her to the kitchen, worried about what she was going to do to him.
Jessica cornered Zack the moment they were out of sight, pinning him against the refrigerator with a stern expression. "You do realize how dangerous this is, right?" she hissed. "If Pablo figures out that you're a vessel, we're all in trouble."
Zack swallowed hard, acutely aware of the precarious situation they were in. He knew he had promised to stay away but he couldn't come up with a reason to say no to Pablo's invite at the time. He knew that every moment he spent here put him at risk of being exposed, but he also knew Pablo was perceptive and just leaving would only raise more questions.
-----
Back at the rink, Rob's muscles ached as he dragged Ethel's limp body to the bench. Sweat mixed with chilled air stung his eyes, but he dared not let go of her. The creature paced around the rink's edge, its claws clicking against the boards like a sinister metronome. Rob could feel it watching them, he wondered why it hadn't killed them already.
"Can you...reach your phone?" Ethel whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of their labored breathing.
"Maybe," Rob replied, gritting his teeth as he steadied himself with one arm and stretched out the other toward the phone lying precariously close to the rink's edge. His fingers brushed against the device, snatching it away just as the creature lunged forward with a screech of frustration. With trembling hands, Rob dialed Zack's number and prayed he would answer.
"Zack? We're in trouble, please pick up." He said out loud as the phone rang.
-----
Meanwhile, at Father Bill's house, Zack and Deb had excused themselves from dinner under the guise of needing some fresh air. They slipped into Pablo's room, searching for the demonology book. His room was cleaner than any room Zack had ever seen, he was sure if they moved anything even an inch Pablo would know.
"Look, a safe!" Deb exclaimed in a hushed whisper, pointing to the small metal box hidden behind a stack of books. "Looks like it needs a four-digit number to open it."
"And how do we figure that out?" Zack questioned, knowing they only had so much time before they would have to return the others.
"Easy, the faded numbers are the ones he uses for the combination," she points to the four faded numbers. "I think he is using Abby's birthday," She pressed the numbers, 0 5 2 9, and the safe clicked open to reveal a leather-bound book, She pulled it out to get a better look.
"Damn, it's just about herbs and flowers," Deb muttered in disappointment. The shrill ring of Zack's phone interrupted their search, causing him to fumble and almost drop the device.
Zack tried to turn it off before they could get caught. He didn't register Rob's name scrolling across it, too focused on the potential danger of being caught in Pablo's room. Hanging up abruptly, I thought struck him as he stared down at his phone. "What if the demonology book is digital, a file would be easier to carry and you can search for the keywords you need to help you identify the creature you are dealing with."
"That does make sense, and Pablo is always carrying around a flash drive, " Deb suggested, remembering the one on Pablo's keyring. "Oh my God, Rob still has it."
As Zack raced back to the university, following the faint trail of Rob's aura, he couldn't believe they had forgotten about Rob. He checked his phone seeing the call he missed was from Rob and wondered why Rob hadn't tried to call him back since.
"Please be okay, Rob," he muttered under his breath as he sprinted through the darkened campus, determined to face whatever awaited him head-on.
-----
At the arena, Rob did his best to keep Himself and Ethel at center ice. His fear for their survival peaked, he noted that the creature never tried to step foot on the ice, he strained his hearing to try and figure out where it was around the rink, and that's when he heard a voice that gave him hope.
"I'm here," Zack yelled, his voice strained and distorted in his vessel form. Rob was filled with relief as he pushed Ethel's paralyzed body towards Zack. With a mighty roar, Zack leaped into action, sending a wave of telekinetic energy through the arena in an attempt to locate the creature.
"Zack, be careful!" Rob shouted, watching as something came from behind lifting Zack into the air. The creature tossed Zack through the glass above the boards, causing it to shatter. Zack got to his feet and used his telekinesis to cause the glass around him to rise up, he made the glass from a wall in front of him. The creature noticed its lack of reflection, causing it to become confused as a whimper left its mouth. In a frenzied panic, it fled the scene.
"Is it... gone?" Ethel whispered, her breath ragged.
"Seems so," Zack replied, reverting to his human form, the glass falling on the ice around him. "But that was too close, we got lucky this time."
Zack went over and helped Ethel back to her feet and she regained control of her body. "Let's get out of here before it decides to come back," Rob suggested, as he helped Olivia.
As they made their way to the parking lot, Deb appeared with the flash drive in hand. "I need the keys back, Pablo is looking everywhere for them and I told him I would check the gym." she held out her hand for them.
"Great, now we will never know what that thing is," Rob muttered, feeling like they have lost again.
"No, I will make a copy of the Demonology book before I return them," Deb promised, taking the keys back.
"You don't need that book to know what that thing was," Ethel interjected, her eyes narrowing in thought. "That creature... it's a Familiar. They're rare but can occur when something is both alive and dead."
"So we are dealing with some kind of invisible zombie," Rob suggested, the words carrying a weight of dread.
"Worse," Ethel said. "They can heal like vessels and have super strength, this one can even create some kind of toxin." She looked over at Zack. "Looks like you are going to get what you want, after all, this takes priority over the exorcists."
"So you'll help us?" Zack questioned, concern lacing his voice.
"No," Ethel snapped, her determination unwavering. "This is too dangerous for you, you have no idea what you are dealing with." Zack went silent, there was no countering that. Ethel and Olivia disappeared into the night.
Feeling defeated, Deb left to make a copy of the demonology book, to see if there was more information on Familiars inside. Rob wanted to head back to the dorms to sleep off the whole incident, but Zack didn't go with him. Instead, he decided to walk around Ring Road to clear his head.
"A vessel and a thief," a voice interrupted from behind Zack. He froze, feeling the cold steel of a knife pressing into his side. Pablo stood there, smirking as he twisted the blade, pain searing through Zack's gut. "And here I thought all of Gluttony's vessel had found a covenant to hide in." Pablo eyed him like a predator eyeing its prey.
"Wh-what do you want?" Zack choked out, struggling to stay standing as blood oozed around the knife.
"Simple," Pablo leaned in close, whispering in Zack's ear, his breath hot and menacing. "You're going to do me a favor. And if you don't comply, well," he reached into Zack's pocket and retrieved his phone, tapping the screen Pablo showed Zack's background photo of Deb to him, "let's just say she doesn't heal the same way you do."
"Fine," Zack gritted his teeth, suppressing a groan as he fought against the pain. "What do I have to do?" It was taking all that he had to remain standing, he could feel the blood loss making him weak.
"I knew you would see things my way," Pablo said, withdrawing the knife. "I have a simple request, I want Ethel."
"I'm not a part of her covenant, I don't know where is is living right now," Zack explained, knowing there was no way he could turn Ethel over to Pablo even if he wanted to.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Pablo said coldly, then he turned and started walking away. "I look forward to our next little chat." he waved as he disappeared into the night, leaving Zack alone with his thoughts.