Harumi’s door somehow opened for Clyde and he glided inside, the demoness hot on his tail. He feared the worse but pushed on, shutting out his thoughts. He thoughts that showed him a vision of a woman that didn’t deserve to die.

When he opened the bedroom door, he saw her sitting at the corner of her bed knees to her chest, face down. Her blinds were shut in a way that darkened the room to almost nighttime darkness. Her phone rested face up, unlocked. He gestured at Alice to inspect it then scooped Harumi in an embrace, which she melted into, eyes pouring tears.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said softly. “I feel so helpless.”

“It will be alright,” Clyde said, meaning it. He tried to push away an old, buried memory, but it peeked a little. A true friend, bogged down by bullying and pressures at work. Something he could’ve stopped if he’d seen the signs. If only he knew to look for them, but his friend acted as if everything was okay. He almost let it happen again…

He made a silent vow that no matter what, he wouldn’t let Harumi harm herself. He cursed Mortem, putting him in this world, in this situation.

“Clyde,” Alice said then revealed what the young man considered a developing horror story. A conversation between Harumi and someone she named Shithead.

Shithead: I know about the power you possess. Give yourself to me.

This was ignored until a day later.

Shithead: Give yourself to me, Harumi. Or your sister will become my plaything. You better reply to me, cutie pie.

Harumi: Who are you? What do you want? I’m forwarding this to the police.

Shithead: the police won’t help you, baby. And if you so much as think about contacting them, who I own anyway, I’ll fuck your sister up.

Beneath that was a picture of a woman who looked similar to Harumi but with more mature features.

Shithead: do you understand me, foolish girl. I can portal to your sister at any time and rape her into oblivion. She’s single, too. No one to help her while she screams and takes my semen. So don’t fuck with me. If you don’t want anything to happen to her, you better listen.

Beneath that message was a picture of her sister in the shower.

Harumi: what do you want. I’m only a first-year college student. I have nothing.

Shithead: You will come to the single house on Second Street. If you so much as even think about bringing a cop, I’ll blow your sister up like a balloon and slit her throat. Be there by nine tonight.

The last picture was of Harumi’s sister smiling at a framed picture of the sisters, younger, with their parents.

“I see,” Clyde said. The air around him shimmered twice. “I see.” He nodded to himself. “Guess where tonight’s patrol will be, Harumi.”

She looked at the young man but didn’t object. No, she hugged him, crying softly.

“Naturally I will be joining,” Alice said. Harumi hugged her too, thanking her. The poor girl was trapped in a corner by someone who could instantly jump to her sister. A hostage. Clyde wanted to spit in disgust.

Clyde called and told everyone about the situation, even Clare, who was more than happy to join in. She exclaimed how she hated scumbags more than anything.

Even while on his date, Toru sent out his father’s bodyguards to scope the area from afar. Only a single old car was in the driveway, but no additional signs of life.

Kitome was fired up. In fact, she suggested burning the house down, but Clyde barked some logical sense into her.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Clyde said. “We need proof that he’s there. We also don’t want to risk burning down an entire neighborhood. Besides, look at that text again. Does that sound like a normal human to you?”

Kitome sighed.

“Party pooper.”

“May as well get that long transformation out of the way,” Seth said. He said under his breath, “and go naked for like five seconds.” Kitome punched him in the gut. Seth wheezed a laugh.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”

“Freaking pervert,” Kitome said then marched off to the side to transform.

They were all at the meeting spot, awaiting Clyde’s word. A cool night breeze massaged him as if trying to extinguish his fury but failed. That sick shithead bastard had true nerves.

Threatening Harumi and her only family, especially after what she’s been through. Looking at that framed picture but only thinking of sick and twisted things to do to the sisters.

“Let’s go. Chika, stealth on Harumi’s right at the timing I told you,” Clyde said. “Everyone else, walk at the staggered paces I explained. We need him to see that she’s alone. Kitome and Clare, our snipers. Stay at Toru’s suggested range and take the shots at either my signal, Alice’s signal, or Harumi’s signal. Do not fire otherwise. I want to get a good analysis of this fuckface.” Harumi squeezed Clyde’s hand. “We’re ignoring all demon spawn.”

Everyone nodded then at Clyde’s return nod, they moved out.

Demon lord’s estate….

Matazus’s eyes snapped open. He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief to see that he only nodded off in the breakroom. No one would dare bother their hardworking commander unless he or she had a death wish. Rage engulfed the Middle Eye. That bitch succubus had him strapped to a torture device in the nightmare. She bent him over, preparing to insert something giant and spiky. Matazus barely managed to force himself awake. This was it. He warned her and now he’d fill her with true regret. What kind of a crazy person was she to constantly poke at the bear?

He looked at himself in the mirror, rubbing off sweat from his forehead. He was a demon who looked like a human in his middle years, with a short beard and drooping mustaches. His purple eyes almost shined. Dark hair met red skin. He had two vampire-like fangs to accompany his otherwise normal teeth. A hardened, war-fought face stared back at him with weariness. A man like him letting a succubus disturb him? A general among the demon lord’s army! He was Matazus, fierce Middle Eye of Demon lord Hades. He clawed his way up to the top. His men respected him, wanted to be him. And here he was, losing sleep over an inferior being.

“Guards,” he said. Two of them marched in as if he yelled for them. His voice could reach any of his men and they’d be there. “Arrest that whore, Tear. And you may do whatever you want to her. And…put her in chains. Take a mage with you to negate her magic. We can’t have the bitch escaping into the dream world. Hurry now! I haven’t slept well in days.”

The guards nodded, raised their right fists to their chests in a hard salute, then marched off.

“You will regret the day you’ve messed with me, succubus,” he said. “After you’re done, I’ll invite that Ash brat over. Have him hunt down Alice and get the Life mate process started. Then he can rape her right on the streets.”

“Really now,” a feminine voice said from behind the general. Matazus spun, pale. Tear grinned.

“Men,” she said. “Matazus, you have no idea who I am. So, allow me to show you, worm.”