The next day, Jessica was invited to Lesley's house along with her friends to talk about everything that had happened. The room was buzzing with questions as soon as she arrived.
Alucard's voice cut through the chatter first. "How did you survive that nonsense?" he asked, his tone demanding but full of disbelief.
Lesley looked hurt. "Why didn't you answer my call, Jessica?"
Isabel leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. "What happened there after we left?"
Markus crossed his arms, glancing at her gear. "Where is your shield and all your stuff?"
Jessica held up her hands, trying to calm them down. "Okay, calm down. I'll answer all of your questions. There was a guy—Simon. He was six feet tall, maybe a little taller. Strong, brave, and… honestly, kind of handsome." She paused, her voice dropping. "A demon lord or something was about to kill me. I had dropped my shield and was pinned to the ground, but Simon showed up just in time. He took my shield, crushed some demons, hit the lord, and pushed him away. He helped me survive the rest, and we escaped from the third floor." She sighed, glancing at Lesley. "Oh, and thanks, Lesley—you could have killed us with that call. There was a huge, fat demon in the room with us when you called!"
Lesley looked pale. "I'm so sorry…"
"It's okay," Jessica said gently. "And yeah, Simon took the shield and sword I was using. I don't know why I didn't grab them… but at least we have the paralyzing gun and the laser one. Right, Alucard?"
Alucard shrugged. "Yeah, but it's in my basement."
Markus smirked. "Yeah, with the kids you kidnapped."
Alucard rolled his eyes. "Brother, for the love of God, stop! I don't have any kids in my basement!"
Isabel groaned. "Here we go again… Anyway, what are we going to do about the school? Call the cops or what?"
Jessica hesitated. "I was going to call them, but Simon stopped me. He told me they'd probably just detain us instead of helping."
Isabel shot her a look. "And you listened to him? To a strange man?"
Jessica's eyes narrowed. "What do you want me to do? He saved my life. I should trust him—maybe what he said will come true."
Markus tapped his foot impatiently. "So, after all this blah blah blah, what are we going to do?"
Alucard sighed. "Watch the news… I heard they're going to destroy the school to build a hospital or police station before we even get there."
Jessica shrugged and turned on the TV. "Well… okay."
As the TV flickered to life, Jessica frowned. A horror movie was playing. "Uh… Lesley? Why are you watching this?"
Lesley shifted in her seat. "I got bored, so I thought a movie would help…"
Jessica gave her a long look. "So you chose a horror one?"
Lesley's voice was small. "Y-yeah? What's wrong with that?"
Jessica sighed again. "Nothing…"
The broadcaster's voice cut in, tense and urgent.
"We have breaking news. An off-duty police officer named David was driving home when he noticed the old school's windows were broken. Red light was pouring out of it, and part of the building was destroyed. He called for backup… but they were all brutally killed by an unknown force. David was the only survivor, and he's now in critical condition—missing an arm. He recorded the incident and showed it to the police. The military has been called in. Let's go live to field reporter Alexander. Alexander, can you tell us what's happening right now?"
Alexander's voice was shaky through the static. "We… need he—"
The broadcaster leaned forward. "Alexander, can you hear me? What's happening?"
Alexander's face was pale. "No… no!"
A soldier's voice shouted in the background. "SIR, YOU HAVE TO GO! NOW!!"
Gunfire and explosions echoed in the distance.
"Alexander!" the broadcaster yelled. "Tell us what's happening!"
Alexander turned to the camera, his voice hollow. "This… is what's happening."
The camera switched to a chaotic scene. Four tanks, seven armored vehicles, and a flood of soldiers were making their last stand. Hundreds of zombies and monsters poured out of the school like an unstoppable tide.
The broadcaster gasped. "Holy… God."
Soldiers barked orders, voices cracking with panic.
"CALL FOR AN AIR STRIKE NOW!"
"Requesting air strike at our location immediately—I repeat, we need help now!"
"Ten minutes? We can't hold for ten minutes!"
Jessica's heart raced. "Oh no… what have we done?"
The scene cut to another reporter, John, broadcasting from a safe distance. "I'm recording from far away… There are so many creatures. They're not stopping. And… oh dear heavens…"
The broadcaster's voice cracked. "What?!"
The camera cut back to the school. Demons—towering figures in burning red armor—emerged, their whips made of molten lava and their swords gleaming with hellish fire. Seven massive hell dogs, covered in chains and spiked lava thorns, snapped and snarled, their mouths dripping molten fury.
The soldiers turned their weapons on the demons, desperate to stop them.
"Your pathetic bullets won't work on us!" the demon lord laughed, his voice echoing like thunder.
One of the demons dropped his whip and raised his hand, firing a laser beam that cut through tanks and men like butter. The air strike finally arrived, four aircraft unleashing missiles and high-caliber rounds. The lesser monsters fell, but the demons didn't even flinch—only a single dog bore a scratch.
The laser demon turned, a smile of molten hatred on his face. He locked eyes with John, even though he was miles away, and fired a single laser ball. It was so fast that John didn't even blink. The feed went black.
Signal lost.
The broadcaster's voice trembled. "This is the end… I can't… I can't continue. We're ending the news."
The room fell into a heavy silence after the news ended. Jessica sat back in her chair, her fingers gripping the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white. The only sound was the distant rumble of helicopters in the sky—somewhere out there, more soldiers were dying.
Isabel looked like she was about to cry. "Jessica… do you really think we can do this? Those… those things… they're not human."
Jessica closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. The images from the broadcast played in her mind like a nightmare on repeat. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "But if we don't try, we're already dead."
Lesley hugged her knees to her chest. "What if Simon is already dead too? What if we're chasing a ghost?"
Jessica turned to her friend, her voice calm but firm. "I don't believe that. He survived the school—he can survive this too."
Alucard stared at the flickering TV, his jaw clenched. "We need to be ready for the worst. If we're going to do this, we can't afford to panic. We need every piece of gear we have—every bullet, every blade."
Markus nodded slowly. "We're going into hell itself. No turning back now."
A knock at the window made them all jump. Jessica rushed to it and cautiously pulled the curtain back. It was a neighbor, pale and wide-eyed, holding a radio. He pressed it against the glass, mouthing words they couldn't hear. Jessica opened the window just a crack.
"…the emergency broadcast… it's not just the school," the man gasped. "They're spreading… everywhere. Major cities are falling. The military is pulling back to defend the last strongholds. We're… we're on our own."
Jessica felt the weight of those words settle in her bones. She thanked the man and shut the window. As she turned back to her friends, her voice was quiet but full of iron. "We're out of time. If Simon's alive, he's the only hope we have."
She looked at each of them in turn. "We leave tonight. No matter what."
They all nodded, their faces pale but resolute. Outside, the city was already starting to burn.
Isabel's voice was hollow. "It's over…"
Alucard looked at the floor. "It was all… our mistake…"
Jessica's voice was steady. "Simon lives near the school… I have to go to him. He's the only one who can kill them."
Everyone turned on her in a chorus of disbelief. "IS THAT ALL YOU CARE ABOUT??"
Jessica's eyes burned with determination. "He saved my life. He knows how to kill these demons, and he has the shield and the sword. What else do you want me to say? We're not staying here, watching the world end while we can do something. We have the paralyzing gun, the laser one… and we have him."
Lesley's voice was quiet. "Wait… how do you know it's paralyzing?"
Jessica managed a small smile. "I used it on that fat demon. It stopped him completely—he couldn't even blink. Or maybe he didn't want to… or maybe he doesn't blink at all."
Lesley nodded slowly. "Oh… makes sense. A little."
Alucard frowned. "Okay, but how are we going to help? They're everywhere. If the military couldn't stop them, how can we?"
Jessica's voice was firm. "We have weapons they've never seen. And we have Simon. Isabel, Lesley, and I will get the bikes—don't ask why I have three. Alucard, get that laser weapon from your basement. Markus, go home and find any possible information that can help. We'll meet at ten and leave at eleven. Understood?"
Markus looked skeptical. "No shield, no armor… we're digging our own graves, aren't we?"
Alucard let out a hollow laugh. "Yes… yes, we are."