Dancing with a Demon

Chapter 6

Walking down the road to my old house felt cathartic in a way. I hadn't been to the house since I had to clean my room and belongings out to move in with other family members. When I became too much for them, I was forced to look elsewhere. Thankfully, Lena and Fareeha were childhood friends as I was moving around a lot here and there due to my dad and his work. First I met Lena over in England. Next I moved to Canada and met Fareeha there. We went our separate ways when I moved to Australia. The best news I heard was that they were going to move here when I was just graduating high school. So when I had to find another place to live, I knew they'd be accepting the second I asked. I will forever owe that to them. 

It was early in the morning when I decided to do this. Both Lena and Fareeha were asleep. I just wanted to do this alone since I wanted to start my path to healing. And for me, the only way I could do that was to see the scene of the crime once more. The captain had given me the keys to the house and even though people tried to sell it, I didn't want it to be sold. But we had to shut off everything in that house and basically gutted the entire place since it reeked of blood. And the walls even had a faint blood outline on them, too. It was impossible to wash off. 

Grabbing the key from my pocket, I took in a deep breath before unlocking it. Swinging the door open, I was expecting to find the place barren and empty, a former shell of what it once was. I was expecting it to still have that iron odor and those same blood splotches on the wall and ruining the finish on the wooden floor.

But as I opened it, I found the one person I was trying to avoid, but also want to get answers from. Sitting in the middle of what was once the living room, was the Queen of the Junkers. She was sitting on a folding chair, her one leg resting on the knee of the other. Her axe and gun were right beside her while she was twirling her knife in her hands.

"Took ya long enough to come 'ere," she smirked at me.

"H-How did you get in here?"

"I have my ways."

"G-Get out."

"We can't have a lovely reunion?" she stood up, the top of her head easily reaching the ceiling. 

"T-This isn't a reunion," I hissed.

"You're comin' back to your old home and you're seein' me. I think it's a reunion."

"It's a fucked up reunion."

"Still a reunion."

"I-I need answers from you."

"And I need you to do somethin' for me before I can give ya those answers."

"W-What is it?"

"Follow me," she grabbed her axe and gun before walking out of the house.

"I-I can't have a few moments here?"

"Ya have ten minutes," she said and closed the door behind her.

I let out a sigh as I pulled out my phone, texting both Fareeha and Lena what the situation was going on. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I walked around the lower level of my house before heading upstairs. Even the rooms up there were pretty empty. Reading the time on my watch, it was getting close to the ten minute mark. Heading downstairs, I opened the door and closed it, locking it up. The Queen was waiting at the end of my block, searching the area. I could make a run for it here and now. Sneak around the side of the house and head back to the apartment that way. But if she was after me today for some reason, I had to obey what she wanted. Besides, I needed answers from her.

Heading down to where she was, I began to follow her into the city. Since it was fairly early in the morning, there weren't a lot of people milling about. There were some people going into work to get an early start, while others were getting some breakfast to get their day started. Reaching a pristine building with large marble columns, I knew where we were.

"I need you to access your safe box," the Queen said.

"Why?"

"It'll answer the questions ya have, and I will be able to take back what was mine."

I let out a sigh, really thinking about running right now.

"No one will come to save ya," she said. "They all know who I am."

Turning to scan the small crowd, as soon as people laid eyes on her, they turned the other direction. No one came up to me, to get me away from her. Finding the courage I needed, I took a step into the bank, heading to the first available counter.

"How can I help you today?" the bank teller smiled at me.

"I-I need to access my family's safe box. Should be under L/N."

"Ah yes. Any particular reason why?"

"J-Just need to give it to the rightful owner."

"Understood. I'll be right out with that."

The bank teller disappeared and I stood there for a good fifteen minutes before she returned with a large book and a box that was plastic wrapped. She typed a few things on a holographic screen before handing me the box and book.

"Have a good day."

"T-Thanks," I said, grabbing them and walking out of the bank.

"See, was that so hard?" the Queen mocked.

"Alright, tell me what's in here so I know what I got myself in to."

"I believe we can arrange somethin', but first," she lead me down a dark alley and everything went black from there.

"Have you heard from Y/N?" Lena asked.

"No, I-I haven't. The last thing she messaged was she ran into the Queen at her home," Fareeha sighed.

"W-What are we going to do?"

"T-The captain told her something last night. Maybe she wrote it down somewhere."

Heading into Y/N's room, Fareeha came across a bulletin board that had a map of the city they were living in. On a small sticky note there was an address.

32nd street, black metal door in an alley way on the left.