The dog looks so normal, but that awful odor is not what a dog smells life. Well of course, dogs typically tend to play with trash. However, this scent is not what you expect from a dog dumping into the garbage bin. This smell is entirely different. As I glance back at this guy who called himself Aris, he looks stern.
And for him to tell me my life is in danger and yet to tell me who is after me. I have no clue. When I notice his face, he looks disgusted as he looks at that Doberman.
“Why are you looking like that?”
“Because Caden, that is not a dog.”
“Okay Aris, you never told me how you knew my name…” Wait a minute. If I’m not mistaken, a voice entered into my mind telling me to get away from this dog and that it was not a real dog. “It was you!”
“I’m sorry?!”
“You were the voice in my head.”
“There’s no time for this. Come with me!”
“Why?”
The dog starts barking and then the barking starts changing into a low tone. I see the dog still barking and those eyes turning black. I begin to notice something coming from its mouth; I start walking closer.
“Caden! Get back!”
“No!”
As I step closer the dog barks louder with its voice showing off a booming-like sound. I cover my ears as the dog’s barking is not any type of barking I have ever heard. As I kneel to the ground screeching in pain still covering my ears as the sound is like a piercing, nail scratching the chalkboard, I notice Aris not covering his ears, but can still feel the pain somewhat.
“Why are you not covering your ears?!” I ask him.
“Like I said, get back!” He answers.
Looking back at the dog, its eyes start glowing and suddenly its skin shreds. The black and brown fur peels off its body and onto the ground as it suddenly fades into dust. I glance at the creature, and it is changing.
“Caden, get back now!” Aris yells at me.
I want to but as I see the creature changing; it becomes skinless showing more and more reddish black; its eyes still black, but looking at this thing I can see the ribs, but its teeth becomes sharper; and its claws growing like a talon. Then the dog-like monster starts running right to me.
I look paralyzed not wanting to move, but then I can feel a wave of heat passing me by; and to my left a ball of fire just bypassed my face and it hits the creature right to its face. The creature falls to the ground, yet the fireball did not do anything.
Aris suddenly runs to me to grab my shoulder and force me up. He looks disturbed, and I wonder why.
“Listen…”
“No you listen, I temporary blinded its eyes, yet it’s going to regain its sight.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning we half to go…now!” He starts running. “Come on!”
Not wanting to be here to face whatever that thing is laying on the ground, I begin to run. As I try to chase up to Aris, I briefly turn back to try to see if that monster was coming after us. Weird. The thing just vanished.
My mind is going nuts right now. I do not know what is going on. However, I don’t know why, but I need to understand what the thing was? Who is this Aris guy? And did he just throw that ball of fire?
***
I follow Aris from outer the town limits down Fletcher Road. Taking a survey around the area, I notice something is familiar about this sight. I realize this road we are traveling on is the same one in my daydream. And still running, I need to know where he is taking me.
“Aris right?!”
“Right.”
“You never told me what happened back there.”
“Why should I?”
“Because deep down you knew that dog was not a dog.”
“Just like you not being who you are.”
“Excuse me?!”
“You think you’re normal, but you’re not.”
“Whoever you are, how you stopped that creature back then.”
“All I can tell you, is that thing was not supposed to go after you.”
“Meaning what?!”
Tired of running, I stop yet Aris continues to run until he stops right near an old abandoned warehouse. The same one that was in my daydream. I remembered this warehouse; it was the “Creep House”. I heard the origins of the name from a story of a bunch of freshmen eight years ago.
Those freshmen—two guys and a girl—went to this warehouse to set up a party for other high schoolers. Rumors state the teens saw something that they did not suppose to see. They saw something evil, but when they came back and try to tell everyone else, they did not believe them. The police did not give them credit mostly due the warehouse used to be owned by a storage company, but that company went bankrupt. The police laughed it off. The adults forced the teens to forget the story.
Since then, no one comes down here just because the warehouse was creepy to look at and other teens just did not want to come here. Why I saw this in my daydream and I never seen this in my life stuns me.
Aris about to cross the broken gated fence and heads through the weeded area; I stop and feel I should head back. I decide to turn back around and do exactly that.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Aris asks.
“I’m heading home!” I reply.
“You need to come back and head inside.” He tells me.
“No!” I holler.
“Caden!” He yells out my name. “Caden, get back here!”
Getting sick and tired of him calling me by my name but cannot tell me how he knew me. And that we never seen each other before except meeting face to face today. I hastily run to his face.
“Unless you tell me what just happened back at the street corner and what was that thing, I’m not coming back here!” I demand.
Aris is mumbling something to himself. Thinking he wants to wait, I’m about to turn to head back until he puts his hand on my left shoulder.
“Wait!” He yells.
“Tell me, what was that thing?” I question.
“That thing back there was a Hellhound.” He states.
“What?” I heard about them before, but why did that thing looked like a dog, yet it is a dog-like creature. “So you mean tell me that Doberman changed into a Hellhound?”
“Actually, the hellhound used that Doberman disguise to mask itself into the world.” He explains.
“Why?” I wonder.
“All I know is that hellhounds supposed to guard the Underworld; they were never supposed to hurt…” He says, yet stops.
“Hurt what?” I ask.
“Hey if you want to leave that’s fine. Go on leave!” He suddenly states.
“What if I run into that hellhound again?” I ask.
“Defend yourself.” He says bluntly and then heads further to the warehouse.
These past few days have gotten weirder by the minute; and I have no clue what to expect next. All I know is that I have to get back home and hope the next day will be normal. Yesterday was crazy, but as today soccer practice went okay and even all four classes went okay. Out to the school courtyard, I start walking around the curve entryway where kids are getting to school buses. I try to get into one just for today hoping I would not see that hellhound again.
Why is it after me anyway?
Aris told me a hellhound supposed to guard hell; I still need to know why that thing was after me anyway. As I try to head to the school bus that was heading down the Adam Street way, a girl approaches me.
I turn around to see its Megan Hartlin. Megan like Liana is very attractive and very beautiful; she is nice and has hot blue eyes along with her dirty blonde hair. Her pale skin is quite attractive because she is Megan Hartlin already being voted as the “Most Popular Girl at Oakston High” and yet she is only fifteen. Why would she be talking to me?
She approaches toward me holding her books in her hands and giving off that sweet and mesmerizing smile.
“Caden, right?” She says.
“That’s me.” I answer.
“You know me right?!” She wonders.
“You’re Megan.” I say.
I see her giving off that smile. Her smile is to die for if you’re a guy; when she smiles, you half to smile back. So in the interest not to make her hate me, I smile back.
“I heard about you being the new starter for the soccer team.”
“Yup.”
“You’re ready to win the championship finally.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on Caden, I know you can.”
“Give it time.”
“What you mean?”
“Just wait.” Hoping this could end soon I notice the bus is getting ready to set off.
“I’ll wait.” She says.
“Good!” I reply.
Before she leaves, Megan tries to tell me something before she heads out.
“I wonder if you want to hang out sometime.”
“Me?”
“Yes silly. You. Facebook me and let me know then. I’ll wait.”
“I make sure of that.”
Megan giving off that mesmerizing smile once again; she walks away, I start thinking about it. It may not be a bad idea to hang out with her. It should increase my reputation a tiny bit. I wonder if Liana is okay with it. Do I want to even tell her Megan flirted with me? I thought it supposed to be the guy asking the girl—not the other way around. Seems the world is changing.
***
I head into my room knowing I’m all alone in this place with mom at work at the hospital. I head to the kitchen to grab a bag of pretzels and a root beer bottle. I take it back to my room where I lay it near my desk. I notice my dirty clothes are still on the floor. I kick the pile inside the bottom of the bed.
While I play some Foo Fighters from my iPod, I reach over to my booksack to grab my biology book to start reading my homework. However, when I got the book out, it somehow knocks the dark brown, suede booklet out as well. Just as I thought I would have a normal time listening to rock, eating junk food, and reading biology, I tend to forget I have this journal.
With everything that happened the meeting with Aris, the encounter with that hellhound, and that crazy daydream; the journal tips everything. Now this is the time to finally see what is inside. However, I still want to know who gave this to me. I wonder if it is this person whose name starts with a D.
Seeing that letter D inscription on the handle, I try so hard to think who I know have a name that starts out with D. Trying to think of someone, I cannot picture anyone. It is really bizarre that this journal comes out of nowhere right after I experienced that daydream.
I unsnap the handle that was protecting the opening. Once the cover was open, I notice the first page it had these words…
A Devos will fight between light and dark, forever known as the Rare One.
I am really perplexed when I read that statement something about the Rare One. Who is this so-called Rare One, and what in the world is a Devos? As I continue flipping many pages, I notice strange symbols, confusing words, and mysterious quotes such as odd names like Malphas, Asmodeus, Syril, and the Old Wizard.
The one thing that came to my mind similar to the Devos thing is what or who are these things. Now I’m really confused who this writer is. I skim all the way to the back on the last page with only two words…From Dantalion.
So who is this Dantailon? Who is Asmodeus? And as well the rest of this stuff; there are a lot of stuff and small images I do not recognize. Near the end of the journal, I discover several pages are missing; ripped from its bounding. Maybe I could get the answers I’m searching for once I find this Dantailon.
Is he still alive or what?
I have a lot of questions to ask to him if he really is alive. No matter what, he knows what this stuff is and maybe he could tell me why he sends it to me. Does he want me or my mother to do something? Does he want something back? What’s the reasoning? He knows, so the only way to know is to find Dantailon.
Before I begin to close the journal, there are few pages that start to really intrigue me. I glance over to a page entitled “The Demon Trials”. And within the text are three tasks that look like a list. I see something about The Alpheus prophecy, the Daemonum, and the Vessel of Nexum.
Something about this page intrigued me. Before I stay long on the page, I turn a few pages back to my surprise. It is an entry about hellhounds.
Hellhounds are vicious monsters. Demonic dogs that guard Hell. They tend to disguise themselves as domestic dogs to smoke out a Noblood who is ready to go to Hell after their death. However, WATCH OUT! These monsters have changed. Their goal has changed. They will hurt Nobloods.
Dantailon knows about this. He knew about these things; does he know I was almost attacked by one. But if it was not for Aris, I do not what will happen. Aris knows this as well. He stopped that hellhound using something. I bet he knows more. I need to show him this journal. I have a felling he knows Dantailon.