Mark couldn't stand the aches he felt in his head anymore. It affected him so much his body didn't listen to him.
He wanted to switch to another road to avoid the armored demon.
He had no strength to press down on the accelerator or to hold on to the steering wheel. His foot rested on the brake pedal and came to a gradual stop.
"What the?" The man that drove the truck was perplexed, but he still stopped. He didn't know the way to the haven.
Mindless demons saw this as a chance and made a full-on attack on the convoy.
The screaming mother held her daughter with her head down and tightly shut her eyes. Their fates were already sealed.
A mindless demon charged at Mark, and he just sat there. His rage had turned into a silent wave. He was angrier at himself.
...After killing those innocent people, I'm here playing hero and driving people to their deaths. Dammit… He recalled the scene where he cold-bloodedly murdered that pregnant lady and the teenage kid.
...I'm really, pathetic…
All that rage had turned into melancholy.
The mindless demon slowed down and landed right in front of the van. It stared directly at him.
He was dumbfounded. He weakly scanned the area. All the mindless demons stopped and stood upright, facing the van.
...What's… happening?
He took a glimpse in the side mirror and saw that the mindless demons that were fighting over David and the ones that charged at the convoy all stood straight and were staring at the van.
He turned his gaze back to the armored demon.
It landed on the concrete and half-knelt. Its right knee was on the ground and its left hand was on it, then bowed its head. All the mindless demons followed suit.
The screaming mother slowly opened her eyes when she felt nothing harming her.
"What the…" The truck's driver and the man in the front passenger seat slowly came down from the vehicle.
Three men sitting on the truck bed floor also slowly came out of it.
They did not want to provoke the mindless demons.
The two men scanned their surroundings in awe and disbelief. All the creatures in the area were bowing down to them.
The three men were going back for David. They carried their hero back to the truck.
Mark's anger settled.
The two men walked up to the van's driver's seat and saw a tear rolling down his face.
"You okay man?"
The headache he felt slowly reduced. He slowly scooched over to the passenger's seat and lightly said, "One of you should drive instead."
The mindless demons pushed all the obstacles they had to the side and made a path for them.
As they drove past the armored demon, Mark and it made eye contact but it sheepishly looked down.
Mark turned his head away. Was he supposed to feel gratitude towards it?
He sighed. Even between us, I'm the one seen as the monster…
* * *
Karin was on a kneeler[1] in front of the sculpture of a man nailed to a cross with a crown of thorns on his head. She wore a white veil, a plain white long sleeve buttoned shirt, a long black skirt, and a rosary hanging on her neck.
Her hands were clenched together as she silently said, "...The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners..."
Sister Deloris stood beside the door of the small prayer room.
Mother Grace came in and stood next to her and whispered into her ear, "How is she faring?"
Sister Deloris smiled lightly and answered, "She has already memorized the 5 of the 7 main prayers."
Mother Grace nodded her head gently. After a brief silence, she asked, "What is troubling you dear?"
"...I still don't understand what happened to her," Deloris said, referring to Karin. She continued, "I know she's just an aspirant[2] but she isn't doing all of this by her own will, is she?"
"To be honest, I do not know the answer to your question."
"Mother Grace I'm--" Sister Deloris immediately wanted to apologise.
Mother Grace chuckled, "It's fine dear. I should be the one that's sorry."
"..."
"Although this reminds me of something. When I was at the orphanage, there was this boy that hated apples very much. He had never really tasted an apple, so I forced him to just try a piece...
"After then, I allowed him to try another piece and told him it was fine if he still didn't like the apples. Haha, of course, he took another piece. Apples are very sweet."
Sister Deloris seemed perturbed. She didn't fully understand what Mother Grace meant. Was Karin being forced, or had she already decided for herself?
Mother Grace noticed this from her and said, "You're a very kind girl, dear. You will understand with time."
Mother Grace calmly walked away.
Sister Deloris at Karin's back as she prayed.
Karin looked like a different person altogether. She used to be fierce, but now she was as calm as the summer breeze.
...There's nothing wrong if it's for the better, right?
* * *
After about two hours and a half had passed for Damian, the operation was progressing at a suitable speed.
Routinely, the two paired members came back to get more ammunition and give Damian a brief report on how many demons were remaining in the particular area they eradicated.
Damian and Sarah were standing in front of the mindless demon that he caught.
"Grrrr… Krrrarrr…" The creature groaned in pain. Its arms, legs, and wings were tied up. Its legs had a few bullet holes and its black, icky blood oozed out of the holes.
Damian was looking at his phone. Doesn't Mark's skill have a cooldown time? It's been over two hours now and these demons still aren't attacking...
Bam! Bam! Bam! Sarah kicked the demon repeatedly.
"Haha! Who the f*ck do you disgusting things think you are, huh? You're messing with the wrong species! Who told you could mess with 6 million years of evolution with a brain the size of an ant?!
"Where are your pals that ate my student?! Tell your boss we're coming for it! Stupid piece of sh*t!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Kerr… Krrraarrr… Kerr…"
Damian put his hand on Sarah's shoulder and said with a deadpan expression, "I need it alive."
* * *
[1] A cushion or bench for kneeling on.
[2] A pre-candidate for becoming a nun.