Page 44 of Inbetweeners
“You just did. You stopped me jumping. Thank you.”
“Did saying that hurt?”
Nix glared. “Fuck, I hate you. No wonder you don’t want to remember your friends. You most likely didn’t have any and those you did have most likely thought you were a dickhead.”
“You’re probably right.”
Nix sighed. “Know of a way to get a demon out of me?”
He’d thought Emmett would laugh, but he didn’t.
“You’re thinking about that?” Nix asked quietly. “Don’t suggest sucking it out like snake venom because that doesn’t actually work.”
“Are you telling me that you have a demon inside you? I’m assuming you don’t mean it’s you.”
“He snuck in when they let me out of hell. I’d just squeezed through a crack in the rock and I lost consciousness. Vin, that’s his name, somehow got into me. He wants to control me, but it appears he can only communicate when I fall asleep. For the time being, anyway.” Nix shuddered.
“That was the nightmare last night? And what happened just now?”
He nodded.
“Why did he want you to jump out of the window?”
“To prove he really is inside me. To demonstrate his strength by making me do what he wants. I thought I was in a skyscraper. I could see the city of London laid out below. I guess I’d only have fallen from here, not an actual skyscraper, but I’d still have probably used up a life.”
“You don’t think you might be hearing voices that aren’t there?”
Nix huffed. “I believe Vin’s inside me.”
“What if he has another reason for killing you? Maybe in that period of time before you come back to life, he can take over and become you? Or maybe he wants to kill you eight times andthenhe can take over.”
Nix shuddered. “Well, shit. Aren’t you a ray of sunshine? Thanks a lot. What am I supposed to do? Never go to sleep? It’s impossible.”
“Maybe you should ask him what he wants, just so you know.”
“He’s a demon. It’s not going to be for anything good, is it? And as you pointed out, how would I know if he’s lying?”
“He might not lie. He might want to go for afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason’s. I quite fancy doing that while we’re back.” Emmett smiled at him.
“How much is that?” Nix knew Emmett was trying to distract him.
“Itwasseventy pounds per person plus tip.”
“Jesus!”
“Well, it’s not our money, is it?”
You want to go there with me?Nix swallowed hard.Vin might want you.Maybe Vin had planned all of this.
He started when he felt Emmett’s hand on his. His heart jumped.
“You think there’s a way of getting him out of me?”
“You mean like an exorcism? But getting a demon out of a demon? Who could do that? Who could we ask to do that? And what happens once the demon is out? Both to you and him.”
“I wonder if he can hear us talking.”
“We should ask Tar what to do.”
