Chapter 3. Home wrecker.

"Hmmmm." Damian hummed, holding the crystal.

Jack was sitting on his couch, leaning on the arm rest, laying his head in his hand, with an irritated look.

"Hmmmm." Damain felt his fingers around the crystal.

"Damian, it's been ten minutes, did you find anything?"

"Almost…hmmm."

"If I hear you Hmm one more time, I'm gonna lose it."

"Sorry, finding a trace in hell machines takes time. We're just lucky the core didn't self destruct."

"Or that you didn't blow it up. When could you do that anyway?"

"I've always had pyrokinetic powers….though now that I think about it, you may be able to do it too since I merged with you."

"Really!?"

"Try it with your left hand, focus on conjuring up heat."

Jack lifted his left hand up and focused. He squeezed his hand, thinking in his mind about roaring flames. In a few seconds he gained results and his hand lit on fire, a massive amount of fire. "Too much! Too much!" Jack yelled.

"Put it out!" Damian shouted, placing the crystal down.

Jack began to blow on his burning hand.

"What are you doing!?"

"I don't know!" The fire alarm went off. "Crap crap crap!"

"Focus on putting it out!"

"I'm trying!" He waved his right hand in it before Damian stopped him.

"Not like that! Stop thinking of flames!"

"Kinda hard not to! Help me!"

"Close your eyes and calm down!"

"Ok ok!" Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Calm...calm...calm," the fire in his hand slowly died down, "deep breaths….there we go…" he opened his eyes and saw that the flame went away. "Phew."

"Well, we're gonna practice that later."

"Good idea."

"Good news though. I found a trace!"

"You did?"

"Yea! Let's go!" Damian lifted the, up.

"Whoa! Now!?"

"Yes now! You wanna know where Alex Dunbar is, don't ya?"

"Well ya, but it's like nearly eight thirty."

"So?"

"Damian I got school tomorrow."

"Well be back in time. Now Let's go!" Damian grabbed the crystal, placed it I'm Jack's pocket, and pulled Jack out the door.

"Hey hey hey, remember rule two!"

"I'm not moving randomly. I'm dragging you, big difference." He opened the door and they went outside.

"Ugh, I should've made a rule four."

"Now, Follow where I point. I am your guide, please leave a tip." Damian pointed his finger forward.

Jack followed his pointing. "Damian, I've been thinking, whoever took Alex probably took whoever else went in that house."

"Maybe." Damian said, pointing another way.

"My question is why? I also wonder if the other animals are dolls too."

"Most likely. As to why? Beats me."

"It's just a little strange. You said Demon beasts have low intelligence, right?"

"Yea. So this is probably a Demon monster or a regular Demon."

"Demon monster?"

"Demon monsters are- OOP! Hide!" He yanked Jack into some bushes.

"Yip!" Jack crouched on the ground. "What are we hiding from?" He asked, raising his head out to take a look.

"Keep you head low or she'll see us!" Damian grabbed his color and pulled him down.

Jack looked through the sides of the bush, seeing a familiar purple cat walk down the street. "Vanexa!?"

Vanexa unknowingly walked past Jack. She was wearing a small loose fitting school shirt, a tight pair of jean shorts, and white stockings. The rim of her purple panties were hiked above her waist, easily visible, she had a red purse and earphones in her ears as she made her way to wherever she was going.

"Where is she going?" Jack whispered.

"Better question. Why does she look so hot right now? What ride she taking?"

Jack looked at Vanexa with confusion as she left them, before processing what Damian just said. He punched Daimian in the mouth, hurting the palm of his hand in the process but he didn't mind, Damian asked for it.

"Ow! What was that for!?"

"You know what!" He got up out of the boosh when she was out of sight. "I wonder what she was doing here….wait why was I hiding from her?"

"To avoid unnecessary questions, plus I'm pretty sure you're glad we avoided her. It would've been awkward walking up to her in that."

"I...true."

"Let's keep going." Damian said, dragging off Jack.

"Well...this looks haunted." Jack stood in front of an old looking one-story rickety house. The windows were boarded and its white paint was peeling off.

"Looks like all the locations where we were told it'd be at were wrong. This place is only near those streets."

"Yeah. The places they told must have been where the disappeared animal lived before being taken."

"Let's head in."

"Shouldn't we go to the lower layer first?"

"Not if we wanna find the missing animals. The dips only high enough for it to minorly affect the mortal realm."

"Oh, then I guess I shouldn't change huh?"

"Nah. Don't wanna freak them out."

"Alright. Let's head in." Jack walked up to the door and slowly opened it. "Hello?"

"Who are you talking t-" As soon as Jack took a step in, Damian felt a shift in space. "HNK! Jack, change now!" He said, slamming the door close, and changing forms.

"Huh? Why?"

"Were in the layer!"

Jack's eyes widened. "What!? How!? I mean, when!?"

"The dips crossing over to this realm!"

"What!?"

"I'll explain later! Change!"

"O-ok!" Jack closed his eyes and focused. "Demonly! Demonly!" He chanted as he concentrated. He felt his changes and opened his eyes. "Alright! I'm ready!"

"Good! Tread carefully here. We don't know what to expect." Damian warned.

Jack took a step in. There were no furniture in the living room, only a little dust. Jack took the first door he saw in the left and walked in. He took a few steps in the dark room. "I can't see."

"Here." Damian reached out and lit his hand on fire, lighting up the room.

"Thanks." Jack looked around the room as he walked deeper in. So far he didn't see anything but dust. He heard a quick pitter patter from behind. "Hm!?" He wheeled around to where he heard the sound. When he saw nothing he slowly turned back and continued walking till he saw a wall. "Dead end." Eight pairs of eyes cleared at him from the ceiling before darting to him.

"Look out!" Damian swung back and hit the creature away.

"What the-!?" Jack looked at what was hit and saw a black and red spider the size of a large brick, with sharp fangs on its pincer like mouth. It got up to its feet and lunged at Jack. Jack responded by slamming his right fist down on it.

Damian finished it by thrusting his burning palm on its head, crushing it. "Got it!"

"Thanks Damian." Jack took a breath to calm himself. He saw a red soul come out of the spider. It was like the toads but only half as big. Jack's eyes locked onto it and he salivated. "Its...like the toad….this a," he licked his lips, geting closer to the soul, "this a demon beast soul too?" He asked, grabbing it.

"Yea. Eat up!"

Jack opened his mouth, not as wide as the first time he ate a soul, and ate it in one bite. He chewed and swallowed it. "Mmmm yum." He said in satisfaction.

"You good?"

"Huh?" Jack got out of his daze. "Oh yeah, sorry."

"It's fine. You're just following instincts."

"Will I always do that?"

"Nah, you'll probably get control over it soon enough. Let's go check another room."

Jack left the room and entered the one beside it. It was a much smaller yet just as empty room. "Nothing in here." He went to the room across, finding an empty garage. He and Damian surveyed the room.

"Nothing but dust, dust, and Oh hey, more spiders." Damian brought Jack's attention to the three spiders in the upper corner. They all looked at them and jumped at them.

"Oh boy!" Jack ducked and the spiders landed behind him. He grabbed his red furs with his left hand and threw it at him. The spiders jumped out of the way and he only managed to cut off a few of one spiders legs.

"Work on your aim!" Damian said as he lobbed a fireball at one spider, burning it up. "Like that."

Jack grunted as a response and ran to a spider, kicking at it. When the spider jumped up to avoid the kick, Jack punched his left fist at it, blowing a hole in its thorax. The last spider shot a web and hit Jack in his right hand. "Ah, gross!"

"Who you telling!?" Damian said, his mouth appearing in his arm. The spider pulled itself toward them and He lit up his hand to melt off the web before grabbing it and shooting fire through it.

Jack shook the webs off his hand. "Think spiders stole them?"

Damian's mouth reappeared in his palm. "No. They don't have the intelligence for this."

"Then there's a...boss?" Jack trailed off, looking at the souls that came out the arachnids corpses.

"Hurry up and eat so we can continue." Damian told him.

Jack went to the first one he saw and ate it, chewing it before he went to the second one to devour and then chomping on the last one. He swallowed and licked his lips. "Where were we?"

"Check the back rooms. Should be something there."

Jack left the garage and went to the back where he found an empty kitchen. He took the hallway to the left, passing by the bathroom before finding what he would suppose is the bedroom, only to find it barren. "Nothing. Think their leader is in the attic?"

"Maybe. Y'know there's an odd lack of spiderwebs, even though we've only seen four spiders."

"True….Damian...do we have to kill the leader?"

"What?"

"Well the spiders I dont mind cause well...their spiders, But I don't like the idea of killing their leader."

"What if their leader is a mother spider?"

"Well if that's the case and she's sentient or has feelings close to normal animals...then…let's subdue it."

"That's naive thinking. What are you gonna do after?"

"I don't know but there's gotta be another way."

Damian sighed. "I'll tell you what. We can at least try and subdue it."

"Thanks." Jack smiled.

"Whatever. Head back to the living room."

Jack headed back to the living room of the house. "Why here?"

"Cause I think I know where they are." He raised up and slammed into the ground, breaking through into the basement.

Jack coughed up the dust that entered his lungs, he looked around and saw darkness. "Its dark-" his foot stepped in something sticky "-here." He looked down and saw webs. "Ew."

"Webs. I think we found it."

"Ya think? Lit me u-" he saw a spider whizz towards him. "Ah!" Jack jumped back and clawed. The spider fell back in pain, having been clawed at its throats and abdomen.

"Who goes there!?" A voice from the darkness called. Six pairs of purple eyes illuminated from the black void. It eyed Jack. "A demon?"

"Uh no not exactly."Jack responded.

"Hm?" The figure walked closer to Jack, it snapped and two glowing Crystal's lighted up near them. The figure was a Purple bipedal spider with six skinny arms, a large thorax, and a slender neck. "Who are you then?"

"I'm...I'm Jack."

"What are you doing!?" Damain asked.

"I'm talking to it, shush!"

"You're arm talks?"

"Uh," he closed his eyes to focus on reverting back. "Yeah...it does." He reverted back to normal, except his arm. He rose his demonic arm. "This is Damian."

"Curious. I'm Aracnis. What business do you have in my home?"

"Well we're looking for some missing animals, and our search led us here."

"Missing animals, hm?"

"Yea. Do you have them?"

"I may."

"Great! Can we please have them back? I'm sure their being here is a big misunderstanding."

"You wish to take them back?" The spider monster said, turning around.

"Yes please. Their friends and family must be worried. You probably understand that."

"Yes...I do."

"Great so we'll just-" he was cut off when the spider shot out a web at him and stuck him to the opposite wall. "H-hey!" More lights came on and Jack saw himself surrounded by four animals cocooned with their heads out, stuck to the wall, and sweating profusely, their faces clearly agitated. One was Alex, one was a white wolf, one was a skunk, and one was an otter. "Wh-what-"

"Hmhmhmhm!" The spider laughed. "Seems I found someone to add to my eats."

"See I knew this would happen!" Damian shouted.

"What do you mean eats?" Jack asked.

"Its what I call the things I eat."

"What?"

"A spider has to eat, deary."

"Well maybe we can work something out? Demon beast souls are pretty good!"

"Oh deary," she rubbed his chin, "that may be true but nothing can replace the delicacy of fear."

"Fear. It's something that I can eat other than souls, and it's delicious."

"You eat...fear?"

"Yes. Delectable fear!" She gestured to the cocooned up animals. "That these saps are giving me."

"What...what do you mean?"

"The dolls! The reason you have them replaced with dolls isn't just so they aren't looked for, it's also to create fear!" Damian deduced.

Jack looked towards Damian confused.

"The cores have a link to the animals mind, trapping them in a dream, and those nodes on the core stimulate nightmares into the dream!"

"Creating fear." The spider said. "Once they've been filled with a good amount of it I'll suck it right out of them."

"You'll...you'll let them go afterwards right?" Jack asked.

"That's if they survive the extraction!" Damian told him.

"Survive!?"

"Extracting fear is a tough process, an extreme strain on the body, but oh well." The injured spider Jack clawed whimpered at her leg. She looked down at it and raised her leg. "Like I said," she pressed her foot on its head, "a spiders got to eat." She stepped down and crushed its head.

Jack widened his eyes. "That...that was your kid wasnt it?"

"Hm? I may have birthed it, but it's useless to me now. With its injuries it couldn't capture more animals for me to hold here and cultivate their fear."

"So you killed it!?"

"What else am I supposed to do with it? Uselessness is uselessness."

Jack gritted his teeth and squeezed his hands. "Damian?"

"Yea?" Damian responded.

"I take it back," he shifted to his demonic form and glared at the spider, "I don't wanna subdue this monster anymore!" His hands lit up on fire and he tore through his webbing, startling the spider before he drove his demon fist into its stomach, sending it crashing against the wall.

The spider grunted and aimed its abdomen at him, shooting a web at Jack.

Jack grabbed the web and pulled, flinging the spider to the wall behind him.

"Ugh! Attack!" She pointed at Jack, ordering her children to attack him.

Hundreds of eyes belonging to the small children spiders looked at Jack from around him. They all darted towards him.

"Jack, spin!" Damian told Jack.

Jack did what was asked and spun on his heels, spinning at a fast rate. His red hairs extended out, slicing at the spiders coming from above. Damian pulled his arm out and let out a stream of flames to get the ones below him. Jack stopped spinning when the last one was cut, feeling a little dizzy. He regained his balance and glared at the mother spider.

The spider growled and lunged at Jack. He dodged to the side when she landed and she kicked him in the gut, standing up and swiping its stilt like arms at it.

Jack jumped back at each swipe til his back hit the wall. The spider jabbed at him and he avoided three till the fourth pierced him on the side of his stomach. "GAH!" Jack yelled in pain. It was about to stab him in the face until Damian grabbed the spiders, blowing out flames, pushing it back.

Jack held his wound in pain, blood gushing out of it. Damian grabbed a soul from one of the spiders they recently killed and held it infront of Jack's face. "Eat it!" He told him.

Jack chomped on the soul and swallowed. He felt his wound start to heal and his pain subside. "I'm healing!?"

Damian grabbed another soul. "Yea, I told you! Souls revitalize you!" He shoved the soul into Jack's mouth.

Jack at the soul and was completely healed. He looked towards the spider and saw it try to shake off the fire on her head. He darted towards it with a jump and slammed his fist into her face, driving her into the wall. He pulled out and felt her arms clamp around him. He tried to wiggle free and she pulled her head out the wall, biting at him. He grabbed its pincers, pushing back. They struggled, the mother spiders grip getting tighter and its face getting closer. "rrrrRAGH!" Jack pulled to the sides, ripping off its pincers. She screamed and reeled back in pain, blood spilling out its face wound. Jack grabbed its shoulder with his left hand, pulled his right hand far back, turned the spider to face him, barreled his fist straight into her head.

When his fist made contact her head exploded to pieces, blood fountains out her neck. Her body fell to its knees and leaned back, dead.

Jack's breathing became heavy and he fell onto one of his knees. "...It's over… " he said panting.

"Nice fighting!" Damian complemented.

From the body of the demon spider came a red soul but with a blue inside and round black plates covering some spots. Jack got up and observed it. "This one looks...different." Jack said, salivating much more than usual.

"Uh, Jack?"

Jack grew a wide toothy grin as he focused on the soul, his jaw widening. He quickly grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth, munching on it.

"Wow, either you were hungry or-"

Jack swallowed and felt a surge in his body. "URK!" He fell to his hands and began to sweat and pant as he felt his body pulsate.

"Jack! What is that!?" Damian asked, feeling the pulsations.

"I….don't….know…." Jack could hardly hear due to the beating sound in his ear. The pulsing slowed down. He could hear his breathing and got up.

"You ok?" Damian asked.

Jack rubbed his head and reverted back. "Yea….I think so. My head hurts." He looked at the animals on the wall. "What should we do about them?"

"If we break the cores of the dolls they represent, then they should wake up."

"We only have one core."

"Yea. If you wanna wake the rest up, you're gonna have to go out, find the rest, and destroy them."

"Well let's take Alex to the hospital and have him wake up there." Jack looked at the souls of the demon beasts he killed earlier. His mouth got wet but he wasn't staring at them hungrily. "What about those?"

"Grab a sack and we can't take them home with us, but first, loot her body and see if you can find anything."

"She doesn't have any pockets."

"Her body might."

"Ew." Jack took a step to the corpse and felt around for any pocket sacks. He found one and cringed, singing into it. He pulled out a small, flat, round device. "What's this?"

"Take it with you and grab that sack over there and place the souls in it." Damian pointed to a sack in the corner.

Jack grabbed it and placed them in the sack. He got about fifteen souls. He pulled out Alex and looked to the others. "I'll come back for you." He vowed. He hoped up to the first floor and walked out. He took a few steps outside the house before he felt a surge in his body and his head ringing. "Ah!" Jack steadied himself.

"You ok?"

"Y-yea...hang on." He said, feeling somewhat dazed.

Jack played Alex on the bed. He reached up his claw and slit the cocoons front down the middle. He slid it off Alex and tossed it away.

"Ok, now let me pull us into the mortal realm." Damian took a few seconds before pulling them to the mortal realm. "Alright. Let's leave and break the core, don't want him to ask questions about us."

"Yea…" Jack responded slugishly.

"You ok?"

"My Head hurts and I'm feeling tired. Plus I keep getting those surges."

"Maybe it's cause of that soul?"

"I don't know…."

"Cmon," Damian pulled them to the lower layer, "let's head home." He pulled out the core and crushed it. After he did so, Alex jumped up, startled and awake, looking around. He reverted back to a normal arm.

Jack walked off, mostly being dragged by Damian.

Jack walked through his front door, wobbling as he walked, mumbling, setting the bag of souls on the night stand.

"C'mon, you heavy Jackal." Damian said, pulling Jack around. "Let's at least get you to the couch."

Jack took a few steps before stumbling on the couch, his face planting on the cushions. He lazily shuffled and laid his full body on the seat, closing his eyes. "Goodnight." He mumbled.

"Not even gonna go to the bed?" Damian noticed he fell asleep and sighed.

"Im….a demon now….." The voice of Jack echoed

"Mutated demon be exact." Damians voice came.

"I have the worst luck."

Jack gasped, surrounded by darkness. "Wh-where-?"

"Where the hell are we?" Damian asked.

Jack looked at his right arm. "Damian?"

"Behind you."

Jack looked behind him to see a red jackal. "Damian!?"

"In the demonic flesh."

Jack pointed at his arm. "How did you-?"

"No clue man." Damian shrugged. "I think its cause were dreaming."

"This is a dream?"

"Its something like it."

"Well, can you give us a light?"

"Sure." Damian raised his hand up, holding it up there. "...hm?" None of his fire came out. He looked up and shook his hand. "What the-!?"

"Damian?"

"I can't use my fire!"

"Why!?"

"I dont know!"

"Is it cause you're not my arm right now?"

"That doesn't make sense, we've only been together for like three days!"

"Well somethings stopping your powers!"

"Why don't you try yours then?"

"Oh right." Jack closed his eyes and focused. He felt no change and focused harder. Nothing. He squeezed and scrunched, focusing even harder. No change.

"Ok stop. You're not changing."

Jack relaxed. "Seems like neither of our powers are working."

"Great. Now what?"

"Look around for something."

"What's there to look around in this barren vo-"

A long blue chain with a hook dropped beside them. They both looked at it, puzzled.

"What's that for?" Jack asked.

"Where'd it come from?" Damian asked, looking around.

"Neither of us have the answers." Jack looked forward and spotted a silver ring hanging around. "Thats...wierd."

"A floating ring in a black void and a blue chain that popped out of nowhere. Yea, that's weird."

Jack looked at the hook and ring and thought something. "Hey, maybe we're supposed to hook this on that ring?"

"Think so?"

"Worth a shot."

"Alright. Gimme that," Damian reached to grab the blue chain and his hands go through it, "chain?" He moved his hand about it and his appendages phased through it. "What!?"

"Let me try." Jack reached down and was able to pick up the chain.

"How come you can grab it?"

Jack shrugged. "I'll go ho-" he walked to the ring only to thud against an invisible wall, "DOF!" He rubbed his nose. "Ow!"

"Maybe I can go through it." Damian walked forward and past where the wall was. "Sweet!"

"What?" Jack walked forward again and hit against the wall. "Ack!" Damian laughed at his failed attempt, and Jack glared at him for it. "Now what?"

"No idea. Maybe throw it?"

Jack shrugged and threw it forward. It made it about a quarter of the way before being deflected back by hiting something. "What the-!?" The hook fell behind Jack.

"Where'd all these pillars come from?"

"Pillars? What pillars?"

"The eleven metal pillars that showed up."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't see those?" Damian gestures to infront of him.

Jack scoped with his left hand to see if he was missing something. "Damian," he gestured to infront of him, "there's nothing there!"

"Uh Jack, move your left hand up."

"Huh?"

"Just do it." Jack raised his hand up. "Ok, now go left." He went left. "Wave it."

Jack waved and heard the rattling sound of chains and looked back to see the hook floating with the chain following it. "Whoa!"

"It moved along with your left hand."

Jack looked at it and pulled his left hand to him, the chain following his movements and placing itself in his hand. "Cool."

"Hmmm." Damian looked at Jack, tha chain, the ring, and the pillars. "I got it!"

"What?"

"Ok, you move the chain to the ring and, since you can't see the pillars, I'll guide you!"

"That might work!"

"Not might, will! Ready?"

"Ready!" Jack pulled back, ready to throw it with his left hand.

"Go!"

Jack threw tha chain.

"Move it left!" Damian yelled.

Jack moved his hand to the left, moving the hook and chain.

"Keep going forward….now right!"

Jack moved it to the right.

"Right again!"

He moved right.

"Down!"

He went down.

"Almost there! Go left then up!"

He did so.

"Down!...forward!...now up!" Damian gave Jack directions and he followed. "One more pillar! Just go down and forward!"

Jack died his hand down and pushed forward, hooking the ring. "Got it!" The void began to shake. "What the-!?" Jack nearly stumbled.

"WhoOOooA!" Damian flailed as he tried to keep balance.

The ring flashed and blinded them in a red light.

"Ah!" Jack startled awake in his demonic form. He looked around and saw he was in his living room, on his couch. "Damian!?"

"Right here." Damian lifted up as Jack's demon arm.

"What was that!? and why are you changed!?"

"You've changed too! What time is it?"

"Lemme see." Jack reached for his phone on the table. He saw two blue strands reach out from beside his head and wrap around the device, starling Jack before pulling it towards him. "What was that!?" He opened up his phone's camera and saw that he had two new strands of fur, one on both sides of his head. They didn't have an arrow tip like his red ones. "Where's these come from?"

"Maybe that's cause of that soul you ate."

"What makes you say that?"

"Think about it. It was a new soul you've never eaten and as soon as you did you felt a surge through your body."

"Ok then," he set the phone down, reverting back, "why the dream?"

"Maybe it was to show how to use your new power." Damian theorized, reverting back.

"Really?"

"Why else would we share a dream?"

"Maybe you're right." Jack looked at his phone. It read to be half past one. Jack got off the couch. "Well, we should sleep in a bed." He headed to his room to sleep for the night.

Jack walked down the sidewalk, heading to school. "Ok, so here's the plan. We ask about the other victims, figure out where the dolls are, and take out their cores."

"We gotta make sure not to bust the cores. Don't want them waking up in a cocoon and panicking. Plus we still gotta drag them out of the layer." Damian told Jack.

"About that, you said the layer crossing over?"

"Yea. The dip came up so high it bleed into the mortal realm, coexisting with it. Meaning no matter if you came into that area in or out of the layer, you'll still enter it. How you exit is determined by how you enter."

"I see." Jack looked forward and saw Spam picking red flowers. He wore a black shirt and jeans. "Oh, hey Spam!"

"Hm?" Spam looked to Jack and smiled. "Hi jack!"

"Whatcha doing?"

"Picking flowers!"

"For who?"

Spam blushed. "Oh noone in particular."

Jack noticed the blush and smirked. "Wouldn't happen to be a girl would it?"

"Mmmmaybe, but I'm not telling!" He turned on his heels. "Now let's head to-" he tripped on a ledge and fell forward.

"Spam!" Jack grabbed his backpack and pulled him up, opening the backpack up a little.

"Whoa. Thanks Jack!"

"No pro-" he glanced down and saw a thin purple pair of panties in his backpack, "what the-?"

Spam yanked his backpack back and zipped it closed. "Eh, y-you didn't see that!" He said with a nervous smile before dashing off.

Jack stood there, frozen and wide eyed.

"We definitely saw that." Damian said.

END.

Next chapter. Secrets.