“What? You couldn’t have told me this when I first walked in?” I practically screeched like some demented banshee… although I had to admit, I doubted there were many calm banshees out there that whispered sweet nothings to their victims and didn’t cry out wildly into the night. Oh, my Goddess, I was starting to sound like my mother!
“You were late for your meeting, which, by the way, you will still be if you wanna stand here talking about this.”
“Okay, fine, but FYI, tell me all the extra shit you bring with you to the office next time, and that way I can skip the trip to my mom’s shop altogether and just come here and raid your emergency supply.”
“Or here’s an idea, create your own emergency supply, and that way, you don’t need to steal mine,” she countered, winning with logic.
“Fine, fine, just hand it over, you official life saver, you,” I said, making grabby gestures with my hands as she opened her bottom drawer and pulled out a duffel bag.
“Why do you have this anyway?”
“Bill, the copy guy.” I narrowed my eyes in silent judgment.
“Okay, okay, I know, I know. But he’s hot and, well, you know we had that fling last month, and then that afternoon I told you the door to the coffee room was jammed, and I spilled creamer down my top… well, it wasn’t the type of creamer you would putin your coffee,” she told me with a wink, making me scrunch up my face.
“Eww… gross… officially, that’s disgusting,” I said, walking backward with the bag in hand.
“Yes… yes I am,” she agreed, making me chuckle, but then as I started to turn, I bumped into someone solid, who dropped their briefcase at the same time I dropped my bag. We both bent down to retrieve our stuff at the same time, apologizing.
“I am so sorry.”
“My regrets, Miss…”
“Miss, gotta go! Gonna be soooo late!” I said as I practically ran for the bathroom without even sparing the poor guy a glance, having no idea who I just bumped into. Although by the time I made it to the toilet, his sexy voice was still playing out in my head. Meaning I now wished I had taken the time to put a face to the deep, authoritative tone that admittedly had sent shivers up my spine.
“No time for that, Eliza,” I told myself as I dashed into the cubicle and started trying to unzip the dress at the side. But then something strange happened as I started running my hands along the fabric, trying to stretch it down so I could straighten the zipper. The face of that demonic King flashed there once more, causing me to actually fall back onto the toilet.
It was such a powerful vision, it had me near gasping for air, now holding my head in my hands and leaning down with my elbows to my knees. I then took deep, calming breaths, telling myself quietly,
“It’s not real… not real… It’s just my imagination.”
Then once I felt as though I had gotten myself under control, I released a breath and dusted my hands down my skirt before standing.
But that turned out to be a huge mistake, as suddenly the runes and symbols on the skirt started to fucking glow! I startedshaking my head in disbelief as they then rose off the material in front of me.
“Okay, this is really not real… oh shit, oh shit… OH SHIT!” I shouted this last part as the glowing lines that floated in the air started to vibrate and shudder, as if they were charging up or something.
They pulsated faster and faster, growing in size until, suddenly, they exploded all around me in a bright, blinding light. One that ended up knocking me backward hard enough that I hit my head on the wall.
Then, as I slumped to the toilet seat and was about to lose consciousness, I did so to the sound of someone asking…
“How the fuck did I get here?”
3
DEMON BE GONE
“Hey, girly, wake up.”
I heard the strange grunting voice and felt little slaps to my face, making me wonder what the hell had just happened. Of course, when I opened my eyes, I didn’t realize just how apt that word ‘Hell’ would be.
“AAAAHHH!” I screamed the second I saw the little, grey-skinned goblin man sitting on my lap with his bumpy, lumpy face only inches from mine.
But then he slapped his elongated wrinkly fingers over my mouth.
“Gorgon’s asshole, cease yer banshee wailing, woman!” the goblin said in a strange accent I couldn’t place.
What was I saying?! He was a creepy little creature, and here I was trying to place his origins when, clearly, the little pointy-nosed demon was from Hell!
