AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. He stopped the, um”—don’t say demons, don’t say demons—“crazy fuckers who were causing the trouble.”
“I thought you didn’t get a clear view of the perpetrators?”
“I didn’t.”
“Then how do you know this Cain handled them? For that matter, how did you see him through the fog?”
“I heard something going on, and he passed by the shop door when he was done.” I didn’t need a shovel to dig my own hole, apparently.
The detective leaned forward. “Ms. Butler.” Uh-oh back to my formal name. “You do know lying to me isn’t helping your case.”
“I’m not lying. He was there.”
“None of the other witnesses saw him.”
“Because he has an invisibility coat.” I dug my grave deeper.
“And a great big knife.”
“Scythe. Because he’s a reaper. Of demons. Part of a club.” The more I spoke, the more I sank myself. I’d be lucky if I didn’t get tossed into a psychiatric ward. But in good news, if they charged me with a crime, I could plead insanity as my defense.
The door to the room opened, and someone murmured, “Detective, they’ve got something to show you.”
“Excuse me, ma’am.” The detective rose, and I slumped in my seat.
Why, oh why, had I opened my big mouth? They thought I was certifiable and guilty. In their defense, I had been there and seen it, and I barely believed me.
I didn’t sit alone for long before the detective popped his head back in to say, “You’re free to go, Ms. Butler.”
“Really?” I pushed quickly to my feet. I wondered what the other cop had told him to put an end to this miserable interview. Maybe they finally found the real culprit.
“Despite your inability to tell the truth, we’re releasing you, but don’t leave town. You’re still a suspect.” So much for that theory.
“I’m innocent,” I grumbled as I slid past the detective, noting the spicy and pleasing scent of his aftershave.
“Then it shouldn’t be hard to stay out of further trouble.”
Trust me, I wanted nothing more. I exited the police station to a late afternoon sun far from home. A bus would take too long, as I’d need to switch at least three times. Meanwhile, there was a subway close by.
A subway with possible demons, or a two-hour commute?
I went down into the city bowels—it certainly smelled like them at any rate. The pungent aroma of urine made me wish I still had some of those COVID masks tucked in my pocket. The platform on the lowest level teemed with people, most getting off work. I saw no sign of monsters. Then again, they seemed to keep to the dark tunnels, steering clear of the light.
The train arrived in a rush of air and squeal of brakes. It stopped, and the people fixated on their phones suddenly jerked to life and surged for the open doors. I let the tide carry me and entered a cabin in the middle. The rush hour meant no available seats, so I grabbed hold of the bar and stared idly out the window at the empty platform. The doors whooshed shut, and the car lurched into motion, picking up speed, the compartment rocking along the tracks.
Surrounded by bodies, I felt protected. For once, I didn’t elbow the dude trying to grind up against me. The demons would never dare attack such a large group. In my train car alone there had to be close to two hundred people, the max it was supposed to carry.
The train slowed and stopped at the next station. Some folks disembarked, but more took their place. Off we went again, the sound and motion lulling. I held on to my bar and closed my eyes, swaying on my feet. Three more stops to go.
The crush around me lightened at the next station, not enough for me to sit, but at least I didn’t have any more random strangers groping me. I’d long ago given up trying to argue with guys who claimed they didn’t do it on purpose. Fucking pervs.
The train rocketed, and I opened my eyes to watch the flash of the walls that we sped past. Nothing to really see, just a dark blur.
Scree!
The sudden hard brake sent me, and pretty much everyone standing, stumbling. Like many others, I didn’t manage to keep my balance and hit the floor with a sharp cry.
“What’s going on? Why are we stopped?” someone shouted, as if anyone on the train would know.
