Page 20 of The Monster of Darkspell Comics
But I will take my time because, above all, Fanny’s happiness matters the most to me. No matter how my desires and instincts rage at me, I won’t push her any further than she’s willing to go.
“Just be sure to remember that,” I grumble as I take another bite of my food.
Chapter 16
Fanny
Deadman’s Inn is farther out than I expected. So much so that I’m rather impressed that Jasper walks that far whenever he needs to go into town for anything. I mention this to Pashar as he circles over the inn in a slow descent, but the corners of his lips hitch.
“Ghouls are notoriously quick. They aren’t like the zombies that you humans have woven fantasies about in the movies you are addicted to,” he points out as he touches down in front of the building and gently sets me on my feet. “They’re not only not zombies, but they’ve never been human at all. They are scavengers that feast upon the dead as much as they are natural protectors of those who reside within their territories. It is for this reason that they craft their disguises by weaving decaying matter, as it is what they readily have at hand and is sympathetic to their particular brand of energy.”
I shudder a little at that. Call me biased, but a nightmare demon sounds much more pleasant and... hygienic... than a ghoul.
“So that’s why he looked so grody.”
“If you are implying that he appears foul by the word ‘grody,’ then yes, exactly that,” he rumbles in amusement.
“That would be it,” I agree as I tip my head and stare at the inn in front of me.
The towering gray monstrosity was not only way out of place in the desert but would have made the Addams family proud. Imight have mistaken it for a private residence of someone not all there in the head, but the lit-up sign out front is hard to miss. Deadman’s Inn.
As if right on cue, the word ‘vacancy’ flickers ominously.
Okay. “Totally not what I was expecting,” I observe aloud. “This is less Motel 6 and more ‘Norman Bates lives here.’ Ugh, someone would have to be crazy or desperate to stay here. This sign might as well say ‘stay for the slay.’”
Pashar’s lips twitch again as he scrutinizes the building for a moment but doesn’t reply. Instead, he drops his illusion entirely as he walks toward the entrance and knocks sharply on the door.
Oh, we’re going straight to terrifying folks. I smile as I shrug to myself and join him with a little skip in my step. His twisty corethi things thread close to me as if reaching out for me, and heat sneaks into my belly as his head tips towards me, his yellow-green eyes growing more luminous as he focuses on me. I clear my throat awkwardly, and he blinks, the spell broken as he faces the door and raps on it.
Everything is silent for a long moment, but then the door creaks open and Jasper peers around it, his yellow, glowing eyes peering at us from a sharp, hollow-cheeked green face. His complexion is a sort of pea-soup color, and his black hair is wild around his head, with shorter spiked locks falling across his brow to hang slightly over his eyes. His pale green pallor, the dark lips hiding his sharp teeth, and the black shadows around his eyes can easily pass as a product of clever makeup artistry, but it’s his hand resting against the side of the door that gives me pause. Each long green finger is tipped with a long vicious-looking black talon that scrapes lightly against the wood beneath his fingers. As hideous as his disguise in town is, I can’t say he’s ugly in his natural form. It’s more that his appearance is just outright alarming to the instinctive part of the mind.
“Oh. You’re here,” he says by way of greeting as he backs up and draws the door further open. “I’m afraid that you’re too late.”
“Too late?” Pashar echoes, a thunderous expression descending over his features.
To his credit, Jasper doesn’t look the least bit intimidated by the demon. He merely shrugs and gestures for us to follow him to the long counter in what was once an impressive receiving room. He flicks a ledger open in front of him and licks a finger with his black tongue before flipping through the pages. His hand flattened on the page once he had it, and he turned the ledger toward us. “As you can see, David Sweeney checked out two days ago.”
“What?” Pashar growled furiously as he snatched up the ledger. I had to stand on my tiptoes to look over his massive arm to see at all, but sure enough it was right there in black ink.
“Looks like he checked out pretty late in the afternoon, too,” I comment, my brow furrowing. “Kind of strange, if you ask me. Usually, people check out in the morning when they get up.”
The ghoul shrugs, clearly unconcerned. “He probably had things to do in the morning. You humans tend to be ridiculously constructive in all that horrible sunlight.”
I squint at the ghoul. “Ever consider moving to the North-East, like Maine or something? You’re not exactly in the right climate if you’re trying to avoid a whole lot of sun.”
He grins at me, his sharp teeth sending a shiver through me. “The desert has other things that satisfy me. Things have a habit of just disappearing in the desert... like your charming town. If you don’t know what to look for, then good luck finding it. There is a reason why locals truck supplies in,” he chuckles. “And yet, people just randomly find their way here, and death eventually finds the desert. Your Mr. Sweeney seemed to realize this days ago. He had mentioned that he was expecting company, but nomatter how he tried to direct them, they just couldn’t seem to find this part of the desert.”
And yet, somehow the bus that carried both me and David Sweeney found its way in, and humans had managed to populate the town. Did any of them ever leave?
“Did he mention where he went?” Pashar growls, drawing the ghoul’s attention back to him.
Jasper shook his head. “Not a word. I was sleeping, mind you. But the daytime staff said that he didn’t say anything. He merely set his key on the counter and left. You’re welcome to check his room, however.”
Pashar nods and waits expectantly as Jasper retrieves the room key from the hook behind him and slides it across the counter. “Room twelve,” he reminds us with an eerie smile. “Try not to disturb the other guests while you are at it.”
“No prob,” I say as unaffected as I can manage while Pashar picks up the key.
The ghoul’s eyes turn back on me, and he smiles. “You are a tasty one. Not much truly terrifies you. I wonder what sorts of things might make you scream. Since you came all the way out here, I don’t suppose you would be interested in a room?”
