Age of Demons

Chapter 5 - Jace

Deliverance Safe House

Jace watched. A silent observer. As everyone fell to their knees or shook from the energy sizzling in the air, he only ducked, further concealing himself in the gloom.

He had meant what he said to the girl. That he had survived in this place for seven years. It was a persistent struggle, because he was the enemy. Fortunately, he was easily forgotten. Just turning nineteen, they saw him as an adult. It helped that he looked older than he was, so they didn't pay him too much attention, not like they did to those younger than him. And he was a man—in their eyes, he was stronger and less susceptible to possession.

Possession. He wanted to laugh out loud just at the thought of the word. They banned it because it led to the talk of demons, another word forbidden because it spoke of hell and Satan itself. The Creed of Deliverance didn't believe in that type of evil—only in another realm that was bursting with spirits. But what was the difference? He, at least, saw none.

"Ashlyn will save us!" Joel's vow rose like a wave and crashed on top of the heads in the room. They ate it up, every one of them. Jace noticed some who were less enthusiastic, like him, but they tried to hide it with their stiff clapping.

The director stood in the center of the stage, the candles bending their light to him. But in Jace's eyes, Ashlyn appeared brighter. Her long blond hair shone almost white. The yellow from the candles made her appear even paler—but he guessed it could be from fright. Joel towered over her, and she clenched her fists at her sides.

He also saw deeper than that. Past her light hair and pale skin, she had an additional brightness inside of her. It shimmered and whirled, fighting for dominance. Because in the center of her was a black smudge. The glow burned, but the darkness held on, an anchor inside her body.

Jace could see things others couldn't.

This time, Joel didn't ask her to say anything. He had probably learned from his past mistake. The first time he had her up on stage, he had asked her to speak after only being there for less than a month. Instead, she hyperventilated and stood shaking, mouth gaping in silence.

That was before she was labeled their savior. But he had called her special—that she was a gift from the outside. And everyone watched her with hollow eyes and questioning faces.

He watched her too. But only because he knew the truth. Because he could see it.

Joel dismissed the room, leaving his followers wanting more as they trickled from the room, heads turning and oval eyes glued to Ashlyn. She was looking down, avoiding their stares.

Begrudgingly, Jace stood up and left. It wouldn't do him any good to linger around and be noticed.

He went straight for his room. They had a curfew, and it usually began soon after service.

On the second floor, he watched others entering their rooms. Some shared rooms—especially families. A lot, like the younger crowd, had their own, to keep them separated from each other.

His was farther down the hall, which he liked. He felt like it kept him tucked away from prying eyes.

He opened his door and walked in, switching on the light.

When the room lit up a person sitting on his bed, he jumped, almost falling back into the door.

"Relax, it's just me," Des said, his lips moving around the snicker he couldn't hold back.

Jace grunted and tried to shake off the sudden adrenaline pumping through his veins. "What are you doing here? They'll be checking rooms."

Des shook his head in amusement. "Some rooms. Not everyone. You know they've stopped checking ours."

Nevertheless, Jace's nerves still crackled. "What do you want then?" He just wanted to avoid people, and that included Des. The whole presentation at the sanctuary had exhausted him, and he hadn't even done anything.

"The girl they had up there. She's not the one they think she is," he said.

"So you actually went this time?" Jace asked, ignoring what Des was really trying to say. While Jace tried keeping under the radar, Des was fine with breaking as many boundaries as he could without detection. It annoyed Jace to no end, but so far, they hadn't been discovered.

"That's besides the point." Des waved his accusation away. "You know what I'm talking about."

Jace sighed and reclined against his dresser, facing Des. There was no avoiding the conversation Des wanted to have. "Yes—okay, yes. I know what you're talking about."

"And..." Des nudged.

Jace crossed his arms. "I'm just not sure I believe what you're saying."

Des's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "You think that girl is the one?" he asked incredulously.

"No, no. Not that. I don't believe there even is a person." He looked away, knowing Des was about to go into one of his rants about what was true. But as the seconds rushed by, Des kept quiet. Jace glanced back to see Des's brows furrowed, his lips pressed in a thin line beneath his red beard.

"What did you see?" Des finally spoke up.

Jace understood what he meant. Des knew that he could see more than most could.

"You were right. She's possessed. But it's different," Jace answered.

"Different how?" Des rested his chin on the tips of his fingers, his dark eyes focused and steady.

Jace tried to choose his words carefully. He always had a difficult time putting what he saw and what it meant into words. "The demon's strength is contained—"

"Like me?" Des interrupted.

Jace shook his head. "No. No, definitely different."

Des cocked his head to the side, but Jace avoided eye contact. Whenever he looked at Des—really looked at him through demon eyes—he witnessed the demon in Des expanding, as if at its full height, only subdued somehow. Jace had no clue how Des restrained his demon.

"It looks like the demon doesn't have any command. It's dormant. She doesn't seem to be drawing strength from it," he tried to explain.

"Odd," Des muttered. "If she's controlled, why not use its power?"

Jace nodded, but not in agreement, only to show he was listening. Jace thought he understood her. The only time he used his demon's influence was for the one ability it gave him: inner sight. Des on the other hand... It was as if he and the demon were one sometimes.

There were two types of possessed: the crazed and the controlled. In this world where demons had taken over, all they did to the human population was kill and possess. And when a demon possessed someone, the demon was in command.

Except, sometimes the human won. The only other person Jace knew who was like that was Des. And now the girl, Ashlyn.

Des let his hands fall by his knees, and he pushed himself off the bed. "Well, that definitely means she's not the one then." Des abruptly turned to leave the room.

The door clicked shut, and Jace could finally breathe. He looked behind him, the window giving him a glimpse of the world. A large refinery lined his vision, over a mile away from the safe house but still large enough to reveal itself through his window. It was quiet and still, like tombstones. At times, Jace would stare at it for hours on end, searching for any movement, any flicker of something. But tonight, sleep beckoned. And he knew without needing to look that shadows slithered underneath the dim glow of the moon.