Chapter 2 Echo from the Otherworld

Nothing was wrong with Adam.

A cataclysm that had deformed a once bright city into ruins killing hundreds of thousands of denizens had left the world in fright. Where will the next meteor strike attack be and when?

It was a wonder to everyone that only one man stood unscathed from the tragedy, Adam, an orphaned man who scrambled for scraps to meet the costs of survival.

Adam shook his head, facing the media with nothing to say. "I can't remember a thing, I was just lucky." Adam lied as he reminisced about what contained his soul alive. The Adam they knew died on that day, he was Sarius, a shadow of himself from the Otherworld.

Fighting his way out of the crowd that doubted his good luck, Adam sneaked back to his room. (The hospital had secluded a separate room for him alone where he underwent psychical tests and counselling.)The Tv was on, broadcasting what remained of Winchester City.

Adam stared at the wreckage being broadcasted, a chilling reminder of the meteoric crash that had shattered his life. Although he had lived in humiliation and denial from childhood, Adam grieved Elizabeth's death. She was the only person who had accepted and understood him.

Everything had been reduced to ruins, leaving him with nothing but ashes and despair. But as he stood, watching what was left of the wreckage, he gazed out the window, up at the darkened sky, and a spark of determination ignited within him.

At the same moment, just spontaneously as he had thought, he felt a surge of energy strike his temple as urgency rose. In flashes, he felt a dire need for copulation as his blood ran hot in his veins. His face turned red as sweat formulated on his forehead and eyeshades.

He was growing an erection out of will, trepidation crashed his determination as he hit the red button before a wave of nausea hit him hard.

*****

Magdalene...

Magdalene ran after checks on Adam. The patient had fainted raising the alarm but again nothing was found awry with him the instant treatment was induced.

'He looks calm, but a demon is eating away his soul.' Magdalene who was towering over Adam now wiping his neck with a towel pitied him.

She could see his eyelids twitching, as if he was in a battle within himself, fighting for a chance to escape his nightmare.

"Wake up... Adam... can you hear me?" Magdalene found herself trying to pull her patient out of his nightmare as Adam grasped her wrist, daring not to let go but drag her down into an abyss of unknown depth.

For hours, Madgalene sat beside the abandoned patient who had no relatives, stroking his hair with her right hand as Adam began mumbling as if trying to warn her to stay away, but yet he didn't let go of her hand.

She studied his face, trying to think what could possibly be wrong with her patient.

At the juncture of Magdalene's pity, Adam finally opened his diamond eyes though partially, but lively.

"You are awake." Magdalene's smile greeted Adam who shook upright. "Relax, please." Magdalene gently forced Adam back as the latter asked what had happened.

"Give me your hand Adam," Magdalene said, comforting Adam as he began to warn her to stay away from him now that he was back to normal. "I'm not leaving you alone Adam. From today you will live with me until you get back on your feet." Magdalene insisted.

To Adam, this was a blunder. He knew that he should avoid the nurse as much as possible, he should have said no to her offer but a demonic grip had long bound Magdalene to Adam.

The sky grew dark outside the hospital as a predictable storm threatened to bash the night.

"I will get you out of here," Magdalene promised as she left to sign the required legal papers for her permission to hold responsibility for Adam's welfare.

"No... Don't." Adam shouted but his voice was muffled into a whisper. He knew from his instinct that Magdalene was getting into trouble by associating herself with him. But he had no power, his voice was a whisper and his soul was owned by the devil.

Two hours later, Adam lay in a fresh bed, Magdalene had brought him over to her place.

The night had crawled in under lightning and thunder as dread swept over Adam who heard Magdalene wish him a good night. Despite the hunger that rode his stomach, Adam had no appetite for food as he pushed away the bowl full of stew away from his bedside.

He could feel an animus aura as the lights went out. It was too late to do anything as ghoul wails and screams descended upon's Magdalene's apartment.

Adam who was used to the cries and screams ever since the daemonic influence had taken hold of him, closed his eyes as he struggled in a dilemma to check on his benefactor.

Since they were under the same roof, Adam knew Magdalene was under threat of his haunted existence but how was he going to disclose his secret to her? What if she was sound asleep, oblivious to the abnormality?

*****

Magdalene saw darkness entrap her within her room. Instantly, she remembered her electricity bill was uncleared and clicked her tongue as she pulled the duvet over her head.

But a strange voice caught her unaware. Forcing her to bolt upright in her bed with her phone light bright, illuminating her innocent room.

Concisely, the voice turned into confused voices that enveloped her in aversion, she had a phobia of darkness. Fear clutched her as her hair prickled.

Sitting at the head of her bed daring not to put a leg out, Magdalene tried to listen to the voices but instead wails and screams arose from amidst the voices, glueing her to her bed as the echo seemed to be drawing nearer to her.

With a last look at the darkness growing thicker around her room, Magdalene dashed the door and ran for Adam's leaving behind a dark ghostly finger growing in the lightning's shadow pointing at where she should have been asleep, her bed.