Newborn

Chapter 28: Welcome to the Lair

Anne Halton

         

I’m in Mike’s car.  He’s taking me to see a woman named Gail.  I met her on the night I met Mike.  She has a deep voice.

“Why are you being so quiet?” Mike asks.  “Are you normally like this?”

“No,” I say.  I often talk quite a bit.  “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Like what?  Did Justine say something to you?” he asks.

“What do you know about our souls?” I ask.  “She said that we’re made up of chaos.”

“When I first started to figure out what I am, I tried to find someone like me, another pain eater to explain what I am.  In the end, he kind of found me instead.  According to him, the universe exists on different levels, many beyond human comprehension.  Our consciousness exists on a level of pure energy.  The way we breathe air in and out, our souls are constantly absorbing and releasing energy.  The energy is the fundamental part of our essence.  When we feel certain emotions, the frequency of our energy shifts,” he says.

“So, what are we?”

“Well, I don’t know what you are.  What differentiates demons from humans is that we’re tied to larger pools of energy.  Pain demons, like me, need to constantly consume energy in order to maintain ourselves, and so we feed on pain.  Humans tend to release energy when they hurt, almost like a metaphysical scream.  According to the pain demon I met, I’m able to absorb energy on that frequency.  Other demons operate differently with energy humans associate with different emotions.” 

“Like anger?” I ask.

“In theory,” he says.  He hesitates.  “Of course, the person who told me all this was completely fucking insane, so I wouldn’t put too much weight into his theory.  From most of the demons I’ve talked to, things just work the way they work, and you kind of need to figure it out on your own.”

I have to laugh a little.  I guess it’s not fair to expect Mike to have the meaning of life for me, but it would be nice if he had something.  “So, what are angels?” I ask.

“They draw on their own frequency of energy, I guess.  Honestly, most angels tend to be decent people, but a lot of them have this religion that’s a little strange.  I suppose most religions are a little strange in one way or another.”

I’m relieved someone else thinks so. 

“So what did you want to talk about before you met Justine?” Mike asks.

I tell him what happened last night.

“You ate a dog?” he says.  He sounds pretty disgusted for someone who preaches about accepting your difference.  “That’s really messed up.”

“Hey,” I say.  He’s being a bit of a hypocrite, “You don’t get to judge me.  I saw your face when we passed the emergency ward.  I could have sworn you had a mini-orgasm.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“It was pretty bad.  From the look on your face, I wouldn’t be surprised if you need to change your clothes quickly.”

“Was it really that obvious?” he asks.  He seems genuinely concerned.  I guess no one wants to risk looking depraved at work.

“Maybe it was just because I knew what I was seeing,” I say to comfort him, but it was obvious.

“In any case, I shouldn’t be your measuring post for normal.”

“Fine,” I say, “I guess we just have to be freaks together.”  It feels good to have someone else who’s like me.