Page 38 of Michael
“Whoa…” I mumble as my mind starts racing. I’m still figuring out what to do when I pick up a familiar voice coming from inside the store.
“I’ve just had enough about you, you pathetic excuse of a demon!”
Richard. Clearly, he’s having it out with someone. The smashing of crystal follows. What the hell is happening in my shop?
I garner my resolve and push the door further, although my heart is pounding hard against my chest. I cross the threshold and march toward the voice.
As I walk into the parlor, I stumble upon a man in the doorway.
“Get out of my way, Richard!” he all but hisses.
“You’re not taking a step further,” Richard says, and his hands gleam of fiery amber. “This ismydomain!”
“I said…” the stranger holds out his hand, swiveling to the side as a ball of fire takes form in his palm.
My jaw slackens as I glimpse the man’s profile. “J-Jack?” I mumble, appalled.
He throws me a side-glance that makes my skin crawl with dread, but he doesn’t care to acknowledge me. His feral gaze turns to Richard instead. “I want my kodi!” he roars. In a flash, he spears the fire ball towards Richard.
The fiend avoids it fast, but the sphere hits my velvet curtains. A string of flames quickly spreads on the drapes and climbs up the wall.
“Oh, gods!” I wail, trying to reach the fire extinguisher in the back of the room, but I’m stuck in the doorway as the demons stand in my way, and their quarrel has just escalated. “Stop it! Stop!” Tears rim my eyes. This shop is my life. I can’t lose it.
Oblivious to my cries, Richard Emmert casts an incandescent ball of magic and fiercely launches it across the parlor. The lethal spell darts past me, leaving a blaze of warmth in the air. I duck as another fire ball spears my way.
A cloud of black smoke fills the room in seconds. Desperate, I look at the ceiling. The stupid water sprinklers are useless—I’ve always known they were mostly ornamental.
“Fuck!” I growl, covering my nose and mouth with my shirt as the battle between both demons continues. With each magic blow, the entire building rattles to its foundations.
The fire forces me to crawl into the hallway, which is already filled with smoke.
Between coughs and constant shuddering, I manage to make it to the entrance.
Finally, I get out. As I scramble to the sidewalk across the street, the evening sky flares red. Ashes and debris linger in the warm breeze.
On my knees, I turn around, unable to believe what I’m seeing. My shop is engulfed in flames. I can even feel the heat on my skin even from here. Smoke billows out of every crack and crevice, blanketing the area in thick gray clouds.
My heart is shriveling as I take in the scene before me. Everything I’ve worked so hard to build—my livelihood—is burning right before my eyes. I don’t know where to turn or what to do. All I can do is watch helplessly as the fire continues to ravage my store.
The sound of sirens fills the air, and soon a flurry of red and blue lights surrounds me. Firefighters jump out of their trucks, shouting orders and making their way into the building. They come back out moments later with armfuls of smoldering objects that used to be mine.
No signs of Richard or Jack.
I stand there for hours, watching my entire life go up in smoke until my legs can no longer hold me and I drop to my knees again, silently sobbing.
I’m still in shock, my mind spinning. I can hardly process it all, my body trembling with fear and sadness. And then, a voice behind me breaks through the chaos of my thoughts.
“Amanda?”
I whirl around and there he is, Michael. His blue eyes are full of worry and understanding as he quickly assesses the situation. His presence is so reassuring, like a warm embrace that makes me forget the terrible events of the day and just be in the moment with him.
“Are you all right?” he asks with urgency, his voice gentle but firm.
He steps closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and helping me stand up straight again.
“No,” I mumble into his chest as tears begin to stream down my face again. I’m broken, and cursed, and damned to go to hell.
Hell...
