Broken World Chapter 3

Managed to write chapter 3
Previous Chapter: Chapter 2 
Here's the page for links to all chapters. 

                Once again Edwin hadn’t managed to get much sleep. The idea of having someone keeping watch over his house should’ve made him feel safer, but it just made him even more paranoid. He found it hard to sleep while feeling like he was being watched. Even so, still feeling tired, he dragged himself out of bed to go have a shower and eat some cereal for breakfast before heading to school.

                Stayford didn’t seem completely alien to him now. He’d looked online at maps of the area, trying to familiarise himself. As he made his way to school he saw a few familiar street names and tried to map out where they led to in his mind. It didn’t take long for him to get to the familiar sight of the high school.

               

                Stayford College of Learning. It was called a college even though it was clearly a high school. Edwin found that amusing. It was one of the high schools that had started adding an extra two years on to the compulsory years of high school. After graduating from year 11 (11 years of education including those of primary school, that is) the student would then go on to study A Levels at that same high school for a further two years.

                As he neared the school he saw a familiar person at the gate. Yawning and scratching her head, she jumped to attention as she saw him getting closer.

                “Aha, you’re here!” Beatrix said, rushing over to him.

                I wonder what year she’s in. She doesn’t seem younger than me…

                She grabbed his arm. Edwin had to wonder if she was this friendly with everyone she’d punched in the face. She started pulling him along. “Time to introduce you to Seymour, and he’ll know what to do with ya!”

                Edwin tried to pull away but she was surprisingly strong for her size.

                “I do, you know, have class and stuff. Maybe this should wait until after?” he expressed, slightly annoyed, also feeling uncomfortable at being pulled along by the arm.

                “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ve told your teacher Mrs Clark everything. She knows the deal. You won’t get in any trouble. Man, I used to have her as my teacher back in the day. Isn’t she awesome?”

                Knows the deal? Wait a minute…

               

                “What do you mean you told her everything? And what do you mean she knows the deal?” he’d managed to bring her to a stop now, as more questions piled on top of each other.

                “Ya didn’t know? I guess you wouldn’t, huh. Yeah Mrs Clark is part of our organisation! She’s pretty darn tough too.”

                “Seriously? My teacher is part of your organisation? This keeps getting crazier and crazier….” Then he was being pulled along again.

*

                Edwin and Beatrix entered one of the computer rooms, almost completely empty except for one person. Sitting at one of the computers with his legs up on the deck was someone who was definitely older than Edwin, but couldn’t have been by much. He was still wearing the school uniform after all. He must be doing A Levels. He had shoulder-length hair and wore glasses. He also had headphones on. Edwin could hear some sort of music coming from them, the sound muffled just enough so he couldn’t tell what it was.

                “Oiy Seymour!” Beatrix called as they neared him. He looked over at them, looked back to the screen, clicked something with the mouse, took off his headset, and turned back to them.

                “Yo Beatrix. What’s up? Is this the guy you told me about?” He had a slightly northern tone to his voice. Edwin realised that Beatrix had a countryside accent that he hadn’t thought too much about. Neither of them are from here originally, are they? He wondered. Just like me.

                “Yup this is the guy. Oh yeah… he also knows about Mrs Clark now…” she said, looking down. Then, looking at the computer screen, as if trying to change the subject “Oh! What’re you working on? New weapons?”

               

                Seymour glanced back to the screen, then switched the monitor off.

                “Right, let’s start.” He looked around, making sure that the room really was empty. He walked over to the door and produced a key from his pocket and locked it. “It’s Edwin right? I’m Seymour, nice to meet you.” He produced his hand and Edwin shook it. “Alright so you’ve seen a demon. There’s no going back from that. So I’ll start with the basics.”

                Beatrix took a seat, looking attentive. Edwin followed suite.

                “So imagine that the world you know, the everyday, ordinary, human world, overlaps with another world…. Ah yes, Be told me that you’ve seen her wolf as well…. “ He sighed. “This’ll take some explaining. Alright, so… Humans share this world with animals. That much is obvious. The further you get from humanity, away from the cities and civilisation, the more you move into the world of animals. There exist animals that can’t be seen by the normal human eye, like how demons can’t usually be seen. Except in this case animals are meant to be here. You might have heard of mythical creatures, such as chimaeras, hydras, even dragons. They pop up in history over time, dismissed as myth. Now even our organisation isn’t all-knowing about all of them, but some of these ‘mythical’ creatures are real, and they rarely appear to humanity. There are pockets of space in this world that a normal human can’t reach. They’re not on any map, but they’re there. And these are where these mythical creatures live. Be’s wolf is one such mythical beast. This wolf, like many mythical creatures, show supernatural powers, like magic. Be’s wolf, in particular, is almost like an elemental of ice. It’s breath can freeze a person, and it’s strength and even it’s size are beyond any wolf documented. These mythical creatures also exhibit another, important, attribute. They can fight on par with demons. While a normal human can’t see demons, and has no method of harming them even if they could see them, these beasts can actually fight them.” He stopped then, seeing that Edwin was sat in contemplation. “It’s a lot to take in I know”

                “Dragons? Wolfs with breath that freezes?” Various images popped to his mind. In Chinese mythology there were tigers who set fire to everything they crossed. In Japanese mythology there were foxes that could cast illusions on people. In Norse mythology there were elves, dwarves, giants…. And, of course, in English Arthurian legend there were dragons… “This is…. Crazy.” Yet he’d encountered a demon. He surprised himself then when he accepted the idea. Mythical beasts didn’t seem that unlikely if demons were real. “Alright then. So where do demon’s fit in with all this?” he asked, looked to Seymour.

                Seymour smiled then, as if in approvement of Edwin’s acceptance.

                “Beyond the lands of mythical beasts, far beyond, there exists another world completely. The world of demons. Monstrous entities from man’s worst nightmares. Ever hungering for human flesh….. Well, some of them anyway. Make no mistake, they’re all bad. The thing about demons is that, from what we know, they should be too far removed from the human world to ever come here. Across history, however, there have been instances of demons crossing over to our world. Each time humanity has come out on top, sealing the demons back to their hell. Over time our organisation came about, to protect people from the horrors that they can’t accept as real. We’ve developed weapons to fight them, armour to protect against them, and some people, like Be here, have made friends with mythical creatures to help even the odds. After all, even with armour and weapons, demons are… well… monstrous. Whereas we are only human…” Seymour let out a long breath. And then he casually opened up a bag that he’d kept underneath the computer desk, took out a bottle of cola, and had a drink.

                This is… still crazy. Yet there it was; an explanation for what he’d seen. This new information settled strangely comfortably in his mind. For a moment it was almost as if he’d already known all of this and forgotten it, and he was just now being reminded about the true nature of the world. Not possible. He dismissed the thought. Minutes passed until he finally looked back to Seymour.

                “Ok, so if that’s the true nature of the world, then, now that I’ve seen one of them, what happens to me now?” he asked.

                Seymour looked to Beatrix, then back to Edwin. “Well…” he started. He scratched his chin for a moment than sat back down on his chair, looking to Edwin on an even level. “Now you’ve got a choice to make. You’ve seen one of them. You can’t take that back. So now you either try to fight them with us, or…. You hope that you never run into one again, you leave them to us, and you carry on with your life. It’s not very likely you’ll run into one again.”

                So I could do… nothing? Just live my life knowing they’re there and hoping they don’t one day kill me. He thought back to his encounter again. The monster was frightening, and he really couldn’t imagine how he’d be able to fight against something like that. He didn’t want to end up as that thing’s meal.

                “I’ll….. leave you to it.” He felt guilty as soon as the words left his mouth, but he really didn’t want to encounter a monster again. Seymour looked understanding. Beatrix looked sad for a moment but when she noticed Edwin looking at her she replaced her look with a reassuring smile. “After seeing that monster… I really can’t imagine fighting something like that. And knowing your organisation is out there fighting them… will make me feel a bit safer.”

                “Good!” Seymour said, surprising Edwin. “To be honest you’d have to be crazy to willingly join the fight against them. Like I said, we’re human, they’re demons. I’m not going to lie, joining the fight would probably end up with you dying”

                Is that meant to make me feel better?

                “If” Edwin started. “I do, by some chance, run into one again, what should I do?”

                Seymour looked thoughtful for a moment, then took out his phone.

                “I’m going to give you a phone number to call. Hopefully the next time one shows up we’ll take care of it anyway. But if you see one and we’re not already there, phone us up. Also….” he handed his phone over, with a number highlighted under the name ‘T.Public.Number’ which Edwin quickly saved into his own phone. “I going to get you some special clothes that should protect you from them. They’re made out of a material that will function as armour against them, and it should also make them less likely to target you”

                That actually did make Edwin feel better. Something to actually protect him in case he came across another one of them.

                “Come back here during lunch and I’ll be here with them”

*

                True to his word Seymour had procured some protection for Edwin. It was like a one-piece; it even covered the feet, and had a zip to do it up. The hands and sleeves were removable luckily. Edwin had tried it on straight away, now wearing it under his clothes. It was a thin material, but Seymour had reassured him that this was the best option. Easily concealable, and the material would be effective.

                The school day came to an end. Tom and his two friends hadn’t targeted Edwin at all. Edwin figured that they’d probably been sated after watching Beatrix beat him in the ring. Arthur had been noticeably absent for the entire day as well. It had been a peaceful day. Although he couldn’t help but look at Mrs Clark in a new light, knowing that she spent her nights fighting demons.

                As he left the school he heard a familiar voice.

                “Edwin!” Beatrix was calling out to him.

                She caught up to him fast enough as he turned towards her.

                “What’s the problem? I’m not going to join your organisation” he said.

                “I know, I know” she said. Edwin could tell she was trying to hide the disappointment from her voice. “I didn’t wanna talk to ya about that. I wanted to ask ya to join the boxing club!”

                Ah, the boxing club. Edwin turned and started walking away. She didn’t take the hint. She walked next to him.

                “You got good reactions. And ya seem to be good at gettin’ into trouble. But you’re not that good. I beat ya! But if you join us, I reckon I could teach you a lot”

                He had been thinking lately that he was out of shape. He’d ended up out of breath in a very short fight with Beatrix. If he could see me now he’d be disappointed. When he had been young he had been whipped into shape by his father, or the closest thing he had to a father anyway. He wasn’t his biological father, but he had taken care of him. Kind of…. He had taught Edwin how to fight. He’d said it was some school of kung fu, but Edwin doubted it. The kind of man that he was, Edwin wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d made it up. It was effective though, and Edwin had been in much better shape than he was nowadays.

                “I’ve been wondering” he started. “How is it that you ended up being the only girl in a boxing club? Club captain even. Seems a bit unusual”

                “It’s not that interesting. When I got transferred here” Aha I was right, she’s really not from here “there wasn’t a girl’s boxing club, only one for guys. So I joined anyways, and it turned out I was better than anyone else there! So it was only a matter of time before I became captain. Now it’s my job to train them up!” She seemed proud. Edwin didn’t blame her. It was impressive. He wondered whether she’d learned boxing in order to fight demons, or if they were unrelated. Being in peak physical condition must help.

                Edwin sighed. He might regret it but…..

                “Fine. I’ll join. Don’t blame me if I end up better than you though” he said.

                She practically jumped for joy.

                “Great! Ha ha! You won’t regret it. I’ll make you the best boxer you can be!” she patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically. “We got practice tomorrow after school, so make sure you show up! The sports centre in F block, where I kicked your ass last time!” and with that as a farewell she turned and went back the other way towards her home.

                “Great… Oh well. I suppose no one forced me into it. It might even be fun” he said out loud, looking up at the sky. Clouds filled the sky. It looked like it was going to rain. He rushed home.

*

                Edwin woke with a start. His senses were alert. He checked his phone in his bedside cabinet. 1:20 a.m? What the hell…. Then he heard a crash from outside. It sounded far away, but it was very loud. Could it be a demon? Seymour had said it would be unlikely Edwin would encounter one again. Another crash. He sat there in bed, hoping there wouldn’t be another sound. But there was, one that got rid of any doubt instantly.

                An otherworldly screech pierced the night. It was definitely one of them. But why? Was it coming for him? Suddenly he was aware of the walls around him. If it came to his house he’d have nowhere to run. Then he was getting dressed. At least if he was outside he could run away. He put on the one-piece that should protect him, then put his normal clothes over it. He was outside. He noticed a few people looking out their window, curious as to what had crashed. He guessed they couldn’t hear the screech. Then he heard it again. It was round the corner at the end of the street. He should go the other way. But his feet started leading him towards it. He wasn’t sure why, but he had to see it. It went to grab his phone, then realised he’d left it inside. Damnit. That was stupid. Then another crash and he was running towards it. He saw a flame rise above the houses, brightening the night, then it faded, followed by another screech. He rounded the corner, but he wasn’t ready for the sight before him.

                He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Maybe another tentacled demon like the one he’d first encountered. Maybe something from mythology, some scaled humanoid creature that always appeared in movies.

                The creature’s body was suspended on spider-like legs almost as tall as the houses around it. It looked like a giant spider, except its body was elongated like a centipede, with spider-like legs all the way to the other end. Its mouth opened in another screech, revealing viscous fangs that looked like they’d rip to pieces anybody they grabbed a hold of. Its eyes…. What was most disturbing was its lack of eyes. Its head moved around as if following some other sense that allowed it to know its surroundings. It looked downwards, and as Edwin followed its gaze he saw someone familiar.

                Melisandre?

                Then he was running towards her.

                “Mel!” he shouted, wondering what the hell she was doing there. Was the demon after her? Could she see them too?

                “People say she believes in demons” That was what Arthur had said.

                As she looked towards him she seemed shocked, then she frowned. She turned back towards the demon and extended her hand. Flames shot towards the creature, causing it to shriek and flinch away. Edwin realised then that even she must be part of the organisation. He didn’t understand why but that knowledge shocked him hard. He stopped running, suddenly realising the terror of his mistake as the demon turned its attention towards him.

                “Run!” Melisandre shouted, but the demon was too fast. Suddenly it was above him, and one of its spider-like legs that ended in a nasty looking point hit him in the chest, impaling him to the ground. Pain wracked his body as air was expelled from his lungs. He looked down, expecting to see blood and guts, but there was none. The one-piece had held together and protected him, just like Seymour said. “It worked” he muttered. But then another leg came down, stabbing into his shoulder even harder than the first. This time the armour didn’t hold. Its leg burst through and went straight through his shoulder and into the ground underneath. Edwin screamed in pain.

                Flame lit up the sky again and suddenly the demon as off him. He tried moving but it just caused more pain to spread through his body. He managed to turn his head and saw the hole through his shoulder. Blood was spreading across the ground fast. He couldn’t see the fight between Mel and the demon anymore. He couldn’t lift his head to look. Is it just me or is it getting darker? The world closed in around him as the pain from his shoulder became the only thing he could feel.