Within the blink of an eye, I found myself back in my apartment. “W–what?” I blinked and looked around, realizing I was no longer at the mall but in my pajamas and sitting on my bed with the book in my lap. Panic overcame me as I looked at my alarm clock. “Three in the morning? What—but how? I was just at work!” One of my roommates from the other room shushed me through the walls. “Sorry!” I whispered loudly to them before looking back down at the book in my lap. It was so odd that there was no title or author…not a single word written on any of the pages. “Why did I pick this up?” I whispered aloud.
My fingers lightly grazed the leather, feeling all the details and little grooves of the material before lifting the cover. Each bare and empty page crinkled lightly as I turned them, hoping to find something…anything written onto them.
Why was I so transfixed by this thing?
My eyes became heavy, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep cradling the book. And as I drifted off to sleep, I swear I heard a whispered voice speak my name.
“Crissa.”
ANOTHER WARNING FROM ZETH
Dear reader, I have come to inform you that the following content contains alarming topics and events, including a vivid description of sexual assault and self harm. Do take whatever precautions necessary before challenging yourself to continue. As much as us demons thrive in the darkness, even we believe such things are repulsive. I hope you are mentally prepared for what you are about to read, and if, for whatever reason, you feel you must stop, do not hesitate to do so. This story is not worth the pain it may trigger.
For those who choose to continue on their path and continue reading, proceed with caution. And I look forward to meeting you again.
CHAPTER 2
CRISSA
“Crissa!”My head spun as my eyes met Tawny’s. She motioned me over with the telephone tucked against her ear, wrapped in the coiled phone line behind the register. “Uh-huh. And how many with your party?” She jotted down the details, waving me closer as I approached the counter. “Singing? Yes, we can sing happy birthday.” She made a face and stuck out her tongue. I giggled at her reaction. “Yes, I’m here.” Tawny scribbled a few more notes down. “Alright, we’ll see you then. Bye-bye.” She slammed the phone down with a loud groan. “Got another baker’s dozen coming in at the end of the month. Mom wants us to pull out all the stops too.” Tawny rubbed her eyes and just groaned. “I need a drink.”
Too bad I won’t be here.
I tucked my green hair behind my ear and adjusted the clown hat. “Anything I can do to help?”
She sat up. “Oh, yes. Can you go check on the Skee-ball machine? A mom was griping about it acting up again and every time I try to step away, the phone rings.” She seemed really frazzled.
“Yeah, I got it, but I’m taking my break right after.” Tawny agreed and thanked me just as the phone rang again.
Alright, time to deal with a pissed off mom and a broken Skee-ball machine.
I made my way through clusters of kids running through the dining area of the pizzeria, past the popcorn machine, and into the makeshift arcade. Neon lights and black light glowed above as kids shouted and cheered at a new high score. I was nearly knocked over by a dad juggling two crying toddlers. “Fuck,” I muttered as I gained my footing and finally made my way to the machine. An obviously disgruntled mother stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot as she stared down at her watch while her son whined about the game.
This is going to be fun.
The Skee-ball machine wasalwaysbreaking. We never truly fixed the machines…just messed around and got them working long enough to limp them along. The kids got what they wanted and the staff would survive the night. It was the best we could do being that none of us were electricians or even knew what to do to fix the machines. “Excuse me.” The mother’s eyes met mine with furrowed brows. “I’m here to fix the?—”
“Well it’s about damn time,” the woman snapped. “I’ve been waiting for almost fifteen minutes for someone with half a brain to show up and do their damn job. Unbelievable.” Her nose rose high and she just stood there tapping her foot. “Hurry up.”
“Okay then.” I took a deep breath and fiddled with the switches at the back of the machine, whacking it a couple times before the lights started flashing. The machine shot out a row of tickets as the kid cheered and clapped his hands together in excitement. “There. All fixed!” I forced a smile but the woman just scoffed and looked away. She mumbled something under her breath about how she hated coming to this neon nightmare, and I couldn’t agree more. “Have a happy time!” I shouted before walking away.
Ungrateful little?—
A little girl ran into me, spilling her popcorn. She instantly burst into tears and as I frantically tried to clean up the mess and console her, a server tripped over my arm and spilled cherry cola all down the crotch of my costume. The whole commotion caused a scene between the crying kid, pissed off server, and myself. “Tawny!” I shouted my boss’s name and her gaze met mine. “I’m going on my break!” She didn’t say a word as I rushed past her and into the kitchen. To be fair, it was more of a statement than a request.
“Ugh!” I tugged at my cola-soaked uniform, grabbing a damp towel as I tried to scrub it clean. The stain came out easier than I expected, but the sticky sweet cherry scent clung to the material and stuck to my body. “Great…now I’m all wet and sticky and I smell like cough syrup.” I threw the towel aside and marched through the kitchen, past the storage, and to the back alley door of the pizzeria.
I need a damn cigarette.
I pushed the back door open with a wave of aggression. The cold evening breeze blew across my face and sent my hair dancing wildly in the wind. It was an instant relief to breathe anything but the smell of pizza and sweat, even if it was garbage. And the cold air was crisp compared to the humid temperature inside the pizzeria. “Ugh.” I ripped the hat from my head and dropped down onto my ass in the doorway. My hand reached into the pocket of my costume and I pulled out a cigarette and lighter. My palms trembled as I attempted to light it. “Fuck,” I breathed with the butt between my lips. My hand steadied for a brief moment and I finally lit the cigarette, taking a long, deep breath as the warm smoke filled my lungs and throat.
Finally.
I chain smoked a few cigarettes, sitting in the doorway for a good twenty minutes before two rats scuttled to my side and squeaked. “Hello friends.” My fingertip tapped the tops of their heads, stroking them softly. “I’m afraid I don’t have any snacks at the moment.” The rats crawled into my lap, making me giggle. I continued to pet them as my thoughts immediately drifted to the old book. After spending a couple days just staring at the blank pages, I decided to start using it as a journal. The empty pages served as a blank canvas for all of my thoughts and emotional vomit I accumulated during my days here at work, and I found myself more and more excited to add them to the book whenever I could. I used any excuse to write in that old book, and the strangest thing was the more I wrote, the less anxiety I felt being apart from it. As if my written words somehow bound it to me as my property and therefore I wasn’t afraid of losing it, but rather appreciated it as a daily part of my routine…a habit I needed to continue as if my life depended on it. “What a strange thought,” I whispered aloud, looking down at my cigarette as one of the rats climbed up to my shoulder. “I used to spend my free time daydreaming about my life outside this town, and now, I’m daydreaming of what I’m going to put in that old book.” I scoffed and grinned. “Strange.” I smoked the cigarette and sighed. “Welp, at least I’ll have an interesting entry for today.” The rat on my shoulder nestled close to my cheek. With my pointer finger, I scratched his little chin and carefully sat him and the other rat down on the floor. “You two better go hide, it’s too busy for you to be sneaking about. I’ll try to score some crumbs for you guys later, okay?” The two chittered and scuttled away.
Such sweet little friends.
“Crissa! I need you back on the floor, kid! We got an early dinner rush!” Tawny shouted from behind me.
