Creepy & Crawly Excerpt: Devil May Cry Me a River

“This all seems so convenient,” said Mei Asakawa (14), pointing to the building. Indeed the outside had undergone some sort of transformation; ominous clouds had gathered above the business building, and the outside had the appearance of being fast-aged fifty years. Decrepit, falling apart, rust, mold and splotches suspiciously similar to blood spatter adorned the exterior walls. “I mean, the excavators just signed over allegiance to some demon that pops out because of their greed?” “Eh, when you’re the cause of a demon takeover, you tend to do what comes naturally,” shrugged Leo Griffin (28). He was in the process of gaining entry to the building the only way he knew how: with explosives.

“Um, Leo,” piped up Henri Bitner (13) “The door is—”

“No no, Henri,” interrupted Alestor (age unknown). “I think Leo’s on the verge of a breakthrough.”

In accordance with the lamely placed pun, Leo lit the fuse and made with the ‘sploding. The front doors (indeed most of the lobby’s façade) exploded in suitably dusty and flashy fashion. Emerging from his barricade, Leo dusted himself off, picked up his backpack, and strolled in the collapsed front doors, only to be greeted by Alestor, Mei, Yoko and Henri.

“Shit!” he sputtered, stumbling. “How’d—”

“The front doors were unlocked,” said Yoko (age also unknown). “We hid behind the front desk.”

Alestor motioned over to a mostly stable table and slapped down a map, photographs, and flashlight. “Alright team, here’s what we’re getting paid for. On the top floor of the building is were sources say our little demon friend has set up camp with his new toy,” He pointed at a photo of the sword in pedestal. Said pictured pedestal was looming right next to a motivational mural and a glass case that once held awards for various companies housed in the building. It now seemed to house objects Francis Bacon would envision on his version of the Pope’s nightstand. “And the top floor,” He stabbed the most lowest basement floor on the map. “Is the lowest reach of the office tower.” Mei gave Alestor a puzzled look to the elder man. “Wait, the top floor…is in the basement??”

He nodded and readjusted his brown fedora. “See, this is where the demonic influence comes in. As his influence grows, the building, indeed his surroundings, are changed. Like Henri,” He pointed to the boy. “His possession is unique in that his demons are able to influence his surroundings, altering normal human’s perception of reality. Same goes for our little friend. We see what he wants us to see, but the influence extends only as far as the building. Until he gains more strength, this is as far as the weirdness goes.”

“And on that fine exposition note,” Yoko said, clapping her hands. “We should be getting to business.” She pointed to the stairs, the fire exit blinking ominously.

Opening the door, the stairs ascended into a red mist, the rest of the visible stairwell an accurate representation of an Escher stairwell.

“I thought we were going down,” Mei said, following staircases with her eyes into oblivion.

“You only think the staircase goes up. Its what the demon wants you to think.” Alestor was drinking from his trusty hip flask. “It is not the staircase, but reality that disappears into oblivion. And ominous red mist.”

“Fuck this,” snapped Leo. “I’m taking the elevator.” “You lazy ass,” snapped Mei, but she had to agree. She wasn’t eager to be climbing into a red mist on a staircase that defied physics.

“What are you, afraid of a little exercise?” sighed Yoko, wrinkling her nose.

“No, I’m afraid of falling and or climbing to deaths unknown,” snapped Leo, pointing to the staircase. “Can’t you see it?? Its bad ju-ju!”

The vein in Yoko’s head was throbbing menacingly, so Henri took it upon himself to be diplomatic about the situation. “Now, let’s talk this all out. We’re reasonable facsimiles of adults here. Let’s just take the elevator, since we’re all a little wary of ascending into the depths of the unknown.”

“I’m not wary of ascending into the depths of the unknown,” retorted Yoko, arms across her chest.

“I am,” replied Mei and Leo at the same time.

Alestor, amidst his drinking, volunteered himself out of the debate.

Sheepishly, Henri continued,” Um…so…the elevator?”

The five pressed the up button, and when the car arrived, it blinked its down light.

“On second thought,” Mei said, looking rather worried. “Perhaps the stairs might be better.”

“Too late!” crowed Alestor, shuttling the group into the car before Yoko got angry.

The doors closed and began its descent.

~~~

Elevator music notwithstanding, the downward descent of the car seemed to be taking longer than anticipated. At the start of its journey, the sound system started piping in elevator music, which was quickly turned off via Leo’s bullets. The numbers counted sometimes up, sometimes down, occasionally threw in some letters, and altogether was quite disconcerting to the occupants of the elevator car.

“Did I…just see the pi symbol?” asked Henri. He frowned at the floor counter.

Alestor laughed jovially. “What an interesting elevator!”

Mei clenched her hands and looked anxious. “Alestor-san, this is serious! What if something bad happens?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, like the elevator dropping,” Leo said off-handedly. He was checking his pouches for something.

…Which of course was what happened, as the whole car lurched, seemed to stop, then plunged down, taking its mostly panicking passengers with it.

“Do something!” screamed Mei, to no one in particular.

“Ahh….ahhhh….Yoko!” Alestor said, pointing a finger around until he stopped at Yoko. “What can I do?! We’ll be dead before I get anything up!!” she yelled.

“The more you talk, the less time you have to make with the miracles!” shouted Alestor back.

Yoko cursed, and started chanting. Mei was screaming, Leo seemed to be engaged in prayer, and Henri…. Well, Henri seemed to be having an episode.

There was a deafening screech, the elevator’s lights snapped off, and the whole car seemed to implode upon itself in seconds.

Then there was silence.

~~

The lights flickered, fluttered like butterfly wings, then glowed with a sickeningly orange-red light. Mei’s eyes blinked, then adjusted to the dimmer light. She sat up, slowly, her head pounding. Hand on her head, she finally noticed Alestor and Yoko, whom were both drinking and smoking, respectively.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said, smiling.

“Earth says hell,” followed up Yoko, between drags of her cigarette.

“Don’t you mean hello?” asked Leo, wincing as he sat up.

“Not according to the elevator,” said the woman, indicating the walls of the car.

The elevator car had undergone some transformation. The walls, instead of slate, solid aluminum walls, were now rust red and brown, rickety and seemed to be made of thin wire mesh that was exposing the shaft. The shaft was constructed of bare support beams also rusting and dilapidated from what looked to be years of disuse. The car was still moving, albeit slower, and every floor had, instead of a door, a huge rusty fan turning slowly, but conducting no air.

Henri started to come to. Mei helped him sit up. “What happened?” he asked.

“Looks like you saved us,” Alestor said, gesturing to the walls of rust and blood.