Deb frowned as she walked back to her dorm room at St. Jerome''s, they had spent hours trying to figure out a way to prove John was innocent and ended up nowhere. As she turned the corner she was suddenly aware of just how empty the park was. Her dark brown eyes scanned the area, her grip tightening on the strap of her bag. The only other person she could see was a large man, sitting on a bench and engrossed in his phone. Deb squinted at him, her glasses reflecting the dim light.


    "Evening," the guy muttered, barely glancing up from his phone as he gave her a curt nod.


    "Thanks," Deb replied hesitantly, quickening her pace. She could feel his eyes following her as she went.


    As she put some distance between them, the distinct sound of crunching gravel rang out behind her, shattering the eerie quiet. Panic surged through her veins, and Deb broke into a sprint, her heart pounding in her ears. In her haste, she dropped her phone, the screen cracking upon impact with the ground.


    "Damn it," she muttered under her breath, skidding to a halt and bending down to retrieve it.


    But before she could grasp the broken device, a rough hand yanked a bag over her head, cutting off her vision and muffling her startled scream.


    -----


    When Deb finally regained her senses, she found herself bound to a chair, her wrists chafing against coarse ropes. Beside her, Jessica was similarly tied up, fear and anger battling for dominance in her racing thoughts.


    "Comfortable?" a deep voice echoed through the dark, its source seemingly invisible.


    "Who are you?" Deb snapped, her thoughts racing to make sense of the situation. "What do you want?"


    "Ah, straight to the point. I like that," the voice responded, amusement tinging its tone. "Tell me where the exorcists are hiding and I will let you go."


    "Exorcist?" Deb asked incredulously, there was no way she was going to risk putting people in harm''s way. "I have no idea what you are talking about?"


    "Don''t play coy with me," the voice continued, undeterred by her response. "There are forces at work in this world that most people cannot even fathom. Demons and other supernatural beings pose a constant threat to humanity, and I know you fight them."


    Deb''s eyes darted to Jessica, who stared back at her with a fearful glint in her gaze.


    "I have no clue what you are talking about! You are confused, there are no such things as demons! Please just let me and my friend go and we won''t tell anyone about this." Deb lied, her anger flaring as she struggled against her bindings.


    "So you''re saying you have no idea what I am talking about," the voice replied cryptically. "You''re not a very good liar."


    "I am not lying, I don''t know anything about exorcists. You have the wrong people!" Deb challenged, unwilling to give up anything to her captor.


    "I am very impressed with your resolve," the voice answered calmly. "The exorcists have existed for centuries, the force that shields humanity from the true darkness that lurks beneath the surface. You have been chosen to join our ranks, and you''ve just passed your first test."


    As silence settled over the basement once more, Deb realized this was planned from the beginning, she was being tested and that meant that Jessica was in on it too.


    "Awesome," she whispered finally, annoyed with her situation. So guessing this is the part where you come out and untie us."


    "Not exactly," The voice informed her.


    As if on cue, Jessica''s bindings seemed to unravel and fall away from her wrists. With a confident smirk, she stood up and walked over to the source of the disembodied voice. To Deb''s surprise, Jessica revealed a man tucked behind a false wall. Deb immediately recognized him as the man from the park bench.


    "Meet Pete," Jessica said with a sly grin, clapping the man on the back. "He tests all our recruits."


    "Nice introduction," Pete remarked sarcastically as he stepped out of the small hole in the wall. "Now, let''s get down to business."


    "Business?" Deb asked skeptically, her eyebrows raised as she eyed the phone.


    "Your training," Jessica replied, her tone serious. "You''re not going to like this, but we''ve got to start now. Your connection with the supernatural world has accelerated our timeline."


    "I take it neither one of you is going to untie me?" Deb asked, still unconvinced of their intentions.


    "You would be right," Jessica answered without hesitation. "There will be situations where you will left to your own devices to survive. You''ll have to learn how to make those tough choices if you want to walk away with your life."


    She paused, then reached into her pocket and produced a single dagger. Deb''s eyes widened in recognition. She''d used these very blades to slash an exorcist''s tire and caused the to car crash.


    "I can explain," Deb started hesitantly, she knew she had been caught.


    "No need," Jessica replied, silencing Deb with a wave of her hand. "I know what you did and I know why. Friends are important but your duty as an exorcist needs to be placed above them."


    "I don''t want to kill anyone," Deb defended herself, her brown eyes fierce. "And you don''t even know if he is guilty of killing the dean."


    "We have to act quickly when something like this happens," Jessica explained, clearly frustrated by Deb''s response. "These things have super strength and can heal themselves, if there is even the smallest chance they are turning on humanity then they need to be put down. You have to understand that we are doing this for every human who cannot defend themselves."


    Deb turned away from her and with a sigh, Jessica pocketed the daggers and handed Deb a spoon. Confused, Deb stared at the seemingly insignificant object in her hand.


    "Alright, I''ll bite. What''s the spoon for?" Deb asked, her tone laced with sarcasm.


    "Your second test," Jessica replied. "Pete, start the timer."


    "Wait, what am I supposed to—" Deb began, but was cut off by Jessica.


    "Escape your bindings using only that spoon," she instructed. "Good luck."


    As Pete started the timer on his phone, Deb glanced down at the ropes encircling her wrists and ankles. She couldn''t help but feel a small thrill of anticipation as she contemplated the challenge before her.


    "Okay," she murmured under her breath, gripping the spoon tightly as she set to work. "Let''s do this."


    For two and a half grueling hours, Deb painstakingly scraped away at the ropes with the edge of the spoon. Sweat dripped from her brow, her fingers ached, and her wrists chafed, but she refused to give up. As the last strand of rope gave way, she felt a rush of triumph and relief.


    "Two hours, thirty minutes," Pete announced as he stopped the timer. He gave her an approving nod. "Not bad for your first try. It took me three."


    "Thanks," Deb panted, rubbing her sore wrists. She glanced around the dimly lit basement, all she wanted was to return to her dorm and rest.


    "Alright," Jessica said, clapping her hands together. "That is enough for tonight."


    "Glad you think so," Deb muttered sarcastically, her dark eyes meeting Jessica''s gaze defiantly.


    "You may think I am being harsh, but I am just trying to protect you." Jessica''s tone was stern, but her eyes held a hint of sadness. "You can''t trust vessels, eventually they kill, it is in their nature."


    Deb stood up, stretching her stiff limbs, "I wouldn''t go preaching about how vessels can''t be trusted when Abby killed more innocent people than any vessel I know," Jessica fell silent, burned by the truth of her words.


    "Uh, I am going to let you too sort this out on your own. See you tomorrow, kid," Pete called out, patting her on the shoulder as he exited the parish.


    "Tomorrow," Deb echoed, staying back to talk to Jessica. The moment the door closed behind Pete, they heard a pained scream ring out from the other side. Deb''s heart raced, as she tried to push the doors open, but something held them shut. There were sounds of struggle, followed by a choked cry.


    "Shit," Deb whispered, her pulse pounding in her ears as she continued to push against the doors.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Get down!" Jessica ordered, Deb ducked just in time for Jessica to unload her pistol into the door. The doors creaked open, the mysterious force no longer holding them closed.


    Outside, Deb found Pete in the snow, his face contorted in pain. He clutched at his throat, trying to stem the flow of blood from a deep gash. His other hand fumbled for a gun that had fallen out of reach. Jessica rushed towards him, to help with the bleeding.


    "Help... me..." he rasped, his eyes wide with terror.


    "Stay with us, Pete!" Deb urged, scanning the area for the assailant. The courtyard was silent – as if whatever had struck Pete down had vanished into thin air.


    "Jessica... it''s..." Pete''s voice trailed off as the life drained from his eyes. Jessica held his lifeless body and removed his hands from his wounds. Now that she could see it, she knew what they were dealing with wasn''t human, the deep fang marks on Pete''s neck proved it.


    "NO!" Deb screamed, rushing to Jessica''s side. Neither of them knew what had killed Pete, but they could feel it eyeing them from the shadows.


    -----


    The next day, Deb stood at the foot of the rock climbing wall, her fingers tracing the cold, rough surface. The gym was alive with the sounds of climbers calling out instructions and encouragement to each other. The tension from the previous night''s events still weighed heavily on her mind, she could still see the fear in Pete''s eyes before they dulled. Was it the thing that attacked her at the abandoned house? Was it following her?


    "Ready?" Zack asked, tightening his harness as he glanced over at Deb. She nodded as she came back to reality, pulling herself onto the first hold and beginning their ascent side by side.


    As they climbed higher, Zack leaned closer to whisper, "I asked Ethel about what could have attacked Pete, she doesn''t know. What if it was that this from the house... I don''t think it''s a vessel, or I would''ve sensed it."


    Deb frowned, her grip tightening on the holds as she realized Zack was as confused by this as she was. "So what do we do now? How do we catch something we can''t see?" she asked, her voice barely audible above the clamor of the gym.


    "Your guess is as good as mine," Zack replied, shrugging. He paused for a moment, then added with a smirk, "Nice view up here, by the way."


    "Excuse me?" Deb shot him a glare, her cheeks flushing.


    "Your butt. It''s pretty fantastic from this angle." His grin widened as he spoke, clearly enjoying her embarrassment.


    "Seriously, Zack?" Rolling her eyes, Deb swung her leg over, using her momentum to knock him off the wall. Laughter erupted from Rob and the other climbers below as Zack tumbled onto the padded mat, groaning theatrically.


    "Totally worth it," he gasped between chuckles, earning a playful eye roll from Deb.


    Meanwhile, Rob had begun his climb alongside a girl named Olivia. Her hands were steady as she gripped the holds, she began to scale the wall with ease. Deb watched in awe and with some suspicion.


    "Hey, isn''t she super asthmatic?" Deb asked Zack in a hushed tone. "I could have sworn she told me when we were partnered for a psych project last semester."


    "Really? She looks like she is doing just fine up there," Zack replied, keeping a close eye on Olivia as she continued her climb.


    Eventually, Olivia reached the top, and with one push off she descended the wall with grace. Zack watched her go with a concerned frown, as she touched down in front of him, he could feel her aura.


    "Something about her feels... off," he murmured to Deb, who nodded in agreement.


    "Let''s keep an eye on her," Deb suggested, her eyes never leaving the retreating figure of Olivia.


    -----


    The locker room was buzzing with post-workout chatter and the scent of sweat. Rob leaned against a row of lockers, his towel draped around his neck as he spoke to Zack, who was tying his shoes.


    "John might be a lost cause," Rob said hesitantly, a look of worry on his face. "We just don''t have evidence that it wasn''t him and I don''t think his aura not matching would hold up in court."


    Zack sighed, brushing a strand of damp blonde hair away from his forehead. "I know, but every day he is still locked up is a day he could be killed."


    "Come on, lighten up!" Rob retorted, pulling his shirt over his head. "Ethel is watching over him, she can handle anything an exorcist can dish out."


    "Easy for you to say," Zack muttered, his hand suddenly trembling as though struck by an invisible force. His blue eyes widened, and without another word, he sprinted out of the locker room and into the darkened gym.


    "Zack, wait up!" Rob called, chasing after him. "I wasn''t trying to say we shouldn''t help!"


    Zack reached the gym just in time to see a female figure dart across the floor, her movements swift and agile. Just as she reached the exit, Zack moved closer, catching a glimpse of her face before she vanished through the door.


    "Who was that?" Rob panted, skidding to a halt beside his friend. "And how did you know she''d be here?"


    "I could just feel it like we were connected in some way," Zack replied, his heart pounding in his chest. "I think I could be connected to the rest of Gluttony''s vessels. I think that was Olivia."


    -----


    Olivia continued her sprint across campus, trying to escape the powerful aura she had sensed. The fear for her life transported her thoughts back to a cold November night at the hospital. Kenzie had been visiting her, concern etched across her face as she confronted her patient after Olivia''s most recent asthma attack.


    "Olivia, I know you haven''t been taking your medication," Kenzie said softly, her deep blue eyes filled with worry. "You can''t keep doing this to yourself, you could die."


    "Leave me alone," Olivia muttered, turning away as Kenzie reluctantly left the room.


    Moments later, Gluttony materialized disguised as a doctor, his eyes scanning the pill bottle on the bedside table. He read aloud the side effects, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Anxiety, weight gain, acne... What if I told you that I could make it all go away?"


    "Really?" Olivia whispered, desperation and hope mingling in her voice. "How?"


    "It is really a simple procedure." Gluttony''s eyes glowed orange.


    "I''ll do it, whatever it is I''ll do it," Olivia said, desperate for the chance to be normal.


    "Well then, let''s seal this deal with a handshake," Gluttony said extending his hand toward her. Olivia reached out and shook it and Gluttony smiled a malevolent smile. The glow from his curse cast eerie shadows on the sterile walls, sealing their dark pact.


    Back in the present, Olivia shook off the memory, trying to focus on finding the Supreme she had sensed. She knew she needed them for protection, her instincts told her it was her only chance.


    -----


    The projector''s hum filled the dimly lit immunology classroom, casting flickering images of microscopic organisms onto the screen. Sarah sat beside Boon, her brow furrowed as she clenched a tattered camera strap in her hands.


    "Boon, I can''t believe you dropped my camera," Sarah whispered, her voice tight with frustration.


    "Sorry, Sarah. It was an accident," he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. "I will buy you a new one, I promise."


    Sarah huffed but remained silent, her attention drawn back to the film playing before them. Boon, however, found his mind wandering until a specific word caught his attention: vaccination. He leaned forward, suddenly engrossed in the concept of immunity and the idea of being protected from disease. Was it possible to be immune to a Sin''s curse? After all Gluttony''s curse hadn''t done anything to Ahmed either. He looked over at his friend who was following along with the lecture, how did they become immune? Boon thought.


    As the lecture ended and students began filing out of the room, Boon''s thoughts raced, was it possible that being around Ahmed somehow vaccinated him from supernatural effects? He spotted Ahmed among the sea of faces and made a beeline for him, grabbing his arm firmly. "Ahmed! What did you do to me!" Boon accused, his eyes wild with desperation.


    "What are you talking about? I didn''t do anything to you," Ahmed asked, confused and alarmed by Boon''s aggression. "Why are you acting so weird?"


    "I am not acting weird, I am trying to figure out why it didn''t work!" Boon''s voice shook, struggling to control his anger and fear.


    "Boon, what didn''t wor—"


    "Enough!" Boon released Ahmed''s arm and stormed away, leaving a bewildered Ahmed in his wake.


    Fighting back tears, Ahmed retreated to the nearest bathroom and locked himself in a stall. Tears streamed down his face as he wondered why Boon would attack him like that. As he tried to regain his composure, he noticed a pair of dirty, unshod feet beneath the stall door. Ahmed frowned, wiping away tears. "Uh, you should be wearing shoes in here," he managed.


    The feet shifted and departed without a word. Intrigued, Ahmed followed the muddy footprints, sniffling as he tried to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure. The unknown person stopped at the trophy case, their back turned to Ahmed as they studied the awards displayed behind the glass. Ahmed watched as the man then faded from existence.


    Ahmed hesitated for a moment before curiosity propelled him forward. He peered at the trophies just as the figure wandered away, disappearing around a corner. Among the gleaming metal and polished wood, one award caught his eye—an old photo of Kyle. He was smiling, unaware of the dark path that lay ahead. A shiver ran down Ahmed''s spine as the memory of Kyle transforming into Gluttony flashed in his mind, a sinister grin etched on his monstrous face.


    "Who was that?" Ahmed murmured under his breath.


    -----


    Rob and Kristian stood in the bustling Student Life Center, their voices barely audible over the chatter of students socializing and making plans. The tension between them was palpable as they continued to negotiate.


    "Look, man, I told you I need those keys to get into the pool tonight," Rob insisted, his voice firm but not aggressive. He knew better than to push Kristian too hard—they needed him on their side. "I can''t wait until next week."


    Kristian crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes as he sized up Rob. "Fine, but the cost has doubled," he finally said, "it''s gonna cost you one hundred bucks."


    "Are you serious?" Rob scoffed, his jaw clenching with frustration. But he saw the conviction in Kristian''s eyes and knew he had no choice. Reluctantly, he fished several crumpled bills from his pocket and handed them over.


    "Thanks," Kristian said smugly as he accepted the money and produced a key ring. Rob snatched the keys from him, trying to hide his annoyance. "A pleasure doing business with you." he turned and left Rob standing in the middle of the SLC.


    Zack wandered over to Rob, "Hey, check out who just walked in," Zack said suddenly, nodding toward the entrance of the SLC. Rob glanced over his shoulder and saw Olivia. She was surrounded by guys offering to carry her books and buy her lunch. She sauntered through the crowd, drawing appreciative stares from both men and women alike.


    "Damn," Rob muttered, impressed. "Do you think that is a part of her vessel powers?"


    Zack frowned, curiosity gnawing at him. "I don''t know, but I''m going to find out." Without waiting for Rob''s response, Zack followed Olivia outside, keeping a safe distance he watched as she slid into a car with Ethel. He clenched his fist as the car pulled away, his frustration with Ethel not keeping him in the loop was starting to boil over.


    -----


    That night, Zack found himself working at Night School. He stood at the bar, polishing the same glass. The place was packed, the pulsating music and swirling lights adding to the chaotic atmosphere. But all he could think about was Olivia and Ethel. He checked his phone but Ethel still hadn''t responded to his text about it.


    "Everything okay?" Paulina asked with concern as she noticed his troubled expression.


    "Ah, just having an existential crisis is all," Zack replied, trying to force a smile. He lifted a bottle of vodka, but his hand shook and it slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. "See? That''s a metaphor for my life right now. Everything''s slipping through my fingers."


    "Entropy," Paulina said thoughtfully, leaning in closer to be heard over the music. "The natural tendency of things to move toward disorder. It''s a fundamental law of the universe."


    "Maybe so," Zack agreed, his blue eyes staring into the depths of the pooling liquid. "But there has to be a way to get things back in order. I don''t think I can handle any more chaos in my life right now."


    "Zack," Paulina began cautiously, her voice softening, "sometimes, things may fall out of sync but they also tend to resync in the end. And hey," she added with a wink, "I think you have earned a raise in pay, so that''s one thing preventing total chaos as you said."


    "Thanks," he said, forcing a smile. But he still couldn''t stop thinking about the murders, the invisible creature, Ethel''s weird secrecy, and Pablo''s plans for revenge. No pay raise was going to fix any of it.