Chapter II : Waylen

Sometimes, Jett wished his dreams were more accurate. He thought, “Oh boy! A water park will be much more fun than a creepy hotel.” That was until they pulled into an empty parking lot with a very abandoned water park. Jett and Aeon sat in silence as he turned off the car.

“So, this person you dreamed about. What exactly do they do?”

Jett’s hands gripped the steering wheel before exhaling a sigh.

“An urban explorer named Waylen.”

Inside the abandoned water park, a strawberry-haired male with freckles, glasses, and dark green eyes was filming himself talking about the park and showing some of its buildings.

“This is Waylen signing off! See you in the next video.” The young man ended the recording and pocketed his phone, then took the camera from around his neck to take some photos.

He didn’t see the man watching him from afar, a grin on his face.

Jett and Aeon exited the car and grabbed some gear from the boot.

“Do you think Oren is already here?” the clairvoyant asked.

“Possibly, but he would need more time to recover than that,” the exorcist replied, shifting the bag on his shoulder. “Plus, the energy I sense is very faint, so he may be using someone’s eyes to see where the next target is.”

Jett nodded and looked around. The water park wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t decayed, abandoned, and haunted. Upon entering the park, they both heard a scream for further help.

Glancing at each other, they sprinted, heading toward the noise.

He came upon Waylen, who was running away from someone, stumbling and holding a hand over his injured left arm. As the strawberry-haired male came across Jett and Aeon, he uttered a trembling voice and a curse.

“Fucking run!”

The clairvoyant stopped, pulling the exorcist out of the way.

“What is he running from?”

“It may be a wild guess, but it’s probably that guy.” Aeon pointed at the man who was watching Waylen earlier, slowly walking with a knife in his hands and cackling to himself.

“Is he possessed?!”

“A minor demon, but yes. He might be a minion of Oren’s sent here to watch over his next target.”

“That’s just wonderful.” Jett thought to himself. Aeon dug through their bag, pulling out something simple to expel the minor demon possessing the man with the knife.

The clairvoyant was confused by what was in the exorcist’s hand.

“Is that black salt?”

“Yes, with sage.” Aeon opened the bottle and poured some out in his hand, throwing it at the man, who stopped in his tracks and dropped to the ground, the knife skittering off to the side.

Black smoke rose from his body and disappeared.

“Does that mean he’s okay to touch now?” Jett asked.

The exorcist nodded. “Yeah. It should be fine.”

Slowly approaching the man, the clairvoyant helped him to his feet, and with Aeon’s help, they carried him out of the abandoned park. Out of his car, Waylan was wrapping up his arm to stop the bleeding. His dark green eyes widened when he saw them walk out with the unconscious man. “You brought that guy out here?!” the strawberry-haired man cried out in panic as he backed away.

“Don’t worry, this guy won’t hurt you. Honor here took care of it.”

Waylen’s eyes became as big as saucers. “Oh god! Is he dead?”

The exorcist shook their head. “No, he isn’t dead.”

Putting the man in the back seat of his car, Jett explained to Waylen about the man who had been previously possessed by a minor demon. A minion of Oren, a monster who was hunting Waylen for his soul. “You mean to tell me that a literal demon is going to hunt me down and take my soul?” the strawberry-haired man scoffed, baffled by how insane it sounded.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Aeon and I are here to protect you,” the clairvoyant said. Waylen laughed, looking at the two in front of him. He thought, “This had to be a prank.” He packed up his things. “Waylen, you need to head home,” warned Aeon.

“No way! Do you have any idea how long it took me to be able to come here and get a video?” huffed the strawberry-haired male as he finished loading up his car. “You could be in danger if you stay here,” Jett interjected. Waylen turned to face Jett and sighed. “Look, if you’re so scared about my safety, come back tonight. I’m going to see if this place is really haunted,” he grinned, his dark green eyes shining.

“Then we’ll join you.” Aeon adds.

The clairvoyant blinked, turning his head towards his partner, clearly confused. Did he really say that they would be joining Waylen ghost hunting? The strawberry-haired male could see Jett’s face pale, and an amused smile crossed his lips.

“You’re not scared of a few ghosts, are you?” Waylen teased the clairvoyant, who shook his head.

“I’m not scared.” Jett snapped even when he was visibly shaken.

“Sure, you’re not.”

“If you two children are done fighting, we should get this man to a hospital,” said Aeon, stepping between them and looking at the strawberry-haired male. “What time will you be returning to capture your footage?”

Waylen scratched his head and looked down at his watch.

“Around seven when the sun goes down.” He paused as if in thought.

“Why do you two want to join?”

“Like Jett explained to you, I’m an exorcist, and he is a clairvoyant.”

“Yeah, he did say that. So then, was that guy really possessed?”

“Yes, he was.”

Waylen slowly sank to the ground, putting his head in his hands as realization finally sank in. There really was a demon coming after his soul. It wasn’t a joke or a gimmick. Or some prank.

“What do I have to do?” the strawberry-haired male asked, looking up at Jett and Aeon. “To fight this thing coming after me?” The exorcist explained that for Oren to reach Waylen, he would need to possess a suitable body—one that would guide him to his location. Since Oren already knew where Waylen was, all he needed to do was find his vessel.

To fight against Oren, Waylen would have to take necessary measures.

“Getting you somewhere safe is the first step. Then, we must protect the room from Oren entering by placing a talisman on or by the door. Finally, we exorcise Oren from his chosen vessel,” said Aeon as the strawberry-haired male listened intently.

“T-this will work, right?” Waylen asked, his voice quivering.

Jett nodded. “I’ve seen Aeon do this once before. He hasn’t failed an exorcism yet.”

The strawberry-haired man whined, “Man, don’t you know the saying, don’t jinx it?” He paced next to his car, biting his thumb, his mind elsewhere. “There is a camping area near here; let’s check in. They have cabins, so we won’t be cramped in a tent.”

Aeon looked at the clairvoyant. “That sounds like a plan. When we get there, let’s call an ambulance for the man.” Following Waylen to the campground, an old wooden sign at the entrance read Rustic Retreat. The paint peeled and chipped from its letters. Parking beside each other, they went inside to rent a cabin; once they procured one, they followed directions to the Angel Tear cabin. Which Jett felt was ironic in a way.

An ambulance was called, and they picked up the man who had been previously possessed. Aeon spent time talking to them before leaving. “Is everything okay?” the clairvoyant asked.

“Yeah. He’ll be okay, just dehydrated and exhausted. Apparently, he has been missing and lives a few counties over,” replied the exorcist.

“So, the minor demon made him travel that far?”

“Seems that way.”

“Hey, is that guy going to be okay?” Waylen questioned, walking over.

Aeon explained the man’s situation as Jett opened the boot of his car, retrieving his and the exorcists’ belongings. He handed them their bag, and they accepted it with a thank you.

“We should get set up inside,” the exorcist instructed, heading up the cabin stairs. Once inside, Aeon wasted no time in setting up protective boundaries. Waylen watched in fascination, his hand resting on his chin. He was oddly calm, considering that he had been whimpering and scared not too long ago. “Interesting, isn’t it?” said the clairvoyant, making the strawberry-haired male jump and shriek. “You, okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Nah, man, I’m okay. Just, um, doing some vocal exercises for later, y’know, when I record at the water park.” Waylen cleared his throat, sat down, and added, “Should we order some lunch?”

Lunch sounded amazing right now. When they were driving in, Jett did remember seeing a canteen. “Why not the canteen?” he suggested, and Aeon agreed.

“You guys don’t want takeout?” the strawberry-haired male pouted as he put his phone away and got ready to order an XL pizza. The exorcist shook his head. “No, there could be a possibility that whoever shows up with the pizza could be Oren.”

Waylen chuckled, amused at the thought, “A demonic pizza delivery guy.”

He stood, adding, “Now, that would be interesting.”

The three made their way to the canteen, with Honor glancing around, keeping alert to their surroundings. Once inside, they lined up to pick up trays and drinks. “This makes me feel like I’m in school again,” Jett remarked, looking at what the cafeteria offered.

The strawberry-haired male made a face, pushing his glasses onto his nose.

“Man, I hated school. I was always picked on and ate my lunch alone in an empty classroom,” Waylen mumbled.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Kids can be cruel to each other,” the exorcist commented as he picked up a burger and inspected it before placing it on his tray.

Waylen waved it off. “Eh, the classroom I hid in was supposedly haunted, so they stayed away. I avoided them as much as possible and was able to graduate in peace.”

As they headed to check out, the strawberry-haired male paused before asking, “Aeon, why is Oren after me?”

Overhearing this, the clairvoyant knew that this question was coming.

The three sat down together.

“Oren is after you because of your unique soul.” Aeon spoke low, just enough for their companions to hear. Oren needed these souls to gain more power. The demon needed a total of four souls.

“What’s so great about it?” Waylen asked, taking a bite of pizza.

“My soul, I mean.” The exorcist took a moment to think of how to answer the strawberry-haired male: “Each person inherits something from their family line. Sometimes more than others; it’s strong spiritual energy.” They took a bite of their burger and placed it down, chewing before adding, “That energy is what makes demons stronger.”

Waylen wiped his fingers on his napkin, letting out some nervous laughter.

“You’re joking, right?”

“It’s not a joke, my guy, or else we wouldn’t be here,” said Jett.

The strawberry-haired male looked from Aeon to the clairvoyant, smiling and laughing until his expression soon turned to a frown, seeing that their expressions didn’t change.

“Oh shit, you aren’t joking.” Waylen paled, sitting upright, his hands visibly shaking, and looked around as if he would see anyone suspicious. The exorcist shook their head. “Relax, Waylen. When he comes here, we will know,” said Aeon.

The exorcist didn’t want to make the strawberry-haired male panic, but Oren was close. They couldn’t pinpoint the location precisely since the demon’s energy was still relatively weak.

Aeon knew that Oren would be after them soon.

A cook stared at a wall in the canteen kitchen, his body twitching slightly.

His head turning and sniffing the air as if searching for something, he turns slowly, dragging his feet to look out the circular window to where Waylen was sitting with Jett and Aeon, making him snarl. Of course, the exorcist and clairvoyant would beat him here. After Aeon hurt him badly last time, it took him a bit to recover, and he was still weak.

He would have to go after some smaller prey for now to regain some energy. Walking to the break room, he grabbed the cook’s coat and car keys from his locker and exited the back of the canteen. Oren would leave here to collect some energy, and when he returned, he would be ready for Aeon.

As the car peeled out of the driveway, the exorcist watched it, keeping their eyes on the man behind the wheel. So that’s the body he has chosen, they said to themselves. Jett broke Aeon from their thoughts, gently tapping his hand with his own.

“Hey, you, okay?” questioned the clairvoyant.

“Yeah, I’m okay. We should get back to the cabin if we are done.”

Waylen looked between the two and whispered, “Is Oren on the move?”

The exorcist nodded and stood up with his tray. “He’s found a body.”

Walking back to the cabin, the three began setting up protection measures to keep Oren out and Waylen safe. “Has Oren ever gotten past any of this?” the strawberry-haired male asked, motioning to the talismans, incense, and herb pouches. Aeon shook their head. “No, he hasn’t. Oren would have to be much stronger to be immune to these. It’s why he is searching for strong souls.”

“Can I ask you something?” questioned Waylen.

“Sure, go ahead,” answered the exorcist.

“Oren, he was an exorcist before he became a demon, right? So, what drove him to, y’know, want to quit doing his original job?”

“It was power. Oren felt that, as an exorcist, he was weak and saw how strong the demons we dealt with were and wanted to be like them.”

“He wanted to be like the demons you guys exorcised?!”

Aeon nodded. “Yes. Our teacher said that Oren was a weak exorcist because he gave in to temptation too easily.”

Waylen sat on the edge of his seat. “If we stop him here, will he come back and try to steal my soul again?” he picked at the skin around his fingernails.

“No, I will protect you once we beat him here.”

“Don’t worry,” Jett interjected. “Aeon is really good at their job. They already saved someone before we met you.”

The strawberry-haired male paled. “So, Oren has already attempted to steal a soul before mine.” The exorcist nodded, walking over to the window and surveying the area. “It will be dark soon.” They looked over their shoulder at the other two individuals in the room.

“Ah, the recording of the waterpark!” exclaimed Waylen, standing up and going over to his bag to pick it up. The clairvoyant walked after him. “You can’t go! What if Oren finds you?”

The strawberry-haired male picked up a talisman and put it in his pocket.

“I’ll take this with me and call you if I run into trouble.” Waylen left the cabin. Aeon looked at Jett. “Follow him. If you run into trouble, then call me.”

“How will you get there?”

“I have my ways.”

The clairvoyant was surprised. “Are you sure you’re a normal exorcist?”

Aeon laughed. “Get going.”

Jett didn’t want to leave the exorcist by himself, but he couldn’t let anything happen to Waylen either; he tailed behind, his headlights turned off, driving by the light that the streetlights provided, making sure not to get too close.

Waylen parked in the old parking lot of the abandoned water park and got out to gather his belongings. The clairvoyant gave the strawberry-haired man plenty of time to go inside, and Jett took his chance to park and go inside to find out where Waylen had gone.

IIt didn’t take long to find him since his hushed whisper came from one of the attractions. Jett quietly walked around the corner, peeking. He just needed to keep an eye on him until Aeon got here. It felt easier said than done.

The car’s rumbling engine made the clairvoyant look towards the parking lot. Its headlights shone through the gaps of the attraction. The clairvoyant moved silently to get a closer look at who had arrived, and when he saw the cook from the Angel Tear campground, he cursed under his breath.

“That has to be Oren,” Jett said to himself. Taking out his phone, he sent a message to Aeon, telling them that Oren was there. His cell phone vibrated within seconds with a reply.

“Hide with Waylen, and I will be there soon.”

The clairvoyant crept, making his way to Waylen, who was about to scream when Jett covered his hand over his mouth and moved them further inside. The strawberry-haired male mouthed, “What’s going on?” as he was being led further into the abandoned park. “He’s here,” Jett whispered, looking at the other male, who paled.

Oren stretched, cracking his bones. He had found small meals to restore some of the energy he needed to heal. As he was standing there, the ex-exorcist sniffed the air. Oren could tell that Waylen was close. He may have lost his chance to get Althea, but he would take his chance on the second soul.

The ex-exorcist made his way inside. Whistling Suicide” by Frankie Teardrop with a smile. Aeon finally made it to the abandoned water park and sent Jett a quick message that they were there. Running into the park, he searched for where the clairvoyant and strawberry-haired man could have gone.

Their phone vibrated, and they froze upon seeing the message.

“It’s Waylen. Jett is hurt badly. He protected me from Oren, and I’m afraid he might lose too much blood. We’re at the big slide with the faded sea creature designs.”

The exorcist needed to reach them soon before something terrible happened to the two of them. Picking up speed, they began running as fast as they could, spotting the old, enormous slide in the distance. Oren watched from his spot at one of the old kiddie pools as he tossed aside some debris. If Aeon was heading in that direction, he knew exactly where the other two had scurried off to.

Slowly following behind the exorcist, the demon could wait till all three of them were together. Kill the two he didn’t need and claim his prize afterward. Satisfied with his plan, Oren continued onwards, keeping an eye on Aeon. He wasn’t unaware that the exorcist knew he was trailing him, so he managed to lose him in a maze created by debris and age.

Aeon reached the injured Jett and panicked Waylen. Working quickly, he patched up the clairvoyant’s wound. “We need to get him to the car. I want you to stay there and call an ambulance, and I’ll handle Oren,” said the exorcist. The strawberry-haired male nodded and lifted Jett’s arm over his shoulder as Aeon did.

With the clairvoyant and Waylen at the car, the exorcist walked back in, meeting the demon in the middle. “I should have known when I lost sight of you that you found them before me,” muttered Oren.

“You should just stop this, Oren. Go back to hell where you belong.”

The ex-exorcist frowned. “I thought you’d be happy to see me again. We used to be partners.”

“That’s just it. We used to be,” snapped Aeon, taking out the wooden rod.

Oren snarled. “That won’t work on me twice!”

“Oh?” the exorcist arched a brow. “I modified it a little bit. I think you’ll find it a bit more painful.”

The demon scoffed, running at Aeon, who sidestepped, nailing Oren on the back of the neck with the flat end of the rod. The exorcist screamed, holding the back of his neck and hissing as he glared over his shoulder. As soon as he did, Oren was met with a face of Florida water, and he took a deep breath and fell over.

With him on the ground, Aeon wiped something red over the engraved symbol on the rod’s tip and stamped it on the demon’s forehead. The cook’s body, which he was possessing, shook and gasped as the grey and black smoke rose up from it and disappeared. The sound of wailing sirens echoed in the background.

The exorcist sighed, picking up the cook, looping his arm around his neck, and supporting his weight as he was met by a paramedic who helped him take the unconscious cook to the ambulance, where they were examining Jett.

“Aeon, you’re okay,” the clairvoyant smiled, wincing as he was poked and prodded.

“Don’t worry about me. How is your injury?”

“They said the gashes he got were pretty deep, and he needed stitches,” said Waylen, fidgeting in place as he watched the cook be loaded into the back of the ambulance.

“Don’t worry. Oren is gone—at least for now,” said the exorcist with a tired smile. The strawberry-haired male nodded and crossed his arms. “Thank you. If it hadn’t been for you two, I don’t know what could have happened to me.”

Aeon patted him on the shoulder, and after Jett was stitched up, the three went back to the campground for the night. Once morning came, they went their separate ways. Aeon loaded all their things into the boot, along with the clairvoyant, who got into the passenger seat as the exorcist would be driving.

When Aeon got behind the wheel, he looked at Jett.

“Where to now?”

“What do you feel about corn mazes?” the clairvoyant responded.