Devil's Train

Chapter 6.

"Hey, Simon, I've been meaning to ask. Why are you afraid of dogs?" I ask Simon when we get back to his cabin.

We're laying on his bed, Simon snuggling close to my chest (I'm sure he can hear my heart beating rapidly).

"During my time, there were, uh... Rabid dogs. I was attacked by one when I was eight-years-old. It was... Horrifying. I think I probably would have died if I didn't get away," Simon explains.

"Rabid dogs? It's kind of crazy to remember you lived in the nineteenth century," I say with a slight chuckle. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"What about you? Any reason why you're afraid of heights?" Simon questions.

I think about it for a while. "I can't think of any reason. I think I rather just... Don't like the idea of potentially falling."

"That's understandable," Simon snuggles close to me and I can't help but smile."Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah, Simon?"
"Are you... Sure you want to be with me?" He asks, not looking at me. "If you really fall in love with me, you're never going to go up... You know."

"In Heaven?" I ask him. He shivers at the word.

"Yeah... If you really fall in love with me, you're bound to go to Hell no matter what. And I promise you, it's exactly what you would think. It's horrible, it's torturous... You have to go through years of torture in Hell until you're able to actually be... 'free' as a demon like me. I don't want you to go through what I went through...," Simon sighs.

I think for a while, suddenly becoming incredibly scared. "Really?" I ask him shakily.

"Y-yeah...," Simon pulls away from me and I can see sadness in his eyes.

"I don't want to think about that right now...," I say fearfully.

Simon looks up at me, looking worried. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just..."

"I understand, I just...," I shiver a bit and look away from Simon's gaze, saying nothing more.

"Maybe we shouldn't be together, then," Simon tells me.

"What?" I look back at him again, my heart beating faster.

"If you fall in love with me, you're going to Hell. I don't want you to deal with that, Jack... Hell is worse than anything, I promise you that," Simon explains, tears forming in his eyes. He blinks them away quickly.

I get up and lean against the wall, looking down at the ground. "You can't stop me from falling in love with you just by not being with me..."

"I...," Simons sighs, looking defeated. "If we're not together anymore, you won't fall in love with me..."

"So that's your plan? To just... Leave me?" I ask him, tearing up. Simon looks up at me, a guilt-ridden look on his face as tears start to fall down his cheeks. We look into each other's eyes for a while before I run out of his cabin as fast as I can, not daring to look back.

Part of me wanted so desperately for Simon to suddenly appear in front of me, to chase after me, but nothing happens. He doesn't appear beside me, I don't hear him calling me. But I can feel his eyes boring into me as I run through the forest and make my way back home.

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When I get home, I immediately go into my room to be alone and cry. I crash onto my bed, sobbing into my pillow, my head pounding with pain. My head is swirling with emotions, but I can't stop thinking about Simon.