ᴛᴡᴏ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ, ʟɪᴢᴢɪᴇ ꜱᴀʟᴛᴢᴍᴀɴ.

28.| ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴊᴀᴘᴀɴᴇꜱᴇ? [1]

"Uh, hey, Lizzie..."

"Where the hell are you?"

Malik looks around his surrounding. "Uh... I'm down by the cell rooms. Why? What's up?"

"Can you bring your ass up here?"

"I mean, y—"

"Now!"

With that, the phone hangs up. Malik looks down at the phone in frustration. As takes a few steps up the stairs, a voice stops him.

"You're letting her cloud your mind," Sebastian says right before he disappears into the dark.

Malik rolls his eyes before walking up the rest of the stairs. Once he was out of the basement he sees both MG and Lizzie standing next to each other. MG had a rather simple-looking camera in his hand. The two look up to see Malik.

Malik narrows his eyes, awkwardly smiling. "Uh? Tell me you two didn't record a p—"

"God, no. Stop right there." Lizzie gags.

MG shakes his head. "Look at this... okay we have to show you something." he presses play on the camera.

On the screen was Malik sitting in one of the cell chairs all alone while talking to himself. But what confused Malik was that he wasn't alone. He was just with Sebastian. Or so he thought. He looks up confused. Part of him felt embarrassed and betrayed.

"What the hell is this..." Malik narrows his eyes, they got a little watery. "Sebastian was right next to me. W-we were talking, he was there. He-he was there."

Lizzie frowns. "I'm really sorry, Mal. But he isn't real. A-and i've realized that since the game. And this was the only way that MG and I could think of to get you to see what everyone else is gonna see. Sebastian's not real—"

Malik's eyes glow, he backs away. "S-stop it. Just stop it." he looks at them both with wide eyes. "You don't exist to me. Neither of you." he then storms off.

Feeling all types of ways, Malik goes into the city. He sits on the bench, lost in his thoughts. Had he really been that crazy to where he imagined people? And even if he was, why would Lizzie humiliate him rather than just tell him. The boy felt humiliated and betrayed. He felt crazy, out of his mind. He looks up to see Landon who had been carrying a sword.

The hybrid mysterious follows him, only to see Landon walking up to a portal. That's when he quickly put two and two together and realize something was wrong. He then remembered Josie coming to him earlier about some demon that possessed people.

Malik quickly takes the sword from the Phoenix's grasp. "I assume you're possessed by this evil insanity demon, am I right?" he says right before walking towards Landon and shoving the knife into his stomach. "Welcome to the club." his eyes glow, he drags the knife all the way: touching Landon's heart.

Once the knife was pulled out of him, Landon fell to the ground. That's when Malik started to feel nauseous. Realizing what was going to happen, he quickly finds chains and chains himself to a tree.

And moments later, Hope and Josie arrived at the scene. Both Josie and Hope run past Landon's unconscious body, clearly not paying mind to him.

"Malik, are you okay?" Hope questions in a worried tone.

Malik forces a smile. "How bout you ask the demon inside of me?" his eyes glow red. "T-this is very uncomfortable."

Both Josie and Hope's facial expressions changed. Not only were they worried, but they were shocked as well. As Malik continues to feel woozy, Hope took it upon herself to tighten the chains around him. Knowing that he was already strong and deadly just himself, so just imagine the damage he'd do while being possessed.

The rusted chains scratched against the boy's forearms causing him to growl aggressively at the Tribrid. Hope backed away slightly frightened.

"S-sorry," Malik says under his breath. "You should probably back away, townie."

Hope slightly frowns before she does as she's told and walks back to where Josie had been.

Josie on the other hand continued with the Q&A. "I don't understand. If the Oni is in you, then how are you talking?"

"Well if I knew that, Jo, I'd tell you. But I have no clue." Malik replies. "But you know that unsettling feeling you get when someone's nails scratch against a chalkboard? Well, that's how my brain feels. I- I feel this thing in my head. I can't beat it—" he pauses. His entire mood changes. "Never mind. It's gone. You can untie me— oh god." he sighs. "Don't listen to it. It takes over me randomly. That wasn't me speaking so d-don't, don't listen to me." his eyes flicker red to yellow.

Hope narrows her eyes. "He's fighting the demon somehow like Kurutta did."

Malik makes a face. "Already know I'm crazy townie, no need to rub it in."

Josie shakes her head. "Kurutta was not crazy and neither are you."

Malik hits his head against the tree. "Jo, I- I don't know what to do. Just get me out of these chains—"

"Just give us a little time—"

"There's no time to give, Hope!" Malik spat, his eyes glowed red. "I can't do this anymore, I can't be the strong Lockwood like Tyler that everyone wants me to be. I have anger issues. I drink. I apparently hallucinate friends... I mean this whole time I thought I was getting better, but I've just been getting worse. I'm crazy... I'm broken. Th-this is scary." his jaw tensed up. "I give up."

Hope's eyes water. "Mal, it's okay, okay? We're gonna fix you. You're not broken. We're gonna fix you and then you'll be with Lizzie—"

"There's no me and Lizzie." Malik interrupts while frowning. "There's no fixing me, either. I'm not good for her. I'm pure evil and a mess. I thought we could fix each other but— it's not possible to fix something as broken and messed up as me. One of you has to end this."

Josie who had been tearing up as well looks at him confused. "What?"

"The sword, Jo."

"No way." Both Hope and Josie say in unison.

Malik was going to speak but the demon inside him beat him to it. His eyes go pitch black. "You have no choice. This will not stop until you give me the boy."

A whooshing sound was heard. Malik's eyes return to their normal color.

Josie takes a step closer. "Malik? Malik, you've gotta fight this thing."

Malik forces a laugh. "Jo, just do it. Come on, you've been dreaming about kicking my ass since we were kids."

Josie scoffs, a tear falls from her eye. "Yeah, kicking your ass. Not killing you!"

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is you're alive in one of those options." Hope snarks. "I'm not letting her kill you. Okay so just st—." she was cut off when the hybrid boy begins to cry out in pain causing her to cringe.

Malik growls loudly, eyes glowing. "Just do it! Please do it!"

Josie turns around she faces the sword then looks back at Malik. Josie picks up the sword, wincing from the black magic burning her skin. That's when she begins to siphon the magic from the sword, she then screams, blasting Malik with a power of energy.

The Oni escapes Malik's body and disappears into the pit. Both Malik and Josie pant while sharing a look.

"You're lucky I love you," Josie says while out of breath before she collapses onto the ground.

Hope then faces Malik, she runs over to him, she then takes his face into her hands. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Malik tilts his head, his eyes glow yellow as their skin touch. "Hope...?"

With that, the boy passes out as well.