When It all Comes Crumbling Down

Ozzie

I had just wanted to see what was around us when I left the motel before the others had woken up. I was wearing my glamor to hide the fact that I was a demon and everything. But then I smelled that awful smell, the rot. I hardly noticed the sulfur, I'm very used to it since my home smells like it a lot. But the decay? Absolutely not.

I adjust how my seatbelt is sitting across my chest as I watch the scenery outside of the mini van's window fly by. Monty is definitely speeding, but I don't think anyone is going to tell him to slow down. Afterall, we all want to get the fuck away from the cloud of death. I've never seen anything like it before, and I've seen all sorts of fucked up magic shit. It was tracking us though, or maybe just one or two of us. Most curses could only be cast on two people at a time and there was only one cloud. None of us were blood relatives so there was no way it was one of those familial curses that wiped out entire bloodlines. Maybe if I could figure out who it was after, the curse could be broken? Was it even a curse?
My head is beginning to hurt and I'm very aware of how hungry I am. I pull one of the mints I stole yesterday out of my pocket and unwrap it before starting to crunch on it. Amy gives me a weird look, but she shakes her head when I offer her one. She's probably annoyed that I'm wearing the same clothes as yesterday. In my defense, I was rushing and I showered the night before so it isn't a huge deal. Plus I'm wearing deodorant.

"Where are we going now?" Monty calls from the driver's seat, sounding tired. He must have not slept very well.

"North, we're going to the Hunter's Hall. They might have some answers, or even a way to get rid of the death cloud." Sandy answers and I do my best not to pull a face. I do not like the Hunter's Hall.

Sandy is kind of rare as far as hunters go. They actually help people and know what positive emotions are. The rest of the hunters are trophy collecting assholes who want to exorcise me and kill the rest of us. Sandy has been able to more or less get us some kind of protection while at the Hall, we have to wear these ugly orange lanyards the whole time to prove that we're good monsters and do not need our heads chopped off like it's a damn French Revolution.

I look around at my friends, seeing that Joseph is nodding off while rereading his spell book. A lot of the pages are torn at the edges and the leather that binds it is cracked and peeling in some spots. I think it's a little older than him, as if it was made just before he was born. Which I find a little odd since it has his name on it, in fancy golden lettering too. Which means the book is like, twenty-three to twenty-five years old? I dunno, I'll ask him when he's more alert. I'm not mean enough to wake him up now that he's fallen asleep. I at least know for sure that the book itself isn't magical. It just holds written spells and instructions. It'd be humming all the time if it had any real magic in it. Joseph hums, Sandy and Amy do as well, but it's less than Joseph. It isn't like they're humming a song or anything, it's more like how a fridge hums. Just the magic they have letting the world know that it's running. I don't think any of them would like being referred to as a fridge. That will stay an inside thought.

I look at Delilah next, she's staring out of the window. She has her enormous sunglasses on, although she's holding her sunhat in her lap. She can go out during the daytime and not immediately burst into flames, but she does burn really easily so she's always wearing sunblock and her accessories. She let me wear the hat once, I looked ridiculous in the floppy thing, but she looks sort of regal. Or maybe fancy is the right word? Posh, perhaps.

Amy, who is right next to me, keeps tapping her hand against her thigh. She seems tense, which isn't uncommon for her, she's normally just more intense. She tends to speak fast and all bossy like, as if she's always convincing everyone that she knows what she's doing. Which I don't normally doubt, and if I do, I know to keep my mouth shut. Don't irritate the one who carries a gun on her all the time, even if you trust her not to shoot you in the foot.

Slowly, I lift a hand to put it over Amy's hand, wanting to comfort her. She gets tenser for a moment before relaxing and pulling her hand away, just to change her mind and hold my hand.

"Sorry, didn't mean to irritate you with my tapping," she says with a quiet sigh.

"Don't apologize, Elfy Amy, it's been a stressful thirty-something hours," I reply and she laughs at the ridiculous nickname. It's good to hear and see her laugh, it makes her frown melt away for a little bit. I don't like people frowning, I much prefer smiles and laughter, which makes the world brighter.

"When we figure out the evil cloud thing, let's get milkshakes, yeah?"

"With extra cherries," Monty chimes in and I see Sandy nod in the mirror.

I can feel the mood in the minivan slowly lift and I smile. I'm doing my job, and I'm doing it super well.
It's not an official job or anything, but I've sort of taken on the role of comedic relief, or maybe as Chief of Moral, as Delilah once dubbed me. I make things seem less bleak, and I do it all well since that means I'm useful in some way. In a good way.

It'll take us two, maybe one and a half, days to get to the Hunter's Hall. I say maybe one and a half because Monty still hasn't stopped speeding and I doubt he plans to anytime soon. I don't know if we're going to stop to sleep, but we'll have to stop to get food and water eventually.
Monty and Sandy keep purposely picking out back roads and avoiding towns, hoping to minimize any damage, not wanting another pile of melted bodies on our hands and our souls. Well, their souls. I technically don't have one. It's a fun conversation starter.

"Hi, hello, lovely party. Did you know that I don't have a soul?"

I snort at my own joke and earn a confused look from Amy for my efforts. Whoops, now I look crazy. Well, crazier.

"Ozzie, did you sleep last night?" Amy asks me with a sigh, as if I'm some child who stayed up past their bedtime to watch scary movies on a school night.

"I did, sorta. I slept some, enough, one might say." I reply with my best attempt at a dignified look. Amy just rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

I really did sleep, I swear. I just also laid there and contemplated my purpose in life and all the other late night thoughts one might have.