CHAPTER 4: THE DEVIL

[U.C. POLICE STATION]

"I want to see Williams, now," a woman ordered a sergeant who was sitting at the table.

The sergeant gave her his attention.

"Ma'am, he's busy and asked not to be disturbed," he replied.

The woman grabbed him roughly by the cloth.

"With just a phone call, I can get you fired, and I will make sure no other station accepts you," she threatened, releasing his clothes.

Fear immediately clouded his eyes. "I will see what I can do."

He stood up and went inside.

A few minutes later, he reappeared with a man in his late fifties beside him.

Inspector Williams.

The woman took off her donning shades.

"Mrs Vaughn," Williams greeted.

Mrs Vaughn was Mr. Ryker Vaughn's wife. 

Dark circles gleamed around her eyes.

"What is the progress in finding them?" she asked.

William sighed. "It's not as easy as it looks. We are trying our best."

She cut him off.

"Trying? They had the guts to murder my husband at his front gate. I want the Hell Devil to be found and tortured mercilessly," she said.

"I know you are feeling sad about your loss. I want you to know we are doing everything in our power. I will keep you informed on our progress," Williams said.

Mrs Vaughn put on her shades.

"I'm giving you two weeks to find them. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to strip you of your position," she said and walked out of the station.

When she got to her car, she got her phone and placed a call.

On the third ring, the person answered.

"Let's meet up."

****

[IXORA'S ROOM]

Panic. Scared. Restless.

Those words were not enough to describe Ixora's situation right now. 

Her encounter with Drexton made her feel so restless.

The way he stared at her, like he...but

And her name. How was that even possible? 

"Did he run a background check on me?" she mumbled.

She reached for her cell phone. 

Her wallpaper displayed his picture.

"Why are you always staring at me?" she rubbed her palm across the screen.

"You tend to smile in front of the people, but behind you are..." She kept rubbing the screen.

She brought the phone close to her lips. "I—" She stopped and sat up when she felt the change in her room.

The air in the room had suddenly grown heavy. 

Goosebumps appeared on her body as all her hair stood.

This reaction was familiar, so familiar to her.

The room suddenly felt empty and shallow, as if swallowing her.

She darted her eyes around but saw no one, just the sudden change in the room.

This was none other than the effect she usually gets when she's...

A call came in on the phone, interrupting her thoughts.

H-baby was the caller.

The effect had gotten so strong in the room.

She swiped green and placed the phone to her ear.

"What! I will be there," she said and ended the call.

The feeling had disappeared.

The room was now back to normal.

"What was that?" she asked.

There was no time to answer.

She rushed out of the room.

--

[HOSPITAL]

Ixora got to the hospital and asked for Hazel's ward. She was directed, and when she reached, she saw Hazel sitting outside the ward, crying.

"Hazel," she called, ran to her, and hugged her.

"Xora," Hazel sobbed on her shoulder.

"Shh, nothing will happen to her," Ixora whispered.

"I don't want to lose her. She is all I have left," Hazel sniffled.

Ixora patted her back. "We should be strong," 

The door to the ward creaked open, and the doctor came out.

"D... Doctor, how is she doing?" Hazel asked.

The doctor glanced at both girls without saying anything.

"Doctor, what is wrong? Say something," Ixora said.

They were already shaking inwardly. Whenever a doctor goes silent like this, it's always bad news.

The doctor sighed.

"Thankfully, she didn't sustain any head injury from the fall, but..." he trailed.

"Doctor, why did you stop? Xora, why isn't he saying anything? Is my mum okay?" Hazel asked at once.

She was panicking and crying at the same time.

"Your mum is fine, put yourself together." 

"Your mum has hematopoietic cancer," he said.

The word sounded like a bomb in the girl's ears.

What does that even mean?

"Hematopoietic? What is the meaning? Answer me!" Hazel shouted, grabbing the doctor by the collar.

The doctor was shocked.

"She is suffering from leukemia, and according to the test results, she has passed the drug stage. She is in the last stage, and only surgery can be performed," the doctor said.

"B...bloo..." Her head grew heavy as she fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Hazel!"

— —

Hazel's eyes fluttered open as the doctor's words had rung in her ears.

"I need to go and see my mother," she said, getting out the bed.

She rushed to her mom's ward and saw Ixora inside the ward, holding Maria's (Hazel's mother) hand.

Maria had always treated her like her daughter more than her mother.

Ixora couldn't control her tears seeing the woman in this condition.

"Mom," Hazel ran and quickly sat beside her.

"Mom," she cried.

Maria's eyelids slowly lifted open.

She let out a sadistic smile upon seeing the two girls.

"I'm sorry I hid it away from you," she mumbled weakly.

"Aunt, nothing will happen to you," Ixora said.

"You should have told me earlier. I would have saved enough money and gotten you treated. Why did you have to hide it?" Hazel cried in Maria's hand.

Maria raised her hand to pat Hazel's hair.

"My child, I didn't want you to worry about me, we...we already had a lot of expenses. I don't want to be a burden to you," Maria smiled faintly at her.

Hazel's tears dropped as she took her mother's hand away from her hair and brought it to her lips, pecking it slightly.

Her eyes were already soaked with tears.

"Don't say that, mother, you know you can never be a burden. I'll try my best to get you out of this," Hazel cried, leaving the ward immediately. 

She just couldn't bear seeing her mother in that condition.

Ixora had some traces of tears in her eyes.

"Please take care of my daughter when I'm gone. I hate it when she's like this, please.... don't let her miss me so much, Xora." Maria coughed.

Ixora shook her head tearfully. She badly wished to help, but she couldn't. She didn't even know where to get the money from. Her parents wouldn't give it to her without demanding something in return—something she wouldn't be able to give or do.

"Nothing will happen to you. You'll surely get treated somehow," Ixora left the ward, leaving Maria to stare at the door with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, but smiled slowly afterward.

****

[DREXTON 'S PRIVATE HOUSE [A SECRET ROOM]

The devil has just one mission in life: destruction. He lives to destroy. He taints whatever he hates. He ruins it without a second thought. The man of hate, the lord of hell. 

The devil doesn't think twice, he has no regrets. He's an emotionless monster; he feels nothing- no pain—nothing. 

The devil is dark, a darkness made purely from the fire of hell, a raging fire, big enough to take out the world, and far too big to stop.

But he is the devil. He doesn't feel the pain, nor the burn, so he fuels the fire. It will burn until he says 'no more'.

Drexton stood in the middle of the room, in front of a burning fire. The light from the fire illuminating his face gave him a scary look. 

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the burning fire in front of him. 

The fire was his hatred, his anger, his pain. But just above the fire, there was a picture hanging. The ones he has vowed to destroy, the ones who caused him pain, and the ones to burn in his fire. 

[FLASHBACK~21 YEARS AGO~]

"Please stop," Drexton cried as he watched his mother getting whipped by the guards.

Her shrieking sound tore across the silent room.

As the long rope met her back, her cries increased.

Drexton wanted to run, but a cold order halted him.

"If he interferes, whip him as well," Mr Castellan ordered heartlessly.

The whip slashed across her back.

She screamed in agony, begging and pleading.

[REALITY]

Drexton shut his eyes tightly. As he opened them, they were redder than before. 

He stared more coldly at both the picture and the fire, then poured the fuel in his hand into the fire. The fire had been there for ten years, and like always, he never let the fire go out; he never let the fuel run out. It was his demon, and his demon could never be quenched. 

He fuels his raging fury, just like he fuels the fire.

He took out Ixora's picture, with darkened eyes. He carefully dropped the picture into the fire, watching the picture burn slowly into the fire with every resentment in him.

"Your family made my life hell. Watch as I destroy all of you."

"Just like this picture, you will burn, Ixora Castellan, you will burn in my pit. My hell"