Fox Among the Demons

by Trudie Collins

  “Yes please. I really can’t face going home yet.”

  Fox told Natasha to go to the schoolroom and that he would meet her there; he had to take a detour to the library to grab a book.

  Natasha was sitting at her usual desk when he walked into the schoolroom. He placed the book in front of her, open at a page with a drawing of a tall man with dark hair, dressed in black clothes and a black cloak with red lining. He was holding onto a young lady who was almost wearing a white dress. He had his head buried in her neck and blood was trickling down.

  Natasha glanced to the top of the page, where it had the title: Dracula. She smiled. “I thought you once told me that Dracula wasn’t real.”

  “It’s not. I’m showing you this as a demonstration. This is how you imagine vampires to look. It’s not your fault. Fiction has given you an incorrect view of these creatures. The first time you met Bo, Komi and Trey they were in the process of disposing of one. Tell me, did he look anything like this picture?”

  Natasha shook her head. “He looked completely normal to me, though a little pale.”

  “Most do. It’s almost impossible to tell if someone is a vampire just by looking at them. They always give themselves away, however. They can somehow sense demons and will always attack us. When out on a ‘kill’, if a demon has any doubts about whether someone is a vampire or not, they wait for them to make the first move.”

  Fox closed the book. “But that isn’t what you asked about. You want to know why we are not worried about Komi being turned.”

  Fox took the chair from the desk in front of Natasha’s and pulled it back. He sat backward on it so he could lean forward on the back while looking at Natasha.

  “Unlike werewolves, vampires don’t pass on their affliction simply by biting their victim. There is poison in their saliva, but it’s not so potent that the human, or demon, immune system can’t counteract it. To become a vampire, the victim has to be taken so close to death that their body can no longer fight off the vampire’s poison. Komi lost a lot of blood and became so weak Trey had to carry him, but he was a long way from death. He is fit and healthy and his body is strong. There is no danger that he will succumb.”

  Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. Until hearing that there was definitely no danger, she hadn’t realised how concerned she was.

  “Now, do you want to hear how to kill them or would you prefer to head home?”

  “Can I stay here tonight? I really don’t want to face Paul yet.”

  “I don’t see why not. I suppose you want to raid my wardrobe again.”

  “Yes please.”

  “Come on. Let’s see what we can find.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Light was streaming in through the open curtains when Komi opened his eyes, causing him to put his arm across his face to shut it out.

  “You’re awake at last,” he thought he heard Natasha’s voice say, but he must have been hearing things. “I thought you were going to sleep all day.”

  He slowly lowered his arm and looked over to the chair which had been placed beside his bed. He could clearly see Natasha smiling at him.

  “Am I dreaming?” he asked.

  Natasha laughed. “No. How are you feeling?”

  Komi ignored the question. “What are you doing here?”

  “Trey said you were hurt so I came to see for myself that you were okay. Now, are you getting up or do you want me to bring you up some breakfast?”

  “I’ll get up.”

  “I’ll let the others know,” Natasha said then left the room. Komi could not keep the smile off his face as he slid out of bed and staggered into the bathroom.

  It did not take him long to shower and put on fresh clothes. The entire household was in Bolene’s kitchen when he walked in.

  “Shouldn’t you be at work?” he asked Natasha.

  “No. I took a few days off as Paul is here.” She then looked at her watch. “Speaking of which, I supposed I have to go and give him the news.”

  Komi opened his mouth to ask ‘what news’ but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Fox stood up. “That will be the first of my students.”

  “I really need to go,” Natasha said when Komi opened his mouth once more. “I’ll be back later to check on you.”

  She grabbed her keys from where she had left them on the kitchen table and was out of the room before Komi could react. “What news?” he asked those still there.

  A couple of children passed Natasha in the hallway, heading for the schoolroom. Fox was just opening the door to another as she approached and she noticed the young girl place her hand over her heart and bow to Fox. He acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod of his head and the girl entered, following after her classmates.

  “What was that that the girl just did?” Natasha asked Fox once the girl was out of hearing.

  “It’s a sign of respect for demons. Students always greet their teachers this way. They also do it at the end of the lesson, before leaving.”

  Natasha frowned. “Why have you never told me this? Shouldn’t I be doing it when we start and end our lessons?”

  Fox smiled. “No. We’re friends so it’s not necessary. To be honest, I’d feel a little uncomfortable if you did do that.”

  “Alright, if you’re sure. I’m off to face Paul. Please keep an eye on Komi for me and have someone contact me if anything happens.”

  “Will do.”

  Natasha drove slowly, delaying her arrival home. She wasn’t sure if Paul was going to be worried or angry with her and the fact that she didn’t know told her a lot about their relationship.

  There was no sign of him when she entered the house. She went into the kitchen and filled the kettle. Hearing movement behind her, she turned around and saw Paul walking out of the bedroom. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing when she had walked out and he looked like he hadn’t slept.

  “Where have you been?” he asked and she winced. This was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

  “I stayed at my friend’s house. He was asleep when I got there and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving without making sure he was okay.”

  “He?” Paul asked. “You ran off in the middle of an important conversation about our future to be with another man?”

  “It’s not like that. He’s just a friend.”

  “And what am I? I’m not sure I know anymore.”

  Natasha took a deep breath. It was time to get this over with. “I’m not going to London with you.”

  Paul looked like she had struck him a physical blow. His mouth was hanging open in shock and he was momentarily unable to breathe.

  “You have got to be kidding me. For how long? Six months? A year? I’m not sure our relationship can survive the separation for that long.”

  Natasha looked at the mug in her hands, which was still empty, rather than at Paul. “It can’t.”

  “What are you saying? That I have to move back here? Give up my job and maybe my career for you? I’m not sure I can do that.”

  He thought she was asking him to do what he had wanted her to do and he didn’t seem to want to consider it, so she should have been angry, but she wasn’t. She was too upset about what she was about to say for any other emotion to take hold of her.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying.” A tear trickled down her face as she lifted her head and looked at him. “I’m saying we should split up.”

  A look of incredulity crossed his face. “After all the effort I went to arranging things so it would be easy for you to move?”

  “It’s for the best.” She was speaking so quietly he could only just hear her.

  Natasha had no idea what Paul had been feeling, but whatever it was quickly gave way to anger. “Best for who?” he asked, raising his voice. “You and whatever bloke it was you spent the night with?”

  He clenched his fist and for a moment she was worried that he would hit her, but
instead he brought it down hard on the benchtop. “I stayed faithful to you. There have been many opportunities for me to stray, but each time I turned them down, thinking you were doing the same. What a gullible idiot I was to believe you actually cared enough for me to not get involved with someone else.”

  Paul didn’t often lose his temper, but experience had taught Natasha that, when he did, he wouldn’t listen to anything anyone had to say, so she remained silent.

  “I’m going to find a hotel. When you see sense and realise that the best thing that ever happened to you has just walked out the door, call me. If you’re lucky, I might answer.”

  Paul stormed into Natasha’s bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Natasha began trembling as she listened to the sounds of him packing his suitcase. Tears flowed as she watched him drag it to her front door. He wouldn’t look at her as he opened it and walked out of the house. When the door closed, Natasha’s legs gave way and she fell to the floor. She curled up into a ball and began to sob.

  Flu

  The weeks went by and Natasha slowly came to terms with the fact that she and Paul were no longer together. He called her every day before he had to return to London, but she never answered the phone. He left her numerous voicemails, all saying the same thing; that he had behaved like an idiot and they needed to talk. She didn’t call him back. Her mind was made up and she didn’t want him trying to change it.

  He even enlisted the help of her parents. A couple of days after the break-up, they called round to see her, allegedly to see how she was coping, but all they did was talk about how silly she was being and that she should try to win Paul back. Natasha hadn’t told anyone about her and Paul splitting up, so the only way they could have known was if he had told them. Not even Lucy knew, though she did wonder why Paul wasn’t staying at the house.

  To cheer herself up one Saturday, she decided to go to the cinema. Not wanting to go alone, she contacted Komi to see if he wanted to join her.

  “Are you asking me out on a date?” he asked when she explained why she had called his communicator.

  “No, it is not a date. Just two friends going out. You can bring the others along, if you wish.”

  “Alright, I’ll speak to them. Which film did you want to see?”

  She told him then disconnected. It didn’t take long for him to call back. Everyone was up for it and they would meet her there.

  Natasha had already purchased the tickets by the time they arrived, so they could go straight into the theatre. She didn’t question why Komi was wearing his jacket, despite it being a warm day. Later on, she wished she had.

  The film was yet to start and the trailers were still showing when Natasha felt Komi tense beside her. She looked at him in concern and saw him staring at a man seated across the aisle, a few rows in front of them. Almost as if he could sense he was being watched, the man turned around. In the light created by the images flickering on the screen, Natasha could clearly see his face. He seemed a little pale, but that could just have been the bad lighting. Nothing else stood out for her that would have made her think he might not be human, until he saw Komi and immediately stood up. He almost ran from the theatre. Without saying a word, Komi followed him.

  “Vampire,” Fox whispered in Natasha’s ear.

  Komi was not gone long and was grinning when he returned. “Got him,” he said, leaning over Natasha to speak to Fox. Neither of them noticed the look that crossed her face.

  The film began and everyone in the movie theatre ceased talking. Part way through, Komi tried to surreptitiously put his arm around Natasha. She grabbed his wrist and dug her long nails into his flesh as she moved his arm away from her shoulders.

  “Try that again and I am leaving,” she hissed in his ear. Her tone shocked Komi. He thought she might not be happy about his move on her, but he hadn’t expected her to be that angry.

  As soon as the film ended and the credits began to roll, Natasha stood up, pushing past Komi to get to the aisle. He had to run to catch up with her. As soon as they were away from the crowd, he grabbed her arm and spun her around.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She glanced around, making sure nobody was close by. She kept her voice low, so as not to be overheard should anyone walk by, but that didn’t stop Komi hearing the fury in her words.

  “I was looking forward to a nice evening out with friends and you had to go and ruin it. Couldn’t you stop yourself from killing something for just one night? Are you really that addicted to the thrill it gives you?”

  “Calm down Nat. I kill because it is necessary, not because I enjoy it. I’m a demon. It’s what we do. I can’t take a day off being what I am.”

  “And that is why we can never be more than friends. And after your little performance tonight, I’m not sure we can even be that.”

  She pushed him away from her and walked off. Bolene, Lukine, Trey and Fox, seeing them arguing, had kept a discrete distance until Komi was alone.

  “What have you done to piss her off?” Trey asked. Though they hadn’t heard anything, they could tell by her posture and the force of her steps as she walked away that she was angry about something.

  “Killed a vampire.”

  “I don’t understand,” Fox said. “That has never bothered her before.”

  “Me neither,” Komi said. “Apparently I was not supposed to do it tonight. She could have told me. I would have let one of you take care of the vermin had I known it would upset her.”

  “Are you a complete idiot?” Bolene asked. “She invited you out tonight because she is still unhappy about her break-up with Paul and wanted some company. You just demonstrated to her that she is less important to you than killing vampires. And you wonder why she is upset?” She threw her hands in the air. “Men!”

  “I don’t get it,” Komi said. “She split from her boyfriend, not the other way round. It must have been what she wanted, so why is she still upset?”

  “It’s not what she wanted, he just didn’t give her a choice,” Fox said. “I know what that is like. It’s not something she is going to get over quickly.”

  Komi shook his head. “I don’t think I am ever going to understand women.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A few days later, Natasha felt like death warmed up when she awoke. She knew she should have stayed in bed, but she had an important meeting to attend, so she forced herself to get up and have breakfast. She couldn’t face driving, so she convinced Lucy to take her to the station. The entire journey, Lucy told her she didn’t look good and should go back home. She was right, so Natasha said nothing, other than to thank her for the lift. Her meeting was in the morning and she promised to leave straight afterward.

  She couldn’t get warm on the train, despite it not being cold, and pulled her coat around her, only to take it off again a few minutes later when she became unbearably hot.

  The journey seemed to take forever and she was glad to get out of the overcrowded train when it pulled up at her station. She took a detour to the shopping centre and purchased some ‘cold and flu’ tablets. It was her usual brand and as long as it was only a mild case she was suffering from, the tablets would soon make her start to feel better.

  She somehow managed to survive the first half of the morning. A number of people told her how bad she looked and that she should go home. Her meeting went well, despite her having to struggle to keep focused, and she agreed to leave when her boss instructed her to.

  She was half way back to her desk to collect her things when the room started to spin and her legs could no longer hold her upright.

  The next thing she knew, she was lying on the bed in the sick room with one of the first-aiders sitting on a chair beside her.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “You fainted,” the middle aged man said. “I think it’s just because you have the flu, but you might want to go to the doctor, just in case. Is there someone who ca
n pick you up? You shouldn’t be catching the train alone in your condition.”

  Natasha was about to say no, as Lucy would be at school, when she realised that there was someone she could contact, not that she really wanted to.

  She laid back on the bed and groaned. “There is,” she said. “Can you give me some privacy so I can give him a call?”

  Someone had thoughtfully placed her bag beside the bed and as soon as she was alone, she took out her communicator and spoke Komi’s name. She considered calling Fox, but he would be teaching. She explained the situation and Komi promised he would get there as soon as he could. She was not the least surprised when he said he knew where her building was. She instructed him to speak to reception as soon as he arrived and she would come down to meet him.

  She had only just put the communicator back into her bag when there was a knock on the door and Melanie and Jane, two of her team members, walked in. The first-aider had let them know she was awake and they wanted to know how she was. She told them that a friend was on his way to pick her up and she would meet him in reception, but the two women had other ideas. They wanted to meet this mysterious male friend and insisted that they would collect him and bring him to the sick room so he could carry her down. Natasha felt too ill to argue.

  Melanie stayed with her while Jane went to reception to let them know to call her as soon as Komi arrived. Natasha would have preferred to have been left alone, but it was against company rules.

  Natasha drifted off to sleep and was woken by a knock on the door. “You didn’t mention how attractive he is,” Jane said, holding the door open wide enough for Komi to enter. “I can see why you dumped Paul for him.”

  Natasha rolled her eyes. “I did not dump Paul for him. He is just a friend.”

  She expected Komi to make a comment, but instead he walked up to her and placed his hand on her head. “You’re burning up,” he said. “We need to get you to Lukine.”

  “No, it’s just the flu. I’ll be fine in a few days. Just get me home please.” She tried to sit up, but didn’t have the strength to move.