CLOUD 9INE

8

Lo stared Rob down. "We won't let you take her."

"What is it with you humans and staring?" The demon frowned at him. "Fine, I'll just have to take all of you."

"Wait!" shouted Evyn. All of her friends backed away from her.

"I'll go. I don't want you guys to suffer too. Don't worry, Hell is probably more my style, anyway. Actually, I'm sure of it. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"What are you talking about, Evyn?" Ava asked. "You don't belong there. Don't you wanna stay?" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I want to stay, but it's better for all of you if I go. I won't drag you all down with me," she walked over to Ava and gave her a short but passionate kiss. "Don't forget me, okay?"

"Forget the niceties, let's go!" said Rob. "We're on a tight schedule. Well...you guys are on a tight schedule."

Evyn gave Tetra a tight hug and did the same to Lo, who avoided eye contact with her. After she said her goodbyes, she let Rob drag her by the arms to the portal. All her friends walked beside her solemnly to watch. The larger demons went ahead of Rob and guarded the door on the other side to keep other demons from escaping.

All Evyn's friends stopped about twenty feet from the door and waved. She waved back, and a small tear graced her face for the first time in years. 

"Hurry it along!" Rob started pulling harder as Evyn resisted naturally, but soon they made it to the threshold of the door.

Rob gave the troupe of friends one of his signature smiles before trying to pull Evyn through the door. Evyn could hear a small humming before she passed through, sure that this was the last noise she'd hear in heaven.

Abruptly, as her hand sank through the door, a loud hissing sound was heard and every bit of her hands that entered turned a dark crimson color. Her nails turned black instead of the usual green and had grown longer and sharper. Rob dropped her in surprise and she backed away into Cloud 9 again; the redness stopping at her forearms. The tiny bit of her hair that passed through turned a dark purple color.

"What was that?" Rob demanded. Tetra and the other two walked up to them, looking on in awe. 

"I...I don't know," said Evyn, who was surprised as well. She ran her hands across her face. They were rougher; out of place...yet familiar.

"Confound it all," said Rob, "Due to this new turn of events, and because the whole lot of you might be infected with whatever this is, the 99th person will have to take your place in Hell. Come along." The poor soul was poofed through the door without a warning, unable to say goodbye to his distraught friends.

Rob stepped back onto the Heaven side of the door and it shut behind him. Then it disappeared.

Lo was the first to speak after a bit of silence. "Maybe it is some kind of sickness."

Rob explained with a disappointed frown, "This doesn't happen to any other humans, I don't understand what's happening. It might be a sickness but it probably isn't. Forget it. You'll just have...let's call them 'spicy' hands. We should return to the games." With that, he left the small group to themselves, obviously confused by the whole ordeal.

"Babe?" Ava finally spoke. Tetra looked at Evyn, who was looking down at her hands.

"I'm fine, Ava, I swear. Actually, I feel better than fine." Evyn's voice sounded a bit deeper than usual.

Tetra finally let loose and stumbled over her words. "A lot of stuff is happening and you almost died and Ava almost died and Lo almost died and I don't know what's going on; that random guy just died and now something's wrong with Evyn and there's so much happening and I know I'm repeating myself but I'm scared and tired and anxious and I just wanna go home." She collapsed to her hands and knees, chest heaving.

Lo surprised her by sitting beside her and rubbing her back. "It's gonna be okay, Tet. We're here now, and 'spiritual purity' can't be that hard to master."

She sat on her knees and looked up at him. Even through all of this, tears streaking down her face; he was still caring. 

He cared about her...

A warm safety washed over her and she hugged him. He returned the favor and they sat there silently together, waiting for Rob's next game.