Let's Play

Before leaving the bookstore, I quickly explained the situation to Cody and asked him to close up for us. We jump into the car and head straight to where Kaja spotted the demon. It's a long drive—nearly an hour from home. The whole way, I silently pray that the demon doesn't manage to reach the fourth level. I'm not eager to face one today.

As we approach the area, we park a bit further. I recognize yet another abandoned industrial site. The demons' preference for secluded places works to our advantage once again. I suspect a pretty nasty fight awaits us, so being away from bustling streets eases my anxiety a bit.

"Nate, Elle, you two go there, and I'll cover this area," Arthur briefly outlines the plan. "Kaja, keep an eye on the perimeter."

We all nod, ready to act.

"It's crucial to catch him on time. No crazy stunts, got it?" Arthur adds, raising an eyebrow at me.

Though I often act impulsively, I'm not reckless. I understand the gravity of the situation, so I accept the comment without argument and head toward one of the buildings with Eleonora. At the entrance, we exchange glances, and she gestures inside with her finger.

I nod and hurry upstairs, silently cursing each time I trip over a stray stone or construction debris. I dash through a few corridors, passing many empty, gray-walled rooms without doors. There's not much space for the demon to hide, but the building is immensely long, leaving us with plenty of ground to cover.

"He's not here," Arthur's voice crackles through the earpiece.

"The underground corridors are empty," Elle confirms after a moment.

"No movement outside," Kaja adds.

Damn it. I rush to the next floor, hoping to find the demon there, but it's empty too. Frustrated, I turn around and catch sight of a slightly ajar door out of the corner of my eye. Right, the roof. I slip into another staircase when I suddenly hear a thud.

I quicken my pace and soon emerge into the light. The rays of the setting sun irritate my eyes, so I instinctively shield them with my hand. This doesn't stop me from noticing the demon leaning over a collapsed victim.

"On the roof," I alert my colleagues.

My voice draws the enemy's attention and our eyes meet. The demon's face, marred by ugly spots, twists into a gruesome smile. Middle-aged and quite unkempt, the demon tilts his head. His dark eyes burn with hatred and madness. The demon tenses but doesn't approach.

My blood boils, and I immediately rush toward him. He quickly realizes my intentions are hostile, baring his yellowed teeth as he closes the distance between us. I swing my fist, but he anticipates the move and ducks to avoid the blow. I respond with a hard kick to his ankles, causing him to stumble. As he regains his footing, he straightens up and lands a punch to my stomach.

I slide away but support myself with my hand, avoiding a fall. I catch my breath, but it doesn't slow me down. I attack him again. For a while, we are evenly matched. Suddenly, the door creaks, and I notice Arthur and Eleonora running toward us.

I grab the demon's shoulders, doing my best to hold him in place. He hasn't noticed the newcomers, giving Arthur the chance to strike him in the head with a metal rod from behind. The demon screams, staggers, and fresh blood splatters on the ground.

He doesn't give up easily, though. With a powerful sweep, the scaly creature knocks me aside. The sudden jerk sends a sharp pain through my neck as I fall, but I get up without any issues. Arthur and Elle take turns pressing him into a corner.

"Elle, check if he's alive," I shout, remembering the unconscious man.

When I return, Eleonora steps back, but the demon is focused on us, not on pursuing her. I notice Arthur bleeding, though he seems unfazed. We struggle for a while, with no quick victory in sight, when something unexpected happens. The demon suddenly leaps away from us. Confused, we exchange glances and pause for a second.

"Didn't you forget something?" He sneers, licking the deep cherry-red blood from his lower lip.

I glance around, and my body goes numb. Kaja. A scream echoes in the distance. The demon smirks and leaps off the roof before we can launch another attack. I turn to Arthur and Eleonora, seeing the horror on their pale faces.

Without hesitation, I rush to the edge and jump off. Though it's not a two-meter drop, both demons and us are capable of withstanding a few greater jumps without issue. Landing safely, I lift my head, and my heart skips a beat. He's not alone.

Another demon's fingers are tightly wrapped around Kaja's neck, a knife pressed against her. The newcomer appears starkly different from the other demon. He's dressed in an expensive dark blue suit, with meticulously combed hair. At first glance, he seems perfectly normal, but I immediately sense the danger Kaja saw.

The dark void in his blue eyes sends shivers down my spine. A true third-level demon. It's a trap. I stand frozen, rooted to the spot, unable to move for a moment. Any hasty action could cost Kaja her life. The blue-eyed demon smiles, tilting his head curiously.

"I didn't think there'd be so many of you," His deep, bone-chilling voice echoes.

"Let her go," I grind my teeth, but no words scare him.

"Why should I? This is entertaining," He chuckles.

"Want to have fun? Come here," I smile provocatively.

My guess is right. The suited demon would never decline such an offer. He tosses Kaja into a heap of construction debris and springs towards me, chuckling menacingly.

"Let's play."

He immediately demonstrates his powers, slamming me into the wall with a single swing. I feel the wall crack behind my back and concrete dust falls on my limp body. I'm only grateful that the sharp metal structure just half a meter away didn't impale me.

As I catch my breath, Arthur engages in serious combat with him. Eleonora rushes to help Kaja, pulling her away from the chaos. This demon is unnervingly strong and agile. He probably reached the third level quite a while ago.

With a sudden strike, he lands a blow on Arthur's nose. My colleague drops to his knees, coughing up bloody saliva. Despite having the opportunity to continue attacking Arthur, the suited demon steps back and wipes his bloodied fist on his jacket. With a sinister smile, he raises his hand.

"Sorry, I don't have time for this. But I promise, we'll meet again," He says, waving before leaping away with an inhuman jump.

No one has time to react. Eleonora and Kaja rush to help Arthur, whose nose is bleeding heavily. As I slowly get up, an unexpected realization strikes me. The man on the roof.

I sprint to where I last saw him, bursting through the door with all my weight before coming to a halt. He's still lying there, but it's clear there's no hope he's alive. His neck is twisted almost completely to the side.

I approach and squat beside him, passing my hand over his body. The soul is gone. It means that one of them succeeded. A sigh of despair escapes my lips. As I process the situation, grim thoughts dawn on me.

Something unimaginably terrible is happening. I've never seen demons working together before. The world I know is starting to change, and whether it can be stopped, I don't know.