The Art of the Demon Chapter 1

"Err.. smells awful." Matthew thought as he entered the dorm room that will be his new home for a while. Matthew carries a box with all his small sized important possessions.

The room is quite small for the 6 occupants. It's rectangular, and once you entered the room, double deck beds are all in the sides of the room, except for the door entrance side of course. The comfort room is in the right side when you enter the room. In the left side were the closets for he six of them.

There are 2 boys sleeping in their beds, unconscious of their new roommate. The room is messy, and yes, smells awful. Used clothes are placed everywhere. Books, jeans, paper works, etc. are lying on the floor. Wires of electronic materials are left in the plugs.

"Err.. okay. How do I start? Where can I put my things now?"

As a 'promdi' or 'from the province boy', getting used to this new world where he will live for the next four years is a very tough challenge for Matthew. His father just left to return to Bukidnon, the place where he was raised, after accompanying him to this place.

He cleaned his space in the small dormitory room for four hours and spent the whole afternoon doing it. His bed is located in the upper part of the double deck bed near the class window. After the exhausting work, he lied in his bed and slept. He's dead tired. He didn't even bother taking a bath even though his sweat is already flooding and smelling. He's sad and feeling odd about where he is now, but he has to set this feelings aside for in two days, he'll be going to school. He took Accountancy in the prominent and one of the top universities in Manila, St. Patrice University. But before going to school, he still have to sleep after all.

In his dream, he was wandering a dimly lighted corridor. If he's not mistaken, the corridor is a school's. Classroom doors are in both sides of the corridor, all of whom are unlighted inside. There are also groups of lockers nearby. Matthew has never been to this place before but he knows it's a school corridor because this is similar to the school corridors that he has seen in TV and movies.

He continue to walk. The silence is deafening, he can only hear his slow, careful footsteps. He's nearing the corner of the long corridor. As he continue to walk, he can barely see someone kneeling, his back on Matthew. And Matthew noticed that there is a person lying in front of the man. The man wears shiny black jacket, like of those motorcycle gangsters you see in foreign films, and a worn out jean.

5 meters away, Matthew stopped. He does not now why, but he just stopped. And the man kneeling in front of a 'probably' just sleeping person, faced him slowly. Matthew could not figure out the face because it's dark. And as the man faced him, he realized that the lying person is not sleeping, it's dead. And as it looks like, the man didn't just kneel in front of the person, but suck the blood out of it.

Matthew still can't figure out what kind of a person or a creature is he seeing now. He knows that the mouth of the person/creature is bloody because his teeth is white and is stained by overwhelming blood.

The unknown creature slowly stood up and then completely faced Matthew. He looks very furious. His cornea is bright red, like those of the fictional demon characters in myths and movies. His mouth is open like he is hungry and now eyeing Matthew.

Then the creature walks slowly but ferociously towards the now frozen Matthew. Matthew tends to scream, but he can't. He can't even take his eyes off the drastic looking monster. Then the creature is now face to face with him. The creature's left hand touches Matthew's face gently. Still, its face is unrevealed. Only its bright red eyes and white fangs are visible.

As the creature's hand touches the face of Matthew, Matthew noticed that aside from the monstrous eyes and fangs, the creature also have lengthy, sharp and pointed nails, or should he call it 'claws'. There is this thing that played on Matthew's mind: that any second now, the monstrous creature will stub him slowly in the cheek using his nails and push it through until it comes out to the opposite cheek.

PLACK.

Matthew was awoken by one of his roommates by plunging a glass of cold water to his face.

"Dude are you okay?"

Matthew seated up from his bed. "Ah yes, I'm fine." Matthew answered, breathing heavily.

"Looks like you're having the worst nightmare of your life. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes."

"By the way, I'm Robertson. Call me Robert. You're new here, right?"

"Ahhh yes. I'm Matthew."

"Nice to meet you Matthew."

The conversation ended there. Robertson continued his propaganda. and Matthew still hasn't got over his nightmare yet. The place, the dead person, the monstrous creature. Why did these things appear on his dream? He's very sure it's the first time he dreamed of that monstrous creature and the place. He's never been to that place before. Matthew just didn't know that it's only the beginning of the things he will have to encounter..not in dreams but in real life.

(end of chapter 1)

-Pandemic-

Watch out for the next chapters of The Art of the Demon during Mondays and Fridays at 7:00PM (Philippine time) and 4:00AM (Washington USA time)