Page 6 of Baking and Angels

“Yeah, there you go. But I would want a shrink to make the final determination,” the doctor said. “But it’s not that big of a surprise. If this guy was a witness to your other guy getting eaten in half, I’d probably lose all my marbles, too, and be better off for it.”

“Thanks forthe medical opinion,” Agent Archon said dryly.

With that, she leftthe room.

“You’rewelcome,” the doctor said just as dryly as he turned to write some more things on a chart, glancing over at Rafferty. “You can put your clothesback on.”

The man didn’t leave, so Rafferty simply did as he was bid, standing up and letting the paper sheet fall to the ground. Retrieving from a nearby chair the precious clothes Helena had given him, he dressed himself.

“What… is going to happen now?” the former demon dared to ask as he sat in a chair to slip theshoes on.

The doctor didn’t even look up as he went to leave. “Don’t know, my friend. All I do know is my part with youis over.”

“Where is Helena?” Rafferty asked.

“Who?” the doctor asked, pausing with the door already partially open, clearly impatientto leave.

“The woman I came with. Where is she?” Rafferty asked, fearful of the answer.

Outside in the hall Agent Archon’s partner Sophia leaned inside, glancing between the doctor and him with a questioning expression.

“No idea, you’ll have to ask her.” The doctor gestured at her with his clipboard before handing it over to Agent Sophia. “He’s all yours.”

She took it, but before she could mutter any thanks, the doctor left as abruptly as hehad come.

“Um, alright, why don’t you come with me? We’ll get you something to drink, and we’ll just talk, okay?” Agent Sophia gestured down the hallway. “Don’t forget your coat.”

Rafferty had already risen to follow her, only to double back into the room to grab it with alacrity. They had brought him to their stronghold, but it was the strangest dungeon he had ever been in. Mostly it was cubicles and offices, but there were a few rooms with specialized functions like the one he had just left. Not a single rack or whipin sight.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lares. Everything is going to be okay,” she assured, catching him looking around and probably interpreting it as anxiety. She flashed her sympathetic smile as she gestured for him to turn left out ofthe room.

“Are you serious?” He was disgusted by this whole… farce!

“Look, I understand. We all understand. Something really terrible has happened to you. It’s alright. It’s not unusual for people who have been victims of a demonic attack to be confused. You might even have supplanted memories that are preventingyou from—”

“What are you talking about? I am who I say I am!” Rafferty stopped in the hall, blocking traffic both ways, utterly aghast at what he was hearing. “I ama demon!”

Agent Sophia hushed him, holding her hands up to calm him down his shouting. Other agents were glancing at them with equal parts concern, pity, and professional indifference from their cubicles, but no one intervened. This was worse than flaming hot pokers.

Maybe he really wasgoing mad.

“Why don’t we come in here?” Agent Sophia asked, gesturing toward a nearby room.

Helplessly, Rafferty complied with her request. Inside the new room was a couch with a coffee table and a regular small kitchen table. Both seemed completely out of place in an office. Along the right wall were a couple of cabinets and a bin full of toys. The table had paper and a small bucket of crayons waiting. It also had a padded rocking chair in the corner.

“Where is this? A nursery?”He sneered at his new torture chamber.

“This is where the counselor meets with kids, but it’s also the only room with a couch in it. In case you want to lie down,” Agent Sophia said, moving to the cabinet to pull outa pillow.

“Fine! Fine,” Rafferty snapped, dropping to sit on the couch, his elbows braced on his knees as he covered his face withhis hands.

“It’s going to be alright. You’re not in trouble. There is plenty room for mercy here,whateveryou might have done. We’re not the bad guys. We want to help you,” Agent Sophia said gently and carefully. Her words brought him to tears. “I’ll… I’ll get you some water.”

Rafferty had never been so frustrated in his entire existence. This was worse than dragging Helena into hell. As he sat there, it came back to him. All he could see in his mind’s eye was Helena suffering in torturous blackness and him unable to get to her, to shield her, tosave her.

Despite the horror of those memories, he felt a sense of calm, or at least a sense ofcalmness, settleover him.

No.Thathad still been worse. There was nothing worsethan hell.

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