Elias
I always thought the end of the world would come with trumpets. Or earthquakes. Or skies burning red, fire raining down like every damned prophet said it would.
Not laughter. Not the warmth of Gabriel being lively for once, like he belonged here, among us.
"You're always so soft," Vivi said. I saw a smile appear on Gabe's face.
Emergency sirens interrupted our night. Every television in sight lit up..
"CIVIL EMERGENCY IN EFFECT. REMAIN CALM. A TERRORIST ATTACK IS UNDERWAY. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
Everyone gasped. Phones sounded. The panic instantly stopped our moment of peace.. Iris held Vivienne's arm,
I slammed down my spoon. "What the hell?"
"That isn't any known city alert tone…" Vivi said.
I felt my stomach twist.
I didn't even see the first blow, only the aftermath. A woman clutching her throat, blood pouring through her fingers, a hooded man clawing into her. And then her hand shot out, gouging his eyes with a desperate final act before he drove her into the ground. She went still.
The hood slipped.
Not a man. Not a human.
A demon.
The air went cold in my lungs, more frigid than the snow beneath us. My stomach turned, and all I could hear was my pulse roaring in my ears.
Gabriel moved first, he picked up Iris and grabbed Vivienne's hand "We have to go. Now." He shoved me ahead, and we all rushed towards an alley.
Gabriel cleared his throat. "Elias, check Iris's neck, look for an eye. Babe, I'll check yours."
Vivi turned, brushing her hair aside. Nothing. I checked Iris, clean. Then Iris checked me, clear skin as I flexed my coat collar.
"Alright then, we're good," Gabriel said, relaxed.
"What about you?" Vivienne tugged his collar. When she reached him, I saw them.
Four.
Four demonic eyes are engraved on the back of his neck. And then… they moved.
They didn't just sit there like markings; they swiveled, locked on us, piercing. For a moment, it was like something was staring out from Gabriel's body, something that wasn't him. My chest hollowed with fear. Iris whimpered, and Vivi stiffened, but Gabriel just lowered his head, shoulders heavy like he expected the worst.
"What is it?" Gabe still asked.
"One.. Two… Three… Sweetheart… You have four. Two black, one is yellow with an arrow, and the last one is ruby."
"Four of them are after me. I think the colored ones are special," he murmured. "I'm a huge target."
"Surely the government wouldn't just let this happen. Where is law enforcement?" I asked, It's their job to keep us safe, right?
"Maybe it's not just us… Maybe it's the entire world…" Vivienne gripped Gabe's arm. "What do we do?"
"I'll run," he said. "They won't target you without a mark. You three go hide."
My heart stopped.
"No," Vivi snapped instantly.
"You're insane," I said. My voice cracked.
"You think you can take them all—"
"Don't." He cut me off, sharp but soft. "If you come with me, you'll die. I need you to live. Take Iris and Vivi, keep her safe."
Iris's voice cracked, "No! You can't fight them alone!"
He crouched and held her close. "If I stay with you guys, I'll endanger you all."
"Then we fight together!" She said,
"Maybe next time," Gabriel replied.
"You're crazy! They'll kill you!" I cut in.
"I've killed demons before," He reminded us, "Remember the camping trip?"
And he has killed demons before.
Vivi's expression softened. "Gabriel… I lived through that because of you. I owe you everything."
I sighed, trying to smile through the dread. "You better not die, man. Who else is going to bake for us?"
Gabriel laughed, brief and bitter. I turned to me, "Protect them. Or I'll have to never bake anything for you again."
I nodded, "With my life. When you're done, meet us in the forest. Okay?"
"Alright." Gabriel turned his back
"Wait!" Vivi said.
"Hm?"
"Don't you dare die on me." and a softer "I love you, Gabriel." she told him.
"I love you too," Gabriel said back.
And he was off.
We ran too. Through the snow and shadows until the town was behind us and the forest swallowed us whole. My lungs burned, not from the sprint but from the weight in my chest. When we finally stopped, I sat on a fallen tree, snow clinging to my boots, and watched Iris curl into Vivi's side. Vivi held her hand like she could squeeze all the terror out of her that way.
I couldn't even look at them. I stared at the snow, the way the flakes fell soundlessly.
I guess it is the end," I muttered.
Silence. Then Vivi's Voice, "Don't say that."
I laughed. "What else do you call it? Gabriel's off to throw himself into the fire; he's probably already dead. We're hiding in the woods like scared children. People are dying. Demons are here. If this isn't the end of the world, then what the hell is it?
No one answered. Iris just sniffled quietly, and Vivi rubbed her shoulder like she could shield her from the truth.
"Sorry," I said.
Fifteen minutes passed. Maybe more. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. My thoughts were circling the drain; some were weak, some were strong. Maybe that's how the universe sorted things. Some of us fight. Some of us wait to die.
And then I saw it.
A shape in the snow. A cloak, hood low. Walking toward us.
"Shit," I whispered, standing too fast, my knee buckling, "Vivi—" I turned to her. She saw him, too, and behind him, two more figures emerged.
One was tall, a walking mountain, his glowing gaze burned from under his hood, brighter, sharper than Gabriel's ever did.
My chest sank. "I guess I'm not getting the easy way out." I meant death.
They looked at me, Vivi, and Iris. Eyes wide, waiting.
"Run." My voice was hoarse.
"What? No—" VIvi's voice cracked.
"RUN," I screamed, the word tearing out of me.
Iris's lip trembled. Vivi hesitated, then finally yanked her to her feet and ran.
The smaller demon broke into a charge towards me. My instincts kicked in, current roared from my hands, a wall of air between us, flinging snow like a blizzard. He slammed against it, but I held on. I could feel the strain in every nerve, every vein in my body.
BOOM.
A shotgun blast tore the air. The ruby-eyed demon. My heart froze as the shells screamed toward me. Reflex, I threw up both hands, screaming as the wind thickened, caught them, slowed them, inch by inch they crawled through the air until they finally dropped, hissing into the snow.
I exhaled, chest heaving. "Not… today…"
The ruby-eyed one tilted his head, silent. I could feel him thinking. Like, my resistance was just a curiosity. A puzzle to solve.
Then the short demon threw off his hood. Golden hair catching the moonlight, void-black pupils staring like holes into reality.
Roots surged from the snow, twisting, curling. Before I could blink, they coiled around my leg, sinking deep, locking me in place.
"No—!" I tore at them, wind exploding from my palms, ripping snow from the earth in violent sheets. The ground itself peeled back under my storm.
And yet—
The yellow eyed one charged straight through. Snow peeled off him. Air broke around him. My wind might as well have been a breeze.
I tried to move. To dodge. But the roots held fast.
"SHIT—"
Impact.
Pain exploded, blinding white. My leg— My leg was gone. Torn clean off as his bulk smashed through me. My ribs shattered, my lungs burst, and blood filled my mouth. I flew, hit the snow, and lay choking, gagging, drowning in my blood.
I looked up. Iris's scream split the air. Vivi's eyes went wide.
I tried to speak, gurgling through blood. "Get… away…"
They ran. God, they ran.
But the leader aimed with one hand and one eye. He fired again. A single shot.
Vivi screamed, her leg snapped away in a spray of red. She collapsed into the snow. Iris tugged at her, sobbing, trying to pull her up.
The yellow-eyed demon walked. Slow, Patient. The ground shook under his steps.
"No… no…" I dragged myself through the snow, every pull leaving a trail of blood. My hand caught his leg, clamping down, wind screaming in desperation. And somehow, he slowed. For one second.
It wasn't enough.
Gunshots. From the trees. A voice I knew.
Our teacher. Our goddamn history teacher. He was firing, desperate, brave, but it was useless. The demons didn't even flinch,
The golden-haired one blurred, faster than eyes could follow. He was on Mr. Wilder in a heartbeat. Fingers in his eyes, tearing. The scream split my skull. I teared up.
Then his voice, low, warped, and cruel, "One sense closes, another opens."
I knew then it wasn't normal. It was something special.
He shoved his energy into Wilder's veins. I felt it, Wrong, violent, and corrupting. His body writhed, skin blackening, twisting into something inhuman. He was turning him into a demon.
The ruby-eyed leader raised a handgun. "Kraven thol," He snarled.
The blast tore through Wilder's head. Silence followed.
The unstoppable one dragged me now, my blood marking in the snow. I begged sobbing, voice breaking, Please… please… Take me… leave them."
They ignored me. I was nothing,
The ruby-eyed leader walked up to me, staring into my soul. "You're irrelevant. Entirely irrelevant." The yellow-eyed demon kicked me away.
Vivi tried to crawl, dragging herself with her arms, threads lashing out desperately, piercing them. The demons yielded, like it was doing something, then they started picking up speed.
"Iris, get out of here!" Vivi yelled, but Iris refused,
The yellow-eyed one loomed over them. Iris froze, terror locking her in place. His fist rose—
Vivi moved. She threw herself over Iris.
The blow cracked her skull like porcelain. She went limp instantly, collapsing over her child, Lifeless.
Iris screamed, a scream that tore something in me, that made my blood freeze colder than death itself.
I saw it all blur as my vision dimmed. The leader stepped closer, calm, inevitable. Iris sobbed under Vivi's body. My body convulsed, my chest heaving.
Everything got darker,
And then, a gunshot.