“A demon so near the headquarters?!” Mom pulled out her phone and hurried for the door toward Jiro. “What is the estimated location?”
“Uh, any direction up to five miles!”
“That’s far too close. I’ll alert a team.”
“Wait, Mom!” I grab her arm without thinking. “What are you going to do?” There was hopelessness churning in my gut.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll contain it quickly.” She pulled herself away carefully and then she was gone. I stared at the space her back once was.
“It’ll be okay, Cain. Her unit will take care of the threat. No one will get hurt.” Dad placed what should have been a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
My mouth was dry.
“Cain? Are you alright?”
“...Yeah.” It was weak. “I’m fine.” I looked at him. “What did she mean ‘contain’? Is there a prison for demons?”
“Essentially,” Venice said, stepping forward. All the other scientists were still doing what they were before we entered. “Though it’s more like a house. A care home. You don’t have to worry though, they can’t escape.”
So, it's a prison.
“What if… What if they didn’t do anything wrong? Would they still be imprisoned?”
“It’s not a matter of right and wrong. The matter is that demons can no longer differentiate between the two. You see, when a person is exposed to Entha and they go through demonization something in their brain is altered. That's actually something we research in this lab.”
“So there are no good demons? Ever?”
“They’re neither good nor bad. They’re just not right in the head.” Venice seemed almost excited to be talking about this. “Are you interested in learning about demons?”
I thought about it for a second. Would I like to learn about other demons and why there was such a difference between what I am and what this man was saying I should be? Yeah, I think I would.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m actually really interested in them.”
“Since when?” Dad asked.
“Since right now.” I bit my lip. “Dad, do you hate demons?”
“I don’t like them.”
I tried not to take it personally.
“Why?”
“Well, they can’t control themselves. They hurt, they kill people.”
Not all of them, I wanted to say. Not all of them. Was I the only one or were there others just like me? Were they contained and put in that… care house thing? Or were they walking around, living their own lives? Why did no one know about this? This scientist who had been researching demons, why did he not know?
I was so confused.
“I’ve met quite a few demons,” Venice said and my head snapped to him. “You can tell just talking to them that they aren’t quite right.”
I practically jumped on him. “You’ve talked to them?”
“That’s interesting,” Dad said. “I didn’t realize they could communicate.”
“Some can, others just stare. Most can’t even make eye contact. There’s this one that I’ve met that hid under a blanket the entire time.”
“And this was in that care home?”
“Yes, yes, yes. We call it the Hospice." "I go down there every few months to run some tests, try to communicate with them, see how they all develop as time goes on, that kind of thing.”
“?” I asked
“Not any that would cause them pain. The tests are all humane.”
I released a breath. That was a relief. I was scared that those demons were tortured or something.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, waving my hands. “When you said you talked to them, what did they say?”
“It depends on the demon. Many talk in loops. They’ll say the same thing over and over. I chat with Sandy Bereth quite frequently. Or what used to be her. She only speaks in one or two-word responses, usually only saying ‘No’ or ‘Dead’. That is if she is not screaming.”
I furrowed my brow.
“She screams?”
“Some demons scream for seemingly no reason. Sandy in particular screams a lot, but she isn’t as violent as a lot of the others so I talk to her a lot. Did you know that demons can actually get addicted to killing humans? There was a study about seven years ago that studied the differences in behavior between demons that have killed and ones that haven’t. It turns out that the more people they had murdered the more violent and bloodthirsty they became.”
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“I knew they became more powerful with every person they killed but I didn’t know they became more violent,” Dad said.
More powerful? They gained more power with every human they killed? Eternals became more powerful with every Giant killed but I didn’t know demons had the same system. That’s horrible! What the fuck!? So, if I wanted to get more powerful I would need to kill people?
I was really starting to get frustrated with this demon thing. I was also pretty sure I couldn’t touch anyone ever again and that revelation was just now starting to hit me. I probably had the ‘death touch’ just like every other demon. So many people died because demons could kill with just a touch of a finger. Were my hands just as lethal? Should I test it out…? No. Should not.
Unless…
No. I shouldn't.
As I came to this revelation, Dad and Venice began to talk about the most violent demon atrocities to ever happen. I decided to ignore them and come up with a plan. I’m not sure what kind of plan but I knew I needed one. My brain worked better in lists so I listed what I knew.
There was other stuff too but without paper to write it down, I would never remember it all. I was already forgetting my list, short as it was. But with what I could remember, I came to a single conclusion.
Demons were misunderstood.
Everyone disliked what they to be demons. But they were wrong. They were all wrong. If I, a once normal human (well, normal-ish. People at school didn’t think so but whatever) could become a sane demon then I couldn’t be the only one. There had to be others out there, maybe even ones going about their day.
So there was only one thing I could do about this.
I could prove to everyone that demons were not evil. I mean, I have the proof already. Which was me. I have a feeling that telling this scientist guy or Mom wouldn’t go well for a while but if I told other people then as time went on, the idea of what a demon was would start to change. Right? They could all see that demons weren’t to be hated. And maybe they will check and see if the demons in the Hospice deserve to be there.
And hopefully, they wouldn’t even consider putting me in there.
Wait, should I tell Dad? He’d understand right?... Not yet. If he knew, Mom would know not long after. Dad almost never kept things from her.
I shouldn’t tell him even if he’d understand.
“Dad,” I said, interrupting the two men. “I’m going to wait out in the hall.”
Dad gave me a surprised and curious look. “I thought you were interested in demons now.”
“I am, I just need some air.”
Dad seemed to understand this. Throughout my life, I had to leave rooms a lot. Sometimes things became too much and I needed to get some fresh air. I usually feel better when I’m left alone for a bit.
“Alright, I’ll be with you in a second,” Dad said.
As I left I could hear Dad ask, “How did they know a demon was nearby?” and I wished I stayed. But I was already closing the door and I didn’t want to bring attention to me or my sudden interest in demons so I let the door click shut. The chatter from the lab quietened and I was left with soft footsteps of guild members going up and down the hall and distant talking.
I sighed and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. The bright lights of the Warden headquarters disappeared. An ache above my brow that I hadn’t noticed eased slightly. I hoped Dad would hurry up so we could leave before Mom came back and informed us that they had found the demon.
“Cain Rogue.”
My eyes snapped open and they landed on a tall figure. A person not as tall as Cory but taller than me. They had dark curls that cupped their ears and curled at the nape of their neck. Their skin was much tanner than mine which contrasted greatly with the scar under their eye. When they smiled on TV you could the arrogance coming off them in waves. When they spoke it was with a North Eastern American accent but there was a slight roll to some words that suggested they were fluent in Spanish.
Ron Basin had one hand inside a pocket of his white blazer and one held out as if to wave at me. He was smiling.
“Ron Basin?” I asked. I eyed his outfit. “Why aren’t you wearing a uniform?” Then I realized that wasn’t the best greeting to give to the person who my life. Ron was raising a brow, still smiling. “Correction. Hello, Ron Basin. Good day to you.”
“Hello, Cain Rogue." His tone implied he was teasing me. "It’s good to see you up and about.”
“Yes. I am up and about.” I cursed myself and my lack of social talent! “I wanted to say thank you. You know, for saving my life.” I twisted my fingers together.
“No worries, it’s my job to protect folks. Besides, you’re Cory’s brother so really, it was no big deal. More like, returning a favor.”
I decided not to mention that Cory did not like him. That would probably be rude of me.
“Then thanks for getting there in time.”
“Of course. Like I said, it’s my job.” There it was again, the smile that said, “I actually wanted to meet you, Cain.”
“Huh? Why? Me?”
Was it because he knew something? Did he see something he shouldn’t? Anxiety stirred in my chest.
“I admire how you saved that other civilian without question. That took guts. You were a hero out there.”
My eyes widened as relief crashed into me. I waved the thought away.
“What? No, I’m not, like, that. Trust me. I was just trying to act like a hero. You know, like a Dollar Store Dick Grayson or I guess, Jason Todd since he's like a younger brother. I don't kill people though... Anyway, I was just like a hero you know, to feel better about myself. That’s not the same as being one.” I smoothed out my hair. “Bet you’d understand that.” I froze. “Wait! I didn’t mean it like that! Shit…” Though, I kind of did mean it way, in which Ron just does his job or puts on a show. But I didn’t fully believe it. Ron saved me, and he did so effectively and asked nothing from me. So Ron wasn’t just a rich arrogant guy. He was a rich arrogant guy who saved my life.
“Tiny Rogue, I don't take offense. Honestly, what you think of me doesn’t matter.” Ron was still politely smiling, as if he respected me. However, obviously he didn’t and I was starting to take offense. I had to dig my nails into my palm as humiliation churned in my stomach. “Did you come with Cory?”
“No, I came with my mom.”
“Is she here now?”
I tried not to make a face. “She’s sending a unit after a demon.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall again. “She should be back soon.”
A strange look crossed Ron’s face. It was subtle but it was there.
“A demon?” he asked, his voice completely normal.
A weird chill went down my arms. “...Yeah. A Ethan guy said it was nearby…”
“Well,” Ron said. “I hope they find it.” He reached out a hand and I shook it hesitantly. “Thanks for the talk, Little Cory. I’ll see you again when you join the Wardens.” He barely let go of my hand before he was heading down the hall. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he was in a hurry. Why he was, I didn’t know but I was sure that something about demons in particular caused a change in his demeanor.
Another chill went down my arms and back.