The Devil's Tail - The Devil Chronicles Book One - ROUGH DRAFT

Chapter Nine

The next few days were a wintry blur. Marty and Levi prepared his hideaway to be impenetrable and also escape-proof if anyone were to discover his existence.

It required a mass of pillows to layer half of the floor, piling it next to the wall and below the window for easy escape access. They draped a new curtain over the window, so the draft wouldn't be too cold in freezing temperatures. The ceiling was then tacked on with sheets, towels, and blankets hanging over the floor. Initially, their creation looked like it was a split, divided room, one made for siblings who refuse to get along with one another. Unfortunately, the thin layer of pillows was only acting as a mattress and was therefore mildly uncomfortable to lay on. So, Levi piled a stack of dirty clothes that he was cycling through to wear -- on top of the pillows in layers. There wasn't enough to cover the whole area, so Marty brought in a heavy quilt her grandmother had made and put it on top. It was too colorful for his taste, but he would make do on the basis that it provided warmth if sleeping next to the window.

She bought a pack of plastic water bottles per his request, though she urged him to use a metal container. His argument was he couldn't fabricate enough water from a canteen and would need multiple sources of water to stay quenched as well as practice his powers on. She didn't argue back, but on the next visit, she noticed he had gotten a reusable water bottle to sit on the window panel. She didn't ask where, why, or how, but she knew it must have been something he picked up when he went back to Shkeesha's while giving her the phone card.

His phone, as well as the DS, a dented Gameboy Color, and a raggedy chess set sat on a small end table that Marty pulled from the closet. One of the legs was shorter than the others, and she tried to remedy it by placing a paperback underneath, but Levi pulled it away, claiming he preferred the aesthetic of broken furniture.

The other half of the room looked bare, which didn't bother Levi as much as it did Marty. She placed a few more pillows by the door and the two decided on using a stack of old books as a blocking system. When someone besides Marty would try to enter, the books would be in front of the door. If Levi knew Marty was bringing him food or something, he would push the books to the side. Levi attached a small string to the window mechanism so that it could be easily opened from the outside if he was to come in through the window.

She gave him a flashlight and a few books for him to fiddle reading with if he ever got bored, but he despised the thought of reading when he had more important things to do, he once told her.

He hung the satchel on a cheap hook they installed with a sticky strip on the wall. The atlas sat underneath, alongside a small phone book, the pamphlet and documents from the hell priest, and a few scattered pens and highlighters.

When Levi announced they were done, Marty disagreed silently by putting together another fort structure on the opposite side of the room for her pleasure. She draped the last set of spare blankets over a broken chair and a pile of books (their household had so many books, so that was one thing they'd never run out of). When she was done with her creation, she sat in the center of the small tent, cross-legged, and began scrolling through her phone.

Levi bent down, "What is this for?"

"If I ever want to sit up here away from you. I'd need my own spot too."

He examined the tight, cramped space and ducked his head out as he headed back to his side of the room. "Sounds good to me. Now time to actually get to work." He cracked his knuckles.

She cringed, then it dawned on her. "Wait!" He glared. She held out her phone. "Your number. Did you set it up yet?"

He patted around his pants for the cell. "Oh, yeah. Here ya go." He handed her the device, so she can save his number in hers and vice versa. The only other contact in his phone was Shkeesha since he wasted no time putting her number in when he visited. She handed his phone back, then began to retreat the room, her hand hovering over the handle. "Church."