MaxAngelOfDeath: Me too... Just wait for a couple more chapters. You'll see what I mean, Maxy.
Here you go! I hope you all enjoy chapter 11
Love, Keta.
Chapter 11: There's Only One Option
I always shoot first, never ask questions.
Never think of consequences.
I didn't feel a thing, I didn't feel a thing.
I never think twice, no intentions.
Never feel the consequences.
Until it starts to sting, until it starts to sting.
No, it never hurt like this before.
- Nothing's Fair in Love and War (Three Days Grace)
Going to work with my father is a disaster.
There were a group of souls that he was set to gather, a collective of nerds that had been dared to summon a demon as children. They had made a deal to make their bullies suffer, and in return, they promised to surrender any hope of heaven. They were too young to make a decision that big, but what did that matter when they were offering themselves up to the demon that made their deal. She's dead now, so we had to take care of her accounts.
The first couple we collected brought nothing but a sick satisfaction from my other half; I felt nothing for them. Then I saw the teenager hunched over his laptop, typing rapidly into it. His eyes reminded me of a panda from the dark circles of lost sleep. He reminded me so much of Jay… I couldn't help the reflex at seeing someone about to hurt him.
When the hellhound leapt at him, I grabbed it telekinetically. My other half was practically cackling as it fed into my hatred and fear and sadness, all of those things that I had felt when Jay died. It was so long ago, but that loneliness remains even after all this time… It's exhausting, and when I fall asleep, the other one acts upon it.
The moonlight that filters in through my room is the only light as I pack up what few things I brought with me to Hell. My window is open, letting the cool breeze sweep over me, and I'm reminded of how far we had to travel to get here. Now, I'm running away, and I'm forcing them to come with me…
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Brian murmurs behind me, and I stiffen in order to fight the reflex to attack him. "We're following you willingly."
"I didn't hear you come in," I tell him and finish stuffing my inheritance into my bag. "And I didn't realize I was talking aloud."
"You weren't. I just know you all too well…" I turn my head slightly to watch him open my closet doors and start rifling through the things my father had bought for me. He tosses various jackets and shirts at me without looking back. "We're taking these with us."
"Why?" I ask, but I pack them up anyway.
"Because your clothes at home are looking a bit more ragged than I care to see you in."
I don't comment on the odd sentence, because I know what he means. I've had the same clothes for years, and they don't exactly hold up when you live in the forest. "Then did you bring some of yours?"
He smiles; I can see it in the way that his mask pulls across his face; and nods. "Right here." He holds out his backpack, actually full for once, and I remember how empty it was when we left. "Toby's got some new clothes too… He's excited."
That makes me laugh. Sometimes, I forget how young Toby really is; it just never crosses my mind; but to hear of him getting excited over new clothes reminds me when Brian was younger. He got just as excited for something that seemed so trivial then. "Good… I'm glad that we came here, if only so Toby could pretend to be normal for a little while."
"We don't have to go, you know…" Hoody drops his own bag to floor beside mine and leans against the wall. "Your dad wasn't mad at you… He actually looked quite proud."
"I don't want to be a burden on him. I'm a ticking time bomb that doesn't quite enjoy his line of work. If the mere memory of our friends… the dead ones, is capable of sending me into another freak out, then it's best that I don't get involved with those kinds of things. I could really hurt him…"
"And you could just as easily hurt Laughing Jack again."
I grit my teeth and look at my hands as they shake in my lap. "It's not the same, Bri. We won't hurt our friends anymore… Our friends are precious… LJ scared us… And one day, when we are whole again, when I have control, it will be safe to see father again."
Brian raises his eyebrow at the word 'we', but he's heard it so often now that he doesn't mention it. "Fine," he concedes with a sigh. "Toby's ready to go when you are."
We slip out of my bedroom window, careful not to disturb the demons that loiter around outside, and I can hear her following us. I think about telling Growley to return, but I've come to adore the curious hellhound. "Hush," I tell her, and we sneak off of the property, beginning our walk to the next town. We have a train to catch in the morning.
Sneaking a hellhound onto a train isn't as hard as it ought to be, but I suppose that's because no one but I can see her if she doesn't want to be seen. So she sits on the box beside me and nuzzles at the side of my face, trying to distract me. She knows that I feel awful for leaving Gabriel and dad without saying anything. "I know girl… I'll be okay," I whisper to her and press a kiss to her snout. "You'll like Smile." She gives me a quizzical look. "He's a dog just like you, just a little… more happy."
Hoody snorts and adjusts his backpack under his head so he can catch a nap. "More happy… Excellent phrasing… Excellent grammar."
"Shove it."