My Demon (2 page)

“They’re soft.” Clive circled the tip slowly with his finger. “Would you like to touch them?”

“Um… uh. No.” Alex forced her eyes away from his headdress. “I suppose if you’re a demon, you have to wear the suit.” She fiddled with her hair. “Only I’d have thought you’d wear something … a little scarier.” For a second, his skin vibrated, softened. She jumped back and hid partly behind Jeremy as the stranger solidified. A fleeting headache passed behind her temples, along with the sensation that for a brief instance, she’d caught a glimpse of something else, something horrible. She turned to Jeremy and in a harsh whisper said, “I don’t like this dope. It’s too bloody strong.”

“Yeah, in’t it just,” Jeremy replied and snorted out a laugh. Jim Morrison screamed out of the speakers, the music heavy and oppressive.

“I do have a scary outfit. But I save that one for special occasions.” Clive smiled. His lips parted for a moment, giving a flash of bright white teeth.

Alex reached across the aisle to touch the fabric of his suit. The velvet was soft, clingy—but hot, almost scorching. She withdrew her hand, and rubbed the tingles from her fingers. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve come to help you.” He straightened and in a deepened voice said, “You’ve been specially selected from over one billion candidates for an incredible opportunity.” He tossed back a couple of stray jet-black locks with a flick of his head.

“You sound like one of those annoying phone calls that say you’ve won a million pounds. And all you have to do is call this 0800 number. Then you find out you’ve only won a key ring, and at some point they connected you to somewhere halfway across the world. But you won’t know that until the telephone bill lands on the mat.” Alex crossed her arms. “What’s your catch?”

“Ha, ha, ha!” Clive’s baby blues twinkled. “No catch, just a little fun. We thought you needed some.”

“Who’re we?”

“Why, us. Those who live below,” Clive said with a shrug.

“Below where?”

“Below figuratively. We don’t actually live in the bowels of the earth, but on another plane. Dimension if you will. The angels called dibs on the higher floor.”

Alex frowned. “The angels called dibs?”

“Better view,” the demon said, nodding.

“Oh.” She rubbed at her temples. “You’re confusing me, Clive.” Alex tugged on Jeremy’s sleeve. Drums and cymbals crashed. Alex shrank away from the noise, hands over her ears. Clive tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips, and fixed his hypnotic eyes on her.

“Jeremy. Jeremy. JEREMY!” Alex shrieked the last word and swiveled around on her seat, and tried to block any sign of the stranger in the red cat suit. Hopefully, Clive would be gone when she next looked over.

“Huh?” Jeremy opened his eyes for a second. He blinked twice, before the lids slid back down.

“TURN THE MUSIC DOWN!” Alex screamed.

Jeremy sprang up, wobbled a bit, and said, “What the bloody hell?”

“I can’t think. It’s got to me—the beat…” She grabbed one of his hands. “Please, turn the music down.”

She tucked her knees in, watching as Jeremy struggled onto his feet and squeezed between her and the seat in front. He straightened up, his head almost brushing the ceiling of the minibus, his face shrouded in second-hand smoke. Alex stared, mouth unhinged, as Jeremy clambered oblivious around the demon and past two more rows of benches as he worked his way to the driver’s seat. A couple of seconds later he must have found the power button as the noise stopped. Alex lowered her hands from the sides of her head, ears buzzing in the silence. Beside her, Clive observed her every movement.

Alex leaned forward and whispered, “You’re not real, are you…?”

“What’s up, babe?” Jeremy stood up, stretched as best he could in the cramped minibus, and then asked, “You hungry? Cause I got the munchies something wicked.” He slid a food hamper out from under Clive’s feet and rooted around inside.

“Don’t you see him?” Alex pointed at the demon.

“Who?” Jeremy opened his mouth wide, and took a huge bite from an overflowing chicken salad sandwich. “You want something?” he said, and pushed the hamper towards Alex with his foot.

“No, I don’t want anything…” She peered inside and after a slight pause, pulled a Dairy Milk out from under a can of Fanta. “Clive,” she said, and ripped the chocolate bar open.

“Who’s Clive?” Jeremy asked, and finished the first half of his sandwich. “Hey, didn’t you say something about him earlier?”

“Yes.” Alex nodded. “You asked who I could see, and the answer is Clive. He’s sitting right there.” She pointed across the aisle. “He’s a demon.”

Clive waved obligingly at Jeremy.

“He can’t see me,” Clive said.

“I can’t see anyone,” Jeremy said. “You’re hallucinating. I told you that were good shit.” Jeremy dug around in the bottom of the hamper for a Coke. He snapped the can open and took a long drink. “A demon, huh? Wonder what that says about you,” he said with a grin.

“No one else can see you?” Alex asked. “I’m the
only
person who can?”

“Yup.” He flashed his brilliant smile at her again. “The privilege is all yours.”

“Is he talking to you, Alex?” Jeremy popped the last mouthful of the chicken sandwich in his mouth, bent over the food, and pulled out a pack of Doritos. He suppressed a burp with the back of his hand before opening the crisps.

“Yeah. You know, this is too strange.” Alex touched Jeremy’s knee. “Can you take me home?” She glanced sideways at the demon, her eyes narrowed down to slits. “I’m guessing you’ll go away soon?”

“Only if you want me to, babe,” Jeremy said. He put the top back on the hamper and shoved it under the seat.

“Why would I go anywhere else?” Clive asked. “I like you Alex. I think I could be here for a while.”

Jeremy coasted up to Alex’s house and slipped the minibus into an impossibly small space.

“Do I get a kiss then, babe?” Jeremy leaned over, lips puckered. Alex shrank away from him and glanced at the demon currently sat two seats behind her. Clive waved at her. His stuffed horns slipped forward. He pushed them back, tracing the length of one with a finger.

“You know that hallucination of mine?” Alex said as Jeremy released the pucker from his lips. “He’s obscene. He keeps making gestures at me with his horns.”

“Maybe he’s hinting that we should get it on in here.” Jeremy leaned over again, this time not attempting the kiss. He cupped a breast with one hand, and slid the other up her leg.

“No, Jeremy. I can’t fool around with Clive watching. Feels weird.” She pulled his hand out from under her skirt, and pushed him gently away. “Next time stick to legal shit. Perhaps a nice bottle of cider, okay?” Alex gave him an apologetic peck on the cheek. His skin was smooth, freshly shaved, his scent accentuated with the faint tang of aftershave. “Sorry.”

“Sounds like I don’t have a choice.” Jeremy stuck his lower lip out and stared at the floor. “Old Willie will have to find other ways of amusing himself.”

“I’m sure the two of you will manage just fine.”

Alex jumped out of the minibus and walked up her garden path. She turned the key in the lock, checked she was by herself, and opened the front door a crack. Jeremy waved, seemingly alone in the vehicle. She dipped a nod, and slipped inside, locking up before she could be followed in. With a loud sigh, Alex leaned against the wall. What a strange night.

“Alexandra is that you?” A voice floated out from the living room.

“It’s Alex, Mum, and yes, it’s me.” Alex went over to the closed door, and stood unmoving for a minute, her hand resting on the handle. The stairs started two feet to her left. The faded paisley print on the treads disappeared invitingly into the darkness upstairs.

“Go on in. This
will
be fun.”

Alex let out a yelp and jumped back, falling into Clive’s arms.

“Jesus. You scared me!” Alex lurched away from him, a hand over her heart. It pulsed hard and fast under her palm. “I was hoping you’d gone.”

“Nope, just had something to do. Go in, my little sugarplum.”

“I’m not sure I want to.” She leaned against the door.

“And why not?” The demon turned the handle. “Go on. I promise you it’ll all work out.”

Alex let out a long sigh. “Fine, okay, have it your way.” She closed her eyes for a moment, considering the idea of her conversing with a hallucination. She felt a jab in her back.

“Go in,” he said.

“You really have no idea what I’m about to find.” Alex shook her head as she finally entered the living room.

Lily lay half fallen off the sofa, an empty bottle of red wine clutched in one hand. “Hello darrrling,” she slurred. “Have a good time wis Jer?”

“Jeremy, Mum. His name is Jeremy.” Alex wrinkled her nose in disgust and tried to decide whether to move her mother up to bed, or let her sleep downstairs. Mum’s too far from the toilet here, she thought. There’ll be a mess to clean up in the morning.

“She’s got a dildo in her handbag,” Clive whispered, his breath hot in her ear.

“And why the hell do I want to know that?” She wiped at her ear, and sidestepped away from the demon.

“Know what?” Lily flopped over and smiled drunkenly at her daughter. Her white blonde hair was a mass of scruffy knots. “Ish there any more wine in the kitchen, darrrling?”

“I’ll go look.” Alex skirted around the sofa, and walked towards an open door at the rear of the room.

“Oh, you’re schuch a dear.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Alex stood in the doorway to the kitchen. An empty bottle lay on its side. The remains of a fry-up coated the hob. A pile of dishes threatened to collapse beside the sink.

“Ish there any wine, dear?” Lily called out.

Alex rolled her eyes, and moved into the room. She opened and shut the cupboard doors, not even bothering to examine the contents—pointless clattering for a pointless search. “There’s none left, Mum.”

“Ask the drunk if you can borrow a tampon from her handbag.”

Alex jumped as Clive appeared beside her. She’d forgotten about him. The demon grinned at her, a wicked look in his eye.

“What good’s that going to do?” Alex slumped against the countertop and rubbed at her temples. “And you’re not bloody helping. Disappear or something so I can deal with my mother.”

“You want the drunk to go to bed, and you don’t want to carry her up stairs. Right?”

“Yeah…?” Alex wasn’t sure how the demon knew what she was thinking. But if he was a figment of her stoned imagination, then he must have a direct link to her thoughts. She decided he was the personification of an alter ego, an Alex who could stand up to her mother, and find new angles to sorting the woman out.

“Hurry up and ask her,” Clive said, and gave Alex a push towards the door. “Tell her you want a tampon.”

Lily had fallen further off the sofa with one leg resting on the carpet. She still clutched the empty bottle of red wine in one hand. In the other, she held a remote. Across the room, the screen of the television flickered from one picture to the next.

“For goodness sake, Mum, there’s only five channels to choose from. Pick one or turn the telly off.”

Lily settled on Eurotrash, and dropped the remote. A group of naked Europeans wobbled across the screen.

“Go on,” Clive said, and prodded her and mouthed the word,
tampons
.

Alex glanced back at the demon, and said, “Um… Mum, I ran out of tampons. Could I look in your handbag for some?” Alex strode past her mother to the sideboard, where a scruffy black faux leather bag lay.

“NO!” Lily yelled, and jumped off the cushions. The wine bottle bounced onto the sofa, the remote almost met an end under her mother’s feet. She staggered over to Alex and snatched away the handbag.

“I told you,” Clive said, and clapped Alex on the back. “The drunk’s got a secret in there.”

Alex watched open-mouthed as Lily spun around and wobbled over to the living room door.

“Theresh … nothing ish in here…,” Lily slurred. “I shink I ran out. But I’m schur there’sh more upstairs.” Lily pinned the bag to her chest with both arms. “Come with me. I shink I’ll go straight to bed.” Lily grabbed the banister and dragged herself up the stairs. At the top she balanced precariously for a moment before lurching onto the landing. She ricocheted off the walls, and fell against her bedroom door, which flung open. The door slammed into the side of a chest of drawers, and bounced back into Lily. “Oops,” she said and disappeared inside the room. A few seconds later, she reappeared with a handful of tampons. “Here.” She thrust them at Alex, dropping half of them on the carpet. “That schould keep you, Alexandra. I mean Alex.” Lily swayed in the doorway.