You Were Expecting Something Else

76.

"Doris if I had another option..."

"She's a damned demon, you don't know what they are like Clarissa, but I don't trust her like Gilbert does, and I hope you don't either."

"Kid's missing, mom wants him back, I'm doing what I think is best Doris." Doris was less than happy to hear that Demurra was coming, Clarissa told Claire she'd wait outside for the other woman. She could feel the madness in that small apartment. Claire was losing it, every minute her kid was gone she was going more and more mad. She noticed Claire had no fingernails anymore, she'd bit them down to her finger, hastily wrapped band aids covering self inflicted wounds.

"Well just know what you're dealing with, she's evil."

"Aren't we all." The warm was air, but Clarissa felt cold all the same, ever since she'd been in Micheal's room. She noticed Claire had the same thing, she was in a sweater despite her apartment not having ac and had to have been over eighty degrees inside. Doris said a curse in elvish and left, almost like she was waiting Demurra arrived.

"You know for an elf she's such a prude, I thought they were all orgies and such, disappointing." Demurra was dressed like a business professional, slacks, buttoned up blouse with a neckerchief.

"Wow you uhh you look different."

"Well if I'd known frumpy was how we conduct business I wouldn't have dressed up so nicely." Clarissa frowned, she didn't think she was dressed that badly. "Oh dear messing with you is like playing with a small child, far far too easy."

"Well you're a bitch how does that make you feel?"

"About right for where I am, so fourth floor unit number seven right?"

"Can you like not read my mind?"

"Honestly no, if you had to live as I do for a day you'd be insane by sundown." Demurra walked past Clarissa shivering as she moved beyond her. Clarissa swore for a second she saw a bit of light jump out from underneath Demurra's collar.

****

"Denise Marinold pleasure to meet you." Clarissa didn't know who Denise Marinold was, but she figured you couldn't just go around introducing yourself as Demurra reformed demon.

"What do you do for a living Ms Marinold?" Claire looked even worse than before, Clarissa was confused how that was considering how long she'd been outside.

"Denise, and I'm a bit of a free range psychic, I know you're thinking that sounds crazy, but believe me I've been able to help lots of people including Clarissa and their boss."

"At this point Denise I just want my son back."

"Yes I'm sure you do, please allow me and Clarissa some alone time, in his room."

"Sure I just need to go buy some smokes and some whisky, if you guys need to lock up there is a spare key in the drawer." Claire left and Clarissa worried she'd crash her car.

"We've got a whole day before she comes home, she's going to a bar and she'll fuck the first person who looks at her nicely." Demurra's previous tone was gone, back was the weird russian accent.

"She's going through a lot."

"That's an understatement, you feel that cold? Its not the air, its what's in this apartment, it sucks energy right out of it, if you could see what I see you'd have never come in the door." Demurra took off her jacket and the neckerchief. Clarissa could see the runes more vibrant under the white shirt.

"So what's going on here?"

"Not a clue, and if you weren't here I'd just leave this woman and her kid to her fate, but since I showed up here I might as well scratch the itch of my curiosity, do you have anything like really strong with you?"

"Like liquor?"

"Exterminator shit, you know your job."

"Can't you just read my mind about it?" Demurra smiled and ran a hand over Clarissa's arm, Clarissa felt an intense lust briefly.

"Honey if you want to do that we can, but I'd rather we get out of the accursed apartment first."

Clarissa looked away briefly and then picked up the bag she'd brought from the house, "I uhh brought a bunch of different shit Gilbert has, and like this book I'd seen him look through once."

"Of course he'd have a book, so old school, well lets stop flirting and get to the task at hand." They went to go to Micheal's room and the cold grew more intense, before it was a general chill, now it felt like a blizzard. Each step towards the room in the small apartment felt like a thousand, by the time they got to the door they were both shivering openly.

"Should have kept my jacket on." Demurra was the first one inside, being in the room was like stepping into the deepest parts of hell to her. She couldn't place the feeling but she didn't like it. The kindle was where Clarissa had dropped it originally, it had turned on and the duck show Claire had mentioned was there playing, but Clarissa could clearly see a small terrified child with the duck.

"I'm Chilly, this is my house, you're welcome to come inside, won't you play with me, sometimes I play tricks on you."

"Well that's evil as shit, so you want to grab a beer?" Demurra smiled at Clarissa's statement.

"Pretty sure even if we tried to leave at this point little chilly there wouldn't let us, would you chilly?"

"You're in my house now," The duck said as the door to Micheal's room slammed shut, "Don't you want to play with me?"