Devil's Soul

Chapter 51 (and so begins the dog days)

The seal around my inverted pentagram tattoo was gone in the morning. Proof that my surreal execution of Arabella somehow correlated with reality. Proof that she was dead. The brown eyes of my reflection stared back at me in the mirror. Eyes of an imposter. I let the flames of my irises burn away the brown mask. There was the true me. A demon. A murderer. I forced myself to marinate in that thought. I tried to hate myself, as I started into those loathsome eyes. The feeling didn't register. I just looked tired.

I sighed and pulled away from the mirror. Coffee. No more thinking until I had some coffee. I shuffled toward the kitchen, expecting to encounter remnants of Arabella's blood decorating the hall. There was nothing. I hadn't missed a single spot.

When I completed my journey to the kitchen, I found an empty coffee bean bag left in the cabinet, offering only the aroma of what it had once contained. I tossed it and went to the coffee shop down the street.

The weather was cold, but the coffee shop seating was crowded, and I didn't feel like going home quite yet. I sat down on the curb outside and held the steaming cup of coffee close to me. I closed my eyes and imagined the heat coming off the coffee was actually the sun's rays warming my face.

"Excuse me."

I opened my eyes and found myself looking into the face of a big, black dog. His owner was wrapping his leash around a lamp post.

"Do you mind keeping an eye on my dog for a sec?" he asked, "I'm just going to run inside to use the bathroom."

I nodded, but he was already hurrying through the door.

The dog sat down next to me and we stared into the distance together, like old friends.

"You know, I've never understood why humans feel the need to hide when they pee. They should show a little pride."

I turned to face the dog, startled. Not sure if the words had actually come from him.

He carried on, facing forward, like he was delivering an inspirational monologue. "When I pee, I want everyone to see. I want them to know I've marked my territory, and I'm ready to defend it."

"Satan?" I asked, but his voice was different. Maybe he was a demon that could transform into a dog.

He turned to give me a look. Like I was the anomaly here. "Well, damn. Is it because I'm black? I'll have you know I'd never hurt a fly. A cat maybe, but not a fly." He faced forward again, letting his tongue roll out, creating the illusion of a smile. "I'm just kiddin'. I like cats. I'm not racist, like some people."

"Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just..." I reached my hand halfway out, wondering if I should pet him to make amends. I'd never offended a dog before. "Are you actually a dog?"

He cocked his head toward me, looking truly perplexed. "Are you actually a human that can talk? And here I thought I was talkin' to myself. I talk day in and day out to my human, and all he do is respond in monosyllabic sentences. Come. Sit. Stay. Hungry?"

"Well, I'm not exactly human..." As I said the words, I realized that was probably the real explanation for all of this. Just another side effect of my demon-ness. "I'm a demon." I grinned more than that sentence warranted, but it felt good to just be able to announce it to a stranger.

The dog threw his head back and let out a howl of laughter. "I see, so you thought I was your boss! I guess calling me Satan was kinda like a compliment for you, wasn't it? Sorry I called you racist! You ain't too bad. So tell me, demon, do you hide when you pee? Or do you do it with pride?"

"What makes you think demons pee?"

"Well, damn, you got me there. Do you?"

I shrugged and took a tentative sip at my coffee. Still too hot. "Some mysteries of the world are meant to remain unsolved."

"Oh you like to be all mysterious and shit? You got pride in your hiding. I respect that. It's not the way of the dog, but I respect it. Better than the hiding humans do."

"Hiding is an unhealthy habit. The shadows aren't safe around here."

"You sound so ominous."

"Sorry."

"You kinda take out your cool factor when you apologize."

"I'm surprised I even had a cool factor in the first place."

"Anyone with eyes like that has some kind of cool factor going on."

I looked down, startled, afraid someone might see my demon eyes. But I wasn't using my demon eyes. "What do my eyes look like to you?" I asked, raising my gaze to meet the black orbs of the dog's.

"Like they've got tiny little yellow fires in them." He jumped up without warning, his tail going into full throttle. "Tom is back! Tom is back!" he chanted. He spun in a frenzied circle, licking me along the way. This time I didn't stop my instinct to reach out and ruffle his fur. "Hey, demon, I just got a great idea! You can tell my human I love him."

I giggled. "I think he knows," I murmured so the approaching owner wouldn't hear me.

"That don't matter! When you love somebody, you gotta tell 'em!"

Tom smiled at me as he untied the leash. "Thanks for watching my dog. He seems to really like you." The dog sprung from my arms to go aggressively lick Tom's knee.

"He says he loves you," I blurted, before I had a chance to overthink how to convey the message.

"Well, he loves my knee, that's for sure!" he laughed, bending over to rub at both sides of the dog's face. He straightened up and gave me a wave as he turned away. "Have a nice day!"

The dog looked back at me. "Oh and tell him I want more of those bacon bits like he gave me last night!"

I rolled my eyes, and then I thought, What they hell?! Might as well! "He also says he wouldn't mind having those bacon bits again tonight!"

Tom stumbled a little upon hearing my words. He glanced back at me, looking quite perplexed, but he managed to muster a smile and a nervous laugh. "I'll keep that in mind!" He shouted back and then continued on his way. Because that's what people do. They carry on.

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