"What do you think they are talking about?" Amanda asks, worry visible on her face.
Mercy shrugs. "Obviously mum's dream. There's nothing to worry about." He reassures her.
"It's something to be worried about!" Amanda says sharply and sighs. "It has been long mum had a nightmare that have caused her to wake and scream."
"You are right." Mercy says thoughtfully. "I hope it's not some sort of scary nightmare or vision or future revelation." He says, worry in his tone.
"Let's hope so."
"So, that's what happened." Miss Emmanuella says, her tone shaky and filled with fear.
Mrs Anna sits still, not moving at all as tons of sweat runs down her visibly shaking body. "Wha..." She trails off and sighs. "What sort of dream is that?" She asks in a shaky voice.
"I honestly don't know. But I think it's some sort of vision or revelation." Miss Emmanuella begins sobbing. "But I don't want to imagine such a thing ever happening."
"It won't. And if it's some sort of vision. It won't happen the way it was showed." Mrs Anna sighs. "And I believe it won't be Mercy."
Miss Emmanuella looks down then looks at Mrs Anna, her sobbing intensifying. "I believe it will definitely be Mercy." She says in a pained tone, causing a look of shock and horror to appear on Mrs Anna face.
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Miss Emmanuella and the rest all sit still and quiet during service.
After the service, pastor Nelson walks up to them. "Hey you all." He says with a wide smile.
"Good afternoon pastor." All except Mercy says.
"Good afternoon. How are you all doing?"
"Good." Mrs Anna says.
"Okay." Amanda says.
"Good and you?" Miss Emmanuella says.
"That's good then." The pastor says and laughs softly. "I'm okay too." He focuses on Mercy. "And how are you young man?"
Mercy glares at him. "As good as a deranged psycho!" Mercy snaps, not trying to hide the disgust in his tone.
"Mercy?! What's wrong with you?!" Miss Emmanuella scolds.
"Nothing." Mercy says calmly with a soft smile. Then he deadpans. "Excuse me. I'm going home now."
"No!" Miss Emmanuella says angrily. "We are going to have some talks with pastor Nelson!"
Mercy sighs. "But mum!" He pouts. "Deranged psychos don't have chit chats with pastors. They stay at home or in mentals homes." He jokes, but no one, including him laughs.
Amanda stares at Mercy in confusion and hurt. "Mercy, please stop all this." She begs.
Mercy turns to look at his sister. "And why should I? It's not like I'm lying."
Amanda frowns. "Because you are disgracing mum and yourself."
"No! I'm not!" Mercy snaps. "I'm putting Mr fake over here..." He turns to the pastor then turns back to his sister. "...in his place."
Amanda bends her head as tears begins moving down her face. "Please stop, Mercy. Please." She begs. "You are embarrassing mum and yourself."
"No! I'm! Not!" Mercy snaps. "Stopping saying such stupid things."
"Then stop acting stupid!" Amanda snaps, raising her head sharply.
"It's okay, love." Mrs Anna and Miss Emmanuella say.
"No, it's not! Mercy is acting dumb!" Amanda snaps. "Please just stop!"
"Watch your tone, Amanda!" Mercy growls. "Don't talk to me anyhow, because of this donkey in front of us!" Mercy snaps, pointing at the pastor.
"Mercy!" Mrs Anna and Miss Emmanuella shout.
Amanda gets up, walks to Mercy and gives him a jaw shaping slap, surprising herself, everyone and especially Mercy.
Mercy looks at her, not believing what just happened. "I see he has charmed you the way he charmed mum." Mercy says calmly with a soft smile as he studies his sister's horrified face.
"How-"
Mrs Anna places her hand on Miss Emmanuella's shoulder, drawing her attention and cutting her short. She shakes her head. "Let him be." She says calmly. "We'll talk to him when we get home."
Miss Emmanuella sighs. "Okay." She turns to Mercy. "You will explain what has gotten into you!"
"Sure mum." Mercy says sweetly. "Keys?"
Miss Emmanuella nods and hands over the keys to him. "Make sure you are truly going home." She sighs. "Amanda apologize." She says in a sad tone.
Amanda who is now looking down, guilt engulfing her, can't talk.
"It's okay mum." Mercy says calmly. "Are you going with me?" He asks Amanda.
"I'm sorry." Amanda manages to say.
"It's okay." He pulls her hand, but she doesn't follow him. "Come let's go."
She pulls her hand away from his. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving mum behind. Please go if you want to." She walks back to her seat and sits down.
Mercy nods. "I see." He looks at the pastor with a soft smile. "Goodbye, psychologist of a pastor." He says and runs off before his mum could say a thing.
Due to the church being small, everyone is now staring at them with different expressions on their faces.
"I think you have failed in raising that child." The pastor says, giving Miss Emmanuella a look of disappointment.
"I'm so sorry, pastor." Miss Emmanuella says in an apologetic tone. "But I did my best."
The pastor sighs. "I know. It's okay." He sighs. " I said 'I think' because some parents do try their best to train their kids, but the kids show nothing of it. And Amanda here..." He focuses on Amanda. "...is a proof that you truly did your best."
"Yeah." Mrs Anna says, studying the man. "We want to have a talk with you and it might take quite a long time." She says calmly.
"Okay then." The man turns around. "Let's head to my office. I wouldn't want my serious members to be delayed."
†‡†‡†‡†‡†‡
Mercy looks at his watch and frowns more. "It's nine O'Clock and they aren't back." He groans. "No one is even picking my calls." He sighs. "I guess things might not remain the same henceforth."
The room suddenly turns cold, a strong pressure presence filling the room as the shadowy figure appears. "It is time." It's deep dark voice booms.
"I thought we weren't doing anything today." Mercy manages to say in a shaky tone.
"We are."
"But I can't go anywhere looking like this."
"Wear covering clothes."
"My mum knows all my clothes. She would ask for me from neighbors and no matter the clothes I wear, all they need to do is describe it and my mum would know it's me."
"Go check your face on the mirror." The figure commands.
Mercy walks to his room mirror, horror covering the face of the stranger that is looking back at him. He shouts, jumping away from the mirror. "Who is that?" He shouts.
"That's you. That's who they will see when they look at you."
"But my clothes-"
"Face the mirror." The figure commands, cutting him short.
Mercy looks back at the mirror to see his clothes have changed too. They are now clothes he doesn't have. "How-"
"Let's go." The figure cuts him short.
"Okay." Mercy says as all the dreads one can feel begins rushing into him. "Will I make it out?"
"If you are cooperative. Yes." The demon walks out from the house, Mercy following him behind.
"I want to do something." Mercy manages to say.
The figure pauses. "Do it quick."
"Okay."
Mercy raises the rug in front of the door and bends down. He looks around for some seconds. After seeing no one, he looks down. He pushes a part of the middle section down. It rises up and divides in four, revealing a digital screen of numbers. He quickly types in some numbers and the screen divides in two, revealing a hole. He quickly drops the key in it and gets up.
The digital screen closes, then goes down. The normal floor closes too and goes down, making the ground look normal again.
Mercy drops the rug. "I'm done."
The figure continues walking, Mercy following it behind.
"Is it okay for you to be walking like this in the open?" Mercy asks.
"You are the only one that can see me."
"Where are we going?" He asks with a shaky gulp.
"To the place it all started."
"Where?"
"You'll see once we get there."
They both continue walking in silence until they reach a heavily thick forest. The figure stops, Mercy stopping too.
"Where...where are we?"
"We are in the entrance to where we are going."
"I...I can't..." Mercy trails off as tons of sweats begins running down his body. "I can't do this."
The figure turns to look at him. "Then, you want to die?" It asks, sending shivers and more horror into Mercy.
"No...no." Mercy manages to say. "But won't I die if I follow you?"
"You won't. I'm with you. So, you will be safe."
Mercy gulps as more sweats runs down his body. "O...okay."
"Good." The figure enters the forest, Mercy following it.
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"He isn't here!" A masked male growls angrily as he stands outside Mercy's house. "Where did he go?!"
'"It seems like he has a demon too and it has taken him somewhere."' A demonic voice says in the person's head, causing the person's eyes to widen as a feeling of horror fills the person. '"A really dangerous demon that you wouldn't want to mess with."' The voice warns.
"How did he get a demon?! How is it possible?!" The person asks, still finding it hard to believe.
'"It is a contracted demon like me."' The voice says. '"It was left with the boy during his childhood."'
The male sighs. "I see. Do you know where they are?!"
'"Yes and no."'
"What do you mean?"
'"Yes I know. But no I don't."'
"How?"
'"I have a feeling that this demon isn't an anyhow demon."' The voice says. '"And for some reason it is purposely leading me to it. But somehow I feel it is deceiving me?"'
"How?"
'"I have a feeling that it is leading me to another location that it isn't in."'
"Like sending you off course in the sense that you are following it?" The male asks in surprise and fascination.
'"Yes. Since demons can't hide their presence from their fellow demons. Especially powerful ones like it."' The voice says. '"So, it is leading me astray."'
"Wow!" The male says in fascination. "How is that possible?! And how do you know?! Are you sure?"
'"I, myself don't know. But I just have the feeling. We can go check it out. But you'll be the one to suffer in a higher demon's hand."'
The male groans in frustration and anger. "You might have escape but you can't hide forever with your weak demon, Mercy!" He snaps.
'"It isn't weak. If anything, I think it's stronger than me."' The voice cautions. '"If you are not careful when you meet it, you will die before putting up a fight."' The voice warns, filling the male with fear and dread.
"Let's see how it will end." The male vanishes.
†‡†‡†‡†‡†‡
The figure laughs a loud dark laugh that sends much fear into Mercy's body. "You are being haunted by someone." The figure tells a horrified Mercy, causing his fear to rise more.
"By who?!" Mercy shouts in a scared tone, shaking.
"I won't say." The figure says. "You'll find out yourself. But they won't do you any harm for now."
"Why?"
"Because that's what I want."
They continue walking in silence until they reach the middle of the forest.
The figure stops. "From here onwards you'll see horrifying creatures that will haunt your dreams." The figure warns. "I advise you to focus on only me."
"O...okay."
The figure continues walking, Mercy following it behind.
As they venture deep into the forest, Mercy starts seeing horrifying looking humanoid like creatures everywhere through the corner of his eyes, but doesn't focus on them.
"Don't look! Don't look! Don't look!..." He continues mumbling, focusing on only the figure in front of him.
After some minutes of walking, curiosity gets the best of him. He turns quickly to see a deer passing by.
The deer suddenly stands on it's two hind legs. It begins smiling as it's face gradually begins changing.
Mercy stands still, watching the scene in horror.
The deer face changes completely into a scary looking man's face. The man has a wide scary grin on his face, exposing teeth that is jagged like that of a shark. The neck to the waist changes into a human's body, leaving only his waist to his legs as a deer's body. The man growls aloud and runs off at an amazing speed.
"Let's go." The figure says, almost giving Mercy a heart attack. "I warned you."
"How am I able to see so clearly when it's dark?" Mercy asks, shaking and traumatized.
"That's part of the powers you will develop later on."
They continue walking in silence. The only sounds coming from all sorts of normal and abnormal creatures all over the forest.
Mercy sees some big scary looking birds with human faces. Then a human with the face of a pig. Then a huge dog that have a human's hands and legs instead of a dog's own. And then many more.
They finally reach an abandoned bloodied bungalow.
"We have arrived."
Mercy still trembling and horrified, moves forward, his eyes widening in shock and horror. "This is..." He trails off. 'No. It can't be!' He shouts in his head as the dread that he was managing to hold explodes. "Home?!"