Chapter 5: The Awakening
The drive back from the funeral was quiet. The sun had set, and the night was dark, thick clouds obscuring the moon. The world outside the car felt distant, almost unreal, as Jason kept his eyes on the road, his thoughts still tangled in the mystery of Tyler's journals. Sarah sat next to him, her hands resting in her lap, the tension between them thick with unspoken fears.
They were halfway home when the car suddenly sputtered, jerking violently as the engine stuttered to a halt. Jason furrowed his brow and pulled over to the side of the road, the headlights flickering before going dark.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, her voice filled with unease.
Jason shook his head. "I don't know. The car just died."
He glanced at the dashboard, then unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'll check the engine and the tires. Stay here."
Sarah watched nervously as Jason stepped out of the car and disappeared around the front. The cold night air bit at his skin as he popped the hood, inspecting the engine by the dim light of his phone. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but the car refused to start. Frustration bubbled up inside him.
He moved to the side, checking the tires, but as he crouched down, something shifted in the air around him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine. A sound—low, guttural—echoed through the trees surrounding the road. Jason stood slowly, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he turned toward the sound.
From the shadows at the edge of the woods, something emerged.
It was tall, unnaturally tall, its body blacker than the night itself, towering over Jason with a twisted, predatory form. Its skin looked like it had been burned, with patches of raw, red flesh peeking through cracks in the dark surface. Its eyes—blood-red with swirling, trapped souls flickering within—glowed with a hunger that sent a wave of primal terror through Jason.
Blood dripped from its jagged teeth, staining its claws, which gleamed like sharpened knives in the moonlight.
Jason's heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't move. He had faced demons before, but this… this was something different. The creature's gaze locked onto him, and without warning, it lunged.
"Jason!" Sarah screamed from the car as the thing barreled into him with impossible speed. Jason barely had time to react, throwing his arms up in defense as the creature's claws slashed across his chest, sending him stumbling backward. The pain was immediate and searing, but Jason fought to keep his balance.
He spun, trying to fight back, but the creature was relentless. It slashed at him again, this time catching him across the shoulder, ripping through his jacket and flesh. Blood soaked through his clothes as he hit the ground hard.
"Jason!" Sarah cried again, running from the car toward him, her fear replaced by desperation. She reached his side just as the creature loomed over him, its bloodstained claws raised to strike. Without thinking, she grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the creature, trying to distract it.
The creature turned on her with a growl, its glowing eyes narrowing. With a sweep of its massive arm, it sent Sarah flying through the air, crashing into the dirt several feet away. She groaned in pain, trying to push herself up, but the force of the blow left her winded.
Jason, bleeding and dazed, forced himself to stand. His vision blurred from the blood loss, but he refused to give up. The creature's attention was back on him now, stalking forward with slow, deliberate steps, its mouth curling into a grotesque grin.
Jason clenched his fists, ignoring the pain that pulsed through his body. He wasn't going to die here. Not like this.
The creature lunged again, but this time, Jason was ready. With a roar of defiance, he grabbed the creature by its arms, using every ounce of strength he had left. The demon let out a hideous screech as Jason's fingers tightened around its grotesque limbs.
For a moment, Jason felt something deep inside him stir—something dark and powerful. His vision tunneled, his senses sharpening to a razor's edge. As the creature struggled in his grip, Jason's eyes flashed with a strange, burning light.
Red. Like the demon's.
But not the same.
It was his power—something inside him that had been dormant until now. A surge of energy coursed through his veins, hot and fierce. His grip tightened further, and the demon's screeches grew louder, more frantic.
Then, without warning, flames erupted from Jason's hands, engulfing the creature in an inferno of fire. The demon thrashed wildly, trying to escape, but it was no use. Jason's newfound power burned through it, turning its blackened flesh to ash in seconds.
The fire consumed the creature entirely, leaving nothing but smoldering embers in the night air.
Jason stood there, panting, his heart racing as the flames flickered out. His hands were trembling, blood still dripping from his wounds, but he felt… different. Alive. Like something had awakened within him.
Behind him, Sarah slowly sat up, her eyes wide with shock. She had seen it too—the fire, the power. She stared at Jason, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to find words.
"Jason…" she finally whispered. "What… what just happened?"
Jason turned to her, his eyes still glowing faintly with that strange red light. His expression was a mix of confusion and fear. "I… I don't know. But… I think… this is what Tyler was trying to warn us about."
Sarah pushed herself to her feet, her body still aching from the impact. She limped over to him, her eyes never leaving his. "You… you set that thing on fire. You—"
"—I didn't mean to," Jason said, his voice shaky. "It just… happened. I grabbed it, and then…"
Sarah reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "It's like… like what Tyler wrote about. 'The ability of my friends.'"
Jason's eyes darkened. Tyler had known. He had known that there was something inside each of them, something the demons wanted to unlock. And now, whatever was inside Jason had been unleashed.
"We need to get back to the others," Jason said, his voice steady now, despite the pain coursing through him. "They need to know about this. If I have… something, then maybe the others do too."
Sarah nodded, but the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. "If you have that kind of power… what else is out there? What else are we capable of?"
Jason didn't answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
But one thing was certain: this was only the beginning. And whatever power had awakened inside him, it wasn't going away.
As they climbed back into the car, Jason glanced at the road ahead, his mind racing with thoughts of the battle to come. They were no longer just fighting demons—they were fighting something inside themselves.
And now, they had to figure out if that power was a blessing… or a curse.