The Art of the Demon Chapter 4

"You're just hungry that time, mmkay?" Marissa told Kate, trying to convince her that what happened to her the afternoon before is just a product of her imagination. "Unless you see things there."

"I swear, Marissa, what happened is real!" Kate said impatiently.

"Did the lights blink?" Jake asked.

"No.." Kate said.

"Alright." Jake said.

"Why?"

"Because I thought you were casted in a scary movie! I was about to congratulate you." Jake said, then he chuckled.

"I'M NOT KIDDING. I'M SURE IT DID HAPPEN!" Kate said, heated.

"Okay, okay!"

Kate stood up, she was deeply offended because none of her friends believed her.  She went to the entrance of the canteen and sat at the stairs. She thought for a moment. Did things really happen yesterday afternoon? Or was it just a part of her imagination? "No." she thought. Kate knew herself. She's not creative nor artistic. She loves photography, but photography is not an art that uses your creativeness widely. Meaning her imaginations are weak. How can the terrible things that happened yesterday be a part of her imagination? She knew she's perfectly fine during those times.

"Hey."

Kate looked up. Matthew tapped her slightly in the shoulders.

"Going to tease me too? Fine. It was just my imagination." Kate said, still offended.

"I didn't say I didn't believe you, did I?" Matthew said and sat at her side.

"Right. Neither did you say you believed me." Kate.

"Sorry. But I believe you. Really. I think odd things happen here too, not only in our province."

"Thanks." Kate said. Her mood slightly improved.

"What do you plan to do?" Matthew asked.

"Ahhmmm.. Plan?"

"Yes. After what happened."

"I'll just let it go and try not to think about it."

"How?"

"Maybe I'll join a photography club soon." Kate said.

"Haha. How can that make you forget about what you experienced?"

"Well, my grandma said when you're scared or bothered of something, try to be happy. Photography makes me happy, then I'll do it."

"Right." Matthew said. Napahiya.

***

Mang Reynold sat at the nearest stall in the library. He just finished rounding and checking it. He looked at his watch, it's already 10:30pm. He still needs to go back to the university grounds soon. He's a security guard of the university for 20 years. And even though he neither believe to Saints or even to the greatest creator, God, Mang Reynold continues to work at the catholic school St. Patrice University.

Though he knows that he needs to go to the university grounds to help fellow security guards round the university, he sat in the stall slightly massaging his right knee. At 56, Mang Reynold started to feel the burden of having a rheumatoid arthritis.

"Maybe I'll refrain from eating isaw." He muttered to himself as he try to calm the pain in his right knee. The main library of St. Patrice University is big, but a security guard can do the duty of rounding it at night alone.

PACK.

Something sounded in the other corner of the library from where Mang Reynold sits. He thought that it was a heavy book that fell from the shelves. But never did a book fell without anyone touching it.

Mang Reynold sighed. He stood up with a heavy heart to check what was it or if anyone is in there. His right knee is aching badly but he still stood up and walked to where the sound came from.

"A book fell without anyone in there? Weird. I checked the whole library earlier, there's no one that could've hid from me. And ghosts aren't real." Mang Reynold thought.

He walked from shelve to shelve and checking the with his flash light. He reached the shelve where the sound came from. He pointed the flash light on the floor and indeed, a big book fell from the shelve. He walked towards it. The book is big and color brown. The paper of the book is already yellowish due its age. And there's a thick dust on it. He picked it up and was freaked to see it's title "The Complete List of Demon Names and Their Powers" written broadly in maroon and quite bulging that you can touch each letter of the title..

"What the heck?" He said. But the creeps come out easily of his mind as fast as it came. "I don't believe in God. Who'll expect this demon book to scare me? No way! If God doesn't exist, the demons don't too! Only fools and weaklings believe these demons! Somebody just took advantage of how people was fooled by the existence of demons and God!" Mang Reynold inspected the book to find who's the author of it and he'll abuse whoever written it in his mind, probably will curse it and call it names in his head. He really thinks that the author of the book just made it to earn huge sums of money, taking advantage of how people believe in God and demons. After inspecting, he found out that the name of the author wasn't written there. He then opened the book, hoping that it's written inside. When he opened the book, it looked ancient. Edges of the paper are eaten by insects, the letters were vague but still readable. He found scary images of different demons. There are Abadon, Abalam, Agares in the first few pages with details about them. The book is alphabetical. Their looks were really scary, but it didn't break Mang Reynold. He still doesn't believe in neither God or the demons. He scanned the book. Different drawings of devils. There are these bald demons with enormous horns and fangs. There are these demons with long hair, big bulging eyes, four horse like arms etcetera. "Feeble and non sense. These drawings are obviously all made up!"

PACK.

Another heavy book fell from the other corner of the library.

PACK.

Then another.

"Don't dare us." somebody whispered in a hoarse voice to Mang Reynold's ear. Mang Reynold suddenly felt  scared for the first time that night and turned around to see if someone's with him. He saw nothing. His skin hair from all over his body raised and he felt the temperature around him suddenly cooling relentlessly.

"Who's that?" Mang Reynold shouted desperately.

PACK. PACK. PACK. PACK.

Heavy books fell from different shelves in different sides and corners of the big library. Mang Reynold's heart beats fast. He completely forgot the pain in his right knee because of the scare he's feeling. Then in 2 seconds he ran as fast as he can. Wishing that hopefully, he'll get out of the university library alive and kicking.

But before he can even run faster, somebody covered his mouth, trying to drag him. The other hand of the unknown man is holding both of his arms. The man is very strong and taller probably '2'' feet from him. Mang Reynold tried to elbow the man. He's using the whole force of his body to escape from him. Finally, he succeeded and elbowed the unknown tall man strongly that it made him fall to sit down to the floor.

Mang Reynold ran again shelve to shelve. The library is too wide and the exit is still far and he'll have to pass further giant shelves.Then another man caught him. He elbowed that man again. He looked back. The man's wearing a mask similar to those who rob house and hold up people. But when he saw the clothes of this another unknown guy, he was surprised to see that he's wearing uniform of St. Patrice University. But he doesn't believe that this is just a prank or practical joke so he continued to run shelves to shelves. But while running in the middle of the biggest shelves with the biggest books in the library, the heavy books fell to him mysteriously. Mysterious in a way that no one's there to push the books to fall; it can't also be just a result of an air blowing or what.

The heavy books fell to him. One big book hit his head and he fell down to the floor. A lot of books continue to fall from the shelves and he was completely covered by it now. His whole body aching because of the heavy books that hit him. He knows he's gonna lose his consciousness soon. He touched his forehead, it's bleeding wildly.

"Help me, God. Forgive me too." he muttered.

"You dared us. Now who's the weakling?" the hoarse voiced speaker who whispered earlier whispered again. And by now, Mang Reynold knows it's the demon. Mang Reynold now believes in God and demons. He knows why this terrible thing happened.. it's because he's too far from God, too far from his protection. But it's too late. After a second or two, he lost his consciousness. He's done. Before finally losing his find, he realized that it's not the people who believe in God that are fool, but he and other people who don't.

-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)