by Krista Walsh
“I was all over them. I think I counted fifteen by the end, and I took them down with half a dozen arrows.” Although it was a stretch of the truth, the fact that it wasn’t a complete lie made Molly feel like a badass.
“That’s…wow,” Steve said. “You actually sneaked out your bedroom window? How did you climb down?”
“I tell you I fought ghouls, and you’re more interested in learning how I got out of the house?”
“I have an easier time picturing you kicking the ass out of some undead monsters than shinnying down a tree. Your parents didn’t hear anything?”
“I know how to be sneaky,” Molly said. She was a little let down by his reaction, but not discouraged. “But the ghouls.”
“All right, tell me about the ghouls.”
“They were really gross. It kind of felt like I was punching bags of half-thawed peas. And they turn into puddles of goop when they die that reek so bad. Like catching a whiff of Sam’s locker.”
“Eugh.”
“Exactly. But they’re not even the most important part. The more I’m learning about this world, the more I’m realizing that these things are everywhere. Not just ghouls, but all kinds of demons and other creatures.” Molly’s heartbeat stumbled with regret. “Oops, sorry. I shouldn’t call them creatures. They’re not animals.”
“Of course not,” Steve said.
Molly fell silent as she considered the mood in the air between her and her best friend. Confusion clouded her thoughts, and her story fell away, forgotten. “You don’t sound excited about this. I’m telling you I’ve confirmed there’s a whole other world out there, and you’re reacting as though I just told you roasted peanuts are on sale at Dan’s.”
Roasted peanuts were always on sale at Dan’s Convenience. She would be excited if one day she went in and they were full price.
“I just can’t believe you went out on your own in the middle of the night. I thought you said you were going to wait until we talked about this. Sneaking out of the house and wandering town — that’s not like you.”
Molly squared her shoulders and tapped the pads of her fingers against the rough wood of the picnic table. “Who says that’s not like me? When have I ever stuck with what was expected of me?”
“Never,” he conceded. “But you’ve always rebelled within reason. This was dangerous. You could have been really hurt.”
“Of course I could have been. You heard me say I fought a pack of ghouls, right?”
“Yes, I heard you.”
Molly couldn’t catch his tone clearly enough to interpret how he meant those words, but her hope drooped out of her that he would support her mission to learn more.
“Are you jealous I went without you?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “I think it was kind of a stupid decision. I know you say you’re bored with your life right now, but that’s no reason to get reckless. Whatever you met out there could have killed you. Why would you take that risk?”
Molly’s shoulders slumped, and she propped her chin on her hand. The sun warmed her face as it rose behind the school, and she pulled her sunglasses out of her bag, putting them on to protect her eyes from the UV rays.
“I guess you’re right,” she said.
The table moved beneath her elbow, and her free hand warmed as Steve rested his on top of it. She’d been right about the calluses on his fingers. He must have started practicing again.
“I know you’re fascinated with this idea of an otherworld, Molly, and I don’t want to take it away from you. I just want you to be careful. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
A rumble of voices vibrated through her head as more students began to arrive, and Molly understood the time for talking was over. She regretted the interruption. Something was clearly going on with Steve, and she wished she had more time to get to the bottom of it. Her disappointment sat uncomfortably in her chest, but she put on a smile and grabbed her bag from the ground.
“You’re right. It’s better to start on what we know to be true. Like how Ms. Cleary will kick our asses if we’re late for physics.”
Not giving Steve a chance to say anything else, she headed inside.
***
The school day passed in a bit of a blur. More than once, Molly lapsed into thoughts about the night before, and Steve had to nudge her in the ribs to get her to read along with the teacher’s notes on her braille display.
She found herself thinking about what Zach had told her of the demon wars, and how strange it was that the demons had been ordered down when they’d almost won a great victory. What had been their purpose in wiping out the guardians if it wasn’t to find a way to take over and start calling the shots?
She wondered how the world would look today if that order hadn’t been given. Would the humans have become enslaved to the whims of the demons? Would humans even still exist? The thought sent thrills down her spine that were only somewhat tempered by the fact that the human race was still alive and kicking.
She wondered if Zach knew more than he’d told her, and if he’d be willing to continue the story if she brought something real for him to eat. And something for Dusty as well. That poor kitten had been skin and bone beneath her fingers, though she was healthier than she might have been for a stray.
By the time the final bell rang that afternoon, Molly had already made up her mind about how she would spend the rest of her evening. She just had to get through her archery practice, which she was even more eager to focus on after last night’s battle with the ghouls.
She wondered what her mother would say if she asked to take up fencing…
“Molly,” Steve barked, and she realized he must have been calling her name for a while.
“What?”
“I said I know you’re probably not happy with me, but I hope you’re not too angry. You’ve barely spoken to me all day.”
She gave him a smile and patted his arm. “We’re good. I understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, and I appreciate that you’re trying to keep me safe. How could I be upset about that?”
“Good,” he said. “So you’ll stay home tonight?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
***
Molly waited until the house grew still before she removed her bow from its case, strung it, and slipped another half-dozen arrows into her quiver.
Archery class had been a great relief for her muscles and her mind. She’d relished each draw and release, sinking deeper into the meditation of her practice. She hadn’t missed a single mark, and her coach had made a passing comment about how it had been her best session in months.
Molly was still basking in the compliment, and accepted that this was what she had been missing since she’d left Jermaine’s locked room. Purpose. Finally, she had a reason to be practicing again. Because now she had something to prepare for. Something she would potentially need her arrows against.
Although she had no desire to meet those ghouls again tonight, her body felt lighter, filled with new focus.
Having learned from her previous attempt, she found it easier to sneak out the window and climb down the accommodating tree into the grass. Tonight, along with her bow and arrows, Molly carried a backpack over her opposite shoulder filled with containers of leftovers from dinner. When the leftovers were discovered to be missing in the morning, she’d tell her mom that she’d grown hungry in the middle of the night and made herself a snack. As long as she remembered to bring the containers back, they would never know the difference.
Quickly, not wanting any of the neighbors to spot her, Molly made her way down the street and slipped into the nearest alley. She’d paid close attention when Zach had walked her home last night, so she knew the fastest route back to the trade college. The tricky part would be finding the door he’d taken her through. She hoped he’d hear her knock, but she would deal with that challenge when she came to it.
The night was colder than yesterday, and she wished she’d tho
ught to bring an extra jacket. She snuggled her chin deep into her scarf and kept her head down against the wind as she navigated the alleys. Not wanting to be caught unawares again, she kept her head tilted to pick up the sounds of anything creeping along behind her, but the silence of the night pressed into her brain like a rush of static. She focused on the sensation of the wind brushing over her cheeks and the vibration of her cane passing over the cement at her feet.
The air carried the sharp sweetness of coming snow, and she guessed it wouldn’t be long before New Haven had its first seasonal fall, something other than last month’s strange blizzard. She wondered if they’d even make it to Halloween on Saturday without a few fresh flakes.
She stopped when she reached the corner where her memory told her the college was located. Sure enough, her cane slid over the steps leading up to the front doors, and she guided her fingers over the plaque set into the brick. New Haven Trade and Technology. A thrill of victory rushed through her, but she wasn’t done yet. Moving slowly, navigating her way around something she guessed to be a rock buried in the grass, and narrowly missing a bar of some kind sticking out of the wall, she walked around the building toward the door Zach had used.
Something moved to her left, and she whipped around.
Her heart jumped into her throat as a massive hand closed on her shoulder.
6
Zach had been setting up a trap on the first floor of the college when he’d spotted the shadow slipping past the window. He debated whether he should just ignore it, as he’d done his other late-night visitors, but something about the way this stalker moved infuriated him enough that he couldn’t sit still. It was like Karl’s lackeys weren’t even trying to be sneaky anymore. They’d obviously managed to skirt around two of the newest traps he’d set outside, and if they were ready to make that much of an effort to see him, the least he could do was pay them the courtesy of saying hello.
He slipped down the hallway, navigating over the tripwire that would send the furniture he’d stacked toppling. For a change, he used the front door, then circled around the building toward where the shadow had passed.
As soon as the figure came into view, he drew to a halt, and a spark of irritation shot embers through his blood.
Not a demon. Molly.
He growled under his breath and loped across the grass toward her. Her meddling had to stop. Especially before she took three more steps forward and stepped on a loose stone in the earth. He’d rigged it so that if the stone was moved, the four-by-fours he’d leaned against the wall would fall over and hit the trespasser on the head. It would hurt a demon, but the consequences would be a little more serious for a human.
He dropped his hand on her shoulder, and she jumped around with a shriek.
“What are you doing here?” he snarled.
Molly pressed her free hand against her chest. “You scared the life out of me.”
“Good. You should be terrified, sneaking up on my place. How did you expect me to react?”
He watched the girl’s brow furrow as she bit down on her bottom lip. A sparkle in the corner of her eye caught the moonlight, and a piercing guilt speared Zach’s conscience that he’d pushed her to tears. At the same time, he was glad of it. She had to learn that the questions she was poking at would put her in danger.
“I wanted to talk to you more. I—I don’t have anyone else I can open up to about what you’re telling me, and there’s so much more I want to know,” she said.
Zach growled and squeezed his hands at his sides. He was packed and ready to go. He’d been setting the traps while Dusty finished her dinner in the hopes that it would slow down anyone who tried to come after him. Now he wished he’d forgotten about the traps and taken Dusty’s meal to go.
“No,” he said. “This is no place for a human. You had no idea what was sneaking up behind you, and if I’d been anyone other than who I am, or if you’d caught me in a bad mood, I can’t guarantee you’d still be alive. Isn’t that enough to show you the truth and convince you to stay out of it?”
Molly slid her backpack over her shoulder and stretched it out toward him. “I brought you dinner.”
Zach stared at her for a moment, refusing to accept the offered gift. She thought bribing him with food was going to change his mind?
His stomach grumbled as he caught the faint whiff of mashed potatoes and gravy coming through the zipper.
Damn.
“You’re insufferable,” he said, snatching the strap from her hand.
Her wobbling lips stretched into a smile. “That’s what my mother always says.”
Something moved in the corner of Zach’s eye, and he jerked his head around to spot it. One of Karl’s minions or just a raccoon out to steal his dinner? Either way, he didn’t think it smart to loiter too long outside.
“Come on,” he said. He wrapped his fingers around Molly’s upper arm and pulled her toward the door. She started at the contact, but this was no time to be considerate or gentle. The sooner he got the girl out of any possible stalkers’ sights, the better he would feel. “But this is the last time, you understand?”
“Why?” she asked after he released her arm and locked the door behind them. “Why don’t you want to talk to me?”
“Do I need a reason? This is my home. My life. I shouldn’t have to justify who I allow in it.”
“That’s rich coming from the daemelus who’s been following me around for a year.”
Again, Zach cringed, but her word choice was hardly the issue right now. “It’s for your own protection. Now that my debt is cleared, I’m getting out of this city. Somewhere no one can find me.”
Molly sucked a sharp breath between her teeth, but before he could determine the nature of her reaction, she squared her jaw and said, “When you leave, you won’t be able to protect me anymore, but that won’t mean I’m safe. Knowing what’s out there, that will keep me safe. At least then I’ll know what I’m supposed to be protecting myself from.”
“Does all your logic leap like that?” Zach asked. He opened the door beside the boiler room and Molly passed through without trouble, stepping over the board that had fallen from its place beside the door. “If you stopped poking your nose into trouble, you wouldn’t find any.”
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” she asked, and the smile she gave him had none of the fear she’d shown outside. Ever since he’d taken her up on dinner, she’d been acting as though they’d passed into a new stage of their acquaintanceship. Zach shuddered. Personal connections made no sense to him.
Dusty recognized Molly’s voice and came bounding over to her. She climbed up her legs, and Molly reached down to stroke her ears. Dusty’s purrs echoed throughout the room.
Zach hadn’t moved the second crate from in front of the stove — it hadn’t occurred to him to tidy up after he’d taken Molly home — so he guided the girl toward it and took his usual seat as he pulled the plastic containers out of the backpack.
“Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a slice of apple pie for dessert,” Molly listed off. “I even made sure to grab pieces of chicken with no skin, so we don’t need to worry about any accidental poisonings for Dusty.”
“Thank you,” Zach said, though the words felt strange in his mouth.
He didn’t bother to heat anything. His stomach was cramping too painfully in anticipation of real food to worry about things like warmth. He threw a few strips of chicken onto the lid and set it down for the kitten, then tucked into the rest of the meal.
Every bite was delicious and rich, and it filled a void he hadn’t known was there.
“When was the last time you had a good meal?” Molly asked, echoing his thought so closely that he started, jarring some of the gravy onto his fingers. He stared at her face, then started cursing at her in his mind to see if she was reading his thoughts. There was no reaction.
“I don’t know,” he finally said. “A long time.”
“So why do you hide
away like this? I know you said you don’t want people judging you or making opinions about you, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting some kind of job. From what you’ve said, you look human.”
Zach considered the scars that twisted the right side of his face, turning his lips into a permanent grimace. The Korvack demons, relatives of his mother, had been merciless with his human-shaped body. Leaving him alive had simply been their final act of torture.
But he didn’t say anything to disillusion Molly. If she carried a better image of him in her mind, what would be the point of revealing the truth?
“Because I’m not like anyone else.”
“Because you’re a daemelus?”
He snarled, his patience reaching its limit. “Stop using that word.”
Molly sat up straight. “Why?”
“Because it was Jermaine’s word, not mine. He thought that by naming me, he could control me.”
She frowned and unwrapped her scarf from around her neck, though she kept it draped around her shoulders. “Then what do you call yourself?”
Zach scowled. “I’m a monster. It’s best if you don’t forget it.”
“Daemelus sounds better. Monster is so…final. Like you’re not even giving yourself a chance to be good. At least daemelus sounds complex.”
Zach couldn’t prevent the nasal sound that emitted from the back of his throat. He realized it was a laugh.
“That’s true, I suppose,” he said.
“You’re not even all demon,” she said, matter-of-factly. “There’s the angel side to you as well, right? So why only identify with what’s evil?”
Zach took a mouthful of chicken to avoid answering, but she was still waiting expectantly by the time he swallowed. “I thought you wanted to know more about the world at large. What’s with all the personal questions?”
