The Art of the Demon Chapter 7

Jake was on his room alone, facing his laptop and his full attention to it. Unlike Jake's very best friend, Marissa, he loves danger, he loves investigating, he loves discovering mysteries. Jake thought that Matthew will not begin their investigation. So he thought that if not Matthew, he must. So he's been on Google for 2 hours searching for deaths similar to Alyna Matias' and the other student from another university. But before he find other victims, he found out that that other student who was killed similar to Alyna's is Robbie Cruz.

Robbie's body were found in a sidewalk of an isolated high way. His body was lying on the grass, pale as a snow, and has needle-stabbed wounds.

Jake then googled the personality of this Robbie Cruz. According to his profile and blog, Robbie is 18 year-old and one of the top students of the university he studied in. He's always been bullied and one of the most popular nerds of the school. He doesn't look like a typical nerd. His hair is like a typical Korean hair, silky black, and he wears glasses. He's not ugly too. He's handsome but it wasn't obvious because he looks awkward and shy. His course is fine arts, he loves drawing, painting, writing, and he has a special love for photography.

Jake then scrolled down for further information. He read blog posts of Robbie before he died, his beliefs and others. Jake found nothing more essential on Robbie's blog and in his social network profile. So he skipped and then found Robbie's twitter. Robbie barely tweeted. His tweets only reached 80 after 3 months of joining it.

Jake found out that Robbie has been scared of something a week before he died. He keeps on tweeting things that aren't usual. "I thought I saw a demon last night." one of Robbie's oldest tweet said. "Some people are following me earlier. But they aren't stalkers, they are different." another tweet of Robbie said.

Jake continued to read the tweets of Robbie. Robbie has been very open in his twitter because he got zero followers and follows no one.

"Can it be? Devil worshipers, students?" one tweet from Robbie said. Another said that "I think the demons are courting me to join them. They always visit me every night in my dream..or nightmare instead."

"To demons and demon worshipers, in case you can read this, not because I'm not really a God's man, that'll mean that I'll be a demon's man instead. So get lost."

"These guys are really creeping me out. They are outside now. I can see them in my windows. Why are they following me?"

"Oh my gosh. The nightmares are getting worse! The nightmare is more likely turning into something more, more..evil!"

"Satanists. People who wear red robes with inverted cross printed in front of it. What kind of people can they be if they aren't Satanists?

"They don't just follow me for anything. They want me for something more. They are gonna use me as an instrument."

"They are here."

The last two tweets of Robbie really crept Jake out. The 2nd last tweet of Robbie is only a minute earlier than his very last tweet.

"So they arrived while Robbie is tweeting.." Jake thought. His skin hairs rise relentlessly all over his body. The temperature suddenly turned very cold. It really creeps him out. "Maybe, Robbie discovered something and those people.. those people need to dispatch him!"

"Don't be too involved." a hoarse voice whispered on Jake's ear. Jake turned around and found that there's no one there to whisper to him. He got really scared so he shut the computer off and buried himself under his blanket and slept. Thankfully, the hoarse voice didn't whisper again.

***

The next morning, Jake printed all of the information he found out to present it to Matthew, Kate, and Marissa.

Matthew, Marissa, and Kate are all in the university park, sitting on a bench, chatting. Jake approached them and handed his discoveries. Kate and Matthew opened it enthusiastically. Marissa looked hesitant when Jake handed her her copy.

"I thought that I might begin the investigation.. so that's the initial things I've found out." Jake said, grinning. "I was about to search for more when-"

"Oh crap. I don't think I wanna continue this investigation what so ever. I thought you guys won't do it seriously!" Marissa said.

"This is a big discovery!" Kate said, ignoring Marissa.

"I know right. We need to know more."

Meanwhile, Matthew was thunder stricken after reading the tweets of Robbie. The screen caps of Robbie's tweets are printed on the paper. Matthew doesn't really know what twitter is and it's not the thing that shocked him, its his tweets.

According to Robbie's tweet, the people who are stalking or following him are Satanists. And it visited him in his dreams or nightmares. But what shocked Matthew the most is the..the described looks of the Satanists. They are wearing red robes with inverted cross printed in front of it. Matthew dreamed of them too.. does that mean that he's next? That he's the next target?

"Matthew, are you okay?" Kate asked.

Matthew thought for a moment if he's gonna confess his nightmares or not, but he decided not yet. "Ah.. yeah. I'm fine."

"So, there is a possibility that the killers are not just killers..but they are demon worshipers?" Kate asked.

"Yep. That's what Robbie's tweets are trying to say."

"Creepy. So there's a possibility that the rumor I've told you before, Matthew, is real? And this can link what I've experienced at the comfort room to Alyna's death too! And the chubby girl's too! "

"Yeah, I think so." Matthew said, as if awoken from day dreaming.

"I knew it. But what was the conspiracy of these Satanists? Why did they kill Alyna and Robbie? Why did they suck their bloods out?" Kate asked.

"Well, that was what I'm trying to find out and we'll find out more. If I just didn't hear the whis--" Jake said.

"This is really useful." Kate said, who cut Jake's speech unintended .

"Yeah, very useful." Marissa said sarcastically.

"Jake, do you think that they killed Robbie because they need something from him dead, or because Robbie didn't give them what they want when he was alive?" Kate asked Jake, ignoring Marissa again.

"Could be.. could be not." Jake responded. "You know, it's like we're completing a puzzle with many missing pieces. We can't answer questions now. We need to find out more."

"Right." Kate said. She's quite disappointed that Matthew is not giving attention to their talk, and quite annoyed with how Marissa acted. "Anyway, I have four tickets to LIVED's grand photo exhibit on Saturday. I just thought that you guys might come with me?"

"Good lord, you've changed the topic. So what did happen, Kate? Did you make it to LIVED?" Marissa asked.

"Unfortunately, no. But I joined Click. And I think by seeing the works of LIVED, I'll be inspired."

"That's great. When?" Jake asked.

"On Saturday. Are you coming, Matthew?" Kate said.

"Of course." Matthew said looking as if he's not himself.

"Great." Kate said and handed them the tickets to the LIVED's grand photo exhibit.

"Another death." Jake said darkly as he reads the school papers.

"What's that?" Marissa asked.

"A security guard of St. Patrice U has been killed. Policemen are now trying to link this death to Alyna's and Robbie's. That's what the paper said." Jake said.

"What the hell.." Matthew said. Suddenly paying attention again.

In the next days, the deaths of Alyna and Mang Reynold are still the hottest topics in the university, urging Matthew, Kate, Jake, and Marissa(?) to unveil the mystery faster.

***

The new cheerleader, Trina Caspers, a Filipina-Australian, is walking down a corridor to the girl's locker room. She's sweaty and feeling kinda sick that's why she requested to leave their rehearsals earlier. She's still wearing their cheer dance uniform. Trina Caspers is one of the most beautiful faces in St. Patrice University. And she was expecting an enormous fame and attention when she was announced as the newest cheerleader. But it looks like her expectation didn't happen. The deaths of Alyna and Mang Reynold topped the overall hottest stories in the university that week. And that disappointed her badly.

Then suddenly, a guy in a St. Patrice U jacket rested an arm in her neck.

"Hey sweety." the guy said.

"Hey." Trina responded weakly.

"Are you okay?" the guy asked.

"Yes I'm fine, Jacob. I was just exhausted and feeling sick from our practice today." Trina said.

"Right. But do you mind if I ask you to go out with me tonight? Let's watch movie." Jacob said, trying to change the atmosphere between them.

"Sorry, I don't think I can. I'm tired and I need to take a rest."

Jacob is one of the varsity basketball players of St. Patrice. Like Trina, he is also very popular. Jacob is Trina's boyfriend for a year now.

"Oh c'mon." Jacob said trying to persuade Trina. Then he turned Trina against the wall and kissed her in the lips. Trina give in and they kissed there for 30 seconds when..out of the blue, someone broke the silence in the empty corridor as a man in uniform and masked in an absurd children's Halloween mask arrived and stopped at the back of Jacob.

The man wears gloves and on his left hand holds a knife.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Trina screamed when he saw the man. If Trina didn't open her eyes, she wouldn't see the guy. The guy in mask then stabbed the back of Jacob. Jacob shrieked in pain and lied down to the floor. Trina continued to scream. And then she ran. She was flabbergasted by what had happened.

Trina knows that the man might kill her. She's still feeling sick and she's afraid not to make it.

Trina ran through the long, dimly lit corridor. She's heading to the women's locker, wishfully thinking that there are some people in there. The man in a Halloween mask is still on the chase after her. His knife is trickling blood from its stab on Jacob's back.

Trina reached the women's locker room door and opened it. The locker room is wide. She was surprised that there's no one inside there. And then she remembered that she was dismissed earlier in their practice because she feels sick. So she continued to run, trying to find a place to hide. The lockers are too small to hide her, so she continued to the shower room

The shower room has 8 cubicles. Four on each side and each covered by a shower curtain that reaches up to the floor. Trina chose to hide in the last cubicle in the right. The masked man entered. He closed the shower room door and locked it carefully. The trickles of blood from his knife blends with the water in the floor of the shower room. The man checked the cubicles on the left first. Opening each curtain carefully.

Then a while later, he finished checking all four cubicles in the left so he moved to the right. He opened each curtain carefully. Then he reached the final cubicle and he's quite sure that Trina is there. Carefully, he got hold of the knife and touched the curtain then suddenly opened it. But when he opened the curtain, Trina is actually sitting down and kicked his balls. The man fell down on the wet floor. Trina then ran out of the cubicle and tried to go to the door to escape. The masked man stood up and tried to catch Trina but he can't because the kick of Trina hurts badly. But.. it looks like that luck doesn't side Trina..or evil just interferes. A black, demonic face formed near the door and grinned at Trina. Trina stood there for a while, shocked and scared. Then the demonic face that formed in the air ran past her like wind. But as it go through her body, it felt as if it's not an air at all but a solid object. Trina fell down to the watery floor. Then slowly, the masked man walked near her, he finally recovered from the pain of kicked balls. When he reached her, he knelt and stabbed Trina three times in the chest, killing her. Her blood flows through the white-tiled shower room floor. Trina breathed her last breath and closed her eyes slowly. She's dead.