by George Fry
“Let’s see.”
In a flash, Drifter swiped the hat off the gentleman’s head, revealing his curved back spines now fully standing on end from fright, along with his pale green skin.
“You stole her makeup to cover up your skin?”
With his true identity revealed, the gentleman had no answer. He was petrified.
“So, you were the demon from earlier. Spinal, was it?” Reine asked.
“Did the pointy ears not give it away?”
Reine couldn’t bring herself to admit to the obvious flaw in Spinal’s disguise.
Though scared stiff, Spinal still accepted his defeat and simply uttered.
“I’m sorry.”
“You will be when I’m through with you.” Drifter retorted.
Just as he was about to get to work, Reine blocked his path.
“Could you move?”
“Don’t hurt him, Drifter.”
“He won’t feel a thing.”
“Just let him go.”
“I already did and he came back. Not the smartest idea.”
“Well, he hasn't done anything... to me at least.”
“You hired me to take out your stalker.”
“In that case… you’re fired.”
“Cool. Now I’m free to do whatever I want.”
Reine continued to stare Drifter down, refusing to budge.
There was a sudden loud crash. Reine turned behind herself to find Drifter having already manoeuvred around her and delivered a devastating punch to Spinal’s gut, sending him flying. He moved so fast, she hadn’t noticed she was staring at an afterimage until it was too late.
“That one was free.” Drifter explained. “Later.”
Without saying another word, Drifter left the garden party.
Reine ran over to comfort Spinal, with Dale following. As soon as Drifter was out of sight, the gentleman demon lifted his head.
“Oh my god! Are you okay!?” Reine cried, holding his head up.
“I knew demons weren’t welcome here…”
“It isn’t fatal, is it!? Can you stand!?”
“I should leave…”
“You’re not bleeding are you!?”
“Are you... listening to me?”
“You should be listening to me! We need to treat your wounds, immediately!”
“But, I’m not even human…”
“Who cares! You’re more human than any of these mouth breathers!”
“I was…? So, my facade wasn’t a complete waste, then…”
“Well, putting on makeup was rather silly, but the effort was appreciated.”
“It was?”
“As much as we seem to forget, humans usually strive to judge people based on their actions not their appearance. Even though your efforts were misguided, and unintentionally creepy, I understand what you were trying to do. I just wished you talked to me before I hired a superpowered bodyguard.”
Spinal wheezed out a laugh.
“When I followed that group of demons to the human world, I was overwhelmed by just how beautiful it was, compared to the wasteland I was born into. I wanted nothing more than to live here, instead of scavenging for scraps in a hellscape, dominated by monsters far more powerful than me.
Tuffnail and his men accepted me into their group, in the hopes of one day finding the Sword, hoping its power would allow us to survive without worry, but I was never interested in such power.
That attitude made me their errand boy, left to gather intel by myself. Too weak to be accepted by demons and too frightening to be accepted by humans. I was alone in both worlds, until I saw you… with the same look of loneliness and neglect. You were the first creature I ever felt empathy toward.
I thought, if I could take a chance and share these feelings with you, we could come to understand each other. I watched how humans treated their loved ones and tried to mimic them, but I still kept my distance, in case I frightened you. Once Tuffnail and his gang were defeated, I was left completely alone, with no other purpose left, other than seeing you again.
So, I hid my skin and even dressed like a human. It was inevitable that I’d be caught sooner or later, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to know what it was like to live a peaceful human life, even if just for a moment.”
“You went through all that just to see me?”
“I’m not really sure what compelled me to do any of this. It all feels so complicated…”
“Well, you can’t live that peaceful life lying on the ground.” Reine answered. “Can you stand?”
“My chest plates have been completely shattered, I won’t be moving much, for a while…”
“But, you’ll live, right?” Dale interjected.
“Just about.”
“Well, you’re a lucky bastard. You’re the first demon I’ve seen survive an encounter with Drifter, who didn’t run away...”
“Tap was certainly the brains of the group.”
“Yeah, even Drifter was caught out by him.”
“Drifter… his power is truly fearsome. He barely tried, yet he obliterated me in a single hit. It was so fast I couldn’t even defend myself. I’m not even sure his fist actually connected with me at all. I pity any demon foolish enough to challenge him.
Still… as frightening as he was. I’ve never seen anything, human or demon, look so soulless before… his eyes lacked that human spirit and then for him to just leave, like I wasn’t even worth finishing off...”
“His eyes, huh?” Dale was intrigued. “What do my eyes say?”
“You're still a child.”
“Man… is it that obvious?”
Reine giggled.
“Are you two going to be okay?” Dale asked.
“If you could help me carry Spinal into my car, I can bring him home.” Reine explained.
“You’re sending me back to the demon world?” Spinal exclaimed.
“No, silly. You staying with me…. I could use the company.”
“What about the party?”
“Oh, to hell with it.”
Chapter 6: Monster of the Mist
✽✽✽
“Dammit, Drifter!” Dale called. “How did you get all the way out here so fast!?”
“I walked.” Drifter replied, loosening his tie and untucking his shirt like a true degenerate.
“Did we really have to leave, so soon!? We could have stayed! Reine wouldn’t have minded!”
“Can’t. I was fired.”
“She didn’t mean it. Come on, let’s go back.”
“No.”
“But… I liked her...”
“Then go back and stop following me.”
“Never! Someone’s gotta keep you in check.”
“Really? How?”
“With this!”
In a display of bravado, Dale unsheathed his arm-blade, whilst tearing through his expensive suit’s sleeve.
“Oh, fuck! Reine’s gonna kill me…”
Drifter chuckled under his breath. "Fucking mongoloid"
“Speaking of Reine… are you really okay with leaving her with that demon?”
“He lived?”
“Of course. It was only one punch.”
“Huh, surely I crippled him a little.”
“He said he’d make a full recovery.”
“Ain't that lucky.”
“I'm getting the sneaking suspicion you let him live on purpose.”
“Hey, did Reine ever pay you?”
“Fuck me! I forgot!”
Drifter broke into a vigorous laughter.
“That’s not funny!” Dale cried.
“You’re such a fucking idiot...”
Continuing their journey, they crossed a bridge, over a river, to the next town, but were suddenly interrupted by a loud car horn, with two officers exiting their vehicle.
“Oh, what the hell?” Drifter sighed, his patience for law enforcement was nonexistent. Their vain attempts at intimidation and asserting their authority just
annoyed him.
“Stop right there!” The ginger officer ordered. “You, with the long hair. You’re under arrest.”
Drifter pointed to himself with a befuddled look.
“Yes, you. We need to bring you in for questioning.”
“Questioning?”
Drifter was shocked. Most officers tried to have him arrested out of desperate fear, however this ginger lad was surprisingly focused.
“There was a major incident last night, just near a restaurant in Marble Hill. Charred corpses discovered in a sea of white flames, with witnesses reporting of a man in a white coat at the scene.”
“So?”
“So!? You think I’m stupid, mate!? After seeing what you did in Twickenham, you’ve become my prime suspect, in a number of cases. I don’t know how you managed to evade the law for this long, but I’m bringing you down to the station for a bit of interrogation.”
“Okay.”
Drifter held out his wrists, accepting his arrest.
“Oh… well that was easy.” The cop replied, swiftly cuffing him.
“You see, Michael. You never know what’ll happen unless you try.”
Drifter’s wrist became illuminated in a white glow, as he effortlessly snapped the cuff’s chain and ripped the cufflinks from his wrists, like they were made from flimsy paper.
“Oh, shite.”
Although his plans were foiled, the officer refused to let Drifter leave, just yet.
He pulled out his gun as a final threat.
“Wait! You’re coming with me, or… I’ll shoot!”
Drifter merely pinched the barrel of the gun shut, with his fingers.
“What!? That comes out of the taxpayer’s money, you know!”
“Good thing I don’t pay taxes.”
The officer’s partner stepped out to calm his subordinate.
“I told you driving all the way out here would be a waste of time, Richard.”
“But, he’s a potential criminal and clearly linked to god knows how many unsolved incidents. We can’t stop when he’s right in front of us.”
“We can do this another time. He’s clearly not interested and I’ve got a whole stack of paperwork that needs dealing with. Let’s just go.”
Richard looked down at his now ruined gun, all it could do now was backfire in his face. In a world full of monsters even the humans were becoming impossible to arrest.
“This isn’t over, yet, you long haired, poofter!” Was all he could muster to save face.
Sadly, Drifter wasn’t around to receive such an eloquent insult, as he had already left. Realising the direction he was heading, Officer Richard called after him one last time.
“Oi! You can’t go that way!”
Drifter waved back, as he continued on his way.
“Stop him, Michael!”
The officer’s partner reluctantly stood up straight from leaning on his car.
“You can’t cross the bridge, sir. The entirety of Donnington is a Quarantine Zone.”
Drifter stopped in his tracks.
“A what now?”
“A Quarantine Zone. Only certified personnel are allowed entrance.”
“Oh… well, I’m certain I’ll be fine.”
Drifter didn’t care to stick around for the details, ignoring the officer’s warnings, with Dale awkwardly trailing behind.
“What was that all about?” Dale asked.
“Who cares.”
The quarantined village was on the other side of the bridge. As they approached, it became increasingly apparent as to why the entire area had been sealed off with police cars, jeeps and barricades.
A bizarre white mist covered the village like a smog, unnaturally settling over the houses and streets, completely unaffected by the wind or weather.
Drifter grew evermore suspicious as they came up close to the parked vehicles. Inside was a single officer, sleeping in the passenger seat.
“Hey! Wake up!” Dale demanded.
The officer flinched in irritation before eventually opening his eyes.
“What do you want?” He yawned, rolling down his window.
“What’s with the weird mist?”
“I don’t know, man. Demons, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“We’ve been here all day, but nothing of interest has been reported so far, other than that mist.”
“We’ve? So, you’re not alone?”
“The rest of the guys went in to evacuate some of the residents, but they haven’t been back in a while.”
“Well, maybe instead of sleeping you should do your job!? Make sure they’re not dead!?”
“Sure.”
The officer lazily pulled out his phone and called one of his allies, patiently waiting for an answer, only to receive a voicemail message.
“Yeah… they’re probably dead.”
Hopping into the driver’s seat, the officer started the engine.
“Wait!? You’re leaving!?”
“No point in sticking around here anymore. I’ve got to get some rest. Social media isn’t going to moderate itself. Then again, after this abortion of an operation, I’ll probably be swamped with fucking forms tomorrow instead.”
The officer drove away into the night.
“I can’t believe that guy!” Dale yelled. “It was like he didn’t even care! Why do they even bother coming out here, if that’s their attitude!?”
“Whatever.” Drifter replied. “Just means there’s less people to get in the way.”
The two infiltrated the foggy village, where the mist was so thick they couldn’t see anything that wasn’t immediately in front of them. They had about a few feet before everything became a white blur, but as long as they could still see the ground beneath them, they could keep moving.
“So... sensing any demons?” Dale asked.
“Possibly.” Drifter bluntly stated.
“What does that mean?”
“Normally I can just pinpoint a demon’s location like a radar, but this mist is masking their presence. Something’s definitely lurking out there, but I can’t figure out where it is.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Wait for them to come to us.”
As they wandered through the foggy street, Dale was overcome by a sudden dizziness. He didn’t understand why, just that it happened without warning. He leaned against a car to get his bearings, but the dizziness persisted. He soon coughed into his hand, disturbed by the blood he hacked up.
Drifter was caught off-guard as well, not by strange bodily behaviours, but from something latching onto his leg. A dark-red haired woman, laying face down on the ground, just outside a garden gate, wearing a grey beanie. She desperately reached out and wrapped her hand around his ankle in a last ditch cry for help.
“...please…” She moaned.
“No thanks.”
Completely uninterested in rescuing someone who was already practically dead, Drifter tried shaking her off, but she refused.
“...before it comes back…”
“It?”
“...take me… inside…”
“Can’t you tell me what 'it' is, here?”
“Dude.” Dale moaned, hobbling over, light headed.
“I think something fucked up is going on. I’m coughing up blood.”
A dying woman and bloody phlegm. If something fucked up was going on, then getting out of the mist was top priority.
“Fine…” Drifter sighed, throwing the woman over his shoulder. “This is your house, right?”
“...hurry…” She barely answered.
Following the path quickly lead Drifter to a house with an open door. Once the three were inside, they promptly closed it, cutting off the fog inside the house from its supply, dissipating it. Within mere moments, the dizziness that was plaguing Dale lifted, as his throat cleared. The woman soon regained her strength, allowing Drifter to put her back on her feet.
She was young and dark skinned, with a s
weater and ripped jeans, a regular looking punk. Her hair was long and unnaturally scarlet, even her eyes were a striking crimson, but for Drifter, the only red he was seeing were from the flags being raised from her unusual appearance.
“Thanks…” The girl wheezed, still catching her breath. “But, we should keep quiet, in case that thing shows up again.”
“What thing?” Dale questioned. “Was it a demon?”
“I think…. It was a tall, lanky monster, exhaling mist from it’s large mouth and eye sockets.”
“Eye sockets?”
“It was obscured by the mist, but I don’t think it had any eyes at all, just two empty craters in its skull. It was wrinkled and decrepit. Just thinking about it…”
The girl teared up, unable to bear the mental trauma of recalling such a horrid creature.
“Whoa, you okay?”
“...those arms, stretching all the way to the floor, and those terrifying claws. That thing was no demon, it was a monster! I never want to see it again!”
She leaned against the wall, shivering in fear, fighting to get a hold of herself. Dale didn’t know what to make of the situation. He never heard of a mist demon before, but he wasn’t an expert on the subject either.
“What do you think, Drifter?”
Drifter seemed distracted, but quickly responded with a question.
“What’s with your eyes?” He asked the girl.
“E-excuse me?” She replied.
“Why are they red?”
“B-because I’m crying, you idiot!”
“No, I mean your irises. They’re red.”
“You have a problem with red eyes!?”
The girl seemed to have a short temper, but at least it stopped her sobbing.
“I’ve never met a human with red eyes, before.”
“You obviously haven’t met many humans then, jerk.”
“You’re not hiding something, are you?”
“I’m not a demon!” She blurted out loud.
Drifter seemed to have accidentally touched a nerve.
“Just because I have some weird eye colour doesn’t mean I’m a monster!”
“We’ll see.”
In the blink of an eye, Drifter swiped the beanie from the girl’s head. Expecting to rip away her disguise. However, what he found instead, was far more agonizing.
Underneath the hat, hid a spiral of bandages, covering the distressed young woman’s entire head. She held her arms up, to protect her fragile skull.