Inner Demons By: Geo S

 What’s inside of us, is the most feared of all

An emerging young sorceress and her parents must rescue a severely depressed man being held captive by a powerful demon acting as a doppelganger

    Byron Phoenix, a mild-mannered, kind and good man has spent his entire life being bullied. Yet, marches on with a positive attitude that he credits to his mother who is always there for him. His work life is starting to crumble due to a difficult boss and his social life is nonexistent. 

After weeks of online chatting and securing an actual date, Byron’s fortunes turn sour after he and his date Jessica bump into her former lover and his three friends. While the three friends distract Byron, Jessica and her former lover kiss. Byron confronts them only to be physically assaulted by the lover and three friends.

Byron returns home and breaks down completely and sinks into deep depression that had been building for years. Byron awakens the next morning to extreme sleep paralysis. He is able to see and hear while a man pulls him up. The Man looks identical to him and informs him that he is going to correct all of Byron’s failures because he “couldn’t get the job done”. The man berates, insults, and humiliates Byron and then places his paralyzed body in the closet.

The Man looking identical to Byron maintains identical relations with Byron’s mother as she never suspects a difference and at Byron’s job including being humiliated by his boss. The Man later brutally murders Byron’s boss. The Man then gets in contact with Jessica who apologizes for the earlier assault and sleeps with The Man thinking it's Byron and being impressed with his new alpha personality. Afterwards the man tells a terrified Jessica the truth and then murders her to Byron’s horror who is forced to listen. The Man hunts down the former lover and his friends, mercilessly killing and resurrecting them as his zombie slaves. The Man tells Byron that his assaulters will become The Man’s “Horsemen”. The Man explains that Byron will be kept alive to maintain his tether to “this level of existence” and that The Man must wait for Byron’s life force to expire before fully taking over. The Man using mysterious mists causes Byron to sleep with nightmares of unspeakable horrors.

Celeste Valentine, a recent graduate in Parapsychology and Occult Studies and daughter of famed professors in the paranormal, Arthur and Marian Valentine, is in the midst of training in telepathic communication when she comes across the essence of an “unattached soul” that is now Byron. Celeste communicates with Byron and learns of his plight taking great pity on him and wishing to help. After consultation from her parents they determine Byron’s deep depression and weakened soul opened a gateway for a mid-level demon called Geminor to enter the human world. Arthur is now worried that Geminor will specifically target a dangerous cult, Enlightened Dawn, in hopes of stealing their metaphysical portal in order to transport more demons to the human world.

Geminor along with his Horsemen target the Enlightened Dawn during a human sacrifice taking place in the basement of a suburban home. The sacrifice was meant to appease their demon of worship, Varlex. Geminor appears instead to the shocked Dawnites. Geminor laughs and mocks the Dawnites for worshiping Varlex, a low level demon of no value according to Geminor. He berates them for not worshiping him and when they switch allegiance to him he has his horsemen slaughter them all and steal their portal which Geminor states the Dawnites had no clue how to operate.

Celeste and her parents arrive shortly after just missing Geminor. Marian Valentine uses a spell to track his next location and Arthur Valentine reaches out to their colleagues in the paranormal society. One of their colleagues informs them that the only way to defeat Geminor is for Byron to conquer him directly in single combat. Celeste telepathically contacts Byron informing him she will rescue him. Geminor notices “a disturbance” and picks up on Celeste's communication with Byron and knows that her parents and their knowledge of spell powers are a threat. He informs Byron that his mother will be his next target and will take his time with her.

Geminor sends his horsemen to guard Byron as Celeste needs to be in direct contact to release him. Geminor goes to the Valentines University offices and uses the metaphysical portal to call more demons. Celeste uses her spell powers to defeat the horseman. One being torn apart by the other three, the second is overrun by boils and bursts, the third has their weight reduced to skeletal remains, and the fourth has their heart explode. Celestes awakens Byron with a powerful incantation. His life force is near depleted and admits to wanting to die but speaking to Celeste and thinking of his mother kept him going. Celeste uses a powerful concoction of potions to create an elixir that restores Byron's physical and mental strength. 

Arthur and Marian arrive too late as Geminor has successfully transported ten other demons to the human world and their whereabouts could be anywhere in the world at this point. Arthur notes that their colleagues won’t make it in time. They engage Geminor in combat in hopes of weakening him for Byron and fight valiantly but Marian is killed first and then Arthur sacrifices himself and destroys the portal preventing any further demons from arriving. Byron and Celeste arrive too late.

A shocked grief stricken Celeste unleashes latent magic powers that damage Geminor. Geminor tosses Celeste away and teleports with Byron to Hell. Byron stands firm as no terrors Geminor can create can match the nightmares and terrors that Byron has mentally been through already thus unleashing latent confidence, leadership, heroism, and strength in his psyche. A booming ominous voice interrupts and informs Geminor that according to “eternal laws” Byron must be provided weaponry and given a fair fight to which Geminor is infuriated. Byron is given armour and after a fierce battle defeats “himself” thus exposing Geminors true form as a fearsome demon. Byron decapitates Geminor and his soul withers. 

The voice indicates that Geminor had broken “eternal laws” by applying his demonic skills to “an innocent” and that his soul will forever be tormented within the Abyss. The voice transports Byron to the human world and informs him and Celeste that the powers that be will perform a “time alteration” to change the murders of Geminor and the horsemen to appear as accidental or natural causes. Celeste’s parents spiritually communicate with Celeste to say goodbye. They tell a saddened Byron that he is not to blame. The voice informs Byron and Celeste that even though a “time alteration” has been performed because of their involvement they will have to retain knowledge of the truth. 

Byron’s mother is safe and has no idea of the events that took place. She invites Byron over for dinner and Celeste accepts Byron’s invite to join him. After dinner the voice returns and asks Byron and Celeste to track down and defeat the ten escaped demons. The voice says that the powers that be forbid it from direct interference but Byron and Celeste will be provided an “Underworld Lord” and “Saint from Above” to assist them. Byron and Celeste accept the quest.