John Victor: The Origins

CHAPTER 11

"John, quick, jump inside!" Fred shouted.

I really wanted to see how he looked like, but Fred demanded me to jump, so I quickly obeyed and leaped inside. I felt like I was traveling on a roller coaster, and suddenly, I was back up at the entrance of Fred's house. The flames were spreading throughout the forest. It must've been the demon king. Nick was waiting there for me with his bike ready.

"John, let's go before we turn into ashes!" he urgently called.

I hopped on my bike, and we sped away. We raced through the woods, trying to escape the fast-spreading fire. As we reached the entrance of St. Christ Woods, an explosion echoed behind us. I slowed down and saw Fred's house exploding into pieces.

"Dude, don't slow down, keep going!" he urged.

"But... what about Fred?" I stammered.

"He'll be fine. He's been battling these creatures for centuries; he'll find a way to escape." he reassured me.

"Yeah, but this isn't an ordinary creature. It's the demon king, and he was terrifyingly huge and scary. Maybe we should have stayed to help Fred." I said worriedly.

"And? Get ourselves killed? Dude, we are no match to put up a fight against him." he said, trying to reason with me.

Nick was right. We would have been killed within seconds. The demon king wasn't there for Fred, but for us. I still couldn't fathom why Fred was sacrificing himself to protect us and our bloodline. Of course, he is like Nick's great great grandfather, but what was the reason behind safeguarding us? Why was the demon king after us? What happened to Fred? My mind was flooded with questions. I decided to talk to my dad when we got home; maybe he would have some answers. I warned Nick not to reveal anything about what happened.

Finally, we reached Nick's home. Our parents were anxiously waiting at the gate, and a police officer stood nearby. They must have contacted the police since we didn't arrive home. We parked our bikes and approached them, and our parents embraced us tightly, relieved to see us safe.

"Where did you both go? Why didn't you answer our calls? We were so worried that something bad happened." Mrs. Richards said, her voice filled with concern.

"We got lost in the woods." Nick replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Didn't we tell you not to venture there when it's dark?" My mom asked, her worry evident.

"Sorry, Mom. We got carried away after getting our new bikes." I responded.

"The important thing is that you both made it back home safely. I just heard that a fire was rapidly spreading in the woods. Do you know anything about it?" the police officer inquired.

"No, officer, we saw the fire spreading and decided to leave immediately." I answered.

"Do you have any idea who might have started it? Did you come across anyone else in the woods?" the officer probed further.

"No, officer, we didn't encounter anyone else there." I lied, and Nick nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll take my leave now. Goodnight, everyone. Inform me if you find out anything about this incident." the officer requested.

"Sure, officer, we'll keep you informed." I assured him.

"Goodnight, officer." we all said as he left.

As we stepped inside the house, our parents bombarded us with all sorts of advice and questions. Nick and I sat on the couch, nodding and pretending to listen, but our minds were still consumed by the events of the day. I couldn't shake off the memories of what had occurred in the woods. The fire and the enigmatic figure, the demon king – it all seemed so surreal. My primary concern was Fred; I couldn't shake off the worry about what might have happened to him.