Page 98 of Devil Inside

“How about both?”

I’m walking back home, dragging the nine iron across the asphalt. The scrape of metal against concrete is oddly soothing. The sound settles into my teeth.

I polish the bottle off. Toss it. It shatters somewhere in the shadows.

Where’s the line? Why can’t I find my morality anymore?

Find Lilith?

There’s a car parked to my left. How did I get in the middle of the street? I catch a glance of myself in the driver’s side window. My reflection stretches. Warps. Is my face melting now, too?

Look, just look at me. Who the fuck is that? I can’t make outmy eyes, eclipsed in shadows. Is that me? Look at me, all hollow. That’s pretty much how I feel.

Demon.The word is there. At the tip of my tongue.Possessed.

Am I?

Before I know what I’m even doing, I bring up the nine iron and...

Glass shatters.

No more reflection. No more hollow-eyed demon staring back at me, grinning that evil fucking grin. No more taunting motherfucker wearing my face, whispering in my mind.

That’s not me. Not who I am.

You sure about that, pal?

The car alarm sounds like an air raid siren, swallowing all other sound. I sure wish it would silence the voices in my head, but nope. No dice. I’m stuck with myself.

Next window, please. Batter up...

The glass gives so easily. These windows are begging to break. Who am I to deny them? I can’t stop now. Nothing in me wants to. I saunter down the street, making my way along the row of parked cars before finding one that feels like it’s yearning to be shattered.

Listen to the world crack. Listen to it shatter.

Is Lilith hearing all this? Hearing me? Might as well call out for her, “Lilith! LILITH!”

These car alarms cry out in a chorus of wails. Every car begs to join the choir. Nothing is stopping me. Even with these sirens blaring out into the night, filling the streets, nobody comes. No police, no concerned neighbors. Nobody cares. The world is just going to let it slide, while I’m desperately trying to find the line,the line, where’s the fucking line?

Why doesn’t anyone stop me?

All I want is to break windows. Destroy everything. Watch the whole world burn.

I want Lilith beside me. The two of us basking in the flames, together.

the last picture show

Lilith & Jordan

Jordan has the balcony all to himself. We watched him slip rather slyly past the red velvet rope blocking off the entrance to the upper floor.

We had asked the bored-looking boy sitting within the booth to sell us a ticket. He wore a red vest and bow tie, along with an usher’s cap strapped to his chin.

“Two dollars,” he said. When he handed us our stub through the booth’s window, our fingers touched—and now we were pouring forth, finger to finger, flooding this man’s body.

We abandoned our seat in the box office, finding our way inside the theater. Itching already. A sour vintage. This boy tasted like vinegar. High acidity, fermenting into himself.

We sensed the presence of another worth drifting within.