It was the brink of daylight. The sun shined brightly above with very little cloud coverage. The ground below them was soaked in clear rainwater from the night before which was a curious sight.

“It’s strange to me that the rain last night was red, but all the water left over is clear now,” Joseph said as he examined the puddles and soaked grass around him.

“Yeah,” Holly added. “Do you think that maybe the rain isn’t actually red, but maybe there’s some kind of mist that makes it look red? I don’t know – just a thought.”

“Well that’s better than what I might have come up with. It could be that,” Joseph responded as he breathed in the floating aroma of post-storm air.

“It has to be something if it’s not the rain itself,” Joan said as she paced in front of them. She had an unusual amount of energy and presence among them, but they chose not to question her.

“Well we’re almost at the house. Let’s not mess this up.”

Joseph examined the houses around him and thought about the kids playing on the sidewalks a few days before. Now there was no one outside. The rain always had this effect on people. After it came, parents would keep their children and themselves inside and it was difficult to stumble across another soul.

The group of bold and curious college students were some of the only people that dared leave their home just hours after the rain had come. Many people acted as though the rain wasn’t a real problem, but once it came, they all shuttered in their homes.

There were few courageous enough to face it head on and address the concern as it is. Joseph and his friends always talked about the rain and recognized it as something more than just a spontaneous phenomenon and they sought to uncover all its secrets.

Though Enrique was the most logical thinker of them all, he wholeheartedly believed that the rain had to be something supernatural and could get exponentially worse if something wasn’t done about it. And even now, the rain had taken someone incredibly important away from them.

This mission became personal.

“Well. We’re here.” Joseph said as he took a deep breath and approached the door. Joan took the lead and knocked harshly several times.

In just a couple of moments, the notorious woman appeared at the door with a massive grin on her face. She then gestured hastily for them to come inside.

Without hesitation, they walked inside and sat down in the seats that they started to get used to.

“So, what did you find last night?” She asked with an unsettling smile.

“We think that Jason may be possessed, and a monster came from your attic and attacked us. It took our friend, Marko,” Holly explained, trying desperately to mask her emotions.

“Oh no! How horrible. The devil of the rain took one of you?” She showed genuine surprise, but they were not convinced.

“Yes. It did.” Joseph bit back the urge to lash out at her and accuse her of causing this, but he remembered Enrique’s words in the back of his mind.

“How unfortunate,” she said as she began to think to herself. “I can help you find him.” She looked around the room and examined their expressions as she offered her proposal.

“Before you help us with that, you said that you had something we would want.” Joan demanded and peered sharply into the woman’s eyes.

“Ah yes! And this is also how I will help you. Jason!” She called for her ten to twelve-year-old son who came rushing down the stairs to meet her.

“Yes, mother? How may I be of service?” The way the child spoke alarmed them suddenly and they stared at him curiously.

“You are to assist them in answering all questions and providing them with everything they need and give them the details of their next assignment.”

“Our next assignment!?” Joan yelled aggressively as she stood. “What the hell are you talking about, lady?”

“Calm yourself, child. Jason will explain everything. In the meantime, I will make you all some relaxing tea.” The woman smiled and exited the room as Joan slowly seated herself and stared at the child angrily.

“Joan, is it?” The boy asked. “I do not believe I have properly introduced myself. Yes, my mother calls me Jason, however, that is not my true identity.” The ominous boy smiled at their dumbfounded expressions and started to laugh softly.

“What the hell is going on, Jason? You don’t sound like a child. What are you?” Joseph asked as he was the first to start grasping the situation in front of them.

“Ahh. You’re on to something!” Jason laughed then recomposed himself. “You’re right. I am not a child – just in a child’s body.”

“Okay. Then what are you really?” Holly demanded.

“I am Lunc – a demon that now walks the Earth, but fear not. I am an ally to you as long as mother commands it so.”

“You’re a demon? That means your mother is too, correct?” Joseph asked as he attempted to put all the pieces together.

“Indeed, Joseph. Once again, you’re showing a lot of promise. However, the two of us are not the only demons currently in this house.”

“Who are the others? The other kids?” Joseph spoke with as much confidence as he could fake, but the sudden burst of information was truly unsettling. Anxiety and fear began to invade his body as he tried desperately to keep them out.

“Not at all. Those children you saw before were merely an illusion meant to draw your curiosity and interest. Jason is the only child that lives here. Didn’t you find it peculiar that you have not seen the other children since that day?”

“Right. I suppose that makes sense,” he lied. The thought of being tricked right from the beginning made the situation even more difficult and he considered texting Enrique, but the moment was inopportune.