Saint Owen loomed like a corpse on the horizon, its broken windows catching the moonlight like hollow eyes. The closer they drew, the more the hospital swallowed sound, the lively hum of Renstown fading behind them until only the crunch of gravel under boots remained.
The front gates were rusted open, the police tape shredded by time and weather. Kyle kept close to Cassie, his scythe slung across his back. Liam stood ahead of them, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, shoulders loose but eyes sharp.
Inside, the hospital opened into a wide with a staircase splitting two ways. Dust hung heavy in the air, the overhead lights were long dead but moonlight leaked through shattered skylights, striping the cracked tiles with pale beams.
Liam stopped in the middle of the hall and pulled something from his jacket pocket... three tiny, sleek earpieces. He tossed two back without ceremony.
Kyle caught his clumsily. "Wait… where'd you get these?"
"Yeah?" Cassie added, inspecting hers.
Liam slid his own into his ear, not looking at them. "We work at an agency, dumbasses."
Cassie rolled her eyes. Kyle muttered under his breath but didn't press further.
Liam flicked his wrist, summoning his demon dog. The creature crawled into existence. Its paws scraped the floor with an eager growl.
"All right..." Liam said. "I'll take the left wing.. you two take the right. And don't get killed."
"Try not to hog all the glory..." Cassie shot back.
He didn't answer just strode left with the demon dog padding at his side. The sound of its claws echoed faintly as the shadows of the hallway swallowed them both.
The left wing stretched long and narrow, rows of empty rooms yawning like mouths with their doors ajar. Liam's boots clicked softly against cracked tiles. His demon dog padded silently, ears twitching.
Far ahead in the dim light, stood a figure. Small and frail. Dressed in something pale and tattered like a child in a hospital gown. Its head was tilted slightly, hair long and stringy, covering half its face.
As Liam took a step closer, the figure giggled. The sound was like laughter echoing through broken wires.
"You came..." it whispered, voice childlike yet warped, carrying easily through the empty corridor. "What's your name?"
Liam's hand tightened on his sword hilt. He smirked, sharp and bitter. "Fuck you, demon."
The figure's smile widened unnaturally. "Oh."
Then dozens of thin, glistening threads shot from its scalp, snapping through the air with deadly precision.
The demon dog leapt first, snarling, intercepting a volley. Liam drew his sword in the same breath, steel flashing as he slashed through three threads before they could reach his torso. Sparks flew where metal met the unnatural fibers.
The demon laughed again, higher this time. "Sharp… but will you still be sharp when you're nothing but pieces?"
Threads shot forward in a storm, slicing into walls, tearing through rotting doorframes, embedding into ceiling tiles. Liam ducked low, rolled forward, his sword cleaving arcs of silver light. His dog darted left, aiming straight for the demon's throat.
The creature snapped its head and threads lashed around the dog mid-leap. They wrapped tight, pulling and slicing it... the dog snarled and thrashed, teeth snapping but the fibers only drew tighter.
Liam swung, his blade cutting through several threads binding the dog. The beast landed hard, bleeding shadow from deep gashes but still on its feet.
The demon tilted its head. "So stubborn… like a little soldier boy."
"Shut the hell up."
Liam charged. His sword cut through another wave of threads, sparks blinding in the darkness. His dog followed, lunging again. Together, they pressed forward step by step, each strike forcing the demon back down the hall.
But the demon was fast, the closer they came, the more frantic its movements became. Threads speared through Liam's arm, slicing open muscle. He hissed through clenched teeth but didn't falter. Another thread carved across his chest, blood spraying the cracked floor tiles.
The dog finally reached the demon, jaws snapping shut on its arm. And in that moment... Liam thought it had landed true. Then threads erupted point-blank, piercing the dog's skull, its chest and throat. The beast gave a broken yelp before its body got torn apart into several pieces.
Liam froze, each breath harsher than the last. Blood dripped steadily down his arm, pattering onto the tiles. His sword hand trembled but didn't lower.
The demon smiled wider, revealing jagged teeth too large for its face. "You fight like you talk."
"And you talk too much." Liam spat blood to the side, gripping his sword tighter.
Through the earpiece, static crackled. Then Kyle's voice came through, worried.
"Liam? What's happening... do you need backup?"
Liam clenched his jaw. His pride screamed at him louder than the pain did. "Stay out of it, I don't need a rookie slowing me down."
"Liam, if you're hurt, we can..."
"Shut up, Kyle!"
The demon froze. Its smile twitched and slowly, its head turned. Both of its eyes locked on Liam... its voice dropped, low and guttural.
"Kyle? The boy with the scythe… who hurt Draemir?" Its body shuddered, threads quivering violently, the walls vibrating with their tension. The childish lilt was gone. Its voice now was monstrous, hate dripping from every syllable.
Its face contorted, stretching unnaturally, skin cracking as if something beneath wanted out.
"I WANT TO KILL HIM!"
The scream split the hallway like glass shattering. And it's body blurred, launching forward with a speed Liam's eyes could barely track. Faster than before... so much faster.
Liam raised his sword, blocking a spray of threads that would've decapitated him but the sheer force blasted him back against a wall. Pain exploded across his ribs. He slid down coughing blood and his vision blurring.
"Kyle..." he rasped into the comm, barely able to catch his breath. "Listen… it knows your name, It's coming for you. And it's very angry…"