Part 4: Through His Eyes

"Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."

-Shakespeare, 'Macbeth'

I laid there on my side with my mallets strewn across the ground around me for who knows how long. It's a miracle nobody happened to walk into the practice room and see me in that state. God I felt pitiful; shivering and sniffling on the floor like a baby. This is what I'd been reduced to in less than three day's time. Fucking pathetic.

When I had gathered enough strength, I sat up and took a few deep, calming breaths before gripping the top of the vibraphone to pull myself up on shaky legs. I gathered my things quickly and rushed out of the practice room, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact with anyone I passed in the hallway as I left the fine arts building. I got a lot of weird looks, but that was okay; nobody really knew me here anyway. They'd forget by tomorrow morning.

I looked over my shoulder constantly on the way to the parking garage, practically running the last couple yards to the relative safety of my car. I slammed and locked the door quickly. I felt as if I had a knife to my throat the entire way home, like someone was breathing down my neck.

After what felt like hours, I finally pulled into the parking garage across from our apartment complex. I sat there for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to pull myself together. Of course, This only worked for a couple seconds before I was once again wracked with wrenching, painful sobs that shook my entire body. I pushed the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying in vain to stop the flow of tears. I had nowhere to hide, nowhere to go. God, I couldn't even escape in my music because he poisoned that too! I felt like I was going insane!

It was about an hour later that I finally managed to regain my sanity and walk home.

? pov

I follow her all the way home, silent and unseen. I know that She can sense me though. She's one of the very few gifted individuals that can. The poor dear must be frightened out of her wits anytime I'm even near; a negative aura like mine can feel... unpleasant to those humans unfortunate enough to be cursed with the seventh sense. And for someone with gifts as potent as Jericho's, latent abilities of which she has no idea...ah, she must feel so lost.

Poor, poor girl.

She parks her car in the garage across from her home. I feel a slight twinge of regret in my heart as she breaks down before reminding myself that this is for her own good. She had to know who she belonged to, had to know what would happen if she had the gall to push me aside.

But A part of me -a very signifigant part of me - enjoys playing with her like this. A part of me revels in The chase, the HUNT, the rush of being in complete control of my hapless prey...Ah, I'll never tire of the thrill. It's what i live for, and precious little Jericho is no exception. It's not like it's MY fault; I am a demon after all. I can't help what I am.

'The human psyche can be so fragile,' I muse to myself as I watch her, 'For an ordinary human, the lightest brush from a demon's mind against their own can drive them to the very edge of insanity. That's why most supernatural predators like me have a mostly human-based diet. It's truly a wonder that those monkeys survived this long, being at the very bottom of the paranormal food chain.'

But THAT is the very reason that Jericho is so extraordinary: her brilliant, brilliant mind is a veritable psychic fortress that even I had trouble penetrating. A human that is able to withstand a psychic onslaught from a demon without completely shattering is an anomaly, a phenomenon that shouldn't be possible. How she came to possess this power, I haven't the slightest idea. I've never seen anything like it.

'And to think I just happened to stumble upon her...'

My attention is drawn back to Jericho as she finally exits the car and begins to walk the rest of the way home. I slink away, deciding she's had enough strain on her psyche for now. Just because her mind is strong doesn't mean that the soul and emotions that make her human can't be damaged. I've found that the possession of a soul is one of the many things that make humans such easy prey. But then again, I wouldn't know much about souls in the first place.

It isn't as if I have one.

As I travel from shadow to shadow, I keep thinking about her. It's all I seem to do these days. I despise humans at the best of times and thirst for their blood on the worst. They were good for nothing but food or sport. But Jericho...she was special, she was strong. She will bend, but she will not break, I'm sure of it. I want to mold her, to push her and challenge her to reach her full potential... not destroy her. No, she is much too valuable. I'll not allow her to be tossed into the same shameful category as every other disgusting ape. I need her, need her power...but she isn't ready. not as she is now.

'I need to take this slowly, bide my time. If I move this along too fast, it could be dangerous for us both. However much she may resent me now, she would soon realise the necessity of this process.

I smirk to myself.

'Well. At the very least she will realize her lack of a choice in the matter.'

I push those thoughts from my mind as I reform from my black mist and crouch on the edge of a warehouse roof. There, on the street two stories below, were a pair of lovers, a man and a woman. all prettied up in a fine suit and a luxurious gown, laughing and talking as the girl leans on the man, laying her head on his shoulder as they walk.

'How cute.'

My mouth splits open In a feral grin that I know probably looks more like a vicious snarl. I can feel my power gathering, burning hot in my head and chest and hands. an involuntary growl erupts from deep within my chest in anticipation. I stand and sink down into the concrete roof of the building, carefully breaking down my molecular structure and converting it into the dark, negative energy that affords me smooth passage through the shadows.

It's an art, really, and a skill that I'm quite proud of. It had taken years to learn how to deconstruct my very being, to transition from physical to corporeal. It was even more difficult to figure out how to navigate from shadow to shadow, and how to use darkness as a cloak to blend in to my surroundings. The struggle was well worth it; my hard earned talent afforded me an enormous advantage over most opponents. I've only come across five other beings with this ability. it was a shame that I couldn't show it off, but any public attention I draw to myself would just create more trouble for me. I'm VERY popular.

I appear a few feet in front of the couple, savoring the looks of surprise and confusion on their precious little faces. wordlessly raising an open hand, I beckon the surrounding shadows within my reach in the immediate vicinity. They surround the couple in a hellish whirlwind of negative energy that devours any light that it touches. I watch with wicked glee as their expressions go from shock, to fear, to terror and finally hysteria. The woman screams as the shadows press in closer, obscuring the two lovers from view. I close my hand quickly in a crushing motion, and their screams are cut short as the darkness swallows them whole. eventually the shadows slow and dissipate, returning to the night and leaving behind no trace of the young lovers.

It's over.

I smile and dissolve back into the darkness.