Closing Time

35.

No reply. Not even an eye twitch. Just dead silence.

I tapped the bar. "Excuse me, guys. I just asked something."

Some of the demons looked away from me, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. The angels turned away on a more indifferent note. Both their reasons for ignoring me were obvious. The demons were scared of Lou's laid down laws and the angels didn't care.

I looked back down at the bar, feeling my heart sink further. I couldn't leave unless one of them transported me out of here. And I needed to get out. This was killing me. "Someone... please..." I whispered.

I hated this. I was dependent on demons for help again in a situation where I had no control. This felt awful. This has to stop. I need to get away from this world.

"Ryleigh..." I looked up, trying to fix my face as I met Axel's eyes. "What happened?" He asked softly, sitting down in front of me. "What's the emergency?"

"It's... a long story. It will take a while to explain." I raised an eyebrow. "I know I've already offered a few drinks on the house because I owe you for the coffee, but can I offer some more for helping me out?"

Axel laughed easily, turning away from me. "You didn't need to offer something. I was going to help you."

"Yeah, but..." I shrugged as I turned around to rummage through my bag. "It's kind of habit at this point."

"Relax. Where are we going?"

I pulled out a small purse, opening it and tugging a card out of it. Axel's eyes went to it as I slid it in front of him. "Here."

"That's not far. I could take you there on my bike." He threw me a concerned look. "Travelling like this cannot be good for you."

"It's the only way for me to get out of here." I tapped the bar uneasily as he read through the address. "Drop me a block away from here and wait. The doorman can't see me appear out of thin air."

"Why not straight to your place?"

"My boyfriend would ask questions."

"Your boyfriend?" He raised an eyebrow, looking up from the card. "That's your emergency? A booty call?"

I ignored the snickers around the bar, shaking my head vigorously. "No! It's something else! It's a long story, I-I can't explain it right now." I placed a finger on the card. "Can we go?"

"Sure. I see you're in a hurry." He held out his hand. "Anytime, Ryleigh."

"Great." My other hand to move to put up a placard on the bar. "Be back soon." I mumbled half-heartedly as was written on it. My other hand didn't hesitate to slide into his. And the moment it did, we were gone.

The bar vanished into darkness and Axel's form dissolved. All I could see was a swirling darkness with the sense that eyes were on me. Several eyes were on me. Whispers penetrating not my ears, but my head. I looked down at my hand. My body flickered a dull white, no sign of any essence which indicated what I was.

And above all, it was cold. It was freezing. However, the trip didn't last long. What felt like moments later, the darkness dissipated to reveal an alley barely a block away. Axel was staring down at me, the black in his eyes dissipating. "How do you feel?"

I frowned, already turning away from him. The urgency in my belly was strong now. "Of course, I'm fine. What else is supposed to be-ugh"

I was yanked back with a tight grip around my wrist. Stumbling back to where we'd just appeared, I threw a glare at Axel. "What?"