Part 16 (1/2)

There was a woman in his bed. At least, it looked like a woman. She smiled at him, pulling the sheet down from her body to expose her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Steven slipped into the River. Her features instantly turned male. The creature's eyes stared at him with an intensity of interest and desire that frightened him. Steven was frozen, unable to look away. The creature continued to stare at him, their gaze locked.

It's trying to gauge my interest, Steven thought. He saw the creature's smile broaden as it detected Steven's thought.

”Get the f.u.c.k out!” Steven yelled.

The creature stared at him a moment longer, then smiled even more. It swung its legs off the bed and stood up. Its head nearly reached the ceiling. Its body was a deep red, and looked like it was covered in a thick, leathery skin. It had a giant muscular chest. As it turned profile, he noticed the horns emerging from its forehead; they looked weathered and wooden, reminding Steven of the bark of a tree. When it turned to face him, he saw a giant phallus, erect.

He dropped out of the River. The creature became a woman again. She was his height, and perfectly proportioned. In fact, she looked a lot like Sheryl when they first met.

”I'm on to you,” Steven said, backing out of the room and into the kitchen. He noticed the Mason jar of protection sitting on the counter, left out from the night before. He raised the jar to his lips and turned to look at the creature as it followed him.

As he took the first gulp, he saw her turn the corner and enter the kitchen. He noticed the knife block just to her left. The smart thing to do, he thought, is to grab a knife from the block the biggest one and plunge it into my chest. If I'm dead, she can't attack me.

He swallowed the gulp of protection and dropped the Mason jar. It smashed on the ground, the rest of the protection spilling across the kitchen floor. The woman stepped back from the liquid as it raced across the linoleum towards her. Steven took a step towards the knife block, then felt the protection wash into him. He realized how stupid the idea was.

The woman's expression turned from a smile to a scowl, and she walked back into the bedroom.

Steven followed her. When he reached the bedroom, she was nowhere to be seen. He slipped into the River and continued examining the room, looking for any signs of her visit. Aside from the sheets pulled down on the side of the bed where she had been, there was nothing. He left the River.

He checked the clock. 4 AM. He put on some clothes and pulled the bedspread from his bed. He walked into the living room and turned on all the lights. Then he laid down on the sofa and pulled the bedspread around him.

The protection will last several hours, he thought, but I'll need more. Roy will be up in a couple of hours. Let's see if I can sleep between now and then.

He closed his eyes, immediately seeing the giant demon in his bedroom, coming at him. The thing had felt him in bed, had slid itself between his legs. His body involuntarily shook at the thought.

He sat up. I'm not going to be able to sleep, he thought. He walked back into the bedroom and grabbed the book from his nightstand, taking it back into the living room. He opened the book to the middle section, turning pages until he found the new book. He began to read, and read until the sun came up.

Chapter Eleven.

”You look like s.h.i.+t,” Roy said, letting Steven into his house.

”It was a bad night,” Steven said, walking in.

”You shouldn't eat just before bed,” Roy said. ”It's not good for you.”

”This wasn't digestion, Dad,” Steven said. ”It was demonic.”

”Hmm,” Roy said. ”Are we still going to get coffee?”

”We are,” Steven said, ”but first I was wondering how much protection you have on hand.”

”Just a jar full,” Roy said. ”Why?”

”Can you make more?” Steven asked. ”A lot more? I used up all mine last night, and it's the only reason I'm here talking to you right now.”

”Used it all?” Roy asked.

”I dropped it,” Steven said. ”It's a long story. Can we please take some now, before we go? And do you need any ingredients to make more? We could pick stuff up while we're out.”

”No, I've got what I need,” Roy said, walking to the cabinet where he kept his Mason jar, and handing it to Steven. Steven took a long gulp and handed it back to Roy. ”I suggest you take some,” Steven said. ”I think you'll need it to listen to what I'm going to tell you.”

They drove to Geraldine's and got a booth where they could chat over coffee and eggs. Steven related the night's events to Roy, who became increasingly concerned as the story progressed.

”So it tried to f.u.c.k you?” Roy asked.

”I don't know,” Steven said. ”The feeling I got was that it really wanted me to want it. Like it wanted me to be on its side. It wanted me to give myself over to it, willingly. It was a secuction.”

”To willingly let it f.u.c.k you?” Roy asked. A patron in the booth next to them turned to look at Roy.

”Will you keep your voice down?” Steven asked. ”It wasn't about the s.e.x. It was about desire.”

”You have a desire to be f.u.c.ked?” Roy asked.

”Will you drop the 'f.u.c.ked' part?” Steven asked. ”I'm trying to tell you what it was like. Stop concentrating on that.”

”d.a.m.n hard not to,” Roy said.

”It was a mind f.u.c.k,” Steven said. ”Like how it twisted Robbie's thinking. I actually considered stabbing myself. I thought it was a great idea. If I'd taken that swallow of protection two seconds later, I might be dead on my kitchen floor right now.”

”Christ!” Roy said. ”What do we do?”

”I've been reading up on that,” Steven said, taking a sip of coffee and pulling a book out from his jacket. ”Judith's book. There's more inside it than just the book itself. Turn to where I've marked.”

Roy took the book and turned the pages to Steven's bookmark. He started reading the page. ”What am I looking for?” Roy said.

”Didn't it pop out?” Steven said, looking over the top of the book.

”What pop out?” Roy said, tipping the book top down so Steven could see it.

”Huh,” Steven said, looking at the pages, which appeared normal. ”Can I have it back?”

”Sure,” Roy said, handing the book back to Steven. Steven closed the book and reopened it to the bookmark. The new book appeared. He tilted the top of the book down so Roy could see it.

”Look,” Steven said. ”This book pops up within it.”

”Wow,” Roy said. ”Didn't pop up for me.”

Because it's only intended for me, Steven thought. ”I'll bet it's responding to my markings,” he said.

”Oh, now there's special books for you, too,” Roy said sarcastically.

”I read most of it this morning, while I was waiting for you to wake up,” Steven said. ”It basically describes how to handle a demon. It says once you've formed a connection with one, you only have two choices: either submit or resist. You can't break the connection and you can't kill the demon. You can only give in or make yourself unpalatable.”