To Be Human

Going Home

  There were no windows where we were, so I lost track of time entirely. I didn't know if it had only been days or weeks, but it felt like an eternity from the constant torture and hunger. My entire body ached as I had yet been able to move from where I had been chained down, and the only form of entertainment I had came from talking to Azazel when that sadistic man was no longer in the room.

  He was reluctant to talk back, but he eventually gave in as it helped pass the time and prevented the madness from the pain from taking hold.

  Sighing, I looked up at the demon.

  "Hey, Azazel?"

  "What?" His tone was still grumpy as he let his head hang from his shoulders.

  "Do people really have souls?"

  "....In a way, yes." He replied. "Everything alive has a soul that continues on after the physical vessel dies. It wanders in a sort of different plane before resurrection into a new vessel."

  "Like Hamsa." I commented.

  "Hamsa?"

  "The duck with Bacchus. He says he used to be a god." Leaning my head on my arm, I half-closed my eyes while looking at the dirty ground. "....If I could just transform, I could get us out of here."

  "Yeah, well, no one's going to kiss you."

  "Obviously." I huffed. "Have you ever escaped from something like this?"

  "Yes, but I was stronger then."

  "Mm." I hummed while slowly blinking. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could suddenly control my dragon form?"

  "It'd be wonderful if you just did it rather than musing and uselessly talking about it." Azazel snapped.

  "....Do you hear that?" I paused while straining my ears. Azazel frowned and raised his head as he listened as well. There was a slow shuffling of feet across the floor, and I saw the demon's eyes widen a fraction as he saw what it was before I did.

  A zombified guard trudged into view, and I was praying it was some sort of help from Rita rather than a random zombie just wandering in. The undead groaned while reaching up with one of his deathly pale hands. The zombie tried to stick a key into one of the shackles on Azazel's wrist, failing the first few attempts before managing to get the key in and turn it.

  The demon's hand dropped once it was freed, and he snatched the keys from the zombie. He unlocked the rest of the shackles holding him before leaning on the wall for a second since he was no longer chained to the wall with his arms above his head.

  "What's pinned to the guard?" I asked when I saw a paper stuck to the front of the zombie's shirt. Azazel pulled it off before seeming to read something.

  "It's a rendezvous location appointed by Rita. Apparently, the gods are striking back against the capital." He folded up the piece of paper before stuffing it into his pocket. "Shoo." He waved the zombie off before wobbling toward me. The demon knelt down in front of me while digging through the keys on the ring before finding the one that went to the muzzle.

  "How are we going to get out and to the rendezvous point?" I asked as the muzzle clanked onto the floor.

  "You're going to get us there."

  "Huh?"

  "I'm going to ride you." The shirtless demon stated as he tilted my chin up.

  "Huh?!" My ears and face burned, but I was still chained down and had no way of objecting as Azazel brought his face down. "Cheek! Cheek!" I screeched while the chains on me rattled.