Saving Nikolai

Nights were omniscient.

Light, on the other hand, was fickle.

It was like paying the electricity bills to illuminate the home. Yet deep down, some corners always remained in darkness.

Even the most burning star, the sun, was no exception.

However, despite the dullness of the universe, it still managed to illuminate a few objects.

Just like the shiny blue vase placed on his side table.

In the night's shadow, it appeared white, almost like some otherworldly thing.

Elijah lay there on his bed, duvet half sprawled over his lower body, half slipping onto the carpet.

For some strange reason, his eyes wandered restlessly, searching for the whiteness in his dim room.

Another hour passed, and they still refused to rest.

Then his phone vibrated.

The screen turned on, and the brilliant brightness flashed in his eyes.

Ah, so this was it.

Grabbing the phone, he threw the duvet off his body.

"Hello," he said, rubbing his hand in his tousled hair.

"Eli, help me. It's my cousin. He has been sick and now- Shit!"

There was a loud crash accompanied by the worried voices of what Eli assumed were the guardians of the sick child.

However, what caught his attention was the growl hidden beneath the screams.

"Bring him here."

"On it."

The call went silent.

Only if his instincts could tell him directly what lay in the future.

Then again, even those gifted with foresight had fallen short. Some had gone mad right before his eyes.

But it wasn't the time for that. He should go and get ready for an exorcism.

He hadn't visited the church on his way back, and now there was no charm on him.

Which, in retrospect, would allow him to tap into his real potential.

This time, the aftermath might not leave him collapsed on the bathroom floor.

Charm...

Anyway, what could happen in the middle of the night?

It wasn't like he would attract some evil eyes.

Placing his duvet back on the bed, he moved to the other side of his medium-sized room, where his cupboard was.

With one tap on the wall, the light went on. The white flash nearly made him squint.

In the lower drawer were the holy water and blessed salt with a few other blessed things any stranger would find questionable.

"Will the living room be better? Or should I keep them out of the house?" he muttered to himself while grabbing the things he might need.

While his house wasn't too big, with only two bedrooms, his garden was almost double the space.

Outside the window, a few tiny sprouts had blossomed.

It didn't take long for Chase to honk at his door.

Eli wore his slippers and calmly went to greet the guests.

Though the mat in the garden clearly told him he didn't welcome them into his house.

Even before he saw it, he could hear the muffled howls from the entity.

The doors opened, and Eli nearly froze in his steps.

Blue.

And with it, the night's peace shattered.

He blinked at the boy dressed in a flamboyant leather jacket.

"Eli! Save Nikolai!" Chase shouted from behind, startling him into action.

"Please step aside," Eli said, motioning the stupefied boy to leave a way.

The teenager did so silently, revealing a tired couple, with Chase holding onto their sick son.

One look was all it took for Elijah to understand the situation.

Metallic chains dangled on the thin wrists and ankles, restraining the youngster's movement.

The cold chill in the air deepened.

Nikolai looked much thinner than Eli had previously assumed from the voice.

Was he nineteen, twenty maybe? At the age when he should be obsessed with building muscles like normal boys.

Yet he looked like a skeleton with skin draped over it. His eyelids, tinged with red and purple, quivered as he blearily peered up at him.

"Mother, why are you doing this?" he suddenly sobbed, blood drops trickling down his cracked lips. "Am I some crazy animal? Chase, you too? Why are you all doing this to me? I am fine, really."

"Niko," Lady said through her tears. "Mother will set you free, okay."

Before she could make a move, she was stopped by the taller man, whom Eli assumed was her husband.

"Can you treat him?"

The man's eyes had been fixed on Eli, almost like sizing him up, questioning the authenticity of whatever Chase must have told them.

"Put him there," Eli motioned toward the red mat. "You guys need to hold his arms and legs. And you," he looked toward the lady, "Please refrain from going closer, or you might lose your son forever."

Perhaps they were at the end of their ropes; they didn't question him as most of his customers did.

Even Nikolai stopped struggling as if giving up any hope. His body went limp, making it easier for Chase to push him onto the designated spot.

With Chase and his father holding his legs and arms, Eli sprinkled the holy water around him while murmuring a prayer.

Leaning over, he made a symbolic cross on Nikolai's sweaty forehead.

In an instant, a burning scent of sulfur emitted from the boy's parted lips, making his father cough violently.

"Chase."

Chase looked at Eli, then at the unexpected presence standing nearby, which they had dragged here with them.

But there was no other option.

"Alexei—help me hold his hands. Uncle, take Auntie and step back."

His orders were swift.

While Chase wondered how this whole fiasco would end, Alexei silently replaced the coughing man.

It was far too easy to hold the thin wrists of his friend, the young Vetrov thought almost in a daze, until the limp body suddenly started jerking heavily, forcing both him and Chase to tighten their hold.

Eli directly climbed onto Nikolai's stomach, holding him down with his weight.

As if recalling something important, he looked back at the tense couple. "Physical contact like this might happen. You don't object, right?"

"Do whatever you need, please," the woman replied, and Nikolai's father nodded his head in agreement, still trying to control his cough.

"Good. I'll start then."