A Demon in my Soul

THREE

A small part of me wants to turn back, to go home and endure whatever punishment Dad will give me.  I don’t care if I’m grounded for a year—I just want to feel safe.  Demon central, where the most shootings occur, where more people are raped than anywhere else, where more people die of weird deaths that anything else.  But a much, much larger part of me dances in place, ready to dive past the imaginary line dividing the more humanistic part of the city from the so-called demonic part.

And of course that larger part wins.

Stepping across the invisible threshold, I shove my hands back into my pockets and keep my head up.  Of all places to be, this is the worst.  I must be ready for anything.  Especially this late at night.

After a few minutes of walking, any and all nerves residing in me disappear.  My muscles relax to the point that I might fall over at any second.  My breathing slows, slow enough that I feel like I’m asleep and not walking around.

My head starts dipping, eyes drooping, when a blond guy, maybe college-aged, appears.  I stop in my tracks and stare at him, my eyes wide.  My nerves return and gain speed, tainting my entire body.

“I never thought I’d see such a pretty little girl out so late at night,” he says, his voice deep.  There’s a laughing, mocking tone in his voice.  A smile lingers on his lips as he looks me over.  “Isn’t it far past bedtime?” he asks, his eyes focused more on the middle of my body than anything else.

My lip twitches.  I want to say something, but those words are forced to clash with the panicked thoughts zipping through my head.  As another two men appear, looking just as bulky and tough as the blond guy, my thoughts before more and more frantic.

The largest of the three, standing on the blond’s right, takes a step toward me.  “Looks like someone wanted an adventure tonight.”

“Why don’t we have some fun, then?” the third guy, the red head on the left, asks.  His black eyes bore into mine and a wicked smile appears on his face.

I take a step back and trip.  Over what, I don’t know.  I start to tremble as I’m forced to stare up at them.  They tower over me, growing even taller as they all take a couple of steps toward me.  Scrambling onto my feet, I try to take another step away from them, but can’t move.  My feet are glued in place.

My body and brain detach from each other.  I can’t move, can’t hear anything.  A fine blue screen falls over my eyes.  I’m unable to decipher anything the guys in front of me say or do.  They’re just blue blobs, faces shifting in and out of view.

Only a few words manage to filter in at first.

“What … you … here?”  The voice, though muffled, sounds just like the blond.

The next voice comes in crystal clear.  It sounds like it’s right behind me, right beside me.

“Are you idiots blind?  I thought you of all people would know better than to frighten one of the young ones?”

Confusion muddles my mind for only a few seconds.  As my fear spikes, pushing through any and all thoughts, arms come around me.  They hold me in an iron grip.

A voice filters through.  “There’s nothing to fear.  You’re safe.”  The voice is deep and soothing.  I can’t tell whether it’s inside our outside my head.  No matter where it comes form, my panic all but disappears.

Opening my eyes, the blue film has disappeared.  The moment it feels like my legs are about to give out from under me, the iron grip disappears.  I collapse onto the ground, my knees landing first.  Pain shoots up my body, but I focus on the guys before me, yet again towering over me.