CODEX Part 2: The Secret Child of the Devil
The Volunteer Pub

That night, Zoe couldn’t sleep. She went out to take a walk in the park leaving Ezekiel all alone in the apartment. He had a lot to think about too, his mind was swirling with what she told him before.

After Zoe met the old inheritor, she returned home with a lot more worries than before. Ezekiel was waiting for her in the living room, like a parent ready to scold his children for coming home late at night.

She jumped when she saw him there, standing alone in the dark.

“What happened to you?” She asked as she walked past him.

Ezekiel only stared at her with a poker face. Zoe walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove, ready to make some tea.

“Well?” She urged him again to speak since he followed her.

“I searched and asked around about this legacy thing and what it means to me,” Ezekiel started.

She slowed down her actions but didn’t stop.

“And?”

“I’m not family and I am not your son. Our bloodlines are different.”

She licked her lips and grabbed the sugar.

“I know,” Zoe replied.

Ezekiel stared at her back in awe.

“Gakhas took a look at my mark today. It seems that pacts are generally like collars, because apparently humans are dogs..." Ezekiel muttered with a disappointed shake of his head, "Mine is not. Gakhas can barely see it on my soul,”

"Gakhas is not the most reliable entity to ask," Zoe commented.

"But Eneizar cannot lie and he said the same thing,"

She gulped and stopped the stove. She put the kettle aside and poured the tea in two pink mugs.

“What is this legacy, then, Zoe? If it's not a pact with the devil and not even a mark like Iaosur's, what is it?" He asked growing worried.

“It's a bond. Your soul is precious so I did what I thought was right.” Zoe replied handing him one of the mugs.

“Why?”

“Because you are my most treasured person. I love Mehrdir and I’m sure that will never change, even if I try a thousand times. I want you to keep living for me and for everything that we believe in. I will never have children but I want your bloodline to have something specific. Something magical that will protect you from ever getting to hell,” Zoe explained.

“Isn’t that the same as cursing my bloodline forever?”

That never occurred to Zoe when she took the decision. She stood there, taken aback by the alternative way of thinking.

“Do you know what happens most of the time when the inheritor and commander meet? They marry. Not because they love each other but because they want to protect each other from demons and weird cults.” Zoe explained with a heavy sigh.

“Is that what you will do?”

She sighed and leaned towards him.

“No. That’s why I chose you to be my legacy. I trust you. So please, trust me too and accept it. It may sound like a curse, but it will keep your bloodline pure.”

Ezekiel didn’t seem convinced at all. He was there when she almost died and when she started to change and he saw just how much pressure there was on her.

“But it’s a curse nonetheless,” he combated her plan with logic.

“A curse is a curse only if you think about it that way. It depends on how you choose to use it. Someone smart told me that before,”

Ezekiel looked at her, his eyebrow twitching because she used his words to combat his logic. Zoe had a soft smile on her face and her eyes were watching him with care. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“I will end in Hell because of you.”

“You won’t. I will make sure of that.”

Have you ever wondered how it feels to visit a haunted house?

Ezekiel and Gakhas were all alone at home, standing lazily around with messy bed hair and still in pajamas. Gakhas was on the couch, buttoning a random phone he found while Ezekiel was on the ground with a bowl of popcorn in between his legs. They were bored and Zoe was on a job hunt since her income wasn't the same after she finished Fallen.

Visit Jo's Haunted Tour and you will have the best experience of your life. For just-

"Turn it off. It's all bullshit."

Gakhas said before he threw a pillow at Ezekiel's head. The human narrowed his eyes at the demon but did change the channel.

"Are there haunted houses in the world?" The human asked, genuinely curious.

"The whole world is haunted. A house is only a house. Ghosts gather in houses because it makes them feel alive. It makes them feel like they belong." Gakhas explained.

"But they don't belong anywhere because they're dead," Ezekiel concluded, "What about Zoe in a haunted house?"

Gakhas's nose scrunched up in annoyance and turned his back to him.

"I'm playing a game here. Go read some books."

That was meant offensively and he made sure it wouldn't be taken as anything else.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes and threw a few popcorns at his head, the demon glaring at him over his shoulder.

"Don't take the low route with me," Gakhas said with a glare.

Ezekiel stared blankly at the short boy. He blinked twice and threw more popcorn at Gakhas' head. The demon was ready to get up when someone suddenly appeared in the room and jumped on him.

"Get off me you stupid excuse of a demon!" Gakhas exclaimed trying to push Iaosur off.

"You know, I just came back after a long day of work. You should say something that would make me feel all warm inside!" Iaosur chuckled and hit the sloth demon.

Ezekiel didn't move an inch. He was thinking thoroughly about that TV advertisement.

"Why would I do that? I'm not your wife!" Gakhas moaned, kicking Iaosur yet the angst demon wasn't budging.

“But Rowan always welcomed me with things that would warm my soul," Gakhas looked at him in a weird way which only made Iaosur smirk and continue, "Like, he would say how evil I am for messing his life. Or how much of an asshole I am for entering on him when he was with a woman,"

"Rowan had a girlfriend? I didn't expect him to have a life," Ezekiel commented.

Iaosur's eyes widened bemusedly at Ezekiel's surprised tone and his underestimation of people concerned with the dark arts.

"Right? I couldn't stay there and watch him get a life. Therefore, I did everything in my power to destroy it." He clapped his hands loudly, Gakhas and Ezekiel flinching at the loud sound, "His future shattered into small pieces."

Iaosur looked so content.

"And you did that just for fun? That's sick." Ezekiel commented, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies and bloodstained futures!" Iaosur hummed happily

Ezekiel frowned and swallowed nervously. That declaration did not feel the same after what he discussed with Zoe about him being her legacy, but he chose to push that problem in the back of his mind.

"So, can we go visit a haunted house?" Ezekiel changed the subject.

Iaosur and Gakhas scoffed, both looking like a haunted house was too much of a bother.

"If you want to be spooked, I can do it," Iaosur pointed out, his eyes becoming fully white for a moment before coming back to normal.

Ezekiel was sure Iaosur was one of the creepiest demons he ever met.

Zoe was tired. Her legs hurt because of the heels and she was sweating under the suit. She went searching for a job in psychology and the only one she found was at a university, Ezekiel's University to be precise. They were short on one teacher and she seemed to fit the post very well. Of course, with a degree like hers and a diploma signed by a prestigious university like King's College with one semester in America was more than fine.

Zoe didn't expect to replace her uninvited guests still in her apartment.

"Why would I want to create a haunted house?" She wasn't even able to think correctly when Iaosur opened the subject.

"Actually, I wanted to visit one not create one," Ezekiel glared from the side at Iaosur while explaining.

The demon was already planning in the kitchen with a less-than-coherent Eneizar. For some reason, the vanity demon was stressed and would snap at everyone if he felt like it.

"So it's not urgent and doesn't have a purpose." She stated, Ezekiel nodding along. "Then we're not making it."

She went straight into her room and fell face-first on the bed. A few seconds later, she got pulled up by none other than Iaosur.

"I want a haunted house!" He screamed like a spoiled brat.

She only stared at him with a blank expression. He shook her a few times before he saw her eyes closing slowly. He scoffed and threw her on the bed like she was a rag doll.

Granted to the mark on his wrist, she could make it sting without even trying. She only needed a simple thought before she heard Iaosur fall on his face, grabbing his wrist in pain.

The commander smiled contently while dozing off.

"She is tired. Why don't you cut her some slack? She has enough on her plate." The vanity demon asked while sitting with his eyes closed on the couch.

Iaosur was like a child. He was being scolded by someone who had no right to say a word.

"When did you start to care, Eneizar?" The angst demon snarled at his so-called friend, the vanity demon narrowing his eyes at him immediately.

"When we became friends."

That word seemed to make a huge difference because it made Iaosur shut up and restrain the rage for later.

"Why don't you invoke a haunted house and get it over with?" Gakhas asked, his interest in the subject lowering to a level under the water.

Ezekiel shuddered at the memory. He could still see Zoe on the ground with blood everywhere. Gakhas noticed Ezekiel's reaction and looked at Eneizar.

"Bad idea?"

The demons were staring down at him, each with their expression of disapproval.

"You do remember she almost died in one, right?"

Gakhas shook his head. He had no idea and truthfully didn't give a shit.

"She won't accept anyway. We will have to make a trip to the closest haunted house and see if something fun will happen." Eneizar's idea was good and practical.

"What about the one in Essex?" Ezekiel's option was bypassed quickly, "Why not?" He whined.

"Because that house is seriously haunted by some dangerous ghosts. Maybe the public doesn't realize it when they go visit but there are demons of lowly grade. That's worse than an empty house." Eneizar succeeded only to empower Ezekiel's curiosity.

"Then what about going to The Volunteer Pub?" Everyone turned to Zoe expectantly, "I’ve always been curious about it." She continued her idea.

The demons and Ezekiel thought about it for a few moments before they agreed.

"Alright."

"Do you know what we're getting into?"

The one driving was Eneizar. It was weird because he didn't even have an ID yet he knew how to drive from watching TV. She glared at Chen and Ezekiel for the whole ride. Two years passed and none got their driver's license.

"Well, from what I read, it seems haunted. There could only be normal ghosts who got stuck there," Iaosur started, "But we all know that's not true. Ghosts don't just stay on Earth without a reason. There's something fishy about it." he said the last sentence while staring at Zoe in the review mirror.

Her head snapped to him and she scoffed.

"You are the only one who acts suspiciously. Why do you want a haunted house so badly? You live in my house and it's plenty haunted."

"Not in that way. We know each other." He was whining for something so petty.

"Go to Hell." She cursed under her breath.

Iaosur groaned and shifted in his seat, "But I know them too!"

He was annoying and continued whining for a little more to Eneizar but Zoe just turned her back on him and blocked him out.

"Why do you want to go to The Volunteer? It doesn't seem to have anything special,"

Chen looked up haunted places on the internet and he wasn't impressed by the ones in London. He had found so many good places in Scotland and a lot more throughout Europe.

"Because it has stories. It was either that or the Cane Hill Asylum." Zoe explained keeping her reasons to herself.

Chen and Ezekiel glanced at each other and nodded before they turned to her.

"I prefer the asylum." They said in synch.

She clicked her tongue and turned to look out the window. Everyone wanted something from her but this decision wasn't taken lightly. She had something to do at the Volunteer Pub.

"We're here!"

She fell asleep quickly and woke up even quicker. As each got out, with Zoe being last, they couldn't shake the feeling that nothing amazing was about to happen. It was just a pub.

"I'm not impressed, honestly," Ezekiel muttered with disappointment. "And how are we going to enter? It's closed,"

As soon as those words came out, the front door opened widely for the guests. Ezekiel and Chen glanced at each other warily.

"...ok, my bad," Ezekiel added as they entered the pub.

As soon as Ezekiel stepped inside, he couldn't believe his eyes. Having Zoe's legacy mark on his soul allowed him to see what most people only dreamt of. And yet he couldn't help but have a chill go down his spine in fear and excitement.

"What? What?" Chen was the only one who couldn't see ghosts so he was the most curious, "What do you see?"

"I see a well-equipped restaurant," Ezekiel replied still in awe, "It's amazing,"

Chen frowned. The demons entered without much thought. Eneizar made a sign to someone and pointed at them.

"A table for us. Fast. You don't want to get a vanity demon to wait."

Whoever he was looking at got a little scared because Eneizar narrowed his eyes at him.

"Did he just order a table for us?" Chen whispered to an equally surprised Ezekiel, who nodded. "To thin air? There's nothing there,"

Zoe chuckled and grabbed Chen's hand. Suddenly everything became visible. The pub looked brand new and there were a lot of people drinking, eating, and chatting.

"Unbelievable," Chen whispered, still in shock.

After they took their seats at the table, a young waiter came to take their order.

"You do realize we are standing in a closed pub, waiting to get nothing because it is closed," Chen took care to outline the important matter at hand.

Zoe looked around closely. It looked freshly renovated compared to the actual state of the pub.

"It smells familiar," She mumbled, feeling a bit awkward sitting there with so many ghosts.

Eneizar looked up from the menu he was holding preciously like his whole existence was depending on it.

"That's because it smells like death. Everyone in here is dead."

That didn't stop her from turning to the table behind her and tapping the person on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, what year are we in?"

The woman turned to face Zoe and suddenly, the smell was even worse, "1675."

Chen and Ezekiel froze. The older out of the two, the puppy human and recent legacy of the commander, rose and walked towards the door. Zoe shook her head and walked after him, seeing how scared he was even if he didn't want to show it.

"1675. Doesn't that freak you out? We are in a closed restaurant, Zoe." Ezekiel hissed, grabbing her hand.

She bit her lip and took a glance at the receptionist. He was missing his right leg and half of his face was burnt.

"In a way. But that's how I see the world. Didn't you want to have a glimpse of what I see?" Zoe teased the youngster, making him swallow nervously and bend his head.

Ezekiel didn't have a response because everything she said was true but it was weirder than everything they've been through.

They returned to their table right in time for the food to be served. Chen was still in between believing and thinking it was all a big joke. Somehow, it felt more like a deception because something sinister was going around and he was scared.

"This place freaks me out," Chen mumbled and froze when he felt some kind of energy approach him, "Someone just placed his hand on my shoulder."

He closed his eyes and grabbed Ezekiel's hand, cringing visibly.

Ezekiel's eyes moved above his friend's head and noticed a stiff man narrowing his eyes at Chen.

“That’s not how you act in a restaurant, kids.”

Ezekiel gulped, overwhelmed by the dead eyes of this man, who was probably the manager. The human squinted a little and noticed the nametag. He tapped Zoe’s hand quickly, feeling overwhelmed by the ghost.

“Excuse me, is there something wrong here?” Eneizar took the initiative.

The manager inspected the vanity demon from head to toe before responding, “You’re not from around here but you’ll be soon enough.”

Eneizar raised an eyebrow. Zoe glanced from the vanity demon to Iaosur who was uninterested, playing with his napkin. The manager left the same way he came: in complete silence.

“What does that mean?” Ezekiel whispered to Zoe.

Chen was still clinging to his best friend, completely freaked out.

“I think we’ll replace out soon enough.”

They were looking for trouble and it was all Ezekiel’s fault. He started to talk about haunted houses and he regretted opening his mouth back home.