Speak of the Devil

by Jena Gregoire

  “Could I please get a pack of Marlboro Lights?”

  “Of course,” the girl replied in a bubbly voice, and held the pack out to Deziree. “Here you go. Would you like matches?”

  “Yes, please.” Deziree handed the girl a twenty dollar bill, and told her to keep the change. The girl flashed her a big smile, and thanked her. Dez nodded, turned, and walked away, making her way through the throng of gamblers to the lobby doors.

  She stepped out into the night air and took a deep breath. The temperature was only around sixty degrees, but for midnight in January, the warmth was above average. When she and Vegas would come here, it was usually in late summer, and at this time of night, the temperature would still be somewhere in the nineties. They loved coming to town at that time of year specifically to enjoy the summer weather during the darkest time of night.

  “Miss?” The sound of a man’s voice pulled Dez from her thoughts.

  “Hmm?”

  The curbside hotel attendant smiled at her. God, why was everyone so smiley?

  “Would you like a cab?”

  “Oh,” she replied, realizing he had probably addressed her more than once before his voice registered in her brain. “No, thank you. I think I am going to go for a walk.” He smiled again, and nodded, turning his attention to greet the next excited hotel guest stepping out the door.

  The northern end of the strip was not nearly as busy as its more famous southern end, which was the main reason Dez chose the Stratosphere for her stay in Las Vegas. A good many of the hotels and casinos who once called it home had since been torn down, leaving many vacant lots open and waiting for new casinos to be built on their expanse. There were still lots of people milling about, but she was left with enough room to stroll around without being run over by a crowd. She meandered from shop to shop, absently glancing at the wares each of them had to offer. Mostly, it was just cheaply made baubles and keepsakes branded with the city’s famous welcome sign. There were a few tattoo shops scattered among the stores, and Dez thought about getting a new piece just to pass some time. While staring at the sheets of flash displayed in a small parlor’s dusty window, contemplating what design she would get, something caught her eye. A reflection in the glass.

  She only saw him briefly, and she wasn’t even sure of what she saw. She wondered if she was tired enough to actually be experiencing hallucinations. He had only looked in her direction for a split second, but she could have sworn the man’s eyes were jet black.

  She spun around, searching the steady stream of people for his face. Before long, her already-short fuse ran its course. She stepped off to the side of the crowd, and leaned her back against the building. Taking a long, deep breath, she did her best to calm down and concentrate. Then she cast her mind out into the ether, reaching for the presence of another demon. This time it took mere seconds before she felt the familiar tingle.

  “Shit,” she whispered, looking into the faces of those passing her by. Instead of the one demon presence she had expected, she felt several of them. Dez turned back to the hotel to grab her car keys, and to change into clothes better suited for hunting. So much for getting any sleep tonight.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dez

  Deziree returned to her hotel room just before sunrise. Her exhaustion had reached new heights, all thanks to the seventeen demons she managed to dispatch. It would have been eighteen, but another one got the jump on her as she was tracking him. When she shifted her attention to her assailant, who also escaped, her mark got away unscathed. By the time she realized he had escaped, she couldn’t muster up the energy to chase after him. She gave up, nearly stumbled her way to the closest casino, and grabbed a taxi back to the Stratosphere.

  Dez closed the door behind her, and immediately started stripping her clothes off, leaving a trail to the bathroom. Reaching in the shower, she turned the water on as hot as she could get it, and went back out to put her cell phone on its charger. She sat down on the edge of her bed, telling herself she’d only be there for a minute, but she didn’t dare close her eyes. She knew once she did, she was done for. Glancing up, she saw the bathroom had started to fill up with steam. She forced herself back to her feet, and made her way into the shower to wash away the stress of the night.

  When she was finished, she quickly dried herself off, and without bothering to put any clothes on, climbed into the comfort of the bed waiting for her. With a deep sigh, she settled into the pillow and closed her eyes. She immediately felt the welcome sensation of sinking into the mattress as sleep began to claim her.

  A shrill ringing filled the institutionally white room.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

  Refusing to open her eyes, she blindly reached for the little electronic culprit making the awful noise, and touched on the bottom of the screen to answer the call. She raised her phone to her ear, and tried to remain calm.

  “All I have to say is this better be good. Like, end-of-the-world good. Anything less than the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse earns you my size seven and a half directly up your ass.”

  “Nice to hear from you too, Deziree.”

  Dez’s eyes snapped open and she pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the screen. Dick Wad. She had changed his name in her phone’s address book a few months ago in a moment of anger when she realized that he’d taken off without so much as a casual goodbye, but she'd know that voice anywhere. She put her phone back to her ear, not really sure what to say.

  “Are you still there?”

  “Charlie? Is that really you?”

  “Hi, Dez.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but he sounded strained at the same time as he continued. “How have you been?”

  “Oh, that is a long story that will take a few hours and a whole lot of alcohol to explain. Is everything okay?”

  Charlie had chosen to go off the grid. He warned her he was going to disappear to be with the mortal woman he had fallen in love with. He wanted to be able to spend the rest of her days with her in peace, without the interference of anyone or anything else in the supernatural world. If he was breaking his disappearing act to make contact with her, something had to be wrong.

  “Is your girlfriend alright?”

  “She’s fine,” he responded. “Are you okay? That was quite the greeting.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t slept in almost two days. I was just about to slip into what I was hoping would turn out to be a week-long coma when the phone rang. It’s alright though.” It was time to get down to business. She didn’t know how much longer she could stay awake. “Not that I am unhappy about hearing from you, but you must have called for a reason. To what do I owe the pleasure of your conversation?”

  “I think someone is looking for you.”

  “Well,” she began with a sigh, “they’re going to have to get in line. I think there’s a lot of people looking for me at the moment. Who is the ‘someone’ you’re talking about?”

  “Well,” he replied, sounding a little bit confused, “I’m not really sure. I think it's something you’re going to have to see for yourself. Is there any chance I could get you to hop on a plane to Arizona?”

  “No plane needed. I’m in Las Vegas. Where in Arizona?”

  “Oh perfect! I’m in a little desert town called Meadview. We're about a two hour drive outside of Vegas.”

  “When do you need me there?”

  “No rush. Get some sleep. I will text you our address. Once you’re rested, let me know when you’re on your way.”

  “Okay, Charlie,” she answered with a yawn. She couldn’t argue with his logic. She badly needed sleep. “I will see you soon.”

  They said their goodbyes and Dez hung up the phone. She put it back on the charger, clicked the Do Not Disturb button on the hotel room phone, and sleep overtook her before she could even begin to think about the ‘someone’ Charlie had been talking about.

  After nearly a full day of dreamless sleep, Dez woke up feeling worlds better. She
was still a little groggy, but couldn’t stay unconscious any longer. She knew she'd spend more time tossing in bed than slumbering, so she decided it was time to hit the road. Rubbing sleep’s haze from her eyes, she readied herself to face the world again.

  Dez rolled over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. The text from Charlie containing his address was waiting for her, but nothing else. Although it had been five months, every time she saw there was no message from Vegas, a little piece of her was still disappointed. Disappointment and that pesky loneliness. Hopefully it will be over soon. She missed him, but the thought of seeing him terrified her a little bit. She’d have to cross that bridge when she got to it. She forced herself to climb out of bed to start her day.

  After a quick shower, Dez packed her things, and checked out of the hotel. The Merc was waiting for her exactly where she left it in the hotel’s parking garage. Luckily, she had parked up on one of the higher levels of the parking garage, near all of the rental cars. Hardly anyone else ever parked up there, so when she finally made it up to her car, there wasn’t a scratch to be found anywhere. Dez opened the door and climbed inside. Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she brought the text from Charlie up on the screen. She plugged the address into her GPS, and turned the key. As the engine rumbled to life, Deziree smiled from ear to ear. The familiarity of her car reminded her of home.

  “Alright, Stella,” she said, talking to the car. “Let’s go play in the desert.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dez

  Dez knocked on the door of the white double-wide modular home. As she waited for someone to come to the door, she glanced around the yard. The front of the house was lined with Joshua trees, serving as the barrier between the house and the narrow dirt road. There were houses just like it all around, but no sign of movement in any of them. There were no people walking through the desert neighborhood, no cars in the driveways. The only signs of life were a few wild rabbits and a small flock of Gambel's quail running from one yard to the next. Dez heard laughter in the distance, and looked all around for the source. She almost started laughing at herself when she realized what she was hearing was the sound of the quail calling to one another.

  Her attention returned to the door when she heard someone turn the knob of the deadbolt. The large white door swung open, and for the first time in months, Deziree stood face-to-face with her old friend. He hadn’t really changed much, with the exception of the light that seemed more present in his dark brown eyes.

  “Charlie,” she greeted with a fond smile.

  “Hi Dez,” he replied. “Come on in.”

  She stepped inside, and once he closed the door behind them, she took in the sight before her. Charlie’s home looked like something out of a Southwestern interior design catalog. A perfect mixture of modern décor and the Old West.

  “Coffee?” he asked, motioning for her to take a seat at the table.

  “Yes, please.” Deziree watched as Charlie poured them each a cup, and then sat down in the chair opposite her.

  “So,” he began, “how have you been?”

  “As good as it is to see you, Charles,” she commented, “you didn’t disclose your location to me after all this time to have a cup of coffee and a chat. What’s wrong?”

  He met her eyes as he sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. “You’re right. I didn’t invite you here for coffee. Although it is good to see you.” Then a smile crept across his face. “Technically, I’m not the one looking for you.”

  “Your girlfriend?” She hadn’t met Charlie’s girlfriend before he disappeared, and Dez had no idea why the girl would be asking for her.

  “Harley, my wife,” he clarified. “And no, not her.”

  “I’m sorry, Charles,” she replied. “Not to get sidetracked or anything, but did you just say wife?”

  Charlie smiled sheepishly. “I did. We decided to do it kind of spur-of-the-moment. It was small, just the two of us and a justice of the peace out in the desert at sunset. We knew we didn’t want to be apart, and figured we would go ahead and make it official.”

  “That’s great, Charlie. I’m happy for you. You deserve your happiness. Wow, I never pictured you as the marrying type. Congrats are in order.”

  “Thanks,” he answered. “She’s pretty amazing.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that,” she said with a smile. “So, about the someone who is looking for me?”

  “Or something.”

  “I’m not following you,” she replied, a little confused.

  Charlie took a deep breath and leaned on the table. After taking a cautious sip of his steaming cup of coffee, he began to explain.

  “It started about six weeks ago. Harley and I went away on a weekend vacation. Nothing fancy, just some time away from the house. The evening we returned, we were in the living room, both relaxing and reading. She decided to put her book down to watch TV. The next thing I know, she’s prodding me in the side. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ she asks me. I look where she is pointing, and there, on the TV screen, written in dust, was the letter D. I had no clue where it had come from, and I quickly jumped up and searched the house, thinking maybe we had an intruder. There was no one in the house, not even the scent of someone having been in the house since we left for the weekend. Harley was a little freaked out, but she’s a trooper. She wiped down the television screen, and we went on with our night, hardly giving it a second thought.”

  “Why would someone break into your house to write the letter D on your television?”

  “That’s the same question that was going through my mind,” he replied. “I had no idea. I still don’t know exactly who it is, but I can tell you they’re not breaking in. They’re here all the time.”

  That didn’t help Dez’s confusion one bit, and she stared at him with a cocked eyebrow, wondering if she should start questioning the desert’s effects on her friend.

  “The D on the TV was just the start. One day, I went in to take a shower. I was using the small bathroom in the hallway, and just before I climbed in the shower, I realized I had forgotten a towel. I went to grab a towel out of the linen closet in the hallway, and when I returned, the steam from the shower had fogged the mirror over. There, on the glass, written in the condensation, was DD. Since that day, the messages have become more pronounced. Silverware removed from the drawer and placed on the counter spelling out DD. Harley has a thing for dried flower blossoms. She’s got clear glass bowls of them all throughout the house. We’ll come home, and find the blossoms on the coffee table spelling out DD, but it’s like whoever is doing it knows she has a thing for the flowers. They’re always treated with care and never damaged. The worst of it has been the loud crashing noises in the middle of the night, and I mean loud. Like someone driving a city bus into the side of the house kind of loud, but when we investigate, not one thing is out of place. Those instances aren’t so pleasant, but only because I don’t like to be rudely startled awake. It’s always harmless, though. Objects moved to spell something out, and always the same thing. DD.” He paused for a moment. “Until the other day when I called you.”

  “What happened then?”

  A woman walked through the door carrying a bunch of cloth shopping bags. She was much like her house, a mixture of modern and Old West. Her long black and purple hair hung down to the middle of her back. She was wearing tight-fitting, low-cut blue jeans with a black sleeveless t-shirt that had been cut off at the bottom to show a glimpse of her midriff.

  “Hi hun,” Charlie said, and his face lit up with adoration. “Dez, this is my wife, Harley.”

  Harley’s face immediately brightened at the mention of Dez’s name.

  “So,” Harley said, her British accent a raspy whisper with a sultry edge, “you’re the other woman in my Charlie’s life.” She reached out to shake Dez’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “I’d say the same,” Dez responded, accepting the handshake, “but our boy here up and va
nished after our last job together, and I never got to learn much aside from the fact that he’s crazy about you.”

  “Yeah, well,” Harley replied, “I gave it up on the first date and haven’t been able to shake him since, so, he’s either crazy about me or just really likes to have sex.”

  “Hey,” Charlie said with mock offense, “you make it sound like I’ve never had sex before.”

  “That’s the way I like to keep it in my head,” she replied. She smiled, leaned over, and kissed him on the forehead.

  “I was just filling Dez in on everything that’s been going on around here.”

  “Ahh. Yeah, someone definitely wants to talk to you,” Harley said, turning back to Dez. “In fact, they’re a lot louder now that you’re here.”

  “Louder?” Dez still didn’t quite understand what she meant.

  “Oh yeah, much louder. It’s like having you here is somehow amplifying their ability to reach out to me.”

  “I didn’t realize they actually tried to audibly communicate with you.”

  “I hadn’t made it quite that far in my explanation,” Charlie said.

  Harley took a seat at the table with them. “Spirits try to reach out to people every day. Most people just don’t know what it is when they hear it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know when you’re sitting in a completely quiet room and your ears start to ring? That’s them. Most people can’t hear past the ringing, but that’s probably for the best. Once they realize you’re listening, they never shut up. Luckily, even I can’t hear everything they say. I only catch a little bit here and there. Most of the time, it’s not even aimed at me. They just like to talk. Whoever it is trying to get through to you hasn’t figured out that I can hear them. I usually hear chatter but it’s unintelligible. Much like it sounds when trying to eavesdrop on a conversation through a door. It just sounds muffled. The only reason we knew the recent things around the house were linked to you is because of what we found on the deck.”