The Evil Headmaster

by Dora Blume

  “What the hell?” he’d blurted.

  “Why didn’t you say anything? You can just get the amulets off them.” His eyes were alighted with anticipation. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky.

  “Well, I don’t know if it will work on the amulets since they’re meant to block our powers. I sure will try my darndest though.” She smiled slightly.

  “Okay, so Ely you go in and distract them. While you have them looking away from the door, we’ll file in. Mya, you try to get the amulets off their neck. If you can’t, we fight them. Only use knives though, we don’t want to hurt any of them.”

  “Sounds like a plan. You ready?” Ely asked. They nodded. Ely closed his eyes and Erik watched as he seemed to shimmer momentarily, then he was utterly still. Erik sprang into the room, followed by Rachel and Mya. They were looking toward Ely. One had charged forward. His arms outstretched, ready to slam into him. A moment before the demon reached him; he shimmered and disappeared. The guy stumbled through where Ely had once been. Ely re-appeared next to one of the other demons. Erik was surprised; he didn’t expect there to be four guys in here. All are wearing amulets around their necks.

  Erik glanced to Mya, she had one finger pointed toward one of the men, and she flicked her finger. Erik whipped his head in the direction of her finger. The guy she was pointing at still had the chain fastened around his neck. Mya shook her head as he looked at her. He knew her power didn’t work as long as they wore those chains. Erik rushed forward, his dagger in hand. He didn’t want to injure them too badly, but he needed to stop them. They were Shikari, but they were also demons who would do whatever they could to try to kill him.

  He rushed toward the brute before him. Erik knew his bulkiness would be to Erik’s advantage as long as he didn’t get any jabs in. He had a feeling one jab from this guy, and he’d be on his knees. The man charged. Erik ducked the blow and swung his knife out, grazing the man’s abdomen. He sprung lightly around him, pivoting quickly before the man could grab at his clothes. The man lunged for Erik again, and he somersaulted over the beast sweeping his blade across the man’s shoulder. He heard Rachel behind him say, “Man, now you’re just showing off.”

  Erik’s grin grew wide as he turned to kick out at the man. He stumbled forward, and Erik reached to yank the chain from his neck. It gave easily, and Erik clutched the chain in his hand. The amulet had skidded across the floor. Mya saw the man was free of the chain, and she flung him against the wall. He hit with such force that he slumped to the floor. Erik whirled ready to take on the next attacker.

  Rachel stood over one of the men. He was on his knees, his head in his hands, weeping. “Do you think you could just dispossess him instead of prolonging his suffering?” Erik shook his head at her.

  “What? You were showing off your acrobatics. I think I can do the same.” She smirked at him.

  Erik rolled his eyes. “Come on, I know you don’t know how traumatizing your power is, but I can say it’s pretty traumatizing. Take care of the demon, already.” Erik looked to Ely, Peyton and Mya had already taken care of the other two guys. They lay on the floor, unconscious. “Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Erik said, nodding as he assessed the four guys. “Have you dispossessed them?” Erik asked.

  “Peyton just took care of one of them. We’ll do the other guy next. You want to go take care of the guy Mya flew into the wall.” Ely pointed to the guy Erik had been fighting.

  “Yeah, I’ll take care of him.” Erik strode over to the brute. He said the incantation quickly and watched as the black smoke of the demon rose from the man, then dissipated into dust. “I love when they do that.” He muttered, satisfied.

  “Okay,” Rachel sashayed up to Erik, one hand on her hip. “Where to next? I know those weren’t the only demons in this building. We still have four more floors to go.” She clapped her hands together once.

  “Weren’t you the one just saying that people were gone for a break? I’d prefer fewer demons, not more.” He straightened his mouth into a hard line as he assessed her. She was standing on the balls of her feet, almost bouncing. He took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go to the second floor.” He huffed. He scanned the others and trudged toward the door. He didn’t mind fighting, but the way Rachel had hackled him about his fighting, he wasn’t sure he wanted her around for their next fight. She relied on her abilities too much, and they may be useless if the demons all have amulets.

  He took the lead again and motioned for them to follow him up the steps. He could hear more thoughts up here than before. He stopped before reaching the next room. There were two girls inside, neither of them was demons. He moved his finger to his lips to motion for them to be silent. He crept by their room without either girl noticing. It looked like a counselor’s office or something. They made it past without being noticed. Erik concentrated as he moved forward.

  Suddenly, Erik heard a thump. He turned, and Peyton had been struck. He was lying on the floor. Erik’s eyes widened. “Look out,” he said as a red-headed man lunged for Mya. She whirled and threw him down the hall. Erik smirked, damn that’s an awesome power. Ely went to the guy who Mya flung. A moment later black smoke was evaporating into dust. He glanced to Rachel, her eyes widened. Erik spun, ducking as he swept a foot out. The tall, bearded man fell backward, screaming. He looked back to Rachel.

  She lifted her hands out, “What? He was coming after you.” She stepped over him as he writhed on the floor, clutching his head.

  Erik quickly said the incantation. He visibly relaxed when he was done. “At least you stop when they’re no longer demons,” he said catching up to Rachel as she continued down the hall.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be warning us when they’re coming? Those two weren’t even wearing amulets.” Her tone was sarcastic as she continued forward without the others. Erik peered behind him, and Mya was crouched next to Peyton. Ely was hurrying to catch up to them.

  “Hey, are we just going to leave them back there?” he asked.

  “For now,” Rachel said as she continued forward. She was glancing into the room as she passed. Erik couldn’t hear anyone else on this floor. Rachel made it to the stairway and climbed up quickly. She stopped at the top. “Okay, mind reader, you want to let us know if there are any demons on this floor before we start walking down it this time.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

  “Sure, princess.” He watched as she scowled at him. He knew he’d struck a nerve. He made a mental note for later. He concentrated, there weren’t any other people up here unless they had amulets.

  “No one’s up here,” he said.

  “Are you sure this time?” she glared.

  “No, I can’t hear demons if they are wearing an amulet. We should probably double check.” He started down the empty hallway.

  “Can we make this fast? I don’t like the idea of leaving them two down there without us.” Ely said as he followed them down the hall.

  Rachel waved her hand, flicking it above her shoulder. “Mya can take care of herself. She’ll watch over Peyton while we finish this. I’d like to go back to my life. I wasn’t planning on spending all day in a stinking school.”

  Erik rolled his eyes and glanced toward Ely. He met his eyes, and they shared a meaningful look. Neither of them wanted to stick around Rachel much longer. When they got to the end of the hall, Rachel hurried up the last set of stairs. She began walking down the hall without stopping to ask him if anyone was there. So much for her being Erik’s second. He had a feeling Rachel didn’t take well to being ordered around. He was starting to think she was the one to typically do the ordering.

  Ely stopped and reached out a hand to grab Erik’s shirt. “I’m not a dumbass, do you hear any demons before we go charging in? My powers only effective if I can distract the demons while others take them by surprise. It’d be nice if we knew ahead of time if there were any demons to, you know, distract.” He studied Erik.

  “Yeah, I’ll check, give me a second. It t
akes a minute to zero in on only this area. Otherwise, I can get bombarded with everyone’s thoughts in all the buildings.” He stopped and concentrated on the floor they were on. He heard at least three other demons up here, two male, one female. They were in one of the dorm rooms. He focused his energy on them, and he lifted the corner of his mouth. “Ah, there are three, two men, one woman. You’re not going to believe what they’re doing.” Erik smiled.

  Ely lifted a brow, “Oh yeah?”

  “Um, let’s just say, we won’t need to distract them. They’re a little busy, already.” Erik began walking in the direction of the dorm room.

  “Dude, are you telling me they’re having sex? Two guys, one girl, seriously?” His eyes were wide as he jogged to catch up to Erik.

  “Yeah, you want to fuck with them, anyway?” Erik raised his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Shit, yeah, why not?” he smirked. Erik paused next to the door. Rachel had walked right past and was already four doors down. She hadn’t slowed to even check any of the rooms.

  “How about you project in there to surprise them? I’ll burst in right after you and hit the guy nearest me. You come in after and go for the other. The girl won’t be too hard because she’s ah, in a compromising position, if you get my drift.”

  Ely smiled. “Sounds fun. Who knew Mike dragging my ass out of seclusion would be so much fun.” He winked, then closed his eyes to project into the room. The girl let out a shriek, and Erik barged in the room, Hitting the guy nearest the door in the temple. He collapsed over the girl, taking her to the side with him as he fell.

  The guy beneath her wore a look of utter shock. His eyes were wide as Erik lunged toward him, landing a quick jab to his face. His hand whipped up to his mouth, and he spat blood. Erik said the incantation and black smoke poured out of the man’s nose and mouth. The man looked even more shocked in his state of undress. Ely had taken care of the girl. She was now gripping the sheet around herself. Erik finished with the last guy. He lay sideways on the bed.

  Erik glanced at Ely, “Now that was fun.” They both walked out of the room. Erik glanced back down the hall, but Rachel was gone. “Now where the hell did, she go?” He muttered.

  “No idea, but we better find her. I hate when people in fights split up. Something always goes wrong.” Ely shook his head and started down the hall, leaving the three-some in their confused state.

  Erik followed. Rachel was on her mission. She didn’t think she needed them. Erik listened to the thoughts in the building. There were more demons here. He wasn’t sure if they were on this floor or the next. He touched his hand to his ear. “Rachel, Mya, Ely, there are still demons here, four of them for sure. Keep your eyes peeled.” Ely paused and waited for Erik.

  “Where are they?” he asked.

  “I think they’re a floor above us. The upper floors are all dorms, right?”

  “Yeah, so are they students? I thought most of the students were dispossessed by others before we got here?” Ely asked, hitching his thumb in his jean pocket as they continued to walk quietly down the hall.

  “Sloane said they were trying to take care of most of the students. I don’t know if they got all of them or not.” They climbed the stairs, and Erik felt a shiver run down his spine, and he tensed.

  “You feel that?” Ely asked.

  “Yeah, demons,” he said and pulled a dagger from his belt. Ely did the same.

  “Do you hear Rachel?” Ely asked.

  “No, oh hell no. I’m not trying that again. Her power sucks when used against you. I won’t be that stupid ever again.” He shuddered. He reached his hand to his ear. “Rachel? You still with us?” He waited, but there was no answer. “I thought we would have a connection to everyone using these coms. Why haven’t we heard anything about what’s happening in the other buildings?” Erik tightened his grip around the handle of the knife.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe there’s a glitch in them or something.” Ely shrugged as they moved forward.

  Erik kept listening for the demons. He heard four of them, and he was pretty sure they were up here. They’d been on every other floor unless some came in since they were downstairs. They walked passed a door to the right. Erik felt a chill again and froze. “We must be getting close,” he whispered. Ely nodded toward him.

  Erik heard the small creek behind him. He whirled but felt the sharp pain of a blow to the head before he fell to the ground. He wasn’t knocked out, but when he tried to get up, he wobbled. Ely had pushed the guy away from him and was continuing to fight. Erik knew he needed to get up, now. There were three others somewhere. He used the wall for support and stood, shaking his head to clear it. The man fighting Ely was burley with a crook in his nose. He wasn’t a student. He wore a flannel shirt and khakis. He reminded him of a shop teacher he once had. He heard another noise in the room behind him and saw Rachel lying on the floor. A woman kneeling next to her.

  Erik listened and knew she was a demon immediately. He rushed her, landing a punch to the side of her face. He didn’t like the idea of hitting a woman, but the occasion called for it. He learned long ago that when it came to demons, they would use any human weakness to get to you. The woman fell sideways, her maxi skirt falling around her. Erik spoke the incantation quickly before she had time to regain her composure. Erik turned, and Ely stood above the burly man. Black smoke rose from him, and Erik breathed a sigh of relief. Two down, two to go.

  Ely walked over to them. Erik touched her neck, feeling for a pulse. “It looks like they just knocked her out. They were probably hoping to possess her.” Erik brushed a piece of her hair back from her face and admired her feminine features. Her milky complexion was tinged with the slightest bit of pink in her cheeks. Her skin was silky soft, and she had a cute button nose. He smiled, she was really beautiful when she was unconscious. Her long blonde hair had been pulled up into a chignon, but pieces fell all around her head and face.

  “She’s nice when she’s not talking,” Ely observed.

  Erik stood. “We need to find the last two. I think she’ll be fine here until all this is over.” Erik looked back out the door. The last two are women. I think they’re in a room on the right at the end of the hall. They walked out of the room. Mya jogged up to them. She glanced to the guy laying on the floor.

  “Hey, I moved Peyton into one of the dorm rooms. Where’s Rachel?” Mya looked around.

  “She’s knocked out in there. She decided to venture off on her own, which as you can see is never a good idea.” Ely was smug as he spoke.

  “Alright, let’s finish this so we can get them taken care of and check on the others,” Mya said.

  “There are two more girls down the hall on the right who are demons. After that, the buildings clear.” Erik strode forward. He stopped before the open door. He could hear the girls talking in the room. They laughed out loud, and Erik took the opportunity to step into the room. Ely followed. Erik grabbed the girl from behind and restrained her arms. She kicked back wildly, but she didn’t have the strength. She was a petite girl. Erik said the incantation quickly and watched the smoke dissipate into the air. Ely had done the same with the other small girl. They shook their heads and looked up to the two men.

  “Oh my God, thank you. Being a demon was super lame.” She reached her hand to pull the ponytail out of her hair. “I hate my hair up like this. It was driving me crazy.”

  Erik shook his head. “Glad to be of service ladies. Can I ask what you’re still doing on campus? Isn’t this a break or something?”

  The girl who had just put down her hair nodded. “Yes, but some of us have shitty families we don’t want to go home to. I would rather stay on campus alone, then meet my father's latest girlfriend. She’s another leech. I prefer to spare myself the new mom routine when I can.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, do you know if anyone else in the dorm stayed here?” he asked.

  “No, only a few of us. Carly here is the only girl on this floor who stayed. Even if students did sta
y behind, they don’t all stay here. Some drive to the city during the day to do stuff. I think there’s maybe four or five who are in the city from this dorm.” She looked up pointedly. “Anything else?”

  Erik looked down at her cocked his head to the side. “No, I guess not.” He could have just read her thoughts but didn’t want to intrude. He also wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she was thinking. There were some things you didn’t want to hear.

  Erik turned and walked out of the room. He turned to look at Mya and Ely. “Do you mind taking care of Rachel and Peyton? I want to go find Jessie and Sloane and make sure everything went okay.” His eyes filled with concern.

  “Yeah man, no problem. We’ll join you after we move them.” Ely looked to Mya. “Can we move them into the same room? They’ll probably wake up soon.”

  Mya nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” They both walked into the room with Rachel.

  Erik ran down the stairs taking two at a time. He began listening to the thoughts around him as he went. The people who they’d dispossessed were still a little dazed and confused, but Erik knew they’d be fine. They were Shikari, and they knew what had happened to them. Erik flew out of the door and raced toward the main offices. Jessie was rushing out the door by the dock when he got there.

  “Oh good, you’re okay,” she breathed. Erik relaxed when he saw her. She walked into his arms, and he wrapped them around her, squeezing tightly. He needed to feel she was okay.

  “We got Nicole, and everyone here is dispossessed. How about you guys?” she asked.

  “Rachel and Peyton got knocked out. Otherwise, everyone is fine.” He gazed down into her eyes. He dropped his mouth to hers, and a fire erupted throughout his body. His kiss was fierce. He felt her grip at his back, twisting one hand in his hair. He hitched his hand under her thighs and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him, crossing her ankles just above his waist. He devoured her mouth. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of her. She tasted of vanilla and mint.

  “Ahem,” Sloane cleared her throat behind them. “Do you mind?”