II   Whose Call

The instincts of the human race kicked in as everyone ran for their lives out of the club. The street adjacent to the club was now crowded with people to the point that there was no place for the vehicles to move through, making it hard to believe that all these people were cramped inside that tin can.

Christopher has no control over his limbs, the current of the humans rushing out forcing him to join the others on the street. He was barely able to find a secure foothold on the ground as the crowd started spreading all around him giving him some space to breathe. The only thing that he inhaled was the heavy smoke that was rising vigorously to pollute the atmosphere around him.

As if his head was only now recovering from all the inhaled smoke, his eyes went wide with the realization that he was missing something – someone actually. Elfric.

He was separated from him in the basement of the club when he thought that he was right behind him. Before he even took hold of the door handle, the fire was already spreading like rain around him. Now, here he was cursing under his breath as he looked around him to hopefully see that white hair standing out from the cloud.

"Damn it," he cursed, a rough hand went through his hair as he realized that Elfric was nowhere around him. He turned halfway looking at the building that was on fire, the sirens of the firefighters were closing in on them followed by ambulances and police.

The place was filled within a minute. "ELFRIC!" Chris yelled out, a hopeless attempt to finding his friend. If he made it out after him then he would have sure bumped into him by now. This meant only one thing…and that is Elfric was still in there along with the psychopathic cult that was also nowhere to be seen.

"ELFRIC!"

~~~~

"I shall hear thee call,"

The demonic whisper echoed again in Elfric's mind, forcing his eyes to jolt open. The smell of disinfectants was teasing his nostrils as his chest raised to catch on to the breath that he seemed to have been holding.

As oxygen reached the circuits in his brain, he slowly started to regain his senses. He found himself lying flat on a hospital bed, the bright florescent light above his head was aching his eyes. The movement of his arm as it shielded his face caught the attention of the two females on his left.

"Mom, he is awake!"

Elfric felt his heart almost melt from the comfort as he realized the sweet young voice of his younger sister Joanna. He wasted no time and gathered all his strength to bring his forearm off his face. His memory was a haze, the shadow in his head was still there screaming the same five words. "I shall hear thee call,"

"Rick are you okay?" Joanna exclaimed as she turned her attention back to her brother, leaning on the side of the bed with both her balms for support. Elfric could barely open his eyes but he was still able to catch the twinkle in his sister's honey-colored eyes that matched his left one.

"Give him some space!"

He felt the tear threatening to escape at the familiarity of the scolding of his mother. Glancing to the side he saw his mother in her simple usual dress with her hair held with a rubber band to the side. "Are you okay, Elfric?" his mother Lorena asked with eyes full of worry. "I will call a doctor!"

Before she could turn around, Elfric caught her arm in his weak grip as he gathered what's left of his strength to site up straight. Lorena watching in worry as Joanna lent a helping hand to her older brother.

Just what the hell happened to him that he felt like this?! Every inch felt like it was broken and reattached again. "I'm okay," he stated weakly, his voice was cracking more than he liked. Adjusting himself on the bed after finally sitting up straight, he turned his head to look at his family. The mere thought that he could have died in that fire and left those two behind here in this world, tore his heart apart.

"I just feel a little tired," he added, faking a smile to the both of them. "How did you get here anyway…"

Before he got to finish his sentence, the curtains around his bed were drawn open revealing the familiar boy in the leather jacket.

"ELFRIC!" Christopher yelled out catching the attention of the other sickly people and doctors around him. Before Elfric got the time to tell him to keep it down, his friend was half up his bed as he held him by both shoulders. "Are you okay?!" he shook him left and right to see if he was okay but the gesture only caused him pain.

"I'm fine!" he scoffed teasingly as he pushed Chris away. Lorena felt her worry fade ever so slightly as she saw her son act more like normal. "By the way," Elfric paused as he took a look around the fancy part in the hospital that he wasn't used to.

"Where is this?" Elfric involuntarily narrowed his eyes as he addressed everyone around him. he could smell that something was fishy, there was no way his mother would have been allowed here if this was…

"Don't tell me that this is Noble's ward!?" Elfric whisper screamed at his friend. They knew how much he despised the mere word of Noble, and to be treated in their ward made his stomach twist.

"W-We had to get you here," Chris defended. "The commoner's ward is full after the fire down in the club."

Elfric finally noticed the burns on Chris's hand along with the ashes that were covering his face. Christopher must be the one that has paid for this all, being adopted by nobility had its advantages, Elfric thought. But, being his friend for all those years…he is ought to know that it wasn't as beautiful as it sounds.

"Thank you, Chris," Elfirc breathed out. "It's time to go home now.

~~~~

"My God,"

"Lord Crane!" a man dressed in black slim suit approached Crane as he got over the yellow tap that kept everyone out of the site.

Crane turned his head halfway to look at the man approaching him, his face wasn't exactly pleased. "Do you care to explain what in hell happened here, Zeph!" he yelled out as he pointed to the alter.

The blood was now dried up, leaving stains all over the tiled floor. The body of the boy that was there when they arrived was already carried off, along with all the bodies of the cult members that were there upon arrival.

Some with their faces burned off way recognition, and some still had that look of horror on their face. It gave Crane the chills, seeing how they looked like they were looking at the devil even after their deaths.

"Your Brother Lord Crane wanted to summon him," Zeph stated as he held his hands behind his back avoiding his master's angry eyes. "but I think that the ritual was a failure."

"You think…" Crane mumbled under his breath, his eyes were down looking at the shinning tip of his shoes. "MY CLUB IS BURNED TO THE GROUND AND YOU THINK!?" He slammed his fists on the altar behind him.

Zeph was silent as he waited for Crane to come back to his senses. He could understand where the anger was coming from. The ritual was something that the Gothom family was cooking up in secret for a while, and then there was Drace Gothom, Crane's younger brother, who attempted the ritual on his own.

Clearly, the outcome of the months wasn't as fruitful as any of them hoped.

"Keep the police out of here," Crane finally spoke. "Not a single soul comes in here and controls those damn reporters. And…" he paused.

"I want to know exactly what happened here," he narrowed his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at Zeph who was still in the same posture. "We can't risk it. If he was summoned then I want to know whose call he heeded."