Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

48: ZADE

As the scroll unfurled in my hands, it was like opening a thousand-year-old takeout menu written in a language no one had ordered from in centuries. Zade was squinting at it, muttering something about it looking more complicated than his tax forms. Jasper, of course, was just as confused.

"Okay, so... any idea what part of this mumbo jumbo is supposed to close a portal to hell?" Zade asked, half-serious, half-panicking.

I rubbed my temples. "Maybe it's the part where we don't accidentally summon more demons, huh?"

Jasper tapped a particularly intricate section. "This looks promising... or it could be a recipe for soup. Either way, we don't have time for a deep read."

Zade snorted. "Well, we could wing it—what's the worst that could happen? Oh right, the apocalypse."

We began to utter the spell and the ground shook. We looked up to see Enrique, in all his grotesque glory, storming towards us like some kind of demented boss battle.

And then, with zero hesitation, he threw a sword right at us. A freaking sword.

"DUCK!" I yelled, and the three of us hit the ground like synchronized swimmers—if synchronized swimming involved dodging sharp death at high speeds. The sword sailed over our heads, embedding itself into a tree with a satisfying thunk.

"That was close," Zade muttered, brushing dirt off his jacket. "Who knew hell portals came with free weaponry?"

"That was Enrique, you stupid bastard!" Jasper said.

Before any of us could process how ridiculous this was getting, Trevor sprang into action. In the blink of an eye, plunged his sword into Enrique's chest.

Enrique's monstrous face twisted in agony, and for a second, I almost pitied him. Almost.

As Enrique staggered back, clutching his wound, the entire battlefield went still for a moment. Trevor stood there, breathing hard, eyes blazing red like he'd just pulled off the most epic finishing move in a video game.

"Nice stabbing," Enrique let out a laugh that echoed ominously through the chaos. "Really, Trevor? A sword? How quaint. What do you think you're going to do with that? Slice my bread?"

Trevor squared his shoulders, ready to retort, but before he could, a slow burn began to spread across Enrique's chest. He blinked in confusion, glancing down as if he'd just noticed a bee sting.

Enrique looked around frantically, searching for the source of the heat.

Then it hit him. His gaze shifted to the ground, where a puddle of holy water lay, shimmering innocently.

Trevor's expression turned from smug to gleeful realization.

Enrique's eyes widened in horror as the burn intensified, spreading like wildfire through his veins. He looked at Trevor one last time, eyes filled with disbelief and rage.

Zade raised an eyebrow. "Well, that escalated quickly."

But before Enrique could say anything, his body erupted into ash, swirling away like a forgotten dream. The remnants of his power scattered into the wind, leaving behind a stunned silence.

"Wow," Zade said, breaking the tension with a wry grin. "And to think, all he needed was a little holy water to spice up his day. Your boyfriend's a badass." He said to me.

"He is not my boyfriend." I answered.

Jasper crossed his arms, trying to hide his amusement. "That was surprisingly poetic, Trevor."

As we stood in the aftermath of the chaos, I couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and disbelief. We'd just taken down a powerful enemy, but the fight was far from over. The portals were finally closed