Morning.
Maria woke up.
Her body felt a little tired, like she hadn't slept well.
But her mind was surprisingly light, as if a heavy burden she'd been carrying for ages had finally been lifted.
She shuffled to the bathroom.
Rubbing her eyes, Maria stood in front of the mirror, her delicate face staring back with faint dark circles under her eyes.
She headed downstairs to grab breakfast before catching the school bus.
Her mom, Amy, had breakfast ready, and her dad, Dan Brennan, was already eating.
Maria had a decent appetite today, and she looked healthier than usual.
Amy watched her daughter happily, and even Dan, usually stern, had a rare smile on his face.
The family shared a few warm words in the short time they had together.
Slinging her small backpack over her shoulder, Maria stepped out the door. But a few steps out, her face fell, her expression screaming unhappy.
Upstairs, by the second-floor window, Barry watched Maria leave, catching every bit of her gloomy vibe.
He didn't follow her. Instead, he kept his eyes on her retreating figure, a strange glint flickering in his gaze.
Sunrise, sunset.
The day passed quickly.
Barry, perfectly content, fired up the bedroom computer and surfed the web for hours, making up for all the fun he'd missed out on lately.
But it wasn't all goofing off.
Using the internet, Barry dug into stories about urban legends, paranormal events, demons, and curses.
Some he recognized, others were new to him.
Among them, the Warrens, a husband-and-wife duo, stood out as famous exorcists, even recognized by the church.
Rumor had it they'd handled a ton of supernatural cases with impressive results.
There were also plenty of amateur players—psychics, detectives, rogue investigators—but most of their stories were shaky, lacking solid proof.
Haunted spots were everywhere: tourist attractions, hotel rooms, rural resorts, and, of course, the classic creepy old houses.
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One wrong step while traveling, and you could end up missing, cut off, or worse—no body to be found.
Scrolling through all these tales, Barry finally got why hell was so crowded.
This world was a breeding ground for all kinds of monsters and ghouls.
"Sweetie, you're back! How was school today?" Amy asked Maria when she got home.
As always, she could tell her daughter was in a bad mood. Maybe school's stressing her out?
"It was fine, Mom," Maria mumbled, head down, dragging herself back to her room.
Bang!
She slammed the door shut.
In the privacy of her room, she could finally let her emotions spill out.
Grabbing a yellow stuffed bear from her bed, she punched it over and over, venting all the frustrations of the day.
When she was done, Maria took a deep breath, pulled a cigarette from her pocket, and started puffing away.
Then, like she'd entered some kind of zen mode, she slumped into a chair, staring off into space, lost in thought.
It wasn't until Amy called her down for dinner that Maria snapped out of it, answered, and left the room.
As her footsteps faded, the battered stuffed bear twitched.
Under its fuzzy fur, a seam on its back split open, and a small straw figure squeezed out.
"Goddamn crazy chick! This bear's so cute, and she's beating the crap out of it? That's just wrong," Barry grumbled.
He'd been hiding in the bear to stay close and soak up her negative energy, but he hadn't expected to get pummeled for no reason.
"Nope, gotta find a better spot."
With a wave of his hand, he stitched the bear's seam back up with fine straw, leaving no trace of damage.
After looking around, Barry climbed to the top of the wardrobe, tucking himself into a blind spot.
In the days that followed, every time Maria came home from school, she was a walking storm of negativity.
Sometimes, Barry couldn't help but wonder: What's up with American schools? Is going to class scarier than a funeral? Have they upgraded to some kind of battle-royale high school?
He didn't hold back, eagerly absorbing the premium negative emotions Maria churned out daily.
Over time, his strength started coming back.
The seed of power hidden in his good-natured avatar began to take root and sprout.
During the day, while Maria was at school, Barry had the bedroom to himself.
Today, he wasn't planning to waste time on the internet.
With his strength partially restored, it was time to start planning his big move.
From his time with Alessa, Barry had learned a lot.
Step one: find better resources.
Souls, faith, negative emotions.
From most to least valuable, that was the order.
Harvesting unclaimed souls was rare and unpredictable.
Massive negative emotions usually came with bloodshed—too conspicuous.
The middle ground? Faith.
It's what a lot of demons went for.
Many secret cults started this way.
Lost people craved guidance. Desperate people hungered for hope.
Barry was ready to find his first lost lamb—his first follower, maybe even a disciple.
He'd already picked his target, and once Barry set his mind on something, he'd see it through.
Step one: connect, understand, act.
Know yourself, know your enemy, win every battle.
First, he needed more intel.
He gathered his materials: a strand of Maria's hair to represent her, the stuffed bear as a personal item, and cigarette ash to symbolize her habits.
Muttering eerie words that echoed like a fever dream, Barry sparked a flame and set the bear alight, tossing in the hair and ash.
The bear burned, sending curls of gray smoke spiraling upward.
Barry's straw body trembled slightly as he guided the smoke into himself.
Images flashed through his mind.
He reached into his chest and pulled out a mini Book of Strange Tales, scribbling furiously on its pages.
The bear burned to ashes.
The room cleared of smoke.
Barry stopped.
He looked at the new images and text in the Book of Strange Tales.
Using the bits of info he'd collected about Maria, he'd pieced together a fuller picture through foresight and deduction.
School bully Mark, childhood friend Lily, father Dan, mother Amy, and a translucent spirit named Alan.
Their details, depending on how close they were to Maria, were recorded in the book, some brief, some detailed.
After reading the pages about Maria, Barry understood her on a deeper level—sometimes even better than she understood herself.
No one gets Maria like I do!
"Maria, is this why you're so timid and down on yourself?"
"Lucky for you, you met me."
"Every now and then, playing the coward-slayer sounds like fun."
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