Chapter 7
🔥Chapter 7: From Sharing Feelings to Murder🔥
HOURS HAD PASSED, and soundlessness had dominated the room. The endless stream of digitised clouds had had all my attention for the entirety of my time in capture. It was like being forced to watch the same video on repeat. I felt dead inside as lunacy gradually ate my sanity away.
A coarse cough broke my focus, and before I realized it, I was staring at the beautiful waste of a man from earlier.
Despite his great physique, his skin was as pale as snow and was so translucent you could see his purplish veins. It didn't take an Einstein to see he was burdened with some illness. His body trembled between each breath, hugging himself tighter and looking like he could pass out any second.
It was here that was when I got the courage to actually poke the bear. So, concerned, I asked, "Are you okay there, Devil Boy?"
Refusing to slack his tough boy façade, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
I wasn't convinced, and neither was he.
So, I pestered, "You sure? You look like shit on my end."
He shot me a glare. Then proceeded to ignore me with an increasingly alarming cough every few seconds. I didn't want him to die. He was both my intel and the only other life source in this room to keep me afloat until I found a way out of this fancy cage... and he was really, really nice to look at when he shut his mouth and wasn't insulting me.
That was when it dawned on me. "How long have you been here?"
His shaking came to a sudden halt. "I don't know. You lose track of time here," he responded.
Quiet unfolded between us for the second time. However, unlike the previous time, it didn't last long.
"Um, since we are both going to die in here..." I tucked a stray curl back behind my ear. "... how did you — you know — end up in this place?"
It was as if I flashed a floodlight in his face with his blinking before he looked around him and pointed at himself. "Sorry, are you genuinely talking to me?"
"No, your shadow." I narrowed my eyes and clicked my tongue. "Of course I mean you! There's not exactly another soul I can talk to here, so..."
Pulling his legs in, he rested his chin on his bruised knees. "My apologies, I'm just shocked you would ask, especially after the way we conversed earlier, and, honestly, no one has bothered to when they arrived here."
"Well, I can't blame them. They were probably too busy worrying about their sorry asses being cut up." I reminded him. It wasn't exactly the ideal place for casual chit-chat.
He nodded in agreement, then drew his legs closer till he resembled a ball. We sat still and mute for about another two minutes before he revealed, "I ran away."
Curiosity had me by the ear. "Ran away from what?"
"Home," he responded.
His manly persona broke down into a petrified little boy. My heart ached, and I felt some discomfort, but I gestured for him to go on.
"Whether you believe me or not, I am the next of kin to take over my family's business, and to be honest with you, the idea scares me to death. The training that came with it tore me to shreds; I couldn't take it. The responsibilities were too burdensome. And each time I failed, the more I couldn't see myself taking up such a huge role. The whole experience only fed my gnawing anxiety and depression – both of which I have recently been diagnosed with, courtesy of my mother."
He laughed. A painful and hoarse kind that made me roll into a ball, too, and whisper, "I-I'm sorry about that."
Desvaldo shook his head. "There's no need for that. You didn't bring me into this messed-up world. It was all too much, and my mental and physical health was suffering because of it. So, in the process of fleeing, I ended up here... and one day, I'll end up on some devil's platter, fresh and hot."
After taking a quick breath, he continued in a low whisper that was barely audible, "I know that sounds pathetic, coming from a twenty-two-year-old man, but I just couldn't do it anymore."
This may sound odd, considering my strong personality, but I understood him. Having lived at home until I was twenty, I had been terrified of finally taking responsibility for myself. Yes, it was cheaper than living on campus or having off-campus housing in a dingy house in some sketchy neighborhood; however, deep down, I knew I was scared of letting go of the child in me and having all my family's fears of my future become a reality, like right then.
"No, it doesn't," I reassured him. "It doesn't sound pathetic at all."
"And yourself?"
"Huh?" I uttered, still lost in my own thoughts.
He repeated himself, "What led to your capture?"
I took a deep breath in and explained, "I was delivering this stupid package and then was kidnapped during the drop-off." I clicked my tongue again, trying my best to not get mad. "It was my last delivery of the damn shift."
He was taken aback. "Oh, that's unfortunate."
"Yeah, it is... but I shouldn't have delivered it, to begin with. It was this German kid called Armpit's job, but I took advantage of it and ended up in the Great Below. So, I guess I deserve to die as your side dish," I confessed.
It felt good to let that off my chest. I knew I should've turned back when I landed in the Underworld. However, my excitement overcame me, and now I was in this mess.
His eyes disconnected from mine. "Can I ask you something if it's not too personal?"
"Yeah, it's not like I have anything better to do." I returned my gaze to the dull grey sky.
He waited a few seconds, then went for it. "What are you exactly?"
Eyeing a camera by the nearby fake cottage, I started recalling all the encounters I had had with various people; I was a rare find, as Everett and that mysterious train conductor put it. Carefully, I digested his words a bit more before answering Desvaldo truthfully, "Let's just say if these assholes that locked us up in here find out, I won't be your dearest roommate from the earthly slums for much longer."
The message was received loud and clear especially as he apologized faster than my next breath. "Oh, I'm sorry I asked."
"Why?" I queried him before reverting my questioning gaze to the ailing devil next to me. "Why do you want to know? Want to see what's on your menu tonight if you get a little hungry?"
"No! It's not that!" he assured me, unfurling himself and pressing a hand on his chest. "It's just you smell human."
He whispered the last word, and my body tingled with unease. "What does that smell like?"
"Humans tend to be sweet. However, yours is unusual. There's this odd hint of sourness to it like a demon or a troll." His explanation came in an intrigued whisper. "It's unique and even enchanting. Never smelt anything quite like it."
"Hmm..." I trailed off, curiosity mentally sharpening my next statement. He asked me what it was, so I resumed, "This scent thing, is it something only pure devils do?"
He relaxed his legs a little. "Yes, we can smell every being except our own kind, including hybrids that carry our own blood."
"Interesting. What else do you have under your sleeve?"
"We're not that different from angels and demons -- to be transparent with you. Our brute strength is just more, and our vis is darker..." He disclosed, stretching his legs out. "Much darker."
Vis?
I had never heard of that. "What's that? This vis thing?"
"Vis? You don't know vis?" His eyes widened. However, in a fraction of second, his shock disappeared, he cleared his throat and explained to the best of his abilities. "In layman's terms, maybe I could say it's a kind of magical aura or energy? However, that may downplay its true definition. Ugh, it's hard to explain, but, at the moment, mine is weak because I'm further away from the vis core of my kingdom, and the longer this goes on..."
His body started shaking again. A fear of his nearing end overwhelmed me. "Is that why you look like that right now?"
He nodded for a second time before coughing frenziedly. I attempted to aid him, but he lifted his hand and signaled me not to. With each violent cough, fatigue overtook more of his demeanor. There was no way he was in a position to help me fight these guys off, and I surely couldn't do this on my own. The entirety of the situation felt hopeless.
"Seriously, dude. Is there some way I could be of assistance?" I pled. "Don't die on me here. I don't do well with solitude. I am an extrovert."
"Why. You. Selfish. Bitch," he retorted between each hoarse gasp of air.
"In the flesh — and nice use of Earthling hood talk," I added, impressed by his unanticipated insult and his expensive-trust-fund-baby accent's twist on it. He couldn't help but let out a raspy laugh, and I soon joined him.
However, our laughter soon ended when a booming buzz erupted around us. We both jumped up as instinct got us into defensive positions.
Something was coming.
A few seconds later, a rectangular slice of the sky began to descend until it revealed a glass box with two women inside. They both bore humanoid features like Devlin but wore neat white suits. The fair-skinned one had long, wavy, dark chestnut hair, while the darker lady had neon green cornrows. They halted midair when another buzz screamed from behind us. We snapped our heads to two sliding doors parting.
From it, two masked men with horns in all black stepped out. One had a long butcher knife and the other a machete.
A lift of the redhead's hand sent the men towards us. Without warning, the guy with the knife lunged at me, but I managed to dodge his attack. He took another swing at my torso, but I jumped in time to just miss the weapon before slicing his face with a hard, sharp kick and knocking him out cold.
The other with the machete approached the prince. Although Devil Boy had a sickly appearance, each step of the man's was slow and cautious. It was as if he was scared of him — mortified even.
Desvaldo barely moved a muscle as the man swiped at him with the blade; he merely sidestepped as I did, then twisted the guy's hand into his back before bending it like a pretzel. The poor man let out an ear-piercing scream before dropping his weapon and crumbling to the ground in immense pain.
"You're going to have to do better than sending a bunch of demons my way!" the prince roared at the ladies in the shining glass box. Without a hint of fear, they smiled at us as the sliding doors closed, then ascended into the hole in the sky, disappearing altogether.
Fuming, Desvaldo strolled over to the man, pleading for his life on the ground. The Devil Boy's eyes began to glow a bright, menacing red, and, with just a single look, the suppliant demon went quiet and dropped to the ground. I ran over to feel his pulse; it was nonexistent.
"Why did you kill him?" I asked, perplexed and furious. "You idiot! He could have given us inside information."
"You think I haven't tried that," he snapped. "None of them talk."
"Maybe this one did—"
"Enough, Jazlin!" He yelled, causing the whole place to glitch and shaking up my soul like a baby's rattle. "These carcasses are like you and me. They were kidnapped and forced to butcher us on the lie that they could go home if they were successful. Now, kill the other mutt before he wakes up."
"Wait! K-Kill..."
My voice lost its strength as I stood over the man's motionless body and just stared in shock; I had never killed anyone.
All my life, I was told to never overpower someone, especially someone who could hardly defend themself. My body tensed as I pulled the knife into my grip. I glanced down at my hands and noticed they were trembling.
"The longer you wait, the harder it is." Devlin stepped to my side and held my hands until they ceased shaking, then added, "If you want to survive in the Underworld, you'll have to kill someone. That's just how it works here. Don't forget that."
"B-but h-he's ..." I stuttered, struggling to get any other word out and gesticulating at his still body. A tear escaped my cheek; this was against my morals. It just felt so wrong.
Do it. You heard him. My inner voice echoed in my mind like a parasite. Just do it!
Sucking it up and putting my humanity aside, I stabbed the man I knocked out in the neck. Then, with teary eyes, I turned to my roommate, demanding, "Who the Hell are those women? And why did they send these demons to try to murder us?"
Fixed on the sky, his red eyes intensified with rage. Ever since I arrived, this sudden change in his demeanor made my skin crawl with goosebumps. His vibe was completely different from before, which made me extremely uneasy.
"They're the bosses" – his voice grew stern and cold – "and this is our first test."
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