Quicksand Nightmares
A Seven Deadly Demons Novel
SHARON STEVENSON
Copyright
Sharon Stevenson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Copyright © Sharon Stevenson 2020
Published March 31ST 2020 by Parasomniac Press
All rights reserved. Thank you for buying an authorized edition and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning or distributing any part of it in any form without permission of the author.
Cover art by Najla Qamber Designs
http://www.najlaqamberdesigns.com
Chapter One
It’s always calm before a storm. You just don’t always know when one is brewing. I should have known. Life had been too easy. Too perfect.
It was just another lazy Saturday morning. Mason was still sleeping when I got up and crept out of the room. My plan was to go to the cafe around the corner and bring back breakfast rolls. Considering I had a habit of setting off the smoke detectors whenever I tried to cook, it seemed like the most sensible option.
Looking back, I wish I’d just waited for Mason to wake up. Things could have been so different.
That morning, I didn’t know any better. I was walking around as if the world had a nice, non-demon –related, rosy glow. It was bright out, a typical early summer morning where the sun scorched the cloudless sky. Walking in the heat felt so good. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. Everything was going great. I’d held down a job for two months, I was living with my best friend in the world who no longer had any reason to argue with me, and I was taking full advantage of the honeymoon period with the guy I’d been in love with for years. What could possibly go wrong?
Turned out, pretty much everything, and it all started with the demon I met that morning.
The cafe around the corner wasn’t anything fancy, but it did the job and it wasn’t expensive. My main concern was getting back with the goods while they were still warm. Mason loved it when I went to anything he could consider ‘trouble’ just for him. I liked to joke that I was just buttering him up to keep him sweet. Things usually took some interesting turns from that point in the conversation on. Since he’d been feeling better, for the last couple of weeks, our relationship had gotten a lot more heated. His new rules were a lot less boring than the old ones.
My first clue that something was amiss should have been the ‘closed’ sign hanging from the door. The lights were on inside and I was already there, so I pushed the door anyway. It opened and I saw there was someone behind the counter. She looked kind of dishevelled, but I decided that was none of my business. I went straight to the menu that was taped onto the counter top, pre-occupied with wondering what to get. Mason ate like a pig, and he liked to try everything going. I was considering whether he might be in the mood for haggis or black pudding with his bacon, when I glanced up and my stomach started to churn for reasons entirely unrelated to hunger.
The glint of yellow in her eyes gave me the demon’s type: Sloth. Not usually the most terrifying of demons, but something about the way this woman glowered triggered my internal alarms. Then the big question burned through my head. What had she done to attract the demon?
“What can I get you?” She sounded rough, looked like death warmed over. Exactly the kind of person you’d want cooking your breakfast. Yeah, I shouldn’t have ignored the ‘closed’ sign.
“Um, just a can of Coke.” I’d walk into town and get something from Piper’s cafe. There was no way in hell I was going to eat something this woman prepared. Chances were too good that she’d serve up something burnt or otherwise toxic. I forced a smile as she narrowed her eyes at me.
She was slow to take my money and she handed over the can with a sneer. Typical behaviour from a Sloth Demon possessed human. Usually it wasn’t what someone like this woman had done, but rather something she’d neglected to do, that triggered a possession. It had to be bad to attract a demon. It had to have resulted in causing purposeful hurt to someone else. Who had she hurt?
I wondered for a few seconds and the options my brain spewed out were terrible. I shook it off. It wouldn’t help to consider this. I’d find out for certain tonight, in the dreamscape. Or sooner, probably, considering the demon type. She’d likely decide to take a nap while the chip pan was on. It was debatable whether or not there was even any point exorcising her demon, though I doubted I’d get any choice in the matter. I’d seen it now. I’d be dreaming of it. I took the can of Coke and turned to leave.
She muttered as I opened the door, cursing about me under her breath. I heard the words ‘dream walker’ and knew for sure her demon had sensed me. It worried me, made me wonder how long the Sloth had been in her. That didn’t always happen. Usually the demon had to have his claws into his host pretty deep to allow him to control his or her speech or actions.
I tossed the can in the first bin I came across on my walk into town. I quickened my step, knowing I didn’t have a lot of time. I had to get back to Mason’s place where suddenly being pulled into the dreamscape wouldn’t be so damned risky. I got to Piper’s cafe in about ten minutes.
Piper’s eyes lit up when she saw me. Not with a demon, thank God.
“Tina! Where have you been?” She looked me over slowly. “Wait. Is that a guy’s shirt?”
I glanced down. Oh, yeah. I’d spilled curry sauce on my T-shirt last night. Mason had taken it as a chance to get me out of my clothes. He’d thrown it in the wash later and given me one of his. I hadn’t thought it was that obvious, but I supposed it was. “Um...”
Her mouth dropped open. “This is why you didn’t want anything to happen with Jimmy.”
She could be awfully good at jumping to conclusions when it came to relationships. Hitting the nail on the head here, but she didn’t need to know that. I felt my skin flush hotter the longer my brain refused to feed words to my mouth. I didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know anything about Mason. I’d just been telling her I had work, using it as the excuse not to go for wild nights out even though some part of me wanted that more than anything.
“So, who is he?” She raised an eyebrow.
I glanced around, hoping for a queue of customers to intrude. Apparently it was too early for that. I groaned. There was no use trying to lie. She’d know. “It’s kind of new. So I’m not...”
She nodded quickly. “Okay. Sure. Whatever. But you’re telling me everything, the second you decide he’s a keeper.”
She had no idea how much of a keeper he was. The one person on the face of this earth who knows what I am and completely accepts it? I’d have to be crazy to ever let him go. Having someone to talk to about the dream walker stuff had been a massive weight off my shoulders. I knew he felt the same way about his own abilities. He’d seen spirits, and I’ve seen them too. I was the only person he’d shared that with.
“Okay,” I said, looking at the board. Breakfast was now the last thing on my mind.
“Man, Jimmy’s going to be bummed,” she said, snapping my attention back to her.
“Jimmy’s a man-whore.” I winced at my tone the second I heard myself say the words. It wasn’t as if they weren’t true. Hearing his name had just poked at something I didn’t want to think about. He’d been texting me on and off and we were starting to feel like friends. Every time I replied to him I felt guilty. I hadn’t told him about Mason, and I hadn’t told Mason I was still texting some random guy, even if it was harmless.
“Well, yeah,” she said slowly, “but man-whores have feelings too.”
“Jimmy’s great, but this is a guy I’ve known f
or a long time.”
“It is?” She frowned as if she was trying to work out who it might be.
I took a deep breath. Admitting this to her felt weird. We’d never been as close as I’d been with Lucy or Mason. I knew Piper was a very honest and loyal kind of person. I probably knew more about her than she knew about me. Opening up felt terrifying. What was the worst that could happen? I didn’t know, and that was what I didn’t like about it.
“His name is Mason. We had a thing in high school.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “So, how hot is he?”
I had to smile. “Very.”
“You have to bring him out.”
“He’s not really a clubber.” I couldn’t imagine him in a night club. He was more of a Netflix and chill kind of date. Though it would be fun to see him tipsy. A few beers and he usually cut himself off.
She pulled a face. “Well, then, bring him in for lunch or something. I want to check this guy out. Make sure he’s good enough for you.”
“Oh he’s good enough.” The smile froze on my face as I felt the pull of the dreamscape. I’d wasted too much time on small talk. Now I was going to have to find a place to crash out for however long the damned demon wanted to take to be exorcised. “Where’s the bathroom in this place?”
She nodded behind her. “Through those doors and down the stairs.”
“I’ll be back.” I tried not to look like I was rushing, but I could only resist the pull for a certain amount of time before it dragged me under. The last thing I wanted to do was faint in front of a friend who knew nothing about my freaky dream walker abilities. I dashed down the stairs, holding onto the railing tight. When I found the door to the toilet, my head was swimming. I rushed inside and locked the door, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. Losing consciousness took seconds. I knew it would take a whole lot longer to capture the demon. Dreamscape, here I come.
Chapter Two
Something smelled bad. It’s not usually the first thing I notice in a new dreamscape, but there’s no escaping this. It’s harsher than the dirty-yellow light that’s making my new surroundings difficult to get a grip on. I’m not outside, that’s for sure. It’s too stuffy. The smell was too potent. Rotten food.
I covered my mouth and nose as I waited for the room to form around me. The woman would show soon, she’d do whatever heinous thing she did to attract her slovenly demon and I’d exorcise the damned thing and get the hell out of here. I could feel my eyes begin to water. I was holding my breath. Anything not to have to take in another lungful of the pungent decay that was drowning the room.
A kitchen took shape. Not surprised. Several black bags full of rubbish were lined up against the wall near a door that seemed to lead outside. Again, not surprised. Kind of a typical set up for a Sloth possessed human. I just wished she would hurry up and let me do my job. I seriously wanted to get out of here. I took a step forward and my foot caught on one of the bags. I gasped as I managed to right myself, and instantly regretted the intake of air. Why do the truly vile smells have to have a taste to them? I gagged. If I had to spend too much longer in here I was going to throw up, dream or not.
“I really hope my weapon is air freshener,” I muttered, before I covered my mouth again.
The coughing startled me slightly less than the smell. The woman sounded like she was trying to hack up a lung as she walked into the room. She spat into the sink and turned to open the fridge. The light illuminated how greasy and filthy her skin and hair were. Luckily the room stench covered hers. I so didn’t need to know what she smelled like.
“Come on,” I murmured. What was she doing? Taking her damn time, and delaying my escape, it would seem.
She picked up a knife from the dirty side of the sink. Not that there was a clean side, not really. But all of the used plates and cups were stacked on the right. The bread knife among them. It was filthy, caked with something I couldn’t identify. She put on the kettle and took things out of the fridge before she slapped bread down on the counter. It only looked slightly mouldy around the edges. That was an improvement on the rest of this place. She made a sandwich with fillings that at least looked edible. Then she cut it in half with the dirty knife, swiped crumbs off a cleaner looking plate and slapped the sandwich on it with a packet of crisps on the side. She poured a cup of tea and splashed milk into it before she shoved the carton back into the fridge.
She picked the plate and mug up and moved out of the room. I followed, into a hallway with décor surely picked out by an old lady. The wallpaper was peeling slightly from the walls, probably due to the heat, and the carpet was kind of threadbare in places. I didn’t want to know where the possessed woman was taking the sandwich, but I wasn’t getting any choice in the matter.
I waited for my weapon impatiently. The house seemed steeped in all kinds of gross smells, though no other room was as bad as the kitchen. An old woman sat staring blankly at the TV, barely moving when the possessed woman put the plate on the little table in front of her.
My weapon still wasn’t showing any signs of appearing, so the sandwich probably wasn’t going to kill her. It didn’t stop my stomach from lurching at the scowl the host gave the little old lady. The woman looked frail and far away. Not capable of looking after herself. If this bitch hurt her I’d make damn sure she paid for it.
She moved out of the room and into the hall. A crackling sound drew shivers up my spine as it suddenly got darker. The host flicked a light switch on the wall and nothing happened. The sound hadn’t died. She moved forward slowly, opening the door to a cupboard. She moved some switches and the lights went back on. The sound didn’t go away.
She turned, and her eyes were yellow. The demon smiled at me.
“I knew you’d come.”
Where the hell was my goddamned weapon? I looked down, but my hands were empty. The noise was getting louder now. Something was wrong with the electricity. That had to be it. The host had ignored the problem, and it had hurt someone. The old lady.
Don’t think about that, Tina. You need to kill this thing and get the hell out of here.
I moved back quickly when the demon tried to touch me. The sooner I got out of here, the better. I felt my fingers tingle and couldn’t fight the grin that appeared. My weapon was coming.
The sudden gust of wind that surrounded me took the disgusting smells away with it. I looked down at my hands. Blue bolts of electricity were running through my fingers, making my skin cool and tingly.
I looked at her. “Then you know what I have to do.”
She laughed. “I know what you’re going to try to do, dream walker. It won’t work.”
“Want a bet?” I grabbed her shoulders and sent the electricity crackling through her body.
She shook and shuddered under me, her laughter rattling before it died. When she fell to the ground I looked for my exit. The little old lady was slowly eating her sandwich in the other room when I left. I tried to tell myself she was still there now, but I knew I was lying to myself. Sometimes that’s all we can do.
Chapter Three
I gasped in a breath as I woke up. The air in the café’s bathroom was a lot cooler and much less disgusting than it had been in the dreamscape. I got to my feet slowly and realised someone was knocking on the door. I wondered how long I’d been out. I should really start wearing a watch.
“Tina, are you okay?” The sound of Mason’s raspy voice made me jump.
“Mason?” I opened the door quickly and my eyes widened at the sight of him.
He’d rolled into last nights clothes and his hair was still kind of a mess from sleeping. I was about to ask how he’d found me when Piper appeared beside him. Her gaze drifted appraisingly over him before she mouthed, ‘He’s ginger!’ at me, like she couldn’t believe it.
“Eh,” I tried to start, but didn’t know where to begin.
“You should have stayed in bed,” he said, quickly, taking my hand and pulling me into a half-hug. He turned his head to Piper.
“She wasn’t feeling well.”
Piper still had her not-sure-how-I-feel-about-you face on. I was still tongue-tied. I couldn’t work out how he’d found me. Had he followed me out here? That seemed wrong. I would have noticed. And why would he do that anyway? It was totally weird.
“We should get you back home,” he told me.
I nodded slowly, wondering what the hell was going on. “Yeah. I feel kind of faint.”
She frowned. “Maybe you should sit down or something? I could get you water. Painkillers?” She leaned in and whispered, “A pregnancy test?”
I snorted in spite of myself and shook my head as Mason walked me to the stairs back up to the café. Piper followed along behind us.
I stopped Mason before we got to the door and pushed him towards it. “I’ll just be a sec.”
He frowned at me before he stepped outside and started to pace around a little in front of the cafe. I turned back to Piper and rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, Piper?”
She shrugged and tried to hide her smile. “He’s kind of cute. Wouldn’t think he was your type, but whatever.”
“I’m not pregnant, so don’t start spreading that shit around.”
“Like I would, but you can’t blame a girl for concluding. So, what’s up with you anyway?”
“Probably a low blood sugar thing,” I said, wishing I didn’t need to lie about it.
She nodded slowly. “Okay. Well, look after yourself. And come out sometime when you’re feeling better. You can’t spend every waking minute with your new boyfriend. Chicks before dicks, right?”
I had to laugh. “I promise.”
She sighed. “I’m gonna have to break this to Jimmy. How sure are you about him?”
“It’s serious.”
“Looked it. Damn. Okay. Have fun. I’ll speak to you later.”
I walked out of the café and Mason caught my hand in his.
Quicksand Nightmares (Seven Deadly Demons Book 2) Page 1
