DEMIAN: Pursuers

In the cafeteria of Nana Seling, Dazaree who's washing the dishes suddenly palpitated. She doesn't know why but she felt like something bad is gonna happen or something bad is happening. Perhaps it's just because of the coffee she drank in the morning? 

She heaved a deep sigh as she hopes that nothing bad will happen and looked outside the glass wall of the cafeteria. "The weather is too good for bad premonition," she mumbled. 

Troye who noticed this, walked towards her and asked, "Are you okay?" 

Dazaree shocked her head and gave him a weak smile. 

"Why don't you just go rest for today and just come back when you are feeling well," he suggested. 

"No, I can't do that besides, I'm okay so don't worry," she assured him and continued washing dishes. 

Troye just looked at her worriedly and came back to the cash register again. 

Meanwhile, near the market of the town, a boy in uniform underneath a white hoodie is standing in front of a mini-store. He slowly put his hand inside his pocket and simply pressed the key volume of his cellphone to turn down the song he was listening to. 

He looked at the bottle of mineral water displayed inside the store and took the coin in the pocket of his pants. 

"Mineral water, please, " he said while his attention is in the reflection of the glass container inside the mini-store and saw two men in his 3 o'clock looking in his direction. 

The vendor immediately went out and said,  "Ten pesos each." 

"Okay, " he smiled at the vendor and handed her a ten pesos coin which she took and handed him a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank you."

He didn't wait any longer and opened its lid while his attention was still on the reflection of the glass container. After he consumed the contents of the bottle, he put on his hoodie and looked straight down the road.

"One in my 7 o'clock," he counted in his mind. 

This 16 years old boy's name is Demian and he just finished his class and was about to go home now but it seems like he has to stroll in the market a bit. 

Before he left school, he made sure that no one was following him so he is sure that these men don't know the school he is attending. They just know that the boy passes through this town and that relieves him. 

It's a good thing that before he left school, he wore his hoodie. He took big steps while just looking straight ahead. They shouldn't know that he's aware of their presence. 

Demian looked at the glass wall of a boutique and there he saw another man in his 10 o'clock. 

"Fxck how did they got so many? They are already surrounding me. I need to think fast." he pondered to himself.

He can't go home yet because they can't find out where he lives. There are a lot of people here in town so he can easily squeeze in and mix with the group of people but they are not that easy to mislead. 

This is not the first time this has happened to him because he was being followed ever since he's six years old so he and his mom kept on moving from one place to another just so they can escape them. 

It gave them a hard time having a normal life especially his mom so if these men find out where they live now, it will end up badly. Furthermore, they can't move out again because it's just been a month since they start living here. 

Actually, this has happened to him yesterday too but he was able to escape. He just didn't think that they'll be back again. Damien thought that he has misled them yesterday but they are still persistent. 

He followed the group of people who crossed the road and he could see in the corner of his eye that they are still following him so he made faster and larger steps then turned left. 

"I have to mislead them," he thought but then his vibrating phone caught his attention but he didn't answer it. It's his mom.

"Damn. Not now," he mumbled then crossed the other side of the road and signaled the cars to stop for a moment. 

He fastens his steps to the point that he is almost running and the men noticed this. 

They looked at each other as a signal that they will trap the boy because they cannot let him get away anymore. 

Demian entered the market where the ground floor was crowded because it was full of old people shopping. He was a bit far away from them but they're still following him so he didn't stop walking as he tries to mislead them again. He took the escalator and walked ahead of the people there.

"Excuse me," he said to the busy people.

The people he accidentally bumped got mad at him but he just ignored them. They are not his concern now. The only thing he has in mind now is to escape from them because he knows that they are dangerous. 

If these men caught him, he only has two options and that is to come with them peacefully and the second is to fight. His mom told him not to come with them nor that she wants him to fight with them. As much as possible, he should only try to get away from them.

Damien knew that if he fights them here, a lot of innocent people will get involve and he wants to avoid that. He won't come with them too because he knows about their goal. And that is to use his power for their evil plans. 

He decided to turn in the hallway, but as he did so, he was stunned when a familiar man appeared in front of him causing him to curse in his mind. 

"Hello, Demian. Long time no see." 

***