Ch 8 Visitors in the Storm

The sound of heavy footsteps mixed with the patter of rain reached Leon, and he saw someone push the door open. As the door creaked, a flash of lightning illuminated the face stepping in, *Boom!*

Then… surprisingly, it was the old Walter, the orphanage director. He walked in, looking nervous, though there was a hint of relief on his face.

Leon was nearly scared out of his mind… he looked down and nodded… at least he hadn’t peed yet. But when he looked up, he saw another old man entering alongside the director

This one looked different, his face benevolent, dressed in white robes trimmed with gold, more like ceremonial attire. In his right hand, he held a thick book, and at his waist hung a small brass bell

Blinking, Leon watched as Old Walter turned to the other man and said, ‘Sir… as you can see, it’s already very dangerous. Could you please do something about it?”

Walter and the other old man looked at Roy, his nose bleeding and misaligned.

The benevolent old man nodded. “Yes… This isn’t normal. I can feel it, the pressure, spiritual pressure. Something supernatural here affecting these children, affecting these kids. Gather all the children who are affected into one room.”

Walter looked at Leon. “Hey kid, mind helping bring them down? I’ll fetch the girls. Let’s gather everyone in common room downstairs.”

Leon hesitated for a moment, though he wasn’t stupid, something was clearly wrong. It was better to just go with the flow. He followed the command, lifting the boys onto his shoulders and carrying them back to the common room.

This time, Leon caught a glimpse of old Walter’s caring side. He gently lowered Emilie and Jane onto the floor, unlike certain security guards who had simply dropped the boys without a second thought.

“Uh, just so you know… I used a sleeping substance on them. That’s why they’re not waking up right now,” Leon explained.

Hearing this, old Walter looked at Leon and nodded. “I think we won’t need to use any more sleeping pills after this… You know, since you used that sleeping gel, I might as well confess, I secretly used sleeping gas on the kids so they wouldn’t wake up. Yet somehow these four still managed to wake up and cause trouble.”

Leon froze for a moment, blinking at him. Sleeping gas? No wonder the other kids didn’t stir, even after all his yelling and cursing. Still… it was unsettling to hear the orphanage director admit it so casually.

Wait… does that mean the other kids are like this too?” Leon muttered with a frown. But since Walter had only brought these four, it probably meant they were the only ones with real problems.

the rest had simply been knocked out cold by the sleeping gas. Luckily, they always look energetic when they wake up.. So there is no problem.. Yup…

“Is this all?” the benevolent old man asked, his gaze falling on the four children. Roy’s nose was still bleeding, and Leon didn’t dare reveal the mediject, so he could only let the boy bleed for now.

“Uh… shouldn’t we call an ambulance first? It’s still bleeding,” Leon interrupted, glancing at the benevolent old man.

Walter shook his head, but it was the benevolent old man who spoke. “We don’t have much time. The evil spirit has already taken a deep hold on them, and we must banish it immediately. Please, bring a mattress and some straps so we can restrain them, they mustn’t hurt themselves or anyone else.”

Leon blinked….. This looked just like an exorcism scene from a horror movie.

“Hmm… I still have the Mediject. If Roy’s condition turns critical, I’ll just inject it secretly. Better a crooked nose than bleeding to death” Leon thought.

So Leon moved to prepare a mattress. He didn’t have a belt other than the one he was wearing but he did have some rope….

So Leon tied each kid up like a dumpling, wrapping the mattress around their whole body. For Roy especially, Leon secured pillows all around his head, front, back, and sides.

he front pillow covered most of Roy’s face, but Leon, worried about hurting him, positioned it only around his eyes. That way, if Roy started head-banging, he’d be fine. To make sure it stayed in place, Leon taped it down firmly.

This made the benevolent man’s eye twitch, but he still checked to make sure Leon had tied them securely.

“Are you sure it’s tight?” the old man asked.

Leon could only nod. “Of course—see for yourself,” he said, pointing at the kids.

The old man glanced at the rope marks on their tender skin. Oh, it was tight. Leon hadn’t held back at all… they looked like luggage ready to be shipped.

Seeing this, the old man nodded. “Alright. Be careful, please step back and bring me a glass of water.”

Without waiting, old Walter returned with a glass full of water. The benevolent old man took it, nodded, and said,

“Let’s begin, then…”

To Leon’s surprise, the old man downed the entire glass, then sprayed the water all over the kids. Leon blinked in disbelief, watching their faces drip. Yuck… His expression twisted in disgust, but he kept his mouth shut.

Then, with his left hand, the old man drew out a bell, while his right hand opened the book.

The bell rang…

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ding!

O wandering soul, be still.

By the grace of the Everlight, I cast thee out.

Let false whispers be struck silent,

Let shadows take flight from this child’s heart.

Return in peace to the void from whence you came!

The old man raised both hands high, the book in one, the bell in the other. His voice rang out, rich with meaning and power, each word carrying an elegance like poetry that seemed to stir the air itself.

Leon glanced between the old man and the kids… well, nothing happened. The old man’s face stayed solemn. Once his words ended, he set the book down beside the children and turned his gaze to the bell in his hand.

“O flames of heaven, I command thee..

Burn away the foulness that taints this soul!

O holy wrath, descend in thunder!

Let the light blind the darkness below!”

As he shouted, the old man shook the bell with fervor, its jingling out in sharp, relentless bursts.

Leon looked at the bell… then at the kids… then at the old man.

“It looks fak—” he wanted to finish what he said, but the words stuck in his throat as a strange pressure washed over him.

Flicker… flicker… The ceiling lights trembled, dimming in and out.

No, wait... It wasn’t just the ceiling lights. Even the beam from Leon’s flashlight began to stutter and blink.

Yes, Leon didn’t even have time to switch it off all this time.

Cold sweat ran down old Walter’s back… As for Leon? He was already at the door, peeking left and right before stepping out of the room.

Once he was outside the room, Leon felt only slightly safer. His voice trembled as he muttered,

“‘Sh.. sh*t! What the hell was that?”

“So, you’ve finally shown yourself! Come, witness the wrath of the heavens!!” With that, the old man kept ringing his bell, and the lights began to flicker even faster!

You are seen! You are known! You are unworthy of this vessel! Begone!” the old man roared, his voice so powerful that Leon could hear every word clearly from the doorway.

But Leon felt something was off… he could see it in the old man’s face. Was that… anger? The more the old man shouted, the more furious his expression became.

Leon frowned. Something felt… off. Even though fear overwhelmed his whole body, he still crept forward, slowly… closer… and closer.

“I BANISH THEE, O NIGHT!” the old man roared, veins bulging at his temples.

“I BANISH!! I BANISH!! NOWWW!!” Suddenly, the old man threw the brass bell and lunged forward to choke Emilie. Leon’s eyes bulged, and without thinking, he summoned a stun baton and struck the old man, stunning him.

“AAAHAHHHH!! YOU DEMON SPAWNN!N!N!N!N!NN!N!” this… Leon could hear some faint voices, blending with the old man’s angry shouts, it was like… some kind of high-pitched voice!

At that moment, every light bulb, even all six of Leon’s flashlights, exploded in unison!

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

~silence~

The room fell into darkness. No other sound could be heard, and Leon himself was still shaken.

Leon couldn’t see anything, but his stun baton was still pressed against something. So…. He pushed the button a few more times.

In the silent night, a crackling sound of an electric baton can be heard and a blue light flashed each time… *zzzttt*...*zzzttt*... *zzzttt**zzzttt**zzzttt**zzzttt**zzzttt**zzzttt**zzzttt*

“…Stop… you’ll kill him! I’ll go find a flashlight…” Old Walter, still shaken, couldn’t help but stop Leon..

“I think we need to find more help… after this, it’s going to get much more dangero…” As Old Walter spoke, thunder struck, and in the brief flash of lightning, he saw a small silhouette right behind Leon.

“Leon… behind!” Walter shouted, making Leon jolt and swing his baton wildly toward the back.

*Bang!*

Leon can feel a strong resistance as he hits something!

When he turned his head to look…

Crackle! Boom! Lightning struck again, illuminating a massive figure… a towering silhouette draped in a raincoat.

“Don’t use force… it’s not good for the child,” a hoarse voice murmured, warm breath brushing against Leon.

Then.

flick The figure switched on an emergency lamp attached to his waist with his right hand, and Leon could finally make him out: another benevolent looking old man, bulky in build, clad in a black raincoat.

“Let me handle this child, go back a little” the old man in a raincoat said calmly…

Leon didn’t know what to say. Peering past the old man, he saw Jane’s head being protected by the man’s left hand, right where his baton struck, and at the same time Leon could see Jane bite the old man's hand until it bled….

He could only imagine: if the old man hadn’t intervened, Jane’s small head might have been seriously hurt from the force of his swing. As he could see the old man’s hand turning blue, possibly even broken.