Chapter 2

The cave was just as dark and cold as she remembered it. The few flames on the walls gave some illumination, but it only meant that Christina could see Belial's face smiling back at her. There were also three hooded figures standing in the corner of the room. She was lying on the floor with blood coming out of various cuts. Belial rose from where he sat and started to walk over to her. 'This time I might actually kill you.' He said, grinning. He was almost right in front of her, hand reaching out, when Christina shot upwards…..

And grasped her chest. She was sweating and breathing heavily. Once she realised she was in her room she started to calm down. Christina looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was four in the morning. She sighed and got up, pulling on her dressing gown before going down stairs. It was always around this time in the morning when she woke up. She didn't want to tell her sisters but nightmares had been plaguing her for a little while, ever since her encounter with Belial. She put on a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen counter, head in hands as she waited. She was rubbing her eyes as Lisa came through the door. 'Hey, I thought I heard someone.' Lisa said, making Christina jump slightly. 'Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.' She held her hands up.

'It's okay.' Christina said. 'You seem to be the only one who does scare me in the kitchen so.' Lisa smiled and sat opposite her. 'Want some coffee?' Christina asked getting up to pour some.

'No thanks.' Lisa said. 'I was going to try and convince you to go back to sleep.' Lisa watched as Christina sipped her coffee. 'But something tells me that's not going to happen.'

'Nope, sorry.' Christina said.

'Look, Chris….' Lisa started.

'If you're going to give me a pep talk don't bother, Kath has already done it.'

'I feel the need to reiterate.' Lisa said honestly. 'The others are either too polite, or too scared to say anything, but you'e not okay.'

'I'm fine.' Christina said.

'Is what you told Kath, I know.' Lisa said. 'And you might be able to fool her, fool everyone for a while, but how long do you think Amy is going to let you keep this all bottled inside?' Christina shrugged.

'It's easier if it's inside.' She whispered.

'We both know that's not true.' Lisa said. 'Please talk to me, to someone.' Christina shifted in her seat and put her mug down. 'Why aren't you sleeping?'

'I had a nightmare.' Christina admitted. 'I've been having them for a while now.'

'About that day?'

'Yeah, sometimes I'm back in the cave with Belial, sometimes it's his demon.' She rubbed her eyes. 'He almost killed me and I don't even know his name.'

'Chris, we can find out.' Lisa assured her.

'No, I mean what's the point? It's all over now.' Christina said, putting her walls back up. 'He's gone, Belial is gone. We're still here.'

'It's not that simple Chris.' Lisa said.

'Well, I'm making it that simple.' She said, standing up. 'Go get some sleep.' Christina kissed her head as she walked out of the room. Lisa sighed and went back up to her room.

xxxxxx

Later that morning they were all in the kitchen apart from Lauren who was yet to get up. Suddenly, a red mist began to form in the corner of the room catching their attention. 'Chris she's doing it again!' Dani yelled, smiling. Christina turned to face the mist as Lauren appeared in front of them, grinning.

'I'm getting the hang of this!' Lauren said as she projected herself into the kitchen from her bedroom. 'I didn't end up in the basement this time.' She said proudly.

'Well done.' Kathrine said. 'Now come down for real and have some breakfast.'

'Yes ma'am.' Lauren saluted before disappearing.

'It's not fair, I want a new power.' Dani said, playing with her bowl of cereal.

'And I'm sure you'll get one.' Christina said. 'I didn't have all of mine until I was like twenty-five.'

'As far as I know, I have all of mine. They all came at once when I was sixteen.' Katherine told her.

'It's different for all of us Dan. Just be patient.' Amy said, rubbing her arm. The television was on quietly in the background when Katherine noticed something.

'Chris, can you turn the volume up on the tele?' She asked, Christina obliging as a news reader began a story.

'What's up Kath?' Lisa asked.

'I thought I saw something…..' She said, as the report went back to images of an alleyway where a man had been killed earlier that morning. 'There.' She said. 'Look at the markings on the wall.'

'They look like…..' Christina said.

'Scorch marks.' Lisa finished for her.

'Like, from a demon?' Amy asked. 'What demons make scorch marks?

'Ones who use energy as a power source.' Katherine said. 'We need to go there, find out what happened.'

'I agree.' Christina said, as everyone started moving. Lauren came into the room shortly after and looked around.

'Where's everyone going?' She asked.

'We have a demon to find.' Christina told her.

'But I haven't eaten breakfast.' Lauren said as Lisa threw a bit of toast at her. 'Thanks.'

'Eat and get dressed. Be at the car in ten minutes.' Lisa said, heading for the stairs.

'Lisa, grab some potions!' Amy called after her.

xxxxxx

By the time they pulled up to the road leading to the alley way, all police cars and reporters had gone. Their jobs had been done and there was only a strip of police tape blocking the scene. Katherine lifted the tape so they could all cross under it, before following her sisters into the alleyway. 'It feels weird down here.' Amy said.

'Weird how?' Lauren asked her.

'I don't know how to explain it. It feels dark.' Amy confirmed. Christina had walked over to the wall with the scorch marks. She ran her hand gently across the blackened wall and soot came off on her hands.

'This is fresh.' Christina said. 'Definitely what killed the guy.' Lisa was doing a circle of the alley way when she came face to face with a man.

'Jesus!' She said, jumping back from him.

'Lise?' Dani walked up behind her.

'Ghost.' Lisa told them.

'Got it.' Dani said. 'The guy from the news?' She asked as Lisa nodded.

'What's your name?' Lisa asked him.

'You can see me?' He asked, shocked.

'I can, they cant.' Lisa told him. 'Tell me your name.'

'Sam, my name is Sam Jones.' He said. 'Am I dead?'

'Hi Sam.' Lisa started. 'Yeah, I'm really sorry.'

'Oh, okay.' He looked around the alley. 'I died here?'

'You were killed here this morning, do you remember anything?' Lisa asked as he looked at her, confused.

'What's going on Lisa?' Katherine asked.

'He's in shock, confused. Sometimes the newly dead don't realise it, they can't understand right away.'

'Do you know who killed me?' He asked.

'We're here to try and find that out.' Lisa told him. 'Do you remember anything about this morning?'

'My wife, and my girls, they're going to be so worried.' He sobbed. 'I can't leave them alone.'

'I know you're scared Sam, but the police will take care off them. Right now I need you to tell me what you remember about this morning.'

'I was walking to work, like always. This guy came out of nowhere.'

'What did he look like? Did he have any tattoos, or features you remember?'

'No, he was just a man.' Sam thought back. 'But then he shot fire out of his hands. Isn't that crazy?'

'It's not crazy Sam.' Lisa smiled sadly at him.

'I need to go, I have to see Lucy.' He said.

'Sam, wait.' Lisa said, but he vanished before her eyes. 'Shit.'

'Is he gone?' Dani asked.

'Yeah, he went to find his wife.'

'Did he say anything about the man who attacked him?' Katherine asked.

'Just that he looked like a regular guy until he shot fire from his hands.' Lisa told them.

'But why here? Why this guy?' Christina wondered, studying the area around them. 'He wasn't a demon, or a wizard, so why him?'

'Maybe it was to get us out here.' Amy suggested, as she looked down the alleyway.

'What makes you say that Aimes?' Lauren asked.

'Because I think that's him.' She said, pointing down the alley. Sure enough, there was a man blocking their only exit, a ball of fire in front of his chest.

'This is bad.' Lisa said as they moved into a group.