Matthew walked down the hall, clutching his polar-bear backpack to his chest and shivering. His clothes were dripping wet and he was crying, but the wetness from his hair ran down his cheeks to cover the tears. The school was empty now, which was how Matthew liked it. Void of people and silent. Of course, getting here when it was closed was always a challenge. Mostly since the path from his house to the school included the three houses of his main tormentors, and the many houses of the others who simply took advantage of him. The goal, however, was definitely worth the torment and the violence. That day, Matthew had been beaten and pushed into the fountain in the courtyard of his school, after being chased halfway to the school. Kumajirou, his polar-bear backpack, had been torn in the scuffle, sending most of his schoolbooks into the shallow waters in the courtyard décor.

He had hoped this would all go away. He had hoped everyone would leave him alone after this. He had hoped he would be happy. But he was wrong. If it wasn't one thing, it was another and apparently being a homosexual wasn't as bad as practicing séances and using Ouija boards. How would he have known that? So now it was time for the last thing to do that would make everything alright. The final thing to do in order to make himself happy. He knew it was wrong, and he knew it was something he would regret, if he had the time to, but at the moment, it was the only thing left to make him content.

Matthew started up the stairs, taking one at a time and letting himself wait at the top of each set for a few minutes, staring back into the empty hallways as if expecting someone. He knew he was alone, though, and he knew no one cared enough to have followed him, or wonder where he was. It's only been an hour since he left home, though, so he supposed it didn't matter that no one was curious. He continued up another flight of stairs, reaching the third floor of the school. Matthew decided to walk around this floor, since this was where his favourite classes were. He had three classes on this floor this year, and they were all pleasant. He first visited his science class, pushing open the heavy metal door that was supposed to be locked and stepping in, his shoes clacking against the linoleum floor. His seat was in the back corner, beside the large window that stretched across the room. From his vantage point, he was able to see the school fountain in the front. He loved staring at it during class, mostly if he had a bad day.

Matthew walked over to his desk, setting Kumajirou down on the wooden rectangle and sliding into the plastic chair connected to the table by a few metal bars. He gazed out the window through the thin slits in the blinds, watching the fountain flow and sparkle and ripple. Matthew sat there, staring for a few minutes, then let out a slow sigh and looked around the room, mentally listing the names of the people who sat around him and what they had done in class that day. Arthur, a possible brunette who dies his hair blond based on the colour of his thick eyebrows, sat in front of Matthew. Arthur wasn't one of the major bullies, but he did nothing to stop it, either. In fact, Arthur gets picked on quite a lot himself, too, for believing in ghosts and fairies. To Matthew's diagonal right sat a senior named Francis, who was forced to take this junior chemistry class because he had failed to pass it the year before. Francis was quite lecherous, always flirting with anything with a pulse. Francis was one of the many bullies, always telling Matthew to do something with his hair and his clothes, calling him ugly and unattractive half the time, then easy and desperate the other half. He claimed that he had slept with the younger, shyer blond, but Matthew hadn't even walked home with Francis, much less sleep with him. Finally, to Matthew's immediate right sat a tall, bulky junior named Ivan. Like Arthur, Ivan isn't a bully, he just doesn't do anything about it. He would stare at Matthew a lot, which made him quite nervous, but he would stare at a lot of other people, too. Matthew never actually heard him talking, either, which made him seem all the more mysterious. If Matthew had a bit more bravery and wasn't constantly picked on by the student body, he probably would've tried to ask Ivan out, even if he was quite intimidating.

But that was the past. That was the would haves and the could have beens and the if maybes. Matthew let out a slow sigh and got back to his feet, picking up Kumajirou once more and heading to the door of the science room. He closed the metal door behind him and began down the hall once more, deciding not to visit his other two classes. He was running out of time, and he knew that if he didn't carry out want he wanted to do now, he would have a change of mind and cower out of the situation. He just wanted the torment to end, and he figured this must be the final way out. So he found the staircase again and started towards the roof, pushing open the rickety door and stepping out onto a grey rooftop outlined with thick cement walls that only rose to his knees. The wind blew heavily, making his hair whip around his ears and bite at the back of his neck. He clutched his jumper closer to his body, hugging Kumajirou to his chest, and he slowly walked to the edge of the building. He peeked over the half wall, seeing the busy streets below him. It must have been about six, now, and the sun was beginning to go down. Matthew circled the parameter, finding the front of the school, then placing a foot on top of the cement railing. He paused, staring down as car after car drove by, and not a single person looked up. He shifted his balance to the foot placed upon the flat foot-wide railing, hoisting himself up until he was standing on the platform, still looking down at the moving cars. A horn sounded in the distance.

This was it. This is what Matthew has been waiting for. This was when he would make everything alright. This was when he would finally be happy and free of the constant torture that not only the people at school put him through, but his very parents. The two people who breathed life into his small, frail infant body and who raised him from that vulnerable state to an even more emotionally unstable being, were unable to express their love like normal parents would. They were unable to care for young Matthew like normal parents could. Instead, they beat the child to show their love, and they locked him away to show how much they cared. Their forgetfulness and thoughtlessness was what really drove Matthew to the edge, literally. And here he stood, currently, breathing slow, shaking breaths as his eyes watered. He wanted to say his final goodbyes to the wind, but then he realized that there would be no one to say goodbye to. No one was there for him, and no one would care even when he is gone. So, instead of saying goodbye to others, he said goodbye to himself. He wished himself a safe, painless trip to whatever heaven there may be, or whatever afterlife might await him. If he were to be reborn, he wished he would be reborn as an animal. Maybe a bird of some kind. An elegant bird, one that people would stare at and get their breath stolen away from their very lungs. A beautiful, glittering, vibrant bird that people wouldn't forget. That's what he would be.

He took in a deep breath, then another, and a third. He felt the tears slip from the corners of his eyes. They warmed his cheeks. Matthew looked up at the sky, the beautiful, bruised sky, absorbing the image into his mind for what will most likely be the final time. With the image imprinted on the backs of his eyelids, he closed them, and he held his breath. The wind whistled in his ears. Another horn was pressed. A soft murmuring of people conversing with one another as they walked along the sidewalks. A faint, rhythmic clicking of the crosswalk flashing red. Matthew's heart palpated.

He was going to jump now. He felt all of his muscles seize, then relax, then seize again. He shifted his weight forward, rocking onto the balls of his feet.

"Goodbye, Matthew." He whispered.

"And waste such a beautiful body? I don't think so, dude."

Matthew's eyes snapped open. He rocked back, balancing once again. He stayed standing there for a long while, staring into nothingness as he tried to determine if he just imagined a voice behind him. He figured there was only one way to know based on fact, and he slowly peeked over his shoulder. He saw no one, however, and he immediately felt crushed. Matthew had hoped, so much, that there would be someone there to stop him. Even if it were one of his bullies. In fact, Matthew would have preferred it to be one of his bullies. But instead of a person, he was greeted with a metal chimney that led to the kitchen, a door placed against a shack-like room that led to the stairs, and the few strange pipes and vents that coursed through the school like veins.

Matthew sighed softly, then closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He turned back around in order to finish the business he had here. Before he rocked forward, he tried picturing the sky behind his eyes once more, but the distraction from before tore the image from his mind. Matthew sighed softly, hoping he didn't chicken out at the last minute. He opened his eyes slowly, only to have them focused on a dark, flickering being with bright blue eyes that gazed into his own. Matthew gasped, which was probably the loudest noise he was capable of making, and he stumbled backwards, falling off of the railing and landing on his bottom, bouncing a little and whimpering. He moved a hand to the small of his back, momentarily forgetting the strange and almost flaming thing before. He did remember when the thing floated in front of him, its feet touching the roof, and the black billowing smoke-like fire dispersed, revealing a dark-skinned individual with bright blue irises on pitch black sclerae. His hands bore long, needle-like claws that were tinted dark brown, like stained wood, but from the tips dripped a deep red liquid, which Matthew didn't want to clarify whether it was blood or not. All across his arms and his bare chest were patterns and symbols, and right in the middle was an inverted crucifix. The beast smiled at Matthew as his violet eyes ran over the creature's body. His teeth were yellowed and sharp, and there were rows of them, like a shark.

Matthew's breath quickened when he realized what this horned beast was, and he began crawling his way backwards, eyes trained on the dark-skinned demon before him. He clutched his chest, where his rosary lay, and he pulled it out from under his shirt, holding out the crucifix as far as it could go and swallowing heavily before beginning to chant, "Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in noimine Jesu Christi Filii ejus-"

"Oh, don't use that baby exorcism crap on me." The demon spat, whisking a hand before him, using an unseen force to shove Matthew back against the cement wall on the other side of the roof. Upon impact, Matthew's wind was knocked out of him, and he arched his back in pain, his face cringing slightly. The demon slowly walked toward the blond, the aged loincloth it was wearing flickered in the wind, but it stuck to the demon's thighs. The black-haired creature bent down in front of Matthew, their eyes regaining contact, and a small smile spreading on his lips.

"We both know you're not strong enough to exorcise me, Matthew." He purred out the name, blood red tongue rolling across his dark brown lips in delight of how the name felt in his throat. He moaned softly afterwards, still crouching down in front of the blond. He reached out a claw, brushing the wet nail against Matthew's cheek, then slicing it slowly, making the blond wince and flinch away.

"Stop it! Get away from me!" Matthew demanded in a whisper, holding out the crucifix once more and getting a scowl from the demon. The creature sighed angrily, then stood and flicked his hand upwards, as if he were tossing something over his shoulder. Matthew was forced to his feet, being tugged up by his very bones until he was standing.

"What do you want?" Matthew whimpered, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. The demon's invisible clutch was still present, and it felt as though Matthew's bones were on fire. The demon smiled, keeping his hand cupped, palm faced upward, level with his nose.

"I want your body. I want a vessel to roam the Earth with. I want to live and thrive. I want to make others suffer!" The demon declared, laughing a little towards the end, then dropped his hand to the side. Matthew was freed, and he fell forward and onto his hands and knees. His arms shivered as the burning sensation dissipated, and he looked up at the smirking demon.

"What makes you think I'll just hand myself over, eh?" Matthew questioned, feeling a bit courageous from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The fiend smiled wider, then bent down once more, caressing Matthew's cheek and ear with his fingertips, brushing the golden hair out of his face.

"Well, I actually think we could make a fair deal here, human. You see, I need a meat puppet like yourself in order to walk the Earth unnoticed, and you want to die. Why not pass down such a perfect vessel like yourself to me? I don't mind used products." The demon coaxed, pressing his thumb against the scratch he embedded in Matthew's cheek. The blond pulled away, balancing on his knees and rubbing the blood from his face. He didn't take his eyes off the demon though, not wanting it to vanish or attack him when his back was turned.

"My body has been purified by God and-"

"And you ruined the purification by almost swan-diving off this building." The demon cut in, smile still present, "You don't really want to die, though, do you?"

Matthew's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed quiet. The creature stood once more, blue eyes flickering to the cement wall. He gracefully walked over to the edge, placing a hand on the top, then lifting himself onto it and sitting, looking down at Matthew who still watched him closely.

"You just want to make those people suffer, right? You want to see their pained, grieving faces when you jump. You want them to experience the same pain you went through." He growled happily, seeing the passion and hate growing in those brilliant violet eyes that he wanted to consume.

"They… They were hurting me…" Matthew tried to justify his actions, realizing only moments later how ridiculous it was to do so to a demon. Said creature barked out laughter, tossing his head back as he vocalized his amusement.

"Oh, Matthew, you don't have to justify your reasons to me! I'm a demon, for Hell's sake! Listen, man," He practically floated off of the rail, falling to his knees before Matthew and placing his clawed hands on his shoulders, hovering just above his actual skin, "If you let me possess you, I promise I won't let any physical harm come your way. It will be just like you jumped, except you would be recycling your precious body."

"Demons don't promise. Demons are liars." Matthew said quickly, his brows furrowing and his mouth drawing into a straight line.

"I'm not a liar, Matthew." The beast purred softly, almost seductively, "I just want to help myself, and by helping myself, I'll be helping you, too…"

Matthew stared at the smooth being before him with uncertainty, trying to determine which would be a better path to take. He had never been possessed before, and he never researched what it was like to be possessed. All he knew was that when it came to exorcising the thing, it would be like torture. However, would he really rather end it all and not witness the horror and pain on everyone's faces? It seemed too good/much to miss….

"What's your name, demon?" Matthew asked with a hiss, glaring still at the patient creature. The blue-eyed beast smiled wider, then removed his hands and placed them on the floor below him, claws digging into the rooftop and leaving small puddles of blood.

"I am called many things, human." He replied slyly, eyes narrowing in delight rather than annoyance, "But you seem like a clever meat bag, and I like clever…"

"Give me your name and your word you will not allow me physical harm, and I will give you my body." Matthew offered quickly, piquing the monster's interest, a glittering joy in his cerulean eyes.

"Alright, come close then, and I will whisper it to you…" The demon purred, extending a hand to Matthew's face and coaxing the blond forward. The demon leaned forward too, his other claw sneaking its way towards Matthew's neck where the rosary laid, and his lips barely brushed Matthew's ear. His breath, heavy and hot, lavished Matthew's neck, sending shivers up his spine and a soft sigh from his lips.

"My name…." He began, voice low and languid and dripping with every sin man could commit. Lust, vanity, sloth, greed, wrath, envy, gluttony, acedia, vainglory, all of these vices becoming clear and seductive to the poor blond. The demon's claw connected with the thread that connected all of the rosary beads to the crucifix, and it burned his talon fiercely, but he did not pull away, "Is…"

With a loud snap, the rosary flew from Matthew's neck, shocking the hypnotized blond and making him gasp once more. When the necklace hit the ground and scattered, the demon imploded into a valley of smoke, encasing Matthew in the very essence of evil and hatred and demonic pleasures. Matthew began panting, looking left and right and up and down, trying to find some source of light, some kind of hint at an exit, but there was none. He was surrounded by darkness, and the only light that came was the flicker of bright blue of the demon's eyes.

"Alfred." His voice echoed, and with that said, the demon forced his way into Matthew's eyes and down his throat, wracking his body to find where he kept his soul, the glowing source of purple that made his eyes so beautiful. He clawed his way through muscle, chewed through bones, and burrowed himself in every vein and capillary, searching every inch of the boy for the source that he needed to contaminate. When he found it, deep within young Matthew's mind, he attacked, invading his spirit from every angle, penetrating the core of his being and ripping apart the insides. Matthew cried out in pain as he felt control being lost. His mind went blank, only knowing the searing pain of being taken over, and soon even that was possessed by this demon named Alfred, and in it echoed the evil laughter of this beast.

Matthew fell back against the roof, his legs kicked out to the side of his body and his arms thrown out away from him. His vision was next to go, giving in to blackness and nothing. He felt tingling throughout his whole being, but he was unable to control it. He was much too weak to even try, and he allowed himself to fall back into oblivion, curling up in the recesses of his own mind. He knew he had made a mistake, but it was much too late to try and correct it. His vision came back soon, but he still had no control. Light filtered in, and he was able to see the outside world, as if he were looking through a window, or maybe a pair of binoculars.

He was no longer himself. He was now someone else. Entirely different. The body moved, and the eyes scanned the roof. His vocal chords vibrated with laughter, and his hands flexed.

"Goodbye, Matthew M. Williams." Alfred laughed, lifting himself to his feet and dusting himself off, "Hello, Alfred F. Jones!"

"…. Hoser…." Matthew whimpered weakly, his voice echoing within his and Alfred's brain, getting another dry chuckle from the puppeteer.

"Call me what you like. I have control now. Oh yeah, but before I forget…" Alfred sighed, spinning around and heading for the edge of the rooftop. Matthew watched in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. It clicked, however, when Alfred stepped onto the edge.

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…!" Alfred sang as he walked precariously along the edge, holding out his arms to balance himself.

"No! Don't!" Matthew begged, but Alfred ignored him.

"Humpty Dumpty had a great fall…!" Alfred continued, leaning towards the streets below him and laughing and Matthew shrieked within their mind.

"If you jump, I'll die!" Matthew sobbed, and Alfred laughed even harder.

"But if I jump… You'll die!" Alfred choked out, cracking up even harder, almost maniacally. He teetered on the edge, allowing the front half of his feet to hang over. He stared down at the sidewalk with a huge grin on his face, then begun leaning forward, "All the Kings' horses and all the King's men…!"

"Alfred! Stop! Please!" Matthew begged as his body begun to fall forward, chest leading the way, then leveling out with the rest of their body. Alfred began laughing as the ground came closer into view, definitely grabbing the attention of many citizens out for a stroll. A woman shrieked and pointed, and many more people gasped and screamed in horror.

"Alfred!" Matthew cried, his voice reverberating in their mind, bouncing off their skull as Alfred fell.

"They couldn't fix him." Alfred growled, his eyes wide and his smile gone. The sidewalk was only seconds away from stopping their movements, and Matthew's voice shrieked in horror.

"Stop!"

"…."

"Alfred!"

"Matthew!"

So, I saw someone else put up a demon story where Alfred and Matthew made a deal, and I was like, 'oh HELL naw!' so I decided to post the first chapter to this one, which I've been working on for about a month-ish now. :D I didn't steal the person's idea, and they didn't steal mine.