Demon's Doorway Read online

  Alex and Don both watched her leave, for different reasons. Don simply had lust in his eyes, his eyes traveling her body. Alex had to wonder about Sara. From the many conversations Laura and he had, Sara was completely oblivious to what happened in the house she now walked through. He simply couldn't wrap his head around that. What could Don have possibly told her to make her believe that their affair was okay? Or was it something they told themselves? Was she truly in love, and it was blinding her? Alex had a dark side, but Cindy brought out the best in him, not the worst.

  They moved to the living room. Don grabbed the remote to mute the TV, but had second thoughts, and simply turned it down a few notches. He sat on the couch and gestured for Alex to sit in the chair across from him. They stared at each other over the coffee table. Alex could see Don was sizing him up, forming an opinion. Alex had done the same thing weeks ago.

  Don kept his voice low. "You don't look like one of those people you see on TV. Those sensitive people, or whatever they call themselves."

  "Well, I have to admit, I am a little bit different." He nodded to the kitchen. "She doesn't know?"

  "No. I haven't told her. How can I? We spend most of our time at her place. She doesn't see the bullshit that goes on here."

  Alex leaned back. "The whispers? The shadows? The things moving by themselves?"

  Don looked liked he was about to cry, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "Yes. How do you know?"

  "I can sense ghosts. I can actually do a lot of things."

  "And there are ghosts? In this house?"

  "Of course there are. How could there not be?"

  "What do you mean?" Don immediately went on the defensive. "What are you talking about?"

  Alex rested his elbows on his knees, trying his best to hide his contempt for Don. "Look, if you want the hauntings to stop, you have to go to the police, and admit what you did."

  "Admit what, Don?"

  They both looked in the direction of the voice. Sara stood in the archway, holding a Chinese take-out menu and the phone. All she wanted to do was tell Don dinner was on the way, but heard Alex's last few words.

  "Nothing, Sara," Don said, rising to his feet. "This asshole was just leaving."

  "Don, you can't run from this anymore."

  "Get out of my fucking house!"

  Sara took a cautious step back into the dining room. "What's going on?"

  Alex looked at the front door. "She came home two hours early." He walked to the foyer and faced the stairs leading to the second floor, more than happy to recreate the scene for them. "You two were upstairs screwing in the bed she slept in every night, that she made every day. You didn't hear the car in time, and were both on the steps, half naked, when she opened the door. I don't even want to try to imagine the pain she must have felt."

  Sara's knees shook, and she leaned against the archway for support. "Don?" she said weakly.

  Don marched across the living room and angrily snatched the phone from Sara's hand.

  "I'm calling the police," he announced.

  "Good. That's what you need to do. It's the only way to stop what's going on here."

  Don hesitated, and Alex let out a half smile. He dropped the phone to the floor and pulled out a set of keys as he walked past Sara into the dining room, heading straight for the gun cabinet. Sara was right behind, trying to reach for his shoulder.

  "Don? What's going on? What's he talking about?"

  Alex heard the first strains of guilt in her voice, of uncertainty. Perhaps the married man she was baring her skin and soul to wasn't who she thought he was. Laura had found this out, and paid the steepest price of all.

  Don was nearly to the cabinet, his hand outstretched.

  Alex felt the familiar quick, sharp pain in his back as his wings sprouted from his shoulder-blades. If he extended them fully, he could come close to touching both sides of the dining room. Don and Sara both noticed the wild shadows thrown in front of them, but didn't have time to turn around. Alex beat his wings a single time. That's all that was needed. The sheer wind he created knocked over two of the dining room chairs. The table slid a few inches. The curtains billowed, and Don and Sara both lost their balance. He stumbled into the cabinet, Sara into his back. They huddled on the ground and turned to face Alex. His wings were already gone, disappeared into his back once again, or wherever it was they truly came from.

  He tried not to laugh as he spun a chair and sat down, resting his arms on the back. He'd torn through many shirts since discovering his wings. A simple fashion change saved a lot of frustration. He loved tank-tops.

  "You missed the rest of it, Sara," Alex said, continuing the story. "You had already left out the back door while Don was fighting with his wife. There was some shouting, some pushing. She was walking through this very dining room, to try to chase you. Her back was to him. He hit her on the head with this." He grabbed a candlestick-holder from the table, turned on its side.

  Sara looked at Don, scooting a few inches away from him across the floor. "Don, is this true—?"

  "Shut up! Shut your fucking mouth!"

  "He wasn't done yet, though. He grabbed a knife, and stabbed her three times. She died right in there on the kitchen floor."

  Sara began to cry, looking back and forth between Alex and Don, trying to read their faces. "You said Laura left. You said she moved out and went to stay with her father up in Maine."

  "That's what happened, baby, I swear. This asshole, he's out of his mind. Please, stop looking at me like that. Laura and I, yeah, we fell apart. But she's fine."

  "Oh, I'm fine, am I?"

  Alex craned his neck to look at Laura. She'd been seething the entire time, watching the conversation from the living room, always a step behind Alex. The quiet rage was building within her.

  The dining room slowly started to shake, like a train was passing by. Slight vibrations through the table and chairs, the gun cabinet, the windows. Those vibrations grew into something more. The table bounced up and down at an unnatural speed, followed by the chairs. A chair bounced across the room and hugged the wall.

  "Don, this can all stop. Your mistress is afraid. Go to the police."

  He said nothing. Don and Sara were too focused on the furniture bouncing and moving around them.

  "Here. Talk to her yourself."

  Alex reached forward and grabbed Don and Sara by the wrist. His hands tingled, and from the sheer panic on their faces, he could tell one of his many demonic powers was working. The living and spirit realms were so very close. That closeness was the reason ghosts could sometimes move objects, or psychics could sense spirits. Alex, with no effort at all, could bridge those two realms, allowing the living to see the dead.

  Don couldn't believe his eyes. "Laura."

  Alex turned to look at her, and was surprised himself at what he saw. Laura wasn't wearing the jeans and blouse she had on merely seconds ago. She wore a blue knee-length dress. Even her hair was styled a little different, and she wore a tiny amount of makeup.

  "Remember, Don?" she asked. "This is what I wore to work the day you killed me."

  Sara was too stunned to move, but Don tried to break free of Alex's grasp.

  "Laura, baby, please—"

  "Or…do you remember this? This might be more familiar."

  Alex's own breath hitched as Laura changed. A bruise appeared over her right eye, and three stab wounds on her chest. Her beautiful dress was covered in blood.

  "You killed me, Don. I loved you, and you killed me."

  The dining room continued to shake with a mind of its own. The stress was too much for the windows to bear, and they finally shattered, along with the glass in the gun cabinet. Don and Sara screamed as shards of glass rained down on them. Alex was startled himself, and released his grip on them, backing away a few steps. He shot Laura a pleading look, silently asking her to calm down.

  Laura's face took on a look of panic as she pointed over Alex's shoulder. "Look out!"

&nb
sp; A gun had fallen out of the cabinet and into Don's lap. He was extending his arms, taking aim, when Alex turned his head back.

  Don squeezed the trigger.

  But Alex was already gone from the living realm. The bullet passed harmlessly through him, splintering the molding on the archway behind him. Don could only gasp at the empty space where Alex once stood.

  Alex could easily shift from the living realm to the spirit realm, essentially becoming a ghost. Passing through solid objects wasn't a problem for him, and he'd lost track of how many times it had saved his life. He called the trick vanishing.

  Don jumped to his feet, terror in his eyes. Waving the gun around, he wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Alex let out a surprised, short laugh as Don ran out the back door, gun in hand. He no longer cared about Sara, the woman he chose to end his marriage for.

  Alex reappeared in the world of the living, and glared at Laura as he knelt in front of Sara. The frightened woman was truly out of it, as she didn't react to him appearing in front of her. She stared straight ahead, her lip quivering. He looked her over briefly. There were some small cuts on her face, and another on her hand from when she covered her head, but nothing serious.

  "Shock?" Laura asked.

  "Yeah." He rose to his feet. "Not exactly according to plan."

  "Hey, he's scared. That was the plan."

  "The plan was to get the guy to turn himself in to the police, and get some closure for you. Not tear up a house."

  "Sorry. I was mad."

  He didn't exactly blame her. Still, he mentally kicked himself. He didn't typically work side by side with his ghostly clientele, but Laura insisted. She wanted to be on the front lines, wanted to be the one who scared Don into confessing. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

  There was the roar of an engine outside, followed by screeching tires. Alex and Laura ran back through the house, both of them passing through the front door.

  He squeezed his head in frustration as he watched Don speed down the street. Don had nearly taken out the carport and the neighbor's mailbox as he made his way around Sara's car. It was the very last thing Alex wanted. A dangerous, frightened, and armed murderer driving like he'd just seen a ghost.

  "Are you gonna go after—?"

  Laura's question was answered before she even finished. Alex glanced around the neighborhood quickly. It was dark, the last traces of the sun gone. There was no traffic on the street, no one walking the sidewalk.

  He sprouted his wings, stretching them like he was waking from a nap, and took off into the night sky.

  Alex still had problems with what he was. He was always thankful, and held onto the great things in his life. A wonderful fiancée, supportive sister and mother, great friends. But he had demon in him. He had a dark side. He had his low moments, and sometimes his powers only made him feel lower.

  Flying wasn't one of those powers.

  He'd come a long way from not even knowing how to make his wings appear and disappear. They were extensions of him, no different than any other limb, and had feeling. They were strong and durable, easily capable of carrying Alex through the air, and ticklish. They resembled a bat's wings, making him that much more of a demon. Knowing when to ride the wind, when to beat his wings, banking, diving, climbing, gliding, hovering, it was all second nature to Alex now.

  He stayed at a comfortable height as he soared above. Not too high that he'd lose sight of Don's car, but not low enough to capture the attention of people below. He used to always panic at the thought of being caught on camera, something his friend Victoria made fun of him for. But he had to wonder if there was some hidden supernatural law protecting him and the other monsters in the world. They were out there, and yet the high definition cameras people had in their cell phones could never seem to get a solid picture. It would be easier if he could vanish and fly at the same time, but his powers seemed to have a strange set of rules he didn't understand. He couldn't vanish with his wings out.

  Don drove erratically at first, speeding through red lights. It was only when he turned onto a deserted road with trees on both sides did his driving get better.

  Alex shivered as he dove slightly, no longer having to worry about being seen. Flying in a tank-top definitely brought goosebumps to his skin. Don's window was down, and Alex was low enough to hear him talking.

  "What the hell are you doing down there?" Alex said to no one.

  *****

  "This won't help, Don. Nothing you do will get rid of me. I've been watching you, you and Sara both, since the day you slammed that knife in my chest."

  Don ignored the voice, didn't even acknowledge it. He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of him, both hands on the wheel.

  "The only way out of this is to turn yourself in. You have to pay for what you did. It's actually not a bad punishment. You're still alive."

  Don stole a glance at the passenger's seat, where the voice was coming from. No one was there. The only thing on the seat was his gun, right where he left it. He turned the radio on, trying to focus on some golden oldies.

  Her voice drowned out somewhat, coming in like a broken station, but it didn't go away.

  "…still here, Don…find you…wherever you are…."

  He parked on the side of the road and turned off the lights. He tried to push aside the last time he was in that very same spot, dragging his wife's corpse from the trunk. The road was clear. He had to get started.

  Circling around the car, he popped the trunk and grabbed a shovel. It was the same shovel he used that day, although he'd bleached it for several hours after.

  "It won't work." The voice was right next to his ear.

  Don whirled and swung the shovel, hitting nothing but air. "Fuck you. Leave me alone."

  Her voice was broken again. "I will…go…police…."

  He smiled. "You're already getting weaker. Soon, you'll be nothing."

  A startled choke escaped his throat as he closed the trunk.

  The devil himself watched him from the road.

  There was little light, but he could see it clearly. Large, black wings folded behind his back. Evil, glowing red eyes. Warped face. Don backed away, clutching the shovel in both hands.

  It was only when he saw the tank-top did he recognize the man from his house.

  Don dropped the shovel and ran for the passenger's side of the car. He reached through the open window and grabbed the gun from the seat.

  There was nothing there. The road was completely empty. Only the sounds of nature kept him company.

  *****

  Alex watched curiously from the middle of the road as Don waved his gun back and forth. He was safe from harm, having shifted into the spirit realm. But Don had to be dealt with, and soon.

  Laura was only a few feet from Don, sadly shaking her head. Alex saw the shovel on the ground and could put at least a few of the pieces together.

  "Is this—?"

  "Where he buried me, yeah," she finished, approaching him. "Just off in the woods here. I've talked to him a little, but it's fading now. I won't be able to do much else until I get worked up again. This isn't working, Alex. He's scared out of his mind, but he's not gonna run to the cops. I need to hurt him, make him understand."

  He rolled his eyes. "No. I'll take care of it."

  Alex approached Don, who was on the verge of paranoia, aiming his gun at every sound in the nearby trees. He positioned himself close, off to the side and only a foot away. He reemerged from the spirit realm as he reached for the gun. There was no sound, no fancy light show. Alex was simply there, ripping the gun away.

  He reared back and tossed it in the woods. Don backed up and grabbed the shovel off the ground.

  "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Alex asked.

  "I'm gonna dig up her body. I'll hire the best exorcist out there, with the biggest cross. I'll send her to Hell. I'll send both of you to Hell."

  Despite the seriousness of the entire evening, Alex and
Laura exchanged glances and burst out laughing. It was the first time he'd seen her laugh in quite a while.

  Alex tilted his head. "Do you watch a lot of movies?"

  The fear vanished from Don's eyes, rage taking its place. He let out a primal scream as he ran forward, bringing the shovel back to swing.

  Alex's wings were out before Don took a second step. He disarmed Don easily before he could take a third step, and stuck him across the face as he stared at his empty hands.

  Don lay on the ground, a palm to his cheek, defeated. Alex didn't even need to raise a hand. He wrapped the tips of his wings around each end of the shovel, and snapped it like a pencil. His wings could do so much more than lift him off the ground.

  Alex discarded the broken shovel and knelt in front of Don. Laura's ex-husband was close to hyperventilating and already crying.

  "It's funny you keep bringing up Hell," Alex said. "Let's go for a little ride."

  He grabbed Don's arm, and the landscape around them changed. The night sky turned a deep shade of red, like blood. The car next to them disappeared. The trees remained, but the leaves were gone. The pavement transformed into a dirt road.

  Alex picked up the scent of sulfur, and possibly burning flesh. Sadly, it was a familiar scent, and didn't faze him. Don's cheeks turned a shade of green, and he turned over to vomit.

  "Shhh," Alex warned. "Keep quiet, or you'll rile them up."

  "Who?"

  Alex gestured to the shadows around them in the dead trees. "Them."

  The move from the living realm to the demon realm was done. Laura was safe, thankfully, far away in the spirit realm. The feeling of oppression, of dread, was very real in the air. The demon realm was far removed from the living and spirit, usually only discovered accidentally. The living and ghosts were both very much in danger from even a basic demon.

  Except for Alex.

  The shadows began to stir. Grotesque, horrific creatures made their way across the ground, down from the trees. Some walked on two legs, others four, some of them six. Their skin was burnt, at least the ones that had skin. Several of them dragged human body parts behind them. Screams could be heard in the distance, bodies breaking, torture, suffering. Alex had been to the demon realm more than he wanted, and the scenery still made the hair on his neck stand up.