Previously on Demon Veil High School Saga…
A clandestine group of hooded figures attempt to open a portal to a demon realm. New student Jamesh Kamar detects supernatural energy down in the Little Theatre. After meeting Caridad and Danilo Montes de Oca, Jamesh seemingly disappears.
DEMON VEIL HIGH SCHOOL SAGA
ARC #1: WELCOME TO DEMON VEIL
EPISODE 2: HE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE!
Jamesh opened his eyes once he felt the pressure on his arm release. He was still in the Little Theatre, but Caridad and Danilo were gone. He flexed his hand to stretch the muscles. Whatever held him had a tight grip; he could still feel it. He looked behind him and saw no one there. Where did everyone go? As far as he knew, he hadn’t gone anywhere, but maybe he had. The theatre didn’t feel the same. Something was different, but he couldn’t figure out what.
He stepped off the stage, and just as his feet hit the floor, he heard someone call out behind him. He spun around and saw Caridad and Danilo standing on stage. He cocked his head to the right and raised an eyebrow. “Where did you come from?”
Caridad and Danilo stared at him for a second before they took a glance at their surroundings. “We followed you!” Caridad said. “But it looks like we didn’t go anywhere.”
“What do you mean you followed me?”
“You were standing there on stage one second, and then the next second, you were gone!” Danilo clapped his hands to indicate this. “So, we jumped on stage to find you, and here we are!”
“Here we are,” Jamesh repeated. He placed his hands on his hips, and looked around the theatre. There were plastic sheets over all the seats, just like there had been before. Had they traveled through the tear or were they just experiencing some kind of a weird time bending phenomenon?
Before the three of them had time to contemplate what had just happened, a bell rang. Jamesh took out his cell phone and saw that it was 7:57. School was beginning. He didn’t want to be late to class on his first day. He would have to come back to finish sealing the tear later. He surmised that it was small enough that nothing unpleasant should happen in the meantime. He grabbed his backpack and put it on. He turned to Caridad and Danilo, and asked, “Are you coming?”
Caridad and Danilo nodded, and stepped off the stage. “Well, that was fun,” Caridad said, patting Jamesh on the back. “I suspect that there will never be a dull moment with you around.”
Jamesh shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly chuckled. “I guess not. You might not be ready for that jelly if you continue hanging out with me.”
“Are you kidding? This town is boring AF! I’m totally hanging out with you!” Danilo cheered. “Gimme a call whenever you hear something go bump! I’m so there!”
“You better be careful what you wish for,” Jamesh joked.
“Don’t be fooled. He’s just trying to get your digits,” Caridad said. “He’s not smooth at all.”
“Don’t be dissin’ my game, sister!” Danilo nudged Caridad in the ribs. “But speaking of digits, can I have them?”
Jamesh blushed as he recited his number. Danilo excitedly typed them into his phone.
“Sweet, I’ll see you later!” Danilo sped out of the theatre like a shot. Passing period was only five minutes and his class was on the east side of the campus.
“Do you need help finding your class?” Caridad asked.
“It’s somewhere on the third floor of the Main building, but I’m not exactly sure where it is,” Jamesh admitted. “I could use some help.”
“No problem! My class is up there too!” She linked her right arm with his left and escorted him out of the theatre and up the stairs, leaving the theatre door open.
Jamesh had the misfortune of having Trigonometry first thing in the morning. He hadn’t had his morning caffeine yet, so he was not looking forward to having to fake his way through first period.
He was a bit out of it when he arrived at classroom 313. Caridad had been talking to him, but he didn’t know what it was about. He was focused on the feeling that something else was wrong, like, more than it was before. Nothing looked out of place, but everything felt strange. He did his best to take in his surroundings so that he could catch anything that might be harmful.
When Caridad dropped him off at Room 313, he was faced with a room full of unfamiliar faces. He did his best to avoid eye contact as he made his way to a desk near the back. He sat down and immediately began to pull out his binder and pens.
The teacher, a short and portly young man named Mr. Madigan, stood up from his desk and waited for the last remaining stragglers to take their seats before the bell rang. Once the final bell rang, he closed the door and locked it. He cleared his throat and said, “Welcome, students! I trust you had a good Winter break. Now, please open your books to page 394.” As he looked out at the class, his eyes narrowed in on Jamesh. “It appears we have a new student. Please stand up and introduce yourself.”
Jamesh sighed. This was exactly what he hoped wouldn’t happen. He reluctantly stood up and waved awkwardly. “Hi. I’m Jamesh Kamar. I’m new, obviously. It’s nice to be here.” He quickly sat down and stared at his desk. His face was freshly hot. He just hoped that he could just make it through the class without drawing more attention to himself.
Unfortunately, that was all he seemed to do. As he attempted to pay attention to the math lecture, he noticed that the other students were staring at him. He couldn’t figure out why. He did his best to ignore them, but it seemed odd that they were so transfixed by him. Was there something on his face? This was starting to become ridiculous. He clenched his fists and turned to the kid to his left with the intention of telling him to take a picture because it would last longer. It was then that he finally noticed what his senses were trying to tell him.
The boy looked like what any other boy should look like, but this boy had something a little extra: pointy ears, razor sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes. This took Jamesh by surprise. What was up with this kid? He turned to the kid to his right. This girl had the same features. He turned behind him, and that girl had the biggest pointy ears of all. He spun around and immediately began to sweat. What the hell was going on? What kind of kids lived here in Desert Vale?
Jamesh sat in silent terror as he tried to figure out what was going on. He thought about the experience in the Little Theatre. When he was pulled through the tear, he must have traveled to a parallel universe. This parallel universe was inhabited by demons. From the looks of it, humans were not that common there, since he was the only one in attendance. He didn’t have the guts to look at them again to gauge whether they were curious or hungry. He did not want to know. He just knew that he had to get out of there, and fast.
He remembered that Mr. Madigan had locked the door. If he tried to run away now, it would be only too obvious that he was running for his life. While he was trying to save himself, he didn’t want to make it too apparent that he realized that he was somewhere he shouldn’t be. There had to be another way out. And then it dawned on him.
Jamesh coolly raised his hand and hoped that Mr. Madigan would notice him. Mr. Madigan had his back to them as he wrote on the whiteboard. “Mr. Madigan! I really have to pee! Can I be excused?”
Mr. Madigan slowly turned to face him. His chubby little face was complete with pointy ears and red eyes. He looked Jamesh up and down before returning to his desk. He opened a drawer and took out a pad of yellow paper. He scribbled something on it and ripped a sheet off. He held it up and beckoned Jamesh to come get it.
Jamesh’s eyes widened as he realized that he would have to approach Mr. Madigan. Did he know what he was planning? Was this an attempt to capture him? If he didn’t move, he’d be stuck in the class. There was no guarantee that he would live to the end of the period. If he moved, he could be captured. The odds were not good, but he liked the idea that he had a chance to escape, even if it was an illusion. He gulped and slowly packed his belongings. He stood up and walked to the front of the class, feeling his classmates’ eyes on him the whole way.
“Here you go, Mr. Kamar. Please, do not dilly dally. I expect you back in ten minutes.” Mr. Madigan handed Jamesh the paper. It was a printed form that spelled out “HALL PASS”. Jamesh smiled weakly and accepted the pass.
Mr. Madigan went to the door and unlocked it. It was here that Jamesh felt silly, because the door was locked from the inside with a latch, that was clearly available to anyone who stood at it. He could have unlocked it himself and left.
Jamesh stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway. It was empty and much cooler. He felt much better and less anxious now that his freedom was assured. As he headed toward the staircase that would lead him to the Little Theatre, he remembered Caridad and Danilo . They came through the tear with him! He couldn’t leave them here. He had to find them and take them home, if that was possible.
He remembered that Caridad said she had first period on the third floor of the Main Building as well. He couldn’t exactly remember where in the building it was. He regretted not paying more attention to her. The idea of calling her came to mind. Then he remembered that it was Danilo who got his number, but he didn’t get his or Caridad’s. Shoot! He resigned himself to having to check every classroom for her. Once he found her, she could call Danilo and they could arrange to meet in the Little Theatre.
Jamesh immediately started going door to door and peeked into the sliver of each window for Caridad. There was not a lot of space to see everyone, especially in the back of the room. He would have to open the door and stick his head in fully to get a good look. That was bad because he would have to expose himself. There had to be a better way. He couldn’t think of one, so he resigned himself to chance, hoping that Caridad chose to sit in the front of the class.
He reached the north end of the hallway. He had checked the classrooms on both sides with no luck. Now he would have to go to the western wing of the building. As he turned left at the corner, he saw a large man standing in the hallway staring at his walkie talkie. Jamesh tried not to look surprised or startled, but he failed. The hall monitor turned to him and cocked his head to the left. The hall monitor knew that he didn’t belong there. Jamesh turned around to go back the way he came, hoping the hall monitor would let it go.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” the monitor asked.
“Just looking for the bathroom. I think I know where it is now! K, thanks, bye!” Jamesh quickly rounded the corner and speed walked down the hall. He could hear the hall monitor pursuing him. He cursed in the only German cuss word he knew as he increased his speed.
“Hey kid, get back here!” the hall monitor shouted.
“I have a hall pass!” Jamesh shouted over his shoulder. The hall monitor was closing in on him. “Where the hell are the bathrooms?” he grumbled under his breath.
He discovered that the bathrooms were on the eastern wing, not the center one. So he swung a left at the southern end of the hall and quickly located the bathrooms.
Jamesh instinctively headed toward the boys’ room, but then thought, if the hall monitor chose to follow him in because he’s a man, then he would be effed. So, he passed the boys’ room and ducked into the girls’ room. He went into the last stall and sat on the toilet, drawing his feet off the floor. He sat quietly and waited for the monitor to pass, not daring to breathe.
He heard the hall monitor sniffing. What the hell was he doing? His bones chilled as he realized that the monitor was trying to catch his scent! Jamesh knew he was done for.He always made it a point to smell good. Today, that was going to be his undoing. Stupid AXE body spray.
The hall monitor took two steps into the girls’ bathroom and let out a low growl, a sign that he had found his prey. “Come on out, human. I don’t know how you escaped the mines, but you have a lot of balls coming to school pretending to be a high school student. You will pay dearly for this!”
Jamesh felt like he had no choice, but to reveal himself. He stepped down from the toilet and opened the stall door. He stood outside and stared the big demon in the face. The demon had bad acne, thinning blonde hair, and a huge gut. This guy looked awful, and he also looked like he meant business judging by the mean smirk he wore.
The two of them stood still and studied each other, daring the other to make a move.
Jamesh placed his hands in his pockets and felt around for anything he could use against the monitor. He had his house keys, a mini can of mace, and a crystal or two. There were more charms in his bag, but he knew that he wouldn’t have time to reach them. He settled for the mace. If it worked on humans, it should work just as well on demons.
The big demon lunged at Jamesh with both arms outstretched. Jamesh ducked low and pulled the mace out of his pocket. He closed his eyes and held his breath as he released the pepper spray into the air. Jamesh hit the sinks while the monitor hit the floor. Jamesh opened his eyes, and saw the demon crumpled in a heap, holding his eyes, and crying. It was a beautiful sight. If his life hadn’t been in danger, he would have stopped to take a picture.
This was the moment to make his escape. He was further away from his target and he was not looking forward to regaining that ground. He rushed down the eastern wing and hoped no one else could hear the monitor’s crying.
Jamesh quickly took the left turn to the western wing and bumped into someone also rounding the corner. They collided hard and fell to the floor.
“What the hell?!” shouted a female voice. Jamesh recognized it immediately.
“Cari!” Jamesh saw her sitting on the floor, rubbing her butt. When she looked up, she saw him and smiled!
“Jamesh! Thank God it’s you!” She got up and helped Jamesh off the floor. “We have to get the hell out of here! This place ain’t right!”
“I know!” Jamesh grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway. “Where does Danilo have class? We can’t leave him here!”
“Tech Building,” she replied.
“Damn, that’s far,” Jamesh said.
“Don’t worry about it. I know where his class is. I’ll grab him and meet you in the Little Theatre.” Caridad was just about to leave him, when she saw the hall monitor turning the corner blindly. His hand was covering his eyes, but he was mobile. “We gotta hide!”
Caridad and Jamesh looked for somewhere to hide. She knew of a place that could work in a pinch. If this was truly a reflection of their world, there was a chance the room she was thinking of was available. The only problem was that they had to get passed the hall monitor to get to it. She merely glimpsed at Jamesh, but he already knew what she was thinking. He nodded acknowledgement of her plan, and gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know that he had her back.
Caridada led Jamesh toward the monitor, who was waving his arms around in an attempt to catch them. Jamesh gave the monitor a swift kick in his to the knee cap, and gave him another spray in the eyes. This allowed them to make a clean getaway.
Caridad found the room; just like she suspected, Room 342 was free and clear. She opened the door and shoved Jamesh inside. Then she rushed inside and closed the door quietly. She ducked beneath the window and rested her back against the door.
The two of them listened carefully for the monitor. They were able to hear him sniffling and gasping for breath. The pepper spray clouded his ability to track them using scent. They heard a beep from the walkie talkie, and then they heard the hall monitor say, “I lost them! The humans attacked me and I can’t find them.”
There was another beep before a response was given. “That’s fine. We have a third one in the gym. They must have come together. They’ll come for him, and when they do, we’ll get rid of them all. In the meantime, go clean yourself up, Ralphie.” The walkie talkie beeped again, and then it was silent. Ralphie sniffled some more as he walked away from the room.
Jamesh and Caridad exchanged glances as they realized that this just became a rescue mission.
To Be Continued…
Demon Veil High School Saga 