By the time Dante got home it was already ten thirty. Too much was on his mind to sleep. Too much was on his mind to even function. He went straight to his bed and collapsed on the sticky mattress. His face was buried in his single pillow and he exhaled deeply.
"God, if you're real and listening, throw me a life line.... Please" he muttered within the pillow. He let a long pause go by before he sat up and looked out his window into the night sky.
"Lord, I need help," he started. "I feel my life is falling apart. I don't know who to turn to or who would actually understand. I'm not safe anywhere. I can't live the rest of my life always looking over my shoulder. ...Lord, send me an angel. Send me some assistance down here, please. anything..... please." Dante leaned his head on the cold window. It was soothing and helped calm him.
"Assistance? from, Him?" Snickered a voice from within the shadows. Dante swung around and saw Dameon leaning in a back corner of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. There were a few other Yokai gang members sitting or standing along another wall watching. Dante's heart started racing.
'Oh Crap' he thought.
"That was very touching, Dante" said Dameon clapping his hands to mock him, "I never knew you talked to yourself when your scared". Dameon walked casually into Dante's kitchen, or what was supposed to be his kitchen. It was technically only a corner since there was nothing really there. Dameon opened the tiny cheap refrigerator door and peaked inside. It was obvious he wasn't interested in anything that was in there since he closed the door and walked away with a grimace. If Dante had food, Dameon would usually snatch it and eat it in front of Dante whilst continuing his cocky harassment.
"D-Dameon! What are you do-doing here?" Dante asked. His hands were already starting to sweat from his fear.
"D-Dante!" Dameon mocked. "I'm only here to visit my most favorite person in the whole wide world!" he said as he wrapped an arm around Dante's neck, sitting down next to him.
Dante stiffened his body, bracing himself for any unexpected blow Dameon might try and give him, like he usually did. Dameon seemed to notice and grinned triumphantly.
"So Dante, where is this weekly payment?" he asked pushing Dante aside and clasping his hands together with a big cheesy smile. Dante stared at him blankly like a child would if you would have asked them to do calculus problem.
"Dameon, you already took it a few days ago. I have no money left. Not even enough to get me through 'till next payday!" Dante exclaimed.
Dameon shut his eyes and smiled a toothy grin. It was like he knew Dante's response before he even asked it. He most likely did.
"Dante. Oh, dearest, dearest Dante. You know the deal—" he said standing up and taking a few steps away with his back to Dante.
"The deal was you got sixty percent of my paycheck! And you would come once a week to retrieve it! You never said anything about coming more than that!" Dante yelped.
Dameon stared at Dante with a motionless expression. His face had sunk from his arrogant grin to an unpleased glare.
He slowly stepped towards Dante, making him flinch. Dameon stared down at the boy with those amber eyes of his, the eyes that gave Dante nightmares, the eyes that were unnatural. They were sharp and lifeless. The kind of eyes you see on a cat when the sun is beaming directly down onto them; sharp, narrow, and inhuman.
Dameon cocked back his arm and struck Dante across his cheek. His nails connected with Dante's flesh and carved three deep gashes into his skin. Dante flew into the wall, hitting his head on a corner.
