~Demon of Lust: Asmodea (Part 2)~

“I am Asmodea, the demon of Lust, and you shall be mine.” the demon laughed at him and changed her appearance. She now looks like Linda with two tiny horns with black tattoos all over her body and a short pointy tail on her back.

He quickly grabbed a chair, used his ability to increase the speed to create more impact as he slammed it to her body. The effect only pushed Linda a little but loosened the grip to his arms and used that moment to roll away and get up.

“A guardian?” Linda, with a double voice, assumed.

“I never thought to meet a guardian this early. Nevertheless, I thought that the woman I would possess would be this desperately in love with a guardian. Oh well, a deal is a deal. You are ours.” Linda screamed as she formed her hair into whips and started to whip it onto Drake.

Drake slowed down 'time' to evade the whips and avoid the attacks, but the longer it seems, the faster the whip moves and hits him. It flung him a distance away into the tables as he groaned in pain.

“Hahahahaha!” Linda just laughed at him.

“Is that all you can do, guardian? You’re such a pathetic, weak little guardian you are.” Linda said to Drake as she pushed away all the nearby chairs and tables, using her hair in just one whoosh.

Drake understood that this was his first actual battle against anyone ever in his life. Not including the sibling rivalry that he and Al participated for he had done nothing at that moment but to watch, suffer, talk and receive all the damage that his sister struck to him. This time, it’s different because he can now react, fight back, and have a chance to win the battle in front of him. But what can an inexperienced guardian do facing even just the ‘Possessed’, a half-baked demon itself?

He sped himself up and tried to land a punch on a possessed Linda, but her hair quickly reacted to his movements and whipped him back to the wall.

Drake’s mouth is now starting to drip with blood as he wipes it away and stands back up.

On the other hand, Lez’s uneasiness started to grow more and more as time passed.

“What’s taking Drake so long? He said he’d be quick, but 20 minutes had passed, and he’s still not here.” Mike murmured.

“He’s not answering his phone. I’ve been calling him many times by now but haven’t even got a reply. I’m going to check him out, and I’ll be right by in a minute.” Lez said to the group.

“I’m coming with you Lez. Guy’s, wait for us up in here. Call us in case Drake arrived and we’ve not met each other. We’ll be right back quickly. Maybe we should start at the maintenance room Lez; he might be in there right now.” Mike said.

“Okay!” Lez replied, and off they went.

Drake tried a plan on his mind and slowed down 'time' as he grabbed some chairs and threw them at Linda and, at the same time speeding himself up to attack her, expected to land his punches. He failed, big time. His plan to punch Linda while the chairs should distract her hair trying to deflect it had a reverse result. Drake got deflected by Linda's hair instead of the chairs as he got whipped away and banged to the walls. The chairs hit Linda, which did minor damage near to none at all.

“Well, just my first try. Need to practice a bit more.” Even if his body was screaming in pain, he still tried to get back up. Drake wondered why his movements weren’t that fast as before. It’s not even a fourth of the speed he had done when he saved Lez from the accident they had at the mansion. Neither half the rate he did back to Lez’s home that he has shown with her parents.

“Just give up, my love. Surrender to me, and I will make you happy. Every day, every hour, every minute of your life, I’ll give you my body.” Linda said, trying to seduce Drake.

“Ah… no, thank you, but I’ll have to decline your offer.” Drake was gagging, smiling, trying to mock the demon as he planned to escape from her because he realized the difference in their power. He swiftly sped up to the door but instead met a quick whiplash on his face as he went down back to the floor with his mouth bleeding.

“Hehe.” Linda giggled as she watched Drake on the floor, struggling to get up.

“Escape will do you no better, my love. I hate to do this to you, my darling, so please just give up.” Linda said as she went down to grab Drake’s head and lick his face while smiling at him.

Drake’s vision started to blur as his body was getting weaker when he began to hear someone shouting his name from afar. He recognized the voices he heard, and it was Mike and Lez who were searching for him when they didn’t find him in the maintenance room.

“Mike… Lez…” He called in a weaker voice.

“Go away… run…” he tried to warn them but couldn’t make his voice louder to let them hear what he said. He knew what Linda would do to them, especially to his girlfriend, Lez.

“Drake?!?” Both Mike and Lez called, searching for him as Linda looked towards the voices she heard.

“Pesky little rats! I should take care of them. Wait for me here, my love.” Linda kissed Drake's bloody mouth as she walked away and moved towards Mike and Lez.

Linda suddenly appeared at the cafeteria entrance door, where mike and Lez were about to go in with her regular look.

“Hello, guys searching for someone?” Linda greeted the two as she smiled while leaning at the door.

“Linda?” Mike asked as Lez moved behind him.

“Is that you? You look so different.” Mike commented, but Linda had her eyes towards Lez.

“By the way, Linda? Have you seen Drake? We’ve been looking all over for him, but we can't seem to find him anywhere. Have you seen him by any chance?” Mike asked, supposing Linda would know not knowing the danger they are in.

“No! I’ve not seen Drake around.” Linda lied as she continued to stare at Lez.

“Step aside, Let me in.” Lez strongly requested that she believe Linda is not telling them the truth and hiding something.

Linda stood straight at the entrance stopping Lez to get inside, and gently pushed her away.

“I said Drake’s not in here,” Linda said with a pissed look at her face. Linda's action made Lez believe that Drake was really inside the cafeteria.

“Wooh! Hey, Linda, just chill, girl. We just want to assure ourselves and see maybe you didn’t notice that Drake might be there.” Mike explained as he stepped between them to stop the two ladies from their rivalry.

“I already told you that no one is here!” Linda screamed in anger because the two wouldn’t believe her lie and just go away.

“I know you are lying, so get the hell out of my face!” Lez bravely said as she struggled to get in, but Linda stopped her by holding her hands as they cat-fight while Mike tried to stop them both.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop that, both of you.” Mike tried to separate the two.

Lez, suddenly ended up slapping Linda’s face that made her aroused in a fury.

“Oh! No, this is not good.” Mike commented to himself.

Linda became furious as her eyes turned blue, and her hair started to move and grow as she slowly changed her appearance into a demonic one.

“Now that is really not good,” Mike commented as a gag, for he thinks it’s not true; it’s a prank.

“You’re all going to die!” Linda said with her double voice that made Mike and Lez feel an enormous fear as their surrounding created an eerie aura while they backed away.

Bang!!!

The door suddenly opened and came out; Drake tumbled down Linda with himself.

“Run.” He softly said, but the two just stood there and watched.

Linda slowly got up as her hair grabbed Drake by the neck.

“Drake!?!” Lez screamed, worrying for her boyfriend as Linda started to lift him with her hair wrapping around his neck, choking.

“Run!!!” Drake screamed with a choking voice to make them run and save their lives, for he knew what Linda was about to do to them.

“Let’s run Lez!” Mike suggested, shouting as he pushed Lez and started to run for he saw Linda’s violent look towards her.”

“Drake, my love. Stay here as I murder those two rats who interrupted our lovely romance.” Linda dropped Drake’s unconscious body on the floor and started to chase the two.

Mike and Lez were almost out from the hall and should head towards the parking lot where their friends were, but suddenly an extended hair blocked the door, wrapped around the handle, locking it tightly. They searched for another way by running towards the gym, hoping for a way out as Linda followed them slowly, humming and creeping behind them.

They ran across the basketball court and tried all the exits, but unluckily it’s all locked up and wouldn’t budge even a little. Lez saw a tiny room (a room used to store things like cleaning materials) that she thought they could use to hide. She tried to open the door, but it was stuck. She called Mike to help her, and as they opened the door, a withered body of a dead man dropped onto the floor that made both of them scream and fear for their own life. Linda is still humming as she slowly approaches them like a snake with two trapped rats inside the cage, lurking its prey.

The two slowly backed away until they reached the locked exit door. Linda halted in front of them as she gave them a menacing smile.

“You can run, but you can never hide. Unfortunately for the both of you, you’ve run out of space to run now! Hahahaha.” Linda said while having a wicked laugh.

Mike suddenly sprinted and grabbed Linda, holding her hands so tight and shouted,

“Run Lez! Run!!!” Mike screamed, looking at Lez as he sacrificed himself just to let her escape.

Lez, without a second thought, quickly sprinted as fast as she could. She can’t let it all go to waste the sacrifice of his friend just to save her.

Chuk! Kablag! Lez heard a piercing sound before Mike’s body rolled in front of her, stopping her from running away. Lez’s tears started to fall as she kneeled in front of Mike's body as blood began to stain the floor.

“Now! It’s your turn to die!” Linda prepared to launch a pointed spear-like hair (the same one she used to pierce Mike’s chest) onto Lez.

“Mike? Lez called his name to wake him up.

“Mike?!? Lez shook him, and finally, he woke up gasping for air.

“Lez watch out!” Mike shouted with a weak voice as he saw the spear thrusts towards her coming from behind.

Lez quickly turned her head, but it was too late. The spear targeting her head was too close to evade, and nothing she could do but to close her eyes.

She felt nothing; no pain, no agony, nothing at all. She thought she was already dead, so she slowly opened her eyes and saw the spear stuck right in front of her. She just stared at the spear as it wanted to pierce right through her but couldn’t.

“What is happening?” Linda’s eyes grew wider as she didn’t expect that to happen, but the demon inside her is now starting to wonder.

“Are you mocking me?!?” Linda’s rage made her create three more spears and continuously attacked Lez but failed. Mike just smiled and collapsed on the floor while Lez was glad that for the first time, she now could see her ability.

She remembered that Drake told her that the force guardian could move objects as it wills, so she tried to think of pushing Linda away from them. She intensely focused on making Linda move but, nothing happened.

“If I can’t kill you, then I will tear your friend apart,” Linda said as she changed her target from Lez to Mike.

“Mike!!!” Lez screamed, for she didn’t know the potential of her abilities yet. She doesn’t know if she can protect Mike from any harm like a force guardian could. He turned her head towards Mike, and suddenly, the spears hit the floor, and Mike was gone. Lez found only the splatter of Mike’s blood on the floor. She made a blink then she heard a voice asking her,

“Are you okay?” Drake asked her, as he now carried Lez far away from Linda and is now at the gym entrance with Mike lying on the floor.

“Drake?” Lez called as she quickly hugged her boyfriend while she cried.

“Drake, are you okay? Let’s go! We have to escape from her. Come on, let’s go!” Lez pleaded to Drake that they should escape from Linda for now.

“Could you stay with Mike for a while? I've got a theory to prove.” Drake said to Lez.

“What theory?” Lez asked as she got interested to see what theory Drake was talking about.

“Every time I’m near you, my ability grows stronger. So now, it’s time to see the true potential of my ability.” Drake explained.

“I managed to slow time within Linda. But I’m losing grip because the demon is much stronger. I will transfer the slow effect on Mike to slow down his bleeding. He’ll be like a statue for a moment, but I don’t know how long it would last. Here’s my phone. Call our friends for help and an ambulance for Mike. Call also Clem and inform them about the happening. I don’t’ know if I can do this alone. If something happens to me, at least Al could stop her. Besides, I’ve got to finish this before she can hurt more people. I have to stop her Lez; I have to!” Drake explained everything to Lez as she understood it all, and she had faith for her boyfriend to come out victorious with this battle.

“Once I release the slow effect at Linda, she might continue to attack Mike. He’s the most vulnerable amongst us three. Take care of him. I’ll direct all of her attacks towards me.” Drake asked as he kissed her while preparing for the transfer and attack.

“Ready?“Lez replied with a nod.

Drake removed the effect at Linda while Lez started to call everyone he mentioned.

Linda, on the other hand, wondered what had happened. She could only remember attacking Mike, but now, her target is too far away, and Drake is standing between them.

“I thought you were fast asleep, my love? What are you doing here? Did you miss me?” Linda said with a seducing double voice.

“Stop this bullshit of yours, Linda. I won’t let you hurt anyone ever again. I will stop you at all costs.” Drake said.

“Oh really? Guess I’ll have to put you to sleep once again, my love. I’ll take good care of you then. But for now, I must kill your friends.” Linda ran towards Lez and Mike, trying to ignore Drake, for she thought her hair would automatically deflect any attacks that Drake did.

But she thought wrong.

Drake's speed is now faster than earlier. He punched Linda faster than her hair could react. Drake's punch made her feel the pain and stopped her in her tracks as she slid backward due to the force of the impact. Though Drake has the advantage of speed, he still lacks power, and thus he realized that. If he made that punch to an average person, that person would be a goner by now. But to an incomplete demon?

“Hmmm, that was a nice punch, my love. I could feel your love in that one.” Linda said.

“Linda? If you can hear me, please stop this. Repel that demon inside you. We can talk about this.” Drake pleaded to Linda.

“Crazy pathetic human. Of course, I can hear you, my love. It’s me you are talking to right now. If you let me have you, I will let your friends go and never chase after them. But if you’re not, then I should kill them all.” Linda threatened the lives of everyone close to Drake.

“Then I will have no choice but to stop you,” Drake replied.

“Bring it on, human!” Linda created six spears out of her hair and started to attack Drake. But for Drake, Linda’s attacks are now child’s play as it moves so slow that he can avoid each strike and land a hit on her.

The fight lasted longer, for the demon had a great determination to win and was durable enough to receive Drake’s relentless attacks. He finished it by hitting a combo at Linda’s stomach, right and left side of her lower chest, straight to her chin, and kicking directly to her chest as she tumbled down on the floor.

Linda felt weak and laid down to the floor for a moment to recover.

“Lez!” “Mike!” “Drake!” their friends finally arrived.

“Lez, what happened? Becca asked as she noticed blood from Mike’s shirt.

“Let’s talk about that later, and let’s put Mike first to safety. The ambulance is now on its way so let’s wait outside.” Lez replied.

Their friends picked up Mike and hurriedly went outside as later on, they heard an ambulance siren.

“Go!” Drake shouted to Lez to go with their friends for their safety, to which she replied with a nod and went with them but suddenly stopped as she heard Linda start to talk again.

Linda’s eyes were starting to glow blue as she propelled herself up using her hair.

“You think you’ve already won Drake? I already consumed two human souls, and I’m stronger than before. Now feel my hatred!” Linda started to strike with her hair again, but now with ten spears in total, but still too slow for our hero.

Drake gave her a consecutive land of punches on her face starting from the left dashing to her right, back and forth, again and again, until Linda could not stand the pain she received and screamed.

“Enough!!!” A shrieking and deafening sound that puts anyone nearby felt the pain in their ears. Drake fell on his knees, covering his ears in pain. But Lez’s protection automatically protected her from that shriek as she watched her boyfriend in pain.

“Drake!” Lez called him but seems he couldn’t hear her.

Drake was stunned by that unexpected shriek that Linda released.

“If I can’t have you, then no one can!” Linda prepared to launch her spear at Drake.

“Drake?!?” Lez called him for the second time, but now he noticed her calling him as he turned his head towards her watching her come closer.

Tsuk! Blood splattered on the floor as Drake was struck by Linda using her spear-like hair.

Lez ran towards Drake, crying as she watched him pierced by Linda’s spear through his chest. She slowly walked and fell on her knees as she watched her boyfriend cough blood as Linda lifted Drake's weakened body in mid-air using her hair that is still piercing on his chest. Linda brought Drake in front of her by moving her hair closer to have a good look at Drake's face.

“Goodbye, my love,” Linda said as she kissed Drake in his blood-dripping mouth, making his eyes flicker of blue before throwing him away in front of Lez.

“It’s your turn, pesky little rat. Now die!” Linda attacked Lez, but same as before, she couldn’t penetrate her hair through her barrier. She reshaped her spear into a drill, hoping it would get through now but still failed.

A loud sound from a helicopter is now audible from a distance.

Lez just ignored Linda’s attacks and grabbed Drake’s right hand and placed it on her cheeks as her tears flooded right into his fingers.

“Drake, please hang on a bit longer. Help is coming. Please.” Lez pleaded to Drake to keep on fighting for his life.

“Hey, please, don’t cry. Remember? I will always be with you. I will never leave you, and I will always love you.” Drake said in a very weak voice before his vision turned black and ended it with a smile.

Lez is now in a shock. Releasing Drake’s right hand down to the floor as her tears ceased to fall.

“Lez!” Alex called as they finally arrived, running towards them but suddenly stood still as she recognized an intense aura coming from Lez.

Ignite.

Linda’s hair started to burn as Lez slowly rose with fiery red eyes looking at her.

“What? Another guardian? I thought you were….” Linda couldn’t finish her words as the fire started to grow and burned more of her hair, and she brushed it away and shrieked.

“You pesky little rat. Die!!!” Linda created a more deafening loud noise that even Al could not bear even though she covered her ears.

But Lez, on the other hand, stood still, unaffected by her screams.

“You’re the one who’s going to die, demon. Now burn into hell!” an emotionless face, Lez pointed her finger to Linda as flame started to ignite and torched the demon screaming and fled away with burns all over her body.

“Lez?” Alex called again, running towards her.

Lez turned her head towards Alex’s voice as her vision blacked out.

END OF CHAPTER 11