Demon's Protégé

"My name's Giacomo Faun... and I'm a Demon's Protégé." He had willingly surrendered his very soul and sold it to a demon to save him from his impending death, despite knowing the cost he must have to pay. Driven by the fuel from his undying thirst for revenge, he started exploiting and taking most of what he could get from his newly found abilities provided by a demon that goes by the name of Anyone. He had only wanted to chase down the enemies to ruin them completely for his own satisfaction at first, but not long after that, his own evil desires eventually consumed him into oblivion, and before he knew it... He was turning more and more into the very demon himself.   The DEMON'S PROTÉGÉ. A dark paranormal urban, written by D El Vee --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ====================================================================================     "Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so, shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”    - Matthew 12:45 ==================================================================================== "SHOULDN'T be that hard to pull the trigger now. What's stopping you?" Shut up.  Not enough leverage. This whole damn location was just not right at all. Utterly obvious and unsecured venue for a murder you would want to keep from being discovered. This place was nothing but a dead giveaway that can be just easily discovered and accessed from all directions, with too many DNA marks left on the floor and on certain areas around the room. Committing the kill in this rather shabby area would most likely be just the same as deliberately trying to let yourself be caught for it. It will only complicate many more things and he really did not like facing complexities at such. It would inconveniently spoil his entire plan. This was not how you would really play this game from here. This should be just simple. But how would he actually make this all just simple without ever really leaving any kind of evidence behind? "Are you ever really going to kill him, Faun? You're taking too much of my time, you know." Stop complaining and just hide in your own stupid damn little hole, you bloody demon. Giacomo Faun, preferably known and addressed as "Doctor James" by most people, glared at a certain huge shadow lurking in the darkest corner of the room as he squinted his eyes at it. Anyone was there, and Giacomo could even imagine him smirking back from where he had chosen to selfishly observe and blend in the background while amusing himself with all this mess Faun had to deal with. That bloody bastard was enjoying this and even had the audacity to whine. Yet Faun can't really expect him to offer at least any kind of generous assistance this time.  That intolerable fanged-mouth pretentious monster was useless.  Faun could not think properly yet and Anyone was just making this all much more stressful than it already was for him. He felt the pressure seeped into his brain. That was bad. He needed to take a deep breath. The pressure would only distract him from thinking more logically and strategically about this whole damn situation. He paused for a second. He needed an alternative plan. He stood with the automatic pistol dangling on his right hand as he moved his finger over the trigger. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He tried to think it all through again. Right. He must try to move this person out of here. He can use his car, drive south to the suburbs. Kill this man in a place that would be less likely suspected of being a crime scene. Maybe somewhere much more remoted, further away from where people would see or try to search for him first. Faun can be very tricky as well, he just had to pull this whole thing off quite discreetly and effectively. But how will he even do that with just a little amount of time remaining? Six hours.    "Clock is ticking, Faun." Anyone warned, even without having to read his mind (since he really could not do that in the first place), he watched as the wheels kept turning inside Giacomo's head like how it would always do.  That was really one of the terrible flaws Anyone found quite a bit annoying yet also surprisingly amusing about Faun. The man has a habit of thinking too much. All the damn time. He really never stop using that big brain of his, thinking so critically about all stuff that does not really necessarily require thinking anyway. Yet, Faun had always been quite meticulous. He would always try to dissect every little part of the problem until he can clearly solve it all to his own liking. It's always a long process, though. Since Faun is a very detailed human, very anal-retentive, and most of the time, even very insufferably fussy too. If only Anyone could actually get inside that chaotic head of his, maybe he could actually try to see more of Faun's surprisingly genius impulses and how many neurons are being released in that brain every four minutes. However, unfortunately for Anyone, demons do not really possess that kind of ability. It's a different thing if a demon would grant that kind of skill to a human, but then again, a mind-reading skill can only work for humans alike. Think, think, think. Faun, on the other hand, was still thoroughly engrossed with coming up with a much better and even more satisfying idea. He had to make this fast and simpler. And perhaps, theoretically, he does really shoot this man right here, right now in this very exact place, since he was now running out of time, it seemed practically very careless of him to just do it without planning much. If he will be using the gun in his hand, it will only take a few seconds to kill this man. He could also just easily discard the weapon without worrying about it getting traced back to him again. But still, before he could even dare to pull the trigger, it would still be much wiser to make sure that the bullet won't be stuck (so he can get rid of it too) in the victim's body. And such a plan would also require some skills in the science of trajectory and motion. But since Faun wasn't one to be that quite knowledgeable in shooting like a professional and be certain of the conditions for the perfect angle that could guarantee him the right speed and velocity of the bullet passing through the man's forehead, Faun might not really be able to do it successfully at the first attempt. In addition to that, there would also be the case of the blood leaking out of the body which would certainly leave stains and marks on the floor, all the more reason to make this entire place littered with strong evidence. Although he can still clean the whole area afterward, that would still take a whole lot of time and resources. He also had to get rid of the body someplace else. Somewhere not too obvious, somewhere far from here. But then, it would be too much of a bother to go through all that trouble just to look for a fitting place to hide the body. There was only one way to make this all much easier to handle. He had to make it look like it never happened, and he had to find a way on how to make this place, this man, and the entire pieces of evidence it would leave disappear all at once. "Is this really that complicated?" Giacomo slowly closed his eyes and concentrated. Physical evidence would require an irreversible way of extermination. All situations have their own solutions and making something disappear without a trace is not entirely impossible. The only little problem was how. If Faun figures this out, this would definitely be the most brilliant work he could ever do in a limited amount of time granted. Anyone would be satisfied, and Faun would definitely pass the test. Think. Think. Think! His eyes immediately popped open, a wide mischievous grin slowly drew across his face as Faun looked down at the shaking mess of the scared blindfolded guy kneeling on the floor with his hands tied tightly behind him, mouth covered with tape and feet bound together. Right. Magnificent... Why in the hell was he just finally realizing all that now? "What are you doing?" Anyone was now getting a bit curious as he watched Faun moved too quickly, dropping the gun from his hand as it hit the floor with a thud. Faun never really wanted to make use of such an item since it would just create a suspicious noise and trigger an alarming sound in the middle of the woods with its loud echo. So with an entirely fresh idea playing in his head, Faun lowered himself at the same level as the poor guy. The victim was now starting to panic, his head turning from left to right in a frantic manner as he felt Faun moving around him. The poor guy tried to see through his covered vision. Hopeless, but still desperate to at least reassure himself of safety, he eagerly tried to break free from the rope tied around his wrists. However, Faun was not thinking of anything else when he had put both of his hands around the man's neck. Fingers gripping the airways as he choked the man intently, he did not even hesitate. He really had no time left. He's really going at it. But why not just use the gun? Anyone was half-confused and half-amused at the scene taking place before him. He already knew that Faun was an odd case, but he did not really expect him to be this oddly lunatic. Yet Anyone just let him do what he pleased. He never really cared if this was all too stupid. Seriously, just use the gun. He just wanted Faun to get it over with. Yes, just kill him. Bring me his soul... And I will give you what you want. And Faun did, with not much of a struggle, since the victim could not really do any kind of resistance against Faun. The poor victim slowly lost his ability to breathe, his body went from writhing uncontrollably to not moving anymore. Faun took a deep breath, but he still had his hands around the neck, gripping it firmly. "I could still sense a pulse but it's already too weak," Faun said out loud, gritting his teeth.  Among all the most insane people that Anyone had come across in this world, Faun had really stood out. He never had a single bone of conscience in his body, but despite that, he still showed a pretentiously ethical side of himself to an extent that it was almost ridiculous. Yet, for Anyone, Faun certainly fits his taste. He was, after all, the human that he chose to wreak havoc among sinners in this world. He will be Anyone's own demon protégé. "He's now dead," Faun spoke through the silence as he slowly got up from the floor and stared blankly at the warm corpse before his feet. "I have to get rid of this all now. So, I would need you to give me a hand here." "Why didn't you just use the gun, Faun? Could have saved us both more time," Anyone was unable to keep his curiosity unspoken. Faun merely smirked, running a hand through his unruly hair as he faced the direction from where Anyone was hiding in the dark. "Because a gun without a silencer would obviously make a noise loud enough to get someone's attention even from a far distance," Faun explained in a matter-of-fact tone as if he had already done this before and knew the certain consequences that could come with it. "And I prefer doing the kill in silence because, in that way, no one would ever hear about it." Anyone found himself grinning. He really did not make the wrong decision of choosing this human after all. And as he observed the voided look on Faun's face while he stood there looking down at the lifeless body on the floor, Anyone felt a burning tingle running through all of his nerves. He really found the right man. "Now, it's time for you to help me," Faun said as he wiped the sweat dripping on the side of his face. Five hours left. He can still make it. He will have to make it, he turned to give Anyone a look. He was still waiting for Anyone to finally reveal himself from the dark. Anyone simply laughed, evil waves of laughter filling the room. "Help you?" Anyone merely snorted and he slowly took a step forward, showing a little glimpse of the human appearance he had transformed into while saying, "This is your test, why would I help you?" "Oh, don't be too tight-assed," Faun retorted back with a wave of his hand, even rolling his eyes at the demon, "You didn't specifically mention that I am not allowed to ask for your aid under any circumstances at all. This piece of work would be needing a great deal of ability so you have to help me because you got the special skills and obviously, the capabilities to make it happen. And if it's any bit of stimulation, just so you know, what we're actually about to do now will be more than satisfying for you."  "Really?" Now, Faun really had Anyone completely interested in it, and the demon took another step forward, "And what kind of aid are you asking of me then?" Faun smirked, turning his head to an angle as he answered in a nonchalant voice, "We need to bury this body as fast as we can." "Bury it?" Anyone scoffed, the disappointment in his tone was evidently heard, "You mean, you want me to carry that whole weight with you and dig a grave for it? Hardly satisfying." "No," Faun said, frowning. That's no fun and that would be too tiring. Then he corrected Anyone as if that had been the furthest idea from what he really had in mind, "I need you to burn this entire forest. Right now." "Burn this forest?" "To get rid of the evidence," Faun deadpanned, staring straightly at Anyone who was now showing half of his human face. The silver eyes glimmered under the fluorescent light inside the room, the raven hair longer than how Faun had remembered it. "Burn it all to ashes, so no one would ever find this body, this place, and everything else that had happened here today." He was not really going to finish this entire thing without putting the reddest cherry on top. Then Faun added, almost as if feeling triumphant even when they still have not done it all yet, "We will bury them all in the blazes of fire, leaving nothing else behind us but dry, hot dust." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later on, that night, the news of the wildfire spreading all over the expansive forest at the western part of the town had been quickly reported in all the local news channel there was, stating it to have reached the hottest temperature of a wildfire case in the entire state ever recorded. Faun and Anyone had been sitting in the living room of Faun's loft when the flash news appeared on the screen, displaying videos captured by the media. Fuming fire and black smoke filling the air of hot afternoon Thursday as it swallowed a huge portion of the thick forest where Faun and Anyone had just been at a while ago. It now played before their very eyes and they watched the very results of their newly-done masterpiece. "You really had to make it that big, huh?" Anyone could not really decide whether to applaud Faun for his work or laughed at how extremely ostentatious this was. It was really unnecessary. He could have just used the gun. But no, Faun had to go all the way. And this was his pride. Anyone did not even expect Faun to be this vain. He only pegged the man for an average cold-blooded killer who could easily just kill any human and get it done, but not like this. As it turned out, what Anyone found was actually an entirely narcissistic and brazenly cold-blooded bastard who would choose to make a total show out of his crime first and still flawlessly gets away with it. "I can't help it," Faun said from the couch across Anyone, sighing lightly and added, "I just had to make it special." Special, huh? Anyone chuckled, "How oddly sentimental of you." "Well, It's my first kill after all..."Faun said with a shrug, a ghost of a smile showing on his lips as he glanced at the demon across him, "I had to make it unforgettable." He's one conceited bastard, alright. Anyone just laughed. Then Faun shifted over his seat, leaning forward, as he rested both of his elbows above his knees and his chin over his hands and looked straightly at Anyone with those deep-set hazel eyes, "So where do I sign now?" Anyone paused, and his laughter immediately ceased as soon as he heard Faun's words. He turned to meet his gaze. Silence settled over them for a few seconds. And after a while, a smirk slowly flashed across his face, and then he said, "You're quite too sure about yourself, huh?" Faun did not even bat an eye. He was very eager to have it all. Just give it now, he was thinking to himself. "Well, I knew I already passed the test the second I told you we're burning that forest," he said confidently, leaning back on his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest and placed a leg over the other, "So where do I sign now?" Self-assuring git. Faun's mouth curved into a smirk. "You don't have to rush me," Anyone answered, raising a brow, "I'm still the one giving favors here." "And you promised," Faun pressed on, looking visibly unfazed as he kept a straight face and said, "Now that I already fulfilled the end of the bargain, I'm expecting the reward as I should be. Where do I sign?" How dare he demand? But Anyone was not really offended by it. In fact, he was feeling kind of thrilled that this man was just too damn hard to please and conceited. They both held each other's stare without even blinking at all before Anyone finally raised a hand beside him, summoning a black smoke that quickly turned into a red-colored piece of paper in his hand. "Alright, then," Anyone said right after the paper had materialized, and with a click of his tongue, he put the item over the coffee table between them and added, "Let's do it." As soon as he uttered those words, letters started to appear on the paper itself, flowing in smooth silver cursive drawls until it formed an emboldened phrase that was very clear and legible to not be understood, and it said: "A Contract With The Demon for A Demon's Protégé" It did not even take that long for Faun before he was already signing his soul down. He was completely selling his entire life and future to the demon and he never even hesitated. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------to be continued