Awaken Ye Demon [On Hiatus]

2.

The snow crunched underfoot and some of the concrete was coated with ice, but I wasn't having too hard a time staying on my feet. It was one of the days where I was fascinated with the way my breath turned to fog and faded up into nothing.

But I was brought down to earth when my phone rang. I fumbled at my pockets and slid my phone free to see my mother's smiling face flashing on the screen. The picture of her with the round glasses was my favorite for both the memory and the fact that she looked so cute.

Heart warm, I pressed the answer button. "Hi, Mom!"

"Hi sweetie! Are you still coming over after work? Your brother's bringing his new girlfriend so I need a head count."

I could just hear the eye roll. "Oh, yeah?" I said, chuckling lightly as I adjusted my bag on my shoulder. "Good for him. I'll be there mom. Do you need me to pick anything up on the way over?"

"No. Just bring yourself, please."

"Okay I'll be there-"

This part happened fast. I rounded a corner and felt like I ran into a brick wall. I hit the ground, lightly dazed as I looked up into a white sky, and suddenly my entire front was warm and wet and then terribly cold.

Two young men stood above me, looking down with gaping mouths, both holding an end of a huge container filled with liquid. Black robes billowed around them, but I was too distracted to notice much else when my flesh started to burn.

And it wasn't just a little burn, but like a 'holy you-know-what, I need to strip'  kind of burn. Acid? I scratched at my turtleneck and screamed, yanking at the fabric to tear it off.

"Norah?!" My mom's shrill scream made it through the speakers.

Grabbing my phone from the snow, I scrambled up and ran for my life. "Help!" I yelled as loud as I could. "Somebody help!"

"Wait—miss, you have the wrong idea!"

I glanced back to see them following, their acid lying forgotten on the ground and steam rising up from the snow. I ran to an open building, a Subway, and knocked my way through the morning crowd to get to the bathroom. Inside, I locked the door and pressed my back into the hard wood, panting hard.

Who knew I had a run in me, I thought, laughing a bit, But it's really not funny.

"Norah?!"

I nearly dropped my phone as I brought it to my ear. "Mom! I'll call you back!" I hung up.

The men pounded on the door. "Hey! Open up, please!"

"I'm calling the police!"

"No, wait!" They thumped on the door again. "Open the door!"

I dialed and brought the phone back to my ear.

It rang a moment.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"

"Help, please! I'm trapped in a subway sandwich bathroom and these two guys, they're crazy! They're wearing robes and they sprayed me with acid!"

"Ma'am, are you safe?"

"Um, yeah. For now."

"What street are you on?"

"Um, Union," I said, voice trembling. "The Subway on Union Avenue. The bathroom."

"We'll dispatch someone to your location now. What's your name?"

I listened at the door. I think they're gone. "Norah. Norah Gardiner."

"And your phone number?"

My chapped lips stung as I ran my tongue over them. "Yeah it's—"

Another thump came from the door and I screamed. The phone clattered to the ground and I scrambled to pick it up. I turned it over to see it shattered. As I lifted it to listen, I squeezed too tight at the sides, ending the call.

"Crap! Hello?" I asked, pressing the phone into my ear.

No answer came.

They're coming anyway, I thought, lowering the phone. For the first time in my life, I prayed, and boy did it feel wrong.

The men eventually left, and I faced the mirror. I yanked at my turtleneck, whimpering, and pulled it over my head. As I tossed the top to the ground I saw red, blistering burns bubbling across my chest and stomach. I turned from side to side, grimacing in the mirror.

"I'll be Insta famous for a bit at least."

I snapped a few pictures before another thump shook the door.

"This is the police! Open up!"

Heart beating with elation, I raced to the door and swung it open.

Two police men stood in the doorway, neither looked happy, but as they saw the burns their anger turned to alarm. "Ambulance is out front, this way," one said. He took me by the arm and helped me outside.

Before I knew it, I was in the ambulance and on my way to safety.