Chapter 15

"Miss Berlitz, is everything fine?"

The world around Dawn sunk as everything seized and crumbled down to cold nothingness. She slowly looked back down on the notebook rechecking, maybe, just maybe it was the concussion and she misread it.

'Zoey McMillan – dead'

"Miss Berlitz?" Volkner called out to her a second time. His voice echoing more sympathetic.

"I am so sorry." He bowed his head apologetically. "If only I'd done a proper job. This wouldn't have happened."

Dawn suddenly felt her hands grew warm. She realized it as more tears started blotting the back of her hands. She felt them slide down past her cheeks all the way down dripping on Volkner's notebook in a warm drizzle. She silently handed it back to him.

"S..sh..she...my..be..best..fri..friend." She croaked, with her eyes still raining down tears. "Ca..can..I..see..see..her?"

Volkner composed himself and hid the notebook back in his pocket. "I'm sorry Miss Berlitz. But we, the GAS, have a special facility for devil victims and cases like these. These victims are to be quarantined in these facilities in order to avoid contamination. They are to be isolated. It's a safety protocol. I'm afraid we can not let you see your best friend." He handed her a handkerchief. "At least not for now."

Dawn blankly stared back the window seeing the clouds grazing lazily across the sky. The gentle breeze drying her leftover tears like a mother's caress.

She could not help it. Dawn strongly felt unnerving and stabbing pain deep down her heart, an inner voice inside her head telling her that it was partially her fault why Zoey was no longer here. Despite the lack of logic, she was inwardly convinced that it was her fault. She deeply believed she could have done something.

She silently mourned like she has never mourned before.

As Volkner was about to speak something, the nurse came in with Dawn's daily medication.

"Miss Berlitz, can I just call you 'Dawn'?" She smiled as she placed her medicine on the bedside table.

Dawn nodded and wiper her tears.

"So, uh, Dawn." The nurse started. "Your doctor, that is Dr. Blaine Thornton, said that you should be resting here for a whole month to fully recover from the trauma that happened last week. He'll be running some test to see your well-being as well as with the other survivors. He asked you to stay here for such a period of time before he can permit you to go back home."

"How many have woken up so far?" Volkner asked the nurse.

The nurse made a worried face before answering. "Out of the ten survivors only two have woken up yet."

This made Dawn perked her head up.

"Speaking of!" The nurse clasped her hands happily. "The other survivor has been waiting anxiously for you ever since he woke up three days after the incident. I'm guessing you two are friends?" She asked Dawn.

"Na..name?" She croaked, trying to wail her half-paralyzed arms.

"Kenny, he says." The nurse smiled. "Kenny Summers."

As soon as the nurse said the name, Kenny came busting in the door with his metallic IV stand. "Deedee!" He yelled. He quickly settled beside her, hugged her and cried. "Thank you so much for waking up! I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you hadn't!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you!" He cried. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I truly am..."

"I'm..so.. happy Kenny. You..are..okay." Dawn returned back the hug and cried too.

Volkner who's been seeing the two, he slowly walked to the door and took something from his pocket and left it on the bedside table. "I'll be on my way now you two, if you have any questions or come into trouble with devils, I left my card on the table." He pointed out. "My office is also at the fourth floor rightmost room." He finished as he closed in the door.

...

"Cursed half-blood! He is real! Run or you'll get eaten!"

"Help meee!"

"He got torned in half!"

"Run! Everybody!"

"Run for your life! Do not fight it!"

Kenny slowly opened his eyes one by one only to bear witness the mad chaos and slaughter around him. People were running around, some were already on the ground lifeless, some were still up on the benches upside down and bloody like they were thrown from the sky.

"Help meeee!"

"Run!"

Kenny tried moving his body but he couldn't. He felt as if the universe layed flat on his back. He was lying on his underside and he found it too difficult to breathe like he was underwater. Some kind of force was trying to squeeze his strength away. His eyes were so heavy that they were starting to close again when he noticed a particular someone lying a few meters ahead of him.

'Dawn..?' He realized. She was also unconscious on the ground and one question immediately popped in his head. 'This can't be...Please..' He summoned all his remaining strength just trying to get up, but the unbelievable pressure pressed on him again. He was helplessly glued to the ground. He summoned all his strength again and clawed at the ground, his arms and legs trembled with force and he was slowly crawling his way up to Dawn with the different bodies lying lifelessly around them. 'I will protect you with all my life.'

He crawled across the platform with so much pain and effort. He fet like carrying a sack of cement. Each breath felt like a gunshot. "Dawn.. must protect. Dawn. I must protect her." He reached his hand out but she still seemed like a hundred meters away. He panted. One. Two. 'I'm almost there Dawn. Wait for me..'

Kenny heard someone's bone break behind him and a splatter of blood splashed him on his back. He ignored it and continued slowly crawling towards Dawn painfully. Fear and panic danced inside him and despite that, he crawled forward. 'What the hell is going on...?' Just as he was about to touch Dawn's hand, A large black figure with oozing purple liquid stomped the ground between Kenny and Dawn.

Kenny immediately froze in his spot. He looked up and witnessed a thing of unimaginable horror that towered over him. He estimated it to be at least five meters. The thing was void of any color, it was blacker than black, darker than midnight. It seemed to absorb all of the light in this very room. It's lanky body was oozing with purple liquid that seemed out of the realm of the living. It had two protruding growing horns that twisted themselves into one long and pointy body that grew backwards. Its eyes were all white and hollow, its mouth was so wide that it looked like a slit that cut its face crosswise. Jagged inky teeth outlined its inhuman lips.

Kenny felt all his sanity leak out. It wasn't only his body that shivered in fear, it was his whole being and soul. He could tell that the thing standing in front of him was the incarnation of death and hell itself. Looking at the things was draining him of his sanity. He saw the thing picked a guy and swallowed him whole like candy. And then another, and another. It then roared so loudly that it killed a few people in its direction as it sucked them like vacuum.

'What...what hell is this thing..?' He paused. He noticed as the thing in front of him wasn't just leaking out poisonous purple ink, it was leaking out a familiar aroma. 'Paul?' Kenny bit the insides of his cheek in disbelief. 'The hell..?'

'I knew it! I fucking knew it!' He limped faster and got around him barely leaping over the poisonous trail Paul left. 'He's eating everyone!'

Kenny finally got to Dawn and he laid his body over hers in an attempt in protecting her. 'I am not letting any devil take away Dawn! Over my dead body!' Kenny used his battered and bloodied body to cover Dawn. He felt so relieved to notice she was still breathing despite slowly. 'I will protect you this time Dawn. I swear.'

He noticed a shadow that loomed over him. He didn't even look up to know who it was, he only hugged Dawn tighter. Poisonous liquid purple drooped around them. Paul's aroma was slowly enveloping them two that it almost want to make Kenny vomit. Then he saw Paul fell over by the side creating a small tremor as he fell.

Kenny looked around and saw a guy in a suit that was torn and ragged, his skin was blistering red, muscular and bony. He had two short horns growing at the side of his head. He could barely make out what he looked like, he was too exhausted to figure out.

"I don't care if you are true or not. I'll kick the hell out of you!" Kenny heard the guy scream before charging again at Paul.

'Who the hell was that..What the hell is going on? Where are we?' Kenny no longer held it as he felt the last ounce of strength he had slipped away as he finally lost consciousness.

...

Kenny woke up with a jolt. He panted heavily and gripped the sheets of his bed tightly, cold sweat ran down his head.

"What a nightmare..." He forced the phrase out trying hard without his jaw trembling. The scent of Paul still lingering fresh in the midst of his nightmare. He cautiously looked around his dark room, his eyes slowly adjusting to the lack of light.

It has been three days since Dawn woke up from the school incident, and six days for him. Both of them had stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks already. He couldn't measure the happiness and relief he felt when she finally woke up. He considered it a miracle, that not only they both were able to wake up, they were also rescued by the GAS from that horrifying massacre.

He didn't know how he ended up in Dawn's school and how they were rescued. He tried asking the guy named 'Volkner' but he never got the chance to do so. The head nurse was so strict that she left him no choice but to wait for Volkner to enter or pass by his room, which never happened ever since he woke up.

Kenny sat up and wiped a sweat from his forehead, he noticed how his hands trembled and held unto it for a while. He checked the wall clock adjacent to the door to the room and read 4:15AM.

He then decided to get up and walk for a while to settle down his nerves as well as get a breather.

"Might as well check in on Dawn." He said to himself as he jumped down his bed and on to his hospital slippers. He silently closed the door of his room and trudged silently to Dawn's room on the upper floor. As he slowly climbed the set of stairs, he bumped to the very guy he's been looking for.

"Oh, hey bud, morning." Volkner, in his usual blue blazer and navy pants, sleepily greeted him. "Up for an early morning walk eh?" He ran his hands over his spiky blonde locks.

Kenny was surprised to bump into him. "You are Mr. Starr right? Volkner Starr?"

Volner paused and studied Kenny for a while. "I sure am!" He smiled a toothy smile. "How can I help?"

"Um.." Kenny started. "If you don't mind. I have some questions that I want to ask." He gulped silently. "Would that be okay?"

"Of course!" Volkner gave him a big thumbs up. "I'm always up for service." He continued. "Oh, and let's not talk here. We can sit over there by the benches near the coffee stand."

"Man do I need my supplements." Volkner jested, referring to the coffee.

Both of them walked back down. Volkner went ahead to the machine and got some coffee as Kenny sat on the bench. Volkner soon followed him after getting a cup.

"So first of all." Kenny inhaled deeply. "Is Dawn alright? Will she really be okay?" He asked, dripping with concern and worry.

Volkner looked at Kenny with a gentle smile. "Yes, bud. Don't worry, she will be. You two will be okay." He gently blew to the cup before taking a little sip.

Kenny let out a sigh of relief, he gently un-clenched his fists.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Volkner asked him directly, which earned him an embarrassed Kenny doing whatever he was doing with his hands. He heartily laughed at Kenny's reaction. "I see, I see. She is not." He stopped laughing. "She is not? Really? Or not yet?" He winked at Kenny.

"No.." He quickly replied. "But she is special to me though."

"I see..." Volkner cupped his chin. "But you know-"

"Anyway Mr. Starr.." Kenny cut him off before Volkner was about to continue with his joke. "The real question I've been wanting to ask you." Kenny breathed in deeply as his nightmare started snaking in on him with cold slithery skin. "Do you know how I ended up with that school? I don't go there. I don't have school."

"Really bud?" Volkner turned serious when he sensed Kenny's seriousness. "It's difficult to check for records when there are devils because they tend to erase and replace those, they manipulate identities. Ever heard of 'Scourging'?"

"Scourging?" Kenny echoed. "I never heard of it."

"It's when a devil consumes the essence of a human victim. That devil will turn into that human and will take over his identity here in our world without us noticing anything. Grim stuff I know."

"The hell...?" Kenny gulped. "But what happens to the victim? Do they go somewhere? Like to the devil world or something?"

"No one knows, for now." Volkner said. "They might be somewhere."

Kenny was left speechless.

"So that's why we just didn't check the records of the school that much." Volkner continued. "But we still kept it, it's valuable data nonetheless."

"So these devils. They do this scourging? Like do all of them can do it?" He asked. "Do they do it all the time?"

"Yes they can. But only a few can scourge multiple times. Mostly, devils can only scourge a single person in their entire life. Scourging has to do with essence balancing because a body can barely contain two different essence. So these devils that can scourge many times, yeah they are more powerful, not to mention scary. They are the main enemies of the GAS, our main enemy."

"But here is the gist though." Volkner scratched his cheek as he tried to recall some information in the back of his head. "The more they scourge, the weaker they become. Human essence can sort of block their energy flow so they can't fully utilize whatever abilities they have. That's why devils who can scourge a lot tends not to."

"Oh that is kinda nice to hear." Kenny replied. "It is still scary though.."

Volkner heartily laughed "I know right. And that is not even the scariest part. Aren't you curious about devils who continue on scourging despite that hampering side effect?"

When Kenny thought his heart could not sink any more deeper after knowing about scourging, it just did. "Some still do it despite that? Why?"

"Devils who continue on scourging only do it to control their powers. You know, prevent themselves from becoming insane and losing control." Volkner forlornly stared at his sapphire ring that Kenny only noticed now. Volkner was suppressing a tragic memory from resurfacing in his mind. "You know, it's like their medicine or something."

"Have you met that kind of devil?" Kenny wondered. He could not imagine a such a devil to exist, consuming humans not to satisfy hunger but to remain sane. That brought him clawing irrational fear.

It took Volkner a couple of second to answer him. "Yes.." Volkner took a deep breath. "He killed my family and everyone in the village where I grew up." Kenny saw Volkner clenched his fist that he swore he saw sparks fly from Volkner's fingers. "I studied here in Hearthome and when I returned back to my home village near Sunnyshore City for a summer vacation, that was when that devil struck like an asteroid falling from the sky as he consumed all of us in a single explosion. It's a miracle I survived."

"That's why I joined the GAS so I could avenge my family and everyone in my village. And of course to make sure it would never happen again to anyone. Not under my watch."

Kenny was left speechless. Realization crashed on him like tidal waves. Volkner's family was massacred, so was everyone he grew up with. They all died and got eaten. The fact left Kenny's jaws locked together.

"It's okay Kenny bud."

"I'm so sorry to hear it Mr. Starr."

Kenny nervously drummed his fingers on his knees, he thought of ways how to lighten up Volkner. Kenny charged himself guilty for accidentally bringing up such an awful past. "As GAS tasked to protect everyone from devils, how do you fight them? Do you guys use some sort of powerful guns?"

As Volkner was about to answer, a bald guy with sunglasses and mustache came out of the room next to the benches where Kenny and Volkner chatted. He was wearing a laboratory gown over his black polo and khaki. He had a striking red-orange tie designed with flames.

"Pillar Starr?" The guy was stunned to see Volkner. "Aren't you supposed to be resting already after your rounds?" He asked, pushing his sunglasses up.

"It's okay doc." Volkner sheepishly smiled. "I'm still chatting with a friend here."

"Hmmmmm..." The guy turned sharply at Kenny. Despite wearing sunglasses, Kenny knew the guy was glaring at him. "Do you know who you are speaking to? He's not only Volkner Starr, but he is Volkner 'Shooting Star' Starr. He is one of the four Pillars across the entire region and you dare waste his time?"

"It's okay really doc. He is a close acquaintance." Volkner chuckled. "Anyway Kenny bud, this is Dr. Blaine Thornton. He is the head doctor of this hospital as well as the chief doctor of the GAS. Not only that but he is also an admiral stationed in Kanto. He came all the way here because of the incident."

"Sorry but I don't shake hands with a foolish youngster, especially a nobody." Blaine immediately shut down Kenny's offer of trying to get friendly. "Anyway Pillar Starr, I urge you to take your rest. I order you as your doctor."

"But-"

"I'll entertain the troublesome lad for you. Please do rest."

"Well, I guess we just have to chat next time Kenny bud." Volkner shrugged. "Doctor's orders." Volkner then finished up his cup.

"No, no no. It's okay actually thank you so much for your time Mr. Starr sir." Kenny bowed apologetically, thanking him for the time.

When Volkner disappeared down the stairs, Blaine stood nearer to Kenny. "I know you lad, one of the survivors of that school. I've heard what you were talking about with Starr and if you wanna know how we GAS fight devils, we use their powers against them."

"Against them...? How..?"

"We call it.." Blained cleared his throat. "No, I call it Reverse-Scourging."

That was the last thing Blaine said as he went on his way and left Kenny alone on the benches.

Chapter 15 End: Ray of Hope?