Demon in Salem

by Laura Cabrerizo

  29. SAMUEL

  Samuel walked hand in hand through the south part of Central Park with Sara and enjoyed the sense of nature in the middle of the city. After they left the stock exchange, they went back to the hotel and picked up Chico, taking the dog to explore the immediate area. She seemed to enjoy the architecture and movement of the big city. He had never seen so many people in one place at one time and was more apt to people watch than to take in the surrounding sites.

  Everything was so disparate from the past. The technological advancements alone were indescribable. Samuel tried not to stare at women as they walked alone through the city streets. He was proud that society had evolved to a point where women could be more than mothers and wives if they wished.

  Of course, he had other motives for coming here. He told Sara he wanted to see the park because it was a focal point of so many movies he enjoyed. That was his cover for the real motivation of finding the descendant whose thread of power felt thick and heavy in his mind.

  Sara squeezed his hand and gazed up at him. “What are you thinking about?”

  “How much the world has changed. There are so many new things to experience but society and technology change so fast it’s daunting.” Samuel looked down towards her, smiling at the sparkle in her eyes and the light blush from the cold dusted across her cheeks.

  A horse nickered in the distance and Samuel looked over to see a man standing in front of the beautiful black beast. The horse had a carriage attached to his back, and Samuel drifted towards it. “I had a horse. She was a gorgeous chestnut mare. The gentlest girl you would ever meet.” His eyes misted with unwelcome sadness as he thought about his lost companion.

  “What do you think happened to her?” Sara stood several feet away, holding the sleeve of her sweater over her nose and mouth.

  “I’m sure the stable master took her in.” He watched as the horse’s owner came around the side of the carriage.

  “Would you like to take a tour of the park? Sunset is the best time.” The coachman looked between him and Sara with a gleaming salesman’s smile.

  Samuel turned to her with his eyebrows raised in question, but she shook her head and stepped further away from the horse.

  “He won’t bite, why don’t you come and pet him?” The coachman waved to the horse who threw his head down and back up, snorting in a menacing fashion. Samuel put his hand on the flat part of the beast’s head and stroked it, murmuring tender words until the horse calmed.

  “It’s not that.” Sara took another step backward and dug through her purse while watching them with wary eyes. “Funny story, really. I’m severely allergic to horses. I shouldn’t even be this close.” She pulled a bottle out of the bag and held it up in triumph before twisting the cap off and emptying several pills into her hand. Selecting two, she popped them into her mouth and grimaced as she swallowed.

  “What was that?” Samuel walked away from the horse, approaching her as she continued to back away.

  “Allergy medicine. Once it kicks in, I should be fine. Granted, I’ll probably fall asleep in an hour or two, but at least I’ll be able to breathe.”

  “How do you find out you’re allergic to horses?” He tried to retake her hand, but she pulled away and pointed to a small building by a playground.

  “You have to wash your hands, I’m so sorry.” Sara walked towards the playground with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “When Ash and I were around fourteen, she wanted to take up horseback riding. She always loved horses, and she and her mom had been watching the Summer Olympics which led her to insist she simply had to take horseback riding lessons. It was a given I would go with her. When we got to the ranch and walked into the barn with about ten horses, my system went into complete allergic overdrive.” They reached the doorway of the bathrooms, and she turned to him, pointing her thumb over her shoulder towards the door. “I ended up in the emergency room suffering from anaphylaxis. I should carry an EpiPen but how often does one come into contact with horses?”

  Samuel had no idea what an EpiPen was, but he would make sure Sara got one when they returned home. He didn’t care if it was useless because she never came into contact with horses. If she was allergic to them, she could be allergic to other types of animals. It was a minor miracle she lived in this time period. If she lived in the time he came from, her chances of survival would have been grim at best.

  Samuel hurried to wash his hands, scrubbing them with soap and blistering hot water to remove whatever Sara was hesitant to touch. When he finished, he grabbed several paper towels and dried his hands before shoving them into the trash receptacle. He didn’t like being away from Sara, the possibilities of things that could hurt her were endless. It was hard for him to remember she had made it this long taking care of herself. In his opinion, she had been swimming through shark-infested waters with her eyes closed. It was easy to put on a brave face when you were oblivious to the dangers below.

  Walking out of the bathroom, he approached Sara and saw a shadow move over her shoulder. Samuel narrowed his eyes and snaked his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as a low and guttural growl bubbled from his chest. The shadow backed up then disappeared around the corner of the building.

  “What was that?” Sara’s voice came muffled from the area of his chest, and he released her, letting her gather herself before draping his arm over her shoulders.

  “Fucking bloodsuckers.”

  “What?”

  Samuel looked down at her and shrugged. “Vampires. Don’t worry, he won’t come near you while I’m around.” And he had no intention of leaving her alone. Vampires were only useful if you wanted to turn someone immortal. Samuel stopped dead in his tracks, causing Sara to stumble and look up at him with confusion. If he had been a cartoon character, a lightbulb would have flashed over his head as he had an epiphany. Vampires loved making deals as much as demons did. Perhaps one of his old acquaintances would be willing to turn Sara for him, then he could keep her with him forever.

  “Hey, we can’t take a horse and carriage ride through the park, but there are the pedicabs!”

  Sara’s exclamation broke through his thoughts, and he smiled down at her, nodding his ascent even though he didn’t know what she was talking about. He thought it best not to tell her about his thoughts just yet. From what he had seen in movies, women either fell head over heels for the idea or became very wary and he felt Sara may fall into the second category. Samuel let her lead him towards a group of men on bicycles hooked up to carriages and understood.

  Sara spoke with the man standing next to a blue bike and asked him to give them a round-about tour of the park, ending at a restaurant she had picked out for dinner near a lake. Waving him over, Sara sat in the back of the cab, leaving room for him to join her.

  The chauffeur pedaled as Samuel wrapped an arm around Sara and buried his face in her hair, giving appropriate responses as she pointed out different statues and landmarks with excitement. Oddly, he felt better now, knowing he had a way to be with her after he regained his powers. The worry she would turn to dust between his fingers, as so many of his lovers and friends had over the centuries, was a niggling itch in the back of his mind he didn't want to think about.

  He watched her more than the surroundings as the sun set over the false horizon of buildings in the city. He missed the wide-open fields and forests, but this metropolis was much more exciting and alive. At least he knew he would never be bored here.

  Sara gazed at her phone as the waiter cleaned the last of their dinner plates from the table and left the bill. He felt bad he wasn’t able to take her out to dinner, money never being an issue before his imprisonment, but she didn’t seem to even notice as she placed a credit card in the book without looking up from her phone. “I know it’s late, but would you be willing to go see the Butterfly Gardens? It’s pretty far away though, probably a forty-minute walk.”

  “Sure,” Samuel replied after he saw she didn’t notice his
nod. They stood to leave after the waiter returned the credit card and she signed the slip. As they walked out, he confessed, “It feels wrong to me that you’ve had to pay for this whole trip.” She turned towards him with a shocked expression.

  “When I come from men take care of women.”

  “Yes, and women weren’t allowed to have any say in their lives, either. They weren’t able to work, and society expected them to be obedient little wives and breeders.”

  “Touché. I’m glad women have found their voice. Still, though, it’s somewhat emasculating.”

  “Tell you what,” Sara danced around him with a large grin spreading across her lips, “Once Ash sends the money from the sale of those coins we gave her, I’ll let you take me on vacation.”

  She skipped away from his grasp as he reached for her and he sprinted to catch up. “And where you would like me to take you, Sweet?”

  “Sweet, huh? I like that.” Sara winked at him before pressing her lips in thought. Samuel caught up with her, but she avoided his grip again as she danced playfully away. He would have to remember how coffee and sugar affected her next time they ordered dessert. She was adorable.

  “Take me to Italy. We can detour through Rome then hop over the Mediterranean to Spain. You can show me all of your favorite spots. I bet you have some amazing stories.”

  “I would love to take you to my first home. What would you like to see?”

  Sara expounded on all the places she’d read about and wanted to explore on their tour. She chattered on about watching the sunrise from a villa overlooking the water and drinking wine from the local vineyards until he caught her.

  Samuel picked her up and twirled her as she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips found hers, brushing them gently before pressing them open and deepening the kiss. She moaned, her arms tightening as she tilted her head to give him better access.

  A rock skittered across the pavement, and Samuel’s head flew up. He examined the darkness, cursing himself for not paying attention to their surroundings. They were standing several feet from the darkened tunnel of a small bridge. The only light to guide their way came from a small wrought iron street lamp on the other side of the structure, the one next to them having burnt out at some point in the past.

  Sara squeaked as he pushed her behind him, the action rougher than he intended as a man came out of the shadows. Samuel could tell the man was human, but his demeanor screamed sickness as he approached them.

  “Hey, you got a few dollars to spare?” The man shuffled forward, his body twitching.

  “No man, sorry.” Samuel reached out to take control of his mind when Sara screamed, distracting him. He threw up his left arm to deflect the knife his attacker thrust at him, biting back a curse as sharp, hot pain sliced across his forearm. He threw a hard punch in return, feeling his knuckles crack as they connected with the man’s jaw, throwing him back several feet to fall on the ground. He didn’t get up.

  “Samuel, your arm!” Sara exclaimed as she came around him, grabbing his bloodied hand and shining the light from the flashlight on her phone over the wound. Sara ripped his sleeve further open, revealing a cut that bled profusely. With the glaring white light, the cut looked long and deep, glints of white bone showing through the bloody muscle.

  “It will be fine. It’ll heal in seconds, don’t worry.” He tried to pull his arm away, wincing at the pain throbbing through the extremity. It was a new feeling for him. In the past, the sting of a blade only hurt for a moment, it didn’t carry on.

  “Oh God, it’s not stopping.” She cursed and looked around wildly before pulling her own sweater off.

  “What are you doing? You’re going to freeze to death out here!” He may be insensitive to temperature, but anything under sixty-five degrees and she shook like a leaf.

  “I’ll be fine.” Sara gathered the body of the sweater and held it firmly to the wound before taking the sleeves and wrapping them around his arm. She tied them together, pulling as hard as she could. He could see the knot didn't satisfy her when the blood soaked through the soft grey material, flowing from his arm and dripping on the ground. A dizzying sensation overtook him as he started to feel lightheaded and swayed. He wasn’t used to seeing his own blood leave his body.

  “Don’t you dare faint on me!” She grabbed a thick stick from the ground and shimmied it under the tied fabric, twisting it like a shutoff valve until the bleeding stopped. Samuel grit his teeth against the pain and tried not to stare at his blood covering her hands. He didn’t want to think she could have been the one the mugger stabbed. Why the hell wasn’t his wound healing?

  “We have to get to an emergency room.” Sara pulled out her phone, unconcerned by the gore on her fingers, and searched for the closest hospital. “We’ll have to go to Mount Sinai. It’s a ten-minute walk from here, can you make it?”

  Samuel ground his teeth and nodded. She glanced down at the unmoving man before sighing and hitting numbers on her phone. She stood still and continued to stare at the attacker as she waited for the connection.

  “Hello? Yes, I’d like to report an attempted mugging.” Samuel waited, holding the stick that kept the makeshift bandage tight and in place, while she spoke to the person on the other end.

  “No, my boyfriend knocked him out. We are near the Gothic Bridge according to the map. We’re going to head north on Bridle Path to get to the emergency room.” Sara listened to the person on the other side of the line, then replied, “Thank you, we will keep a lookout for them.”

  “What’s happening?”

  She turned to look at him and cringed. He wondered how bad he looked which led him to question why his wound still hadn’t healed. He was pondering his dilemma when the fact she called him her boyfriend broke through his hazy thoughts, causing him to smile.

  “The police are sending someone to pick up the mugger. The dispatcher also said they will send someone out to take us to the hospital and not to move.” Sara checked his makeshift bandage, moving his arm above his heart and frowning. Before long, a white ambulance with blue stripes and words, denoting it as the Central Park Medical Unit, pulled up next to them with flashing lights.

  “Are you the ones who called nine-one-one?” A young woman asked, popping her head out the window.

  “Yes. You guys arrived fast!” Sara was taken aback by the ambulance appearing next to them.

  “We overheard the emergency dispatch call and responded.” The woman said, opening the door and jumping out. She herded them towards the back of the ambulance where a partner opened the back doors to let them in. Samuel jumped in before the paramedic could say anything and tried to sit on one of the seats to the side of the stretcher.

  “Sir, we need you to lie down.” The male paramedic told him, reaching out to help him to his feet and guide him to the stretcher which took up the majority of the back of the van.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not going to lie in that thing.”

  “Lie down.” Sara crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. Her tone was low and clipped, and the look in her eyes said he shouldn’t argue. Against his better judgment, Samuel did as she commanded. He wasn’t sure he liked her bossing him around though part of him grew aroused at her demanding attitude. The male paramedic inserted an IV into his arm, attaching it to a bag of fluid hanging over his head. Once the paramedic finished, he reached into an overhead bin and pulled out a tray of vials and needleless syringes.

  “Have you been drinking tonight?” The paramedic looked him over for signs of alcohol use.

  “No.” Samuel thought it was an odd question. The male paramedic bustled around, opening and closing several drawers while pulling out odds and ends from each. He unwrapped the sweater and started a preliminary examination of the wound before using the items he collected to staunch the flow of blood. Once he finished, and the blood was no longer dripping from Samuel’s arm, the paramedic used a syringe to pull a clear liquid out of one of the small vials
.

  “I’m going to give you something for the pain. It doesn’t react well with alcohol.” The man turned towards him and picked up the IV, twisting the plastic syringe into a port further up the line. As he pushed the plunger, euphoria overtook Samuel, and his eyes fluttered back. The throbbing in his arm stopped as lightheadedness took over. His vision blurred, and he tried blinking to clear it.

  Sometime later, he didn’t know quite how long he had been laying there, he saw flashing lights. He heard Sara talking to someone, her voice light and sweet against the harsh background sounds. His stomach turned, and his eyes kept drifting closed as his head fell back against the soft mat of the stretcher. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

  The witch danced just outside of the circle she had trapped him within. Cackling with mirth over her latest exploits, the demure Puritan ensemble she wore was at odds with her devious attitude. Samuel’s head rose as he watched her, his eyes narrowed with hate and anger.

  “I have something of yours, something you will miss sorely. It doesn’t really matter though, you’ll never escape this cellar. You’ll kneel before me until your mind cracks, and you descend into madness. Doesn’t that sound lovely, my dear little demon?”

  He growled in response, but he’d already been trapped for longer than he could judge. The days were endless with no way to tell time, stuck in a windowless box. Solely the witch came or went often. Sometimes her apprentice would appear, but the girl would never get close enough for Samuel to use his powers on her. He grew weaker by the day, his energy draining from him through thin silver wires in multiple directions.

  The witch frowned, cocking her head towards the door hidden from him around the corner. Grunting, she walked to her work table and closed her grimoire. She picked up the book and walked with it out of sight. Samuel heard stones grating against stones then several moments of silence before the action happened again. The witch’s heels clicked on the concrete floor as she walked towards the door. He heard shouting as she opened it before the sound abruptly cut off as she closed the door behind her. Silence followed.