Page 34 of My Roommate from Hell
“Is there a ghost in our bathroom?”
“Is there a what in our what?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t think so,” he says. Then it seems like something dawns on him. “Although Ouija boards do attract them.”
I knew it. I knew it was his fault.
“Don’t worry about them,” he says. “They can’t hurt you. You said it was in the bathroom?”
He gets up from the chair and brushes past me. I follow him inside. I go still in the doorway, because in the mirror, standing right behind Zarmenus, is a gray, shadowy figure. It’s impossible to make out its features, which seem to be constantly shifting, but it is human in shape, although it seems to be bending down to be level with Zarmenus.
“Is that your problem?” asks Zarmenus, pointing at it.
I tear my eyes away from the mirror. The thing, whatever it is, is only visible in the reflection.
Zarmenus crosses his arms. “It’s just a ghoul. It can’t hurt you, they just like to scare people because they’re bored.”
“How do we get rid of it?”
“We can’t. Best to ignore it, it’ll go away. It feeds on fear, so if you’re not afraid of it, it’ll probably move on. You going to finish your shower?”
I grip my towel so tight my knuckles go white. But I can’t get myself to confront him. I’m not used to it, and I’m not sure it’ll change anything.
“I’m good.”
The sound of a door opening wakes me.
Oh no, not again.
Please,I think.Please let something else be happening.The room is still quiet, so I take a chance and open my eyes.
Across the room, staring directly at me, are two burning red eyes. They are literally glowing. I see that the two glowing red balls of light are attracted to a pair of rounded ears, a fairly slim body, and then a scorpion-like tail. It’s Bell. She’s sitting with her paws tucked under her, and her tail is swishing.
I feel myself pulled toward her. It’s like there are hooks embeddeddeep within me, pulling me closer. Before I can resist, I’m flung forward, right toward Bell. She opens her mouth wide, and I fall into it, suddenly surrounded by a kaleidoscope of horror.
I see fields of red sand punctuated with withered bodies begging for water. Giant spider-like monsters roam the sand, stabbing anyone they can see with their pointed legs. I see an ocean filled with gargantuan eldritch abominations, all surrounding one tiny sailboat. I see a dark castle at the base of a volcano, surrounded by rivers of lava, all watched by a giant, unblinking eye.
Then I’m pulled backward with speed, going past Bell’s mouth again and smack back into my body, lying down on my dorm bed.
I scream and kick my blankets off. I can still feel the warmth of the lava on my face. That was too weird not to be real.
I was in Hell. But I’m not anymore.
“Shit, man,” says Zarmenus. “You scared me.”
He should’ve said “us,” as he isn’t alone. He’s currently pressed up against the wall, standing next to a half-naked guy.
“Your cat,” I say, getting the words out through gritted teeth. “Just tried to eat me.”
“What cat?” asks the guy. “There’s no cat here.”
“Bell,” scolds Zarmenus. “Bad girl.”
“I’m going to go,” says the guy, who quickly bundles up his clothes before slipping outside in only his boxers, looking at the two of us like we’re extremely weird.
Zarmenus crosses the room, running a hand through his hair as he moves. When he reaches his bed he kicks off his shoes, pulls his shirt off over his head, then undoes his jeans, leaving him in only a pair of black boxers.
