professor. Edwards was his saviour, so it wasn’t surprising that Dad had a different reaction to him. Edwards perched himself by the bed and began feeding him spoonfuls of liquid from the different bottles. He seemed relatively passive at first, but before he swallowed down the third spoonful his expression contorted and he spat it out onto the bed. I went to grab some paper towels to dab up the spillage, and Edwards tried again with the same liquid, only for Dad to spit it out again, more aggressively than before. His body started to convulse, and he let out a wail of pain.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, panicked, my voice catching with tears.
Edwards looked at me gravely. “His body isn’t accepting the medicine. This one is particularly important in restoring his mind, but it’s just not taking. When he spits it out it’s not so much him doing it but the evil that’s infesting him.”
“The infestation wouldn’t let him take the medicine?”
“Correct.”
“Is there any alternative?”
“There is. There are other medicines, more powerful ones, but I don’t have any of them here.”
I ran my hands through my hair, feeling stressed. “Let me guess, you only have them at home.”
“Correct again,” Edwards answered apologetically. He knew I didn’t want him taking Dad away so soon.
“Is there any way to get the medicines here in Tribane? There are many supernaturals in this city. There must be someone who could provide them.”
Edwards shook his head. “Tribane has lots of vampires and witches, but very few demons, if any. My city is the demon capital of the world. Every country has varying populations of different kinds of supernatural creatures.”
“So, what you’re basically saying is my dad can’t be healed here, he needs to go home with you?”
“Yes. The sooner we leave the better.”
I stared at my dad in despair, but I couldn’t be selfish in this matter. Whatever had to be done for him to be himself again, I was going to make sure it happened. Gathering my resolve, I replied, “I’ll go book some flights then.”
After I booked their airline tickets, I assisted Edwards in cleaning up my father. He tried to attack me several times, but Edwards managed to subdue him. It saddened me that I was the one he wouldn’t tolerate, while he was as passive as a teddy bear when it came to Edwards.
I had to run to a men’s clothing store to get a couple of outfits for him, and I bought a small suitcase, too, packing it with items I thought he might find comforting when he finally came back to his old self again.
Once Edwards and I got Dad dressed and cleaned up, he looked almost normal. Edwards gave him some different medicine before we left for the airport, informing me that it would keep him calm during the flight. My stomach twisted with sorrow as I called them a taxi to the airport. I wished I could go with them, but there were too many loose threads here in Tribane. I couldn’t just leave.
In the end, I rode in the taxi with them to the airport, staring into Dad’s unrecognisable eyes one last time before I waved them both off at Departures. With a bit of luck, he’d be home and well again soon.
With that hopeful thought, I turned and left the busy airport.
16.
Similar to when I found myself in the middle of the riots on Campion Row, the atmosphere outside the airport felt off. All of a sudden, the place didn’t feel busy in a normal way; it felt busy in a manic way. In a way that seemed like things were about to get out of control.
The people who were hurrying by one another in a mannerly fashion a moment ago were now beginning to bump into each other or telling one another to watch where they’re (fucking) going.
This couldn’t be good.
I flagged down a taxi, telling the driver to take me to Finn’s house. The airport was a little outside the city, and as we pulled onto the motorway, my eyes were drawn upwards. That was when my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and my blood ran cold.
Hovering in the sky was a gigantic cloud of chaos mist.
I watched as it grew larger and larger, forming an enormous black mass over the city skyline. It looked like a humungous dark claw, reaching forward to crush the city in its powerful grip. As I drew closer, I realised it wasn’t