Mad As A Hatter (Completed 2015) [WATTY AWARD WINNER *Featured Story*]

chapter eleven - nevele retpahc

-unedited-

“We need to go. Now.”

I grabbed Isaac’s hand and found it a struggle to suppress the comforting warmth that went up my arm. 

I grabbed onto the roof and swung into the driver seat, grinding the engine. 

“W-why are we always in such a rush?” whined Isaac. 

“How the entire planet could be invaded by thirsty soul sucking demons at any point kinda puts me in a rush. I don’t know, how about you?” I turned to him and smashed my foot against the pedal. His head thumped backwards on the headrest, grabbing on hold to the armchair. 

“We got to warn Hell about the Cold Bloods rising. They also ought to know how to restore the demons back into Alice and remove them from Isaac,” Grim announced, resting a hand on both seats. 

Isaac held his wrist, kissing it better.  “M-Mind telling me why everyone is wound up?”

I pushed the car to its highest speed, our jeep a flash of light down the vacant road. Trees were green blurs at the corner of my eye.  “Well the cells in your body are being devoured by demon souls, poisoning your heart to transform you into a psychotic serial killer.”  I looked over with a fake smile.  “And I’m turning into a pathetic hormonal teenage girl.” 

The news saved me a smack to his face as the expression he wore was priceless.

“What in Lord Death is that?!” my ex screeched.

I glimpsed over my shoulder and saw Grim pointing to Isaac’s pants.

Isaac raised his arms and stared down. “O-O-Oh, I-I—” I stifled a laugh and watched Isaac frantically dig through the hand compartment. “It—it’s nothing,” he lied. 

“That boner is not nothing! Why do you have that?!” Grim roared.

“He did say he’d prefer demon semon,” I chirped. 

“I d-d-didn’t mean it like that!” he clarified. Isaac panted in fear and took a handful of napkins. 

“Those napkins just make it worse,” I commented. He started throwing them over the tent in his pants but the boner was even more outlined by the paper. A smile fought its way to my face. “Are we in France because I think I see the Eiffel Tower.”

“Alice!” Grim shouted. 

“What?” I said in a fit of laughter.

˟ᴹᵅᴰ ᴬᶟ ᴬ ᴴᵃᵀᵀᵉᴿ˟

We were here. 

Almost. 

The portal to Hell was concealed within an uninhibited town on the hidden mountains of Mount McKinley. Snow was lightly dancing on our shoulders, our boots crunching to a stop under the white ground.

All three of us crowded at the open trunk of the jeep.  “Well would ya look at that.” 

Grim gave out a long whistle and picked up a gun.  “These Eagles know how to pack.” 

I unzipped the second duffel bag in the trunk and my lips curled into a big U. “That’s what I’m talking about.” 

The Velcro crinkled off the seal and I unrolled cloth of beautiful jagged knives. Grim held up two grenade strapped slings, the untouched rings tinkling against each other.   

Chewing on a pack of cheese puffs he found in the glove compartment, Isaac curiously tipped the third duffel bag to see inside and accidentally toppled it off the trunk. A wide range of guns spilled on his shoes and he screamed, cheese puffs flying.