“So what does the process of how a demon becomes corporeal tell you about where we might find new demons?”
Once again the kids looked baffled.
“Come on, guys. You can do this.”
“Um, they’ll be where people are dead?”
I pointed at Ren, and then at my nose. “Absolutely. So where do people die?”
“Hospitals,” they said in unison, then laughed. “And accidents,” Ana added. “Like on the scene.”
“And um, those places old people go. What do you call them?” Ren looked around at the group.
“Nursing homes,” Bruce said.
“Good call,” I said. “Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospices. Definitely demon magnets. But can anyone think of a way to scope specific locations? How can you increase your odds of finding one newly made? Easier to fight, still hasn’t quite got the hang of his or her body.”
“How?” Bruce asked. I caught of glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. He was leaning forward, looking fascinated.
“Hand out the papers, Eliza.”
She bent over, then pulled out three copies of the local paper and passed one to the new students. “This is where Eric and I usually start. You want to tell them why?” I asked, looking at Allie.
She was sitting in the passenger seat beside me, and now she twisted around to talk. “Demons like to go back to where they were born. Born into a body, I mean. I don’t know why, but they do, at least for the first couple of days. So if you can figure out where someone might have gotten infested with a demon, chances are you can go back and find them again.”
“See what you find,” I told the kids, who immediately started flipping through pages. It didn’t take long. San Diablo is a relatively small town, and our paper is mostly filled with advertisements and schedules for various high school events. The actual news articles—especially about strange happenings—are easy to find.
Ren’s hand shot up. “Check this out! Some tourists—a couple— reported a dead body by a dumpster in an alley off Main Street but by the time the cops got there, the guy was awake. Cops decided that the tourists were just wrong. Like the guy was dead drunk, but not actually dead. But the couple insisted they weren’t. Apparently they volunteered at a hospice, and said they knew what a dead person looked like.”
“Bingo,” I said. “Mysterious deaths from which someone recovers. Horrible accidents that they walk away from. Surviving a drowning. All of those things tend to signal that there’s a demon who’s moved in. And if we get lucky, we just might meet him in that alley. Ready?”
Not only did the kids all say that they were, they all looked exceptionally eager. Again, I gave myself a pat on the back. So far so good.
The alley was off of Main Street, the anchor for the downtown touristy shopping area. I found a nearby parking space, then we all piled out and started heading toward the scene of the crime.
“If we find one, I’m going to take it. I want you guys to watch and learn. Next time, it’ll be your turn.” As I’d expected, each of them looked both relieved at not being on deck just yet, and excited about the possibility to come.
As soon as we entered the alley, I knew we were going to get lucky. A dark haired man was leaning against one of the commercial trashcans, his hands in his pockets. He was about thirty, and his build fit the description of the dead man. I gave the kids a stern look, and Allie held out an arm, signaling for them to stand back.
I took a step toward the probable demon. “Hey,” I said. “You may not know it, but there’s a no loitering policy in San Diablo. We try to keep our streets and alleys safe. Lots of kids in this town.”
He tilted his head as he looked me up and down. Then he stepped forward. He looked a little out of sorts, but there was no way I could be sure that he was a demon. Not yet.
He could be someone else entirely, and not the man from the newspaper report. Or, he could be that man, and simply passed out, just as the article said.
Get it wrong, and I could potentially kill a human, and that would be a pretty crappy first lesson for these kids. I wouldn’t much like it, either.
Obviously I couldn’t explain that to the kids, since narrating my thoughts would also give this possible demon knowledge of what I was up to. Fortunately, I’d had the foresight to fill a McDonald’s to-go cup with holy water, and I held it up as I walked toward him, pretending I was nervous to be approaching a stranger.
“Listen, I just want to throw this trash away, and then we’re going to get out of here. I don’t know what your deal is, but you’re kind of creeping me out hanging out by the dumpster.”
Again he said nothing. I took one more step, feigned tripping, and managed to toss the contents of the cup all over the demon’s face.
And he really was a demon. All doubts were erased as his face began to sizzle.
“Ha!” Allie’s voice rang through the alley. “I knew it. I totally knew it.” Her words started a chain reaction of agreement from the other kids.
I ignored them. I had to, because the demon had taken a step toward me, his face contorted in pain, and right then, my only focus was on him. And on staying alive.
