Chapter 2. Life as a mutated demon.
"Everyone got their gifts ready?" Zill asked, walking down the hallway behind the doctor.
"Ready!" Spam and Kayla said excitedly. While Venexa just nodded.
"Sweet!"
They followed the koala doctor to the door that led to Jack's room. The doc faced the group. "Now I said he's been recovering well but...well…"
"Something wrong doc?" Kayla asked, concerned.
"Well...have a look." The doctor opened the door and they all went in. As soon as they saw Jack, their jaws dropped.
Jack was standing up wearing a brown t-shirt and jean shorts. He was stretching back with his hands on his hips before stretching downwards, reaching for his toes. He looked over and saw his friends. "Hey guys!" He grunted as he held his fingers on his toes.
"Uh...hey Jack." Zill managed to say.
Jack stood back up and swiveled his hips. "How was school?"
"...g-good…" Kayla uttered.
"Ummm…Doc?" Zill called the koala, still looking at Jack.
"It surprised us too. We came in to check on him and he wasn't in his bed. The nurses were about to panic till we saw him walk out the restroom. He's completely healed!" The koala told him.
"Completely!?" Spam said.
"Completely!"
"Completely." Jack said walking up to them.
"How!?" Zill asked.
"We...don't know. It's a miracle!" The doctor stated.
Jack grabbed his bag. "So, am I free to go, doctor?"
"Uh, well, yes, I suppose so."
"Sweet!" He walked up to his friends. "Shall we get going?"
"Uh, sure." Zill answered.
Jack walked past them and down the hallway with them following. "Anyone hungry? There's a buffet place I wanna go to."
"Sounds good." Kayla said. "Where is it?"
"And so-" Jack chewed the food and swallowed before continuing. "So what happened next is Kalin jumped up and kicked the knife right into the Dukes hand, knocking the detonator out!"
"Oh I loved that part!" Spam told Jack.
"I honestly can't believe I've never seen that movie!" He finished up the chicken on his plate.
The five of them went to a buffet restaurant called Sam's Face Stuffers, and Jack was telling them about a movie he saw last night which was a movie, which Spam also saw, while finishing his fifth plate of food. It was noticeable too.
Jack placed the plate on his stack and got up. "Be back soon."
"You're getting another plate of food!?" Kayla said in surprise.
"Just some dessert, that cream cake's been calling for me!" Jack left for the desert aisle.
"So...am I the only one finding this weird?" Spam asked.
"No Spam. No you are not." Zill answered.
"He's had to have at least ate twice his weight in food!" Kayla noted.
"And gained none of the fat from it." Venexa emotionlessly stated.
"Maybe miraculous recoveries make you hungry?" Zill theorized.
"Back." Jack came back with a plate stacked with cakes and sweets.
"Jeez, you trying to sugar crash yourself!?"
Jack laughed and started to eat one of the treats. "Hey Spam?" He said, munching on a puff.
"Yeah?" Spam responded.
"About Kalin's dangerous world, they making a third one?"
"Well-"
"Have you heard about that incident last week?" A fox from behind the booth said to the companions with them. "Someone went into that supposedly haunted house and came back cursed."
'Hm?' Damian overheard. While Jack and Spam talked about a movie, he reached over and rested on top of the booth chair.
"Cursed, how?" One of them, a skunk, asked.
"Well, when they came out, they had blank stares, wouldn't speak, and just walked around like some sort of zombie. They stayed like that ever since." The fox explained
"That's crazy!" A bear shivered.
"Yea, the house has got a name now. They call it The House of Stolen Souls!"
"Creepy." The skunk said.
"And it's already claimed its fourth victim!"
"That's gotta be some made up rumor." The fourth one with them, a rat, stated.
'I doubt that. Sounds interesting though." Damian thought.
"Uh, Jack, why are you leaning your arm there?" Zill asked.
"Hm?" Jack looked back and saw his right arm on the booth top. "Whoops, how'd you get there?" He nervously chuckled.
"You moved it there!" Spam answered.
"Guess I didn't realise."
"See you guys!" Jack waved off to his friends before closing the door behind him and walking to the front couch in the front room of his two story apartment. He leaned back and sighed. "...Alright Damian," he raised his right hand to his face, "let's talk."
Damian lips formed at the palm. "What do ya wanna talk about?"
"How bout an explanation about what I am?"
"A mutated demon."
"And that is?"
"A demon that's mutated."
"Damian!"
"Alright alright!" Damian laughed. "A mutated demon is someone non demon merging with a demon."
"So there are others like me?"
"Not really. It's only ever been used by fallen angels, but that was centuries ago."
"Oh. Why'd you make me one?"
"You wanted to live didn't ya?"
"Well yea...but will I always eat so much?...why did I eat so much?"
"I told you, nourishment. The mutation causes a need for souls to be so. If it's not a soul then it's not proper nourishment, meaning you'll need a lot of it. And before you ask, the reason you don't gain weight is because you digest and process regular food faster."
"So...souls give me proper nourishment?"
"Yea. It also revitalizes you, and you don't need to eat many to fill yourself up. I say about two souls can hold you over for a few days."
"Is that why I still ate alot? What happens if I don't eat souls?"
"You'll go on a hunger craze and probably eat the nearest soul to you."
"What!?"
"Relax. As long as you eat the souls of demon beasts you'll be fine."
"Yeah but...I'd have to kill them to get it."
"You'll get over it, they would've killed you anyway."
"I know you're right but...it just doesn't set well with me."
"It's either that or the souls of your friends."
"I can't do that!"
"Then quit griping."
Jack groaned and leaned back. "...what exactly is a demon beast?"
"A demon beast is something lower than regular demons, like me. They have low intelligence and act mostly on instincts. The one we fought last night was one I called to us by leaving it a trail."
"How did you do that?"
"Where your accident was, I left a hint of your demonic energy in the lower layer then led it to the hospital where the dip was low."
"Lower layer?"
"Yea. Get me a piece of paper would ya?"
"Uh sure." Jack got up, walked to a drawer under his tv, getting a paper and pen before walking back to his couch, setting the items on the small table in front of him. "Here."
Damain took the pen and drew three circles before drawing a line between them. He pointed to the circle in the middle. "This is the mortal realm." He pointed to the upper circle. "This is Heaven." He next pointed to the lower circle. "Hell." He pointed at the lines. "This is what separates them. They're called the layers, think of it like limbo, but it's more like a gate. The lower one is the gateway between hell and mortal, high layer, between mortal and heaven. Let's focus on the lower layer for now." He drew a hump going high and one going low on the bottom line. "The layer has these dips that bring it closer to the realms. If the dips low then it's closer to hell, meaning denizens of it could hop over to the layer easily. If it's high it means whoever is in the layer can hop over to the mortal realm with ease."
"I see." Jack said looking closely.
"Something important to remember. The layers are gateways for the mortal realm. That's why when you go to the layer you still see the objects, buildings, and other things in there, but interacting with it has no effect on the realm. However that's only the case when the dip is neutral or low. If it's high then it starts affecting the realm to the point where you could actually touch someone by touching the figure of them that appears at the lower layer."
"So that's why nothing actually broke after our fight."
"Exactly. Now, here's something important. The dips in the layers can be influenced. For the lower layer you can use demonic energy to pull or push it to you, though it's not easy because it fights back. An easier way to get onto the layer is by tethering to it, like yesterday."
"Tethering?"
"It's like creating a pathway, though it takes time to make one."
"I see. You said it acts like limbo right?"
"Yeah."
"So if I went to the lower layer does that mean I woulda went to hell if I died?"
"Probably, unless I took your soul."
"What'd I do deserve hell!?"
"Nothing really. Whoever goes to heaven or hell really depends who's layer is dipped the closest, then your soul would get led that way. Being a good or bad animal only has any effect when the dips are in equal positions. So sometimes a nice person gets sent to hell while a douche gets a heaven ticket."
"Thats… sad."
"Yeah. That's how the afterlife works."
"...would you have eaten my soul?"
"No, only demon beasts do that."
"Then what were you doing in the lower layer?"
"I was traveling around, bored, then I saw you and thought "hey I could use that soul" but then this happened."
"What were you gonna use it for?"
"Personal reasons."
"Like?"
"Like nonya business."
"Fair. Anything else I should know about the layers?"
"Nah. That should be it."
"Alright. Tomorrow I go to school."
"While you're there, let's ask about The House of Stolen Souls."
"The what?"
"Something I heard some teens talking about at the buffet. Could be demon beast related."
The thought of hunting and killing another beast didn't sit well with Jack. "I...I don't know."
"Hey man you need to take another soul or you're gonna eat out the whole cafeteria."
"I still don't-"
"If it makes you feel better, it may be doing some fucked up shit."
Jack sighed heavily. "Fine, but I'm only gonna investigate!"
"Alright."
The next day rolled by and Jack was talking with Zill at Jack's locker.
"Good thing it didn't miss much." Jack told Zill.
"Just a test and a few lectures." Zill told him.
Jack grabbed a book and placed it in his bag. "Lucky m-"
"Well if it isn't the road wrecker!" The voice of a yellow dog, wearing a football jersey and jeans, said out loud.
Jack groaned. "Ugh. What is it Rusty?"
"Nothing, just heard that your bad luck really hit ya heard yesterday." Rusty got closer, smirking. "Surprised you're still standing after causing such a big wreck!"
"Well, for your information, I had a speedy recovery." Jack said, not looking at him, filling his bag.
"Oh yea? What about the others you wrecked?"
"Noone else was hurt." Jack said, getting irritated.
"That so? Then I better stay back before that changes, don't want a locker falling in me!"
"Lay off him, Rusty!" Zill told him.
"Or what, bat boy? In fact may you better not stay too close to him! You might get wrecked ne-" Rusty was cut off by Jack's right arm plowing into his face and nose, sending him tumbling away, and thudding against the wall. Blood gushed out his nose.
Jack's eyes widened along with everyone who was watching. He looked towards Rusty and his outstretched arm, frozen for a few seconds. "Gotta go!" He closed his locker and dashed off to the nearest men's bathroom.
"Jack!" Zill called out to him.
Jack walked into the bathroom, walked into the nearest stall, shut it behind him and locked it. He then glared at his right arm. "Damian….What. The. HECK!"
Damian's mouth appeared. "What?"
"Why did you punch him!?"
"He was annoying, plus I could tell you wanted to do it."
"That's beside the point!" He heard the door open.
"Jack? You ok man?" Zill called out.
"I'm fine!" Jack responded.
Zill walked to the stall door. "Hey, I don't blame you for punching him, he was being a major jerk."
"Yeah."
"I'm sure you just hit your limit with him, it's a reasonable thing that can cause an impulse like that."
"I know."
"Plus there was your wreck and...well...just don't beat yourself up about it. It was an accident."
"I won't...I'll be ok I-I promise!" Jack told him.
"Ok man." Zill walked off and let him be.
Jack took a deep breath and looked towards Damian. "We're gonna set some ground rules." He brang up his left hand and put up one finger. "One. No hiting others. Two." He put up a second finger. "No moving around randomly, if you wanna move just make it look casual, or at least tell me." He brang up a third finger. "Three. No fighting against me when I'm moving my arm! Got it?"
"What if it's something important? Likes something about to hit you?" Damian asked.
"Then block for me."
"What if I need to move you outta the way?"
"Then move me, bit if I found out you moved me for no reason then I'm gonna-"
"Gonna what?" Damian said smugly.
Jack deadpanned, got out the stall, and walked to the sink, turning on the cold water.
"What are you-?" Damian was shoved into the ice could liquid. "AH COLD!" He felt the chilling water run down his backhand and touch his lips.
"We got a deal?"
"YES YES, STOP THE WATER!" Jack turned off the faucet and Damian shook himself, shivering. "That was evil!"
"Shut up." Jack grabbed a paper towel and dried him off. He walked out the bathroom and headed to his first class. He ran into Zill.
"Hey." Zill said compassionately.
"Hey." Jack said with a smile.
"You sure you're gonna be ok?"
"Yea, positive." His right arm came up to his ear.
"Ask him about the house." Damian whispered.
"Oh. Hey you hear anything about the house of...uhhh?"
"The House of Stolen Souls."
"The House of Stolen Souls?"
"I think I heard about it." Zill answered. "Why?"
"No reason, just wondering what it's all about."
"All I know is that animals go in and come out differently. Honestly sounds like some ghost story."
"I see. Where is the house?" Jack opened the door to the classroom and walked in with Zill.
"No idea."
"Ah." They sat at their seats and the mouse teacher walked in along with the ringing of the bell.
As the teacher started, Damian got into Jack's ear. "Well he didn't have the answers."
"Yea, but it's probably like he says, a made up story." Jack whispered.
"I doubt it. Ask around during lunch since you won't be eating."
"What makes you think I won't?"
"Not enough food for a mutated demon like you."
"Ugh, I hate that you're right."
Lunch rolled around and instead of meeting his friends at the table, Jack instead went around the courtyard, asking about the House of Stolen Souls. He got three different answers on locations. He went behind the walls around the corner to talk to Damian in private.
"Maybe it moves?" Jack asked Damian.
"Don't think so. If it moved it would be a much bigger rumor." Damian answered.
"Well we got three places. May Street, Lang Avenue, and Crimson Street."
"Yea but we don't know which house."
"Can't you just sense it?"
"Not if it's making its presence. I'd have to get close...wait!"
"What?"
"One of the animals you asked said they knew someone who went to the house! If that's the case then if we visit them then maybe I can pick up a trace and trail it back to the source!"
"We'd have to get permission to see them."
"Not if we enter through the layer. It'd be much easier that way!"
"Well...I don't know."
"Cmon Jack. If this is true then doing this will help bring some mammals back to normal."
"Hmmm ok." Jack agreed. "That only if this is-"
"Jack?" Zill called out, Coming around the corner along with Kayla.
Jack quickly hid his right arm and turned to them. "Oh hey guys!" He smiled nervously.
"You ok, man?" Zill asked.
"Yea, why?"
"We'll we didn't see you at lunch so we got concerned, especially with what happened earlier." Kayla said.
"Sorry. Where's Spam and Vanexa?" Jack asked.
"We didn't know where you were, so split up to look for you. I'll text them telling them we found you." Kayla said, taking out her phone and sending the two a text.
"Oh, ok."
"Hey, I know we weren't scheduled to practice tonight but how bout we do so anyway? Just for the heck of it!" The chimera genuinely asked in a friendly tone.
"Thanks but...I can't. I got something I gotta do at the hospital tonight." Jack said sheepishly.
"Oh. That's ok. We still got practice this Friday."
"Yea, just three days away." Jack smiled. The bell rang, signaling lunch to end.
"Welp, we better get back to class!" Kayla stated, hoping her way into the building with Zill.
Jack stood in front of the hospital building.
"What a coincidence that they were placed in the same hospital you were in." Damian mentioned.
"Yea. So when we get in the lower layer we just hop in, find the animal, and you scan them?"
"Not that simple. We gotta find what room they're in first."
"So I gotta talk to the front desk lady."
"Not at all. Gimme a sec."
"What for?"
"Hold on, dips kinda low…...there!" A red wave emitted from Damian and the world around them turned gray and the animals that were there turned into hazy silhouettes.
"This place again." Jack said, a little uneasy.
"Let's go!" Damian pulled Jack to the hospital.
"H-hey!" They went inside and got to the front desk. "They cant see us right?"
"Nope, not with a low dip."
"Then how are we gonna find out where they are?"
"Easy. Remember how I said the lower layer basically mirrors the mortal realm?"
"Yea?"
"That means the patient files are here, meaning we can read them and find out where they are."
"Oh ok. That seems kinda personal though."
"Got a better idea?"
"Not really."
"Then quit whining!"
Jack groaned and they went to the back. "Let's see….there!" He spotted a cabinet that said "Patients" at the top. "The person's name was Alex Dunbar So he should be in the D's." Jack opened the A through D drawer and went to the D segment, going to where the Du starts "Duclor, Dufuan, Duglas, Duke, Dular, ah here it is!" He pulled out a file with the name of the one they're looking for and opened it. It showed a picture of a male black bat with red spiky hair and showed his exam papers. "He's in room 225."
"So he's on the above floor?" Damian asked.
"Yes. Let's get to the stairs!" He was about to place the file back.
"Wait keep that with you."
"Why?"
"Just in case."
Jack shrugged. "Ok." He was about to head out of the room and to the stairs till Damian pulled him back. "Hey!"
"What are you doing?"
"Going to the stairs."
"We're in a low dipped lower layer and you wanna take the stairs?"
"Yea? What's wrong with that?" Jack said with a raised brow.
"Where's your imagination? Crouch down." Damian told him.
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
"Ok ok." Jack crouched down.
Damian grew bigger, sharpened his claws, and darkened, taking the same form he did when they fought that toad. "Now jump!"
"What are you-?"
"Jump!"
"Alright!" Jack jumped up and to the ceiling.
Damian punched up and broke through the ceiling of the first floor and then the second floor. He and Jack were soaring up above the hospital. "Crap, you jumped too high!"
"I didn't know I could jump this high!" Jack retorted.
"You did it when we fought that demon beast, remember?"
The holes they made repaired and they landed on the roof.
Jack looked to Damian. "I wasn't even in that form."
"You didn't have to be. That forms only there to access your full power." Damain raised up. "Honestly I'm just changed cause I feel like it." He punched down and made a huge gaping into the roof before they fell to the second floor.
Jack looked up at the hole before it began to repair itself and looked irritated at Damian. "I feel like you just wanna show off."
"Maybe." Damian said, reverting back.
Jack rolled his eyes and walked down the hall. They walked for a good minute, passing by the hazy figures of patients, doctors, visitors, and nurses, before making it to room 225. They opened the door and walked in. Surveying the room, they saw nobody in there and there was one bed with the drapes covering around them. "That must be him."
"Hold on. Lemme take us back to the realm." Damian emitted a red wave and color returned to the world.
"Why?"
"Makes searching him for a trail easier."
"Oh." Jack walked to the bed and into the drapes. He saw the bat laying on his bed with a blank stare. The bat slowly turned to look at him. "Uh, hi. My name's Jack. We've never met but we go to the same school. I met a friend of yours at- Hey!" Damian pulled to Alex and opened his palm to him.
"Hmmmm." Damian began to study the bat.
"Damian!" Jack grunted and tried pulling back his arm, smiling nervously at Alex. "S-sorry about that, my, uh, my arm sometimes does weird things!"
"Save your breath Jack." Damian said.
"Uhhh who said that?" Jack said to try and avoid suspicion.
"Jack. That guys not real."
"Huh?"
"This guy isn't real."
"What are you talking about?"
"Open up that file and see his X-rays."
Jack did so and looked confused. "What the-?" The X-rays he saw were all glitchy mainly in the arms, face, and legs.
"I knew it. This is a doll!" As soon as Damian said that, the bat's eyes flinched.
"A doll?"
"Yea! This isn't the real Alex Dunbar!"
"Then where is-?" Jack was cut off when he saw the emission of a red wave and the color fade away around them. "Damian, why'd you pull us to the lower layer?"
"I didn't!"
The bat on the bed rose up and stranded on the bed. It looked down towards Jack.
"Uh oh. It's going to attack mode!" Damain shouted, changing forms. "Put your game face on!"
"What!?" Jack looked up to the bat and saw both its forearms split open and a long blade extend out of it. "Oh…." He said fearfully with wide eyes, stepping back a few steps.
The bat swung down its blades and Jack jumped out of the way. It sliced into the floor and through the bed next to it, cutting up the drapes as well. It turned its head towards Jack and it's bottom lip split open, pulling out the barrel of a gun and firing at him at a slow rate.
"Ah!" Jack ran and avoided the three shots it shot at him, jumping out the door, slamming it behind him.
"What are you doing!? Transform already!" Damian yelled at him.
"I don't know how!?" Jack yelled back. He jumped when the doll rammed its blade arms through the door, surrounding him with it before swinging in. Jack ducked and rolled away from it. "How do I change!?" The fake Alex broke through and dove to Jack. Jack hoped above it.
Damian swung down, hitting it's back and hitting it through the floor. He shoved to the side to move the two of them away from the hole. "Try focusing on being demonly!" Damian suggested.
"Demonly!?"
The doll crashed through the newly repaired floor. It looked to Jack and its legs extended, growing a second segment and joint, before bending forward, the new segment forming a hock, before it launched to Jack.
"Ah!" Jack pulled back, shut his eyes, and punched his right arm forward, nailing it in the face and sending it through the wall down the hallway.
"Nice punch!" Damian commented.
Jack opened his eyes and saw what he did before everything fixed itself. "I did that!?"
"Yeah, that was all you man!"
"Wow…"
"Gawk later! It's gonna come back! You gotta change!"
"Ok...ok!" Jack shut his eyes and focused. "Demonly...Demonly...Demonly!" He squeezed.
"That's It, c'mon!" Damian encouraged.
Jack felt the changes. A few strands of fur on his head started to turn red and twist around, forming arrow shaped tips and a black streak ran under his eyes. He opened his eyes, grabbed a nearby mirror and saw that his eyes changed to being black in his sclera and red rings as his pupils. He opened his mouth and saw his fangs changed as well. "I did it!"
The doll crashed up beside him and aimed its mouth gun at his face, firing a shot.
Jack ducked to dodge it and uppercutted it with his demonic arm, sending it through the roof.
"Nice!" Damian commented.
Jack jumped up threw the hole, overshooting it and nearly falling off the roof, landing on its edge. "Whoa! Gotta be careful when I jump!"
The doll landed on its back behind him. It got up and was about to turn to him.
"Grab some of your red fur and toss it!" Damian told him
"What!?"
"Do it!"
Jack grabbed the fur on the left side of his head with his left hand and threw it out to the doll. The hairs stretched out and darted towards the doll. They made contact and pierced through its chest, hooking onto it.
"Nice! Now pull it back and get ready to punch it again!" Damian commanded.
Jack grabbed his strands and yanked them back. Pulling the doll to them. As soon as it got close, Jack punched it in the back, ripping his fur out of it, and sending it tumbling away.
"Alright! Ready to finish it?"
Jack panted a bit before nodding. "Yeah!"
"Good!" Damian lit his hand on fire.
"Whoa!" Jack said in surprise.
"I'll explain later, now grab its mouth and we'll finish this!"
"R-right!" Jack dashed towards the doll. The doll wheeled around to him and fired two shots. Jack managed to dodge both of them, the second one scratching his cheek, before he swung his flaming hand up and grabbed it around the mouth.
The flames roared into its maw and burned throughout its body, fire shooting out its openings. The flames grew in intensity before the doll exploded into bits.
Jack reeled back and looked at the pieces scattered around. "That...was intense…." He commented.
"Yea, not bad for your second fight!" Damian commented.
Jack took a deep breath. "Damian? Howd you know that was a doll?"
"I didn't feel a soul and felt the energy of a hell machine."
"Hell machine?"
"It's what that doll was, a machine from hell."
"I see...if that's not the real Alex then where is he?"
"Good question. See if you can find a big blue crystal."
Jack looked around and saw what Damian asked for. It was shaped like an oval and covered in wires with a node attached to the bottom. He picked it up. "This?"
"Yeah. I'll try and see if I can sense any energy to trace.
Let's go home for now, you didn't use up alot of energy but this is new for you."
"Yeah...I wasnt expecting to have to fight." Jack said. "...how do I change back?"
"Think Mortally?"
"What?"
"I don't know."
"I'll try calming down." Jack took a deep breath and thought about forming back into his normal jackal form. His hair, eyes, and teeth went back to normal and the strands under his eyes went away. "It felt like I went back." He hopped down to the padio and looked at the window to see his reflection. "I did!"
"Good job." Damian reverted back as well. "Now, let's head home."
"Sounds good to me!" Jack said, hoping off the building and walking back to his place. "Oh wait! The file! I dropped it in the room!"
"It's fine. It went back." Damian told him.
"Oh. How?"
"When something is moved in the lower layer, it goes back once released."
"Oh. That's cool." He said, continuing back home.
END
Next chapter. Home wrecker.