Explanation [48]

Once I was parked, I turned off the engine and jumped out of the car. I scanned my surroundings once again. There was no one to be seen in the parking area. Since I wasn't wearing a hooded jacket or sweatshirt, I decided to use my hairs to cover my face. I freed my hairs from the grip of the scrunchie and brought them to the sides of my face to create a veil on my face. Just in case some demon notices me. I walked out of the place and started making my way through the water puddles on the street. The traffic was light and there were few pedestrians on the foot walk. None of them looked suspicious. I continued walking on the street till I was on the other street which lead to Finn's place.

The surroundings were same like the last time. Dark and desolate. Except for the buildings and warehouses, the place was entirely barren and bereft of humans. I kept peeking through my shoulder to confirm I am not being followed. It felt like I was in some horror movie. And as described in those movies, I was trying my best to survive.

When I reached the place, I took the three-stepped stairs and stood outside. Instead of knocking the door, I preferred texting him. So I formulated my text.

[I'm outside.] I texted.

A minute later, I heard the sound of the secret passage scraping against the ground and thirty seconds later the door opened. Finn nodded in a 'come inside' motion and I entered. We then went into the room where he lived. Nothing in the room has changed except for the candles. They were still on the table but they were not lit like before.

"What exactly happened?" Finn asked as he moved in his small kitchen and opened a cupboard to get something.

"I saw a condensed patch on one of the school windows and  it started to grow. After sometime a message appeared on the foggy glass." I described.

"What was the message?" His back was facing me so I couldn't read his expressions, but by the sound of his voice it seemed like he was shocked. I was myself stunned because ever since he gave me the amulet, nothing odd happened, until today.

"It read, 'You cannot run away' ."

"Was there anyone else around you when this happened? Did anyone else noticed this?" He asked still working on something.

"No there was no one. The corridor was empty. I was the only one there." I answered.

He turned around and leaned against the counter. His brows were furrowed and forehead had creased lines. He was evaluating something.

"Could it be possible that the amulet has stopped working?" I hinted at the doubt.

"No that's not possible. I have cast a spell on it. It won't stop working till I am alive." He looked at me and then spoke again. "Any spell cast by a witch will work until and unless the witch dies." He explained to clear my doubts.

An 'oh' escaped my lips.

"The amulet is working. Demons can't locate you. And since they can't find you, they are sending these threat messages." He put forward his theory.

"But how do they know where I would be?" I raised another doubt.

"No. They don't know about your exact location. But they can still threaten you." He concluded. "It's like sending text to someone. The text is sent to the desired person without the need to know where the person would be or what they would be doing."

I sighed. So it was not something worth fretting over. They can threaten me but they won't ever know where I am. At least something about coming here was relieving.

"Would you like to have something? I'm preparing tea for myself. Would like to have coffee?" He asked politely. 

"Okay."

He put a vessel on the stove and indulged himself into work. Meanwhile, I dragged one of the chairs and took a seat. While he was busy, I examined the bookshelf from where I was sitting. Along with books and journals, there were a lot of caskets placed above each other. On a lower shelf, I noticed a crystal ball. It was bigger than some ordinary crystal ball and rested on a golden stand. It had a glassy blackish tint. I wondered what it is for? As far as I have learnt from movies, they are used to either predict the future or to seek the truth. But then again, half of the nonsense the movies feed us with are made up facts. Non of that is actually true.

Minutes later, Finn pushed a mug of coffee towards me and settled on a chair placed on the other side of the table. A white china cup was placed in front of him. He took a sip of tea from the cup and placed it back on the table. He then raised his eyes to look at me.

"The other day--- you said you had some questions." He asked and ran a finger on the scar he had on his right eyebrow.

"Oh I totally forgot about that." I placed both of my hands on the sides of the mug containing coffee. It was hot but soothing as my palms were cold. "I don't know where to begin with." I took a deep breath and delved back into my mind. The first thing that came to my mind was the unbearable spine chilling presence I have felt ever since my parents died.

"After my parents died," I begin with my story, "I have been feeling a presence around me, like someone's watching me and following me everywhere I go. I've always felt it. But it stopped when I started wearing the amulet you gave me. Do you think it was demons?" I noticed Finn listening intently to me. His eyes were trained on the table but he was sitting straight with his fingers locked under his chin and his head was supported by his hands as he was leaning on the table. When I finished talking he finally began.

"It's obvious the presence you felt was nothing other than a demon. But I think Andromalius has some sort of hold on you." He mused.

"How?" A shudder made me realize that I was beginning to panic again. There was more to the story I have heard last time.