Hard Case

by John Hook

  Suddenly there was frantic banging at the door as they had discovered the door was jammed. I heard the sound of breaking wood, though I wasn’t sure if it was the door, the chair or both.

  Near as I could tell, there were three sets of footsteps and various unpleasant guttural sounds. I could feel Rox stiffen behind me, but she made no sound. I was doing a good job of controlling my breathing. I heard an inhuman squirrelly chirping and all the sets of feet ran to the window. More chattering followed, along with sounds of rage that needed no translation. Words formed in my head: strange, confused, disjointed fragments of sentences. I smiled because I knew something else now that helped me. They could broadcast telepathically, but it had limited focus and they could not tell if it had been received.

  I heard demons crawl out of the window, crying out, the cries fading as they dropped to the street below. I waited. Were they gone? I waited another moment. I was dying to get out of my crouched position. The door to the closet flew open. Through the thin fabric, I could see a demon standing there, claws ready, mouth hanging open, showing rows of razor sharp teeth. I was frozen. If we were found out, I needed to attack now, but there wasn’t a good prospect of success without surprise involved. Fight anyway? Let him capture us and hope for another opening?

  The demon made an unmistakable snort of disappointment, slammed the closet door shut and skittered over to the window, calling after the others. Again, the sound tapered off as he dropped down to the street.

  They really were that stupid. I was guessing they had bad eyesight as well.

  10.

  It was still dark so we were able to slowly, carefully, get ourselves out of Rockvale without being detected. However, we were barely up the first hill as morning light hit. I realized I wasn’t sure how to get to Izzy’s from town, given I had never gone that route in a conscious state, so we headed for the tower instead. We only rested a couple of times, mainly because it was risky. It seemed odd that we needed rest at all—we didn’t have entirely real bodies, we didn’t need food or drink. But apparently, just as we could feel pain, these bodies could be pushed to exhaustion. It took us most of the day to get to the tower, but that was because, even retracing my steps, I wasn’t always sure where I was going.

  If Saripha was surprised to see us, it didn’t show. Izzy jumped up, excited to see me and, maybe, just a little startled to see Rox.

  “Wow.” Izzy grinned.

  “People usually say that when I walk in the room.”

  “Only when you have a hot date on your arm.”

  “Hey, that might explain it. I always wondered.”

  “How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Go into Rockvale for the night and end up with a date. I usually only get chased by demons.”

  “I find I can usually do both.”

  Rox touched my shoulder. “Are you going to introduce me or is ‘hot date’ it?”

  Izzy flushed a little, grinning. Paul was sitting at the end of the big communal table with some papers made from thin, pressed bark. Sidney and Zeon were playing cards. Sidney looked engaged in the game while Zeon looked supremely bored. Kyo had been playing a small stringed instrument when we walked in, but put it down and was alert. Saripha was rattling around in the kitchen preparing something. I introduced Rox all around. All were a bit surprised when they realized she was the one I thought had been “killed.” Saripha raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Paul’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything either. All were happy we had escaped, though a little reserved about yet another new person.

  We sat at the table. Saripha brought out cakes, fruit and warm tea—more glamours, though there was some real substance there. I probably didn’t want to know what I was really eating. Didn’t matter, they were comforting and welcome. Saripha ate more than anyone else. I thought that was odd. She was thin and didn’t strike me as a big eater.

  “Guess it’s a good thing we didn’t try to find your place, Izzy. “

  “More than you know. They burned down my house.”

  I felt my chest tighten. It was easy to forget for a moment the threats all around us. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, my early warning system. I saw they had a manitor’s shade with them and decided retreat was the best choice. I watched from a great distance, up on the ridge. Kinda hoping they thought I was inside at the time.”

  “So much for leaving you alone.”

  “They did leave us alone before you came along,” Paul added with a scowl.

  “That’s not fair, Paul.” Izzy shot Paul an annoyed glance.

  “It’s accurate. Actions have consequences. We are in no position to save others. We can only save ourselves.”

  I was getting a little tired of being talked about. “You are right, Paul. I’m being a pain in the ass, and I plan to keep it up. Perhaps I should keep away from you good folks so that the demons don’t view you as a way to get to me.”

  “Don’t listen to Paul. He was a high school principal in life.” Izzy smiled, shooting Paul a peripheral glance.

  “Yikes!”

  Paul groaned.

  “I know this isn’t rational, but something in this whole mess sticks in my craw. I don’t know why I am trapped here, but whatever the reason, it is fairly trivial. If someone invaded the U.S. and threw everyone into a concentration camp, what would you do?”

  “The fact is, you’d acquiesce, once you realized the enormity and the hopelessness of the situation.” Paul droned like an impatient history teacher. “Or you would collaborate for a little comfort.” He looked directly at Rox.

  Saripha had been sitting quietly. “Something has changed. We must decide what we are going to do about it.”

  “Nothing has changed, Saripha,” Paul insisted “That’s the point. Case, here, is merely stirring things up. Nothing will be gained and much will be lost.”

  “The demon tribes believe something has changed. “ Rox looked up. Up until now she had been pulled within herself, listening, staring at the table. “They have a legend of a disrupter, one who is expected to challenge the natural order of Hell. Coincidence or not, they believe Quentin might be the one. They pick up on things psychically that we do not. They sense that he is the one and they fear him.”

  “What exactly did they tell you?” Saripha didn’t raise her voice, but there was something insistent in her question.

  “They came to see me before he arrived, which is unusual. They told me it was important that I seduce him, pretend I was in love with him, keep him for several days.”

  I thought about that for a moment. “What would that have accomplished?”

  Rox looked at me, a ripple of sadness in her eyes.

  “I was to weaken you.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, child.” Saripha looked directly at Paul as she spoke, then warmly at Rox. “Escorts are not given choices. I don’t know how they are selected—latent psychic ability, women who have thought well of their bodies in life, maybe some combination. As I said before, they are linked to newcomers and are charged with providing sex. The sex acts as a drug, calming the new arrivals, dulling both their wit and their senses.”

  “But I genuinely feel an attachment to each new arrival.”

  “Yes, you do. The spell you are under sees to that.”

  “But I have never felt it quite as strongly as I feel it with Quentin.”

  “That may be due in part to Quentin.”

  “I don’t get it,” I interrupted. It was clear Saripha knew more than she indicated the last time, but I wasn’t connecting the dots.

  “Something has been awakened in you by what you have gone through. It makes you different, though I don’t know how. It is why the demons fear you—they sense it. It is also probably why Rox feels such a strong connection.”

  A half smile passed over Rox’s features. She put a hand on mine. Then she turned to Saripha. “So you live here in these mountains?”

  “Yes. Not all live here in the tower, but
we spend a lot of time here.”

  “Are there others?”

  “Not that we know of.”

  “Would you?”

  Saripha was quiet again for a moment. “Not if they didn’t want us to.”

  “Why wouldn’t they want to join you?”

  “For the same reason we are having this debate about Quentin. And you, no offense. We have found a way to exist in the midst of a horrific situation. Because the demons don’t know who or where we are, and are reticent to spend time in the mountains, we manage to stay under the radar. Also, because we do not cause them a great deal of trouble. Anything that draws attention to us, if the demons became aware of us, as they did when Izzy rescued Quentin, presents real danger.”

  I looked at Izzy, “So what are you going to do now?”

  “Not sure. Find a new place for a house, I guess.”

  “Think your armory survived?”

  “Good question. Worth checking. I doubt they would have stuck around and sifted through the rubble. You have an idea?”

  “Killing demons?”

  “I think that’s the same plan you had last time.”

  “When I get a winner I usually stick with it.”

  “We’ll get over there and take a look.”

  “Actually, I have something I’d like you and Izzy both to take a look at.” I looked at Kyo. She was being mysterious but her eyes sparkled. “It will take half a day to get there and back, so I think it’s better we wait for the morning.”

  “May I come?” Rox asked.

  Kyo was silent a moment. “I think it would be a good idea if you stayed here.”

  “I’d like to keep her with me.” I looked at Izzy. He shrugged that he didn’t care either way.

  “She’s a risk, until we get to know her better.”

  “I’m a risk.”

  “Yes, you are. However, I’ve decided to gamble on you. One gamble is enough for now. This is important. I think it can help us.”

  Something dark passed over Rox’s features, but it was quick. I thought she was going to protest. I touched her back. She smiled.

  “It’s okay, Quentin. I could use the rest, I’m sure. I need to think through what’s ahead for me.”

  “Speaking of what’s ahead, I notice we haven’t quite answered the question Saripha raised earlier.”

  “You want to know if we are going to support you.” Saripha said quietly.

  “As you can probably figure out, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing with or without your support. But having more people involved means more resources. If you are not going to support me, or if you see my actions as a danger to the group, which you might be right about, I need to know that now. I need to be able to trust you. All of you.”

  “I’m with you. I hope you’ve figured that out.” Izzy leaned back in his seat. “I don’t have your passion, but I’m tired of surviving by staying out of the way.”

  I looked at Sidney. He was studying his cards a little more intently than was warranted. He didn’t look up when he spoke. “I don’t like stirring up trouble, I have to admit. However, we don’t always get to pick our friends—sometimes they happen to us. Particularly so in this friendless place. You are here and we need each other, I think. I will support you in any way my meager talents allow.”

  I looked at Zeon. He slouched languidly, returning only a cool, disinterested glance. “I don’t see us getting much out of messing with demons. I guess I agree with Paul. I think you’re trouble.” He shifted. “I don’t mind trouble when I’m making it, but don’t like it being done to me. So I’m not really with the program. But I’ll tell you what. I won’t get in your way, I won’t work against you and I won’t betray you. What I will do is keep to myself and stay out of the action. You can trust in that.”

  I nodded. I liked the kid’s candidness. I believed him and knew where I stood with him. That was enough.

  Next was Kyo. She gave a half smile. “You’ll know where I stand tomorrow. No ambiguity.” I wasn’t sure what to do with that, but I figured I could wait. I had never sensed any hostility from her.

  I looked at Paul. He sighed.

  “Case, please understand that I am not against you. However, you make me immensely uncomfortable. I would hope I’d never betray you, but if I felt threatened by the consequences of your actions, I’m not sure what I would do.”

  “I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes between us then.”

  “I am at least on your side.”

  “To a point.”

  “Precisely.”

  I finally turned to Saripha. She was quiet for a very long couple of minutes before speaking. There was always something very measured about her, her movements, her words. “I think it is clear you are connected to us now, whether you want to be or we want you to be. You can’t do this alone and we need a way to move forward. I feel this is important. From some of us you can expect active collaboration, from others only the camaraderie of fellow former humans who share your plight. We are all, however, bound now.”

  “Rox too. I need to especially trust you where Rox is concerned.” I looked at Rox a moment and realized I no longer cared that there might be an enchantment connecting us. “In this world of pain, I care about Rox.”

  “And you feel a little guilty and responsible for the situation she is in.” Saripha smiled.

  “That too.”

  “And she’s hot.” Izzy grinned.

  “Yes, she is. How nice of you to notice.”

  I looked back at Paul. He gave me a nod, but no smile.

  The rest of the evening wound down quietly. It was, in fact, the first more or less domestic evening since I had arrived. The funny thing was, it made me a little uncomfortable. I wasn’t feeling very domestic. I was still angry, white-hot angry. It should have worn off by now.

  Despite not actually requiring food, Saripha, with some help from Sidney and Zeon, made a sumptuous vegetarian dinner. I asked if the food was more glamours, but it was real. There are large varieties of edible plants and herbs that are native to Hell, which I guess is how the real inhabitants like the demons survive. Apparently, the three chefs were quite good, though Saripha and Sidney were the actual chefs while Zeon was on KP duty. We even had a wine of fermented fruit, homemade, a little sour. The wine also helped take tension out of the conversations as we began to adjust to each other. Again, I noticed that Saripha was more into the food than the others.

  Afterwards, we cleaned up. Rox and I retired to a room near the top of the tower. The accommodations were a bit monkish, but that wasn’t surprising. The only thing in the room was a wooden frame with blankets thrown over it. Apparently, that was our bed.

  “My back, if I had one, would ache just to look at this.” I found myself wishing for the couch at Izzy’s.

  “We don’t have to sleep.” Rox smiled.

  “There’s that.”

  Rox sat on the bed, but she was pensive. There was a single glowing molten lamp in the room that caught and illuminated her face. Her dark eyes glittered on their own. There was deep intelligence there, one that burned just below the surface. In this world it had not been allowed out too often except to survive.

  “What’s bothering you?” I asked.

  “How do you feel about us?”

  “I thought I made that pretty clear earlier.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

  “But you admit it’s complicated.”

  “Relationships usually are. This is a relationship in Hell.”

  “You are partially affected by an enchantment on me.”

  “Don’t you think that’s partially true anytime sparks fly between two people?”

  “You feel guilty about me.”

  “I feel less so now. I got you out of that situation.” I sat down beside her. “What’s really eating you?”

  “My enchantment becomes stronger if we are intimate. I’m trying to sort out my feelings… and your feelings… before we get there.”

 
“We are getting there, that would mean.”

  “I don’t think we can avoid it.”

  “Why would we want to?”

  “There is very little we can choose in this place. I want us to have chosen this.”

  “I’m not sure I mind being compelled for someone who looks like you. Unless you are actually a moldy rotting corpse and I’m only seeing you like this out of magic or mad sexual lust.”

  She turned to me leaning her head against me. “Be serious.”

  “Hard for me, but I’ll try.”

  I pulled her into me and we kissed. She smiled as we pulled away, but her eyes were still serious. There was something she was trying to get out.

  “I have loved you through all the pain. I don’t know if there is a magic powerful enough to do that. I would like to think not.”

  A tear came to her eye. I had a sense of what she needed to get out. I realized that, perhaps, I needed to hear it.

  “What did they do to you when I left you?”

  “You had to go, you…”

  “Stop, Rox. It doesn’t matter if I was justified or not. I left you. To them. What did they do?”

  “I don’t want to…”

  “You have to. You can’t keep it inside. Neither of us wants to face it, but we can’t go on without facing it.”

  “They tore at me, they tore my body everywhere they could without permanent damage. One of the truly horrid things about this place is that it is hard to kill someone if you don’t destroy what keeps us living in these glamours, but the pain doesn’t end. The bodies are glamours; there is no going into shock. I wished so hard to become a proto, but they would not let me. They just kept ripping me and violating me.”

  I held Rox as she curled up into a ball, crying. When she stopped she sat back up, her eyes wet. I recognized the anger in her eyes.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never known any escort to face such punishment.”

  “No, I meant, what was their agenda? They may love causing pain, but they had a goal here. What did they gain?”

  “The demon tribes don’t have goals. They are mean and lazy. I think they were just angry.”