Demon Bound

by Chris Cannon

  “Time to go,” Bane said, seemingly unaffected. Then again, this was his life. I opened the door and escaped down the hall, practically running to the exit trying to escape this horrific situation. In the parking lot, I reached the SUV ahead of Bane and climbed inside.

  Once he joined me, I blurted out, “Don’t you ever feel guilty?”

  His brow wrinkled like he was confused. “Why would I feel guilty?”

  “Because you kill people and eat their souls.”

  “Do you feel guilty for eating hamburgers?”

  “Sometimes.” Like when I saw videos of cows playing with balls or cuddling with dogs.

  “But you require food to survive,” Bane said. “What if you could rescue that cow from slaughter and give it ten happy years before someone turned it into hamburger?”

  I couldn’t argue the point, so I went another direction. “What’s with the ten years? Why is that your standard agreement? Is it psychological?”

  “It’s a long enough span of time that most people consider it a fair trade.”

  Nothing about any of this seemed fair. Time to go home and get lost in a book. I’d had enough reality for one day.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jake

  Since Meena wasn’t talking to me, and I didn’t have anything better to do, I watched some of those videos about guys painting their own cars with spray paint. I was surprised at how well most of the cars turned out. Would Aunt Zelda mind if I painted the truck? It’s not like it could look worse. I went downstairs and found her sitting behind the cash register, reading a book, since she didn’t have any customers.

  “Can I ask you something about the truck?”

  She dog-eared the page and closed the book. “What about it?”

  “Where’d it come from?” If it had been her son’s or her husband’s I wouldn’t want to mess with it.

  “I helped a farmer get rid of his poltergeists and he gave me the truck as payment. It’s been sitting out there for a few years. I use it every once in a while to make sure it’s still running.”

  “Do you care if I fix it up?”

  “It could use a makeover,” she said. “Just clean up any mess you make in the garage.”

  “Thanks.” I made of list of supplies I’d need and then checked the garage. There was a sander, some tarps, and plenty of painter’s tape. I’d buy some paint tomorrow, a face mask, grab some newspapers, and then I’d be set. My dad would’ve loved a project like this.

  I was watching television after dinner when Meena sent a text asking if we could talk. Hopefully, she was done being mad. I responded with a thumbs up because I didn’t want to seem too eager.

  My cell rang and her name flashed on the screen. “Hello, Meena.”

  “Hey.” She sounded kind of miserable. “My day sucked. And I kind of made your day suck because Sybil gets on my last nerve, and I’m sorry.”

  “She can be a lot to take sometimes.” And now we should be able to move on. “Can I tell you something cool?”

  “Yes, please.”

  I told her about the plan to paint the truck. “What do you think?”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  That made me smile. “So what happened after I saw you?”

  “Apparently suicide by demon is a thing.” She told me about the old lady at the assisted living facility.

  “I swear Bane enjoys traumatizing you.” It didn’t make sense otherwise. “It’s not like he needed you to go along. He could’ve done it himself.”

  “I pointed that out to him and he threatened to give me a less pleasant job. Honestly, I’m afraid to contemplate what that might be.” She sighed. “On another bizarre note, my dad heard me talking to Sage about my mom and vampirism. He freaked out.”

  “So no vampires allowed… Do you think he’ll eventually make a deal?”

  “He might, but he shouldn’t have to. If vampirism worked then no one would have to sell their soul.”

  “But she’d have to drink blood, and find a daylight ring, and wear biker clothes.” I was trying to make her laugh.

  “Would you take your dad back as a vampire?”

  I didn’t even have to think about it. “In a heartbeat.”

  My conversation with Meena led to some strange dreams. Or maybe it was due to hanging around Sybil. Either way, I was grateful when my alarm went off. I lay there for a minute, trying to make sense of what I’d dreamed before it slipped away.

  I was checking out paint for the truck. Sybil showed up. She suggested I use red because it was her favorite color. They didn’t have enough of any other color to paint the whole truck, so I ended up with red by default. When I started painting, the fumes made me cough, and then the smell changed to the coppery scent of blood.

  I dropped the spray can, picked it up and started over with the nozzle facing the wrong way and sprayed myself full in the face. Some of it went into my mouth. It tasted like blood. Sybil laughed saying it was fate and that I’d make a wonderful vampire. And then I woke up. What the heck? One thing I knew for sure…I was definitely not painting the truck red.

  I was due at work by nine, but I went in early to pick out paint colors. Silver seemed like the best bet. I grabbed eight cans and paid for them before heading out to start my handyman duties.

  I put together a grill at the first house while two toddlers ran around screaming and a mom talked on her cell. At the second house I put together a cat condo, one of those carpeted multi-level climbing posts. The cat never made an appearance, but the owner told me over and over again how much the cat was going to love it. When I went to clean up I discovered the cat sleeping in the cardboard box.

  “Do you want me to leave the box?” I asked.

  “No. My husband will throw a fit if Felix likes the box better than the condo.” She went to the counter and grabbed a bag of treats. She shook them and the cat came running.

  I grabbed the box and headed out the door before the cat could climb back in. After dropping everything off at the hardware store, I texted Meena. She asked me to come by her house.

  When I parked on the street in front of her house, it felt like someone was watching me. I expected Sage to jump out at me as I headed up the walk, but he didn’t make an appearance. I knocked on the front door and waited.

  “Just a minute,” Sage called out.

  Meena answered the door rubbing the back of her head.

  “Headache?” I asked.

  “Yes, but it’s totally worth it.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. “So you’re planning on painting your truck silver?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “I saw the spray paint in your truck. Just now.” She gave a happy bounce. “It’s astral projection. I can leave my body and move outside of the house.”

  “Really? And it’s safe?” Because we’d talked about it, but I wasn’t sure it was a great idea.

  She pulled me over to the couch and we sat down. “Sage watches over me to make sure I can find my way back to my body.”

  “As long as I’m near her body I can hold on to her tether and help guide her back,” Sage said as he lay on his miniature sofa.

  “That’s cool. Now you could talk to your mom.” Not to be a jerk, but I was excited about normal things like working on the truck. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  She nodded. “I need to know. If she’s at peace I’d feel better about this whole situation. And I think my dad could maybe move on with his life.”

  My mom had certainly moved on with hers. “What can I do to help?”

  “Thank you.” She threw her arms around me in a hug. “I was afraid you’d try to talk me out of it.”

  “If Sage can keep you safe, I’m good with it.” I inhaled the fresh laundry scent I associated with her and smiled. “What’s the plan?”

  …
>
  Meena

  I laid my head on Jake’s shoulder. His arms around me felt reassuring. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed a hug. He smelled like soap and something from the hardware store. Maybe sawdust? Whatever it was, I liked it.

  Loosening my grip on him without letting go, I sat back a bit and looked into his eyes. “My dad isn’t home for a few more hours. I think I should try contacting my mom.”

  “Okay, but there’s something else we need to talk about.” He glanced at a certain cat. “Dude, can you give us a minute?”

  Sage stretched out his front legs, slowly climbed off his miniature couch, and then took his time exiting the room.

  After he was gone, Jake brushed my hair back off my face. “No matter what it looks like, there is nothing going on between me and Sybil.”

  “She does have that whole sexy vampire thing going for her,” I said.

  “Not my type.”

  I hoped he was telling the truth. My own insecurities were probably my worst enemy. I should forget about Sybil. That was the smart thing to do. And I was a smart girl, so I leaned in, giving Jake the universal sign for kiss me. He must have received the message because he leaned in and pressed his mouth against mine. Happy warmth filtered through my body.

  Maybe I should forget about astral projection and focus on normal teenage girl drama like boyfriends and what to do about my blue hair.

  “Excuse me,” Sage’s voice came from the kitchen doorway.

  I sat back and peered around Jake. Sage stood in human form, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Yes?” I said.

  “If we’re going to try talking to your mother, we need to do it before your dad returns from work.”

  I wanted to spend time with Jake now, so I said to Sage, “I’m not sure I have enough control.”

  “Then I’m going to take a nap on the futon.” Sage headed off, leaving me and Jake alone.

  “Where were we?” Jake asked.

  For the next hour I ignored the world.

  Jake’s cell rang. He pulled away from me. “Since it’s not you, it must be Zelda.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket and hit the speaker button. “Hey Aunt Zelda, what’s up?”

  “You need to come home.” Her tone was oddly flat.

  “Everything all right?” Jake asked.

  “See you soon,” was her response.

  “That was suspicious, right?” Jake said. “It wasn’t just me?”

  “It sounded like one of those calls where someone is being held prisoner and they’re only allowed to say certain things.”

  Jake gaped at me. “Thanks for putting that idea into my head.”

  “Sorry. Do you want me to come with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  The spray paint cans rattled on the floor by my feet as Jake drove us to his aunt’s house. “We’re probably overreacting,” I said.

  “I hope so,” Jake said. “I don’t have many family members left.”

  When we pulled up to Zelda’s house, there was a black Lincoln Continental in the driveway…an old one…the kind that was so long it would barely fit in a modern garage.

  We exited the truck, and I followed Jake inside.

  “Aunt Zelda?” Jake called out as he walked through the shop and into the kitchen.

  “We’re on the back porch,” she answered in an almost normal, no-one-is-holding-me-hostage kind of voice.

  When we entered the back porch, Sybil sat there with an elderly woman I didn’t know. “So this is the boy who thought I’d want to be a vampire.” And then she bared her fangs at Jake.

  Jake froze.

  The woman must be Sybil’s sister, the one who’d had dementia.

  “Hello, Violet,” Jake said once he recovered. “It’s nice to see you in your right mind, even with the extra pointy teeth.”

  “It’s nice to be in my right mind,” she said, “but I’m not sure about this whole drinking blood thing.”

  “You can still eat real food,” Sybil said.

  I tried not to jump in and make this about my mom, but I couldn’t help it. “It worked? Vampirism cured her mental illness?”

  “It did,” Sybil said. “It’s also cured some of her physical ailments.”

  Violet flexed her fingers. “No more arthritis.”

  “Do you think it could cure my mom?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Sybil said.

  “You shouldn’t do this to your mother unless it’s what she wants,” Zelda said.

  I remembered the conversation with my father. “My dad isn’t thrilled with the idea, but I’m grateful to know it works.”

  “Let’s not start a trend.” Aunt Zelda straightened the placemats on the table. “Not every senior citizen wants to be a vampire.”

  “I should have let Sybil turn me when I was younger,” Violet said. “Right now I’m happy to be in control of all of my faculties. Dementia is frightening. It’s more than losing your memory. You lose your sense of self. You lose the memory of your life that makes you who you are, until all you’re left with is your childhood. You know that’s not where you belong, but the adult world seems so alien.”

  “That sounds awful,” I said.

  “It was,” Violet said. “I’m glad to be done with it. Now I have to see how this new life works out.”

  “We should be going.” Sybil stood. “I wanted to show Jake that his instincts were on track.”

  “What about Bane?” Jake said. “Will he think you’re trying to take over his healing territory?”

  “I’m not going to advertise my ability,” Sybil said. “Hopefully, we’ll fly under the radar for a while.”

  Violet and Sybil exited the porch and walked around the house to their unreasonably large car.

  “Are you all right?” Jake sat next to his aunt. “Did they scare you?”

  “A bit,” she said, “but Sybil swore she wanted to show you something and then she’d leave. And she was true to her word.”

  Now that she had her sister back, maybe she’d leave Jake alone.

  “Meena, are you planning on trying to contact your mother?” Zelda asked.

  I nodded.

  “I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but if you insist on going through with it, I’ll help you with your astral projection.”

  Talk about a welcome surprise. “Thank you.”

  “What have you managed so far?” Zelda asked.

  “I can travel from room to room, but I have no idea how to get into someone’s head.”

  “You need to learn how to reach into a person’s psyche,” Zelda said. “You can try reaching out to me.”

  “Not Jake?” I asked.

  “No,” Zelda and Jake said at the same time.

  I laughed. “Why not?”

  “You should never go into the psyche of someone you’re romantically involved with,” Zelda said. “People think things that they’d never actually do.”

  “Like kiss a certain vampire?” I asked Jake.

  “No,” he said, “but I’m not letting you into my head. Sometimes I don’t even know what’s going on in there.”

  I laughed. “It’s not like I’d invite you to peer into my brain, either.”

  “Wait. Don’t you need a tether? Should we call Sage?”

  “I can help guide her back,” Jake’s aunt said, “if she wanders too far from her body. Let’s get started.” Zelda stood and we followed her into her hidden study. She and I sat on the couch while Jake sat across the room at the bar, drinking a root beer.

  “You don’t have to be near the person you’re trying to visit. If you’re connected with them emotionally you can think of them and find them. Contacting someone you’ve never met is another story entirely. To start with, I’ll stay in the same room with you.”
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br />   “Sounds good.” Here goes nothing. I closed my eyes and focused on floating and being free of my body. A few minutes later, I felt myself drifting. I thought about Zelda. I could see what looked like a purple crystal glowing in the sun. Somehow I knew that was Zelda. I drifted closer. Reaching out, I dove into the crystal.

  “Zelda, can you hear me?” I focused on connecting my energy with hers. Suddenly I was in a lush field of green grass. I could feel the sun shining on me. How was that possible? Zelda came toward me with a smile on her face.

  “Nice.” I glanced around.

  “Welcome to my psyche,” she said. “It’s always a beautiful day in my head.”

  “Does everyone get to make up their own landscape?”

  “It’s your psyche,” Zelda said. “If you’re in control you can make it anything you want.”

  “Cool.”

  “Now try rising up and out of this plane. Look down at your body and aim for it.”

  “Aim for it?”

  “Think of it as a dive. You’re diving back into your body.”

  “Okay.” I felt myself drift up. When I opened my eyes, I was looking at the roof of the farmhouse. I flailed in a moment of panic, like I was going to float up, up and away, and disappear into nothingness.

  Deep breath. Calm down.

  Rather than dive and risk ending up in the cellar, I sort of swam through the space, moving a few feet at a time. Once I was back in the room with my body, I dove for it. A moment later, it felt like someone had snapped my essence like a rubber band to make it fit back inside. The base of my skull ached.

  I opened my eyes and rubbed the back of my head. “I did it.”

  “Yes you did,” Jake said. “What’s the next step?”

  Aunt Zelda stood. “I’m going to another room in the house. See if you can find me.”

  “Okay.” I closed my eyes and drifted again. Stepping outside of my body became easier each time I did it. I floated past a bright blue mass that was probably Jake. It was so tempting to reach and see what was going on in his head. But that would be a breach of trust. I turned in a circle until I spotted the purple crystal and dove in. “Found you,” I said.