Kelvin ripped the mask off. The demons vanished.
Aoi had her gun on him. "What the hell was that?"
"I saw them," kelvin gasped. "They're here. Now. In this room."
He told them everything. The mask. The four demons. How one pointed at kalina.
Mrs. Nkechi, Hana's mother, started praying. "Kageyama. That name. My grandmother told me. Kageyama family used to hunt them. 200 years ago. Then they stopped. Vanished."
"Why?" Hana asked.
"Because the demons made a deal," Mrs. Nkechi said. "One baby every 15 years. And the Kageyama would look away."
Kelvin felt sick. "My family made a deal?"
"No," Mrs. Nkechi said. "Your family broke it. That's why they killed your grandfather. Made it look like a heart attack."
Aoi was googling. "Ren Kageyama Sr. Died 25 years ago. Heart attack. Age 62. Survived by son… your dad. Who died when you were 3. Car accident."
"Or not," kelvin said.
He put the mask back on. The demons were back. Still in the corners. But now they were closer.
The one who pointed spoke. Voice like grinding stones. "Kageyama. You wear the mask. You know the rules."
"What rules?" kelvin asked. His voice sounded wrong under the mask. Deeper.
"One child. Every 15 years. You stopped giving. Now we take."
"Not this one."
The demon tilted its head. "Then we take you instead."
It lunged.