Creak.
The creak of Mr. Lawler's study door echoed through the house as Mrs. Lawler gently stepped inside. There she saw her beloved husband, seated behind his armchair with a paranoid expression on his face.
It was partly obvious then what had transpired between him and Otto, as all would assume. What could they have done anyway? She was well aware of the blood that ran through her beloved's veins, as well as the blood she had passed down to her son, and the history behind that blood.
It was only natural that one day, reality would come for him.
So, mustering up a bit of courage, she stepped forward towards the study's desk, awaiting a glance from her husband, who kept his gaze cast downward.
"What did he want?"
"...what do you suppose he wants?"
With a solemn expression on her face, she took a deep gulp before replying.
"And? Are you going to let him take our boy?"
A somber silence brewed in the room as Mr. Lawler cast his gaze lower to avoid his wife's eyes.
It was a truly disheartening reply for Mrs. Lawler. She had expected, as any normal parent would, that Mr. Lawler would comprehend how profoundly idiotic it would be to send their fourteen-year-old boy into a battle that had led to the deaths of many in his line. Yet, she was faced with a remark that suggested a possible agreement on his end.
"He's a child."
"He's a Lawler."
"So is Maggie. Are you going to ship her away as well?!" Roared Mrs. Lawler, her voice intense and filled with obvious pain. She was a loving mother, heartbroken by the thought of her baby boy leaving her, and she would not, for any reason, let that happen.
However, her rage was sharply calmed as Mr. Lawler immediately returned her gaze while rising to his feet.
"I'm not sending him away. I turned Otto down, but that's not the problem. He's a teenager. He's growing into a man, and sooner or later, we won't be able to control him."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that it's not our choice to make..."
Once more, she had been hit with a disappointing reply, and she released a heave while gently shaking her head.
"I love our kids, Elena, and I hate to say this, but we don't get to decide their future."
"So we should let them make mistakes that might cost them their lives?"
"No.... We guide them. That's exactly what I intend to do."
***
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
The soft, fluffy footsteps partly silenced by the snow-layered ground echoed through the forest as both children gradually returned to their household with arms filled with dried branches they had picked from the forest.
As they approached their home, the exorcists were leaving, casually entering their vehicle. However, just before Otto entered the jeep, he caught a swift glimpse of Eddy, who returned his gaze.
Pausing for a moment, Otto maintained his glance at Eddy, a crooked smile drawing upon his face. With a soft sigh, he entered the jeep. The vehicle swiftly zoomed away, leaving the children alone in the front yard.
Maggie, however, did not mind or care about the exorcists' exit, but Eddy maintained a deep glare at the departing vehicle.
"Eddy? Is something wrong?"
Hearing Maggie's voice, he turned away from the departing exorcists and proceeded to the house.
"No. It's nothing."
***
The melodious ringing of nostalgic jingle bells along with the falling snow brought about the full force of the Christmas spirit. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve night in Maddenport, a day marked for bringing family and friends together for enjoyment and jolly purposes.
The Lawler family had their own traditional Christmas Eve rituals, filled with bountiful cooking, family movie nights, and all sorts of fun games ready to be played.
As the crescent newborn moon shone upon the Lawler residence, Mrs. Lawler was busy in the kitchen, cooking and perfecting the various Christmas dishes lined up for the family. Meanwhile, both Maggie and Eddy were seated in the living room, engrossed in their favorite cartoon show.
It was only seven minutes past seven, so Mr. Lawler had not yet returned from the office. Regardless, the family was set for a night of memory-making.
Speaking of the devil, Mr. Lawler's sedan swiftly drove past the slightly icy road surrounded by woodland trees. It had been a long, exhausting day for him, and the first thing he wished at that moment was to get home to his family and enjoy his Christmas Eve.
While driving home with a jolly smile drawn from ear to ear, his attention was quickly attracted by his cell phone ringing from his pocket. Dipping his hand into his pocket, he uncomfortably pulled out his phone while still driving and answered the call.
"Hello?"
Driving while on a call was risky, so he hadn't taken the time to check who was at the other end of the line. Besides, he didn't have any reason to ignore anyone's calls, and considering the time, he would only assume it was his wife checking up on him. However, the familiar voice from the other side of the call wasted no time in disheartening the exhausted Mr. Lawler.
"David. It's me." uttered Otto from the other side.
Releasing a deep breath of annoyance, he resolved to finish the call at the very least.
"Otto? What do you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to wish you and your family a merry Christmas."
"Thank you, I appreciate that. Is that all?"
" I wish, but, no. I'd also like to request an audience with your son."
Clicking his tongue in a vexed manner, Mr. Lawler, almost forcing himself to remain on the call, replied to Otto.
"No, no, no. Otto, he's a kid. He's my kid, and I'm not going to let you take him into that suicidal exorcist world of yours."
"You don't seem to understand, David. He's an exorcist, by righ and nature. You don't get to horde him."
Otto's words immediately got Mr. Lawler's hostile attention. He sat up straight, attempting to comprehend Otto's words.
"I don't un—"
Mr. Lawler's words were sharply cut off as, out of the blue, a dark figure dashed from the forest trees and slammed into Mr. Lawler's sedan. The monstrous force sent Mr. Lawler's car flying into the air and crashing upside down many meters away from the collision site.
Cough.
Cough.
Coughing aloud, Mr. Lawler panickily kicked the sedan's door open with a single kick and swiftly crawled out from the wrecked vehicle. Despite his slightly cut head, which bled profusely, he easily rose to his feet with only a soft, painful groan.
His confusion at that moment was fathomless.
For all he knew, he had been driving home, and something had rammed into his vehicle, causing the crash. Therefore, the first thing he needed to do was make sure whatever woodland critter he had run into was not still alive or, at least, did not have any harmful intentions toward him.
Turning around, he spotted the cause of his crash—a human, lying on his back, bleeding to death.
It was preposterous. Why would a human deliberately crash into a moving vehicle? And even if he could, how in the seven hells could he send a car flying that far away?
Creak.
The sharp creak from his rear swiftly drew his attention, causing him to turn around. There he saw a possessed figure, glaring a hole through him.
He had less than a moment to process the situation before, with only a stiff swing of its hand, the possessed figure cast him into the air, sending him crashing into a tree and shattering all his ribs on impact. With that, Mr. Lawler lifelessly fell to the ground, and with a light groan, his life faded.