The Demon On My Chest: Waking Up

by Dan Farris

  When Rebecca entered the house, music was playing. She followed Essie into the room and there was a young woman dressed in rags playing the piano. “Here, right by me, my Alfred. My Alfred.”

  Alfred sat down next to Essie on an enormous couch. Rebecca sat in the lone chair in the room.

  “Wait, something isn’t right. I need my footstool. Footstool!” An old man entered the room and knelt in front of Essie, who then placed her feet on his back. “There, that’s better. Much better. Would you like a footstool, Alfred?”

  “I’m fine, thank you. I see you’ve added a few additions to the place.”

  “Well, people do that after hundreds of years.”

  “Hundreds? I thought you died around the time they freed the slaves?”

  Essie turned her eyes on Rebecca. “And you are?”

  “Rebecca.”

  “Miss Rebecca, yes, I died after the Civil War, but time is different down here. One hundred years on Earth is more like four hundred years down here. Didn’t Alfred teach you all of this?” Essie rubbed Alfred’s hand.

  “Not yet,” said Alfred. “I didn’t want to overwhelm her with too much information all at once.”

  “That’s my Alfred, so kind, so sweet. How long are you staying this time?”

  “As long as Rebecca wants. This trip is for her,” said Alfred.

  “Then I’ll make sure she never wants to leave so I can keep you. My Alfred.”

  “Who are these people, and who is that old man you got your fuckin’ feet on?” Asked Rebecca.

  “What a mouth on you! This old man used to own me, the old woman is his wife. Their daughter is on the piano. Doesn’t she play beautifully? Now, I own them.”

  “Own them?”

  “Didn’t Alfred teach you anything? The king gives us anything we want, anything within his power. Soon as these monsters died, they came to Hell, and the king sent them to me.” Damn.

  “You look tired. Why don’t you go upstairs and rest, and leave me and Alfred to catch up. Slave! Come and show our guest to her room.”

  The old woman entered. “This way, madam.” Rebecca stood and started to follow the old woman before stopping and staring at Alfred.

  “It’s fine, Rebecca, I won’t let anything hurt you.”

  Rebecca followed the old woman to a room upstairs. “If you need anything, just let me know,” said the old woman before turning away. Rebecca lay on the bed.

  This Essie is bouggie as fuck, what’s so special about her? Did Alfred used to fuck her? She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  Rebecca awoke after sleeping for what felt like a whole day. Alfred was in the rocking chair next to the bed in her room; he was staring out the window.

  “Poindexter? What the fuck are you doing in here? Were you watching me sleep? A few weirdos used to pay just for that.”

  “I’ve only been sitting here for a few minutes. I could tell you were worried downstairs, so I wanted to be the first face you saw when you awoke.”

  “Mmm hmm, I’m watching you, Poindexter. How long we gonna be here anyway? I don’t like this chick.”

  “That’s unfortunate. I was hoping you two would get along; you have so much in common.”

  “The only thang we got in common is that we both black. But she bouggie.”

  “She’s changed since I last saw her, that’s for sure. But if you two got to know each other, you would see you have much more in common than just your ethnicity.”

  “She had problems when she was alive going asleep too?”

  “No, not that. At least talk to her, try to get to know her. Or, we can leave right now if you like, it’s your choice.”

  “Did you fuck her? I saw how she was looking at you, rubbing your hand and shit.”

  Alfred laughed. “Goodness no. Essie was one of my dear friends, but we never had a romantic relationship.”

  “She’s in love with you. Don’t be stupid, Poindexter.”

  “I’m aware of her feelings toward me, but I’ll always see her as just a dear friend. Now, don’t get upset or worried, but the king has ordered me to attend to some business.”

  “You gonna leave me here alone with this bouggie ass bitch!”

  “I’ll be back shortly; you won’t even notice I was gone.” Alfred stood and headed toward the door. “Remember, I’ll never let anything happen to you, ever.”

  Come back quick, Poindexter.

  Rebecca remained in her room a little longer before finally coming downstairs. She headed to the living room, where Essie was waiting for her. The woman Rebecca had seen earlier was still playing the piano.

  “Did Alfred say how long he’ll be gone? He’s always attending to the king’s affairs.”

  “Nah, he just said he’ll be back soon.”

  “Sooner rather than later, I hope. Sit down…please. Alfred told me all about you.”

  “What’d he tell you?”

  “That you were a whore.”

  “Is that supposed to hurt my feelings, you bouggie ass bitch? I was a ho, guys paid to fuck me. So what? You were a fucking slave, bet plenty of men fucked you too.”

  “Alfred must teach you manners. It’s not customary to insult someone inside their own home. Men had sex with me, lots of men. I didn’t want it, but I had no choice. And unlike you, I was never paid for my ‘services.’ I was only a little girl the first time Nathaniel called me into his bedroom. I remember the look on his face, unabashed desires. It hurt; it hurt so bad.”

  “Who was he?”

  “Massa’s oldest son. He had a thing for young little black girls. Would you like to meet him? Of course you would. Come, follow me.” Essie headed outside, and Rebecca followed. Where da fuck is she taking me? Maybe she’s the Devil.

  Essie and Rebecca walked a few minutes before arriving at what looked like a barn. It was located in the woods, close to the plantation house.

  “How I love Hell,” said Essie before entering the barn. Rebecca slowly followed her inside. There was a naked middle-aged man on a table. Above him, countless knives swung back and forth, cutting every inch of the man. The knives were not attached to anything.

  “Perfect, we arrived just in time,” said Essie.

  “Just in time for what?”

  “His form just re-appeared. He gets cut to pieces, until there’s nothing left, and it starts all over again. Let me introduce you. But be careful to not touch the table, it’s very hot.”

  You muthafucka, getting what you deserved.

  Rebecca walked over to the table, and the man lay there motionless. He had no lips, and he had a look of endless pain and fear on his face. The knives above him stopped moving as Rebecca and Essie stood near him. “Hello, Nathaniel, I want you to meet an acquaintance of mine. Her name is Rebecca. Don’t be rude, say hello. I’m sorry, he’s usually more talkative than this. I think he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

  “This the muthafucka that fucked you as a little girl? Look at you now, you fuckin’ bastard! You belong here, you fuckin’ bastard. You, Keith, and all the muthafuckas! You muthafucka, you muthafucka!” Rebecca spit on the man and punched him repeatedly. Fuck you, fuck you, all of you bastards, fuck you.

  “Nathaniel will suffer for all eternity. The best part about his fate is that the pain that he feels from the heat and cuts never goes away. Even when his form re-appears. And one day, every man that ever hurt you or took advantage of you will suffer too. Maybe even by your own hand. Come, let’s return to the house.”

  Rebecca and Essie returned to Essie’s living room. “I’m sorry that upset you so. I remember all the anger I had when I first arrived here. It passes, in time. I’m not even sure if I’m angry at Nathaniel anymore, but I still punish him, because it feels rights, feels just. I heard you mention a ‘Keith’? Who is that?”

  “Keith was my mom’s boyfriend. I was eight years old when he first raped me…that fucka! Fuck him, fuck him, fuck all of them! I can’t wait to get payback on all those muthafuckas,
all the fucked-up shit I’ma do to them. I can’t wait… damn, I’ve been workin’, I mean working on my grammar. Poindexter helping me with that.”

  “Alfred? Yes, he is very helpful. What do you want, Rebecca?”

  “What?”

  “What do you want? Revenge, is that it?”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  “Well, what do you want? Really think about it.”

  “No one never gave a fuck about what I wanted…. I want to be safe. I don’t want anyone to ever be able to hurt me again.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that; we have the king’s protection.”

  “I never even met this fuckin’ king, and what if he changes his mind? He’s like the king of Hell, why da fuck does he give a fuck about us anyway?”

  “I don’t know. If you want to remain safe, let me give you some words of wisdom: take advantage of everything Alfred has to teach you. Down here, knowledge is power.”

  Rebecca laughed.

  “Did I say something that amused you?”

  “When I was a kid, I heard shit like that.”

  “It’s true, especially down here.”

  Knowledge, huh.

  “Let me give you some more words of wisdom: don’t fall in love with Alfred. He’ll leave you; he always leaves.”

  “Love him?! Fuck that, you love him, he’s just a….”

  “Friend? Sure he is.” She’s asking a lot about me, let me ask her some questions.

  “Poindexter told me how you died. That’s fucked up.”

  “He probably left some parts out. When they told us we were free, most stayed on to work the land. That’s all they ever knew. They were scared. But a few of us, the brave ones, decided to leave. We packed what we could carry and headed out. We were going North. I always dreamed of going North. We were so happy, so hopeful when we set out. We didn’t make it far, though; some white men caught us, men who didn’t want black folks to leave. They killed our male companions first, hung them up high, then they made us watch. Then, they took turns with the women, took turns with us until we were no more. That’s how I died.”

  “Fuck, did you ever get back at the dudes who did that? I know they asses in Hell!”

  “I did, a little after Alfred left me. When I found them, they were being tormented like most humans in Hell. I kept them here briefly, in the barn, before returning them to the fields.”

  “In the cocoons?! Fuck, I saw an old man in one, he was crying and shit.”

  “Don’t you dare feel sorry for him. In case you haven’t realized, Hell is for the bad people. Everyone that you’ve met, including me, is bad. We all belong here, whether we admit it or not. You belong here. Don’t you ever forget that. You were a whore. And me, well, I had my vices. Just be happy that the king chose us.”

  “What all you do down here? You don’t get bored torturing these bastards? Have you seen the rest of Hell? What is it like?”

  “It’s nothing special. One massive pile of rock surrounded by an empty void, littered with whatever the demons or humans like us consider ‘home.’ And no, I never get bored. Why leave my territory? I’m perfectly content here.”

  “But don’t you wanna meet other people like us?”

  “No. You can’t trust anyone down here anyhow. Alfred told me you met Alitash and Curtis. Would you like to meet others like them? I visited other parts of Hell, met other people with Alfred when I first arrived in Hell. I’m sure you will too, though you shouldn’t. Remember, we’re all in Hell because we’re bad people. Voluntarily meeting others down here is like asking for trouble.”

  “Except Alfred. He can be trusted?”

  “Only him... I wish he would visit me more often.”

  “I can’t wait till David get down here.”

  “Who is David?”

  “David was my boyfriend…my pimp. I thought I loved that muthafucka. All the shit he put me through. I was so stupid!”

  “No good beating yourself up now; he’ll see justice someday.”

  “Yeah, fuck him. Tell me about all the people you met down here.”

  Rebecca stayed with Essie for what felt like nearly a week to her. She was sitting outside Essie’s house when Alfred was walking toward the house. Finally.

  “Es! Alfred’s back!” Essie hurried outside, grinning. She ran to greet him. She held his hand as they walked back to the house.

  “I hope you ladies got along fine.”

  “Poindexter, what took you so long?”

  “Feels like I just left just seconds ago. Apologies, the king sent me to settle a dispute over territory between two of his soldiers in the Eastern Provinces. Mind you, it was no small piece of land. I haven’t told you, Rebecca, but the king grants his soldiers much larger territory than any of us humans, in order to keep their loyalty.”

  “The king got soldiers?”

  “Of course, he has the largest army in all of Hell. How else do you think he yields such power? So, there I was, me, trying to resolve a dispute between two soldiers, who are demons! It was a sordid affair; sometimes I wonder why the king places so much trust in me.”

  “What happened?” Asked Rebecca.

  “Not to brag, well maybe a little, but I convinced these bitter rivals to set aside their differences and come to a reasonable compromise.”

  “My Alfred,” said Essie. “The king would be so proud.”

  “Well, Rebecca, where to next?” Asked Alfred. “Shall we remain here longer, or explore elsewhere?”

  “Hmm, let’s go home. I miss my bed.”

  “Home it is, then.”

  Essie hugged Alfred. “Goodbye my Alfred. Don’t let it be so long next time.”

  “I promise it won’t be.”

  “Bye, Es. Stay cold, bitch.”

  Essie grinned. “You too, whore.”

  Alfred and Rebecca journeyed back to Rebecca’s home.

  “Home sweet home,” said Alfred when they saw Rebecca’s territory in the distance. Rebecca headed straight to the library.

  “Slow down! I thought you said you missed your bed?”

  “I do, but I miss learning more. We can explore more and meet other people after I learn more. Teach me everything you know, Poindexter, everything.”

  “All right! Let’s continue our studies, then.”

  Chapter 10-Sean

  Sean sat on his couch in his living room, reading his Bible and praying. It was nighttime. Persephone had tried calling Sean several times since they left Diana’s house that morning, but he hadn’t responded.

  God, please forgive me, don’t damn me, please forgive me. You’re not going to answer my prayers, are you? We summoned a demon, and now I’m damned to Hell. Sean threw his Bible on the floor. Sean could somehow sense that someone else was in the room with him.

  “Show yourself, whatever or whoever you are, I know you’re here.” A pretty, dark-brown-skinned woman wearing a long pink dress with colored dots appeared in front of Sean. Her hair stopped at her shoulders and she had on dark red lipstick.

  “Are you a demon? Have you come for me?”

  “Are you talking to me?” Asked the woman in a sweet, thick Southern accent.

  “Yes, I’m talking to you.”

  “Wow! How is this possible? I was walking around in the darkness, like always, when I saw a bright light. Wouldn’t anyone else walk toward it but me; they all said it was a trap by the demons, but I knew better. Hey! I can see everything! The ceiling, floor... I’m not in the darkness anymore! And you can see me?” The woman sat down next to Sean on his couch.

  “How can you see me…? My name is Mary Ann. I can’t believe you can see me.”

  “You’re not a demon? Then what are you?”

  “I’m a human like you, silly. Well, I was a human. Now I’m dead. I died in 1954, you see…”

  Sean cut her off before she could finish. “You’re a ghost!”

  “Yeah, a ghost. A dead human. Live people ain’t supposed to be able to see us. Are you a demon?
Is this a trap?”

  “Of course I’m not a demon!”

  “Whew, thank goodness. Demons are no good, no good at all. Always trying to get you, but not me. They’ll never get me.”

  “So, it’s true then. Lost souls have to run from demons?”

  “How’d you know that?”

  “A couple of people I know died recently. I spoke to them earlier.”

  “You spoke to them after they died?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I’ll be, you sure are an interesting fella.”

  “I’m cursed. Damned.”

  “Don’t say that. As long as you’re alive, there’s hope.”

  “Really? I’m talking to a ghost in my living room. I’m damned.”

  “Hmm, well Mister Sad Face, I’d love to talk to you some more, but I must be going. Back into the darkness. Always have to keep moving, or the demons will catch me.” Sean reached out and put his hand on Mary Ann’s shoulder.

  “Whoa! You touched me! That’s impossible! I’m dead, you alive, you can’t touch me!”

  Sean leaned in and started kissing Mary Ann.

  “What are you doing?!”

  “God won’t answer my prayers; a demon is coming to take me to Hell. I’m damned. Before I die, I’m about to have sex with a ghost.” Sean continued kissing Mary Ann, who started kissing him back. Then he took off her dress.

  “I can’t believe this is possible, I haven’t had sex since I was alive! The first time I had sex was in…” Sean kissed her again before placing her on top of him. “Oh my, oh my, this feels good. You’re big. I forgot how good this feels, oh my.” Least I don’t have to worry about pulling out.

  That night, Sean had sex several times with Mary Ann before falling asleep.

  The next morning, Sean woke up on his couch alone. Shit, did that really happen last night? Did I really have sex with a ghost? What was I thinking? Where is she? She’s gone.

  Sean went to use the bathroom, and when he came out, Mary Ann was sitting on his bed. “Hey! Sorry I left, I had to make sure I didn’t get caught. Always on the move, always. You wanna have sex again?”