Our Devils, page 3
“Pfft. Yeah, no shit, dummy.” The little beast seemed to roll his eyes. Not that it was easy to tell without pupils.
Something about that hit Aaron just right. Maybe it was how casual it sounded, or how briefly human, or just the absurdity of the situation in general. For the first time that day, Aaron laughed. Really laughed. It got away from him and it must have been contagious, because the devil laughed too. Once he finally got it under control, Aaron had a fresh question at the ready. “So where did you come from? Really?”
The monster shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw the big devil going through a portal thingy, and I followed it and…” A funny look hit him and he jumped to his feet, shouting and stomping with glee. “I’M IN THE HUMAN WORLD!!”
Aaron jumped up to shoosh him, just in case his neighbor was home. Pulsar took the hint, grinning sheepishly. Then, Aaron had a grim realization. “Is the… portal still open?”
Pulsar shrugged with a grin. “Maybe?”
“What’s stopping other monsters from coming through?”
The devil shrugged again.
“And what are the odds that they’ll try to eat someone?”
The creature scoffed. “Pfft, they will. They eat everything.”
This put Aaron in a difficult spot. He couldn’t tell the police without tying himself to the owl situation, and he really didn’t want to share that he was keeping one of those devils in his apartment. But he also couldn’t just stand by and let people get eaten alive, like that poor bastard in the khaki slacks. Slowly his gears began to turn.
Pulsar looked more like the night before. Taller, maybe, with sharper edges. And as Aaron watched him, a new question, perhaps the most obvious question of all, bubbled to the surface. “Pulsar? Why didn’t you try to eat me?”
The little monster looked up at him with a confused smile, like Aaron had just asked the dumbest question in the world. “Because humans are cool!”
Chapter 5
“Humans are NOT cool,” Aaron insisted. They drove in Aaron’s hatchback while Pulsar rode shotgun. He was wrapped up in a loose hoodie that hung past his knees, his feet dangling below the waistline. It was a shitty disguise but they wouldn’t need it for long.
“Humans are SO cool,” Pulsar spat back. “Humans make beef jerky and New Moon and—”
“New Moon is not cool.” Aaron spat.
“Have you read it?”
“No, but—”
Pulsar crossed his arms and scoffed. “Pfft, I didn’t think so.”
They passed a row of apartments, strip malls, and houses. Pulsar’s eyes were impossibly wide, taking in the most mundane details with utter reverence.
“Keep your ears down!” snapped Aaron. The monster hastily stuffed them into his hood. His ears wanted to naturally stand up straight, so it was a struggle to make them cooperate.
“We getting more meat?” Pulsar asked without taking his eyes off the road.
“No, I need to see what you can do.”
“And then meat?”
The beast’s one-track mind was going to be a problem. The man sighed. “Sure. Whatever. Then meat.”
“MEAT!” The little monster threw his big fists up in the air. Aaron rushed to shove his head down as they pulled up alongside a faded old sedan. Pulsar thrashed in frustration while the other driver side-eyed Aaron. Aaron angrily stuck his tongue out at the man, as if he should mind his own business. When the light turned, the sedan drove off without incident. Aaron grunted with relief and let Pulsar back up.
“Okay. You want meat? Stay out of sight, do what I say, and be good. No chaotic shit, okay?”
“Okay.” Pulsar grinned happily as his tail thumped against the seat.
Aaron mounted his phone so he could scroll through news feeds while he drove. There was no mention of last night’s attack whatsoever. He searched for “Owl,” and then “Monster,” and “Murder,” but there was nothing.
If what Pulsar said was true, the portal was still open. The monsters were coming and humans were on the menu. As much as Aaron generally didn’t care about what happened to strangers, the night before was burned into his memory. The image of the owl horking down an arm wasn’t easy to shake. No one deserved to die like that.
“Where we going?” The monster ogled a pack of cyclists as they passed.
“There’s an old quarry not far from here,” said Aaron. “Abandoned. I want to see what you can do.”
“What I can do?” Pulsar cocked his little head, curious.
“Yeah, like in a fight. That owl was a close call. If there are others coming, I want to be ready.”
Pulsar spun his head around to look Aaron in the eye. There was determination, excitement, and perhaps even a speck of pride on his devilish little face. He nodded resolutely and said “Right.”
The quarry was every bit as abandoned as Aaron had hoped. There were no signs of cars or people, and the property was protected only by a simple chain link fence. The only security cameras looked like they were decades old, their cables long since stripped for copper. Most of the heavy equipment was gone, and the few remaining pieces were heavily rusted over, hulking and desolate. It was silent except for a slight breeze, a few birds on the wind, and the sound of Aaron cutting the chain link around the lock.
As they stepped inside, Pulsar’s dark eyes went wide. “Woah. Is this an arena?”
“Rock quarry,” said Aaron. “They used to mine rocks and sell them.”
The little monster cocked his head in confusion. “They sold rocks?”
“Yeah,” said the man. “Some people want certain kinds of rocks, or lots of rocks, or matching rocks… I don’t know, dude. They sold rocks, okay?”
“Why did they stop?”
Aaron looked around at a big, ramping conveyor belt, rust-brown and silent. He shrugged. “Maybe they ran out of good rocks?” Pulsar looked back suspiciously, like he expected humans to be a little smarter.
Aaron stepped out and dropped a duffel bag on the ground. He fished out several empty bottles and set them up on some derelict equipment, around waist height. Then he turned back towards the devil. “So, you mainly fight with your claws, right?”
Pulsar eyed his claws with detached interest. “Claws, teeth, punches, kicks... yeah.”
“What about ranged attacks?”
The devil tilted his head again. “Ranged attacks?”
“Yeah, what if there’s a monster coming at you from all the way over there, and you want to hurt it before it gets to you?”
Pulsar furrowed his brow. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Because uh… because then it will be hurt by the time he gets to you, and you’ll have the advantage. Or you can stop it from hurting someone else. Or… loads of reasons.”
“Okay,” said the creature, not really understanding. “So how do I do ranged attacks?”
Aaron reached in his bag and pulled out an airsoft gun. He leveled it at one of the bottles and fired off a series of shots. The little steel BBs plinked off the bottle uselessly until the impacts added up, knocking it over.
Pulsar oohed and aahed. “Can I try?”
Aaron looked at the airsoft gun and realized there was a big problem: the devil’s fingers wouldn’t fit through the trigger guard. “No, this is how humans do it. We need to find a different way for you.”
For a moment the creature looked sad. Then his ears perked up. He picked up a rock, tossed it in his palm to feel the weight, and hurled it like a pitcher. It glanced off the bottle, which flew away intact. He grinned back at Aaron with delight. “Can I try again?”
Aaron kept setting up bottles, and then fragments of bottles, as Pulsar’s aim improved rapidly. Within a few minutes Pulsar could choose exactly where he wanted to hit them. He could nick the neck off and leave the base, crack the base and leave the neck, or shatter the entire bottle into dust. He was a quick learner, and Aaron questioned how much the little devil needed his help.
The monster looked back with a grin. “More bottles?”
Aaron started setting them up, but ultimately decided that it was time for a new exercise. The human reached into his bag and drew out a small hatchet. It was made for mall ninjas, with all sorts of gaudy grooves and edges. Most of it was matte black metal except for a rubberized grey handle. The monster’s eyes went wide with wonder but Aaron spoke first. “I want you to teach me how to use this.”
“I don’t know how to use that.”
“Yeah, okay,” scoffed Aaron. “But you know how to fight hand to hand. I just got lucky with the owl. When the next one comes, I don’t want to just let you do all the fighting, you know?”
Pulsar cocked his head with amusement. “But you’re just a human.”
Aaron chuckled and sharpened his smile. “No offense, but fuck you too.”
Pulsar laughed and a toothy grin spread across his face. “Okay. Try to hit me.”
Aaron’s expression softened. “Woah, no. I don’t actually want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
Aaron held the hatchet loosely, shaking his head. “No, I don’t even want to risk it.” It slipped out of his hand and landed with a thud. The sound drew their attention for a moment. The big man cleared his throat, trying to save some face. “How about we spar instead?”
“Spar?”
“Yeah, like a game. You try to knock me on my butt, and I try to knock you on your butt.” Aaron slipped off his other hoodie, the one with the “I speedrun your mom” graphic, revealing his black tank top. His gut may have peeked out from below the bottom, but his arms and calves had some serious muscle. He didn’t work out, but there was more to his weight than fat alone. “Best two out of three.”
“Best two out of three!” chirped the little monster, dropping into a fighting stance.
“Just… no claws, no biting, no punching… we don’t actually try to hurt each other, okay? Just knock me on my butt.”
“Deal,” growled the devil. A wicked smile spread across his scraggly mouth. He didn’t wait for any official start: the beast rushed forward and placed his palms on Aaron’s chest, shoving with all his might. Aaron slid back several feet as the dust kicked up around him. Aaron shoved back, barely connecting with Pulsar’s skinny frame. The devil caught airtime, landing on his feet and chuckling to himself. Not a second later, he rushed again.
Aaron had a hard time keeping an eye on him as the monster feinted, dodged, and dipped around him. The devil picked one of his legs, immediately dropping him on his butt with a thud. “Devils one!”
The human caught his breath before getting back on his feet. He wasn’t used to this kind of workout and was already breathing heavily. He was on the back foot, and didn’t want to even risk talking trash.
This time, Aaron stayed low in a wrestler’s crouch, circling with square steps. He realized that Pulsar’s long arms were offset by his small frame, and despite Aaron’s superior height they had a similar reach. Pulsar took a few swipes, probing for an opening. Aaron swatted them away, mirroring the tactic. They circled each other, eye contact never breaking. After a few more swipes, Aaron’s attention snapped to something behind Pulsar. The devil’s head turned for just a moment, which gave Aaron just enough time to grab a fistful of dirt and throw it in his face.
Pulsar closed his eyes in time to avoid the worst of it, but his mouth wasn’t as fast. He spat with disgust as Aaron shoved his center mass, knocking the devil on his butt and kicking up a small cloud. Aaron threw his fists in the air and whooped. “Humans one!”
The devil chuckled dryly—he was amused by the dirty trick. He jumped back onto his feet in a single motion, and moments later they squared off for the final round. They crouched into the same wrestler stances and circled each other, eye contact never faltering. Aaron tried distracting the devil again with the same trick, but Pulsar was having none of it. Pulsar lunged forward and threw his palms out in rapid fire, and Aaron only blocked half of the hits. The others teetered him over precariously, and Aaron fell with it. But Aaron caught one of the devil’s hands and twisted, putting the devil below him.
Pulsar caught himself on his free hand and planked, keeping his butt off the ground. Even with Aaron’s full weight on top of him, the devil could hold them both up with a single arm. It was almost spooky how strong he was.
Aaron tried picking the braced arm, but the attempt cost him his grip on the first arm. Pulsar braced with both arms, grinning defiantly. Aaron changed tactics. The human put both of his hands on the monster’s chest and came down with his full weight, but still the devil held out. He pushed off the hare’s body, caught a bit of air, and slammed down harder. The devil’s arms flexed but did not give. The little bastard laughed as Aaron struggled. The human changed his grip and Pulsar’s laughing grew even more intense. The devil began to squirm and snort.
A goofy smile spread across the big man’s face. He wasn’t out of dirty tricks after all. The human changed his grip again and wrapped his hands around the devils’ torso. His fingers reached through fur and the devil cried out. Pulsar sputtered with laughter, thrashing madly.
“F-fufufu-STOP!” he roared as Aaron tickled him viciously. Pulsar fell on his back and pushed his hands into Aaron’s face, struggling to get the man off him. But Aaron didn’t stop—it was just too much fun putting the cocky little bastard in his place.
“Gehehet AWFF!” he pleaded, wrenching Aaron’s arms away. Aaron caught the monster’s hands in his and pinned them to the ground as Pulsar’s ragged laughter faded. Then he sighed and laid his head back, gasping through a smile. “You’re a prick.”
“I’m a winner.”
“You’re a dirty winner, you prick.” But there was no animosity behind it. Aaron released his hands and sat up into a crouch, still straddling the beast.
He looked small from this angle, but he still felt larger than he did back in the apartment, as if the food had returned some of his strength. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths and a few stray giggles. At last, he opened his eyes and looked back with a goofy smile. “Can you get the fuck off of me?”
Aaron laughed and helped the monster up. They were both out of breath and immediately sat down again on some old quarry equipment to rest. Aaron dug a couple of sports drinks out of his bag and offered one to the monster. He watched Aaron crack a cap open and chug the bottle, and Pulsar did the same, smacking his lips with satisfaction. They took a few slower swigs before either of them spoke again.
“You fight dirty,” said Pulsar.
“I don’t really know how to fight,” Aaron admitted. Sure, he had done a year of taekwondo in a former life, but that was back when he was a small child. He got as far as a yellow belt before giving it up—which was a far way from knowing how to fight.
“No, dirty is good.” The devil finished his drink and dropped the bottle carelessly. “Dirty wins.”
“Dirty wins,” Aaron echoed, finishing his drink. While Pulsar was fully recovered, Aaron was still trying to catch his breath. The monster held out his arm and poked at his shoulder scar. It looked different now: larger, slightly more jagged, and slightly more intricate than before. Aaron held out his own arm and was surprised to see that his scar had changed too. He held it up to the monster. “So you don’t know anything about this?”
Pulsar shook his head. “No, you?”
“No.” The two held their arms out to compare—they were a perfect fit. Almost imperceptibly, both of their scars seemed to grow before their eyes, new edges and swirls forming in real time. It was so subtle that Aaron thought he might be imagining things.
“What is happening?” The devil’s voice was quiet now, and full of wonder.
“I don’t know,” said Aaron. “But I think we’re linked, or something.”
Pulsar blinked and looked up at him, his curious bug eyes reflecting the world around him. “Like... buddies?”
That hit Aaron in a way that he wasn’t prepared for. He didn’t fight the goofy smile that spread across his face. “Yeah, I guess.”
Chapter 6
For a long time, they just sat and talked. For every question Aaron had about devils and where they came from, Pulsar had ten more about the human world. It made it a struggle to get any information out of the devil at all.
There was a lot the devils didn’t know about their own world. It didn’t have a name because it didn’t have a native language. Most devils were content to communicate with growls and barks and pheromones and body language, just like any other animal. But a long time ago, a few of them found a way to the human world and claimed some victims. Aaron figured out that those victims must have shouted things like “Monsters!” and “Devils!” as their throats were torn out. Clearly, one of those names stuck.
But devils were fast learners. Once devils started coming back from trips to the human world, some of them brought back a few words of English. Others brought back books and toys, and all sorts of souvenirs. Some of the smarter ones were able to put spoken words and written words together—then the clever bastards actually learned how to read.
And a rare few, like Pulsar, became obsessed with the human world, hoarding and consuming every scrap of it they could get their claws on.
Aaron learned that, no, he wasn’t born with the headband. Pulsar simply found some piece of human cloth and decided to keep a strip for himself. He thought it made him look more people-y.
Most of the human objects that Pulsar had collected were just garbage: junk mail, soda cans, scrap metal, and cardboard boxes. But every once in a while, he found something more meaningful, like a book or an action figure. In his collection were an instruction manual for a Dyson vacuum cleaner, an Optimus Prime toy, a Daredevil comic, a Spy Kids poster, a Karate Kid poster, a children’s book about space and, of course, a paperback of New Moon.
He even had a few movies: Jerry Maguire on VHS, a DVD of Titanic, and a DVD of Dumb Sluts From Space 8. Not that he had any way to watch them.
Meanwhile, Aaron told Pulsar about his corner of the human world. He lived in Northern California, in a small city of 300,000 people. It was called Trinity City because it used to be three different cities: Liverton, Pleasantmore, and Belfast. The locals just called it Trinity, or Trin, or sometimes Trips. Trips was the last stop before the crown jewel of the Northern California coast: San Judah, a sprawling metropolis of tech bros, gutter punks, and the blessed bastards who could afford condos with views of the sea.
