Guardian Angel

"Y-you…" This guy… I've seen him before. "You're the groundskeeper, right? You've got to help me!"

I have no idea why they're here but I'm saved! Maybe I could even have them help me look for my camera.

The two other men start wandering around like they're looking out for something.

"Calm down. First off, did something happen?" His articulation is as eerie as ever.

How do I even begin? And without sounding crazy too.

I told him the gist of what happened to me: how I heard a loud noise on the 2nd floor and investigating it; how I got locked in a room after getting violently pushed there; and about the unnatural imposter who moonlighted as my junior from school.

He didn't show much reaction to most of what I told him except for the final one.

And it wasn't only him. It also caught the attention of the two men with him.

"That's…" muttered by one.

"This means…" uttered the other.

What are they whispering about? They're seriously giving me the chills.

"Please help me." I can only plead to them. I even tried to cry crocodile tears to the other two to illicit a reaction.

Suddenly, I feel the hard end of a 2×2 hit the back of my head.

My vision quickly went blurry as my head hit the floor.

Everything went dark but my consciousness was still holding on. I hear some of their conversation before I completely collapse.

"Mr. Maezawa. Does that mean…"

"Yes. He's awake. We must hurry and offer her as sacrifice. Perhaps King Baal would be appeased by this one."

"Hey, help me carry her."

….

It's so dark. My body aches so much from everything. My mind can't focus on anything right now.

I feel my arms floating in the air as both my knees and feet scrape the ground.

I want to scream for help—scream to the heavens—but I feel something lodged deep inside my mouth.

Murmurs are heard on both sides. They only have evil things to say.

"Carry her properly!"

"I am! Not my fault this girl is heavy."

These people are truly evil.

There's a creaking noise ahead, like a weathered wooden door being opened.

"Hurry. Time is of the essence. The lost spirits in this place are relentless." The voice sounded like the groundskeeper.

That man… Just who the hell is he? I should've trusted my gut feeling and ran away the moment I saw him.

The twos' pace quicken. Their grip on my wrists tighten as they're pretty much dragging me at this point.

Shortly after, they dropped me on the ground face-first.

There's a rather metallic odor swirling around this room.

My eyesight is still blurry but I can make out some details in the room: it's being dimly lit by candles mounted on the walls; there's some sort of altar ahead of me in the middle of the room; and the metallic stench I've been inhaling is dried blood.

Definitely not things that are normal for a hospital even for the standards several decades ago.

Everything is just starting to hit me all at once. I'm about to be sacrificed to a demon by these cultists!

And if I remember correctly, they said "King Baal"? That's a high-ranking demon! What's someone like that doing here in Japan of all places?!

I shot a glance at the three cultists and they seem to be preparing for the ritual.

The room is too poorly lit for me to discern what they're preparing specifically but the groundskeeper pulling something out of a sheath made my blood turn cold.

If I am to make a run for it, it has to be now.

They didn't bother binding my arms and feet so I can still properly escape.

But no matter how much willpower I muster, my body just wouldn't respond to me.

Is this really it? 17 years of life culminated just to be sacrificed to a demon by some cultists?

I can't accept that! I started screaming with the gag still in my mouth, trying to awaken something inside me.

"Mmmm! Mmmm."

The muffled squeal catches the attention of the three as they make their way towards me.

"Finally awake?" The groundskeeper grabbed me by the hair and dragged me closer to the altar. "You should've stayed asleep, girl. You wouldn't have to feel pain that way."

Tears start to swell on my eyes. I beg them to reconsider through muffled cries to no avail.

He places the dagger-like weapon on my throat as he, and the other two, started chanting in a different language.

No! God, please no! I don't want to die. At least not in the hands of these monsters. Somebody… anybody—save me!

Right then, the groundskeeper started choking on his words.

The perplexing sight made the other two tongue-tied as well.

I couldn't see what was exactly happening but the groundskeeper loosens his grip of the dagger as both men scream in terror.

"M-Mr. Maezawa!"

Above me, I hear several crackling sounds like bones snapping and folding on top of itself. The twos' hysterical screams filled the room.

The snapping sounds abruptly comes to an end as what I can only describe as a ball of crimson red flesh launches at the altar, completely destroying it.

"Were we too late?!" screamed by one of the cultists.

"No! This is something different!" cried the other.

A cacophony of footsteps pass by me as the couple makes their escape.

I don't know if they ever made it but I heard the same crackling sounds of bones breaking from a distance.

With my body still unresponsive, all I could do is lie in wait. My fate will be decided by whoever or whatever killed these cultists.

Perhaps they're my savior or simply someone, or something, with a taste for blood.

I feel something get closer to me, though, when I shoot a glance at where I think it is, there was nobody there.

The suspense is going to kill me!

To my surprise, nothing horrible happened to me. If anything, I think it even tried to help me as it carefully dislodged the cloth that they stuck in my mouth.

I cough out the saliva that welled up inside—I was starting to feel better.

The wave of relief wash over me as my eyes grow heavier by the second.

It's been a lengthy night. The investigation was more than I bargained for and I ended up in a predicament that I could never even imagine being a part of.

How do I even tell the rest of the club about this, I wonder? Would they even understand?

Well, I'm sure that, no matter what, Soma-kun would believe me.

I close my eyes, unable to resist my body's physiological needs.

Despite the foul location I was at, I slept like a log.

…

"Kasumi-chan!"

That voice…

"Kasumi-chan?!"

Such a calming voice.

"Father Luca! I found her! Fifth floor at the end of the hall." A static noise played after the boy spoke.

"We're heading there now." Another voice replied in english, followed by another static noise.

"Don't worry, Kasumi-chan. You're safe now." I feel the embrace of his leather jacket over my torso, enveloping me with warmth.

I then feel his arms go under my body and within seconds, I'm floating.

"I'm not he…avy… am I?" I let out a weak whimper.

"Don't talk for now. You're quite dehydrated. There's water in the van." His pace quickens.

I could still barely open my eyes but I could hear just fine.

Soma-kun's breath is rugged as he carries me and yet, still he pushes on.

Some people joined us along the way, one of them being Soma-kun's guardian and mentor, Father Luca. He's a man of few words. Probably because he can't speak Japanese all that well.

Eventually, we make it out the abandoned hospital as the sunrise hit my face. It feels so damn good. I could finally breathe in fresh air.

Soma-kun sat me up inside the van and had me drink a bottle of water. It was refreshing. I can open my eyes fully now but my body is still incapacitated.

Father Luca started the van and we quickly drive our way out.

On the car drive home, Soma-kun started a conversation with me.

"Kasumi-chan… Just what happened." He had a shocked expression. I couldn't blame him. I am too.

My throat feels normal thanks to the water. I think I can talk properly now.

I told him everything that happened last night: about my investigation and about the cultists too.

Father Luca and the other clergymen listened in, though, I'm not entirely sure if they can understand the language well.

Their expressions immediately shifted when I mentioned King Baal though.

At the end of my recollection, everyone was appalled by what they've heard that the entire van, save for the radio that was playing music, was dead silent.

Soma-kun embraced me and pulled me closer to his chest. "I'm sorry, Kasumi-chan. I didn't know. I thought you'd be safe there; that's why I recommended it."

Now this is the Soma-kun that I know. No chance that he's an imposter.

At a stoplight, Father Luca called someone on his phone.

Now that I think about it, where is my phone? And the camera too.

"Soma-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Did you happen to find my phone and camera? I don't have it with me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't see anything." He turns to the back seats where the other clergymen were sitting. He started speaking in English—I assume to ask them if they've seen my stuff. "They haven't seen it too, sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."

"It's alright. I was just thinking of messaging mom and dad. They must be worried sick."

"I can call them for you if you'd like."

"That'd be nice."

But before he could dial my mom's phone number, Father Luca seized his attention.

I couldn't understand much of what he's saying. I wish I paid more attention in English class.

They started having an intense back-and-forth, completely changing the mood in the car.

Soma-kun then looked me straight in the eyes with uncertainty, like he's unwilling to say the things he's going to say.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, a bit frightened.

"This isn't something I wanted to invite you in, but Father Luca insists. As he said, it isn't an easy feat to encounter a demon and also its cult and live to tell the tale. He wants to take you under his wing and join our association."

There's a glaringly obvious hint of concern on Soma-kun's face. I'm sure he simply doesn't want me in harm's way. That said, something like this is exactly what I wanted: to be able to go on paranormal investigations with a group who are just as interested and enthusiastic as me.

I'm sure Soma-kun will understand; he can even watch over me, and I over him.

With my decision made, I look ahead and reply with the best English accent I could muster.

"I will."