A demon stroked girl’s hair with an unbecoming gentleness and her body slumped down like an open bag of potatoes, with about as much life left in her too. All that chirpy energy snuffed out like an afterthought. That’s what they did. The demons. It was beyond obvious, even if one wasn’t exposed to continuous preaching about it. There was no way to miss it either – figure carried massive horns on his hooded head. She was the fool to approach one. Trust him.

I could not help but snort in my amusement. He had to have known I was already here anyway and I was not going to miss out on my last remaining laugh. There’s not been many occasions for that before. Even before these creatures flooded the world. I almost want to say it was an improvement, but was too tired for spite.

Figure didn’t look up or look around. “I did not expect another happy fool,” a scratchy boom carried well from afar. Too well. I shouldn’t have heard it. Definitely didn’t when the odd pair sauntered in chattering amongst themselves. It was distinctly inhuman cadence. “Or are you gleeful psychopath about to offer me a job?”

As I was too tired to shout, muttered to mostly to myself, “Why, you short on cash or something?” Me too, buddy. I wouldn’t be here if I had had any to spare. Who knew, money made two worlds spin.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, but he’d heard me again. “Are you really trying to bribe me?” all-too-low rumble made me shudder with cold.

Was his own dumb idea, but who was I to argue with ancient evil? Patted myself over, winced and spoke out loud with actual intention to be heard, “Sorry, my wallet must be in some other pants.” Which was true, in a sense. I was alright with my hands and my fingers would stick to things if there was a chance. “Do you take cheques?” Or I could definitely do an IOU. Especially since I wouldn’t be expected to pay anything back in my short remaining life. Hell, maybe he was even serious? I could definitely sic this preternatural evil upon a few people. Highly doubtful, as that would mean my luck wasn’t completely rotten.

“I don’t much care for your overvalued paper,” he’d eventually spoken and I pinned distaste on the bland tone for my own state of mind.

“Hey they’re usually like… fabric or even plastic,” I came to an unexpected defence of our financial institution. Hell, not even I cared about this.

But fair point. What did the horrors use as a currency? I looked at the untouched corpse at his feet. Which was weird in itself – weren’t the beasts supposed to devour their prey? Come to think of it, wasn’t it strange to find one that was talking too?

Instead of taking the bait as a normal human being - which of course he wasn’t – the demon seemed to have grown tired of the exchange entirely. The deep reverberating rumble chilled me more than the stone I was lounging on as he decreed, “You reek of death so you’re capable of seeing to your affairs.”

I shuddered for a slew of reasons. He’d just leave me here. “Do you uh… want a soul? As a… payment.”

He moved for the first time since we’ve spoken, just to cross arms at his chest and look extra smug with his horned head finally turning as though for my benefit. Because the gesture certainly wasn’t innate to a foreign entity who moved just to get from point A to B, and to whom utter stillness appeared to be his default state of being.

But perhaps it wasn’t smugness he was attempting to convey, I realised when the creature’s voice shook my organs so violently I almost retched them. I might have, if the teeth weren’t clenching so hard I started tasting iron. “I can just take whatever I want from you, human,” he decreed without leaving a single doubt.

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My eyes watered and I swiped at a runny nose… which was of course dripping red snot. Outstanding. “No need to shout, my hearing isn’t going just yet. Wasn’t, anyway…”

So negotiating a deal was off the table. Figures. How had I dared to expect any different for briefest of moments? At least I scored an irrelevant victory against preachers, who were obviously full of shit on the subject. If only they were here to witness me in my full glory.

“Or is that your aged ears are struggling? I knew this grandma…” my big mouth kept on slurring.

“Why are you still here, human?”

I was here first, asshole. I huffed and went for easy-going instead, “What, was I meant to piss myself and hightail for the hills because you’re so spooky? Where do you even see those around here?” In all honesty I probably could have lost control of my bladder, judging by painful clench my other organs did. One point for dehydration.

“You must be one of the dopey kind. But why do you reek of so many aspects of death?”

“Yep, that’s what they say about me, dopey and kind. Or kind of doped up? Actually, what did you just..? I think my ears are ringing a little too loud for some reason,” I shook my hammering head in an exaggerated grand gesture. I raised up my eyes to stare indignantly at the ancient devil to complete the pantomime but the road was empty. My mouth went slack. So he got sick of my ramblings and left.

…That’s fine, I still had all the dead people to keep me company. Perhaps a beast or two will slither in later in the night. Surprising they hadn’t come yet. The wait was worst part. The quiet, unchanging stillness. Just me and my thoughts.

A giant shadow crashed in and stuck to the exposed brick wall with no sound at all. It wasn’t ground floor. I hadn’t screamed in surprise only because I was exhaling.

“Have a thing for dramatic entrances? I can appreciate that,” I nodded to relieve some of the tension. Hardly worked in the presence of low growling emitted by an overhanging beast. It was actually hard to breathe. My lizard brain was trying to claw itself out of the bone cage and leave.

He was holding his massive body up by the tips of fingers, clunky boots also only barely touching the crumbling wall by their studs… which, upon closer inspection, were actually two protruding claws? It shouldn’t have been surprising sight, especially given the looming crown of bone. Yet it was. Who does that to perfectly fine shoes? Why bother with them at all? But all of him was hidden one way or the other. Hood hung down so low even he himself couldn’t have seen anything through it.

He probably hadn’t. There was constant noise. Was the disturbing reverberation throughout my bones an echolocation?  

“So you’re not afraid of me, are you?” Noise screeched inside of my skull which had started to feel hollow. Contents must have all went dripping down the nose. I sniffled it in. He had to have been smugly mocking me this time.

I waved my hand streaked with browning smudges, “What, this? Your deep sex voice just given me most massive boner. Completely normal.” Brief brush with silence reminded me of terror of being left alone. “I’ve seen worse,” I said truthfully for once, trying to see into the dark hood.

“I can see that,” he agreed out of the blue. I had expected ancient horror to argue.

“Can you? See.”

Beast dropped down in a calculated move, avoiding detritus and my limbs - even though the claws were startlingly close.

“I can. I don’t want to.”

“Huh,” I replied dumbly and looked around. I really could have done without seeing most of the things I’ve seen too. “So you don’t see shit.”

“Thankfully,” he mumbled in agreement and I chuckled. “But I can smell blood, cum, old sweat of many people. Drugs. Mould. Metal. Rotting injuries. All manner of man-made misery.”

Of course he didn’t need the sight. Nose alone probably has given poor demon a sensory overload. I threw my hands behind the neck and reclined as comfortably as it was possible in this situation, masterfully containing a wince. “What can I say, I know how to party.”

“All partied out and ready to die,” it was a question but he stated it matter-of-factly. The understanding was oddly comforting.

“Yea, the hangover is killing me,” I tried for mirth but it fell flat. Boy was I cold. Swished my hand around in circles with impatience, “So if you could just wrap this up already… Preferably same way you did the girl. That’d be swell.”

“No,” he all but growled. I gaped, miffed. Obviously I couldn’t tell ancient horror how to do his thing. Swallowed.

“Fine.”

“Fine what? You really should pay more attention what you’re agreeing to.”

I scoffed, “As you’ve already pointed out, my will holds no water. That was a resignation.”

“Perfect. A pet who already knows his place.”

All my fake amusement fled the body. Chilled limbs which I already barely felt got fresh wave of coolness and it had nothing to do with the timbre of its voice for once. Cold sweat made me shudder. Breathing sped up and I felt lightheaded. I can’t do this again.

I lurched past the creature, towards the open space. I wasn’t high up, I wasn’t able to crawl far before – but perhaps if I land just right I could snap my neck. Or bleed out - there couldn’t have been all that much remaining.

A clawed sole lightly pressed down on me and it felt like tree had fallen. “Death is not an escape. I can repair the tissue. And I assure you, I can subject you to fates much worse than whatever you have been through so far. Things you’ve no imagination for.”

My inadequate creative juices started flowing anyway. If the flesh was his playdough, he could make me part of himself. I could be made into a sentient appendage. I could be screaming into dark void until something worse came along to change that.

The shuddering grew worse. It can always be worse. Why do I always linger and dare to hope for anything besides that?