Scarlet Rain [completed]

Chapter Twenty-One

I opened my eyes. We were still in the gross room that Mateo brought us to. I didn't have a clue as to what time of day it was. There were no windows around.

I laid on one of the couches with my head propped up on Trance's lap. He was also taking a nap, sitting up leaned against the arm rest. His coat was draped over me like a blanket. He must've needed a break too. I felt the weight of something around my neck and touched it. It's the necklace. I wish there was a mirror in here so I could take a look at it.

I swirled circles on Trance's knee. A few of my nails were messily broken off. Might as well start learning how to do this myself. I tried to bend the first nail, but it was a lot harder than it looked. The force I used on the nail built up gradually to the point where I my arms were shaking. Finally, it broke off. The sound of the nail snapping was similar to that of a dry twig. Trance's legs bounced. He readied his claws to attack.

"It's just me. Sorry for scaring you."

I rubbed his knee as he settled back down. His body sank into the couch. He pat my head.

"Are you hungry?"

"Well...I could go for some food."

"There's some left over pancakes in my coat. Just reach into the pocket. There should be a few."

I reached into the bulky pocket and found the bag. It was sad enough that they were cold. But there wasn't any syrup to eat them with either. I opened the bag, reached for the first pancake, and took a bite. Still good! I devoured all the pancakes we had in just a few minutes. After swallowing my last mouthful, I thought of something.

"Do you ever get hungry?"

Trance seemed taken aback by the question.

"Ummm...yeah. I don't eat around you because it might make you uncomfortable. Although, we demons came up with a supplement that can waive our hunger for twenty-four hours."

"What do you eat?"

"I really don't think I should-"

"Just tell me. It's not gonna hurt if you tell me the truth."

"Well...if you really want to know. I eat other demons. Every demon has their food preference. You seem to be the human type...but on the other hand, you haven't tried any of the other options."

I nodded my head. Does that mean Trance is a cannibal to his own kind? Wait...does that make me a cannibal too?

"Anyways, we should get out of here. There's not much left for us in a place like this."

"Alrighty then. Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Trance laughed out loud.

"Who says that anymore!? I thought your generation forgot about that!"

"Well...I can't speak for my entire generation, but it gets tossed around here and there."

I tried to push Trance out the door. His heavy body barely moved.

"Come on. Let's get going now."

We walked through the same hallway, but this time I was able to look around. There were pictures of different pieces of jewelry hanging on both sides. One picture stood out. My rose necklace. The image didn't do the actual piece justice. We made it to the front. Night time had already fallen. Trance casually walked over to the register.

"I'm going to need a refund for the poor service here."

He balled his hand into a tight fist, bringing it down on the register. The drawer flew open. Trance pulled out a few hundreds worth of dollars and shoved them into his pocket.

"A demon's gotta live too, ya know?"

I wanted to hold back my laughter, failing horribly. I didn't want to be as unlawful as Trance, but I think it was already too late for that. Murder, theft, trespassing. The list could go on and on.

I followed Trance out into the dead street. Everyone was already at home. The shops were all closed. Crickets sang their own version of the Moonlight Sonata. The stars illuminated the cement road. There were two bright yellow stars hovering over a building. After my eyes adjusted some more to the night, I realized that it was a silhouette of a person. I tugged on Trance's sleeve, but he already noticed too. His eyes lit up.

"Once again we've gotta deal with these mother fuckers. What the hell's their problem?"

"Maybe we should see what they want. It could just be a peaceful demon."

"Or maybe not."

A bit of a hypocrite if I don't say so myself. But he was right. At times like these, there's no telling who might come after our heads.

"I'm not going over there! You're gonna have to come down here! Unless you're chicken?!"

I jabbed Trance in the arm and spoke in a whisper.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying  to pick a fight?"

"Just trust me."

The shadow jumped from the roof, landing on the floor in a super hero pose. They stood up and rubbed the dirt off their hands onto their shirt.

"I really didn't want to have to come all the way down here, but I guess the girly can't jump or fly for that matter."

I recognized that voice.