A Human World
Amid the rubble and billowing smoke, Zarmoth's hand emerged from the darkness of the debris.
Guevara looked at him and shouted:
"Everyone, get ready… Fire!"
The members of Squad B unleashed a hail of bullets until Zarmoth disappeared completely behind the rising dust.
Guevara raised his hand calmly:
"Stop."
Silence reigned for a moment.
Then Zarmoth's laughter rang out from within the smoke, before he emerged step by step… unscathed, as if the bullets had never touched him.
Guevara muttered to himself as he watched him:
"A boy… No. This isn't a boy. This is a monster… or a demon that has taken over a human body. This has been happening a lot lately."
Then he raised his voice in a sharp command:
"Surround him!"
He looked at Kian:
"Move."
Kian replied firmly:
"All right."
The soldiers quickly spread out to surround the area, while Kian rushed toward his car.
At that moment, Zarmoth lunged with lightning speed at one of the soldiers.
The soldier fired nonstop, but the bullets bounced off him without effect.
In an instant, Zarmoth grabbed him violently, sank his fangs into his neck, and ripped off his head.
As he drank his blood, Guevara raised his heavy weapon and aimed it at him.
A shell was fired.
Boom!
A powerful explosion reduced the soldier's body to ashes, and the blast ricocheted off Zarmoth's body, leaving a visible wound.
Zarmoth paused for a moment, then whispered to himself:
"I have to escape…"
But before he could move, the shock came.
A figure appeared right behind him.
And in his hand was a strange weapon.
He pulled the trigger.
An iron chain shot out, wrapping itself completely around Zarmoth's body and pulling him forcefully to the ground.
Zarmoth fell, unable to move, struggling in vain to break free.
He whispered softly:
"What is this chain…? It's sapping my strength… I can't move… and every struggle is draining me…"
Guevara sighed as he watched him:
"Well done, Kian."
Guevara approached Zarmoth, leaning in slightly until he was close to his face, then whispered in a low voice:
"Who are you?"
There was no reply.
He moved closer still, his voice growing quieter but heavier:
"I'll show you what you've never seen before… I'll make you wish you'd never taken this body."
Guevara's eyes were steady, cold, as if he were trying to read something behind that silence.
He finally raised his voice, taking a step back:
"Take him to headquarters."
Then he added, turning away:
"The mission is over."
On the other side of the city…
Anxiety had been gnawing at Mona and Rashid's hearts for hours.
Rashid sat in heavy silence, then said in a weary voice:
"They're late… We haven't heard anything from the police."
He lifted his head toward Mona, who was trying in vain to hold back her tears.
"Let's go to them… now."
Mona nodded with difficulty, barely in control of herself.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the ringing of the phone.
Rashid rushed to answer it, his hand trembling slightly.
Guevara's voice on the other end was unnervingly calm:
"Your son has been caught."
Rashid paused for a moment, then his voice came out shaky:
"What…? Is he okay? Tell me right away!"
A brief silence fell before Guevara replied:
"Come to the police station… There are things that need to be said face to face."
At the police station,
the steel room was closing in tightly on Zarmoth.
The cold metal walls reflected a dim light, while heavy restraints pinned his body to the bed.
His body trembled from time to time,
and the chains made a faint scraping sound with every movement, as if the room itself were breathing with difficulty.
Guevara approached the plexiglass, watching him in silence, then said calmly without looking up:
"Poor soul in that body… he seems to be suffering.
He turned to Kayan for a moment:
"Do you see him as dead… or is he fighting back?"
Kayan replied, watching the scene intently:
"I don't know… but I hope he survives."
Before Guevara could answer, one of the soldiers knocked lightly on the door and said in a low voice:
"Sir… the boy's parents are here."
Guevara nodded slowly:
"Let them in."
Rashid and Mona entered the room.
Their anxiety was evident from the very first moment;
Mona stopped at the door, her eyes scanning the room incessantly.
"Where is my son…?"
No one answered
right away.
Guevara calmly gestured toward the chairs:
"Sit down."
But Mona didn't sit down; she took a step forward, holding her breath:
"Where is Siraj? I want to see him…"
A brief silence fell.
Guevara sighed, then said in a steady voice:
"What I'm about to say isn't easy… but you must hear it as it is."
He looked directly at them:
"This is not your son."
Mona froze in her tracks.
Guevara continued:
"Your son's body has been taken over by another entity… a demon."
Rashid's expression didn't change, but his hand clenched tightly around the hem of his shirt.
"We don't know when it happened… but what's inside him now isn't Siraj."
He took a slower step forward, his voice softening:
"There are similar cases… bodies left vulnerable and weak, so they are taken over."
He looked directly at them:
"If he regains consciousness… he can come back to you."
Silence reigned for a moment inside the steel room, before it was broken by Guevara's voice as he looked steadily at Rashid and Mona:
"There is hope that your son will return if he defeats the demon and regains consciousness."
"We'll monitor him until then."
He paused briefly, then added in a lower voice:
"But if he doesn't regain consciousness… we'll have to end his life. Because he'll become a threat to humanity."
Mona trembled immediately.
Her eyes widened, as if the words hadn't fully registered in her mind.
"My son…"
Her voice came out broken as she took a step back.
Images from the past began to flash before her eyes: his laughter, his voice, simple moments at home.
And suddenly she exploded:
"My son is fine! You're lying!"
She stepped toward Jivara with tear-filled eyes:
"I want to see him now! You're all lying!"
Her voice rose even higher, mingled with sobs:
"My son isn't a demon! Siraj will come back… I'm sure of it!"
Then she collapsed to the floor, weeping bitterly.
Rashid hurried over to her and knelt beside her, trying to calm her down:
"Calm down… Mona… calm down…"
But his voice sounded weary too.
He looked up at Guevara and said quietly:
"We want to see him."
Guevara sighed for a moment, then nodded:
"All right."
They entered the steel chamber.
The lighting was dim, and the air was cold, filled with white smoke. It flowed slowly.
On the metal bed, Zarmoth lay, his body bound in chains, a suspicious smile on his face.
His eyes were a deep red, moving slowly toward the newcomers.
Mona lifted her head with difficulty, her voice trembling:
"Siraj…"
"My son… are you okay?"
Silence reigned for a few seconds.
Then Zarmoth burst out laughing, a cold laugh filled with sarcasm:
"Your son?"
He tilted his head slightly as he looked at her:
"Are you kidding me?"
"I am Zarmoth."
"And Siraj… just an old memory."
Mona trembled, but she didn't back down.
She took a step forward, shaking her head:
"No…"
"You are my son…"
"Siraj will return… I know him."
Zarmoth laughed lightly, then said coldly:
"Everyone who is possessed is finished."
"Their bodies are never the same again."
"They die here… and they're finished."
Then he looked straight at her:
"And when that happens…"
"This body will be mine completely."
"Then I'll make sure to kill you, because you're a chatty old woman."
She moved closer to me despite her mind's warnings, her eyes filled with tears and rage:
"You're lying…"
"My son is stronger than you…"
Then suddenly she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
"My son will return!"
"Do you understand? He will return!"
Her breath caught as she screamed:
"He is stronger than any demon!"
You are the only one who will die.
Rashid stood behind her, trying to pull her gently away:
"Come on… enough…"
"Don't make things worse…"
But she was looking at Zarmoth with eyes still wet with tears, her voice slightly softer but firm:
"Siraj will return…"
"And I will wait for him… no matter how long it takes."
Then she turned to Rashid and took his hand:
"Let's go…"
"Our son needs our prayers now."