I left the restaurant and slipped down into the subway system, pulling up my long, wavy brown hair as I went. That was another rule at Voodoo. No ponytails. If you wanted your hair up, it had to be in a carefully styled updo. I usually just wore mine down. My hair was one of my better features. It was long, thick, and had a natural wave to it. In the sun, there were natural high and lowlights. I got compliments on it all the time. People pay a lot of money for hair like this at the salon.
People also often commented on my eyes. I caught sight of my reflection in the subway window, and I supposed I could understand why. They were green, though not nearly as green as Shem’s. Mine were more of a moss green, ringed in black. Someone had also told me I was‘curvy’once, and I wasn’t sure if they had meant it in a good way or not. I had a larger chest than most of the other girls who worked at Voodoo and definitely thicker thighs. Being relatively short, I put on weight easily, so my ‘curves’ sometimes made me feel more like I was ‘chubby,’ though I supposed it didn’t matter.
It’s not like I was trying to turn any heads or impress any men. I was doomed to live the solitary life of a spinster. At least I had Chaos to go home to. I smiled at that.
Getting off the subway, I trotted up the steps to my door and slipped the key into the lock in the knob. I flicked on the lights and shrugged out of my coat, tossing my phone on the coffee table along with the little dessert Mike had packed for me. Chaos wasn’t home yet, so I started my celebrations alone. I poured myself a shot of tequila and grabbed a fork from the kitchen, moaning as the first bite of chocolate brownie melted in my mouth.
Damn, that was good.
My eyes nearly welled with tears as the soft sweetness of the brownie dissolved on my tongue. I was sure Mike hadn’t thought too much about it, but no one had ever done something like this for me before. No one had ever bothered to acknowledge or celebrate my achievements with me. This small gesture meant more to me than words could ever describe.
I decided I wanted to do something for him in return. I pulled out my phone and googled ideas for personalized gifts. I found a little online Etsy shop that engraved spoons. My lip curled.
This wasperfect.
I ordered a tiny silver spoon with the words‘Best Chef’on it. Mike was a man of few words, so I was hoping a little thoughtful gift like this would be appreciated more than a heartfelt thank you. Feeling pleased with my order, I padded into the living room with my booze and my brownie. I turned on the tiny, second-hand TV and cast my music app to it from my phone. I flopped down on the couch, taking another bite of my brownie just as Chaos flowed in through the window behind me. I tipped my glass toward him in a gentle cheers.
He squinted at me and molded himself into a perfect little loaf on the couch. I smiled at him, tossing back a shot of tequila before getting up to dance. I spun around my living room to the dulcet tones of Billie Eilish’sbury a friend,unable to keep myself from smiling.
Chaos watched as I swayed and twirled. At one point, I was sure the little ghost of the girl who haunted my home came out to dance too, but that could have just been the tequila.
Just because I didn’t have anyone to celebrate with didn’t mean I didn’t deserve to celebrate. I’m sure it might have seemed sad to someone looking in, but for me, I really felt like I had crawled out of the pits of Hell and had finally managed to find a small piece of success and happiness for myself.
My demon hadn’t come to visit for nearly four years, and I was starting to wonder if I reallydidjust imagine it all. Maybe Ihadjust been a traumatized little girl who had made it all up.
Perhaps my shadowy stalker was my mind’s way of finding a way to blame all of the horrible freak accidents on something tangible.
Finally, just before the sun cracked the distant horizon and the first rumblings of morning activity in the city started up, I collapsed, drunk and happy, into bed. I rolled onto my back and sighed.
I hadmade it.
I may not have anyone, but I was self-sufficient. I was going to be okay.
My smile faltered as the darkness in the room grew thicker, and the rising sun took on a sinister tint of red. I could suddenly see my breath, and the air grew so cold it felt like razor blades inmy lungs.
I told myself I was just intoxicated and that I was imagining the looming, cloaked figure that infected the corner of my bedroom like a cancer.
The room was so small, and he was so close, that the smoky tendrils of his cloak floated over the lip of my mattress. He hung over me, and I peered up into the darkness of his hood as he slowly tapped his inky fingers on the staff of his scythe.
“Go away,” I whispered, feeling my eyes well with tears. He leaned closer, and I felt my vision strain as I tried to see beyond the endless darkness that gathered beneath his hood.
He stroked a single, freezing finger down my cheek, and I jerked away. I could have sworn I heard a hideous, rattling laugh seconds before everything went dark.
“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”
— EDGAR ALLAN POE
Iwoke up in a cold sweat. Thankfully, I was alone. My demon was no longer lurking in the corner of my room. I wondered for a moment if I had just imagined it, but I knew I hadn’t. He was real. He had touched me. That was the first time he had ever touched me. He must bepissed.
Fuck.
I hugged Sam.
I had hugged Sam, and my demon reappeared for the first time in four years. I tried to tell myself I was being paranoid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a horrible mistake. Leaping out of bed, I snatched up my phone. The sight of my empty to-go box and dirty shot glass from the night before made me feel sick to my stomach.
How dare I think I deserved to celebrate or be happy? I should have known better.
Scrolling through my contacts, I found Sam’s number. I had never actually texted him before, but I fired oneoff now.
