Rodrigo raised an eyebrow, barely suppressing a smile. He wasn’t sure whether his bad habits were rubbing off on the kid, or if his brother just knew his thought process that well. “Leaving now’s our best bet. Mom looked dead tired. If she went to bed this early, no way she’ll sleep in tomorrow.”

Carlito frowned. “What’s the point? Whoever sent the messages won’t be there.”

Though Raquel had been a killjoy at dinner, she was right. If this wasn’t someone they knew playing an elaborate prank, then some creep had gotten Rodrigo and his sister’s cell numbers to lure them to a remote location. Maybe it was some black market trader trying to harvest their organs or something. Regardless, he wasn’t about to risk getting his brother hurt, or worse, playing Sherlock Holmes.

“If nothing else, you can see the place I’ve been telling you about all these years,” Rodrigo said, and Carlito perked up. “All right, so we’re going straight out the front, but we’ve got to be stealthy. Even if she’s awake, Mom won’t be a problem up on the third floor. Raquel hears anything suspicious, and she’ll go off like a smoke alarm.”

“We can’t get caught before we solve this mystery.”

As usual, Carlito was getting excited by the idea of the unknown. It was probably because of how rarely his intellect was challenged. Even after skipping the fifth grade and going straight into middle school, maintaining top marks required little effort from him.

They threw on their jackets and gloves before Rodrigo turned the TV on to hide their absence. He set the volume at a level that could be heard from upstairs, but wouldn’t disturb anyone enough to come down. Rodrigo put his finger to his lips, then pointed toward the hallway, indicating for Carlito to tread lightly to avoid the floorboards’ habitual creaking.

Carlito nodded. Then dashed into the hall and out the door, causing what sounded like a jackhammer in the previous quiet.

As Rodrigo opened the front door and went outside, he felt the chilly breeze of the night on his face. He locked the door and walked away from it.

“Dude, what did you think this meant?” Rodrigo asked, repeating the motion.

Carlito shrugged. “Full speed ahead? Why? Do you think Raquel heard?”

“With her bat-like hearing, and you running like you were trying to escape an axe murderer? Yeah, I’d say her snitch-sense is tingling.” Rodrigo laughed. Maybe he gave the ten-year-old’s intelligence too much credit. “We’ll have to work on our signals. Let’s go.”

It took them about ten minutes to get to the Spiral. The tower had a menacing appearance to it. Constructed out of rusting black steel and with a high arch at its base, it might have resembled a scaled-down Eiffel Tower. But there was also a long circular staircase surrounding the tower that led up to the top. The guardrail reached only to a person’s waist. A chain-link fence with strands of coiled barbed wire sealed off the tower to the public, but someone had cut a hole in the back years ago.

“Wow,” Carlito said, staring up in awe with his bright green eyes.

“Yeah, not much else you can say when you first see it up close.”

“How, um...high is it?”

“A few hundred feet. Don’t tell me you’re scared now?”

“Kinda.”

“I was afraid the first time I climbed it, too, but like anything, after you do it once, it’s way easier. There’s nothing to fear,” Rodrigo said as he pushed the spot of the fence where the hole was cut inward and let Carlito crawl through.

“Isn’t this illegal, bro? I mean, we’re trespassing, aren’t we?” Carlito asked.

“I doubt anyone cares. This isn’t a cell tower. It’s been abandoned for a long time.” Rodrigo followed behind his brother and brushed the dirt from his own jeans as he got to his feet. “Look, I’ll bring up the rear in case you lose your footing.”

Carlito puffed out his puny chest, gathering his courage. “Just don’t rush me.”

When they got to the halfway point in the winding steps, Carlito was white-knuckling the rail and looking over the edge as he moved. Maybe bringing him was a bad idea.

“Need a hand?” Rodrigo teased, only half-joking as he reached out for his brother.

“I’m not a baby,” Carlito snapped, though continued shaking.

“Then keep it up. You’re almost there.”

As they made it to the tower’s summit, Carlito seemed to forget his terror as he looked around. With all the twinkling Christmas lights decorating people’s homes, the view was even more impressive than usual. “No wonder you come up here so much. You can see all the buildings in the neighborhood.”

“That’s definitely part of its appeal,” Rodrigo said. “And on nights when the moon’s full, the neighborhood earns its name. But seeing how small everything and everyone is really helps me put my own drama into perspective.”

After they took it in for a bit longer, Carlito checked his phone. “It’s 8:03. We better go before...”

“Before what?”

Carlito didn’t respond.

Rodrigo turned to face him. “Carlito? What’s wrong?” He grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him more roughly than he intended. There was no reaction at all. His eyes were unblinking and his lips were still parted, frozen in mid-speech like his brain had malfunctioned.

Just as he was on the verge of panic, Rodrigo noticed an elderly man suddenly standing only a few feet away. Dressed in a wine-red tuxedo with three coattails, he had graying hair poking out from under his top hat, and held a spherical, black-and-gold pot in his arms. More shocking than anything else, however, were his eyes. Though he was about a head shorter than the masked man from the subway, their eyes were identical.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“W-who are you? Have you been following me?” Rodrigo asked.

“Who I am is irrelevant. All that matters is the gift I am presenting you with today.”

He balled his fists at his sides. “What the hell did you do to my brother?”

“I assure you, nothing long-term or harm—”

“Then fix him!” Rodrigo demanded, putting aside the impossibility of Carlito’s condition.

At the interruption, a fierce look crossed the old-timer’s face that made Rodrigo flinch back. It was like he was a hairsbreadth from exploding into violence, but it was gone as he spoke again. “As long as you comply and take this urn.”

Finally, Rodrigo collected himself enough to put two and two together. “You’re the one who sent me and my sister those cryptic texts?”

“How observant,” the man said dryly. “Come now, the truth is you came here, hoping to encounter me. Humans in this age live brief, monotonous lives and are therefore always seeking excitement. Here is your opportunity to rise out of the muck of mankind. An escape from your hollow existence!”

The old man was getting more riled up as he went on. If not for the stunt he pulled on Carlito, Rodrigo would think he was trying to indoctrinate him into a cult. “I have no idea what you’re on about, but if I touch this thing, you’ll turn my brother back to normal?”

“You have my word,” the man said as he placed the urn at his feet and backed away as far as the small platform allowed.

Rodrigo squatted to study it. Honestly, this was the shadiest situation he’d ever been roped into. Something was clearly inside this thing, though he was guessing it wasn’t as sensible as ashes. His instincts were screaming out for him to grab his brother and run. He might have listened to them if the man told him to open the urn, but what harm could touching the exterior with gloves on do?

As soon as his hands made contact with the urn, the lid popped off and into the air. He tried to scamper back as a cloudlike crimson substance shot out of it, but it slammed into him before he could move an inch. An immense pressure hit every part of his body, more draining than painful. And it felt...spiteful. His vision blurred as he lost his balance.

A laugh rang through Rodrigo’s skull that came from neither the old man nor Carlito, right before he fell to the ground.

#

When Rodrigo awoke, he was lying flat on his stomach, his face buried in a pillow. Every muscle he had was aching, like when he’d gone door to door last month, shoveling his neighbors’ sidewalks after a snowstorm to earn cash. With a groan, he pushed himself up so he could look around. He was in his room, sunlight breaking through the shades. Across from him, Carlito was snoring in his own bed, as he did every morning.

Just a dream. Rodrigo closed his eyes, letting his head sink back into the pillow.

“Unacceptable,” a voice said in disgust.

Rodrigo’s head shot back up, like it was attached to a bungee cord. His eyes darted around the room, seeking the source. He’d heard the word loud and clear, as if someone had spoken directly into his ear. But other than he and Carlito, there was no one in sight.

“These living quarters would be unsuitable for one of my servants, let alone myself.”

“W-who’s there?” Rodrigo asked.

“Evidently, I am not out there.”

That’s when Rodrigo thought he understood. To confirm his suspicion, he clamped his palms over his ears.

“Caught on at last, have we?” the voice asked, its volume unaffected.

“Who...are you?”

“You are irritating me, human. Stop addressing me aloud. I am communicating with you through your mind. I suggest you do the same.” Although the voice used the word “suggest,” it sounded every bit like a command.

“So, who are you?” Rodrigo repeated as a conscious thought.

“I am Resent, the Prince of Hell.”

“W-what do you mean ‘Prince of Hell?’”

Resent scoffed. “You humans seem under the illusion it is where those you deem wicked are sentenced to after death. I have been in your world for less than a day, yet it is already apparent how self-important and ignorant you all are.”

Rodrigo smiled. He was obviously half-asleep and caught in a weird lucid dream, so he played along with the so-called prince. “Okay, so if you’re the Prince of Hell, does that make you, or your dad, the Devil? I’ve heard him called the Prince of Dark—”

“The Devil is another myth concocted by you people. My father was the king until his murder.”

“Wouldn’t that make you the king?”

“I should have been. Instead, I was blamed for his death and ambushed by my traitorous royal guard, the Brutes. Their leader, a demon named Misery, defeated me through a fluke. Now, enough of this inquisition. Feed me!”

Dream or not, the way the demon’s rising voice caused Rodrigo’s head to throb was unnerving. “All right, no need to be rude. I do want more answers if I ever hear from you again, though.”

“What madness are you spouting? You became my slave the moment you touched that damn urn I was recuperating in. You shall get answers when and if I deign to give them.”

Rodrigo was feeling pretty starved. This demon business must have been his subconscious’ long-winded way of expressing his hunger. He got up, stretched, and shook himself fully awake before going over to Carlito’s bed and giving his shoulder a nudge.

As he crawled out from under the layers of blankets, Carlito rubbed the crust from his eyes. Then he looked up at Rodrigo with a wide grin. “Bro, I had the craziest dream about us climbing the Spiral.”

Rodrigo froze. What were the odds of them having the same dream on the same night? “Y-yeah, right. Like I’d ever take you there.”

“Why not? It was awesome. We went all the way to the top.”

“Then what happened?”

Carlito’s face screwed up in concentration. “I woke up.”

“Oh well. I’m sure something cool would have happened next.”

“Human, cease wasting my time with idle chatter, and procure something to eat. I refuse to tell you again.”

Rodrigo shot out of the room and down the hall. Carlito was calling after him, but he ignored him as he entered the bathroom. After locking the door behind him, he splashed cold water from the sink on his face.

“Oh, I see. You appeared quite receptive at first, but you were simply in denial.”

“I thought…” Rodrigo drew a deep breath, barely keeping himself from yelling aloud. “I thought I was dreaming.”

“How naive of me to expect anything more from your kind. Allow me to clarify. This is no dream. It is your new reality.”