pictures. There were rumours she was into harder drugs, too. She certainly seemed unsteady on her feet, and she kept staring at me with those warped eyes as I knocked on Leo’s door and waited. It started to creep me out.
Coldness suddenly gripped me, and a voice spoke in my head, “
He’s coming.”
I jumped backwards in shock―just as Leo opened the door.
“Ash!” he said. “Hi. Sorry, it’s a mess in here.”
“It’s fine,” I muttered, hardly knowing what I said. That voice had sounded so close, and so… like a demon.
Impossible.
Leo closed the door. I had a fleeting glimpse of Rachel, and I could have sworn she was grinning at me.
“Sorry you had to meet her,” he said. “She didn’t try and sell you any dodgy plants, did she? She grows them in her room.”
“Nope. I don’t go near drugs if I can help it.”
“Same here, but the flat always smells of pot. You can’t escape it. Anyway. You can sit here.”
He shoved a pile of clothes off the bed. His room wasn’t actually that messy, at least not compared to Alex’s, whose “floor-drobe” covered every inch of her carpet. He did have a lot of Playstation games and DVD cases scattered around, but it was pretty much in the same state as my own room.
I sat down. My heart still raced from that weird voice I’d heard.
“Did you hear that?” I said.
“What?”
“Just before you opened the door, I heard a voice. It said, ‘He’s coming’. It sounded like…”
I trailed off, bemused. He was laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Rachel got you, did she? I admit she freaked all of us out on the first day. Threw her voice so it sounded like someone was outside. It scared everyone half to death.”
“Oh,” I said. “But… it really sounded like―like a demon.”
Leo still looked amused. “Don’t underestimate her. It’s kind of like living in a horror movie. Her zombie impression’s spot-on; she actually scared people on the Halloween bar crawl. And as for her Jigsaw impersonations… Well, you don’t want to know. But we’re used to it now.”
“Sounds fun.” I tried to will my heart to slow down, but it wasn’t quite convinced. After the week I’d had―the strange messages, the library… I’d almost forgotten the demons. But the doppelganger had made it clear they could get into my head at any time. I shivered at the thought, hands curling into fists. Sometimes my own imagination made a worse enemy.
“Hey,” said Leo. “Don’t worry about it. She’s harmless. No evil stuff. Honest.”
Then his lips were on mine. Taken off guard, I fell back onto the bed, our legs tangled together.
He stroked my hair with one hand as he held me with the other, and my heart quivered. He moved his hands down my spine, and then he was easing me out of my jacket. I shrugged it off and hugged him back, feeling his heart beat against me, almost as fast as mine.
Then he was stroking my face. It brought me out in goose bumps, in a good way. He kissed me again, slowly, and slipped his hands beneath my hoody, beneath my shirt―
A buzzing sounded. My heart jumped.
“Shit.” Leo pulled back, grabbing his phone from the desk with one hand.
Great timing,
I thought, but relief flooded me all the same. Not my phone. Not now.
“Shit,” Leo said again. “Shit. No―don’t move. I’m coming.”
He was already on his feet and pulling a jacket on.
“What’s happening?” I sat up, pulling my shirt down, the relief evaporating.
“Howard got taken down by a shadow-beast.”
“Taken down?” I echoed, grabbing my own jacket as he shoved his feet into shoes. My heart beat in my throat, this time not in a good way.
“He’s hurt, and Berenice can’t get out of there. I have to go to Redthorne.”
“I’m coming,” I said, and followed him out the door. Rachel stared at us as we ran past.
“Hurry, or you might be too late!” she called.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on,” Leo told me as we left the flat.
Coldness suddenly gripped me, and a voice spoke in my head, “
He’s coming.”
I jumped backwards in shock―just as Leo opened the door.
“Ash!” he said. “Hi. Sorry, it’s a mess in here.”
“It’s fine,” I muttered, hardly knowing what I said. That voice had sounded so close, and so… like a demon.
Impossible.
Leo closed the door. I had a fleeting glimpse of Rachel, and I could have sworn she was grinning at me.
“Sorry you had to meet her,” he said. “She didn’t try and sell you any dodgy plants, did she? She grows them in her room.”
“Nope. I don’t go near drugs if I can help it.”
“Same here, but the flat always smells of pot. You can’t escape it. Anyway. You can sit here.”
He shoved a pile of clothes off the bed. His room wasn’t actually that messy, at least not compared to Alex’s, whose “floor-drobe” covered every inch of her carpet. He did have a lot of Playstation games and DVD cases scattered around, but it was pretty much in the same state as my own room.
I sat down. My heart still raced from that weird voice I’d heard.
“Did you hear that?” I said.
“What?”
“Just before you opened the door, I heard a voice. It said, ‘He’s coming’. It sounded like…”
I trailed off, bemused. He was laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Rachel got you, did she? I admit she freaked all of us out on the first day. Threw her voice so it sounded like someone was outside. It scared everyone half to death.”
“Oh,” I said. “But… it really sounded like―like a demon.”
Leo still looked amused. “Don’t underestimate her. It’s kind of like living in a horror movie. Her zombie impression’s spot-on; she actually scared people on the Halloween bar crawl. And as for her Jigsaw impersonations… Well, you don’t want to know. But we’re used to it now.”
“Sounds fun.” I tried to will my heart to slow down, but it wasn’t quite convinced. After the week I’d had―the strange messages, the library… I’d almost forgotten the demons. But the doppelganger had made it clear they could get into my head at any time. I shivered at the thought, hands curling into fists. Sometimes my own imagination made a worse enemy.
“Hey,” said Leo. “Don’t worry about it. She’s harmless. No evil stuff. Honest.”
Then his lips were on mine. Taken off guard, I fell back onto the bed, our legs tangled together.
He stroked my hair with one hand as he held me with the other, and my heart quivered. He moved his hands down my spine, and then he was easing me out of my jacket. I shrugged it off and hugged him back, feeling his heart beat against me, almost as fast as mine.
Then he was stroking my face. It brought me out in goose bumps, in a good way. He kissed me again, slowly, and slipped his hands beneath my hoody, beneath my shirt―
A buzzing sounded. My heart jumped.
“Shit.” Leo pulled back, grabbing his phone from the desk with one hand.
Great timing,
I thought, but relief flooded me all the same. Not my phone. Not now.
“Shit,” Leo said again. “Shit. No―don’t move. I’m coming.”
He was already on his feet and pulling a jacket on.
“What’s happening?” I sat up, pulling my shirt down, the relief evaporating.
“Howard got taken down by a shadow-beast.”
“Taken down?” I echoed, grabbing my own jacket as he shoved his feet into shoes. My heart beat in my throat, this time not in a good way.
“He’s hurt, and Berenice can’t get out of there. I have to go to Redthorne.”
“I’m coming,” I said, and followed him out the door. Rachel stared at us as we ran past.
“Hurry, or you might be too late!” she called.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on,” Leo told me as we left the flat.
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