Monsterhearts:A Forest of Bodies and Lies

Tuesday August 19th, 8:45 PM
Wildomar, Totenkopf Manor
**The library is in clear disarray compared to when they arrived. Karen has dozed off in the passed few minutes since Shane left, she's clearly exhausted, so much so that she only murmured something about sleep.**

**Chris**: **In the last minute since Liam ran over to help him up, he's back to the other end of the small area.** As far as I know you're the cause of everything that's happened Liam! **He's still in reptilian form, and he's hunched slightly, Shane throwing him into the bookcase hurt his back, and his leg aches from being dragged by his ankle, and then flung.** I'm not even a fucking christian and I'm not that fucking stupid!

**Liam**: **He's grasping at his left shoulder, standing next to Adam's desk. Blood has started to pool around the wounds Shane gave him from where he dug the tips of his bony fingers into his skin.** I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS A DEMON CHRIS! **He looks over at Karen, it looks like he might start crying.**

**Chris**: You know what's even worse is that I *knew* something was wrong with you, since the *first day* I met you! After Shane offered to coach you, you ran to the bathrooms and I went to see if you were alright, and I *felt* and *heard* something that was *clearly* inhuman. **He takes a step back away from Liam, putting distance between the two of them. It looks like he really needs to sit down, but he's so pissed that he continues to stand and keeps his translucent claws at the ready, like he might attack Liam.** It's been at the back of my head, like something *made* me forget it, but I sure as hell remember it now! It was that *thing*! I heard it's *voice* Liam!

**Liam**: I'm sorry! **He looks down.** I'm sorry, I just...

**Chris**: Is this the part where you sob and tell me that you just wanted someone to *like* you? Don't even start that shit with me! You used some *demon* to mind control Shane! That's why he kept staring at you like a *rapist* for the rest of that day, isn't it?! **His green-yellow eyes contract to vertical reptilian slits.** And they you made him *forget* that you did that.

**Liam**: I didn't want him to be that way! I undid it! I didn't realize... **He trails off.** ...I just wanted him to like me... I didn't know it was a *demon*... **He shakes his head and turns to look at Chris,** And *you* put us in just as much fucking danger as I did! Where's Odie, Chris?! Who caused *that*, huh?!

**Chris**: You wanna bring *Odie* into this? You had a demon backing you up and you just sat on your ass and *watched* us get fucking *mauled* and *scarred* before deciding to step in!

**Illiadius**: **Rolling to** **Shut Chris Down** **4 + 5** **-1 Cold** **is 8** **Choosing to each give a condition to the other.**

**Liam**: **His quiet meekness is overcome by rage.** I wasn't sure if I *could* protect other people with him! So you shut your *fucking mouth* and remember that the *only* reason we were there in the first place was because of *you*! Because you wanted to fucking show off! **His face is turning red with anger and he looks at Chris.** *You* wanted to be some big hero even though *everyone* said it was a bad idea to tail Leo in your *neon green* three-*BILLION* dollar car. We'd have been more inconspicuous in a *solid gold limosine*! **He takes a step towards Chris and points at him.** You don't put what happened to Odie on *me*. I *saved* him from what *you* did. I *saved* us all from *your* stupid fucking... **He shakes his head in anger and then blurts out.** I SAVED *US* FROM *YOU* CHRIS!!

**Illiadius**: **Giving Chris the condition** ***Ignomy***.

**Chris**: Yeah well you didn't fuck'n save us from *you* tonight did you? Look at what the hell happened to Shane! Did you look into his fuck'n *eyes*, or how about when you stood there like an idiot as that *thing* wore him like a suit and flung me across the damn library?! **He glares at Liam with his venomous green eyes.** And it took you for-fucking-ever to actually *do* something. I might be an over-confident idiot, but at least I take the fight *to them* instead of cowering the corner like a little girl!

**Taylor**: **Giving Liam the condition** ***Coward***.

**Karen**: **She shouts out suddenly.** Enough! **She stands up, shakily, like she has a massive hang over.** Both of you shut the fuck up! **She rubs the side of her head and stumbles slightly.** JEEVES! **She puts her hand on the side of the sofa.** Jeeves, *get your ass in here*!

**Jeeves**: **He suddenly pushes through the large double doors.** Yes Ms. Karen?

**Karen**: **She shakes her head slightly. She's obviously upset.** Make me a strong pot of coffee... And get me some advil... **She looks around the trashed library, her eyes catching Adam's arm laying out from behind the table. She fumes silently for a moment as she tears up slightly. She chokes out another few words as her throat starts to tighten up.** And call mother... Tell her that Adam's... Nevermine, I'll call her and I'll talk to her... Just get me what I asked... **She sighs and looks to Jeeves, he nods and quickly hurries out of the room. After he leaves she looks to Chris and then Liam. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.** ...Alright... You both *fucked up*... Arguing isn't going to solve *anything*. **She sighs and leans on the table she and Chris were sitting at earlier.** There's a boy out there who is possessed. You two need to *stop* yelling and throwing a fit like children. It doesn't *matter* whose fucking fault *what* was. **She looks at Chris.** You made a stupid choice because you didn't listen to your friends, right?

**Chris**: **He looks over at Liam, then back to Karen.** We should've went to Odie's boss instead of tailing Leo...

**Karen**: And *you*... **She looks to Liam.** Ended up in a demon's pact, because you had no friends, or wanted more, I don't know. You thought your life was *shit*, right?

**Liam**: **He nods slowly, not entirely sure what she's getting at.** Yeah... **He nods in defeat and embarrassment.**

**Karen**: Well the only friend, that you *both* let down, is other there, *right now*, struggling against a demon. You two start squabbling over this shit now, what the fuck is that gonna solve?

**Chris**: You want me to be friends with a guy that used a *demon* to mind control his own friends? How do I know he didn't do something to *me*.

**Karen**: **She sighs, closing her eyes.** ...That's a valid point... But at the same time, you don't need to be *friends*. This isn't fucking kindergarten, *alright*?

**Liam**: I didn't... I didn't want for what happened... To happen to him, and I *undid* it, Chris! **He looks at Chris, knowning that what he did was wrong.** I tried to change it back. I thought I changed it! **He winces and grabs at his shoulder, blood is still flowing from the wounds, though it's slowed.**

**Karen**: Alright-Alright... Calm down... You both *fucked up*... The question is, how are you going to *fix it*? You don't have to be friends, you just need to man up and save your *mutual* friend... **She sighs, realizing how dramatic teenagers can be.** Or you can continue to throw blame around like we're on 90210 or some shit. **She sighs, remembering that the Twins, Ricky, and Odie are all out of commission and she really doesn't have anyone else she can call for this.** ...*We* need to deal with this. *Understand*?

**Chris**: **After a long pause of silence he looks at Liam, crossing his arms over his chest. He drags his translucent claws lightly over the bandages on his arm.** Who else did you change?

**Liam**: No one. Shane was the first and *last* time I did that, and I only did it in the heat of the moment... I regretted it... Almost immediately...

**Chris**: **He looks at Karen for a moment with his yellow-green eyes and then back to Liam.** What else did you use that demon for?

**Liam**: ...A few things? ...Nicer clothes... The answers on my homework... When those people tried to fight us at the Arcade... Umm... I used it to switch all my classes... **He looks down.**

**Karen**: **As they're talking, Jeeves walks in carrying a large metal tray with a pot of coffee and some cups. She takes it from him and sets it on the table, pouring herself a glass.**

**Chris**: You didn't use it in relation to me, with *anything*? Even those fights with Blake? **He still seems really pissed, and very suspicious.**

**Liam**: **He shakes his head.** No.

**Chris**: You fuck with Odie?

**Liam**: *No*! Only Shane! **He looks at Chris with angry, watering eyes. He feels horrible for what's happened to Shane, and he knows that it's all his fault.**

**Karen**: **She lets out a long satisfied sigh after taking a drink from the coffee, Jeeves turns and leaves.**

**Chris**: ...How the hell did you *not* know he was a demon, Liam?

**Liam**: Because... **He shakes his head.** It's a long story.

**Chris**: **He shakes his head.** Tell it to me. Convince me that I should be doing something other than beating the shit out of you *right now*.

**Karen**: Yes, tell us. If we know how you happened across him, it might help us figure out what we can do to help Shane... **She sees her brother's arm again and closes her eyes.** Let's talk about it somewhere else though...

**Liam**: **His eyes dart back and forth between Chris and Karen a few times.** ...OK... But I think I need some first aid... My shoulder is still bleeding I think...

**Chris**: **He looks at Liam and then begrudgingly speaks.** My uncle is a doctor... You can tell us what happened while he looks us over... **He looks at Karen.** If I call him I'm sure he'll be over here shortly.

**Karen**: **She nods.** Yeah, sure... Both of you can head down to the parlor, there's a phone in there... It's just down the hall and to the right. I have to... Make a call... **She looks over at Adam's arm.**

***About twenty minutes later...***

**They've gathering in the parlor, Karen has changed into black nightgown with a long silk cloak, it's not at all revealing, ironically being less provocative than her normal attire. She's sitting on a large elegant couch, still holding her coffee, she's cleaned up, but it's obvious that she's still worn out and emotionally distraught, though she tries to hide it. Orion arrived a few minutes ago, and is finishing up his examination of Chris.**

**Orion**: **He's looking Chris over, having had him sit up on a large table near the window, and had Chris remove his shirt so he could get a better look at his wounds.** And you said a demon did this?

**Chris**: Someone possessed by one... More specifically... **He seems to have cooled of a bit in the last fifteen minutes, thought he's not necessarily any less angry at Liam. He's reverted to human form, and there's large bruises over his back and shoulder where he slammed into the bookcase.**

**Orion**: You're certainly on a roll with these demons aren't you? **He pulls out a large roll of black gauze and begins to wrap Chris's left shoulder with it, there's a few cuts along the bruises there that are bleeding slightly, though his back seems to be fine. It only takes a few seconds, as the bandaged area is small, and he cuts the gauze and then clips it.** It's mostly bruising. With any luck it'll be gone in a few days. You can put your shirt back on. **He puts the scissors on the table.** How's the arm?

**Chris**: **He hops off the table.** Arm is fine, he didn't do anything to it.

**Orion**: **He looks over at Liam and motions for him to walk over.** Get up on the table here and take of your shirt.

**Liam**: **He walks over to the table with his head hung low, as he passes Chris he doesn't look at him. He feels too ashamed to look him or anyone else in the eyes. He gets up on top of the table and pulls his shirt off so that Orion can see the five punctures in his shoulder and back, he feels a little awkward, despite Chris seeing him shirtless several times before, it somehow feels different in this situation, maybe because of Karen, or maybe just because he's not in the same setting.**

**Chris**: **He walks over and sits near Karen. Not right next to her, but on the same sofa. He looks at her for a moment, then over to Liam, expectantly.**

**Orion**: **He looks at the wounds, they've mostly stopped bleeding, but as he looks at one of them he pulls out some tweezers. He picks at the wound a few times to clean it. There's small pieces of Shane's burnt flesh in the wounds.** ...The wounds have debris in it. I'm going to need to reopen them and clean them out, lay back on the table. On your side if you will.

**Liam**: **He just knods an lays back, the turns on his side.**

**Orion**: **He starts to pick into the wounds, reopening them. After a moment he grabs a scalpel and cuts into one of the wounds to dig something out.**

**Karen**: Tell us about how you found the demon Liam.

**Liam**: **He winces as Orion starts to cut open his wounds to clean them.** ...R-right now?

**Orion**: Speaking may help keep your mind off of the pain. **He grabs a small pad of gauze and dabs it with disinfectant, pressing it against the wound he just opened.**

**Liam**: **He flinches a few times as his eyes start to water a little.** Umm... My... I... **He winces again, seeming to have trouble thinking of where to start.** ...I live up near the hills with my parents... There's this... Large hill... A mountain I guess... You can see it from my house.

***About two weeks earlier...***

**Liam is standing outside of his house, a run down mobile home that sits in the middle of a large fenced yard full of dead plants and junk. He's leaning up against the side of the trailer, kicking at the dirt. His parents can be heard inside, yelling at each other, a nightly occurrence. The autumn night air is cold and he doesn't have a jacket on. He pushes off the edge of the trailer and flinches as he hears a plate smash against the wall from inside. He looks around the yard, trying to find something that would distract him from his parents. After a moment he looks to the left and something catches his eye. A flickering light, up in the mountains.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I had seen the light a few times growing up, it always seemed weird... At least to to me, no one else ever even seemed to notice it... A bright orange light at the summit of the tallest mountain nearby. Sometimes I'd see black vans, or expensive cars driving up the road towards it, always late at night. About a year ago the light stopped appearing, but that night it was there again. I watched it while I stood outside. I was... Curious about it... Maybe drawn to it I guess... About an hour after I first saw it, it flashed, really bright. Almost like an explosion.*

**Liam leaves out the part about his parents fighting as he tells the story. The next morning he's getting out of bed, he looks around his small room. His cat, Sunny, is sleeping lazily on a large pillow beside his bed on the floor. He throws his legs over the side of the bed and looks at her.**

**The cat is extremely overweight, and rarely moves more than a foot or two at a time. She looks up at him as he sits up and throws his feet over of the side of the bed, but then puts her head back down and closes her eyes.**

**Liam**: **Leans up and pets Sunny a few times.**

**The cat purrs quietly and then seems to roll into a ball, hiding her head as she dozes off.**

**Liam**: **He grabs a change of clothes and makes his way into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed. He wants to leave before his parents wake from the stupor they drank themselves into the night previous. He microwaves a hotpocket and heads out the door quickly, fearful that the beeping might've woken one of them. It's still early morning, about seven, and the sun still hasn't risen, though the sky is a bright blue, meaning that it's just over the horizon. He reaches into his pocket to make sure he's got his house key as he runs down the small porch and out the front of the yard.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I didn't really have anything to do. It was the last few days of Summer, and I'd always wanted to see what was causing the lights at the top of the mountain... So I guess... I just decided that I'd hike up there...*

**Liam has spent the last hour and a half walking up a dirt road, he's near the top of the mountain now.**

**The road is dry, but there's obvious tire tracks everywhere. The road winds up around the mountain like a rising spiral, looping within itself as it leaps up the summit. There's various gates and other things that were put into place on the way up to keep people out, however they've all been opened or knocked down. As Liam turns a final bend of the road, he comes to a steep incline, surrounded in heavy desert brush. Ahead of him and off to the right, nearly hid behind some of the brush, is a large black car. The car is an expensive Cadillac, but its tires have been refitted to be larger, like something you'd see on a Jeep or a large truck.**

**Liam's Narration**: *When I got to the top of the mountain I saw a small car. I ducked behind some plants and stayed hidden. I'm not really sure why, but I just didn't want to be seen by anyone up there. After a five or ten minutes, I don't really remember, but I continued up through the bushes, passing by the car as I did, and stopping to take a look. It's one of those fancy cars that rich old people drive or something. A Cadillac I think, but I don't really know what they're called. I looked around for signs of anyone else and then peaked in through the window.*

**Inside there's nothing of interest. The interior is very clean, but the windows have a slight layer of dust on them. Liam starts to notice a smell of ash and soot, like there was a brush fire near here recently. It's notably silent up here at the top of the mountain, and he can't hear any sign of anyone else around.**

**Liam's Narration**: *After looking into the car I kept going, moving through the brush. Even though I hadn't heard anyone, I wanted to be careful... And I had this... Stupid thought, like when you're a little kid and you want to sneak around for no reason... So I tried to stay hidden. I made my way farther up the road, up the steep incline carefully. I wanted to see the very top of the mountain, since that's where the fire always seemed to be.*

**As liam starts to reach the summit he comes to a large flat clearing. It's black, with soot covering everything. At the far edge of it is a large rock, covered in some kind of black gummy substance, like rubber. It looks like everything has been burned by a large fire. The ground is littered with fragments of burned wooden splinters, all of them seeming to fan out from a spot at the center, at which sits a small leather-bound book. The tome itself looks singed, but hardly burned like everything else.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I took a few more moments before I stepped out into the clearing, making sure that there was no one else around. As I looked about at the ashes, there was burned wood everywhere, maybe someone tried to build a fire last night, then put it out? I'm still not really sure... But at the center of it all was this... Book. Small, almost like a notebook, and it was bound in old leather, like something you'd see in an old movie... It reminded me of the journal that Sean Connery had in Indiana Jones... Anyway... There still didn't seem to be anyone around, so I walked over and picked it up. It opened it...*

**The first few pages are almost blank, having only small circular designs in them. However, the third page has strange scribbled text all over it. It has English lettering, but appears to just be a jumble of letters. As he flips through the pages they become stranger. There's small sketches in the corners, or at the center of the page with the text framing them. The sketches are poorly drawn, like something you'd see from someone who tries to draw things, but isn't a very good artist, and they're of seemingly random objects or shapes. Trees, cars, eyes, hands, squares. Halfway through the book he opens to a large kind symbol, a circle, with a ring surrounding it, and six evenly spaced lines that radiated outwards from it across the page. On the page to the right of it is a single line of four words, again, none of which are in English, they're just random letters like everything else.**

**Liam's Narration**: *The book was just gibberish, at least as far as I could tell... Page after page, jumbled letters on each of them with little drawn pictures... It was kind of creepy, but at the same time funny? Ridiculous, maybe... Like some little kid tried to keep a journal... At least, if it wasn't written in cursive that's what I would've thought.*

'*As Liam begins to flip towards the end of the book he realizes that it's started to get really warm, but at the same time the book has become harder to see, it's getting darker, like a cloud has passed over the morning sun, only it's too dark, and the air has a sudden dry heat to it. Roll withDarktoGaze into the Abyss'***.**

**Illiadius**: **Rolling to** **Gaze into the Abyss** **5 + 6** **+2 Dark** **is 11.**

**Liam looks up from his book. His surroundings are different than they were only moments ago. He doesn't seem to be standing atop a mountain anymore, rather he's what appears to be a large, dark, forest. The sky above is dotted with a billion strange stars, each of which seems like they're much larger than any star he's seen before, burning in odd colors, deep reds to bright orange, and they sway slightly, like the branches of a tree might move in a summer breeze. The fiery stars are the only source of light, and they're just enough to allow Liam the ability to make out the silhouettes of what seem to be pine trees, which are spread out from one another at spaces of seven or more feet. A warm wind blows through the woods and seems to wrap around Liam, but the trees appear motionless. It's clear that he's far from the ordinary here.**

**Liam's Narration**: *When I looked up from the book I was somewhere else. There was darkness... Everywhere... Warm darkness. It was like I was suddenly stranded in the woods on a summer night, alone.* **As he tells this part is sounds like he's starting to get a little creeped out.** *I turned and looked in every direction, confused at how I got there. It was terrifying, being one place, then suddenly... No where... I was afraid to move from where I was. It seemed like a dream, but the warmth of the dark air make me realize that it couldn't be.*

**As Liam turns to look in different directions a metallic smell fills the air and he suddenly notices a man standing between the trees. He's tall and large, rounded in body type, but broad shouldered. He can make him out well enough to tell that he's turned away and looking in the opposite direction. He's motionless.**

**Liam's Narration**: *Then... I saw a man in the darkness... Just standing there... Facing away. It was somehow worse that I wasn't alone anymore, and the air smelt bad... Like... When you put a penny in your mouth maybe? Or if you cut your lip and you taste the blood... Anyway...* **His voice is trembling as he speaks now, remembering how strange this all was.**  *I stood there watching, freezing up, tense. I wanted to walk -run off, but I was afraid, you know? I didn't know where I was... Didn't know what to do... Didn't know who he was... If I ran where would I have gone if I did?*

**As Liam stares at the man his eyes seems to catch something, and another man is suddenly standing to the left of the first. This one is short, and seems to be bald and very thin and has no shirt on. Like the first, he's staring in the opposite direction of Liam, however, unlike the first he seems to be dry-heaving, like he's trying to vomit something up without actually bending over, but he's making no sound. His arms just seem to hang in front of him and his shoulder-blades are pressing outwards. The motions are jittery and uncomfortable looking.**

**Liam's Narration**: *Then there was another... And the second man made things feel even worse...* **His voice has gone softer, it's obvious that he doesn't like remembering this part.** *He was moving strangely. Like he couldn't stop laughing or something... But he made no sound... I couldn't really tell what he was doing...*

**Between the two men Liam can see a third figure that wasn't there before, a girl, probably his age as she's slightly shorter than him. She's staring at him, her mouth is hanging open, slack-jawwed. There's a sudden crash somewhere in the woods, like one of the trees has fallen over. A yelping sound, like a cat, cuts through the air and it draws out, long. After nearly a full minute the long yowl shifts and becomes distorted.**

**Liam's Narration**: *Then suddenly there was a third.* **His voice is starting to become little more than a whimper as he continues to tell the story to Chris and Karen.** *...A girl... Staring at me from between the two men, and then a loud crash, and a screech in the dark somewhere! I felt like I was gonna be sick... My heart started pounding... I didn't know what to do! I wanted to look away from the girl, from the two men, but I couldn't, I didn't want to lose sight of them. I wanted to run, but I couldn't...*

**The yowling scream suddenly cuts off, and there seems to be four more men standing there, three to the left, and one to the right, the girl continues to stare at Liam with empty eyes, when she suddenly heaves and falls forwards between the men. Something pours from her mouth and onto the ground. She looks like she's having a massive coughing fit and halfway through it a loud rasping set of coughs come from behind Liam.**

**Liam jumps suddenly and out of reflex turns to look behind him, towards the sound of the cough.**

**There's nothing there, it's just empty woods, and the second he turns to look the coughing sound stops.**

**Liam freezes up, his eyes dart back and forth a few times before he slowly turns to look back in the direction of the girl and the men.**

**As Liam turns to look back at the girl she's standing less than a foot from him. Behind her there's no trees, instead it's a wall of men and boys, of varying age and size and shape, set against a dim orange horizon. The girls eyes are completely dark, the whole sockets seeming to be empty, and her skin is pale. Her mouth hangs open crookedly, and it looks like its missing teeth.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I'd never been so scared in my life... Even the thing at the detective's... That was scary, but it was nothing compared to what was happening there in that dark place... And she was so close to me now. I didn't even hear her move...*

**Liam**: **He freezes up as he sees the girl, not even noticing all the others standing behind her. After a short delay he starts to tremble, his muscles seeming to seize up with the adrenaline that surges through his veins in response to his fear. He suddenly lets out a loud yell and stumbles backwards, away from the girl, his voice cracking halfway to a scream.**

**All of the men suddenly lurch and break into a run, all of them are running backwards, as easily as a normal person would run forwards. The girl just stands motionless, the dark liquid still dripping from her mouth. A kind of static begins to fill the air. The men and boys rush around her and they seem to throw themselves at Liam, falling backwards and slamming into the ground as if to try and tackle him to the ground without actually knowing where he is.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I couldn't take it, I turned and ran as fast as I could.*

**Liam**: **As he stumbles backwards he turns and sprints, faster than he ever has in his life, away from the things, which he's now completely sure aren't human, that are running backwards and throwing themselves at him.**

**As he turns, Liam is slammed into by a large obese man's back. The man tries to reach backwards and grab him, but his large size and the way his elbows bend, don't allow him to get a grip on Liam. However it's quickly apparent that Liam has no where to go as various men and women, all of them looking like they're in their late forties or older, and none of which are facing towards him, quickly surround him on all sides and begin trying to grab at him with their arms. They press up against him with their size and weight, almost like they're trying to crush him between them. As this happens the yowling squeal fills the air again.**

**Liam's Narration**: *I yelled out, screamed. I was surrounded and had no where to go...* **He's so distressed, remembering these events, that he's started to shiver as tingles run up and down his back.** *I screamed as loud as I could for help. From anyone that was listening...*

**Liam**: No! Someone, *please*! ANYONE! HELP ME! HELP ME-HELP!! **He struggles against the bodies pushing against him as he gasps for air.** PLEASE SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP ME! HELP ME! **He's almost sobbing between his cries for help.**

**The yowling continues to grow, louder, drowning out Liam's yells for help as the bodies begin to push Liam down to the ground, where he starts to get stepped on and trampled by their feet, and they all start to fall down onto him, slipping passed each other. The entire time they always seem to somehow contort or twist to be facing away from him.**

**Liam's Narration**: *They were all around me... I couldn't breath... I was getting crushed... I didn't know what to do... I just kept trying to yell out as I pushed against them...*

**Liam**: HELP! PLEASE ANYONE PLEASE HELP! **He stops yelling, trying to push the bodies off of him as he struggles and squirms to get free.**

**The men and women all stop moving suddenly as he pushes at them. They all seem to pause, then they rush away from Liam, giving him space to breath again. The yowling immediately goes silent, as if they're listening for something. Suddenly a roaring hum fills the air, like something that could be heard from nearby powerlines, but louder. Beams of golden light tear through the darkness, and a third of the creatures are shredded into burning husks, that then evaporate into ashes. The hum fills the air again, and again the light follows, ripping through half of the remaining bodies as they attempt to stumble towards the source, running backwards towards it.**

**Liam**: **He keeps his head down, but watches as the things are incinerated to pieces from the corner of his vision.**

**The majority of the remaining creatures are disintegrated by another array of beams. A glowing light slowly falls down before Liam.**

**Avarada**: **His voice rings out across the vastness, it's monotone and deep, but accompanied by the sound of trumpets.** *Be gone, foul creature. You will not lay harm to this child.*

**The slack-jawed girl heaves and then twitches slightly, dark liquid still pouring from her face. The two original men standing behind her. The yowling begins again, but this time it warps and is suddenly filled with radio static that seems to create words.** I dLi kETo int rOOhdu seeeyo utoaf re ndammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH- **It becomes a blood curdling scream, and sudden surge of music rises with it, like a dozen old songs being played at once.**

**Avarada**: **His voice silences the noise coming from the slack-jawed girl, the trumpets swelling with it.** *Be gone, Siren!* **He raises his hand, and light fills the area, a choir of voices singing along with it. As the light fades, the girl is suddenly gone. His voice sings out again.** *You are safe now. Look upon me, your guardian.*

**Liam**: **He slowly looks up at the thing that saved him.**

**Avarada**: **He looks down at Liam, the exact details of its appearance are difficult to make out as a nearly blindingly blooming light radiates outwards from the towering humanoid creature, but it appears to be covered in gold and white plumage and ornate clothing. A pair of black and gold wings span from its back seemingly set to eclipse against the shining light that illuminates its whole being. It reaches down towards Liam with a three-taloned hand. He glows even brighter, and he suddenly appears as a tall young man with golden hair and eyes, shrouded in glowing white billowing cloth, the black wings spreading out in a ten foot span behind him.** *I have heard your plea. I have seen your strife. Long have I looked for you, Liam. Take my hand, and I will protect you and grant your ever desire...*

**Liam**: **He smiles, thinking that it's some kind of guardian angel, sent down from heaven, and reaches up taking the luminant boy's hand.**

**Liam's Narration**: *He was so pure, like an angel, and he burned away the darkness... I took his hand and thanked him... I said he could stay with me forever if he wanted...*

**Avarada**: **He smiles warmly, and the fear and darkness of the world around Liam seems to melt away. He pulls Liam to his feet and cups his hands in his.** *All the power is in your hands, Liam...* **His smile fades, as does his light, and the darkness around Liam. Suddenly Liam stands alone atop the mountain once more. But his voice, dull and monotoned, and without the trumpeting glory behind it still speaks in Liam's ears** *When you need seek my help, look upon your own reflection, and I will grant your desire...*

***Current time...***

**Orion finished examining and bandaging up Liam almost twenty minutes ago, he's since been sitting in the corner listening to the story.**

**Liam**: ...At first he was nice... He gave me things... New clothes, some money... A new bed... A TV... Just... Little things that I never really had before... **He wipes his eyes, he's given up trying to hide his tears at this point.** ...A bike, so I could ride to school if I wanted...

**Chris**: **He feels a lot more sorry for Liam, but at the same time he's still not convinced that Liam hasn't completely overstepped his bounds.**

**Liam**: Then... After Leo... After I used him to guard you and Odie... Things started getting weird... I started seeing things... He started becoming more aggressive... Scary even... Said I desired things and that he *had* to give them to me... I still thought... I don't know... Maybe I owed him something... I didn't want him to leave... So I just agreed to do what he asked...

**Karen**: What'd he ask you to do? **She looks really tired, like she's going to fall asleep. Her eyes are barely open and she's speaking quietly.**

**Liam**: **He shakes his head.** It's embarrassing... **He looks down.**

**Chris**: **He narrows his eyes at Liam.** What was it? **He's starting to feel as if, though Liam has certainly done some horrible things, they might not all have been completely his fault, but he's still not entirely convinced that he really wants to be around him, or outwardly show that he's sorry for him, so he presses the question again in case Liam says he doesn't want to answer.** Tell us, what did the demon ask? It might be important Liam.

**Liam**: **He gulps nervously.** ...He... It asked me to have... You know... Be with Shane...

**Karen**: In a relationship, or sexually? **She doesn't carry the awkwardness that Chris or Liam might have about the subject. Even the homoerotic subject matter doesn't seem to phase her.**

**Liam**: ...Sexually... **He goes quiet for a moment.** ...He said that it was what I wanted... And umm... I did... **He thinks of Shane, his grotesque hand and the golden shine in his eyes as he taunted them only an hour earlier, though it seems so long ago now.** ...I'm sorry... **His eyes start watering again.**

**Chris**: **He looks at Karen, then to his uncle, then to Liam.** We'll go speak with my mother... She said she's handled demons before... I don't expect much help from her after how pissed she was with me but... **He pauses silently for a moment.** What other choice do we have? **He stands up, stretching slowly, even though it hurts his back.**

**Liam**: ...You want me to go with you? **He looks up at Chris.**

**Chris**: No, but it looks like I'm stuck with you anyway. You know the most about this demon, and you got us into this, so again, I don't have a choice... **He just shakes his head at Liam.** ...Doing what you did to Shane... I think the only way you could ever be forgiven is if you save him, and he forgives you *himself*. **He looks at Karen for a moment.** Get some rest and... Take care of your brother... We'll try to deal with this ourselves... I'm sorry I brought you into this too.

**Karen**: **She looks to the side in silence for a moment.** ...It happens... I don't blame you, Chris... I don't blame either of you. Demons manipulate and trick people... It's what they do... I've seen it happen a dozen times in this... Line of work... I guess is what you could call it. **She looks to Chris and then Liam.** All you can do now is pick up the pieces and try to fix this... **She looks back to Chris.** I'll drop by in the morning...

**Chris**: **He nods to her and then heads out of the parlor.** C'mon, let's get going...

**Karen**: And Chris. **She speaks out as he's leaving the parlor.**

**Chris**: **He stops mid-way out into the hall and turns to look back in.** ...Yeah?

**Karen**: Be careful... If things are going south... You get the fuck out, you understand? ...This isn't like the movies Chris... There are rarely happy endings here... **She sighs and looks down, closing her eyes as she leans back against the couch.**