Demons Run

Demons Run (13) Confessions

Demons Run (13)

I woke up fully dressed and laying in bed. The last thing I remembered was sitting in the bottom of the shower with Roman.

     "You're up." said Roman. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and holding up his head. He looked tired and stressed out, "How are you feeling?"

     I blinked stars out of my eyes and shook my head of the strange dream.

     "Dizzy."

     I tried to sit up but my head span more, and Roman got up quickly and hurried over to me, resting his hand at the base of my neck and laying me back down, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Be careful. Don't sit up."

     "I'm okay." I tried to mutter in protest. He stroked his hand over my hair and shook his head at me. I stared up at him curiously. He looked very relieved that I was up and talking to him, which despite how upset and distraught I'd been, made me happy. "Pharzuph said you were a bad man. And that you were going to kill me."

     Roman shook his head, "I would never kill my only chance for redemption. Besides that, you're good. And I told you, I only kill the wicked." He said, "Pharzuph is a liar. He took advantage of your naïveté."

     I was naïve in this situation, but it still wasn't nice to be called it. I shifted in the bed a little, feeling the springs in the mattress coil and warp. "He said you chose this. To be a demon. That you drank the blood of other powerful demons."

     Roman let out a deep sigh and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. "Listen, angel. I'm going to tell you why and how I became a demon."

     I suddenly became very excited, but I felt guilty for being so curious once I realized how tough the topic was for Roman.

     "No, no." I said quickly, "We don't have to."

     "I don't want what happened tonight to ever happen again. I want you to trust me, so I'm going to be completely open about this with you." He said very seriously. I nodded and he went on, "I was born human, just the same as my brother. When I was about twelve, Ray and I were out at the river playing. He got too far away from me and was sucked under by a current. He was never a strong swimmer, and I couldn't get to him in time... He drowned."

     I felt my heart snap in half at the words. The same brother that Roman said he had loved so much died. I would be scarred after something like that too.

     "My mom couldn't handle the grief of losing her youngest son. She heard of a man in town who went from rags to riches on a crossroads deal. It gave her all sorts of really crazy ideas, so she went to the crossroads. When she found out it was real magic and not all smoke and mirrors, she struck a deal with Barbatos to bring Ray back. When she found out what Barbatos' end of the price was... she wasn't so sure anymore."

     "You." I said quietly, "Her oldest son turned into something dark."

     He gazed down at me through dark lashes, "At the time, we weren't sure what he wanted with me. He made it seem like the deal was almost free." Then he continued, "Mother came home and told me what happened. She asked if... if it was okay... for her to offer me."

     "Oh my god." I said quietly, tears pricking the back of my eyes, "You were only twelve."

    "I told her yes, because I loved my baby brother." He said quietly, "I wanted him back and if it was the only way to save him I would." there was a brief pause as he gathered himself, "Barbatos came to me one night and fed me the blood of a pure demon, one of the first fallen. Apollyon, in case you were wondering." I had almost forgotten that name. Pain had warned me how dangerous Apollyon was. "I was turned into a hybrid, having the demon blood in my veins. It wasn't bad at first, but Barbatos knew that all hybrids eventually get the same urges as demons do. As I was 22, a female demon named Aria seduced me and made me believe that it was good for me to drink demon blood, and that it would make me stronger to succeed in my endeavors."