Too Broke For Afterlife

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It took a cold shower and a lot of willpower to leave the demon behind and look like a human again.

Now my head is hurting from the horns growing out and retracting again.

I'm sitting on the floor, leaning against my bed and nervously play with a paperclip.

They saw what they weren't supposed to see. All four of them.

What are they thinking now? What will they do? Tell the faculty that there's a demon on campus? Or take it into their own hands to get rid of me?

First vampires, then zombies. A demon would complete that hunting trip perfectly.

But I'm not a demon, I need to stop saying that.

I'm human. The power I have access to wasn't given to me but merely stored inside my heart.

Like when someone locks gold into a safe. The safe doesn't turn into gold itself, it stays a safe. And I stay a human.

A human with a few special quirks.

My phone vibrates and I look at a text from Lynn who is wishing me a goodnight.

I had called her earlier and said that I'm too tired to hang out today. That isn't even a complete lie, I am exhausted and shaking with nerves. I'm definitely not ideal company for a pretty woman.

The door opens and I look at Michael.

He looks like he wants to say something but is too scared.

"What?" I ask and he shrugs.

"N-nothing. I'll sleep with the guys tonight."

Time to make use of my acting skills.

"Are you scared?" I raise an eyebrow.

Michael doesn't reply. He grabs a backpack and then his pyjamas.

"Dude, I shoved you. That's it. Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Seriously?" He closes his backpack and presses it against his body like a shield.

"The horns? The blue skin? What was that?"

"What are you talking about?"

I get up but Michael stumbles back.

"What horns?"

"The ones growing out of your head!"

I raise an eyebrow and shake my head.

"That's sad."

"What?" Michael walks over to the door without turning his back to me.

"You guys really should cut down on the alcohol. Don't you think hallucinations are a pretty big warning sign? You sound insane right now."

Michael shakes his head vehemently. "I know what I saw. You're the devil. "

"The devil. Right. Vampires, zombies…I thought you guys were just joking but obviously, you are nutcases who actually believe in this shit." I chuckle.

"No, those were jokes. We weren't serious about that stuff but you…you…"

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tried to help Greg and somehow that makes me the devil. And you are scared of me? Should be the other way around."

I grab my jacket and push Michael to the side to get out of the room.

"You and your psycho friends better stay away from me or I'll have to tell someone. And seriously, drink less before you completely lose it." While shaking my head in disbelief, I hurry away.

Michael doesn't call after me and I pray that it worked. Hopefully he is now doubting his own sanity and thinks that what he saw wasn't real. 

And Greg…I don't know what to do with him. I doubt he's the kind of person to spread gossip about me but I can't be sure either. 

Whatever, I'll figure something out tomorrow. Right now I need to talk to someone who knows my situation. My choices are very limited.

The moon has risen high and checking my phone I see that midnight has just passed. 

She will kill me.

I sit down next to a tree and get onto Messenger.

Then I start the video call.

There is no immediate reaction.

A cold breeze brushes over my neck and I regret not having put on a hoodie.

The screen changes and I can see my own head in the top right corner, the other image is loading.

"This better be really important," Isabella grunts.

Now I can see her face. She seems to be lying in bed, her eyes are small and tired.

"Did I wake you up?"

"What does it look like?"

I can't hold back a grin. Seeing her this grumpy is kind of funny.

"Anyway, what'S the reason behind your call?"

Hmm, how do I word this?

"I think I f*cked up."

"Yes but when exactly?"

I roll my eyes at the joke. 

"I was getting really mad at some guys earlier and suddenly turned into a demon and punched them."

Isabella stares at me. She blinks.

"What?"

"I tried to cover my ass by telling them that it was just a hallucination because they are drunk as shit. But I'm not sure if it worked. And then another guy who saw everything, he wasn't drunk so what do I do?"

Isabella turns around to turn on the lamp on her nightstand. Then she sits up and takes a deep breath.

"Several people saw your horns?"

"Yes. Any advice?"

She snorts. "From me? Okay, sure. Either you kill them or you try to not stand out any further and hope nobody believes them when they spread the news."

"Do you know how to kill someone?"

Isabella shakes her head.

"Okay, then I'll try to avoid them and blend in."

"Good."

I hope that works. But I don't know what I was expecting. How would Isa know what to do? 

"I need to share something as well," she mumbles.

"Hm?"

"It's a bit…crazy."

Oh god. Please, no more crazy shit.

But of course I don't say that, instead I nod to show her I'm ready to listen.

"Okay, today Life knocked on my door and told me I'm her artefact and that you and I can only become mortal if we can convince Death to give us that power."

I almost choke on my own spit and have to cough.

"Life?" I croak.

"Yes, life. I used to have dreams about her when I was younger and I also saw her when I went to that fortune teller. She's the one who helped us figure out where to go. Supposedly her and Death are cosmic powers."

"Right."

"Do you not believe me?" She seems offended.

"Bro, of course I do but what the f*ck is going on here? And besides, why do you want to be mortal anyway?"

Isabella looks surprised. "Because immortality sucks."

"Have you tried it yet?"

"No but-"

"Listen." I take a deep breath. "Inside the temple when I was left alone, I could have killed myself. But I didn't. I chose life. And I'll never choose death again."

Isabella is quiet. She probably hadn't expected me to get deep.

"So if you want to be mortal, you are on your own. Good luck."

"But what about the people you love? You will have to watch all of them die."

"I'll learn how to deal with that."

"But-"

Isabella stops and I look at her confused.

But then I see it.

On the phone screen, nother face has appeared next to mine. 

Oh f*ck.

"I thought you were tired?"

I turn to Lynn and get up. "Yes but-"

"You said you were tired and wanted to sleep but now you're sitting here, facetiming another woman?"

With every word her voice gets louder and I stumble back.

"This is Isa, she is just a friend. I needed to talk to her."

"Right, just friends."

I look to Isa for help.

"Listen," she yells out of the phone. "I'm almost 40 and a lesbian. I have zero interest in your boyfriend."

Lynn stares at her, then at me, obviously unsure how to handle this information.

"And what were you two talking about?"

"It was nothing, really. We were just-"

Isa interrupts me. "Just because you two are dating doesn't mean he is obliged to tell you everything. Respect his privacy if you wish for a healthy relationship."

Lynn thinks for a second and then nods. 

"I usually don't appreciate advice from strangers but you are right. Sorry."

Without another word she walks away.

"Lynn, wait."

I try to grab her arm but she shakes me off.

"No, we'll talk tomorrow."

She leaves me behind and I stare after her.

"Is she mad now?" I ask into the night.

"Yes but it's illogical. Have a mature talk tomorrow and it'll be fine. But that aside, why didn't you tell me you have a girlfriend?"

I'm thankful for her changing the topic to something more lighthearted.

"It's very fresh and I'm worried I might screw up. I wanted to wait a bit before I tell anyone. So…surprise?"

Isa smiles. "Well, I am happy for you. But now I'd like to get back to sleep, I have a date tomorrow."

"A date? With who?"

She chuckles. "I want to wait a bit before I tell anyone."

I hold my middle finger into the camera and disconnect the call.