Page 69 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
I glanced left and right down the dingy corridor. The stench of cigarettes hung in the air, and a baby was crying somewhere behind one of the many closed doors. I knocked gently and waited. Steps sounded on the other side of the door. The pinprick of light in the peephole went dark. I waited, and for a moment thought that Solar wouldn’t open the door, but in the end, he did.
“Persistent, aren’t you?” He turned and walked back inside. He was wearing a pair of sweats and a sweat-stained T-shirt. His hair stood up on end and B.O. as thick as a wall hung around him.
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The smell of weed slapped me in the face. Clearing my throat, I glanced around, unable to hide my disgust. The sight that welcomed me would have challenged the dirtiest of pig sties. The entire living area was littered with empty food cartons, half-filled cups, dented soda cans, dirty clothes, empty boxes, shoes, magazines, and more. A sour stench pierced my nostrils, something far worse than the cigarette smell outside.
A large flat screen TV sat on the floor, the image of a video game frozen in place. A controller, headphones, and beanbag rested in front of it. Solar collapsed on the beanbag, sending a cloud of dust into the air, picked up the controller, and resumed the game. It was a first-person shooter I’d seen some of my high school classmates play. The sounds of battle came from the discarded headphones at a reduced volume.
“Take a seat,” he said, fingers moving quickly over the controller as he killed his virtual enemies.
“Thanks, I’m fine.” There was no way I would sit on any of his filthy furniture. I didn’t want a roach crawling down my pants.
“I appreciate the visit, but like I said, I don’t need your help anymore. My mother just called. They found my sister.”
“They… did?” I glanced around and mouthedDrevan?He hadn’t known this piece of news.
“Yep. She’s in deep trouble now. She was faking her own kidnapping, staying up at the Plaza.” He shook his head. “Who knows what she was concocting in that crazy brain of hers. Probably looking for some sympathy. Or just messing with me.”
Crap!There went our plan.
“So Richie wasn’t involved, after all?” I toed an empty pizza box.
“Nope, and I got the jerk off my back, at least for another month.”
Oh, no.This couldn’t be good. Things didn’t need to get easier for Solar. That was exactly his problem. Life had been too easy for him, and he had turned into a slob.
“Um, that’s good,” I said. “How did you manage that?”
“My mother got extra generous. Grr, fuck!” He threw his controller down as the TV went red and blood splattered all over the place.Game overflashed on the screen. “It took me five minutes to get to that spot. I don’t understand why they don’t let you save your progress.” He kicked the controller, and it slid under an overturned chair. Rubbing his hair and making it even messier, he turned to me, letting out a huge yawn and scratching his balls.
“Um, it sounds like you still owe Richie, though,” I said. “Are you going to be all right? The guy sounds like a piece of work.”
“Meh, it’ll be fine. I always figure something out. So… where did you go last night? You came, right? Or did I imagine that?”
“Oh, yeah, I came, but… um… you passed out.”
“Yeah, I was pretty hammered. Did you see my mother?”
“Um, no. I just left when you wouldn’t wake up.”
He scratched his head. “Weird, I remember this conversation with mom. It felt pretty real, but she says she never talked to me last night.”
“Maybe you should lay off a bit.” I made a motion with my hand as if I was drinking something.
“Anyhow,” he said, dismissing me, “thanks for wanting to help. If I ever need a demon hunter, I know just who to call.”
I backed away toward the door. “And I’ll be glad to lend a hand. Good luck with… everything. Stay out of trouble.”
He didn’t bother getting up and only gave me a lazy nod as I waved. I left the building, and when I stepped outside, took a huge gulp of fresh air to clear my polluted lungs. I couldn’t understand why someone would choose to live like that when they could have everything.
Drevan was reclining against the Ferrari, waiting for me. He looked none-too-pleased.
“What the hell happened?” I asked.
“Khargon, that’s what happened. She didn’t do her job, and Lunar got out. Someone spotted the brat in the hotel lobby, and that was the end of it.” He looked pissed and ready to fire his assistant. Maybe he would send her back to hell, and I would be rid of her death glares. Wouldn’t that be nice?
“Where did Khargon go?”
He threw a hand up in the air. “I’ve no idea. I can’t get a hold of her.”
