Safety Has A Tail and Horns

1

Shane Madej's world was turned upside down in one handshake and one bright flash of light.

He came to in his room, sitting up slowly with a groan. His entire body ached, making him feel like he had just run the entire length of LA enough to put even the most avid marathon runner to shame.

"Shane?" he heard from outside his door. "Are you awake?"

Ryan.

"Yeah, buddy," he answered. The door opened before he could tell Ryan to stay put. Shane braced himself, ready for hundreds of questions about his appearance.

They never came.

"Did I fall asleep on the way back from location again?" was the question instead.

"Uhh.." Shane looked down at his hands. His normally pale fingers darkened into raven-feather black and ended in pretty wickedly sharp claws.

"You'll figure out how to get those under control after a while," he remembered through the haze in his memory. "Ryan won't see you like this unless you're stuck in a demon trap."

"Or if I let him," Shane thought.

"Shane?"

His head snapped up. "Oh I uh- Sorry, yeah, you fell asleep. Too much wind for you, I guess."

"There was no 'wind,' you asshole," Ryan grumbled.

"Well it certainly wasn't a ghost," Shane said, stretching.

"Oh yeah? How are you so sure?"

"Because ghosts and demons aren't real." Shane grimaced a little with guilt from the lie, feeling the weight of unseen horns on his head.

"Whatever," Ryan said with a shake of his head. "I'm gonna shower."

Shane saw him off with a wave, tilting his head side to side to crack his neck. The initial ache was slowly fading, and he realized he actually felt pretty good for having just lost his soul.

It was a bit difficult to remember the majority of it, but at least Goldsworth had be courteous enough to say goodbye.

The whole situation, though, prompted one giant and pressing question:

How was he going to explain all of this to Ryan?