To Hell and Back for You

Chapter 35: Another One?

"Hello?"

My voice echoed through the empty street, seemingly to bounce off the atmosphere itself. I stayed still, trying to listen for any sort of sound other than my own breathing, but everything was eerily silent.

I looked back to the stairs of the school where I had first met Emma and her friends. Shrugging, I stepped closer, thinking that maybe the ghosts would appear if I intruded on their spot. This had to be something to do with them, right?

As I approached, landing a determined foot down onto the concrete, nothing happened. My attention darted from the school to where I had come from and then back to the building again. Demons didn't dream, I had been told.

I wondered, though, if living in the human world changed that, much like how feeding was also not something done within Hell. This definitely wasn't my little Limbo though, so I decided to venture further to investigate.

Reaching to grab hold of the railing beside the stairs, a bloody vision flashed, causing me to jump backward onto the street behind. I paused to catch my breath while also attempting to register what I had seen. It was so fast; too fast to remember more than various minor details.

A stain of blood on the second step; someone's head lying in the middle of the pool; a shocked cry and nervous whispering... My gaze settled on where I'd seen it, shifting slowly between intent focus and letting my vision haze in order to pick up on spiritual sense.

Only a moment of doing so and I felt a presence before me, just out of immediate sight. Lifting my head to acknowledge whatever it was, I saw a teenage girl, but it wasn't Emma.

She was younger, fourteen at the very most. Her clothes were cheery compared to the goth: a light pink shirt with blue shorts. The blonde hair framing icy eyes were stunning features, accompanied by an equally demanding expression.

Outside of a strangely intimidating demeanor, she appeared perfectly normal, not like the other teens who had made it obvious they were trying to scare people. Somehow I was instantly aware that she was one to look out for, even greater than the ghosts who had stalked, threatened, and beat me up. Taking a careful pace in reverse, I inquired as to what business she meant for.

Raising an eyebrow as if annoyed that I had asked, she reluctantly replied, "I have no business with someone like you."

Her words were cold to the point of making her seem inhuman. Not in the manner of being a deceased spirit, rather an entirely different being altogether. Momentarily channeling my past form, I knew had I been a less powerful creature, I'd be shivering uneasy. As it was, I didn't care to be around her. Yet it would show poorly if I simply left since as far as I could tell, I had not trespassed on another's territory.

Instead, I prepared myself for a battle without making it known, "You'll have to forgive me," my voice was thick, admitting my ignorance while not losing any ground, "It was not my intention to come here, but now that I am, I'm quite curious."

"You're a demon," there was no inflection in her statement, but it was most certainly a condemnation, "Of course you're nosy."

My confusion came out as a snarl, "Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter?" her demeanor remained the same.

"Great," I huffed, turning to walk away, "Another angsty child with nothing better to do than annoy me."

The girl didn't let me get far after that comment. Instantly upon me, allowing no time for me to finish the motion that would have summoned my sword, she displayed the first true emotion since our meeting.