Overtaken by an odd sensation during the final minutes of class, my attention turned to the purple mist circulating outside of the classroom.

You can’t be serious, I thought to myself. With the amount of negativity radiating off the students in this school, it didn’t surprise me that a demon would come here to find a puppet to string along.

I contemplated whether to act or keep my word to Lucas. A decision came a minute later after I could no longer resist the urge to rid the evil in the air.

“Can I use the bathroom?” I requested, raising my hand. “It’s an emergency.”

The teacher groaned. “Go ahead.”

Getting out of my seat, I rushed into the hall and followed the Shadow Current, bumping into a man wearing a navy-blue suit in the process. After running up a secluded stairway to the third floor, I halted after seeing the girl from last night coming down the stairs that led to the roof.

“I wouldn’t go up there if I were you,” she said so nonchalantly. She was less scary now without the creepy stalker vibe, but I still couldn’t sense any emotion from her. “Trust me, you’re gonna get your ass killed. There’s too many of them to fight.”

“I’m sorry, who are you? What do you mean there’s too many of them?”

“Too many demons, obviously. Isn’t that why you’re here? And who I am isn’t important, just know that the girl up there ready to kill herself is too far gone. You’re only gonna die trying to save her.”

Who the hell did she think she was?

“Look, I don’t know who you are, how you know about the demons, or why you were stalking me last night, but if you’re not gonna do anything about the problem up there, I suggest you mind your own business.”

She snickered at my remark and walked past me with a brush of her shoulder. “Your funeral, sweetheart. I’ll see you on the other side when I get there.”

Ignoring her comment, I walked upwards to the roof door and opened it. The cloudy sky came with an ominous wind that smacked across my face, but nothing was more chilling than the sight in front of me.

“Val?” my voice quavered as a gut-wrenching feeling dispelled my confidence. “What are you doing up here? Are you about to—”

“Go away. Don’t try to stop me.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening. My best friend stood near the edge of the building with her vision fixated on the ground three stories below. A strong gust blew her chestnut-brown hair into the air, bringing with it an evil presence. My eyes widened at the ogre-like demon now hovering over her.

“No. Not her. Get away from her.” My shaky words diminished into silence as I took small steps forward.

Valeria turned to face me, her eyes red and puffy. “Please, just let it be over. I’m tired of being abused, and I’m sick of being judged by everyone. I can’t wake up to the same sad life anymore, Aliyah. I just can’t.”

“Val, no. Please, you have to fight the voice in your head. One of the demons I’ve been telling you about is manipulating you.”

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“I don’t care. I just want an escape. And once I’m gone, Tyler can be happy again. All I do is make him miserable because I’m so depressed about my own life. I want to leave this place and be forgotten. Why can’t you understand?”

I stepped forward and reached out to her, but the demon threatened to intervene by wrapping its sizable frame around her. Normally, I’d try aiding the person in defeating their own demons so they could remember their wrongdoings and not hold on to the same sinful desire, but this was far from the usual situation. Valeria could die at any second.

The demon opened its mouth and whispered an incoherent message in Valeria’s ear. I had seen enough. It was time to risk it all.

I dashed toward the demon, chakram in hand. Smaller fiends appeared from all angles to strike me down, but most were purged after being hit by rapid throws of my chakram. It was tough to keep up the pace and manifest repeated rings of light, but I was not going to lose my best friend. Not now. Not ever.

“Don’t listen to it, Val,” I called out, fighting through the army of darkness. “I’m almost there. I’m gonna save you.”

Or so I thought. A frontal assault from the remaining demons ripped through my attire and pierced my skin, a hard thrust forcing me back to where I started. They cackled at my failure, but their uncanny expressions were a joke compared to the sudden eerie view of Valeria.

“Save me?” Her voice now demonic. Her face contorted into a devilish grin. “How can you save me when you’re always too busy helping strangers instead of those closest to you? Why waste your time on me when you have a perfect life? A perfect boyfriend. A perfect family.”

“Val, you are my family. You’re like a sister to me. Please, don’t let the demon influence you.”

Tears began to break free from my eyes. I had encountered people with strong resolves in the past, but none with the complexity and personal attachment to me as Valeria. She wasn’t just someone with a sinful desire, but my best friend who I knew and loved.

“Why do you want me to stay here and suffer? So you can be happy? You’re so selfish.”

“If saving you means I’m selfish, then I don’t care. I already lost a brother, Val. I am not losing you too. You need to understand that no one knows what the future will bring. Staying alive gives you options. It means life can get better. You’ll never know if it will if you do this.”

My speech erased her twisted smirk, and it would appear the demon’s manipulation was broken had the creature not spoken into her ear once more. Seeing her step on the edge of the building, I released a ray of light toward the beast, but the beam failed to reach its target due to the lesser demons grouping together to absorb the radiance in a cloak of shadows.

Valeria lowered her head and said, “I love you”. Her words were heavenly even coming from the voice of hell.

“Val, no. Please.”

I had to save her no matter what, but the swarm of lesser demons prohibited me from reaching her while the larger entity delivered another message. The creatures continued to pile on, now blocking my view of Valeria. I pressed forward with relentless force, but I feared it was too late. They backed away to give me a clear view of the truth: my best friend was gone.

The demons shrieked in pleasure as tears streamed down my face like a running faucet. I was defeated, unable to rescue someone dear to me. For the first time, I wasn’t the winner. I was the loser.

Not wanting to end their reign of terror, the demons pounced on top of me like a pack of wolves, sinking their teeth and claws into my skin. I screamed from the torment being inflicted while managing to unleash a combination of strikes and throws with my chakram to purge the circle of animals.

The nightmare continued, however, with another round of bloodthirsty fiends. They ravaged my body and tore my clothes to shreds, putting cuts on my legs and torso. My best attempts to fight back were useless as more joined the battle whenever the fight would sway in my favor.

“Give her back.” I fought on, cutting through as many as I can. “I said give her back.”

Slash. Another one down. Slash, they came again. And again. My mind, body, and soul could take no more. I just wanted my friend back.

“Just give her back. Please.”

Covered in blood with no strength or will to carry on, I begged for my suffering to end. The horde of demons fulfilled my wish with a conjoined swipe that sent my body off the roof of the school.

Falling to the ground, I expected the last images in my head to be of my family, my boyfriend, and my closest friends. But as I plummeted faster, the only visuals were fragments of unexplainable thoughts until there was only darkness.