Monitor watch was very interesting that night. Because Mai had slept the entire afternoon, she was landed with overnight watch. Her hand hurt from having to constantly pick up her pencil to record observations.
The readings were extreme, with temperature fluctuations in random rooms more than twice an hour, ranging from freezing to blazing. Except the bedrooms - the former classrooms. The screens and audio got staticy whenever a drop started, worse as it went along, until fading back to normal as the drop left a while more than ten minutes later. Constant whispering was caught from the mic in the bedroom the family shared, the family themselves sleeping on obliviously.
Between the regularly spaced temperature fluctuations, she went over the data from the interviews, plotting out a timeline of events. The dates weren't all precise, but close enough. As she worked, she noticed a trend. The events began on Meiko's 13th birthday. Naru had wondered about the significance of the day earlier, and had Lin research it. But they had thought it was the birthday itself… not the number.
The events escalated about every two weeks. Fourteen days… the temperature fluxes began or ended every 13 minutes. Nothing had happened on screen for ten minutes now.
Thirteen.
Mai flew out if her chair, gaze zooming in to the clock. 1:36. The 6 flicked to 7.
One plus three. Four. Four plus seven… eleven… Four plus nine? Thirteen. 1:39.
"NARU! LIN!" She yelled. Both men shot up.
"Thirteen! 1:39! It's been twelve nights since the last attack! It's going to attack Meiko in two minutes!" She explained hurriedly, and shot from the base, running full speed to the parent's bedroom, where the family slept.
Mai flung open the door and rushed in. The family all made startled sounds of fear before realizing it was her.
"Oh! Mai! I thought-" Meiko wailed in relief, drying her eyes, and shuddered.
"If I'm right, it'll be here any second." Mai explained, rushing over to the family and preparing to defend them. Naru and Lin took guarded stances.
The clock flicked from 1:38 to 1:39.
Instantly, the temperature began to plummet, the resulting mist gathering into a dark cloud that took the shape of a figure. Glowing golden eyes opened, focusing on Meiko. "There you are..." The harsh cracking whisper came. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get through to you? I can only do it when the conditions are exactly right. Not to worry, young one, you'll remember soon. You'll remember, and then we can return to the Clan at last."
"Who are you." Naru demanded. It ignored him, stalking towards Mai, who had placed herself between it and Meiko.
As it walked, the face split in half, too wide to be a human smile, and said in a raspy, hoarse whisper, "You'll understand soon. You see, back then - God saw the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every manifestation of the dreams of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the Earth, grieving him at his heart. And the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created form the face of the Earth. Both man, beast, the creeping things, and the fowl of the air. For it repenteth me that I have made them'."
"Genesis? We've got a demon spirit quoting Genesis?" Lin questioned. He, too, was completely ignored - only that girl seemed to be seen by it.
"And all flesh died that moved upon the Earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth, and every man. All in whom was the breath of life, and of all that was in the dry land died."
"You fear God then? Good, then we just have to wait for John." Naru observed dryly.
"And the Clan of Noah, those that he gave the Ark, and only them remained alive. God showed his fourteen chosen the true darkness, showed them the true from of this world, and marked them with his cross. And the Lord gave them the means to live on to fulfill the duty given them, allowing them to take the form of those who were like them, and they lived."
Mai interrupted as it reached them. "Uh, hello? Living human here. There's plenty of them ya know. Also, I've got this friend. He's a priest. I think he would tell you, but that last bit is most definitely not in the Bible."
The creature stopped, right in front of them now, its eyes only inches from hers, and went quiet, for a moment as it seemed to notice ehr at last. "Exorcist." It hissed.
"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"
The figure was slammed forcefully backwards, but instantly reappeared again where it had been before in the doorway, making its way again acorss the room toward Meiko in slow movements. The words now were spat out like poison, directed at Mai.
"But the Heart of the dry land did not submit, and did not forgive. You'll see soon, Meiko, you'll see what they did, you'll remember and accept, and you'll know. You let them protect you now but you'll remember! It betrayed it's creator, and selected its own chosen, and gave them power to rival the Clan of Noah! And the Lord let them remain, to see if they would see the evils of the land as well, or if they would force back the darkness and show that his creations were not all taint, and gave them the title of Exorcist. But the power of their Innocence, fueled by the will to protect and bring peace, betrayed his last hope, and became mixed with the darkness, and the Noah would never forgive the Exorcists for their sin, nor would the Innocence ever forgive the Noah, and the land went to war. Traitorous. Wretched scum given the power to oppose God's will! The Heart will pay for that."
Naru stepped in front of it as it neared again. "Who are you?" He demanded again. "Why do you want this girl, Meiko?"
Again, he was ignored, the figure going right through him. Naru convulsed with a shudder.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Mai demanded. "Were you the girl I saw? Imogen? Why thirteen?"
The figure paused.
"Exorcist, I was to be Maitora. I was destroyed before I could awaken. But I will return, and destroy your Innocences' Heart, Exorcist, for the Noah will never forgive you!"
"Why are you here?"
"The Earl gave me pardon, for once I was to be an Apostle, taken before my time. I come to take a new form, so the Noah Memories will return to me."
"Why Meiko?" Naru again tried to ask.
"Damn. Out of time already. I will return for you, Exorcist, and for the vessel." The spirit threatened, breathy rasping voice a notch louder for the threat.
The clock clicked to 1:48.
It vanished.
"Well, that was… different." Mai summarized uneasily. "And on our first night, too."