A Demon Made Me Do It(28)

“Almost everything, depending on my mood,” I answer truthfully. “Whatever is fine.”

He clicks through his selection while keeping a careful eye on the road ahead. Soon, a beautifully haunting tune fills the air. It is ethereal, sad, and uplifting—all at once. I sit back and let the enchanting melody wash over me like golden rain. I feel my tension release, and notice Kieron’s hands aren’t clasping the steering wheel as tightly as they were before.

I gaze out the window as if I’m seeing the scenery for the first time. I’ve lived here my whole life, but now it seems newer somehow. I see remarkable splendor in the ordinary…dying trees holding the promise of re-birth; the swirling dance of the clouds as they hold the sun captive, only releasing little glints here and there when they feel like it; the perfect chaotic swarm of birds flying overhead, each in its own little world until the exact second they all fall into line. Even the old woman in overalls with thinning hair and no teeth who waves to us as we pass by looks beautiful. She has endured a long, hard life and still has a smile on her face.

I’m unfamiliar with this path Kieron’s taking. When the road becomes rough and we start bouncing around in the cab, he slows down…then stops.

“Here we are.” A line of trees blocks my vision ahead. Behind us are just open fields, shanty houses, and dirt roads.

“But there’s nothing here,” I say.

“It’s over there. You’ll see.” He reaches behind me and grabs his backpack and a blanket. My pulse quickens again. What on earth do we need a blanket for? And why does he just happen to have one in the back of his truck?

“Follow me. You’ll be safe, I promise,” he says, sensing my hesitation. I fumble around for my book bag and quickly check my cell phone reception, just in case. But if I really did need to call someone, who would I call? What would I say? Some hot guy has me out in the middle of the woods. Please send help immediately?

My only option is to trust Kieron. He holds out his hand and I take it.





Together we walk down a narrow dirt path toward a dense overgrowth of twigs and vines.

“This isn’t the usual entrance…it’s kind of a short cut.”

Kieron does his best to block my face from the over-hanging branches. There’s a faint walking path where others have come before, and for some reason this makes me feel a little better. I’m trying to stay collected, but something about this place feels…off. I can’t quite put my finger on it…almost like it’s too quiet…the air too still.

We finally break through the last line of shrubs, and I see a massive field of yellowed grass and broken stone. I gasp, take a step back, and trip over a tree root. Kieron grabs my hand to steady me and I look at him…bewildered.

Why has he brought me here?

I’d thought maybe we were going to a little park or a spot down by the river. Perhaps even his house. But we are in none of those safe, logical, ordinary places.

Kieron has brought me to a cemetery.





Chapter 6. Lucky


The thing people don’t understand about demons is that we’re not all the horrible, evil-for-the-sake-of-being-evil, rotten, eternally-damning monsters everyone makes us out to be.

Okay, I admit, some are pretty terrible, but who amongst us can throw stones? It’s almost comical, though, the way most Sapies are taught to fear, even hate us, and how they think our ruling Prince, Lucifer, is the worst and scariest thing ever created. I suppose partially they’re right, but that’s like blaming the ocean for being wet, or an eagle for flying, or a baby for crying. He’s just playing his role in the grand scheme of things.

Of course, most people like our Light counterparts just fine, not caring or understanding that we’re all the direct descendants of the Angelius Domini—the original gods who ruled over the universe and its infinite domains. We’re all just different slices of the same, great, cosmic pie. My ancestors ruled the earth, heavens, and netherworlds long before humans were even a sparkle of a possibility in The Creators’ eyes. But then Man pops onto the scene and acts like he owns the joint?

After all, it was us—The Dark and Light-angels alike—who saved Man’s weak ass time and time again. Left to their own devices, humans couldn’t even get it together long enough to prevent themselves from going extinct, not once, not twice, but twelve times. That’s right. Twelve.

When Creators provided the necessary reinforcements by integrating Dark and Light-angels with a select group of humans, this gave them not only the support they needed to sustain life, but the means to make that life worth living.