"Why would you want to kill us?" Alley mustered the words, trying to divert the demon's attention away from his brother.
He reckoned that if the demon only wanted to kill them, it would have done so moments after taking over.
The demon glanced back at its own kind on the floor, still trembling with weak limbs.
"Why, you ask..." it said with a voice as grating as before. When it reached the living room, it raised its head.
"More souls. Always a good thing..."
Alley clenched his fists. "You already have my parents'."
The demon swiftly jumped close to him and grabbed his face. Its stained hands felt icky and slimy on his jaw. It stared into his eyes, with Alley clenching his teeth and shaking in its clutches.
The same rotten smell permeated from it, assaulting his nose and other senses. Despite its eyes looking like black holes, Alley could tell it was searching for something.
A low chuckle escaped the demon. "What scary eyes you have..." It tilted its head. "I won't get anything from you... maybe, but a father killing his own son is sure as funny as hell!" The cackle thundered like falling gravel as it flicked Alley's head off its hand like a slap.
Alley stood firmly on his feet, puzzled by the demon's words. Yet focus. It was what he repeated inside his mind. Focus.
Knowing he was facing a demon, he stood unwavering. He knew that deception, destruction, and killing were what demons did best.
He wiped the black blood from his face with his sleeve and straightened his back, assuming a fighting stance.
Alley's body was not as toned as you would expect for someone who played baseball. He was scrawny, yet quite nimble, but his shaking fists could not hide the doubt that he would be able to execute whatever fighting techniques he knew.
Alley didn't know the face he was making, but the demon laughed at him.
"Naïve, or an idiot," it shook its head, punching him straight in the gut, too fast for him to dodge.
His body coiled, and he grabbed one of its slimy arms with his left hand and the other with his right, but it was easily shaken off. He strengthened his footing to prevent himself from stumbling.
"Come on, give me a challenge! You've got potential…"
Alley knew the demon was much stronger than an average human, and his fighting knowledge was like a grain of sand in the vast desert. But what could he do? For his brother's safety, he was willing to be this monster's punching bag.
He glanced back at Asher, his gaze catching sight of his phone on the floor. In a swift move, he kicked it toward his brother, then lunged at the demon with an abrupt punch but missed.
The demon grabbed his right hand and landed a blow to his gut, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Alley doubled over in pain, but the demon wasn't finished. Another punch landed on his chest, sending him reeling.
A swift kick to the back of his legs dropped him to his knees. Before he could react, the demon seized him by the hair and slammed his head onto the cold, hard floor.
Pain sliced through his head, and grunts were heard as he squirmed in pain. His right cheekbone and temples throbbed against the floor, futile attempts at punching and pinching the unrelenting hand that held him down.
When Alley stopped the attempts, the demon pulled away and he lay on his back to regain himself momentarily before standing back up.
"So stubborn," the demon had a dissatisfied look on its face. "I have an idea: you come with me willingly, and I'll spare your little brother," said the demon in a playful tone.
Alley's eyes widened. When he thought he had successfully taken its attention off his brother, it mentioned him, let alone making an enticing deal.
"You're lying," replied Alley in the sternest voice he could muster.
A smirk formed on its face. "Yes, you see, I don't like children." The demon tapped on its head and added, "But I know someone who does…"
Alley swallowed the blood that had gathered in his mouth. He was puzzled by the demon's words. Was it implying it knew his father's memories? Yet he didn't entertain the thoughts. Demons are liars, after all.
"Don't believe me? Should I start saying names?" It grinned. "But why would I? Dying with unsated curiosity is funny."
It jumped, grabbing him by the neck, continuously pushing him until his back hit the wall. Alley gritted his teeth and put all his strength into his neck to fight it.
"It was a little fun."
Alley could feel his head go numb. He didn't have the time to process the words it was saying, trying to get out of its clutches.
He continued to hit, pinch, and scrape his nails against its skin to somehow induce pain. Kicking was out of the question as his legs were too weak.
Grunting and holding out, he felt his stomach begin to sear in pain. Like hot water poured directly onto his gut, full, like it was about to burst.
The pain wasn't just in his stomach but was starting to radiate outwards, his whole body beginning to feel like it was on fire.
The burning and stinging in his stomach dragged on and he lost the strength in his arms. Gasping for air, he put everything into scrunching his face to resume its blood flow.
"No..." grunted Alley. He knew he would lose consciousness when the numbing in his head would spread further.
As his eyes lost focus, the tips of his ears grew hot, and all he could think of was resisting the tiredness of his eyelids. The demon's grip tightened, and Alley's vision started to darken and blur.
"Brother!" He could faintly hear Asher calling out to him as his eyes slowly closed shut.