Sally and Isaac were on the roof of the complex, where there was actually a roof gym placed there by Johnson. Isaac was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a black tank top, the last '6' of his scar partially uncovered. Sally was wearing a pair of grey athletics shorts and a sports bra. They were stretching out their arms and backs, preparing for a sparring session.
"You sure you're ready for this? You've never had to fight me without a weapon before!" Sally asked, confident. Isaac was smirking, briefly distracted from what had happened earlier that day.
"Is that confidence I hear, or arrogance? Strange how often they're confused." Isaac replied, cracking his neck. As he was doing this, Sally quickly charged in, swinging her right arm. Isaac quickly blocked and retaliated with a right punch, Sally managing to avoid it!
Sally delivered a left kick, Isaac avoiding it and grabbing her ankle! Sally responded by using her right foot to kick away from him, her ankle escaping his grasp! Isaac stumbled back a bit, feeling something burning inside of him!
"NO! NOT NOW!" Isaac mentally screamed, the burning sensation receding. Collecting himself, Isaac ran towards Sally, picking up speed! Sally saw this, not knowing what Isaac was going to do! With only a few feet remaining, Isaac rolled towards her, delivering a high kick while on the ground! It made impact into her chest, launching her off of her feet and onto her back! Sally quickly leaped back up, feeling the kick linger!
"Okay… that actually hurt!" Sally thought to herself, knowing Isaac wasn't going to be holding back as much as she thought he was going to! She decided to do the same! Isaac got himself back on his own two feet, ready to continue! Sally marched to him, delivering a series of punches and kicks! While Isaac was able to block the majority of them, it didn't stop her from making contact! A sudden kick into his stomach knocked the wind out of him, distracting him long enough for her to deliver a right hook into his jaw!
Isaac fell to the ground, supporting himself on his left hand. Isaac spit out some blood, Sally having busted his lip! As he stood up, Isaac felt the wound on his lip begin to heat up, steam emanating from it! The wound closed up, already healed within a few seconds. Isaac felt where the wound was, surprised it was healed without himself needing to access his powers!
"Let's try that again." Isaac said, cracking his knuckles. He slowly walked towards Sally, feeling his heart begin to pick up its pace. Sally attempted to stop him by throwing as many punches and kicks as she could, but Isaac's body became like a brick wall! Nothing she could do was enough to stop him! She attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head, but Isaac unflinchingly stopped her foot from making contact, her foot stuck in his grasp! Sally attempted to deliver a punch to make him let go, but Isaac blocked the punch as well, grabbing her wrist and lifting her off of the ground!
"Give up?" Isaac asked, grinning. Sally replied by using her remaining foot to kick off from Isaac's shin, flipping backwards as her foot made contact under his chin! Isaac let go of her, stumbling backwards! As he stumbled, Sally continued to throw kicks and punches, Isaac unable to block them! Stopping, Sally was breathing heavily, not having to resort to pure strength to take down an opponent before! Isaac was still standing, breathing heavily as well. His body was still keeping himself healed, not even a bruise developing. But it said nothing about pain!
"Want to… want to take a break?" Isaac asked, the wind still knocked out of him. Catching her breath, Sally nodded. She and Isaac walked to the gym equipment on the roof, sitting down next to their water bottles. Isaac grabbed his, drinking heavily.
"Man, I thought you had me when you lifted me off of the ground! I hadn't been winded from a sparring session in a long time!" Sally said. Isaac stopped drinking from his water bottle, sweat stinging his eyes.
"Also… I was holding back." Isaac added. Sally nodded, feeling that was the case. She knew the fight seemed a bit easy, considering she had seen Isaac impale a shark with an anchor!
"Yeah, I'd rather not be put in a body cast anytime soon. Still, that was an awesome fight! Ready to go again?" She asked. Isaac nodded, putting his water bottle down. They walked back over to where they were sparring, starting over again. As they traded blows, Isaac suddenly stopped! The momentary distraction allowed Sally to deliver a hard punch, knocking Isaac on his ass! Isaac just sat there, shaking his head! Sally let her guard down, walking to Isaac. But the moment she got close, Isaac quickly sprung for her wrist, pulling her down with him!
Sally began laughing, realizing Isaac tricked her! Isaac held her in an improvised hold, kissing her. As he held her, he felt a deep scraping sensation inside of his stomach! He attempted to ignore it, but soon he felt something rise in his throat. Isaac let go of Sally, running over to the edge of the building, peering his head over the edge, and vomiting! While it wasn't blood and flesh as it was from the morning, the entire sensation felt like his throat was burning! Sally ran over, worried that Isaac was sick! She saw he had vomited, Isaac coughing and breathing heavily.
"Are you alright?" Sally asked, never actually seeing Isaac sick before. Isaac nodded, slowly getting back up. But as soon as Isaac straightened up, he quickly heaved his head back over the ledge, emptying his stomach again!
"Alright, I'm calling it! I'm getting you to bed!" Sally said, holding onto Isaac. Isaac made no attempt to dissuade her, clutching onto his stomach. Soon, they went down the stairwell and made it to their apartment. Sally sat Isaac down at the table, walking over to the cupboard. She grabbed a coffee mug and a box of tea. She filled the mug with water and put it in the microwave, heating it up. As she did this, Isaac began hearing a voice in his head.
"I cannot be suppressed. Tonight, we hunt for the Damned." The voice said, Isaac recognizing it as the voice of his Demonic Form.
"Get out of my head!" Isaac mentally yelled, clenching his eyes. The demon only laughed, his voice echoing in Isaac's ears.
"It is not our place! We cannot be the ones who decide their fate!" Isaac mentally yelled. Suddenly, the sound of a mug of tea being placed on the table snapped him out of the mental argument. Sally sat down next to Isaac, placing her hand onto his shoulder.
"Drink. You'll feel better." Sally advised. Isaac nodded, holding the mug of tea, and drinking it.
"After you're done, you're getting a shower and straight to bed." Sally informed. Isaac shook his head, putting the mug down.
"I'm fine! It's just something… I ate. I'll be fine." Isaac argued, getting out of his seat. But as soon as he did, Isaac made a beeline for the bathroom, the sound of him retching and heaving evident to Sally from the kitchen. Sally crossed her arms, her concern for Isaac growing.
"Lily needs to get here faster! I hope she knows what's wrong with him!" Sally said to herself, the sound of the toilet flushing in the bathroom. Sally walked to the bedroom, peeking inside the bathroom. Isaac was leaning onto the sink, staring into the mirror.
"Why won't you just leave me alone?!" Isaac hissed; the color drained from his face. Sally couldn't hear what Isaac was hearing, but she had a feeling it was related to what Isaac was going through.
"I won't let you! You hear me?! I won't!" Isaac exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows. As soon as he said those words, some kind of force threw Isaac into the opposite wall, keeping him pinned! Sally quickly ran in, grabbing Isaac! Isaac was shouting, the veins in his face beginning to turn red! His skin began to darken, sharp teeth poking out of his mouth!
"Hold on!" Sally shouted, pulling Isaac from the wall! After a few tugs, Isaac came free, his skin and veins returning to their natural color. Isaac was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead. Sally quickly embraced Isaac, scared out of her mind! Isaac was shaking, completely disoriented!
"Sally… I'm sorry…" Isaac said, his voice lost. Sally shook her head, holding him tighter!
"Don't be! Listen, you're going to be fine, you hear me?!" Sally responded, stroking his quills. Isaac shook his head, lifting up one of his hands, shaking.
"I… I should've told you… last night… the demon took over…" Isaac began, his voice failing. Sally began helping Isaac up, leading him to the bed.
"He… he killed people… out on the streets. Drug dealers… criminals…" Isaac said, Sally helping him into bed. Sally sat next to him, her hand on his forehead. His skin was cool to the touch.
"He… he… he… he…" Isaac repeated, unable to say exactly what the demon made him do. Sally shushed him, still stroking his quills.
"Just rest. Lily will be home soon. She'll be able to help." Sally comforted, staying by his side. Soon, Lily came home from school, entering through the apartment door.
"I'm home!" Lily announced, closing the door behind her. Sally peeked out from their bedroom door, motioning for her to come closer. Lily dropped her backpack and walked into the bedroom, seeing Isaac in the bed, pale.
"Oh no…" She said, walking closer to him. Isaac's eyes were closed, having fallen asleep.
"The demon side of Isaac is hurting him! Can you do something?" Sally asked, hoping she could. Lily placed her hand on Isaac's forehead, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she saw flashes of what had happened the night before, chilling her blood! She took her hand away from his forehead, horrified!
"What?!" Sally asked, seeing the terror in her eyes. Lily gulped, feeling her heart beat fast than ever before!
"You're not going to like it." Lily said, placing her hand onto Sally's forehead.
Last Night:
The moonless night was illuminated by faint neon signs of late-night businesses. Next to one of the numerous apartment complexes, in the alleyway, was a man in a black jacket, his eyes darting around. As he stood there, someone walked into the alleyway, scratching his right arm raw! He quickly stood next to the man in the jacket, his back against the wall. His breathing was frantic, almost panicking.
"Do ya got it?" He asked, looking around. After making sure the coast was clear, he produced a small bag of pink tablets, showing the man.
"This what you need?" He asked, smirking. The person quickly tried to grab the bag, the man in the jacket pulling it away.
"Money first. And then you get your fix." He said, holding out a free hand. Quickly, the customer pulled out a handful of rings, giving it to the man. Smiling, the man in the jacket gave him the bag, the customer snatching it out of his hands.
"Nice doing business with you." The man in the jacket said, walking down the alleyway. As he did, a pair of yellow eyes pierced through the darkness, seeing him walking towards a group of people.
"Just got paid!" The man in the jacket said, showing the rings. The others smiled and nodded, showing they had gotten paid as well.
"By the way, what was the name for this stuff again? I've been struggling with the name that chemist gave us." One of them said.
"Don't try to pronounce it. You'll give yourself an aneurysm. We've just been calling them 'Bubble Bombs'. The moment it hits your stomach, it makes you feel like your floating, like a bubble." The man in the jacket answered.
"How long until we get more?" The girl asked, her eye twitching. She had obviously been sampling her own product.
"Two days. A damn big shipment! Should be enough to keep us in business for the rest of the year." The man in the jacket answered. As they spoke, a figure jumped from the building above them, landing fifteen feet from them. While only five feet tall, the large amount of muscle and the appearance of horns on the figure made an intimidating opponent.
"Woah! Who the fuck are you?!" The man in the jacket asked, pulling out a gun. The figure took deep breaths, his shoulders gently moving up and down. The figure slowly moved towards them, the sound of hooved feet on the pavement.
"I said back the fuck up!" The man in the jacket shouted, cocking the gun. The figure stopped, his breathing becoming louder. The smell of brimstone and sulfur began to permeate the surrounding air. The others began to back up, not knowing who this was. The figure took a quick step towards the man in the jacket, his reaction to this was popping off a few rounds into the figure, making them stumble back! But after a few moments, the figure stepped from the shadows of the alley, stepping into the light.
The figure was Isaac in his Demonic Form, fire exiting from the bullet wounds! Molten lead began dripping from the bullet wounds in lieu of blood. He was beginning to laugh, his voice echoing throughout the empty alleyway. The wounds began to close up, healing without scarring.
"Nice trick. How's mine?" Isaac asked, his clawed hands digging into the man's shoulders! Isaac opened his mouth, a stream of Hellfire showering him! The entire front of him disintegrated, but his skin was not even charred! Isaac threw the man's corpse into the adjacent wall, eyeing the others behind him!
"Join your friend in Hell" Isaac proclaimed, displaying his claws, a long, serpentine tongue licking his teeth! The others began running, trying to find an exit! Isaac launched himself towards the youngest, his claws penetrating his chest! Isaac lifted him off of the ground, the man crying out in pain! Isaac proceeded to grab his legs and rip him in half, blood and guts splattering the pavement and brick walls of the alleyway!
Isaac, in his bloodlust, saw the girl running further down the alleyway, constantly looking behind herself! Isaac crouched down to the ground, fire beginning to enter the pavement. Suddenly, Isaac vanished into the pavement, a crack of molten tar and fire racing towards her! It passed her, Isaac materializing in front of her, wickedly smiling! She stopped dead in her tracks, her fear paralyzing her! Isaac proceeded to grab her by the neck, lifting her off of the ground above himself! She clutched at his wrist, feeling herself suffocating!
"Your soul is tainted!" Isaac growled, his grip tightening. She thrashed her feet, trying to kick him. Her feet hit his shins, but he had no reaction to them!
"Tainted more than your cohorts!" Isaac said, baring his teeth! Suddenly, without warning, Isaac brought her throat to his teeth, tearing out her trachea! Gulping down blood, Isaac threw her to the ground, bleeding out within seconds! Wiping his mouth with his arm, Isaac studied the carnage, finding it to be satisfactory. But as he went to leave, he felt another sign of Damned nearby, spying them from across the street. A Mobian bear was throwing a wrapped body into a dumpster, disposing of a makeshift shiv. Isaac smiled, seeing another opportunity.
"Let this be a night to remember." Isaac said to himself, walking towards the next alley.
Present Day:
Sally's peek into the past left her shaking, now realizing how demented the Demon Form was! Isaac was shivering, almost like someone in withdrawal! Sally felt his forehead, finding he was burning up!
"Chills, fever, and shivering! Why is it doing this to him?!" Sally asked, getting closer to Isaac.
"I don't know! But we need to get him to recover!" Lily answered, running to the kitchen. She quickly pulled out the bottom freezer section, pulling out an icepack! She ran back to Isaac, putting it on his forehead! Isaac began tossing and turning, his body burning up! Isaac stopped shivering, but his body temperature was skyrocketing!
"Quick! Get him to the bathroom!" Sally said, grabbing Isaac's shoulders. Lily grabbed his feet, helping to get him into the bathroom! Sally and Lily placed Isaac in the bathtub, Sally running the cold water over him! As water made contact with Isaac, steam began emanating from his skin! Sally reached into the medicine cabinet, pulling out a thermometer. She placed it into Isaac's mouth, monitoring it!
"Come on, Isaac! You have to pull through!" Sally said, praying that Isaac was able to hear her! Isaac's internal body temperature was over 136 degrees Fahrenheit, but it soon began to slowly lower! Sally pulled the drain on the bathtub, keeping the water running to maintain a constant temperature and water level.
"Lily, grab all the frozen things you can find and bring them here! Quick!" Sally ordered, not taking her eyes off of Isaac! Lily ran out to the kitchen, grabbing bags of frozen vegetables and ice cube trays! She brought them to the bathroom, dumping ice cubes and bags of frozen peas into the water, Isaac's body temperature lowering steadily. Soon, Isaac's eyes fluttered open, becoming coherent. Seeing this, Sally went to the medicine cabinet and grabbed a fever reducer, grabbing two pills from the bottle.
"Here! Take these!" Sally ordered, popping them into Isaac's mouth. Isaac reluctantly swallowed, not sure of what was happening around him! As he soaked in the water, Sally stopped the faucet, putting the drain plug back in. She quickly retracted her hand from the water, feeling the water cold enough to burn her hand! Isaac couldn't tell the temperature of the water, still disoriented! After a few minutes, Isaac began shivering again, but this time, it was a reaction to the cold water.
"S-S-S-S-Sal-l-l-ly." Isaac shivered, becoming more coherent. Sally quickly pulled the drain to the tub, letting it drain. As it did, Isaac was still shivering, his skin a shade of pink. Lily grabbed a towel, placing it over Isaac. Isaac began to stand up, Sally helping him. As Isaac stepped out, he was shivering less, his body beginning to warm up naturally.
"W-w-what h-h-h-happened?" Isaac asked, shivering. Sally led him to the bedroom, getting him into bed, which was still warm.
"You were overheating! We had to soak you in ice water to bring it back down!" Lily answered, placing an extra pillow under his head. Still shivering, Isaac tried to relax, feeling tired.
"How do you feel?" Sally asked. Isaac's shivering became less and less, allowing him to speak clearly.
"Cold. But I don't feel sick anymore." Isaac answered. Sally sighed in relief, feeling they did the impossible! As they made sure Isaac was okay, someone was knocking on their door. Lily ran over to answer it. She slowly opened it, greeted by Johnson.
"Hey. Is your father home?" He asked. Lily nodded, opening the door. Johnson walked in, looking around.
"He's in bed right now. He's not feeling too well." Lily said, pointing to the bedroom. Johnson nodded, walking towards the room. He peeked in, seeing Sally sitting with Isaac, stroking his quills. Isaac was beginning to doze off, the warm bed very welcoming. Johnson gently knocked on the doorframe, alerting Sally. She quickly stood up, walking over to Johnson.
"Sorry Johnson, but you kinda came at a bad time. Issachar is not feeling very well." Sally said. Johnson nodded, seeing that to be so.
"I just came by to tell him to not worry about the broken mirror. You see, he accidentally broke it and I had it replaced a few hours ago, but I just got off the phone with the maintenance crew, and they told me the mirror he broke was due for replacement anyway. So, he won't have to pay for the replacement." Johnson explained. Sally nodded, feeling she already knew why Isaac broke it.
"Well, I'm just going to get out of your hair. And I hope Issachar gets better soon." Johnson said, leaving. Sally sighed, sitting back down next to Isaac. Isaac was soon snoring lightly, his muscles relaxing.
"Alright, Isaac. I'm gonna be keeping a better eye on you. And I am not leaving this room for the rest of the night!" Sally said, laying herself next to Isaac, turning on the television. She began flipping through channels, seeing something on the Central City news station. The volume was off, but the captions were on.
"The Central City Police Department have found the identities of three victims, estimated to have been the first." The News Anchor said, three pictures showing up on the screen. Sure enough, it was the three that Isaac had killed in his Demonic Form last night.
"They've been identified as Michael Strout, Sarah Horane, and Desmond Portman. They were found to have been in possession of a new designer drug called 'Bubble Bombs'. Bubble Bombs became the new fad in designer drugs in the Black Market almost two years ago, where upon ingestion, creates a wave of euphoria in the people using them. This is found to create the sensation of floating and lightlessness." The News Anchor began, reading from papers.
"But overdoses with the drug are highly common, and withdrawal symptoms can be detrimental and develop after one dose! But the murders that took place have been identified as not having to do with the drug, as the money and contraband were still in their pockets. The police have identified the murders as being the work of a vigilante." The News Anchor read, putting down the papers.
"As of now, the death total have been found to be 14, human and Mobian alike. The police have been unable to identify the other victims as of this time, but it has been identified they were found in high-crime areas! Those who are watching, stay home at night and travel in open, public areas! We will keep updates as they develop." The News Anchor finished, Sally turning off the television.
She shook her head, beginning to cry. She looked back to Isaac, still sleeping. She couldn't hold Isaac responsible for the carnage, knowing he had no control that night! But she also knew that Isaac was going to hold himself responsible for what had happened. She got up from the bed, holding her stomach. She quickly made her way into the bathroom.
Sally began throwing up, emptying her stomach. She coughed, not knowing why she felt so sick! She began retching again, feeling another wave of nausea. After another round of hurling, Sally felt better, standing up. She flushed the toilet, walking to the mirror.
"What the fuck is happening to me?" Sally asked her reflection, not knowing what to do. After getting a few breaths, Sally went into the medicine cabinet, grabbing a bottle of medicine. She poured herself some in the little cup, quickly swigging it down. After doing so, she went back to her room, lying down next to Isaac. She reached over to him, resting her hand on his forehead. His temperature was still stable.
"Tomorrow's another day. And thank God tomorrow's Saturday." Sally said, closing her eyes. Sally slowly drifted off into sleep, her racing mind soon calming down. But as soon as Sally fell asleep, Isaac's eyes shot open, his eyes glowing! Isaac swung his legs out over the bed, walking into the bathroom. He stopped in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection.
"I'm ready to make a deal." Isaac said, sounding frustrated. His reflection morphed into that of his Demonic Form, eager to hear his proposal.
"And that would be?" He asked, bearing his teeth. Isaac took a deep breath, praying that he wouldn't regret this.
"I will let you loose once a month under the light of the full moon." Isaac said. The Demon smiled widely, chuckling.
"Tempting. What's the catch?" He asked.
"You can't kill anyone! It is not our place to decide their fate!" Isaac answered. The Demon frowned at this, growling.
"Why would I agree to that?! I will just wait until you are at your weakest!" The Demon snarled. Isaac shook his head, smirking.
"I'm the one in control this time! My love for my family is stronger than you! And you should consider yourself lucky I'm letting you out!" Isaac fired back. The Demon growled, realizing this was his best shot.
"Fine! But don't be surprised when the news reports on broken limbs and dislocated jaws!" The Demon snarled, being replaced by Isaac's reflection. Isaac sighed, knowing that was the best deal he was going to get. At least he could rest easy knowing there wasn't going to be any more bloodshed.
"Why couldn't they have given me the choice of being a Catholic? At least I could confess and get some of this weight off of my chest." Isaac said to himself.