The Demon Inheritance

NINE

I gripped my slicker jacket sleeve with one hand, tugging it nervously. I moved like a shadow through the streets. The lampposts' golden light flickered as I passed by them, and my black combat boots sloshed in the water puddles forming below me in the cement. The night was as dark as my eyes. The shy held the moon, which was a claw-scratch of white on a background of black. It was starless above, thick with deep charcoal clouds. I could feel the raindrops hammer against my back like a million tiny, wet fists. I would have used the wind to both comfort me and keep the rain away, but I feared it would make my body colder than it already was.

I trudged through the wetness. Damn rain...Why did it have to rain tonight? Jesus Christ on a wooden raptor... That phrase was borrowed from Mary. The friend, the sister, I was going to go save.

I glanced through the slick folds of the jacket towards the row of houses taking up my side. The structures were all too similar, and I could hardly the decorations outside, the only way to tell them apart, through the rain and mist. Crossing my arms over my chest, I walked up to a random house, hoping it was Gary's.

I rapped my knuckles on the door urgently. What will I say if this isn't Gary? Certain people couldn't see me walking around at night in the rain... It would raise some eyebrows. I glanced around as I stepped back and heard someone unlock the door. My hands folded in my pockets as I waited to be answered. The rain dripped into my face. It was enough to make me go impatient in a few seconds.

The door swung open. Instead of Gary being there, Dillan and his tired violet eyes peered back at me curiously. He had a gun in his hand. After all, you couldn't be too careful with who shows up on your doorstep in a town like Millton, which was small and didn't function much with other people. His pajamas were baggy on him, and looked incredibly soft. "Emma? What in the name of Croma are you doing here, girl?" His eyes skipped over me. "Would you like to come in and have a hot drink? You're soaking, girl." He opened the door a tidbit more in invitation.

I narrowed my eyes. "Thank you for your... hospitality." Don't realize that I'm going to see Gary. Every word was gritted between my teeth, and every thought just as bitter in my mind. "But I am gonna have to pass. I was looking for someone. Sorry. I knocked at the wrong house."

"Fango is right there, if you are looking for him..." Dillan nodded to the left. "I'm sure he'd love your company! You seriously have no idea." He flashed a grin, lifting his head. "You can still come in."

"I have a life outside of Croma, you know!" I snapped at him. "Outside of that, I have nothing to do with Fango Mills. Thank you... But this was the wrong door. Probably the wrong street, damn the rain." I added the last part to chase off some suspicion. Still, he'll probably notice something is fishy if I don't tread carefully. "I'll be on my way." I crossed my damp arms and stepped back. Water droplets slid down my face.

The violet-eyed boy bit his lip. "I would feel bad leaving you out here. Will you come in and have some hot cocoa? Just so I can sleep tonight without thinking about how bad of a person I am?"

"No. Good night." I turned away from him before I could see his disappoinmnet, already stepping down his porch and back onto the street. I couldn't hear if the door had closed or not over the rain, but I wasn't about to turn back. Not on my mission. If Fango lives to the left, maybe Gary lives on the right. I began to trot down the sidewalk towards the other house. Then, I found myself rushing up onto the porch. I knocked, heart thundering in my ears.

To my luck, Gary unlocked the door and glanced at me. His black eyes skipped over me the way a stone skips over a river. In that moment, I regretted the fact I hadn't brought a knife. However, I did have my wind, and that was something I could use to defend myself with. Maybe it was an even better weapon. But could it truly hurt someone? "Emma," he said. "I wasn't expecting you to actually come. Come in before you get wetter and soak my carpet even worse than you will."