Grabbing his keys and wallet off his nightstand, Matthius exited the apartment and headed for the elevator leading down to the lobby. He remembered how rough but equally enjoyable the initial move was. So much had changed since that eventful day. Not only had he lost his sanity, but he had also lost the love of his life. He thought about the letter she had written him.

She had said it was the only way that saying goodbye wasn’t possible. Matthius thought about her saying he was her always, and he said a silent prayer that whatever was ahead of him would bring him back to her arms.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened; he stepped out into the massive lobby. He had always felt like whoever designed this complex had done incredibly overboard with their design for this lobby. Posh chairs and ridiculous looking tables were all throughout looking incredibly out of place. The ceiling off the lobby was covered in shiny fake gold tiles with a mural in the middle depicting some epic biblical war from, what his aunt had told him was, Revelations.

Aunt Tami was a very religious and pious individual; Matthius not so much. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in a higher power; he just wasn’t so sure that an omnipotent deity would give a shit about him. He knew it broke his aunt’s heart that he didn’t believe the same way that she did; nevertheless, she never let it get in the way of their relationship. When Sam and Matthius had seen how much she loved this particular apartment complex, they had both decided it was perfect for what they were looking for. He knew that the mural had caught her eye and that the whole setup in the lobby and their guided tour there had captivated and won her over completely.

Now contemplating that very mural that had captured her attention, he thought, Not very accurate. Demons definitely don’t look like that from my limited experience. Pointy horns and red skinned depictions of the creatures were prevalent throughout the mural. Matthius chuckled and darkly thought about how people had no clue what their enemy truly looked like.

Nerraz’s appearance had been visually arresting. Matthius pondered the demon’s features: the jagged claws receding in and out with every breath ; the amber yellow eyes, sharp and penetrating; and the ashen skin. It was a terrifying visage that left his mouth completely dry. In comparison, the demons pictured on the gaudy mural looked absurd and made Matthius snicker. If they only fucking knew.

Walking towards the revolving front entrance doors, he greeted the receptionist, a scrawny twenty three year old only working at the apartments in between his classes at Truman. He had told Matthius that he aspired to be a teacher someday. Matthius always tried to make time for the young man because he knew the struggles that came with balancing work and college.

“What’s up, Tony? Having a good day?” Matthius smiled making small talk.

“Not so bad, Matt. How about yourself?”

“Can’t complain, Brother. How’d your test go?” He inquired.

“I aced it, bro!” He said excitedly. “Thanks for helping me study for it. I know things haven’t been easy since... “ He trailed off embarrassed he had brought up such a sore and sensitive subject.

“Don’t mention it. Also it’s okay, we both know what happened. I did something stupid and lost my girl. You don’t have to be afraid to mention that, man.You aren’t going to hurt my feelings; I accept it happened.”

“Okay…” He said sheepishly. “Where are you headed?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Got some unfinished business I need to take care of.” He said cryptically.

“For sure, Bro. Well, be safe, man and call me if you need anything.”

“Sure thing, Tony. Same to you.”

Matthius walked out the revolving doors into the arrid summer air. Shit. I can’t call him. My phone was shattered in my fall. God, could this day get any better? Walking past the giant concrete fountain of Moses parting the Red Sea, he headed for the apartment parking lot. There he found Frank and Mark waiting for him by a cobalt 2017 Chevy Cruze.

“What took you so long, kid?” Frank huffed.

Frank’s brow was dripping with sweat, and Matthius could see that his suit was sticking to his skin. Frank was uncomfortable, and the heat wasn’t making things any easier. Nerraz was cunning and calculating. If Matthius went after him, he knew that it would be the end of the Vizacs. All their hard work would have been for absolutely nothing.

“Had to say goodbye to someone.” Matthius answered. “Where are we headed?”

“Get in the car; you’ll see soon enough.”

Wanting to say some snide remark, Matthius thought better of it and slid into the back seat of the vehicle. The back seat was filled with leather bound books that looked to be quite old.

“What are these?” He asked.

“Unimportant right now, kid. We got a long drive ahead of us, and I will answer what questions I can for you, but I need you to pay close attention to it all. Can you do that?”

“Yes. I can; but seriously, can we move these fucking sacred text to the trunk, please? If this is going to be a long trip, I’d like to at least be somewhat comfortable.” He said snarkily.

“For fucks sake. Just sit there and listen. “ Frank was exasperated.

Matthius fell silent as the vehicle lurched forward to their destination. He was exhausted. Angels and demons were creatures of fantasy, yet here he was with some randoms from a secret society and a demonic entity haunting him. Basically, the same shit.

He had wondered for awhile now if something more sinister or unusual was causing his problems; however he never expected the real answer. I mean lets be real. What agnostic would even entertain the idea of a demon being the reason he had such a fucked up life.? What truly baffled him though was why he had waited so long to reveal himself to him. Not caring what Frank had said moments before, he asked this question.

“Why did Nerraz wait or so long to torture and then reveal himself to me?”

Realizing this was actually a good question, Frank answered, “ Your gift doesn’t become apparent till you come of age. For lack of a better term, until you “become a man”, Your gift lies dormant.”

“So your saying that until i had sex, my gift was just asleep in me?” Matthius said incredulously. “You’ve got to be fucking joking.”

“I am afraid not, kid.” Frank said gravely. “I mean, think back when did the nightmares start?”

“Fuck me.” Matthius muttered in realization

“Don’t feel bad, kid. All of this would have happened eventually. To be honest, most thought you’d be alot younger than you are. Shows that you have good morals and waited for the right moment.”.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better. I lost her because I was going insane. Where the fuck was you stupid order then? Why do you wait till I literally lost everything?” He was furious seething with disgust.

“We have been struggling. Our great order is not what it once was. We haven’t had a new member since 2007 after your mother’s murder. We waited too long, and for that, I apologize, but blaming us will get you nowhere.”

“Fine. So Nerraz sensed that my gift had awakened just like you. Does this mean that he is secretly scared of me since he tried so hard to break me?”

“There is a possibility that he feels the same as us in that you are the one who can either unite or destroy us.” Frank answered.

“No pressure, right?” Matthius laughed.

“I promise, we will do everything we can to prepare you for what is to come.”

“What is coming?”

“Nothing good, kid. We are readying ourselves for something major. What that is is anyone’s guess, but Zachariah believes you will be at the center of it all.”

“Who the fuck is this Zachariah other than your fearless leader.” Matthius said sarcastically.

“He is an excellent leader. Make fun of him all you want, but you will understand when you meet him. In fact, I think I will let him tell you of our order and why you are so key to our success.”

With those words, silence fell over them. Matthius knew that whatever had occurred to him to cause the waking nightmare he had previously might still be present. However, he could no longer keep his eyes open. Leaning his head against the cold window of the inside car door, he felt a sinking sensation and drifted to sleep.