Page 16 of Demonic Cage
“But I would gladly observe,” Darya declares, tilting his head to the side and looking at me and Nathan simultaneously.
“You’re sick, man!”
“If I were human, I’d understand what sickness is,” Darya breathes, his eyes smiling as he looks at me, “but since I’m not, I want to understand hers.”
“That’s enough. Enough of this nonsense!” Nathan shouts, forcing me towards the door, but Darya’s hand doesn’t let go.
“Get off her!” Nathan commands. “Let go, or I’ll call the police, and they’ll lock you up in the psychiatric ward, just like Lotte…”
“What?” I look up at Nathan in shock. No. No, no, no. I’m not going back there. “You said you called my parents!”
“Yes, but…” Nathan seems to be searching for the words. “I called them, okay? They said they’ll call an ambulance. You need to go in, Lotte! You’re not yourself! You’re covered in blood!”
“It didn’t even cross your mind that I was kidnapped, and this person saved me?”
Nathan looks incredulous.
“Why would I… Whose blood is on you?”
“It belongs to a monster, who…” I realize how unbelievable this will sound to others, but it’s too late. Nathan taps his foot nervously, staring at me. He shakes his head hopelessly.
“Do you hear yourself, Lotte? Monsters?” He speaks to me as if I were a little child. Bitter memories are biting into me. I’ve always been considered one.
“Lotte,” Nathan says, gently touching my shoulder. “Lotte, everything will be fine. Just let them take you in and… Oh, please, don’t cry!”
I hadn’t noticed the tears rolling down my face. I shake off his hand.
“Leave me alone! I’m not going back there! You have no idea what it’s like there!”
I turn towards Darya, sweating from the sudden movement.
“Take me away from here! Please!” I beg him. He studies me for a long time, then speaks in that metallic language he used before. I shake my head, indicating that I don’t understand. Why is he talking to me like this? Why did he only speak French before? Or… did I change something?
Suddenly, a figure appears and stands next to Darya. The man’s hair gleams orange. The black, parallel stripe of a tattoo under his eyes stretches all the way to his ears. His lips are purple, as if he’s cold. His pale skin is flawless. It’s hard for anyone to be taller than Darya, but this man has to bend down to whisper something in his ear. Darya doesn’t glance at him. His eyes remain on me, yet he seems lost in thought. I feel a strong tug on my arm as Nathan turns me towards him.
“Enough of this! They’ll be here for you soon, and I won’t let this guy take you anywhere!”
He firmly grabs my shoulder and pushes towards the exit.
“No!” I stop abruptly. “I’ve already said I’m not going back! Let go… Nathan, just let me go!”
In the blink of an eye, the boy disappears from beside me. With one hand, Darya suspends him mid-air by the neck, pressing him against a white marble column.
“If I heard correctly, the girl doesn’t want to go with you.”
A waiter drops a silver tray, and it lands with a loud crash on the floor as approaches us.
“What do you think you’re doing…?”
The orange-haired man steps in front of him, and just one glance is enough to make the confidence vanish from the waiter’s eyes.
“Let’s rephrase this,” the tattooed man says with a smile. His eyes are so chillingly black that not only the waiter, but everyone in the café recoils.
A small whimper is heard, and I snap back to reality. The blood has drained so much from Nathan’s face, it looks part of the white column behind him.
I rush over, and without thinking, I place my hand on Darya’s arm. It feels as cold as touching the damp wall of a cave.
“Let him go!” There’s no response, so I begin to tug at him. “Please! He’s realized he’s an idiot. He understands now… Let him go!”
