Bab 2: Here Lies...

Devin sat on one of the faux leather chairs in front of Mr. Coltrane's desk. It was one of his goals before he graduates. To sit on the principal's glorified guest chairs. It was only disappointing that he was able to sit when he's about to exit the school.

No one said a word when they sat down. The principal was reading something on the paper while Devin was waiting for the principal to speak. His dark room was void of sound. Even the halls outside were silent.

Mr. Coltrane was always a man with darker color preferences. He preferred his suit black, the blinds in the window closed, and the walls painted with a darker color. Devin knew that the principal didn't like him, so he didn't bother himself by asking.

The day after he got the letter from Brightburn Institute, Mr. Coltrane was being weird. For the first time in his 2 years in the school, the principal made him sit on the chair in front of the principal's desk.

The door creaked open, making Devin snap out his thoughts and look at the doorway. There, a man in a familiar gray cloak entered. He was tall, his red curly locks shined at the little sunlight Mr. Coltrane's office provided. He was like a tall porcelain doll that carries a sword by his side.

It was indisputable that the man resembled Devin's features. Their skin was like it was made of porcelain, their locks shine at the hint of sunlight, and their eyes looked like it was made by angels.

"Ah, Mr. Franco. Good morning sir," Mr. Coltrane greeted with a huge smile in his face. "Tea? Coffee? Or anything?"

Is he really that happy to get rid of me? Devin asked to himself.

"No need Mr. Coltrane. I am only here to look at the student," Mr. Franco said. He lowered his hood for a moment before returning it. His head turned to the direction of the curly blonde boy who is now on edge.

The cloaked figure nodded and left the room without any more words. To their confusion, Mr. Coltrane and Devin looked at each other with wide eyes.

"S-Sir, what was that?" Devin asked the still confused principal.

"That was an Exorcist. He said that he will become your new guardian," was all Mr. Coltrane said before letting Devin leave the room.

The boy was going to his classroom to grab his bag when a voice called out to him.

"Well if it isn't little Devin," Derick's voice said and pushed Devin. "What? Too fragile?"

Devin didn't turn around. Instead, he just kept on walking. This angered Derick more that he pushed the little boy again. "Fight back you little coward!"

The curly blonde boy didn't mind the words or the physical pain his bullies inflicted. He doesn't care about anything anymore. He was even kicked out of his school and was transferred to a place that was led by Exorcists.

His bully stopped pushing him to which Devin turned around to know why. His eyes locked with a pair of light blue ones. Mr. Franco was walking in the bright hallway without his cloak on. The hallway was bright, making the man's skin glimmer like it was shiny porcelain.

Just like Devin's.

"It's an Exorcist."

"He looks familiar."

"Why is he here?"

…

Everyone's attention was stolen by the passing tall man. It was as if Devin did not exist for a moment. The short skinny boy took this opportunity to run away from everyone. He ran as much as his small legs could take him.

Devin rested his head on the tree behind his school. He forgot to text Alex that he'll come to their secret place, but the class was ending soon so he didn't bother. He felt like sleeping for a bit before he goes to his work.

The sun was setting. The sirens were blasting through the speakers all over the city. The streets are void of people. It was then that Devin woke up from his slumber.

How could he oversleep when it was literally a matter of life and death if he came home too late? All the shops are closed down, the street lamps were lit. And the second siren rang.

It was a matter of 15 minutes before the third and final siren rings. And in that time, stained souls will start to appear and feast on his guts. Devin must come home before then.

His ability to see stained souls before nightfall was the worst thing he could have at this time. He would flinch every time he sees the monsters roaming near him. It was hard to determine if the creatures could see him or not.

As he hurried towards his apartment, he froze in a spot when the third siren rang. Everything went cold like there was an invisible AC in front of him. The streets were filled with a thick white fog and the lights from the streetlamps dimmed.

He was about to walk when a black mass of skin fell from the sky and in front of him. The wrinkly ball moved, a hand tore its way out from the strange thing. His eyes stared at the thing in front of him and he jumped in shock when an eye opened and stared at him.

"Holy crap!" Devin yelled and jumped over the lump of skin. He heard whispers, creaks, and all matter of sounds from everywhere but he focused his eyes on the door to his apartment. He must get inside before it's too late.

As he opened the gate, a ring entered his ear. Devin covered his ears and continued running until he reached the front door. He scanned the front door's keycard on the door's scanner. There was a ding before he pushed the door and locked it behind him the moment he got inside.

There were cases of people forgetting to close the door, letting the stained souls in and killing everyone inside. Good thing his apartment has a front door that closes at the first siren and there was another door with the protective runes in their own rooms.

Everyone that lives in the complex was given two keycards. One for their rooms and one for the front door. The owner's friend didn't have a front door and a renter died while running up the stairs. He made sure to not let that incident happen in his own complex.

"Where is everybody?" Devin asked himself when he saw an empty lobby. The TV was static, and the fog got inside somehow. The cold was inside along with it.

He looked around and saw that no one is there. Usually, there are at least ten people roaming around the closed complex. Yet right now, no one's around. Not even his loud neighbor, Rita.

When he got to his room, he was greeted by Revelation.

"Did you miss me, little one?" Devin asked his cat. Revelation was unusually unresponsive. He would usually rub his head on Devin's leg and purr, but he just looked at the boy. "I'll take that as a yes."

As they enjoyed their dinner together. The cold and the fog were still present even inside Devin's room. He took the initiative to investigate. It wasn't odd that it's cold since winter is approaching. What bothered Devin the most was the thick fog.

Maybe a fog machine broke? Devin asked himself and shook his head in disbelief.

He got out of his room and was greeted by a dimmed hallway. His lights inside were dimmed too. Devin was anxious as to what's happening.

"Hello?" he called out. No one answered.

His legs took him to the lobby where the static TV was still on. As his face scrunched in confusion, he looked for the remote to turn it off. It was weird that their landlord, Mr. Seager, did not come downstairs and scold everyone for leaving the TV on.

When he got to the table where the remote was, his eyes caught something on top of the sofa. Devin inspected and went near the sofa to see that there are six rectangular but curved down cement objects on top of some parts of the sofa. It was usually the position the other renters sat on when they're watching TV or just talking.

His eyebrows met, even more, when he saw something in the middle of the hallway. Like it was a stone tablet that stood in the middle of the hallway.

As he got nearer, the hair all over his body stood up. Devin was scared. For he knew what those are. He knew too well what those are.

They were like the objects behind the foster home he went to. The nuns would often go there, pretending to pray but smoke their drugs instead.

Even the texture of the stone was familiar. He could name what it was, but he was just scared to face the truth. The truth that he was having a hard time swallowing.

There was an engraving on the stone object. Devin gulped as he read the words.

'Here lies Hubert Seager'

His knees weakened as after reading the words. He looked back at the sofa and saw the curved cement on top of the seats.

Without thinking clearly, Devin ran outside and screamed. It wasn't just any stone tablet in the middle of the hallway.

They were tombstones.