Chapter 6

"The ones you know are infected, there is no hope for them. You have two choices. You can either isolate them for three days from any further contact with any electronic devices, or kill them. They will all become like this. Once a victim is found, and the process is broken, it remains broken for twenty years at a time. In the past, the demon could only come through in obscure books, but the advent of the information age has made the infection process much easier, you must go now. There is no time to lose." With those final words he stood up and pointed me to the door, I was going alone, I guess.

I took one final look at the site that both disturbed, and fascinated me at the same time, then it was time to go. I had to try and do something, but those words echoed in my mind "They were taking bites from their victims..." Yeah, that's not something you get out of your mind so easily. I opened the door and went back the way I came, it was raining outside, no thunder yet, though.

A dull gray was painted over the sky, it was fitting, I thought as I was getting into my car. I started it and began to roll out of town. I didn't see the cop on the way out, I didn't stick around to long to look for him either. It was time to go back and face what ever horror awaited me back at the dorm. I didn't want to think about it but, I had no real choice I suppose. Well, I did. Normally I'm not the heroic type. As soon as I got out of the town limits, I switched on my CD player, but oddly enough all I got was static. I should have expected, or even known better. After the story I was just told you'd think I'd never turn on any kind of electronic transmitting device again. I saw the evidence, heard the story and yet I still turned on my radio, expecting music I got something else, static.

Well, that wasn't good. Anybody else would be in a state of panic if their sound system just decided to stop working, but I knew better. "Hello there, you know. It's very hard to get a hold of you!," The electronic, yet distantly female voice seemed to happily chirp out. Not the voice of a demonic entity one would come to expect by any means. "Are you there, I just want to talk, really," Man, this was annoying already I wanted to shut off the radio, but I could detect a sadness behind the cheery demeanor. "Umzaro, or Ipos, or whatever your name is. What do you want," It wasn't really a question. "Ha, I want what you have, what all living things have a body. Can you imagine existing only as a voice in the wind, a screen name on a computer screen, forever?" The electronic voice seemed anguished, desperate almost now.

I honestly couldn't imagine living with out truly living, feeling or being seen. It seemed like a hell to me that was unimaginable, truly. "You want a body, but your way of getting one destroys lives that exist already. We can't have that," Well, it was the best argument I had. "You are going to be a hero, you will save people, again? It's always the same way. As soon as I get close to realizing my ultimate goal, some do gooder decides that they have to do the right thing, and they say the world has no heroes anymore, what a lie that is," Umzaro said with a bit of anger now, it was pretty easy to tell. I was no hero I was just trying to protect my friends from some kind of thing that I didn't fully understand.

"No, the world is filled with heroes, everywhere you look you find all kinds of people who are willing to step up to the challenge and save people, with out even bothering to ask if they want to be saved, or need it, no heroes have always have to save the day even if they don't understand why," The voice continued to preach to me. I had nothing to say really, it had a point. "So what, you want me to just walk away from my friends, I can't do that," It was weak I know, but it was all I could think of.

"Ah, silly mortal. What friends. I know their minds. I have their thoughts right here. You are simply being used as a contact, you can obtain mind destroying chemicals to make them happy, you do realize that if you ever stopped this practice, they'd throw you out in an instant, right. I might be a demoness, but trust me the truth hurts so much worse than a lie, we demons thrive on brutal honesty," Well, that was unexpected, to think a demon could actually tell the truth about anything. "So that's what they really think of me," It was more to myself, I had always figured that to be true, but I never actually admitted it to myself.

"Of course it's true. All I ever wanted was a body. I'll offer the same deal I have offered for centuries. If you allow me to obtain a physical body, I'll be sure and not to kill or harm you, and don't worry since you are a guy my powers of control don't work on you, interested?" Not to kill or hurt me. Well, what a deal that was. "No, I'm afraid not. You seem like the creative type and I am sure that you'll find some kind of miserable torment for me, no thanks," See I wasn't a complete pushover. "Ah, a mortal with a sense of humor. I like that, maybe we have more in common then you might believe me when I say, I just want to live freely, after I get a body, I'll be happy again. I am far too old to risk the chance. If you allow me this one chance, I promise I won't bother anyone again." The voice came from the speakers.