Dead Weight

Chapter 1: Sleeping In

GULA

My alarm woke me up, and within a second I slammed my hand down onto it to silence it. It was Wednesday, somewhere vaguely in the middle of September.

I debated going back to sleep, but I had a 10AM class. So, I forced myself to stand. Out of habit, I grabbed my glasses off of my nightstand, flicking them open and putting them on. I went to the bathroom to see how awful my hair looked.

And that was when I realized I had horns.

They were curved, starting from my temples, stretching over my head and stopping just behind my ears. The whole loop overall was about as wide as my hand, which were both currently trying to pull them off. But, bone being stubborn as it is, I could not disconnect either of them from my skull.

"What the fuck." I whispered urgently. "What the fuck. What the fuck!"

I ran back to my room, and found that there was a hole in my pillow where I must have dug in one of the new additions. For a moment, I was petrified that my roommate, Solus, would see me and freak out. But then I saw that the light in her room was off. She had been working late again last night. "Oh, thank god." I muttered, running a hand over my face.

Not a moment after I said that, an awful headache took over my senses, and I doubled over in pain. It left as quickly as it came, too. Still, I felt sick and confused. After debating calling 9-1-1 for a moment, I got paranoid that I'd end up in some Area-51 type shit.

"Maybe I'm dreaming." I said. I hoped I was right, with everything I had. "I'm dreaming, and after a little while I'll fall or something and I'll wake up, without the horns this time."

I brushed my teeth, ignoring the fact that I could feel it. "It's just a vivid one." I said after I was done.

The egg I cooked smelled and tasted real. "Just a dream." I repeated.

I put on a hoodie, pulling the loose hood up over my head and horns. They were just small enough that it could have fooled someone, if they didn't look too closely. I got to the door, and a second before I pulled my backpack off its hook, the doorbell rang. This was very odd, as my house did not have a doorbell. But still, I unlocked and opened the door.

On the other side was a man, who was a bit too tall, with hair that was a bit too perfect, and eyes that were just a bit too dark. He smiled, and said "Good day, miss! I understand you recently subscribed to our newsletter?"

"Your what?" I asked, pulling my hood down.

"Our newsletter! Ah, you must be her roommate!" He looked down at a clipboard that hadn't been there a moment ago, and said "I'm looking for a.... Solus Verandi?"

I realized he was completely in the way, and I wouldn't be able to get past him. "She's in bed right now. Please, come back some other time. I have to go."

He put his hand on the door, stopping me from closing it. "Sorry, but this is urgent."

"Just go man, or I'll call the cops." I said. I wondered why he was being so insistent.

"No." He said, that customer service smile not leaving his face. "You won't."

"What?" I asked.

"You won't be doing anything." He said, seeming to grow... a bit taller. Then, like a bad sunburn, his skin started to turn redder, until it was a crimson shade. I stepped back, terrified.

"Wh... what the fuck?!" I cried.

"Oh, shut it." He said, as he grew tusks, and his eyes went pitch black. "Don't act like you never seen a demon before."