Chapter Thirteen
When I get home, I pause before I unlock our door, preparing myself.
Before I can open it all the way, Zarmenus pulls it open an inch.
How did he know I was here? It must be some sort of demon ability.
Funny, he can use it in times like this but can’t tell that I’m awake when he’s hooking up right below me.
“Don’t get mad,” he says, still not letting me inside and using his body to block my view of our room. “I can explain.”
“Explain what?”
He opens the door the rest of the way, letting me in.
He can’t be serious.
There’s a goat standing in the middle of our room. And it’s not a cute baby goat—not that I’d be happy to see that, either. It’s a fully grown goat, with a pair of curved, dark horns poking out from the top of its head.
The goat is chewing on something. It spits it out, and—wait. It’s the Point shirt Zarmenus won for me. I haven’t even worn it yet. I look to my closet and see that a lot of my clothes have been pulled from their hangers and are now scattered around the floor, or are being chewed on by the goat.
It’s eating my clothes.
I’m so flustered I don’t even know what to say.
Zarmenus can’t think this is okay. There’s no way.
And I also can’t think of any explanation that would make sense, or make it so that I forgive him.
Also, is this goat going to be like Bell?
Is this yet another of Zarmenus’s pets that he failed to tell me about?
The goat spits out another wad of material that I now recognize as one of my favorite shirts.
Former favorite shirt, I guess.
“Don’t worry, he won’t be staying long,” says Zarmenus. “And I’ll pay you back for the clothes.”
Even a second is too long. “Why is he here?”
“He came to me,” he says. “Dark creatures do that sometimes.”
“He ate all my clothes,” I say.
“Not all of them,” says Zarmenus. “Listen, calm down, it’s not a big deal.”
“A goat just ate my clothes! You can’t tell me that’s not a big deal!”
I don’t want to be a dick, but a lot of those things aren’t replaceable. So many of them have memories tied to them. I got them as presents or I wore them on important days in my life.
“I messed up,” says Zarmenus. “I know, I’m sorry. Listen, give me an hour, and I’ll find our buddy a home. It’s what I’ve been trying to do, but nobody will take him.”
I want to help, but change my mind at the last moment. I shouldn’t have to help with this. In fact, what I want to do is leave and kill a few hours in the library. Then, hopefully, the goat will be gone.
“Seriously,” says Zarmenus. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I’m going to the library, I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“All right.”
It’s not, though. It’s so far from that.
The problem with setting an ultimatum, even one the other party isn’t aware exists, is that you spend a lot of time waiting for it to be fulfilled.
I can’t stop thinking about the promise I made Tyrell. If Zarmenus messes up again, I’m going to tell him how I feel. I gave him a pass for the goat, as it was out of his control. But if anything else happens I’m going to have words with him.
By all appearances, my night with Zarmenus has been totally normal. After he got rid of the goat, anyway. He took it to an animal shelter, and they are apparently going to take it to a farm. He also transferred me enough money to replace my clothes.
This night has been fine. He told me a few stories from his childhood in Hell, which he describes as pretty idyllic. He grew up in a palace, his parents doted on him, he had heaps of friends.
He told me he didn’t need to come out, because labels for things like sexuality aren’t really a thing in his world.
Right now he’s gaming, and I’ve been in bed, swapping between the book I’ve been reading and browsing for clothes online. I check the time, and it’s past eleven. I climb off the bed and go into the bathroom.
I turn the hot water on and step under the water. Steam billows around my feet. I let the water run over my face, and try to stop myself from stressing.
I feel watched, and I look up and see the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen.
There’s a dark figure in the bathroom, leering at me.
I nearly jump out of my skin, and then my foot slips out from under me. I fall back into the shower and look up at the figure, but there’s nothing there.
“Owen?” calls Zarmenus. “You okay?”
I know what I saw. It was no trick of the light. I get up, turn off the taps. I grab a towel, wrap it around my waist, and leave the bathroom.
Zarmenus glances at me. I’m fuming because I don’t know what happened, but I do know he is responsible. His gaze drifts down, and for a second I’m confused, but then I remember I’m in a towel.
Did he just check me out?
“Something wrong?” he asks.
“Is there a ghost in our bathroom?”
“Is there a what in our what?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t think so,” he says. Then it seems like something dawns on him. “Although Ouija boards do attract them.”
I knew it. I knew it was his fault.
“Don’t worry about them,” he says. “They can’t hurt you. You said it was in the bathroom?”
He gets up from the chair and brushes past me.
I follow him inside. I go still in the doorway, because in the mirror, standing right behind Zarmenus, is a gray, shadowy figure.
It’s impossible to make out its features, which seem to be constantly shifting, but it is human in shape, although it seems to be bending down to be level with Zarmenus.
“Is that your problem?” asks Zarmenus, pointing at it.
I tear my eyes away from the mirror. The thing, whatever it is, is only visible in the reflection.
Zarmenus crosses his arms. “It’s just a ghoul. It can’t hurt you, they just like to scare people because they’re bored.”
“How do we get rid of it?”
“We can’t. Best to ignore it, it’ll go away. It feeds on fear, so if you’re not afraid of it, it’ll probably move on. You going to finish your shower?”
I grip my towel so tight my knuckles go white. But I can’t get myself to confront him. I’m not used to it, and I’m not sure it’ll change anything.
“I’m good.”
The sound of a door opening wakes me.
Oh no, not again.
Please, I think. Please let something else be happening. The room is still quiet, so I take a chance and open my eyes.
Across the room, staring directly at me, are two burning red eyes.
They are literally glowing. I see that the two glowing red balls of light are attracted to a pair of rounded ears, a fairly slim body, and then a scorpion-like tail.
It’s Bell. She’s sitting with her paws tucked under her, and her tail is swishing.
I feel myself pulled toward her. It’s like there are hooks embedded deep within me, pulling me closer. Before I can resist, I’m flung forward, right toward Bell. She opens her mouth wide, and I fall into it, suddenly surrounded by a kaleidoscope of horror.
I see fields of red sand punctuated with withered bodies begging for water.
Giant spider-like monsters roam the sand, stabbing anyone they can see with their pointed legs.
I see an ocean filled with gargantuan eldritch abominations, all surrounding one tiny sailboat.
I see a dark castle at the base of a volcano, surrounded by rivers of lava, all watched by a giant, unblinking eye.
Then I’m pulled backward with speed, going past Bell’s mouth again and smack back into my body, lying down on my dorm bed.
I scream and kick my blankets off. I can still feel the warmth of the lava on my face. That was too weird not to be real.
I was in Hell. But I’m not anymore.
“Shit, man,” says Zarmenus. “You scared me.”
He should’ve said “us,” as he isn’t alone. He’s currently pressed up against the wall, standing next to a half-naked guy.
“Your cat,” I say, getting the words out through gritted teeth. “Just tried to eat me.”
“What cat?” asks the guy. “There’s no cat here.”
“Bell,” scolds Zarmenus. “Bad girl.”
“I’m going to go,” says the guy, who quickly bundles up his clothes before slipping outside in only his boxers, looking at the two of us like we’re extremely weird.
Zarmenus crosses the room, running a hand through his hair as he moves. When he reaches his bed he kicks off his shoes, pulls his shirt off over his head, then undoes his jeans, leaving him in only a pair of black boxers.
“Are we not going to talk about this?” I ask. “I nearly died.”
“No, you didn’t,” he says. “Bell likes you, she was probably just showing off.”
“Zarmenus, your cat nearly killed me. The least you could do is say sorry.”
He huffs. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m going to bed now.”
So that’s it? No apology? Nothing? If anything, he seems somewhat upset with me because I ruined his hookup. It’s ridiculous.
Bell has gone back to staring, and it’s more than a little alarming. It seems predatory, almost. Like she’s sizing me up as a meal, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
This settles it. I need to do something.
Tomorrow morning, I’m going to figure out a way to fix this.