by Amy Barrett
All of it stopped and Zerachiel watched him. Ivan stood up straight again. “That was different.”
Zerachiel was about to speak until a woman left the church in an oddly calm manner considering what had happened inside.
“You two are going to hell.” She commented. Ivan stepped back, removing Zerachiel’s hand from his chest, and advanced on her. “Stay away from me.” She tried to escape while yelling.
Ivan beamed at her. “You can see me?”
“Yes of course I saw the two of you sinning against God.” She shrugged him off and ran from him as fast as her stubby legs could carry her.
“Hey, wait!” He started to chase her. “Just talk to me a bit more. I have lots to say.”
Zerachiel caught his arm. “Stop, you need to listen to me.”
“But I’ve saved up so much to say.”
“No listen, you might be able to be seen now but other things have changed too.”
Ivan held still as best as he could. “What? Is it important?”
Zerachiel pulled him back. “Yes, very. You can die now. You need to be careful.”
“Am I human?” Ivan wasn’t sure if he was hoping he was or not.
“No. You will be stronger than them because of the souls you have consumed, and you will be more resistant to damage. But you can die.” Zerachiel stared into Ivan’s eyes intently.
Ivan listened but he was too excited to keep focused.
Zerachiel had to move from one side to the other to stay in the middle of his field of vision. “You also can’t teleport anymore or reap while you are like this.”
Ivan nodded. “But I can buy new clothes, and say hello to people and drink and eat and feel the rain and talk to women and get drunk and all the other shit I’ve seen people die doing?”
The angel told him yes and Ivan smiled widely. He turned to the church and made a break for the door.
“Not them,” Zerachiel said and steered his friend towards the road leading away. They both set out to explore the world that Ivan had always seen and never felt. They walked down the street and Ivan stopped to touch everything. He grazed his hands along the bark of a tree and smiled when it scratched his skin lightly. Zerachiel laughed as he watched Ivan. Ivan felt the heat of the sun, felt the chill of the wind, the clunk of his feet on the concrete. Cars beeped at him when he walked into the middle of the road. Waving back at the drivers, he ran to the other side. A dog barked at him. He stepped towards it before Zerachiel saved him from what would have been a nasty bite. A child ran down the street. She bumped into Ivan and kept running.
“It’s… I don’t know what it is.” Ivan grinned at the people who looked at him and felt all things near enough to him.
“It’s just the city.” Zerachiel walked on ahead.
“Sure. Yea. Just the city.” Ivan stopped and tried to compose himself. He would jump around and hug everyone later.
“Let’s go. The guy I met lives in Boston. I want to reach him as soon as possible.” Zerachiel stopped walking and waited for Ivan to catch up.
“Boston,” Ivan mused. “Can you drop me off somewhere else?”
“Sure. Where?”
Ivan wasn’t sure what it was called but he knew who he was looking for.
***
Nick was trying to break the chains again when Abyzou came back. She watched him yank on the steel. He noticed her and stopped. The last thing he wanted was to give her the satisfaction of seeing him break his own bones in desperation.
“Oh, come on, I don’t get much to watch down here.” She waltzed over to him.
“Let me down and I will show you something.”
She cackled. “You’ll give a girl all sorts of filthy thoughts.”
He glared back at her, hoping that his eyes were full of hatred and not the fear he felt for what was to come. His determination made her laugh more.
“If you don’t want to flirt then maybe you will burn.” Reaching over, painfully slowly, she lifted the flames. She brought them so close to him that the heat licked his face. A sprinkling of sweat slid down the side of his temple and stung the corner of his eye. Nick gritted his teeth but refused to close his eyes. She would get too much satisfaction from that. She was smirking when the flame reached his neck. It seared into his skin and the smell of his own roasting flesh poisoned him. He choked on the stench and let out a strangled sob despite himself.
Nick couldn’t hear it past the pounding in his head, but he saw Abyzou’s face contort as she shrieked. She jerked her hand back and threw the ball of flames to the floor where it crawled back to the source. It moved like an orange flickering slug. Nick was frozen. Open-mouthed and stunned.
Abyzou gawked at her hand. The skin was risen with red and white blisters. With a growl, Abyzou stormed from the room, her shoes slamming on the stone. Nick watched after her. He pulled on the chains again. They creaked and flakes of stone fell off where they were connected to the wall.
They didn’t break but Nick was sure they moved further than before.
Chapter 3
Ivan had got back to where he needed to be, a city called Galway, and now he wasn’t sure what to do. While he knew that he was going to date the girl from the cafe, he wasn’t sure how to get to that point. He went into the town to prepare. All the shops suddenly held interest for him. There were signs of various colours and people standing on cobbled streets singing songs with their guitars. There was a smell of coffee and car fumes on the air and Ivan inhalded hard enough to make himself short of breath and his nostrils raw. A light rain speckled his skin and he stuck out his tongue to catch the drops. He caught a couple of them and then took his tongue into his mouth to suck on the icy feeling before they slipped down his throat. He could have done this all day, but he was drawn in by a flashing plus shaped sign up ahead. As he got closer to the shop there was a multitude of fragrances and makeup smells. He stepped inside and followed his nose to the aisle that was full of glass perfume bottles. The pale lights overhead hit the reflective surface and fragmented light onto the ceiling in dull rainbow dots that Ivan had to concentrate to look away from.
Ivan was drawn to one of the testers on the counter. It was a red glass bottle with a long curvy neck. He lifted it and squirted some of the perfume into the air. Thrusting his head forward he inhaled sharply. This failed to give him a good enough impression of what it smelt like. Another man was standing in the aisle, examining some of the women’s fragrances with a puzzled expression. His moustache was a sweaty band of hair and one of his eyebrows had a styled slice through it. He held a blue slim bottle with a silver lid that came down upon the neck like a hood.
Ivan sprayed the fragrance in his hand on the stranger. The man did not notice at first as the liquid hit the back of his head and soaked into his balding skull. He did notice when Ivan smelt him.
He spun and screwed up his face.
“Just wondering how it smells.” Ivan smiled at the man and sniffed twice more. The scent was like wine and fire.
The man looked at Ivan for a second with one eyebrow raised. He turned and lifted the tester for a fragrance by Beyoncé and doused Ivan in it. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and smelt Ivan.
“Hum, I like that one,” the man said in a gruff voice. “What do you think?”
Ivan smelt himself and nodded. It was sweet and pleasant. “Yea I like it. I think this is the one.”
The man picked out a boxed version of the fragrance admiring it like one would a trophy. “My wife will love it.”
Ivan smelt himself again. “Yep.” He set down the tester he had tried before. It clunked and wobbled on the countertop.
“You not getting one for yourself?” The man squinted at Ivan. A tiny smile played on the man’s lips.
“Why would I buy anything else now I smell this good, mate.” Ivan backed down the aisle of the chemist and bumped into an approaching woman. She stopped, but Ivan continued without a word. Ivan hardly noticed her throwing curses after him as he left.
Now he needed the perfect outfit to grab his girl’s attention. In this he had no trouble finding places which claimed they could help. On the corner one shop proudly declared that they had “The latest hip fashions!” Ivan wasn’t sure what the hip had to do with clothes, but he assumed it was a good thing. Sauntering over, he clattered into the shop.
Along the walls were trousers of various sizes and t-shirts which Ivan would prefer not to wear. He wasn’t really into the whole flower pattern thing. Belts and scarfs and other smaller objects dotted the whole room. Music thumped off the walls.
Ivan cringed. “What the hell is that racket?”
“That is The Weekend.” The speaker was behind him and she was a small blonde with a long ponytail.
“I thought people loved the weekend.” Ivan glared at the ceiling. “Can’t imagine why.”
The girl pressed her lips together and took a slow breath through her nose. “What can I help you with today?”
“I’m going on a date and I need something to wear, something humans would wear.” Ivan skimmed through the closest rack. The hangers screeched against the pole.
The girl blinked twice before answering. “Right, I’m sure I can help with that.” She stopped his hands war path through the clothes with a tentative touch. “You seem unsure about what it is you want.”
Ivan considered for a minute. “Not really. I want to go on a date with her and I want- “
“Clothes,” The girl laughed. “You seem unsure about what clothes you want.”
Ivan nodded gently like a bobble head dog. He supposed she was right.
She started to move away but still held her hands towards him. “I will go and find some things for you. What size are you?”
Ivan stared blankly for a second and then looked down at himself. “I don’t know, medium maybe.”
“Okay. Just wait here.” The girl vanished into the shop, hidden by the crowds of shoppers. Ivan noticed that none of them had someone shopping for them. Perhaps he would have dwelt on it longer, but he was distracted by a dress covered in heavy sequins. He reached his hand out to it and touched it as if petting a wild animal. It was rough when stroked one way and smooth the other. He gasped on contact with the rough side then laughed when he made the dress feel smooth. He did it a few times, quicker then slower. He saw his own smile bounced back at him in the gold.
“So that’s what that feels like,” Ivan whispered to himself, then laughed again.
The shop assistant returned with arms held down by a monster pile of clothes. She caught sight of Ivan petting the dress. Her eyebrows shot up and she tilted her head.
“You can try that on if you want but these seem more you.” She counted out two pairs of trousers and one shirt and held them out to Ivan.
He took them from her, still gazing at the dress. “I just wanted to know what it felt like.”
The girl disregarded the statement and instead pointed towards a curtain about ten paces away. “There’s the changing room. Go and try them on and let me know what you think.”
Ivan halted as he started to move away. “What about the ones in your hands?”
“You are only allowed three items at a time in the changing room.”
Ivan grinned at her and wagged his finger. “Trying to keep me coming back for more.” He waltzed to the curtain and drew it back.
The space in front of him could hardly be called a room. There wouldn’t have been enough space for him to hold his arms out fully to either side of himself.
“They are putting me in a broom closet to get changed,” he said under his breath. He shuffled his long limbs into the tight room and yanked the curtain back. Pressing it to the wall as tight as he could, he stood back against the other side to be sure he couldn’t see out. Therefore no one could see in. Ivan took a breath and then unbuttoned his trousers. He pressed his palms to his thighs. The skin felt warm and a bit moist. He breathed to keep himself calm. If he focused he could feel his pulse under the skin. He had never felt it before. He then saw his own knees for the first time without the suit trousers covering them. They were knobbly and ugly. He shrugged; seems he isn’t perfect. The imperfect knees made his heart skip. They were a sign of life not featureless death. A lump came to his throat and he swallowed it down with effort. Its not a big deal, he told himself, people feel things all the time.
He started with the black trousers which she had given him. Holding them up he examined them.
They seemed small and the fabric was thin. Regardless, he slipped the ends onto his feet. The sensation of the different kind of fabric on his skin was soft and amazing. He would have simply relished this change, but he ran into a problem. His ankle bones where stopping the progress of the fabric. Ivan pulled relentlessly on it. “Who makes trousers that your ankles don’t fit in.”
He fell backwards when the legs of the jeans were finally on. The wall caught him, pain knocking between his shoulders, and he was grateful it was so close. Then he had to gather the fabric into handfuls and guide it up over his thighs. He had to do this over and over before he had enough spare fabric to bring the jeans higher. Calmly he brought the jeans to his waist. Another problem came up here. Ivan found that they were very tight in an area they never should be. Seems there were sensations he didn’t like. He buttoned them and tried to ignore the growing discomfort. His jacket and shirt were discarded, exposing skin he wouldn’t have recognised as his own, and the new shirt took their place. The new shirt was grey, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
Ivan left the changing room. The jeans gave him a waddle in place of his walk. The shop assistant was waiting, swiping at something on her phone.
“I’m not sure that these trousers are meant for men.” Ivan plodded over to stand before one of the many shop mirrors and twisted about, looking at the skinny jeans.
The girl glanced up and smiled politely. “They look great. Very modern.”
Ivan squinted at her then back at the jeans. He tried to pull them away from his crotch to make room for the essentials. “I don’t think so, mate.”
“But skinny jeans are so in right now.” She looked at him like he was stupid before deflating with defeat. “Fine then, no skinny jeans. If you want designer stuff or suits, then it is gonna cost you more. What is your price range here?” Her eyes glistened, and she moved closer to Ivan.
Ivan realised that he didn’t have one key ingredient which you need for shopping, money.
“Price range, yea. How about free? Got anything within that range?” Ivan returned quickly to the changing room to collect his clothes and remove the tight jeans.
“You don’t have any money?” she yelled.
“Nope.”
“But you are wearing an expensive suit.”
Ivan stepped out after throwing on his clothes again. “You think it looks expensive?”
The girl’s face was red and her teeth where clenched. “Yes! How can you have no money?”
Ivan smiled in the mirror. “In that case, it can stay.”
He gave the clothes back to the girl and made for the door. As he left the shop assistant was cursing and babbling about wasted time. Ivan was confused as to why she was so angry. She had asked if she could help and she did. Job well done as far as Ivan knew.
Ivan set out for the café feeling confident. He looked expensive and smelt good. He was sure that she was going to want to date him when she saw him. Upon reaching the café, which he noticed now was called Supermacs, Ivan stood outside the door and watched inside. People milled about, stuffing their faces and slurping on coffee. Someone brushed past Ivan on their way in and he took the chance and followed them through the door they just opened. The air was warm and held a strong smell of coffee and chicken. Ivan scanned the booths for Hannah. He didn’t spot her and let out a breath. Not knowing what to do but wait, he leaned on the doorframe of the front door. After a while it became obvious that this was not convenient for the customers as they came in and out.
&nb
sp; He swapped to the edge of an empty booth beside a bin. He was about to give up and go to the chemist again and reapply his scent when Hannah strolled into the café. Her hair was pulled into a silver blonde ponytail which was just as pale as her milky skin. The wind cast leaves in after her. They followed her as far as they could. Ivan hadn’t noticed but he was staring at Hannah’s eyes in what many would call a creepy way. Hannah ducked her head, breaking the line of sight. Ivan had had a whole speech prepared but now that he saw her, his jaw fell limp. She smiled and then strolled over to the counter. Ivan stood and followed her.
“A small mocha.” She held out some money to the man whom she ordered from. He removed his hands from his pockets and took it.
“Yea I love those too.” As soon as the words escaped his mouth Ivan panicked as the name of the coffee Hannah had ordered slipped his mind. He leaned on the counter and tried to look as calm and collected as possible. He even crossed one ankle over the other.
“Oh, that’s cool.” She took her cup and headed for the usual booth across the room from where she ordered.
“Well,” Ivan said, “that line worked a lot better when she couldn’t see or hear me.” He shook himself until his arms flopped about like a doll. “Come on. I can do this. I am death, and no one can say no to death.” He walked to her booth and sat in the seat across from her. Hannah looked around herself. She wasn’t running away, but she looked ready to scream if it came to that. Ivan shuffled in his seat and collected himself as best as he could.
“Hey.” Ivan nodded at her.
“Hi.” Her bag squeaked over the leather of the seat as she dragged it closer.
“I’m Ivan. Do you come here often?”
Hannah’s eyes narrowed and she shuffled on the spot. “They have cheap coffee and tea for my friend.”
Ivan nodded and gazed around. He rubbed his hands together. “I love coffee too. Smells great.”
Hannah looked at him for a while. She examined him head to toe enough to make Ivan squirm.