A few weeks ago.
Sweat beads rolled down a boy's face. Light from his 43 inch tv shined in his face. His character in the game walked through a dark hallway slashing at people.
Just as his avatar got out of the building a dragon blew flames at him.
"You died," the game said with a somber sound.
A menu appears on the screen.
[Retry][Quit]
The boy kept moving the cursor from one button to another. As he tried to decide there was a loud bang on the door.
"No, what time is it?" the boy said and picked up his phone.
[05:22]
He dropped the phone and started shaking uncontrollably. The bang got louder and more frequent. The boy paced as he cried, he then walked to the window.
He looked at the door then opened it and jumped. He fell face-first on the pavement. People screamed and ran to check on him.
Nathan was walking out of the house when he ran into a woman.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?," The woman asked as she dipped her hand into her handbag.
Sean walked over to her.
"Sean, where is Gilbert. I rarely see you two," the woman said and got on her knees to hug Sean.
"Did you tell her?" Nathan asked Sean and he shook his head.
"Tell me what?" the woman asked.
"Madam, I'm Nathan. I think you should sit down for this," Nathan warned and accompanied the woman into the house.
The woman took a seat and stared at Nathan.
"There is no good way to say this, so I'll just say it. Someone or something has tricked your son into signing over his soul," Nathan said and waited for a reaction.
The woman stared at them with a frown. The woman leaned in and asked Nathan to repeat himself.
"Gilbert traded his soul to a demon and now demonic dogs are after him," Nathan explained further.
"Urrm, can you take me to my son?" the woman asked and Nathan nodded.
Nathan and Sean then escorted her to the abandoned building.
As they walked through the overgrown backyard. Nathan noticed why the Hellhound did not attack them there.
'Devil's shoestring, what are the odds?,' Nathan thought.
"Gilbert," the woman called when she entered the house.
"Mom," Gilbert said and ran to hug her.
"Let's go home," Gilbert's mother suggested.
"Sorry mom but I cannot go home yet," Gilbert said.
"I lost your elder brother, I can't lose you too," the woman said.
"If it's about the demon dogs, don't worry they are not real," his mother encouraged him.
Nathan walked in and then Gilbert's mother took out a bottle of pepper spray and sprayed it in Nathan's face.
"What are you doing?" Sara asked and tried to help Nathan as he screamed in pain.
"You scared these kids from leaving, trapping them here. I don't know what you plan to do to them but not my kids," the woman yelled and grabbed her two children.
They fought her as she dragged them out. When they were almost out of the garden Gilbert begged his mother.
Just before they could cross the threshold she stopped.
"You really believe there is a demon dog after you?" Gilbert's mother asked him and he nodded.
"Okay but make sure you call from time to time," His mother said with tears in her eyes.
Gilbert leaned in to hug her and a hellhound pounced at him. It dragged him on the floor as his leg bled.
Nathan heard the screams and ran outside. His eyes still burned but he could open them. He grabbed Gilbert's hands and tried to pull him into the garden.
His mother stood there clueless while Sean cried as he watched. Sara ran to help. As they pulled his left leg tore off.
The three fell into the bed of flowers and watched the hound eat his leg. All Sean and his mother saw were chunks of his brother's leg disappearing into thin air.