Scarlet Rain [completed]

Chapter Two

I woke up to the smell of aged pages. My nose was buried in the crease of the book I was reading earlier. I could hear the amused laughter, casual chit chat, and drunken slurs. Everything was normal. My chest stung a bit. Then, I remembered my dream with a demon named Trance and our conversation.

I turned my attention to the shirt I was wearing. A small hole was left from where he shot me with his gun. I peeked inside my shirt to see a strange marking on my skin. I got up and walked to the bathroom nearby to have some privacy. Once I was inside, I lifted my shirt to get a better look in the mirror. It was one of those demonic symbols.

"What the fuck is this?"

I wanted to rub it off, but a red bolt of lightning shocked me when I touched my skin. 

"Hey there."

That voice. I spun around to see Trance giving me a smug look with his arms crossed. I stormed over to him and grabbed him by his ridiculous collar. His face didn't change.

"What the hell is on me?"

"Hey hey hey...you're my host now. The thing on your chest is proof of that. I can see why you'd be mad. Look, don't let anyone else touch that mark."

"What if someone else touches it?"

"If you touch it, I come out to wherever you are. If someone else does, you get put into a limbo. It's like living between life and death. You'd be all alone. There's no escape from a place like that. Trust me."

I dropped my hand to my side. It was hopeless to fight against Trance. He was a demon after all. I pulled my shirt down and ran out of the bathroom. The demon gave little effort to follow me. He sat at the entrance of the bathroom and watched me run. It pissed me off how he thought he could just tell me what to do.

My foot got caught in a gopher hole, and I smacked into the ground. A cut on my forehead started to bleed. I shuffled back to the bathroom to clean myself up. Trance was waiting for me with an I-told-you-so look.

"Are you done throwing your little tantrum?"

"Piss off."

I stared at myself in the mirror. The blood was still on my face, but I couldn't find any cuts. I turned to Trance, who was eager to give the the answer.

"By me possessing your body, I've given you a taste of demon powers. One of them is healing...so you regenerate faster than the average human. You're not invincible, but a tiny cut like the one you had is no biggie. The only problem is that regeneration requires energy. I'll teach you how to control it so don't worry."

Trance had to explain almost everything. Why not make a book for the newly possessed? It would make things much easier. And I wouldn't have to hear that awful demon talk.

I bent my head down into the sink to wash the fresh blood off of my face. The bloody water dripped into the white bowl. Trance appeared at my side and put his face close to mine.

"Does that feel good or something?"

I picked up my head and let the water run down my neck.

"Why do you get to ask all the questions? I've had enough. I have a couple for you. One, why me?"

"Well, you have a special ability for sensing demons like me, which could come in handy. Then, there's the fact that you live a simple life. It makes everything much much easier."

I gave a heavy sigh. His reasons only irritated me.

"Fine. What about getting rid of you? How can I get rid of you?"

Trance snickered for a bit. He wiped away an imaginary tear from under his red eye.

"You hate me that badly? It does make this all the more interesting though. Very well. I'll tell you. Exorcism doesn't work on a demon of my level. It would only destroy you. I have one thing I'm here to do and I'll go back peacefully."

"What do you need to do? If we get this over with, then I can have my alone time back."

He shifted his feet and pushed his hands further into his pocket. Trance took a couple paces to the left and back to the right.

"What is it we have to do?! Spit it out already! I'll do anything."

He stopped moving and turned his head towards me. His eyes illuminated the dark creases in his face with a bright red. A wicked smile spread across his face.

"Anything? What if I told you I was here to kill?"

"What the -"

"To get rid of me, you have to kill seven serial killers. Of course the ones in prison already are too hard to get to, so we'll have to go find some that aren't caught yet. You catch my drift?"

My jaw dropped. I had to kill murderers to get rid of this thing. I wasn't sure if he was trying to be a vigilante or what. But to kill people?

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me."

"You said you'd do anything...so this is the one thing you have to do. Or say good-bye to bathing suits and physical contact for the rest of your life. On top of that, other demons might sense my presence and come attack you."

"This is fuckin' great."