?Hound’s Duty?
⚡️Volume 2: The Badlands⚡️
?Written by Crownway Amef?
⚡️Episode 23⚡️
OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL
The security guard of the school was about to challenge Susan for parking outside the gate despite asking her to steer off the school area or come back with an ID when she alighted from the car.
She saw Erik walking weirdly and she hurriedly opened the car door for them. Susan smiled at the security who nodded his head on seeing her with some of the students.
“Is everyone okay? What happened to Erik?” Susan asked with her head tilted to the side trying to figure out a way to start the car again.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I managed to talk to Anthony and he informed me of the gifted message “ he said.
“Oh… okay,” she said then faced the front gripping the steering wheel tightly and humming a song without making a move.
“What’s wrong? Are we out of gas?” Kira asked.
“Uh? No.” She said.
“Don’t tell me you can’t drive?” Erik asked.
“That’s not possible. How did she get here then?” Haliah inquired.
“Actually, it was by luck that I got here safe. My emergency instinct got me here I have no idea how I drove the car here” she said with a forced smile.
“What? This is funny” Jeff chuckled.
“I should have known with how you park the car sideways,” Erik said and he unlocked the car; “Go to the back,” he said.
“Are you sure you are okay to drive?” Haliah asked.
“Do we have other choices? If we don’t want the police on our raid, it’s better I drive. I don’t have a license though… Dad taught me how to drive” he said.
With this, they all remained quiet for they feel bad for Erik losing his parent in a day and having no one around him.
While driving home, Erik’s eyes wouldn’t leave Kira and she was starting to get uncomfortable.
“Uh..: do you have something to say to me?” Kira asked.
The rest were forced to look at her to check what the matter is. It was until they traced her eyes that to meet Erik’s piercing gaze from the mirror.
“Erik?” Haliah called.
“Erik!” Jeff called too.
Susan touched his shoulder shaking him back to life. He gasped and he put the car to an abrupt stop.
He gasped “ That wasn’t me!” He said.
“You scared the $h|t out of us all. What was that about?” Haliah asked.
“It’s the first time Falcon will take over without consulting me” Erik explained.
“So why was he looking at me like that?” Kira asked.
“He said you can fight Lady of will. He saw you attack her with your scream” Erik said.
“What? Really?” They asked her.
“Well I don’t know, I mean I didn’t see her exactly. Falcon warned me that she was getting closer and out of fear, I screamed at her and I heard her scream in pain too” Kira explained.
“Why didn’t you tell us this?” Haliah asked.
“ I wasn’t sure. You said it that Fred might be the one that can fight her” Kira said defensively.
“No one sure of anything. But now, this is complicated. I knew what I saw on Fred but he’s human. Falcon saw you and according to the books, It says the power to get rid of the lady of wills lies with a non-supernatural with a strong mindset. Someone she was preying on but escaped her predation.” Haliah explained.
“It’s quite funny how Kira and Freddy fit into the description. Is Kira strong-minded? And Fred is what? Well yeah, he escaped her predation” Jeff said.
“You joke with almost everything serious Jeff, it’s not funny!” Kira yelled at him.
“If you are strong-minded then you should be chosen instead. You’re trying so hard to hide your pain and weakness behind that carefree boy mask you have on but deep down, you’re a boy with a stray heart and broken soul” Kira yelled.
The car became silent immediately after Kira’s outburst. Even Jeff could not say anything because everything she said was right.
Jeff’s case is almost similar to that of Erik, it’s just that his parents didn’t accept him for who he is.
He found out about his powers at the age of 10 and his parents thought he was a monster.
They stopped him from going out and having friends, he grew up and schooled online for 8 years until Lady Violet heard of him and offered to take him in.
But she ki||ed both of his parents the day she took him away. So he’s an orphan too.
On their way, Susan stopped by the mall and got each of them a phone.
“ I realized it’s a bad thing for teenagers not to have q cell phone, “ she said then tuck the credit card into her bag.
Mr.Linn gave her his information when he noticed he was going to disappear soon.
She stored everyone’s number herself and gave it back.to them but no one said anything still.
The drive home was a quiet one and they all went inside to change into comfortable clothes after agreeing to meet back in the sitting room in 10 minutes.
Susan ordered food from her place of work but she didn’t show up to collect the package so the delivery boy won’t recognize her. Kira paid and arranged the table for all of them.
When they arrived home, Haliah didn’t go to the room straight up like the rest. She stayed at Professor Linn’s workplace and touched his computers. She could see faint traces of him everywhere and she sobs silently to have her father taken away from her.
“ I will save you from that void space she trapped you in, I promise, “ she said then wiped her tears.
Erik turn off the shower and the water ceased pouring from the faucet. He wiped the mist on the mirror with his hand which showed his perfectly built body and his grandma’s essence almost taking over his body. It keeps spreading in a tattoo form all over his body.
His eyes glowed slightly red before switching back to normal, that’s Falcon’s essence that showed for a bit.
OTHER ROOM
Jeff could be seen standing under the shower with his clothes on. Memories of his painful past rushed at him in a flash and tears streamed down his face. His tears mixed with the hot water but he never flinched, he remained there for the rest of the minutes until they heard Kira screaming from the next room.
He rushed out immediately and he saw the rest in the hallway trying to get to her room as well.
He pushed open her door and saw her completely out of her mind. She has spaced out after the scream with her eyes opened but not blinking nor moving.
“Hey Kira, are you okay?” Jeff asked.
“Kira! Can you hear me?” Susan said shaking her vigorously.
“Wake up Kira!” Erik called.
All attempts to wake her proved futile and everyone breaks down in tears.
The recent happening is enough to cause them stress and grief and now Kira seems to be undergoing one of her Banshee moments.
Susan helped her sit on the chair still she didn’t move, she remained frozen like a log of wood.
“She will be fine, you don’t need to panic okay? She’s just having one of her moments” Susan said.
“Please you all should eat, your health is on me” she added.
Susan pleaded to them and tried her best to calm them down before they move to the table and start to eat.
So late in the night, Kira was still in trance and they could not wake her up.
“We can’t leave her alone at home,” Haliah said.
“Do you think we should go to the party at all?” Jeff queried.
“If we want to solve this, we need to get on our feet and be strong! We don’t have anyone anymore! Professor is gone and our parents too, here we are a bunch of kids trying to restore order to the world and nobody f-__-king knows nor do they care about it.” Erik yelled.
“What and who are we fighting for exactly? We all have no one to protect and we’ve got no one to protect us.” He said with a shaky voice. The stress was getting to him.
They all faced $h|t in a single day and it was beginning to weigh them down.
Haliah was feeling bad again and a voice starts to whisper to her. Lady of will can easily get to her with the mark she left and that’s just how she ruins her prey.
“I said it! They are weak and can’t handle you. It’s only Hades that can give you the best life. Hearken to his call and allow me to present you” she whispered through the mind link.
Haliah’s palm starts to get sweaty and her body feverish. She needs her friends at this point but everyone was busy trying to get out of their messed-up minds.
“You guys can stay with her, I will go instead and make sure both Anthony and Fred are safe,” she said.
“There’s no way I’m leaving you to go there alone,” Erik said to her.
“It’s fine guys… you all can trust me” Haliah said trying to hold back her tears.
Erik saw through this and pull her in for a hug” I understand how you’re feeling Haliah, none of this is your fault. I’m sorry for being weak-minded just now.” He said and then disengaged from the hug.
“We can do it guys. Even if we’ve got no one to live for, let’s live for ourselves. I still got my grandma and we all have each other. If no one is seeing our sacrifice and effort, we know how valuable we are. The fight is to stop others from becoming pitiful like us. To save others from riders like lady Violet and Hades!” Erik said to them and once again, they felt this new surge of energy.
“I will stay with Kira and find out how to wake her,” Jeff said flipping through pages of Professor Linn’s books. It entails useful information on every supernatural.
“Okay then, we are counting on you,” Susan said.
At exactly 8:00 pm, they set off to the parking lot after agreeing to Erik driving the car.
He ignited the engine at once and veered off to the long pathways out of the garage.
Jeff continued checking the pages and he found a caption in bold writing and underlined it as well.
‘THE FIRST TRANCE OF A BANSHEE’
The first trance of a banshee can be weak or strong depending on the work level of the fairy woman. Banshees possess the power to experience premonitions that allow them to sense a person’s death, which usually allows them to infer how a person dies, where they die, and/or what will cause the death in the first place. A Banshee that’s just exploring her powers at times might not have the strength to stay conscious during her trance state. Do not interrupt her after the scream but watch out for those about to die.
After reading this, Jeff’s heartbeat increased and he stared at Kira in confusion. If she’s having her first premonition and her not moving is because she’s not that strong yet, there’s no way to know who’s going to die!
He closed the book in shock and started pacing up and down. Scratching his hair for ideas since he was strictly warned not to wake her up.
He glanced at the time and it was 9:00 already.
Just then, Kira gasped and fell off the chair trembling terribly but Jeff carried her in his arms and took her to the sofa to rest.
He covered her with a blanket and took her face in his hand “Can you hear me?” he asked.
Kira burst into tears instead “They are going to die” she sobs.
“Who’s going to die Kira?” Jeff asked with his voice breaking after each sentence.
“We need to leave right now,” she said and then passed out completely.
“f_ck this!” Jeff punched the chair and hurried to his feet.
How’s he going to warn them when he can’t drive and he can’t leave Kira alone in the house to go board a taxi.