[ Short Story ] Know Your Demons

[CandleJack 0]

 

「 Know Your Demons 」

A short story based off of a tumblr prompt.

 

SUMMARY — When life throws a lemon, many people take pride in turning them into lemonade. However one young woman makes a point to shove them up where the sun can't shine. Sometimes there's no way in Hell to make lemonade, so lest Hell hath no fury left, she will make the most of them by dealing with some sour shit.

 

GENRE — Urban Fantasy

"RATING" — R, for violence, language, and some sexual content. (RPG Rating: 2/2/3).

 

OTHER NOTES— Readers are more than welcome to send me feedback. Actually, I really encourage it. Not only am I looking to know if what I write is interesting, I'm looking for tips to become a better writer (and maybe a decent future author).

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Division One — Know the Monster

 

Edited February 9, 2016 by CandleJack

[CandleJack 0]

❖ Division One 「 Know the Monster 」

 

Ivrene marched down the hallway and into her bathroom with a frustrated groan, dangling her soiled cat from beneath his shoulders. She slammed the door shut behind her with a flick of her ankle and she planted his little rear on top of the sink counter.

“You,” She started, “are the dumbest cat I’ve ever owned.”

Pinning her soft brunette hair behind the crown of her head with a hair band, she leaned over the porcelain white bathtub and twisted a pair of crystal knobs situated above the chrome faucet.

“You can’t even run up the stairs without falling down them!” Ivrene fleeted from the side of the tub to under the sink within seconds. “And somehow you wheeled yourself into my vase and decided to take a dirt bath. I wish you could explain how that works.” Rummaging through the cabinet beneath the sink, she slammed a bottle of cat shampoo on the counter.

Silence fell between the two rather intermittently. The woman continued to line the shoulder of the sink with various instruments while the white and black spotted cat repositioned himself from the counter onto the seat of the toilet. Ivrene threw shade towards his unassuming figure while being met— or pleaded— by a pair of golden eyes.

“You’re not getting out of this one. You’ve been needing it anyway. Your paws are still black from walking all over my charcoal drawing.” As with any cat, he loved transforming himself into a figurative paperweight, especially during one of Ivrene’s figure studies. “Consider this my revenge for sleeping in my drawers, too.” Yet it was to her dismay that her feline companion didn’t seem intimidated by the deep hum of the cascading water.

Then again, it would be her luck that Kai would find enjoyment out of this.

Sick bastard.

“Alright. It’s time to get your butt in.” The declaration came like a news flash, as if he had been the first one invited to the party down the street. Of course he’d jump right in! Did Ivrene think he would decline her generous proposal?

“Ugh.” If she hadn’t been ready to slap someone before, she was ready to punch someone now. Yet she managed to refocus herself with something else while he walked through the water and sniffed at the used bar of soap. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she turned her playlist on to shuffle before practically tossing it over onto a pile of folded towels.

Only the first minute or so went by rather peacefully— the only sound she could hear was the water being slapped by Kai’s two front paws. There was no dull moment when the two were together. For example, the bridge of Ivrene’s nose scrunched together.

“Kai… is that— did you fart? In my bath tub? That smells like rotten eggs.” Alright, perhaps that was not an accurate description of the offensive odor. It was more like someone had hit a skunk and wrapped its carcase in a dirty gym sock. It took only a few seconds for her to register that something was afoul— that could not have possibly come from the feline’s rear end.

She glanced over at him, the ravenous goblin in her tub. It appeared that the cat may have found the odor just as disgusting. His lips had curled slightly upwards and she watched as he took intentional breaths through his mouth to capture the smell.

She could hear the soft pattering of the rain against the white frosted bathroom window while waiting for her companion's verdict on the matter. For some reason,  it felt as if time had slowed down while her senses dulled. Or perhaps her surroundings became muted. Static noise deafened her ears. Kai's demeanor also changed.

“What’s wrong?” Ivrene stood up defensively when she observed the way her pet seemed to stare absently at her. Or behind her. The displacement of the atmosphere was unsettling— Ivrene’s heart began to race when she realized that she would have to look behind her. Was there someone watching her from the bathroom door?

Swallowing hard, she looked over her shoulder only to find everything exactly where she had left it. The woman hadn’t realized that she had been holding her breath until she exhaled. She found relief and faint amusement at her imagination. The relief she felt was only momentary however, for the feline soon began to uncharacteristically growl and spit.

The adverse reaction to his bath— or perhaps the pungent smell— immediately prompted her the woman to do something really stupid: she took a towel and picked him up.

For some people, they passionately believed that humans were the most dangerous animals on the planet, but they've obviously never met an angry cat. Or have been on the receiving end of one; pissed off and wet.

As if being torn away from a trance, Kai took a hold on Ivrene's arms in a frantic attempt to escape. His sickle shaped claws sliced into the flesh on her arms like a surgeon’s knife, drawing blood and a screech from the woman. Ivrene staggered backwards in shock before she had tossed him onto the floor, tears biting at the corners of her eyes while she tried to dab away the blood and water with the clean towel.

“Dammit.” If she wasn't the kind of person to consider the mindset of her animal friend, she may have punted him clear across town. However the cause of her anger clearly did not warrant such asperity, despite laying her venomous blue eyes upon him.

“What the hell—” As much as she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, Ivrene had her thought process broken by the now steaming hot water biting at her bare feet. But that was the least of her worries.

What kept her from turning tail and running was paralysis. A dark, hairy figure was literally climbing out from the bottom of the tub. She was simply petrified. She felted its vociferous howl pierce through every part of her body. The sheer volume and bass to the monster's cry forced her to cover her ears as her eardrums threatened to blow.

What had been conjured in her bathroom was not human by any stretch of the imagination. It was like looking at a slump of hair that took the form of a dog, yet it was the size of a kodiak bear. It struggled against the slippery tiles to stay upright, growling and using its raptor-like claws to gouge out parts of the grout.

Ivrene couldn't control her body's reflex to shake. The feeling of terror was overwhelming— there were no words to describe what she was seeing. How could there be? For the life of her, things like this only existed in stories and superstitions. She couldn't stop staring at the monstrosity in front of her.

It had already begun some kind of transformation as it stared wildly— and exhaustingly— into her eyes. They were like burning coals. Its breath seethed out of between its teeth in rapid hot waves. Its body continued mimicking the anatomy of a human man with its contorting and bone-grating sounds.

Hodgepodge superstitions and Hollywood soap opera cliches had, in a way, desensitized her, considering that she herself had a job where thousands of people enjoyed her idealizations of what such creatures looked like. But was there ever a reason for her to suspect that there were some truth behind such folktales? To demons?

The way it reached towards her with a now familiar human-like hand... it was damn near disturbing. She flinched when Kai spit and hissed at the monsters subtle movements— and for a moment, she thought she would be able to get the hell away from whatever it was.

But there was a sense of curiosity buried under her fear. She couldn't help but think, was this really happening? Truthfully, she wasn't sure. The only thing that flashed in her mind were some of the moments in Hollywood fiction that demanded that good and evil should be separated. So when the monster's hand took a hold of her pant leg and tried to pull itself up from the ground, she yanked her leg backwards and into the door— yelping in the process— and let the man creature fall back onto its face.

She could hear it growl— in anger, or in pain? She wasn't sure. There was only one thing she knew for certain: this creature shouldn't exist.

 

[CandleJack 0]

❖ Division Two

 

Ivrene had managed to peel open the door after reluctantly using her foot to push aside the arms of the weakened werewolf like beast. She had rushed back down the hall and right into the kitchen where she thought about calling for help. But she realized that her phone was probably drenched and unusable, if not for the fact that she had left it back in the bathroom.

"What the actual fuck is going on." After taking a few deep breathes, and having heard the labored breathing from the other room, she realized that this might actually be happening.

"Okay, c-calm down. Breath." She habitually twisted at her mahogany locks with her index finger. "God dammit. I need to get to my phone.”

She never would have guessed she'd have to go back, but at least she would be able to satisfy her thirst for curiosity. Slowly, she had to watch her feet and count her steps to keep herself from freaking out as she concentrated and returning to that room. It seemed like it took an eternity to get back there, but as the light came closer into her view, she could see that the water was beginning to make its way onto the wooden floor. Concerned, she slowly peered around the corner and wished as hard as she could that she wouldn't find anything beyond the frame of the door.

Despite her wishful thinking, nothing about her situation had changed from when she had left. The demon was still on the floor struggling to breath, but this time it— he— seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion to his transformation.

His hair was a dark umber— likely because he was still drenched from the cooling water— and the majority of his body was covered in an equally colored pelt, save for his torso and face, which was hairless. The tips of his fingers and toes were very much like claws except they no longer resembled raptor claws. Yet those piercing amber eyes continued to watch her from down below, leaving her tawny skin covered with prickly bumps. She shivered but crouched down anyway, balancing on one of her hands to try and reach her phone with the other.

Like she thought, the back was submerged in the sulfurous water. She quickly grabbed ahold of it and glanced at the eerily still creature. For some reason, she felt a tinge of sympathy for it— him— because of how powerless he appeared. Yet in the back of her mind, she repeated, he doesn’t belong here. You shouldn’t help him.

He appeared to try to say something after a moment. She couldn’t comprehend whatever-it-was that came out of his mouth, but it definitely didn’t sound like any language she had ever heard before. It must be some sort of demon tongue, she quickly assumed before retreating. However she lost her footing and slipped backwards up against the opposite wall and found herself staring mindlessly at the sight before her.

She had never been a religious person— not by a long shot— but it was not like she dabbled in the occult, either. Still, since she was a child, there was always a notion that one should never be swayed by something nefarious, especially not to her inner demons. For now, she had to swallow her curiosity in favor of old superstitions. It wasn’t like she knew of its intentions, so as far as she knew, he could have been sent to her on purpose.

“Focus, Ivy. Focus.” It took every bit of internal strength to look down at her phone. It appeared to be fine— it was advertised that it was waterproof anyway. Guess this was her chance to see if she got what she paid for.

Swiftly unlocking her security settings, she thumbed over the screen and chose the name Demetri Wolfe and hit the green phone icon in the right hand corner. She never did manage to pull her hand up to her ear but she could still hear the dial tone ringing. It rang. And continued on for almost ten seconds.

“Heeeeeeyyyyy. To what do I owe the pleasure, Buttercup?”

Ivrene opened her mouth to speak, but there was nothing she could say. What could she say? Normally she would have at least reprimanded him for calling her something stupid.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it… but actually, I was just thinking about you. What are you doing today after three? I would love for you to come to that new club downtown and check it out with me. You know, the ol' good girl, bad boy routine.”

What was she suppose to say again? Wolfe, you have to help me. There’s a demon monster thing in the middle of my floor. Yeah… that surely sounded like she was just trying to pull a fast one. He’d never believe that.

“Ivy?”

With nothing else left to do, she decided she would at least just get it over with by responding with, “H-hey. Sorry to call you. I needed your help but, uh, I got it covered. Sorry.” She didn’t even let him respond before she smashed her thumb over the red end-call button. Surely he would call back shortly, but she normally did not have her phone on her anyway, so she wouldn't feel pressured to answer immediately.

“What am I supposed to do?” This was hardly the time to feel sorry for herself. She had the worst smelling water beginning to ruin her floor and if she didn’t pick her ass up and do something, she was going to have to shell out a lot of money to get it replaced.

“Hey! Ivy!” It sounded like Wolfe was knocking on the back door.

Dammit. Now’s not the time for any sort of visitors, real world or not.

“Hey, lemme in! I swear I won’t call you buttercup again.”

“This can’t be happening.” Ivrene raked her fingers through her hair and pulled out of anxiety. “Uh, hold on!” She had to do something and quick. She was thankful that he didn’t just crash through the door as usual, since she told him about the spare key she kept under the stairs.

Not thinking, she lurched forward and crawled towards the strange beast. At first, he tried getting up on his own but he succumbed to his spent body and barely managed to keep himself from smashing his face into the tile. She scooted herself closer and pat him on his arm. She jerked in reaction to his ferocious growl.

“Look, I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to move you out from my bathroom.” She wasn’t sure why she was talking to him, but hopefully he would understand the context and urgency in her voice. Assuming that he could even comprehend any of that.

Again, she tempted fate by grabbing ahold of him at the wrist and she carefully watched for any sign of rebellion. When she realized the worst that he could do was to glare at her, she took this as a sign to pull an arm over her shoulder and haul him up onto his feet the best she could.

“Ivy.” Wolfe whined from outside the door. “What’s the hold up? I'm getting ready to come in.”

“Dammit, Wolfe, just... hold on a fucking second.” Ivrene practically barked.

“Yikes. You sound pretty peachy. Are you walking’ around naked or something?”

“Wolfe, if I have to—“

“Okay. Okay. I get it. I’ll be a good boy and wait. Provided that you’ll let me in and give me some attention.”

That guy, she had thought, shaking her head in defeat. Yet she sighed in relief and readjusted the he-beast on her shoulders so that he was more balanced. She still urged on with a certain haste, knowing that Wolfe would eventually let himself in.

The demon, on the other hand, had attempted to try and collect his feet on several occasions with no avail. His claw tipped feet were flimsy at best, and quite frankly, she was partially glad. The last thing she needed was for him to suddenly realize he could walk and then tear her throat out. Regardless, she had to shake the thought out of her mind and focus on passing through the doorway of the guest bedroom without banging any of her knuckles. It was just as they had barely reached the edge of the guest bed when she heard Wolfe hit the back door out of frustration.

He really needs to learn a little patience, she thought, but boys will be boys. Pulling herself out from beneath the other's weight, she let him land on the bed with a soft thud. Moving around to the other side, she even tugged him over a bit to the right to center him. "There. You won't have to worry about falling off."

Then for a moment, their eyes connected. While hers were more inquiring, at least for the time being, his were critical; dangerous and threatening. He hadn't complained though, which she would happily take as a good sign, however she had a feeling that whenever he got himself collected, there would probably be hell to pay.

She swallowed hard.

Ivrene covered him as best as she could with an extra throw that she had kept at the night table. It didn't cover him entirely but it would have to do. She patted the bed in habit before returning to the entryway of the guest bedroom, stopping only for a moment to gaze at how long his tail was...

"Alright, I'm coming in!"

Just as she closed the door behind her gently, a dark haired man walked through the door. Wolfe was always clean shaven— never seen with a five o'clock shadow— and he dressed in the same fashion as he looked. It was clear he was the type of guy that loved having fun, especially with various dating circles. His form fitting clothes always showed off his athletic body.

"Whoa. Ivy. Look, I know I can talk the talk, but you didn't have to get yourself all worked up and wet for me, ya'know." He winked playfully and obnoxiously slammed the door behind him.

"Shut up." Ivrene said irritably. "Thanks for telling me you were at the door when I called."

"Well, I was already downstairs having a cup of coffee with the store girls when you rang." Wolfe walked into the community room and threw his keys on the coffee table. "So I thought to just climb up the stairs and see what was going on. But seriously— what the hell is that smell?"

"You have no idea what kind of day I've been having." Ivrene slunk back towards the linen closet in the main hallway to retrieve a few towels. "It started with trying to give Kai a bath... then, I just. I don't know. I—" She couldn't tell him about happened. It was still sounded crazy. Hell, she was beginning to think she was crazy.

"Yeah?" Wolfe held the door inches away from her, pressing her to continue.

"I think a rat died in the vents."

"Oh my god." Wolfe shook his head with terrible disgust. "You don't think Kai killed and dropped it down through a hole or something, do you?”

“More like he might have scared it into the vent. If he had killed it, it probably would have ended up on my bed.” She pivoted on her foot and began to flick each towel over the puddles of water. “And how many times am I going to have to tell you to stop distracting my employees? I’m running a business, not a damn date spot.”

Wolfe hummed distractedly as he always did when she attempted to lay off his flirting and, as usual, changed the topic. “How’d the water get all the way over to the guest bedroom?”

“Uh, well, considering I’m drenched from the bath, I had to chase Kai in there.” The white lie actually made her feel really guilty. She was raised to be forthcoming and honest in normal circumstances, but there was hardly anything normal about her current dilemma. That and what would he think if he knew that a demon just spawned in her residence?

“I can at least help. Give me a towel and I’ll go get him and dry him off.”

When Wolfe tried to yank a towel from between her arm and chest, Ivrene stood and stumbled backwards a few steps defensively. “No. I got this. Thank you but really, you don’t need to worry yourself about this.”

“It’s okay. Besides, you reemed my ass the last time I came over and didn’t clean up after myself. This is the least I can do." Wolfe took a step forward and offered his hand in aid, but again, Ivrene defiantly refused.

“Actually, it would make my day if you could get me some ibuprofen. I ran out and the smell in here is killing me.” Ivrene's brows lowered and she pulled a lopsided frown onto her visage.

Wolfe, though not always perceptive, appeared to acknowledge the subtle hint that she didn’t want him lingering around. He stood only momentarily as he tried to read the situation, not that he’d ever figure out what was happening. To her relief, he eventually backed down.

“Alright.” He said stiffly. “I’ll go back down and tell Alyssa what you need. I’ll buy you a drink. Just take it easy, okay?”

“Of course.” Ivrene said.

“But seriously, you can be honest with me next time. If you and your boyfriend want the place to yourself, you could have asked nicely.”

“WOLFE.” Before she could throw the nearest object available at his head, he had already swung the back door closed and made his retreat.