Demon Down, page 7
part #4 of Xoe Meyers Series
Dorrie giggled at me. “Where are you trying to go?” she asked.
I considered lying, but I wasn't doing so well on my own, and maybe she could actually help. “I'm looking for my grandmother,” I answered.
She laughed. “On your way to grannies? You better get in before any wolves find you.”
The door of the cab opened on its own, and Dorrie leaned back over to her side. I looked around the bus depot nervously. More dark shapes swirled in the reflection of the glass, and I could hear a scuttling that sounded like a group of rats on the pavement.
I got into the cab without thinking and slammed the door. I half expected Dorrie to turn to me and reveal her evil plan, but she only smiled. Now that I could see her fully, I noticed that she wore a white, sleeve-less jumpsuit of sorts with a little name tag sewn onto the chest pocket.
When I didn't say anything she asked, “What realm is your grannie in?”
“I-I'm not sure,” I stammered and held out my hand with the ring on it. “I'm supposed to be able to find her with this.”
Dorrie took a close look at the ring. “Let me guess,” she said. “Sometimes it shimmers, sometimes it doesn't?”
I nodded, wondering how she knew.
“The ring is broken pop-tart. I know a good repair guy I could take you to.” She started driving down the road, presumably towards the repair guy.
“I don't have time to go to a repair guy!” I exclaimed quickly.
The cab came to a halt again, flinging me forward. Dorrie sighed. “Do you at least know your grandmother's name?”
My jaw dropped. My father had never mentioned her name.
“Your parents names?” she questioned. “You have to at least know those.”
“Alexondre is my father,” I answered hopefully. “It's his mother that I'm trying to find.”
“What, like Cher? What's his last name dumpling?” she asked.
I was beginning to get nervous the longer we weren't moving. I could still see the bus depot in the rear-view mirror. “Demons have last names?” I asked.
Dorrie shook her head. “Their demon bloodlines have names crumpet,” she explained. “Man, you're not just new to dream-walking. How did you even manage to find your way here?”
“I drank a potion-” I began.
“Let me see the ring again,” she interrupted.
I held up my hand and she snatched the ring off of my finger before I could react. She held it close to her sparkling eye for a moment. Seemingly satisfied, she handed the ring back and started driving.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I've seen the ring before,” she said, “a very long time ago. I'll take you to its previous owner, but be warned. A ring like that would have been coveted when it was still fully functional. It's probably had a lot of owners. The one we find might not be your granny.”
“Will it take long to get there?” I asked with renewed anxiety.
Dorrie nodded as the cab picked up speed. “It's several realms away. Sit tight pumpkin pie.”
Up ahead on the road was a giant yellow wall. It seemed to be made of some kind of semi-transparent gel, and reached up as far as my eyes could see. The headlights of the cab shone through it as we approached at full speed.
“Watch out!” I screamed right before we hit the wall.
The cab seemed to go in slow motion as it pushed its way through the gel. We came out the other side with a loud pop.
Dorrie did not seem ruffled in the slightest. “That was a realm crossing,” she explained. “We'll be going through quite a few.”
“You could have warned me,” I choked out as I tried to relearn how to breathe.
“Sorry,” she said. “I've been doing this for so long that I don't even think about it anymore.”
“How long exactly?” I asked, still having a bit of trouble breathing.
“I don't really remember,” she said. “This is what I was created for. The beginning of my time on the road was the beginning of my existence.”
“Wait,” I began, confused, “you do other things besides driving this cab, right?”
Dorrie shook her head. “It's what I was made for.”
I stared at Dorrie. She seemed completely at peace with what she was saying. “You're not a demon?” I asked, still confused.
She smiled. “Heavens no pork chop. The demons made me. Without me, traveling between realms takes ages.”
I shook my head. “They made you? I don't understand. You can't just make a person. Even if they could, don't you want to do anything else?”
Dorrie laughed. “I'm a golem of sorts. My insides are hollow and I'm not meant to live like others. There's nothing else for me to do.” She glanced over at me. “This is what I'm made for,” she repeated. “It's good to have a purpose.”
We went through another wall, a pink one this time. The process made me dizzy, but I didn't react as poorly as I had the first time.
“Hollow?” I asked once we were through the crossing, getting more hung up on that idea than all of the other crazy things she was telling me.
Dorrie flipped her long white hair over her shoulder and nodded. “I have no insides. I am a construct of demon magic, so I don't need them.”
I looked at her glistening skin and had the sudden urge to knock my fist on her arm and see if it sounded hollow. Don't worry, I resisted. Instead I asked, “Could you stop driving? You know, hypothetically, if you wanted to.”
Dorrie seemed to think about my question for a moment. “I suppose I could,” she answered. “Though I've never heard of any of the other drivers doing it. I don't see any reason why I would stop.”
“There are more of you?” I asked.
She nodded. “I've never seen them, but my passengers have mentioned them. I imagine the demons made enough drivers so that no one would have to wait long before getting picked up.”
We plopped through another wall. It was daylight in the new realm, and things seemed more expansive. It seemed as if we were on a quiet country road somewhere, only there was no sky. The outdoors was always an illusion in the demon realms.
“So why are you looking for your grannie?” Dorrie asked.
I tried to judge her expression, but she just focused on the road, seemingly content. “It's a really long story,” I answered. “But basically my boyfriend's life depends on me finding her.”
Normally someone would focus on the life being in danger part of what I'd said, but apparently not Dorrie. “Oooh, you have a boyfriend?” she asked excitedly. “What's his name? What does he look like?”
I awkwardly answered her questions, and she rewarded me with a brilliant smile as we plopped through another wall.
“I've of course have never had a boyfriend,” she explained. “But I find the whole concept of love fascinating. Do you love him? Of course you do,” she answered for herself. “If you didn't love him, you wouldn't be trying to save him.” A look of stern determination came across her glittering face. “I'm going to help you find your granny,” she stated proudly. “And you're going to save your boyfriend. True love is at stake.”
We plopped through another wall, a black one this time. The place we ended up in looked like a scene out of an old Dracula movie. The false sky was a deep indigo, bordered in black and swirling like a storm was brewing. Barren trees reached their feeble limbs up towards that eerie sky like dying animals searching for the touch of the sun. The earth that bordered the road was dark, yet it glistened with moisture that had nothing to do with rain or condensation. The moisture looked thick and slimy, like the remnants of rotting things.
“We're here,” Dorrie announced happily.
Of course we were.
Dorrie slowed the cab enough to pull off on the main road onto a bumpy dirt side-road. Of course. Of course we had to stop in what looked like the stereotyped version of Transylvania. The demon who had owned the ring could have chosen real estate in the previous sunny realm, but no. Ending up at a creepy old castle would just be the icing on the cake.
The cab bounced violently as Dorrie took the road too quickly. She didn't seem fazed, but I had to hold on to the little strap above the door for dear life as we made our way down the rough road.
Finally we pulled into a driveway and came to a stop. The house in front of us wasn't a castle, but it had the dark, decayed look of a haunted mansion, which was perhaps worse.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked.
Dorrie nodded. “I took this lady home a few thousand years ago. She was wearing that ring, though it was in much better condition at the time.”
“A few thousand years!” I exclaimed. “How do you even remember the ring after that long?”
Dorrie rolled her eyes at me. “I was created to navigate and travel through hundreds of realms without a map. My memory is nothing to smirk at bon-bon.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled as I looked back at the house.
“I'll wait here for you,” Dorrie said cheerfully.
“You're not coming?” I asked, knowing the answer but really hoping for the company.
“I'm not supposed to leave the cab,” she answered, and for the first time sounded a little sad.
“Who would know?” I asked, now more worried about a creature that could never leave her taxi cab than I was about whatever was in the mansion.
Dorrie seemed to think about it. “I've considered it a few times . . . ”
“No time like the present,” I said with a wicked grin.
Dorrie leaned forward towards the windshield and observed the mansion. “What if the lady inside tells on me?” she asked, sounding like a little kid.
“What would happen if she did?” I replied.
“They might unmake me,” she said sadly. “I've heard of it happening. It's why I've never left the cab before.”
I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe you shouldn't . . . ”
Dorrie slumped down in her seat dejectedly, but nodded. I felt bad leaving her behind, but I'd probably feel even worse if I got her “unmade”. I patted her arm, and had to force myself to not pull my hand away at the sandpaper feel.
Dorrie offered me a small smile. “I'll be waiting right here when you're done.”
I exited the cab and strode towards the mansion before I could think better of it. The house was surrounded by a tall, wrought-iron fence that ended at the top with sharp barbs. I took a deep breath and pushed my hands against the partially ajar gate. Dark colored vines had grown over much of the gate, making it difficult to move. I finally ended up just squeezing through the opening that was already there.
The stones that composed the walkway were cracked and edged with the same slimy substance that seemed to cover most of the ground. I did my best to tip-toe across the centers of the stones in order to keep my shoes somewhat clean.
The front door looked like it hadn't been opened in ages. What looked like dried slime was caked in the seams and coated the small window in the center of the door. There was no doorbell, so I pounded my fist on the cleanest part of the door a few times. After a few minutes with no answer I knocked a little harder. Still nothing.
I twisted the knob, just to see if the door was locked. It wasn't. I glanced back at the cab and at Dorrie waiting inside. She gestured for me to go ahead, so I turned the knob and the door opened.
“Hello?” I called inside.
No answer.
I pushed the door the rest of the way open, causing dried bits of the slime to flake and fall to the floor. It didn't make much difference. The floor was already caked with the stuff and covered in a layer of dust to boot.
I stepped inside and called out again. Still no answer. I flipped a nearby light switch, but the power was out. I vaguely wondered if demons had to pay electricity bills as I ventured further into the house. I made my way into the expansive kitchen, which was in the same disrepair as what I'd seen of the rest of the house.
The next room was the dining room, which was dominated by a massive, heavy wood table. The table was fully set for guests, but was coated with dust and more crusty slime. Wine glasses that had once been clear crystal were gray with dust.
It took me a moment to realize someone was sitting at the head of the table. She didn't look very old, but had long gray hair and was dressed in black, Victorian style clothing. The thick fabric of her dress was made gray in places by the collecting dust, though there wasn't an ounce of slime on her. She sat slumped in her seat, unmoving.
I could taste my pulse on my tongue as I crept closer to her. Her face was small and delicate, and likely would have been pretty if she didn't look like a corpse.
“Miss?” I questioned, even though I was pretty sure she was dead. I still had to check. If there could be lobster demons, there could be corpse demons.
I leaned on the table to get a little closer to see if she was breathing. Her hand whipped out and grabbed my wrist, just as her eyes shot open.
She took a deep, rasping breath. “Well,” she wheezed. “I've been waiting here all evening.” She glared up at me as she chided, “You, my dear are late for dinner.”
8
“Sit, sit,” she urged. “You must be starving. Of course, if you hadn't of been so late . . . ” She rang a tiny bell that had been sitting on the table beside her as if to summon a servant, but no one came.
I cringed as I lowered myself onto one of the dirty chairs. I seriously hoped this woman wasn't my grandmother. If she was, I doubted she'd be of much help to us.
“Oh that dreaded Jessica,” my maybe grannie huffed. “That girl is never where she needs to be.”
“I've been meaning to ask you about your son,” I said conversationally, hoping to get some information out of her as quickly as possible.
She raised her pallid nose up in the air as high as her neck would allow. “You know very well I never had children,” she snapped. “That was a very cruel question for you to ask.”
“S-sorry,” I stammered. “I forgot.”
So, she wasn't my grandmother, but she had owned the ring at some point before her. It would have been nice to ask her about it, but if my grandmother had stolen the ring, I might not end up with very much information. It could have been a gift, but this woman didn't seem like the most giving type. I hid my hand under the table so that she wouldn't see the ring just yet.
The woman lowered her nose a bit to look over at me. “I have to say Myrtle, you don't appear much like I remember you.”
Crap. “I died my hair,” I lied.
The woman tsked. “No, no Myrtle. You don't look at all like you. In fact, you look very much like someone else.”
“Someone else?” I questioned nervously.
The woman squinted her eyes at me. “It has just come to me who you look like,” she said. “This is a very mean trick to play Myrtle. I demand that you take that face off, or I will have to take it off for you.”
I stood and began to back away. The woman stood too, shedding dust like snow onto the floor and table. She took one creaky step towards me, and looked down at my hand.
“You!” she shouted. “You've come back to flaunt that ring in front of me! It was never a fair deal and you know it!”
I backed farther away and prepared to bolt, but suddenly the slime on the floor came to life and enveloped my feet. It slowly made its way up my ankles, and continued creeping. I tried to summon a fireball to throw at the goo, but I was too panicked.
The woman took another step. “I'm going to do something to you, Alexandria, that I should have done years ago,” she said slowly.
Alexandria? She had to be talking about my grandmother. She thought I was her. She took another step and raised a hand dripping with slime. I tried to tug my feet free as she took another step and raised the slime covered hand towards my face. Not knowing what else to do, I screamed.
There was a loud crash at the front door that sounded as if it had been blown off of its hinges. Dorrie was suddenly there beside me. She threw out one glittering hand and hit the crazy demon square in the chest. The demon went flying like she'd been hit by a semi, and went right through the far wall of the dining room, leaving a large hole in her wake.
As soon as the woman was out of the room, the slime fell from my feet. Dorrie grabbed my elbow and hurried me through the kitchen and out the front door, which had indeed been blown off of its hinges. We ran down the walkway and back to the cab. As soon as we were inside, Dorrie slammed on the gas and we skidded back down the driveway.
“You left your cab!” I shouted as we pulled onto the main road at top speed.
“I know!” Dorrie shouted back with an exhilarated grin. “I never thought I'd actually do it. It was amazing!”
I couldn't argue that. Dorrie had saved my hide. She turned back to the road and was picking up speed, then suddenly had to slam on the brakes. A slender, tall woman with long blonde hair blocked the way. She stood perfectly at ease as we skidded to a halt just inches in front of her.
The woman tugged her elegant, emerald green trench coat straight and walked calmly to my side of the cab. I slowly opened the door and looked up at her. Green eyes like mine and my dad's looked down at me. Her face was similar to mine, only slightly more angular. She seemed to be a few inches taller than my 5'8” as well. She was my grandmother alright, though she appeared to be in her early thirties.
She smiled. “I could feel that ring from a hundred realms away. Why are you here Alexondra?”
My mouth went dry. “You know who I am?” I squeaked.
“I do,” she answered. “Now turn this cab around and go back to where you came from.”
With that, she turned and walked away down the road. I jumped out of the cab and followed after the sound of her high heeled boots hitting the asphalt. She somehow stayed ahead of me, even though she was walking and I was running. She was nearing the next realm barrier.
“Wait!” I called out. “I need your help!”
