Love, Basketball and Demons

Chapter 3: The Party

The sun was still yawning over the horizon, shedding its remaining light through the basketball court windows. Zack's breaths came in short, rhythmic bursts, as he leaped and spun mid-air, the ball gliding effortlessly from his fingertips and through the hoop. The coach, arms crossed, gave an impressed nod.

"Alright, alright! That's enough showboating for one morning," Coach barked, a hint of a smile betraying his gruff demeanor. "Zack, Boon, Kristian, and Rob - you four are the freshmen joining the team. Good work today."

Boon beamed, slapping Zack on the shoulder, but Rob's expression was clouded with concern. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something unnatural happening here, ever since Zack told him about the weird feelings he had been having. Zack's movements were too fast, his reflexes too sharp. If something really did happen to Zack then it all came back to the night they were separated in the woods, what was the mark on Zack's back?

"Hey, man, you okay?" Zack asked, noticing Rob had entered another one of his thought spirals.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just...congrats on making the team, Zack," Rob replied, forcing a smile. But that voice in the back of his head was screaming that he had to find out the truth.

"Thanks, dude! You too!" Zack said, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

Later that day, in their shared dorm room, Rob sat hunched over his laptop, poring over articles on demonology and supernatural phenomena. What had started as a simple search for symbols and sudden powers had turned into a rabbit hole of theories and symbolism? He was determined to find some explanation for how Zack could hear things and feel things no one else could.

Zack returned from a run, sweat glistening on his muscular frame, and noticed Rob's intense focus. "Hey, what's got you so worked up?"

"Zack, have you ever heard of vessels?" Rob asked cautiously, his eyes not leaving the screen.

"Vessels? Like...ships?" Zack raised an eyebrow, confusion etched on his face.

"No, no. In some religions, a vessel is a person who's been possessed or imbued with powers from a higher being, like a demon or an angel," Rob explained as he continued to read. "I was thinking back to the night you looked so scared and had that symbol on your back and while I haven't found the exact symbol, this is what seems to come up in every Google search.."

Zack's face drained of color, it couldn't have been a dream not if Rob had seen it too. He felt his stomach churn and his legs felt weak, as his mind tried to make sense of it all.

"Me? A vessel?" Zack scoffed. "You've been reading too many of those horror novels, man." He was desperate to convince himself they were both seeing things.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but they say the mark was associated with gifts of strength, health, and power. The only real documentation is over a hundred years old. It just all lines up with what you told me and what I saw," Rob said earnestly, finally looking up from his laptop and meeting his friend's gaze.

Zack hesitated for a moment, his easygoing nature giving way to the weight of Rob's words. He paced around the room, fangs and claws absent but his eyes flickering with a dim pink glow. Ultimately, he shook his head, unwilling to accept the possibility.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Rob, but I'm sure there's a rational explanation for all of this," Zack said, though uncertainty lingered in his voice. "Right now, let's just focus on the party tonight and forget about demons and vessels, alright?"

"Alright, but if this is real, then we need to be careful. Several myths claim that strong emotions can cause a vessel to lose control. " Rob explained, albeit reluctantly. He turned his laptop, hoping that Zack would take a look. Zack's eyes scanned the page taking in what it said but unsure if a single internet article could really be trusted, still the thought that all this could be true was now seeded in Zack's mind.