As I reach over to my bed for my phone I realize two very important details I've missed. One, everyone is still in the bunkers, otherwise my family would be home and outed me already. Two, I don't have an explanation as to how I escaped a very powerful demon and managed to end up at home instead of a bunker. Also phone signals may be iffy in the bunkers. I know normally they work due to stuff they set up in the bunkers but during a reality breach everything gets scrambled so communications are down except for some specialized hard lines. Granted, I'm pretty sure the breach event is over now, judging by the lack of explosions in the distance.
So even if I can call Charles, I have no explanation why I'm here and he should come to me. I sure as hell am not going near those bunkers, those things are loaded with sensors, detectors, and god knows how much other stuff to spot and kill any demons trying to enter. And I do not want to find out if they work on me. So I have to convince Charles to come here. I think he'd come if I ask, but the problem would be getting him to believe I'm still human….. on the inside. I remember Charles talking about how people who get turned into demons aren't exactly people any more, the person they once were is just gone. So when I tell Charles, 'oh hey, by the way I turned into a demon and that's why I need your help', I imagine his response is going to be to throw whatever he has on hand at me while jumping out the nearest window, or door. And I wouldn't blame him because if one of my friends told me they turned into a demon I'd do the exact same thing.
I start pacing my room as I think, the damn tail flicking around behind me in a manner similar to a playful cat's. So, what's my story going to be? I need to keep it simple and sweet. I don't want to attract too much attention but it has to be believable. So where do I start, right I got grabbed. So I'll say I managed to break free of its grip… no that won't work, not believable. Regular people don't just wiggle free from the grip of a demon, and even if they did I got taking away by a flying demon. Death by falling is just as high a likelihood as the demon itself at that point. Oh I know, I'll say it was flying low over a roof and something smacked it, so it dropped me and got distracted! After that I climbed down and snuck around for a little while before finding my way home. Then I just decided to lay low instead of risking going for a bunker, and that I fell asleep really late so woke up late. Perfect cover story, well OK, not perfect but good enough. If anyone asks for details I'll just say I was too stressed out or panicked to remember.
Wait, how did I get home anyway? Wait, now that I think about it I don't remember anything between getting stabbed and waking up here. Did I go home on auto pilot or something? What if someone saw me!? No that didn't happen, if it did I’d be neck deep in soldiers and defenders looking to take my head. So whatever happened last night, no one recognised me, or got pictures, so I’m fine.
I take a deep breath and hold it for a moment before exhaling. Problem two is solved, but what do I do about people still being in the bunkers? Well, there is nothing I can really do about it. All I can do is call Charles and ask he comes as soon as possible and that it's a personal emergency.
Sudden dread hits me as a tangential thought I really didn't want to consider before now worms its way into my head. I've been assuming Charles made it to the bunker, what if he didnt? What if the demons got him and Anna too? But there weren't any other demons around… who am I kidding, where there is one demon there are always more. I was getting abducted and wouldn't have noticed anyway. Anna was also injured, and Charles wouldn't have just left her there alone. He probably tried to save her and….
A sudden buzzing interrupts my depressing thought spiral. I look down at my phone and it buzzes again, this time also starting with the opening of my favorite song and ringtone, Still Alive by Vedre. Well, cell phones work. But who the hell is calling me? I tepidly pick up the phone and the screen lights up showing the caller ID. It's Charles, Charles is calling me. I stare at the device dumbfounded for a couple of moments while it keeps ringing. I snap out of it just before the final ring, and out of panic and reflex I swipe the answer button before it can finish its final ring. I hear faint voices as I bring my phone up to my ear.
"-oing to pick up."
"I know, I just want to hope."
"Yea, I do too but… you know…. Holy shit!"
This was stupid, why did I fucking pick up, I could have called Charles when I was ready! What do I say, what do I do!? I should hang up.
"Lucy! Lucy, is that you!?" Charles' voice blasts through the phone, sounding a mixture of excited and relieved. I actually have to reach up and thumb down on the volume control a notch.
I can't just hang up, I need to at least tell you friends I'm alive and unharmed… technically. So I take a deep, shaky breath and respond.
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"Yea Charles I'm uh, I'm here." I say back.
"Oh my god, are you OK? We saw you get carried away by that demon"
"Yea I'm fine, I managed to wiggle free and fall onto a roof when a defender showed up." I say repeating my rapidly fabricated story.
"Holy crap! We… we thought you were gone, Lucy." Charles says in a somber tone.
"Still alive and feeling it." I say, referencing one of the most standout lines from Still Alive.
"Ahahah, of course you would reference that song. Where are you? Are you hurt or anything?"
"Uhhh, I'm at home right now…" I say meekly, only for Charles to cut me off.
"What!? Why haven't you gotten to a bunker?"
"I kinda didn't want to risk it. After I got dropped I wandered around trying to avoid demons and ended up close to my house. Soon I just hid under the bed."
"Wow, Lucy you have gotta be kidding me! You got so lucky, what if a demon found you!?"
"Yea I know, and nothing else showed up so it's fine. Enough about me, how are you holding up?" I ask, trying to change the subject before he can try to pick apart my story.
"I'm good…. Me and Anna made it to the central bunker. She's actually here staring daggers at me because I won't give her the phone. She uh…. Do you want to tell her or???" Charles' voice trails off as he pulls the phone away to talk to someone else. I hear a hit of muffled conversation that I can't make out before Charles gets back on the line and delivers some devastating news.
"So Anna's fine…. Mostly. She… got hit in her right leg by shrapnel from a railgun shot. They had to amputate below the knee.”
My heart dropped into my stomach as Charles tells me what happened to Anna. The demon was after me, she lost part of her leg because of me.
"She's going to be OK, but she will need crutches or a prosthetic. She's in good spirits though and Oh ow ow ow ow! Stop that! You were told to stay in bed! ….. you can have it after you get back into bed! ….. don't make me call the nurses!" Charles gets interrupted mid sentence, then presumably argues with Anna for a moment before returning to the line.
"Sorry about that, Anna got out of bed and started hitting me with her crutches. Apparently ten seconds to explain is to long. That's what I get for not using speaker phone. Anyway, here's Anna before she starts clubbing me again." Charles says, followed by the sounds of the phone being handed off before…
"Lucy! Oh my god Lucy are you ok!? You, the demon, you were gone! I watched it 'sniffle'." Anna practically yells into the phone sounding upset and worried before starting to cry into the phone.
I start to cry a little myself, poor Anna has had this happen because of me and I feel horrible about it.
"Anna I'm OK, it's OK. I'm so sorry Anna, the demon was after me and your leg, I'm so sorry."
"Lucy, it's not your fault. The demon caused it, I'll be fine. How did you get away anyway?" Anna asks, making me pause for a moment.
"Uhhh, ask Charles about it later. I don't really want to talk about it too much." I reply. And I really don't, this is too much for me. I'm probably going to have to cry into my pillow again later.
"That's OK, I wouldn't want to remember it too much either. Well if you want to talk about it I'm here. It's good to hear you again Lucy, I thought you were gone."
"Yea, I did too for a bit. I'm glad you and Charles made it to the bunker, I was worried you guys wouldn't because of…" I say trailing off, afraid to directly mention Anna's leg.
"My leg, yea I could barely move. Thankfully Charles is as much of a strong man as he is a gentleman. He picked me up and carried me inside." Anna finishes my sentence before revealing Charles's feat. Damn, way to go Charles.
"Speaking of Charles, could you put him back on the line? I need to ask him a favor. Got a bit of a uh…. Personal emergency. Nothing bad, no demons or anything, but I need some help with this." Say to Anna, trying my best to sound calm.
"Oh, uh yea one sec. Charles Lucy wants to talk to you again! Here you go." Anna says, followed by the sound of the phone getting handed off.
"Hey Lucy, what's up?" Charles asks.
"Hey Charles, so I got a bit of a problem here I need help with. No demons or anything, but I kinda need to get this sorted before my parents get home. I can't talk about it over the phone too much. I hate to ask but could you please come over to my place as soon as possible? I'm a bit out of my depth here."
"Uhhh, I can but then no one would be with Anna and I don't want to leave her alone."
"Wait, no one else is there? Where's her family?"
"They were the southern bunker, same as mine. We video chatted with them a bit before I called you. They're actually on their way here right now. Oh that reminds me, they opened the bunkers so people can leave but are letting anyone who wants to stay an extra day or two while they finish deep cleaning the city. Once Anna's family gets here I can head over to your place but it's going to be an hour or two because of the wait and walk. Have you talked with your family yet?"
"No, not even a call or text. I'm not surprised honestly and don't care. Knowing them they won't be out until they get thrown out so no time crunch. But uhh, please hurry where you can, I do want to get this dealt with as soon as possible. Thank Charles, and tell Anna to get well soon for me."
"Ouch, yea I'll get there as soon as I can. I'll tell Anna, see you later Lucy."
"See ya later." I say, then swipe my thumb down and hit the end call button.
I let out a massive sigh and fall onto my bed. All that's left to do is not have an existential crisis and wait for Charles. Well, while I might as well explore the interface a bit more while I wait. I wonder how much mana the transformation used earlier.
[https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YOz69Zq0JWL2AfF7aXioe4sQUlIaqvXdPDE2uNvWJgs_7RXzOmgr4lPzlkoql5MBIJwjmTzyt52wyCJD8_MWRgfoil5Fv-b2TbHmMptTgyVcFmROtDKRggcHPJSpTJYfWWXsp-hw609z1GAQ1L1McTc]
Over a thousand mana!