It's A Wonderful Afterlife (Sequel to 'A New Life')

Chapter 5: Returning

Delia regained her composure and pushed Betelgeuse as hard as she could, seeing him stumble and fall on his bum. She pulled Remus inside after that, quickly locking the door behind her.

"Guys, you have to get here RIGHT NOW!" Delia screamed loudly. The rest of the family rushed over to investigate. They exchanged puzzled looks with Remus.

"What happened, honey?" Charles enquired of his wife.

"I opened the door and Betel—that demon was with this kid." Delia clarified. A light bulb flashed out in Charles's mind when he heard the word "demon."

"WHAT IS HE DOING IN THIS PLACE?" Charles let out a yell. Lydia looked Remus in the eyes, maybe the most concerned of all of them. She was barely seven inches taller than he was.

"Has he harmed you?" she said, seizing Remus's face and rotating it in all directions, looking for any signs of injury. As she raised up his sleeve, revealing the very evident scars from both his former foster parents and himself, he flinched, pushed away, and pulled his arm back down. He turned back and fumbled for the doorknob, which he tried to turn. He had no way out since Delia locked it, and he was terrified, stuck in a house with strangers he didn't know.

"Kid, don't worry, it'll be okay." Delia tried to soothe him. Remus knelt against the door, defensively placing his hands to his face. He said,

"Don't hurt me."

"What?" Lydia inquired, concerned. The family heard a loud poof behind them and whirled around quickly to see the demon with deep red hair standing there.

"Leave him alone!" he hissed, his eyes blazing blood red and his fangs exposed. Remus vanished in an instant, with a cloud of orchid-colored smoke. Betelgeuse hurriedly glanced about, but in a cloud of laguna, he felt himself being kicked in the stomach. His arms came around him and grasped his stomach with a grunt. The two Maitlands who had just transported down from the attic were now striking punches at the demon. Betelgeuse scrambled to his feet, but the two ghosts began repeatedly ramming his head into the wall as soon as he was up. He collapsed onto his knees and raised his hands in front of his face as he cowered against the wall after they drove his head against the wall one more time and hit his side. The Maitlands appeared to have sparked something in his mind, according to the family. The two ghosts felt awful in some manner; they didn't know why, but they did. He was a twisted, unstable psychopath full of malicious intent in their heads. When he collapsed fully, the two concluded the demon had gotten what he deserved and rushed into the living room, where the young kid had been hidden. Even though the demon was comatose, Barbara stood protectively in front of the boy, evidently unwilling to allow the demon to pass when he was to come around. Remus shook and curled in on himself, whimpering and hiding his ears with his hands as he rocked back and forth.

"You're okay, honey. Did he hurt you in any way? Didn't he injure you?" Barbara was the one who inquired. Remus remained silent. He remained terrified, wishing the dark figures with devilish eyes and awful whispers would simply go. He was in desperate need of Betelgeuse. He caught sight of the unconscious demon as well as the massive crack in the wall caused by the Maitlands banging the demon's head against it repeatedly. When the adolescent kid balled up and convulsed, no one knew what was going on. Unfortunately, his PTSD was exacerbated when he began hallucinating the former foster family's vicious words. The demon jolted awake, wiping his forehead and inspecting the blood trickling down his fingers and down his suit.

The Deetzes bolted to keep Remus safe from the demon. In the direction of Charles, Remus made a series of grabby gestures. They all exchanged puzzled looks, which intensified when they saw he was reaching for someone behind him. Betelgeuse. They backed away slowly, allowing Remus to sprint up to the demon and leap into his arms, crying uncontrollably.