Simple Distortion

Chapter 11 - Simple Distortion

“Excuse me. Excuse me,” I kept repeating myself as I pushed my way through the babbling tourists towards the old part of the city.

It would be useful if I bumped into Lloyd, it would save me a trip back any time soon. Not that I would be allowed back here any time soon.

Oh, I was in big trouble.

My eyes searched the cobbled road furiously, even from this far away, trying to find Lloyds face, or hair, or coat. Just something to tell me he was there, that he would be able to explain.

Earlier I had tried to get home, to get back up to Heaven, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t! My memories weren’t connecting, they weren’t getting me home.

I broke through the vast amount of people and into a dark alleyway.

I wasn’t where I thought I was. At the end of the short, dirty street was a big open space. Looking around as my eyes adjusted to the light filtering through the rainy clouds, I could see a large tarmac area. There were trees along the edge and large, rusting vehicles left scattered throughout the entire vast space. In the middle of them was a dark, human shape. The boy’s hair was dark and flicked over his eyes, his clothes were all black.

I knew who he was as soon as I stepped through the threshold of this place.

Demon.

Instincts flooded through my veins, pulsing adrenalin to my muscles.

The Demon’s head snapped up as I shifted down into a ready position. His eyes were black yet burning with the heat of Hell.

          I hadn’t done anything like this before, but, as the Demon bent his knees and rushed, snarling, towards me, I felt like I had been in this situation so many times before. Probably, in history, Angels had fought Demons like this many times, and I could believe that, I think, and I stand ready and waiting for the boy.

          The Demon pulls out a knife from his pocket as he stopped a few meters from me.

“Not sure how suitable that dress is for fighting with a Demon,” he says, cocking his head to the side, his lips half way between smiling and snarling, his eyes still flaming dangerously.

Aveline’s party seemed months ago as I stood less than five meters away from a Demon that has his sights set on killing me.

I tried to put on a casual tone.

 “Cut to the chase, Demon.”

A sudden static in the air that radiated from the boy triggered a blinding, electrifying flash and a deafening clap of thunder from the circling clouds above.

The small tuft of grass between the boy and me had turned black and the tarmac next to it had melted.

I felt ready for this.

A gust of wind blew his smell to me. It was sharp, yet had a strange allure. I could smell the slight animalness to him as well. I could smell his leather boots and the strange metal components in his knife. I could also smell blood. It wasn’t the Demon’s blood, it was human and smelt strangely like… Like…

Lloyd.

I gasped.

“Where is he?” I snapped.

The Demon smiled. “Who?”

“Lloyd.”

“How do you know Lloyd? Crying out loud! Is everyone following me today?” He snarled. He closed the space between us quicker than I thought he could. His face was furious, distorted with Hell’s anger. He took a swipe with the knife, trying to cut my wrist. I dodge away from the blade quickly.

The boy turns, his tail bristling, electric.

“Bring it,” I murmur. The boy stalks forwards brandishing the knife, twisting it this way and that.

Flash

The lightning glinted off the blade and into my eyes for a split second.

That was all he needed.

He jumped at me, slicing it into my left shoulder. I suddenly felt like an inexperienced little girl.

The blood was gushing down my chest, staining my purple dress with blue.

I turned and ran to the nearest rusty car. I could hear him after me. I reached for the broken door as the knife was pushed into my back. My chest convulsed into pain, but I managed to pull off a piece of rusting door.

The Demon pulled the knife from my back as I turned to fight.

He caught my wrist in his hand.

It felt like the whole world slowed down and the sounds became muted.

“One touch makes it final.” The powerful voice echoed through my head. The Demon’s eyes were wide.

Could he hear that too?

Who was talking? Was it Lloyd?

The flames were gone from the Demons eyes, being replaced by pure fear. I didn’t expect that.

My heart was being compressed!

Where the Demon’s hand was gripping my wrist, there was a tingling sensation. It was pulsing up my arm. It was in my shoulder.

My chest was heaving. I couldn’t get the oxygen into my body fast enough.

I tried to pull my wrist from his grip. I couldn’t move.

The tingling was paralyzing me!

The Demon’s eyes reflected mine.

What was going on?

Suddenly I could move again.

I yanked my wrist from him. He dropped the knife in his other hand; it clattered to the floor.

I backed away, towards the dark alleyway and the bustling street after it.

He did the same, but in the opposite direction. His eyes were locked onto mine.

“What the hell did you do?” He whispers.

I shake my head, turn, and run.