Protectors- Consequence

Chapter Five: Demons

Zachary had gotten back home after a very long shift with the force. It was around three in the morning when the monotonous sound of his wife's garage opening announced his arrival to the empty suburban street. The garage door opened with his body as he slipped into the living room, but there she was, waiting for the right moment to greet him,

"Good morning," She embraced him, "I've got water on the bedside table for you, my taxi to the airport leaves in a couple of hours,"

Of course, she was flying out for work on that day. Zachary merely nodded, before walking into the bedroom and getting changed briefly, then slipping into bed and into an uneasy sleep, failing to see the missed call from Adam that appeared on his phone. 

Waking at around twelve, Zachary instantly broke into his morning routine. Without help of his abilities, he hit a long gym workout, staying clear of the sloth of his devices before he hopped in the pool, swimming lengths to stretch the muscles. He clambered from the edge of the pool, and eventually deciding that he wanted to catch a movie later in the day. He opened his phone to check cinema times when he saw the voicemail from Adam, opening it, his friend's desperate voice rang loud and clear, and Zachary knew that he was deadly serious. Not even an hour later, the police-car pulled up at the place where Noctum was staying, neatly manicured lawns encapsulating large driveways, all of which seemed to be empty. He knocked briskly on the door,

"Coming!" A woman's voice floated through the house to his ears, before the door swung open,

She stood there, around 5 foot 9, golden hair tied back in a ponytail. A large mask covered her face, but her blue eyes seemed to recognise him from somewhere,

"You're Zachary, right?" She asked, "Adam said a lot about you. Come in, there's some cakes in and I can put on some coffee,"

Zachary did not trust her, wasn't that what Noctum had said? He stayed calm as he entered the house. It wasn't the fanciest thing, but it was nice and spacious, and as he moved through the hallways, he noticed that there was a basement, something uncommon for that part of the world,

"Don't go in there," The woman stated, "that's where I keep the garbage until we put it outside for bin day,"

Despite his temptation to just check anyway, Zachary steered clear of the basement, reasoning that he could use his power at any time he wanted to break down the door if he had to. A faint citrus scent filled the air as he wandered through to the living room, where Zachary took a seat, refusing the offered pound cake but taking the hot coffee. Adam walked through at that moment, and Zachary stood quickly, facing his friend,

"Are you alright?" He asked swiftly, "You sounded really bad over the phone,"

"What are you on about?" Adam asked, confused, "I didn't phone anybody,"

"You did!" Zachary felt his frustration build, "you sounded very afraid, said something about not believing you, that there was something really wrong,"

"Please sit down," Noctum said, his face a mix of anger and confusion, "and don't come into our house shouting about a phone call that never happened," 

Zachary collapsed into the chair, his head spinning. He had no idea what was happening, but he suddenly felt very disorientated, even nauseous,

"What's happening?" Noctum asked, his voice sounding distant, as if spoken through a waterfall,

Zachary staggered to his feet, stumbling through the house as someone yelled about calling an ambulance, before he fell to the floor, unconscious.

He awoke what felt like an eternity later, fully alert. He had been placed on the living room's couch,

"So much for the damn movie," He muttered, standing up straight,