Demon Run Chapter 4
Author's Note: Thank you for continuing to read! Again this story takes liberties with and different interpretations of Judeo-Christian beliefs. If this possibly could offend, please stop reading.
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Matt
Demon Run
Chapter 6
And the Angels mated with the humans and formed offspring known as Nephilim. - The Book of the Nephilim
August 28, 2012
***
John slowly opened his eyes as the sun broke through the curtains covering the window. He groaned as he opened his eyes and the room started to spin.
“Morning.” Jason said walking in from the bathroom rubbing his head with a towel.
“What happened?” John rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. His vision focused on Jason who was completely naked.
“Not sure.” Jason walked to the dresser and opened the top drawer and fished out a pair of black boxer briefs. “I found you passed out on the floor, and I carried you up here.”
John watched him as he walked to the closet and pulled out a pair of black dress pants, a white shirt, and a black tie. He laid the pants and the tie on the bed, and started to pull the shirt over his head.
John considered telling him about the strange vision he had, but he decided not too.
“What do you have today?” John asked as he continued to watch Jason get dressed. He was hypnotized by his body.
“I have class at 10, office hours at 1:00. Should be home around 5ish.” John pulled his pants on and zipped them. He noticed that John let out a slight sigh and chuckled. “What are you plans?”
“I don’t know.” John looked away and looked at his hands. “I am not sure if I should return to my place or not.”
“Police came and picked the three men up, but they appeared to not remember where they were.” John put the tie around his neck and he tied it. “They must have been high on drugs.”
Or possessed by demons John thought. That is what the man in his vision said. “I want to go get those journals.”
“Where are they?” Jason had sat on the edge of the bed and was putting his shoes on.
“In a safe deposit box.” John laughed. “Figured that was the safest place for them.”
“Probably.” Jason sighed. He wanted to read the journals. “Let Sam drive you.” He stood up and started to walk to the door.
“I can do it myself.” John started to protest.
“She is driving you.” Jason turned around and had a look on his face that showed he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
***
John sat in the back of the car as Sam headed down I-40 towards the San Mateo turn off. He wasn’t sure how he felt being driven around, but it was what it was.
“Thank you for taking me.” John said, looking in the rearview mirror at Sam.
“No problem.” Sam responded looking back. She turned her attention back to the road.
“Why am I riding back here?” John asked looking out the window. “I could have rode up front.”
“Just a personal preference.” Sam said without wanting to give more of an explanation.
John shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to approach Sam, and he wasn’t sure if she liked him that much anyway. Of course he couldn’t blame her. He was ‘stalking’ Jason in a way, but it was all justified. Plus when he was with Jason he felt happier then he ever had.
Sam turned off the interstate.
“I care about him.” John said, gazing out the window as they stopped at a stop light. Traffic was still heavy as the morning rush to work had yet to die down. A man on the corner held a sign that said ‘The End is Here’.
“None of my business.” Sam locked into the back mirror.
They sat in silence for the last few moments of the ride.
***
Sam pulled the car into the parking lot of the First State Bank. She had never been to this bank, but knew it was a local bank. She eyed John as he unbuckled his belt and opened the door.
“I won’t be long.” John said not looking at Sam as he closed the door.
Sam cursed under her breath. She did not like this kid, but was important to Jason, and he told her to keep an eye on him. She was getting paid, and thus she would do her job. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. “Hold up.” She hollowed after John.
John turned around and eyed Sam. “It’s a bank.” He turned to look at the door. “It's practically the safest place to be.”
“Come on.” She walked past him and grabbed one of the doors. John was shocked at her speed.
The lobby was bright and organized. Along the back wall were the tellers, and the classic rope lines to keep the people organized. There were several people in the line waiting to be served.
“Good morning.” A voice came up behind them. “I’m Derrick, how can I help you?”
John turned around and was shocked at how young the man looked. Almost like a teenager. He looked familiar but he was sure he had never seen him before, as the one that helped him with the lock box was a woman.
“I need access to my lock box.” John said, eyeing the man.
“Kinda young to be working in a bank.” Sam stated as she apparently didn’t trust this person either.
Derrick laughed. “I get that lot.” He festered to a side office. “This way please.”
Sam eyed the kid as John followed him. It was a bank. It had to be safe right?
Sam stood at the door as John took a seat at the desk and Derrick sat down typing information into a computer.
“Can I have your ID? And you have your key?” Derrick smiled and looked at John. He didn’t even seem to notice Sam ‘s glares.
John pulled out his ID and the key.
“Thank you.” He continued to enter information on the computer and nodded his head. “If you will follow me to the vault?”
Derrick stood up and gestured to the door. Sam turned around and walked back out into the lobby. A few more people had entered the bank, and she cursed herself for not watching the room. This Derrick had thrown her off her game.
Derrick led them across the bank to the vault in the back of the bank. Sam took glances at the people in line, but couldn’t detect anything out of the normal.
Inside the vault was a steel table, and on the walls were various lock boxes in the wall. Derrick walked to one and stuck a key in and turned it.
“If you will insert your key.” Derrick stepped aside to let John put his key in.
John put his key in and clicked it open. The box made a slight movement as it was freed from its spot. Derrick reached to grab the box and moved it to the steel table. “If you need anything I will be at the door.”
Sam watched as Derrick walked out, “Do not trust him.” She turned her attention to John and the box.
“You don’t trust me either.” He popped the lid off the box.
Inside the box were two journals that looked old.
“Jeremy Benthum’s journals.” He pulled them out and sat them on the table. “Well the two that pertain to end of the world predictions that is. He has more, but they are just about his daily life.”
Sam touched one. The covers were soft and made out of leather of some kind. Jason would have fun with these. He loved the old stuff.
As if on key Derrick walked back in. “Are you needing anything?”
“I have everything.” John picked up the two journals and glanced at the box. “I want to keep it, but it is empty for now.”
Derrick walked over, closed the box and picked it up, sliding it back into its hole in the wall. He clicked the keys over and handed the key back to John.
“Thank you.” John turned and started to leave the vault with Sam following behind.
“Wait.” Derrick said, calling John back. “You dropped something.”
John walked back into the vault. He still had both journals and that was all he had put into the box. Derrick handed him a photograph that was old. “I have never seen this before.” John glanced at the picture. “Oh my god.”
“What?’ Sam walked over and glanced at the picture. It was a smal; 3x4 picture. Two men stood in front of a cabin, one holding a staff and the other holding a decorative scythe. The two men in the picture looked like John and Jason. She acted like she wanted to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.
“Is everything okay?” Derrick asked. John looked up to him and he had an eerie smile. And behind the smile was a row of razor sharp pointed teeth.
***
Chapter 7
But those born of wicked humans, with dark hearts, produced another kind: The Kindred. - The Book of the Nephilim
***
Sam drove down the interstate and John sat silently in the back looking at the picture. John wasn’t sure if he should mention to Sam that Derrick had a row of sharp teeth. He was concerned as demons had attempted to take his stone once, and maybe this was an attempt to do so, but less direct.
“So you never saw that photo before?” Sam asked, looking in the rearview mirror.
“Never.” John flicked the edge of the photo and looked out the window. Sam had not mentioned the teeth yet. Maybe it was similar to the night prior when he saw the red eyes but no one else saw it. “I suppose it could have been tucked into one of the journals. But I searched them all, and there is no false backing on the covers.” He looked at the journals sitting next to him.
Sam nodded her head but didn’t mention anything else. The part that disturbed her the most was that there was such a striking similarity to Jason and John. Of course, it could be expected since John was a descendant of Jeremy, but what was the connection with Jason?
John glanced at the photo again. He had the thought that he had not yet looked at the reverted side. Maybe something had been written to give an identity to what it was.
On the back side written in cursive were two words: Demon Run.
‘Demon Run.” John said silently to himself, more intended to be an internal thought than spoken words.
‘What?” Sam asked, jerking her head toward the mirror.
“Oh.” John shook his head as if in a daze. “What’s written on the back side. Demon Run.”
Sam’s face went pale, as if all the oxygen in the car had disappeared.
“Do you know what it means?” John asked, already knowing the answer.
“We need to see Jason.” She turned her blinker on to get into the turn off lane. She wasn’t sure, but this would be of great interest to Jason. And it answered some questions she had about the whole situation.
***
Jason hung up the phone on his desk and leaned back in his chair. Sam has just called and said that they were on their way from the bank with some new information that could not wait.
He swiveled in his chair and looked out the window in the back of his office. His office was rather larger, and provided for the much needed space for all his books and research. The large windows looked out over the campus and he could watch students walk about. He loved the view.
He had a knot in his stomach. Usually, Sam never came to his office, unless it was an absolute emergency. He thought about John and wondered if something had happened to him. He quickly dismissed the idea. He would have been summoned to the hospital or the police station. Maybe it had something to do with the break in the previous night. Surely he wouldn’t be a target. After all, this all started after he met John.
He found his mind racing and barely heard the knock on his door
“Professor?” An older lady had opened the door and poked her head in. “Sam and a young man are here to see you,”
Jason turned around. “Sorry. Lost in my thoughts.” He smiled and motioned for her to let them in. “Thank you Malinda.”
The woman disappeared, and was quickly replaced by Sam who seemed to be rushed, but she just stepped aside and let John in. Jason’s heart immediately started to pound in his chest. He had never had a reaction to another man before. He had just seen him several hours prior, but he felt like it had been ten years. He wanted to jump up and embrace him, but decided against it.
“What is the rush?” He stood up walking around the desk.
“Honestly I don’t know,” John eyed Sam at the door, but moved toward Jason. He reached his hands out and grabbed Jason a hard hug.
Jason relaxed and let the feel of John come over him. God, he didn’t want this to end, to have this contact. It was as if he was in the most comfortable environment he had ever known. He let out a slight groan.
“Sorry.” John pulled back and let go. “I hug too hard sometimes.”
“No.” Jason smiled. “It just felt…” he stopped looking at Sam. He didn’t want to say anything too much in front of her.
“As if I am a child.” Sam clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Show him.”
Jason looked at John as he pulled the photo out of a book that had seemed to not notice at first.
“I have never seen this before, and I guess it was hidden in one of these journals.” He handed the photo to Jason. “Sam felt it was important.”
Jason took the picture and glanced at the picture and frowned. ‘What is it? How is this possible?”
“The one is Jeremy.” John chuckled nervously. “The one that looks like me.”
“I figured.” Jason said sarcastically. “But who is this other person? Why does he look like me?”
“Don’t know.” John made his way to the coach that was lining one of the walls, but stopped short. Above the coach were two large paintings. They covered almost the entire length of the wall, minus the coach. On the left was a painting of a being in a long white flowing robe, but the face was obscured. In his right hand was a spear, tipped with a roaring gold tip. From his back spread feathered wings.
On the right was another painting but this was darker. The image was of another being, but shoulder in dark black clouds. The head was obscured, but also had horns that came up and wrapped around the ear and pointed forward. This one wore black robes that seemed to be alive with lightning, and was holding a decorative scythe in its hands. Instead of wings made of feathers, this one had large wings of scales and bones that seemed to spread out beyond the painting's length. He could tell whoever painted this one did so with much more care and love than the first.
“I suspect the other one is Luke Milsap.” He started looking at the paintings. “Is it me, or does this scythe look like the one in the picture?” He pointed to the dark figure.
“But why does he look like me.” John rubbed the back of his head. He didn’t seem to register the question asked.
Sam shook her head. “Flip it over Jason.”
Jason looked at Sam and absently flipped it over. His face went pale when he read the words on the back side.