Connor's middle school came into view, drenching him in nostalgia. Memories of stressing over assignments and praying for the abolishment of pop quizzes filled him with a bizarre sense of longing. It was a simpler time, a time when he truly felt like a normal teenager.

The building had an exterior composed of brown brick—immaculately maintained shrubs and bushes garnishing its otherwise plain looking facade.

Mr. Au hopped out of the car and snatched his axe from the trunk. "Connor, lead the way," he said as he marched toward the building's entrance. Connor grabbed his bottle of holy water, cueing Victor and Summer to do the same. He then hurried toward one of the four enormous front doors and pressed against its metal push bar. Years of use faded its silver color, leaving it murky and smudged. Unfortunately, the door didn't move, prompting him to try the other three. But they were just as uncooperative as the first.

"It's locked," Connor said.

"We can see that," Victor snorted.

"Watch out," Mr. Au said while waving Connor away. He took several steps back and then launched into a front kick, busting the door wide open. He stomped through the entryway, gripping his axe with two hands. Summer and Connor gave Victor a glance. He smiled, unmoved by this sudden feat of superhuman strength.

"Hopefully, all that noise grabbed the demon's attention," Mr. Au said.

Connor prowled ahead. "And why would we want that, exactly?"

"If this guy is in the janitor's closet, I assume he's in there to hide. And I'm pretty sure I just made enough noise to distract the demon's search for a bit." He stopped. "Decapitation is the only way to kill one, right?"

Victor gaped at his father's bright red axe handle. "Yes, sir."

"Got it. Connor, take point."

"Sir," Connor said with a nod.

As Connor stalked through the halls of his old middle school, he was astounded by how small everything looked. The lockers he used to peer up at now came up to his shoulders, and the hallways he remembered getting lost in when he first got there as a pimple-faced sixth grader were now significantly more narrow.

The pale sunlight beaming through the windows partially illuminated their path—each of their shadows licking at the walls. The school's layout became more familiar with each step. By the time they reached the end of the first hallway, Connor recalled the location of the janitor's closet, right across the hall from his seventh-grade science classroom.

They turned a corner, and Connor pointed at the entrance to the closet.

"Wait," Mr. Au said with a hand up. "I'll lead the way from here. Remove the caps from your bottles and be prepared for anything. It's quiet now, but who knows what we'll find once we get inside."

"Why is it so quiet?" Summer asked, wiping the sweat from her eyes.

"I don't get it either," Connor said. "It's possible that the demon is upstairs, but we would have heard something by now, right?"

"Guys, we're wasting time," Victor said.

Mr. Au started toward the door. "You're right. Let's go."

He slowly turned the dull-brass doorknob and crept into a empty room. The pungent smell of all-purpose cleaner and dirty mop bucket water made Connor recoil.

A large gray cabinet stood beside a stainless steel slop sink. Connor reached his hand out to open it, but Mr. Au stopped him. He put a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to be quiet. Connor leaned forward and heard quick and shallow breaths coming from inside the cabinet.

"Please, don't be afraid. We're here to help you," Mr. Au said. The sound of arduous breathing was his response. "I'm going to open the cabinet now, okay?"

He pulled on its handle, revealing a young man curled into a ball. He lifted his head, presenting his sunken brown eyes. Sweat clumped the dirty-blonde hair that streamed across his forehead. His gaze shifted from person to person until finally landing on Victor—a look of wonder quickly replacing one of abject horror.

Victor smiled. "Are you hurt?"

"N—No, I saw them coming toward me and I hid."

"Who?" Summer asked.

"Hold on," Mr. Au interrupted. "There were multiple people after you?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Yeah, I saw two of them. Their auras were so..." He lowered his head into his hands.

"Hey, what's your name?" Mr. Au asked.

The young man raised his head. "J—Jake."

"I'm Chester," Mr. Au said in a soothing tone. "Listen, Jake, I know you've been through a lot, but we have to get out of here. We can talk more once I know we're safe, okay?" He reached his hand out. "Let's get you out of there."

A loud thud from a nearby door slamming shut caused everyone but Mr. Au to jump. Jake's flinching made the broom next to him fall. A few heartbeats later, the door to the janitor's closet swung open.

A svelte man with black hair and a filled out beard stood before them, his blood-red eyes darting across the room. "What the f—" escaped his lips before he suddenly collapsed, squirming on the floor. His screams echoed throughout the halls and smoke peaked through the gaps between his fingers covering his face.

Mr. Au stood over him with the emptied bottle of holy water in his hand. I didn't even see him move, Connor thought.

"Get Jake out of here and book it to my car!" Mr. Au yelled, piercing through the demon's blood-curdling screams. He threw his car keys at Victor.

"Dad, there's no way we're leaving you here!"

"I'll be fine!" He flashed a reassuring smile. "Connor will stay here and help me deal with this guy. Now go!"

Summer helped Jake up. "Can you run?"

"What the hell is going on?" Jake asked, his eyes glued to the demon squirming on the ground.

"Just follow us!" Victor exclaimed as he darted out of the room. Summer grabbed Jake's hand and tailed him, letting out a shriek as they hopped over the demon.

Mr. Au stomped on the demon's chest, holding him in place. His loud cries eventually turned into groans of anguish as he lay there, using a hand to cover his smoldering face. "Throw me your bottle," Mr. Au demanded.

Connor screwed the cap back on and flung it at Mr. Au. He caught it, opened the bottle, then held it over the demon. "Good, now hold his legs." Connor stumbled toward the demon and used his full bodyweight to hold his legs in place. "Hey, can you hear me?" Mr. Au asked.

The demon moved his hand. A bright red burn mark stretched across half of his face. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"Who is Aayan?"

"What?"

Mr. Au tipped the bottle over and a drop landed on the demon's neck. He shrieked as he covered the affected area. Connor's eyes moved from the demon to Mr. Au—whose mouth curled into a wisp of a smile. "I'm not going to ask you again."

"I don't know who he is. He's just some guy we were told to take orders from."

Mr. Au's grip on his axe tightened. "Who told you to take orders from him?"

"La'el."

Connor's heart sank. "La'el?"

The demon presented a grin oozing with malice. "The one and only."

What does he have to do with this? Connor thought.

"Connor, snap out of it," Mr. Au said. "Who is La'el?"

"He's the overseer of Hell," the demon answered, his eyes locked on the partially tipped bottle of holy water above him.

"So he's the devil?"

The demon chuckled, his yellow teeth peeking through his cracked lips. "The devil isn't real. There is only La'el."

Mr. Au gave the bottle a light shake. "What does Aayan look like?"

"He's a tall white guy with long brown hair. He wore an all white suit when I first met him. That's all I know, man. I promise." Mr. Au put the cap back on the bottle. "So, you're gonna let me go?" the demon asked, smiling nervously. "I won't hurt anyone, I swear."

A flash of red moved downward as Mr. Au sliced through the demon's neck with one swing. Connor leapt backward, avoiding the human shaped pile of ash.

Mr. Au helped Connor to his feet. "Let's catch up with—" a loud bang came from the direction of the school's entrance. They shared a glance, then sprinted out of the room.

***

Victor lessened his pace, allowing for Jake and Summer to catch up. "We're almost there."

He sprinted past where he got his first kiss, and he glanced at the display case full of awards he used to look at every morning on his way to class. So many memories flooded his mind all at once. It was almost overwhelming.

Victor turned the corner. A thin young woman stood near the exit doors, facing them with her blood-red eyes. Summer—undeterred by the demon's presence—darted past him and splashed her with an entire bottle of holy water. A loud wail came from the demon as she collapsed, smoke rising from her body.

"V, you got this!" Summer exclaimed. "We'll be outside waiting. Jake, let's go!"

I got this, Victor thought, not allowing himself to dwell on what he had just witnessed. He took a deep breath. A tingle permeated throughout his body as he received a sudden burst of energy.

He leapt several feet into the air, soaring toward the demon until he was right above her. He curled his hand into a fist and dropped to the ground, landing a punch to her temple. A small crater formed beneath the pile of ash that used to be her body.

Victor's bliss waned as blood dripped from his knuckles. A sharp pain started at his hand and then made its way up his arm.

The sound of footsteps coming from behind caused him to turn around. His dad and Connor stood at the end of the hallway for a moment before eventually sprinting toward him.

"What was that noise?" Connor asked.

Victor revealed his injury. He grimaced as his father inspected his hand.

Mr. Au glared at the pile of ash resting atop the small crater, then turned back to his son's injured hand. "It doesn't look good"

"Dad, did you forget about my super healing?" Victor forced a smile. "Don't worry, I'm already feeling better," he lied, turning to face the exit. "Summer and Jake are waiting for us outside."

Connor and his dad helped him to his feet, and they trudged ahead. Victor snuck another glance at the crater. Small cracks fanned out from the indent caused by his fist, exposing the dirt underneath.

"What happened?" Summer asked. "I heard a bang and then—" She gasped after seeing Victor's hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm gonna be fine. I just need to rest it for a bit and it'll be as good as new." Victor locked eyes with Jake, who was standing near the car. While maintaining eye contact, he walked up to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you guys." He winced at Victor's bloodied hand. "What happened?"

"Oh, this? Just a scratch."