The Fight for the Trident

Chapter 6 - Section 1

Susanne raced down the street, panting for breath as she slumped against the back of a building. She looked around, trying to gain her bearings but finding nothing recognizable. She fell onto her backside, tears forming in her eyes as she broke down crying.

The hours seemed to pass as her vision became blurry, darkness beginning to close in on her.

"Hello?" an old, raspy voice whispered from her right.

She shrieked and turned.

A figure walked over to her, wearing tattered rags that covered nearly every part of their body. The only thing visible were the eyes: dark blue irises that seemed like an ocean on a winter's day.

Susanne frantically looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

"Calm down, child," the being said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Wh-Who are you?! Wh-Wh-What are you d-d-doing here?!"

"I live here."

She frowned. "L-Live here...?"

"I have for years." The being reached out a hand, revealing rotting flesh and pearly bones.

Susanne shrieked. "Zombie!!!"

The being's hand retreated. "That's such a derogatory term," they said in a voice that was clearly insulted. "I am not a zombie. Those mindless whelps can't even speak. I am a meritath."

"A-A what?"

"Meritath. An undead demon, in layman's terms."

She turned pale. "A-A-A demon?!"

"If you do not quit shrieking, you will awake zombies. Or the hellhounds. Either way, you will most certainly die."

Susanne couldn't stop hyperventilating, clutching her chest as she slumped to the floor.

The demon rolled their eyes and took off their robe, turning it into a fine blanket of gold silk and wrapping it around Susanne's shoulders.

Susanne paled, looking up at the demon.

To her shock, the demon wasn't hideous. The hand that was decaying flesh and bone was the only gruesome thing about him. He had short, curly black hair with red tips, a strong, handsome face, and a lean yet muscular body. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, his hands in his pockets as a smirk formed on his face. "I'm Erie Carroway. It's nice to meet you."

"E-E-Eric?"

"No, E-R-I-E. I don't really like the name Eric." He knelt down. "Come on; my dad will find you if you stay out here alone." He held out his good hand.

She hesitantly took it, squirming a little when she found his hand felt normal. "I-I-I thought d-d-demons were-"

"Ugly masses with more limbs and eyes than a Hecatonchire?" Erie chuckled. "Nope. That's just Azzy. He loves showing off." He opened a door and led Susanne through it.

Inside was a brilliantly lit casino, hundreds of people roaming around happily and playing different games of chance. Bizarre monsters walked among the goers, watching them all with odd tranquility. The smell of cigar smoke and alcohol assaulted Susanne's sinuses, causing her to cough.

Erie led her down a hall and into a little room decorated in gold and red. "Here; no one but Dad comes in my room. You can stay here until I can get Sydney to send you back to her house-"

"I don't want to go back there!" Susanne shrieked, stumbling away from him.

Erie blinked, looking at her. "Why not?"

"Th-They're crazy! Th-They want to go confront the Devil and tell him we had his stupid trident when it was my boyfriend's and not the Devil's! They're all insane!"

Erie tilted his head. "So Azzy was chasing you for no reason?"

"Yes!"

"I... don't honestly believe you."

She sat down hard on the bed, ignoring the obvious fineries adorning the room. "No one does..."

"I wonder why," Sydney's voice said.

Susanne looked up quickly.

Sydney stood next to Erie, a cell phone in her hand and a frown on her face. "Amerael just called me about you," she said sternly. "What were you thinking?"

"I-"

"Running outside and into the rain just because you didn't want to believe Maria? Putting their lives at risk just to save your own pretty neck? Refusing to listen to reason because 'Oh, I did the noble thing and helped my boyfriend'?"

"Shut up!!!" Susanne screamed, covering her ears and closing her eyes. "Shut up!! I'm not going to listen to you!"

Suddenly Sydney's voice echoed in her head: "No, I think you will. It's obvious you won't listen to reason, so here's the truth: you. Are. Selfish. You're acting like a narcissistic little jerk all because you want to live a lie."

"Stop it! Get out of my head!"

"You're living a lie, Susanne. This is not your fantasy land."

"No! This is fake!!"

"Then wake up!"

Susanne's eyes flew open.

She found herself in an office, tied up to a chair.

"Oh, good. The nightmare worked," a deep voice said in amusement. "Good job, sweetie."

Susanne looked around to find Erie in real life, except there was one noticeable change: "Y-Y-You're a girl?!"

Erie nodded, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "Yep! I only take the boy form in dreams since I don't like being a girl in dreams; what's the point of even being who you are in a dream when you can be anything you want to be!!!" she said happily and in one breath.

Susanne blinked. "U-Um..."

"You'll have to pardon her; she's a little ball of positivity," the deep voice chuckled. Susanne looked around, but the deep voice laughed. "I'm behind you, silly; good luck looking at me."

"Y-You're Mephistopoles, aren't you?"

"Mephistopheles. You were really close."

"P-Please, l-l-let me go. I-I-I swear, I-I don't have anything you w-w-want-"

The smell and foreboding blast of a plume of cigar smoke hit the back of her neck. "You're a horrible liar, kid."

Susanne paled as a familiar black figure slunk out of the shadows. "No... O-Oh, God, no!!!"

Azazel smiled wickedly. I think you have exactly what he needs, my dear.