Lilly watched the ground as they made their way down the dimly lit hall. The three of them walking in silence, this whole scene becoming a blur to her. Who was this man? It was not what she was expecting. Why was he treating her like a person? Usually anyone but John treats her as an object or a weapon.

  The sound of a heavy door being opened broke her from her spiraling thoughts, looking up John was walking into the training room. It was two old research rooms that had been rendered useless once the war broke out. A giant hole to the left was in a wall to make one large room. There were weapons on the back wall. Swords, axes, daggers, and a couple of guns. Not many of those were left though, Lilly didn’t like them anyway. In a war against magic, guns were pretty useless.

  “So!” Zack said clapping his hands together. “Why don’t you... Show me some of your… Uh… Skills.”

  He looked uninterested in actually watching any display of Lilly’s power. And he sounded mentally distracted. He closed the door behind them and looked around the room, what was he doing?

  “Anyone else here?” He asked.

  John gave him a strange look, “no… Mr. Heart, I can guarantee you that Lilly is very strong and capable of America’s army. Lilly, show Mr. Heart how physically strong you are versus a human.”

  Lilly nodded and John walked over to her and picked up a knife, trying to bend the blade, showing he could not. He then handed it over to Lilly, and she would bend the metal with ease… Zack was NOT paying attention. He was looking around the room and up on the ceilings. No cameras? Well of course not the power to use them must have drained by now…

  “Mr. Heart, are you ok?” John asked. “Did you see our display?”

  Zack looked over at them finally and just nodded.

  “Very good, tell me… Er… What was your name again sir?”

  “John?” He answered with an eyebrow raise.

  Zack nodded. “Right, how long are you going to keep acting like you want her in the army?”

  John stammered and crossed his arms.

  “I..I have no idea what you mean! I love my country!”

  Zack’s smile grew more, it never once faded anyway.

  “No, I believe you, but I can tell you think this is wrong.. My question is this, John. How badly do you want to see her free?”

  Zack was looking around the room with that smile, never looking to John or Lilly for too long. He looked stressed. His eyebrows were scrunched and his eyes were filled with worry.

  John was too stunned to speak.

  “How do you know I feel this way anyway?!”

  Zack finally locked his eyes with John’s. “Because of your expression when the other one was dehumanizing her.”

  Lilly was watching the two talk, she didn’t quite know what was going on here. Was the general’s replacement on their side? Or was he trying to trick them?

  John had the same ideas... But what other options were there? There was no time now, either Lilly goes off and becomes a weapon. Or he holds onto a ray of hope and tries to help her.

  “No. No, I do not want her to go to the army. I don’t want them to make this innocent young lady a weapon! I mean.. I know she’s a Demon… But She’d only twenty. So much life to live.. Demon tail and all she could hide it and live a normal life once the war passes.”

  Zachary listened, staying silent for a while. He was happy his hunch was right. Lilly had one person here who cared.

  He nodded.

  “Alright then, I’ll get her out.”

  John looked at him in shock. “You what?”

  Lilly dropped the knife she was holding in her hands.

  Zack looked at them both and smiled wider. “You all still think i’m some soldier huh? Well, you can say I am… But not with the US.”

  He snapped his fingers and with a WOOSH a purple mist erupted around him and once faded away revealed his demonic tail swaying behind him, and the black suit and tie that was underneath the uniform.

  “Help me free her and I’ll be in your dept, my friend!”

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  This guy was insane.

  Lilly stared at the man, now Demon. “My kind has come to rescue me…?”

  Zachary looked to her and nodded.

  “Yes my dear, now we must go quickly! I have been searching for you for a long time and we don’t have time to lose now.”

  Lilly backed away from him.

  “Me? Why me?”

  Zack shrugged.

  “Why else than because you were going to be used as a weapon? I wouldn’t let one of us be a puppet like that! It took a long time but I got ahold of you now. It’s all going to be ok.”

  John interjected, “How did you know about her?”

  Zack smiled more, “Well, magic outweighs technology.. I have an old friend and she was able to look as see you... Said you were held in some facility so I tore everyone down till I found information on where you were.”

  John chimed in again, “So you are The Demon of Mist?”

  Zack nodded, “That's me.”

  Lilly spoke again, “So did my family send for me? Who wanted to find me?”

  Zack looked at her, his head was getting dizzy from looking between the two.

  “You could say that, yes. I am a hirable guard. My task is to take you home and protect you along the way.”

  John couldn’t believe his ears.

  “Demons have guards? Do you all have like a working economy and shit? We have all been told you are mindless beasts.”

  Zack laughed, “You believe that after her?”

  John shrugged, “I assumed she was a case of learned behavior.”

  Lilly was about to ask more questions but Zachary raised his hands.

  “Ok, ok, enough we don’t have much time now. Your friends are going to be waiting for me to report on this evaluation. Do some magic and we can get going and I can say you're all good to go or something.”

  Lilly went silent.

  Zack just stared at her. “Oh dear.” He said. “No magic?” He looked at John.

  John shook his head.

  “Ok..” Zachary said nervously. “Ok... Well….”

  He went quiet, looking back to the door now.

  “Shush.”

  John chimed in, “I wasn’t tal-”

  “I said shush!” Zachary repeated.

  He slowly made his way to the door they entered through, slamming the heavy door open, and watching a man scurry down the hall after.

  “Shit.” He muttered.

  Lilly ran over and looked down the hall.

  “What do we do?”

  John poked his head down the hall as well.

  “We run, and we hope.” he thought for a moment then pulled Zachary back inside. “There is a core in the main room... A large tube that glows blue you couldn’t have missed it. If we hit that the whole place will go up in smoke. I assume that doctor or scientist has now run off to get Zayden, the head of this place. We need to move now… Lilly.”

  Lilly looked at him.

  “You be safe now… I have watched you since you were young, I wanted nothing more for all these years for you to lead a normal life, to be free… I trust that this man will take you to that. Well, what choice do I have then to trust him?”

  Alarms would begin to blare.

  John stuttered on his words and started talking faster.

  “Lilly, be safe.. Someone has to stay behind and destroy the core. You run, and you run fast. Get out of here and go for the hills.”

  Lilly’s eyes widened, the person who took care of her all this time. Was he going to die here.

  “No..” Lilly said

  Zachary grabbed ahold of one of her arms.

  “We need to go Lilly.”

  Lilly struggled. “NO! No I won’t leave you behind John! You have to come with us! Please!”

  John looked to Zack and walked off for a moment then came back with a set of clothes and handed it over.

  “I picked these out earlier. Take them and run, I’m sure she doesn’t want to be in that patient's gown forever.”

  The sound of footsteps was growing loud.

  John scratched the back of his head.

  “Take care of her, please.”

  Zachary nodded and picked Lilly up like a bride in his arms. As she struggled and fought. Reaching for the friend that raised her..

  “I’ll clear a path for you down the hall,” Zachary said. “You run behind us and go for the core.”

  John nodded.

  Zachary then walked out and saw men holding onto guns and some with swords all aimed at them. Zachary rolled his eyes and gripped Lilly.

  “Hold tight Lil… This will be rough.”

  She gripped Zachary who began running forward and the guns would start firing.. Zayden screaming about how they shouldn’t be aiming for the project. But the hate humanity had for the Demons outweighed his screams. A sea of bullets went down the hall… purple mist filled the room and Zachary created a violet shield in his hands the bullets bouncing off, a few leaving cracks. Zachary pushed through the crowd the shield changing to a spear. Holding onto Lilly with one arm up against him, Zachary sliced through people with his spear.. Blood splattered against the walls.

  He rushed into the main room and went for the elevator… He busted through and John followed behind. In a flash, Zachary was gone with Lilly a bloodbath left behind.

  John went to the core and heard a man speak up behind him.

  “You traitor.”

  Zayden was standing there, with crazed eyes.

  John looked to him with a solemn expression.

  “No.. I’m doing what’s right. The Demons may be at war with us, but we had no excuse eight years ago to take a child. We had no right to erase her memory. No authority to abuse her. Now you wanted to make a weapon. You were happy the war began, able to turn the child into your own creation. But she’s not your creation. You should have left her in that field of Lillies.”

  He grabbed a gun off one of the soldiers lying on the ground and raised his hand backing up and pointing it at the core. The only thing powering the lab, was the last remnants of an old kingdom of technology many many years ago.

  “Whether she joins her kinds side, or protects the human race is her choice to make. And if she chooses the Demons... I hope she burns us to the ground.”

  He pulled the trigger, Zayden trying to run to him and stop him from destroying the whole place and killing them in the process.

  But it was too late.

  The bullet went through and pierced the core, the place erupting in an explosion..

  Lilly and Zachary a few miles from the lab in the forest watched. Watched as the place went up in flames. And Lilly fell to her knees getting out of Zachary’s arms. And cried over the death of the only friend she had for so many years.