Haro opened the door of his house without much care. All the lights were off, so he turned on the one at the entrance so as not to be in the dark.
"I'm back" Haro said aloud, but there was no answer. He expected Felix to be home already preparing dinner, as usual, but it seemed that nobody was there. He took off his university backpack and left it on the floor, carefree. The last few days he had to stay late doing lab work, so he used to come home quite late. He always loved to arrive at his apartment after a long day and smell the aroma of the delicious dishes his roommate was preparing, but today there was none.
Haro walked quietly into the living room, also in the dark, and turned on the light. Not a soul. The only thing that caught his attention was a note perched on the living room table. He approached it and took it.
"To Haro
I got a sudden call from the restaurant. It seems that today there are lots of customers and they really need me in the kitchen. I won't be home to make dinner, so you prepare something, okay? I'll be there around 0:00, so make sure you cook something tasty.
P.S. Don't even think about leaving your stuff in the entrance! I always trip over it!
Felix"
The letter confirmed Haro's suspicions. Although he could have written him a message or called him, Felix always preferred to place notes in various places around the house, no matter how inefficient it was.
He walked back to the entrance and picked up his backpack from the ground. He left it in a corner, where it probably wouldn't cause any accidents for Felix. He went to the kitchen and turned on the lights. For a shared student apartment like his, the kitchen was quite large, practically more than his bedroom. It had so many drawers and shelves that Haro used to forget where everything was.
He opened the refrigerator and looked inside. Felix always made sure there was a variety of ingredients for his recipes, so it was full of food. Haro quickly inspected the contents for something easy to make. Chicken, vegetables, cheese, pasta... everything was raw.
Haro didn't like nor knew how to cook. To begin with, most recipes required quite a bit of time and effort. Felix used to spend about half an hour every time he entered the kitchen, although he always prepared delicious things. On top of that, on the few occasions when Haro had tried to prepare something coerced by his roommate, the food had always ended up inedible.
Charred chicken, hard pasta, cookies as hard as steel... He didn't have very good experiences in that place to want to cook something with enthusiasm. The only thing that worked for him were omelets, praised even by Felix. He could make a couple of omelets. He rejected the idea simply because he was too lazy to handle kitchen utensils.
He closed the refrigerator and prepared to leave the kitchen. Before doing so, he heard a thud behind him. He turned quickly to see what had happened and found a cereal box lying on the floor. Luckily it hadn't been opened. Without further ado, he picked up the box and put it back on the shelf.
Haro went into the living room and sat down on the sofa, releasing a sigh of exhaustion. He reached for the TV remote and turned it on, finally breaking
the deadly silence on the place. The first thing that appeared were images of a destroyed office floor and several pixelated bodies lying on the floor. Having his attention drawn, Haro turned up the volume on the TV so he could hear what it was all about.
"…more than fifteen fatalities, including several office workers and both security guards. According to several surviving witnesses from the attack, the incident occurred in less than five minutes total, in which the attacker ended the lives of anyone who crossed its path. Next, we will show you some images captured during the attack, but we warn you, they are explicit content and may damage your sensitivity" The image of the reporter speaking changed to a video recorded by a cell phone. In it, a monstrous grayish creature about ten feet tall was holding a woman by her neck with her face pixelated.
Haro tensed up as soon as he recognized what it was all about. It was not the first time he had seen a creature like that.
In the video, the woman was trying to escape the monster's grip, until, after a while, she stopped moving. The creature released her and the woman dropped inert to the ground. The video staggered for a few seconds until it was over, leaving Haro horrified by what he had just seen.
"After the massacre, the Geist threw itself out the window for no apparent reason, killing the worker he had possessed and disappearing on the spot" said the reporter. This brings to 23 the number of Geist attacks and more than 350 deaths in the last year. The National Intelligence Center and the army have reported that they are investigating different ways to end..." Haro turned off the television, returning to the somber silence of his apartment.
For several years now, incidents of Geist possessions had been increasing to numerous cases per month. At first everyone thought they were urban legends or mass murder cover-ups. However, soon videos of people who had witnessed the attacks began to emerge, showing the terrifying threat that had appeared in the country.
As far as he had been told by the news, Geist were something like ghosts or spirits that could possess people. When that happened, the possessed would lose control of their body and the Geist would envelop them into monstrous forms. They had enormous strength and seemed to be virtually indestructible using conventional methods. The only way to kill them was to kill the person they had possessed, which was incredibly difficult due to their resistant body. The few times the police had managed to kill one had been with large-caliber weapons or explosives. Haro felt that it was quite unfair that the possessed had to die because of the Geist, but it was the only way to stop them from killing more innocent people.
A loud noise interrupted Haro's thoughts, frightening him. Looking in the direction of the noise, he noticed that the ceramic vase that was placed on one of the shelves in the room was now on the floor, shattered into pieces. Haro remained motionless for a few seconds, assessing what might have happened.
The door to the balcony was closed, and there was not a breath of air that could have pushed it off. He was pretty sure there were no mice on the flat, so he had no idea of what could have happened.
Haro got up slowly from the sofa, slightly frightened. He would have liked to believe that the vase was simply misplaced, or that there was an imperceptible earthquake, but he saw it as unlikely. He walked to the kitchen to get the broom and sweep up the vase fragments, but suddenly the lights
flickered a couple of times until they finally went out, leaving him practically in the dark. Haro stood still. Nothing paranormal had ever happened in his presence, so he didn't really know how to act. A small part of him wanted to think it was just a strange series of coincidences.
"Just so you know, I don't believe in ghosts" Haro spoke aloud, trying to remain calm. There was no answer, so he hoped that whatever it was, it would be gone by now. "Okay... I'm going to..."
Haro walked slowly to his backpack. He grabbed his wallet and quietly left the house.
Haro looked at the time on his phone. 10:30 p.m. According to Felix's note, it would still take him an hour and a half to get back, so it was convenient enough for him to be on the streets for a while if he didn't want to go home alone.
He tried to distract his mind from what had just happened in the apartment. Thinking about it again, the earthquake hypothesis was quite feasible, at least more so than the "paranormal entity" one. He had probably only exaggerated a little and there was nothing to fear. Still, he didn't want to go home until Felix arrived.
One thing remained true: he had to get dinner ready. He could order a pizza or Chinese food, but only one meal would come to his mind at that time. Near his home there was a sandwich bar that was quite unnoticed compared to the other food chains. There never used to be more than a couple of people in that place, but he used to go there whenever he had free time. He didn't know exactly which ingredients the sandwich had, but it was so incredibly delicious that he loved it since the first time he tried it. Felix avoided eating it whenever he could, talking nonsense about it being "too greasy for him" but since today Haro decided what to eat for dinner, he would have no choice but to eat it.
He walked for a few minutes to the premises and as soon as he entered the sweet smell of meat permeated his thoughts. The place was not very big, and the sanitary conditions were at least questionable, but Haro didn't give it much thought.
"Good evening, my friend" greeted the owner, a man with brown eyes and a thick beard. Haro knew that he was from the Middle East, his accent was quite closed and he spoke little English, but he was undoubtedly one of the most jovial people he had ever met.
"Hello" said Haro "Two sandwiches, please"
"Right away, chief" The man told him and started to prepare the ingredients. The kitchen was right behind the counter, so many times Haro would talk to the owner while waiting for the sandwiches. "How was university?"
"Nice, really. This second year is more difficult than last, but for the moment I quite understand everything"
"Chemistry is very difficult" said the man without looking away from the kitchen. "You have to study hard or you will end up like me"
Haro laughed, although the truth was that working in the place where the best sandwiches in town were prepared did not seem like a failure to him.
"By the way," said Haro "I've noticed that there are fewer customers lately"
The man shrugged his shoulders as he handled the frying pan.
"People go out to the streets less than before because they are afraid of Geist," answered the man with a tone of discontent. Suddenly his tone became cheerful as usual. "But you always come here. You are my best customer."
"I wouldn't miss your sandwiches for anything," added Haro, and the man laughed. It was pretty reassuring just to go to that place and talk to the owner compared to the stress of college. Still, Haro knew that what he had said was true. People were becoming more and more afraid of the Geist, and as a result they were going out less. No one knew when or why a Geist possessed a person, so everyone was afraid that it might happen to them. Haro thought it was a bit drastic not to go out on the street out of fear, but it was also true that when he remembered the video he had seen on the news earlier, he too didn't feel very confident about being with other people.
After a few more minutes of talking to the owner, the sandwiches were ready. Haro paid and said goodbye to the owner with a smile. As soon as he was out on the street again, he smelled the bag containing the sandwiches.
"Ah... that smells good," he said quietly. Although he didn't quite understand what had happened in his apartment, if he stayed too long in the street the sandwiches would get cold, so he decided to go back home.
It was not too late, but the street was totally deserted. Since the appearance of Geist there had been a climate of general insecurity that had been reflected in an increase in crime and a certain lack of police control. This, coupled with the fact that the neighborhood in which they lived was not what you might call "rich" made him feel a certain insecurity when he walked down the street.
While Haro was walking, a slight pain appeared in his head. It felt like a little dizziness, but it was quite annoying. He didn't usually get sick, and very few times a year he had a migraine, especially if it was as sudden as that one. He started walking faster so he could get home and get a glass of water.
Hopefully that would take the edge off.
Haro was walking down a dark street when he noticed a figure appearing in his vision. It was a man in his early thirties, looking scruffy and in gangster clothes, walking towards him. Haro tried not to be scared and just picked up the pace a little. The man imitated him. In front of Haro, another man appeared with a similar appearance who also walked towards him. "This is bad" Haro thought. He knew he was not in a good position.
In an attempt to sneak away from the men, Haro changed direction to try to lose sight of them, but a third man approached him, blocking his way. In a few seconds, the three men had him surrounded "Shit".
"Can I help you?" Haro asked quietly, wishing he was wrong. What were the chances that those guys just wanted to talk to him?
"Give us all your money" ordered one of the men, as he pulled a sharp knife from his pocket.
Haro started breathing heavily. That situation could end very badly if he wasn't careful about what he said.
"Oh... sorry. I don't have any money on me. I just have these snacks" replied Haro slightly nervously. It was a very obvious bluff, but he was hoping to get lucky.
The man pointed the knife at Haro. Now he looked much angrier.
"Money. Now" he threatened, raising the knife
"Okay... okay..." Haro raised his hands slightly and began to reach into his sweatshirt pockets. He only had one idea left to get out of that situation safely.
Haro began to slowly pull his hand out of his pocket. Moving quickly, he punched the guy with the knife in the face and, taking advantage of the bewilderment, ran out of his side. The robbers reacted quickly and started running after him.
Haro's heart was pounding. Now that he had pissed them off, his only option was to escape from those guys. He had to leave them behind if he wanted to live. Haro had never been the fastest runner in his class in elementary school, but he was pretty fast. He turned his head a couple of times to check the distance the men were, and each time they were further away. He could make it.
The headache came back at the worst possible time. This time it was a sharp puncture that almost made him lose his balance. He had to slow down to get his hands to the head out of the pain. "Does it have to be now" Haro wondered. The little advantage he had taken from the men was disappearing, and he would be caught in a few seconds if he didn't hurry.
Making a monumental effort, Haro tried to ignore the pain and run faster.
His lungs were beginning to burn and his head was killing him, but he had to escape.
The pain came back again, but this time much worse than before. He lost all the concentration he had accumulated and stumbled suddenly, falling sharply to the ground. Unable to move, the robbers quickly approached Haro, cutting off all his options for escape.
"Did you think you could get away, asshole?" asked the man with the knife, breathing heavily. His nose and mouth were full of blood from the punch Haro had given him earlier. He kicked Haro hard in the ribs, making him shrink from the pain.
Although he wanted to do something, the headache prevented Haro from thinking rationally. He could only try to protect himself and prepare for what was to come.
The three men began to beat him up violently without rest. Haro was not fully aware of what was happening, but his whole body was burning with pain. He heard several cracks accompanied by unbearable pain. His right arm, several ribs and one leg were undoubtedly broken. He was struggling to stay conscious, and wondered if he should faint to avoid further suffering. He couldn't do so. At that rate, he would die if he continued to be hit like that, so he could only try not to lose consciousness.
The man with the bloody nose took out his knife again and bent down next to Haro.
"Nobody hits me. Do you understand, kid?" The man moved his arm hard to stick the knife into Haro's belly, but it didn't stick. The blade of the knife jumped up in the air, broken. The man looked at Haro's belly with incomprehension. His red sweatshirt was falling under something else. The knife had struck the strange black substance that was beginning to envelop him, and had broken as a result.
Haro, who had stopped getting hit for some reason, opened his eyes slightly. The robbers were now looking confused and watching him in a strange way. Then he noticed it. He felt as if someone was putting a blanket over his body, but it was cold to the touch and slowly spreading to his limbs. But it was not a blanket. Instead, a strange, thick black and purple substance was slowly covering his body. When he recognized what it was, he felt more panic than when the men had begun to beat him. Even with his limbs so sore that he
could barely move them, he tried to stop the substance from advancing before it covered him entirely.
"No, no, no..." Mumbeled Haro in despair. He knew well what that meant. In a few seconds it would have covered him completely. A Geist was taking control of his body.
The men looked on in confusion and fear as to what was happening to the young man. They began to slowly retreat as they saw how, after having wrapped his entire body, the black and purple mass began to grow in size.
Paralyzed by panic, the men watched how the Geist, still on the ground, rose to its feet. It had a monstrous aspect. It supported the four extremities on the ground, but by its form seemed to be able to stand on two legs. Even without being upright, the monster was already more than two meters high. It had gigantic arms and hands, the latter with pointed claws. Seemingly its head and body were united in the same giant torso, from which big legs came out of. Where its "head" was supposed to be, there was only a black mouth with many sharp teeth like knives, and above this, two big purple circles were shining.
The man with the knife knelt on the ground and raised his hands. The Geist's black eyes focused on him.
"I'm... I'm sorry, man. We just wanted the money. Please don't kill us" the nervous man begged. His eyes showed pure terror and his hands were shaking all over the place.
The Geist looked at him for a few seconds without moving. The other two men also hurriedly knelt as they saw that the monster did not seem to attack.
The place remained silent for a moment, only listening to the agitated breaths of the three men.
Without warning, the Geist emitted a guttural sound similar to a roar and hit one of the men with his big fist, sending him flying several meters into the air. The other two men, upon realizing what had happened, began to run desperately.
The monster used its powerful legs to jump on one of them, falling in front of him and obstructing his path. The man braked as fast as he could and tried to change direction before Geist caught him, but it was too late. With one hand it grabbed him by the torso and lifted him off the ground. With unbridled fury he threw the man like a ball. Several meters away, the robber crashed hard into a car, breaking the glass and part of the car body on impact.
The last man, the one with the bloody nose, was running in the distance trying to escape from the Geist. As soon as it located him, the monster started running after him. Its speed was similar to that of a car, so in a few seconds it caught up with him, stepping on him with its feet and crushing him to the ground before he could react.
Once it had finished with all its objectives, the Geist roared with force and threw itself against the first parked car he saw, hitting it again and again until it was deformed.
Haro began to regain consciousness little by little. Whether he opened or closed his eyes, there was an image in his brain that did not disappear, but it seemed to be far away. In it, a car was hit several times by huge black hands until it was unrecognizable. It seemed like a dream, but Haro quickly remembered what had happened. Although he was unconscious, he had the memory of having killed the robbers one by one just a few moments ago. He shouted from inside the monster of impotence. The Geist had possessed him.
Now he was one of them, and it would not stop killing people until the police had finished it.
"Shit!" shouted Haro, furious. If there was one thing he'd rather die than experience, it was being possessed by a Geist.
At the bottom of the street, a car was approaching him. The Geist looked at the vehicle and roared. Haro could feel the monster's anger as if it were his own, even though he knew it was not. What he did know was that the Geist controlling him intended to destroy that car and anyone else inside it.
The black creature ran a few meters and jumped into the air, falling on the hood of the car. Haro could see what the monster saw, so he could identify two adults sitting in the front seats, and two children in the back. They were all terrified by the large creature that had landed in front of them, and they would be even more terrified if they knew what it intended to do to them.
The Geist raised one of his giant fists with the intention of crushing the vehicle.
"No!" "Stop!" shouted Haro, upset. The monster began to lower his fist with force, but stopped in the middle of the way. The monster looked at his limb in the air with a strange look. Inside, Haro made a superhuman effort to stop Geist's arm.
He didn't know how or why, but he was able to interfere, even if it was only a little with the monster's body. It was as if he were using a new muscle that he didn't know he had. He didn't know if it was because of the monster's massive size, but stopping it required a tremendous amount of effort.
The family was screaming from inside the car, not knowing what their fate was going to be. The Geist grunted low, raised his arm again and lowered it with force, but was stopped again by Haro.
"I will not kill innocent people" Haro said with great difficulty, because of the effort it was taking to stop the Geist. The monster let out one last roar before giving up and jumping back to the road. As soon as it stepped on the ground, he threw a couple of blows at the asphalt, furious that it had been stopped.
Haro was not able to fully process what was happening. Not only had he been possessed by a Geist, but he had managed to stop it and even somehow convince it not to kill that family. He had never heard anything like that on the news or anywhere else. Perhaps if he managed to guide the monster to the police station, they could kill him, or at best capture him alive. He would lose nothing by trying.
He tried to use the new "muscle" he had discovered and push the Geist to move in the direction he intended. The beast shook its head back and forth and roared again in fury. Haro could again feel the monster's wrath invading his head. It was certainly much more powerful than he was, and he had the feeling that he wouldn't be able to control it much longer.
The Geist started running on the road. Haro was relieved that there was practically no traffic at that time, because he didn't know how the Geist would react with more provocation. The monster continued running and jumping through different streets until Haro lost track of where he was. He also noticed how he began to get tired the more time he spent inside the Geist. In fact, and although it seemed strange in a situation like that, he was beginning to feel sleepy.
Before he knew it, the landscape changed from urban to forest. For some reason, the Geist had decided to take him to the forest near his neighborhood and now they were going deeper and deeper into the trees. After a while, the Geist stopped between some bushes. He collapsed on a mound of earth and stood still. As Haro tried to process what was happening, he noticed how the image was getting darker and darker. He couldn't explain it, but he noticed how the Geist was slowly fading, and with it, his consciousness. Although he tried to stay awake, Haro became unconscious in the middle of the forest.