My classmate is a demon...

22. Mateo's Real Colors

Olivia P.O.V.

When I wake up, I look over at the clock beside my bed. It's early morning and I take a nice warm shower before getting ready for school. I make myself some cereal before throwing on a coat and walking out the door. A chilly wind meets me right after I walked out the door. I shiver. It's clear that winter is coming soon, and that the warm summer weather is long gone.

On my way to school, I meet up with Mateo. He stops walking and grabs my arm. "You have to come with me."

His voice is harsh and serious. As he has a tight grip on my arm, I have no choice but to follow after him. We walk into the forest. Me being curious about where we're going at a time like this but seeing his facial expression I don't dare to even ask.

"Put your bag down here." He points to the ground beside a tree. I throw my backpack off my shoulders. "Where are we going Mateo?" he turns to look at me. His expression just as serious as before. "We're going to the in-between to stop all of this." His words make me freeze at the spot.

"Have you forgotten that the air is poisonous for me? I could die." My voice is so low I'm surprised if he even heard me. "I know, which is why I'm giving you this." He holds his hand out towards me. It's a small bottle. Just by looking at it, I know it's blood. His blood, which will ensure my safety for a little while. It makes my body able to breathe and function while being in the in-between. I gulp it down and shake my head at the disgusting metallic taste that is left in my mouth.

"I'll never get used to the taste. I surely hope it's the last time I'll ever drink it again." He looks at me reassuringly before walking between two trees and disappearing into thin air. I follow him.

It's hot and the humidity in the air is so high that it's hard to breathe as well as the already heavy air. Somehow it feels worse than the last time I was here. The memories come flowing back at the thought and I push them back. I don't want to think about it. The trees are burnt and are all black and stiff. Like a bad horror movie. The sky is as red as blood, with a small shimmer of where the sun probably is.

There are no buildings or houses nearby. I can only see a small man in the distance. "Who is that?" I point to the person in the distance. Mateo looks at where I'm pointing.

"It's who I'm going to talk to. If the conversation doesn't end well. I'm going to kill them. It's can't go on like this anymore. You have no idea what they've done. They've killed so many innocent people. Kidnapped several persons like yourself. All that just to create the next generation of demons. More powerful and destructive than ever before. I've seen one of them. The girl went crazy, her body rejecting the serum. They took blood samples and then killed her. The research never stopped. I think they need a specific type of DNA for it to work. I've seen them drilling out bone marrow from an alive person still conscious." His voice somehow manages to stay steady while talking. I personally, would break. It sounds horrifying.

It scares me beyond imagination to imagine what it would be like. Both for the victim but also how could you make yourself do something like that knowing the pain the patient would be in? I don't want to end up like the others. Dead.

"That was the reason he kidnapped me, wasn't it? He needed my DNA to continue with his experiment?" he stops walking. He turns to look at me for a second. His eyes are shiny, probably on the verge of crying.

"Yeah, at least that's what I think. I can never be sure of anything when it comes to Alex. That's why I've decided to end it all. I can't lose you." He knows exactly what to say to make my heart flutter. He cares about me. He doesn't want to lose me. Maybe he likes me too? He can be so caring if he only wants to. His eyes remaining on the target, who is now pretty close. I can make out the features of the man Mateo has been calling Alex. It's also the man who kidnapped me.

"Mateo, what a lovely surprise, oh and who do we have here?" he looks over at me. Only one look from him and I'm uncomfortable. I step behind Mateo, I hate that man so much. "It doesn't have anything to do with you." He says sharply.

From where I'm standing, I can see a little of what's going on. "Fine by me, what do you want? This is not the first time you want to talk to me? Somehow I still have this feeling of this conversation ending in a bloodbath." His voice is so calm I can barely believe his words. It's disgusting to think about. To top it all he sends one of his disgusting smiles my way. Eww.

The man takes one threatening step forwards, making all the muscles in my body tense. "I want you to stop experimenting on humans to create the new generation of demons, that you have been calling them." Mateo is focused and the tone of his voice tells me that he is furious and that he meant every single word of it. Angry Mateo scares me a little, to be honest. It's like he becomes a completely different person.

"That will never happen, it's the same answer Mateo. I'm not going to change my mind. However, I'm sensing that she's useful." He points his index finger at me, and at this point, I'm so scared and disgusted that I have no idea where to go. I only know that I don't want to go. I know Mateo needs me, so I'll stay. Only for the reason that he's going to make this end. For the last time hopefully.

With his eyes fixated on me, when a dark and threatening voice reaches my ears. "No." the voice is low and comes out almost like a growl. I look beside me where Mateo previously stood.

Now there is a creature a foot taller than Mateo used to be. Seeing as the creature is dark as a shadow and what looks to be a dark shadow thing radiating off it, making it looks poisonous to touch. In the creature's right hand, there is now a scythe. Almost like the grim reaper, but the shadow aura being there and it's not a skeleton with a cape kind of creature. It's making my knees grow weak as the aura it's giving off being cold and terrifying. The eyes that before used to be blue and deep brown are now a dark shade of red. This beast or creature or whatever it is that used to be Mateo. Clearly isn't Mateo anymore. Looking at his I take a couple of steps away from it, afraid it'll attack me. To my surprise, it walks towards Alex, the creepy man.

"You got to be kidding!? It worked!" what? What worked. Oh, wait the serum he was injected with. This is what he was going to turn into. What in the world is Alex trying to create? The creature stops at Alex's words. I'm sure I'm asking Alex the question both me and the creature that before was Mateo, are wondering at the moment. "What do you mean?" I manage to keep my voice normal even due to the circumstances I'm currently in. The creature looks at me for a brief second before returning its gaze at Alex.

"I worked on him several years ago, and I always thought it didn't work. I guess I was wrong then." He smiles that horrifying smile of his. His words seem to even make me nervous. What the hell is wrong with this man? How could he destroy someone's life like this? I feel sorry for Mateo who I'm not even sure will ever be able to return to normal after this. He's beating me to it, hits Alex so hard he flies across the landscape, landing a couple of feet away, lifeless.

He turns towards the others who showed up with Alex and attacks them, he gets a couple of wounds I'm worried are more serious than they seem, but in return, he gives some good injuries too. I was never one to like violence before, but seeing what Alex did to him, he and his men deserve this.

Being a little too grossed out about all the spilled blood and body parts just laying around so casually like my clothes on the bedroom floor. I turn around shutting my eyes and holding for my ears. Trying to tune out the screaming and flesh being ripped open and apart.