Demons and Ghosts, Hell's King and King of the Dead

More Demons and Vlad's Discovery

Rin went home early.

Lizzy sighed. "Are you sure you'll be okay home alone? I have to go back to work."

"I'll be fine," Rin said, "It was just a flashback. Nothing to worry over."

Lizzy smiled softly. "I'm always going to worry, Rin."

"You shouldn't." He frowned. "You're not my mother."

"Maybe not," Lizzy said, her tone hardening. "but I sure as hell won't ignore you. I care, Rin. More than I ever thought I could."

Rin hesitated, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm sorry if I sound rude. I'm just not used to people caring."

"I know. I'm sorry, too."

__________________________

Danny took a shaky breath. "Jazz, what would you do if a friend of yours was hiding something? Something potentially dangerous?"

Jazz sighed. "Danny, when did this happen? What do you mean?"

"A new kid, Rin," Danny said, "Tucker, Sam, and I met him around a month or two ago. He came to school just today and had a panic attack or something. His guardian said something about PTSD."

Jazz frowned. "PTSD means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's very common. There are more than three million cases per year in the U.S. It can't be cured, but treatment may help. It can last for years or lifelong. The definition is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event. Many military soldiers suffer from it. I can't imagine what happened to Rin if he suffers from it."

"So, he did have a panic attack?" Danny asked.

"No, more like a flashback," Jazz corrected.

"What kind of flashback could trigger him to be so...violent?" Danny wondered.

"Something very traumatic happened to diagnose him with PTSD. That's probably why he acted so violently. Don't let it get to you, Danny. He's your friend, right?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah," Danny answered.

"Then help him, be there for him." Jazz smiled.

"Thanks, Jazz," Danny said softly.

"No problem, little brother."

__________________________

When Lizzy came home, what she expected was for Rin to be screwing around or cooking, keeping in mind that she would have preferred him to be resting after his outburst in school.

Instead, she found an empty house. She knew Rin had a tendency to wander off, but for some reason, this time's disappearance unnerved her.

She drew a deep breath and shook off any unease she felt.

This was Rin. He would be fine.

Right?

__________________________

Rin was not fine. From from it, actually.

This was not possible! It couldn't be!

And yet, it was without a doubt true. The proof swarmed before his eyes.

Coal Tar swam through the air calmly, normally.

Rin swallowed, but the lump in his throat refused to go away. Why were there demons here? Rin had refused to make a Gehenna Gate for this particular reason!

Rin quickly grabbed onto one of the Coal Tars' tails. He pulled it toward him and glared at it, his eyes staring into its red ones. He bared his teeth and hissed. "What in the hell do you think you're doing here?"