Among Demons : A Siren's Voice

Ch. 3 : Lingering Doubts

*Loralyn Nex*

I sat there staring at the woman named Devin, processing the information she had just given me. My eyes then looked around at the room I was in once more and the shock I was feeling amplified some more.

Was I really in the building owned by the local Matron, the leader responsible for Demons in this part of the country? What did that make this woman before me? Who was she to have access to such a place?

As if reading my mind she smiled a bit bigger and moved a step closer, cautiously eyeing me as she spoke.

“I’m a lieutenant for the local Matron.”

Again, my mind whirled with this piece of information and I looked her over some more as I processed it.

Her eyes, ringed eyes like mine that identified her as a Demon, were wide and honest, though the edges held some darker hints of concern and worry as she looked at me. She had very feminine features that were softly defined and accented by long, layered strands of sandy brown hair. Her figure, an enviously perfect hourglass, also looked toned with muscle and a part of me wanted to bet that she was a skilled fighter when she needed to be. She also had very little make-up on and wasn't dressed in some overly expensive clothes either, which painted her as a down-to-earth person as she continued to watch me.

So, all-in-all, I felt like I could trust her and decided to take things slowly, for now. Especially since that annoying little voice of doubt was still whispering in my ear, trying to make me panic and question more about this woman, this place and whatever else was going on around me.

I turned and grabbed a notepad and pen, quickly scribbling my name onto the first page with shaking fingers before turning it to face her.

"Loralyn Nex." She read aloud, nodding before a frown marred her pretty face. "Does your throat hurt?" I shook my head no. "Can you talk?"

I froze, doubt seeping into me again before I decided to go with my gut. So I shook my head again and wrote down the reason why.

"Was forced to drink a potion." She muttered, her eyes going wide before she looked at me. "Can you describe what it looked like? Did it smell like anything? Or have a certain taste?"

I thought back to the day I escaped the damned underground prison, my mind flinching away from the pain and panic I had been feeling as I fought my way to freedom.

I could still remember the smell of the earth around me as I made my way towards the only door. Could still hear the curses and insults being thrown my way by the Hunters that had fought to keep me imprisoned. My hand absently reached for the back of my head where one of the Hunters had roughly entangled his fingers into my hair, pulling me back hard. Another Hunter then rushed at me and managed to shove a glass bottle of something that smelled like citrus, pine needles and something sweet into my mouth, bruising my lips in the process. Someone else had also snaked a hand over my nose, blocking my airway and forcing me to swallow the acrid concoction before I managed to shake myself free of their hold.

I shuddered as I recalled every last detail, my hands trembling as I described the smell and taste of the potion I had been given.

"Ok." Devin nodded, looking determined as she started to inch towards the door. "I have a friend that can help us figure out what kind of potion they gave you, ok?" I nodded eagerly, feeling hopeful as she opened the door. "The clothes there are for you to change into." She motioned to the things stacked up on the desk and smiled, pausing as she stepped out of the room. "The bathroom has a shower for you to use with shampoo, towels and everything else in the cabinets. So feel free to freshen up."

I nodded as I mouthed out a thank you, smiling at her until the door closed. Then I was left with my thoughts and the many questions and doubts that whirled within them.

The first most pressing thought was my current weakened state that had fear and panic slowly inching their way into my mind.

I flexed my muscles as I moved to get out of bed, noting what still ached, what was sore and what outright hurt. As I entered the bathroom I flicked on the light and focused on the mirror that hung over the large sink and counter space. My eyes took in the fading bruises, fresh bandages and tiny healing cuts that littered my body. I also looked myself over once I was naked, carefully removing the gauze that was taped to several parts of my body so I could shower. It stung to have the warm water slide over the healing open wounds I had, but I powered through it, absently taking in the very ordinary set up of the bathroom I was in.

The shower stood in the corner, with a tub in the middle of the shower and toilet. A large basket for dirty clothes sat next to the white counter and a tall shelf stood beside the glass shower wall. It had towels, a robe, and wicker baskets filled with toiletries. The walls were an off-white gray color with slate gray tile in the shower. And the floor was a marble white with random black swirls criss-crossing here and there.

Once I was done I found another larger basket under the sink with first aid supplies and covered my wounds up carefully once I realized a few had started to bleed again. I then slipped on the robe as I caught sight of myself in the mirror, my mind once again overpowering me.

'Can I really trust Devin?' My mind pressed, my reflection questioning me as I glared back. 'What about the other people that work here?...Would they be able to help me? Would they want to if they knew my situation?... What if they simply heal me and force me away? What if they don't want to get involved with Hunters for me and my family?... What's going to happen to my sister and nephew?... What if the Hunters…..'

I stopped my thoughts short, roughly shaking my head as my eyes stung with unshed tears and my body trembled in fear.

'No…. No, I won't let things get to that point.' I promised myself, turning away from my doubtful reflection. 'I'll save them myself if no one wants to help me.'

I returned to the room with a painful tightness in my back and chest, but I ignored it for now, choosing to focus on the clothing options that had been left for me to pick from.

The first set of clothes was a long summer dress with bell sleeves. It was a soft yellow color with lavender flowers printed across the skirt. Matching gladiator sandals sat under the desk and clothes, the bands dotted with yellow colored pearls. The next outfit was a cropped tank top in a deep green color with a gothic style design of music on the front. A brown leather jacket sat with it, tucked under the skin tight black jeans and short socks. And a pair of brown ankle boots sat on the floor. Then there was a form fitting t-shirt in a dark gray color and an even tighter black tank top. Dark blue jeans were folded underneath that along with a different pair of ankle boots sitting on the floor. Another dress sat at the very end of the table, this one a sage green color with butterfly sleeves and a thin black scarf-like belt hugging the waist. A pair of black flats sat underneath the desk for this dress, next to the large bag I had noticed earlier.

Curious on what more was left for me, I set the bag onto the bed and looked inside, my face flushing once I realized what it was.

Inside this dark bag were several sets of bras and panties in different sizes and styles. I quickly looked through it and pulled out a black set made of satin with lace trimmings in my size. My face heated as I wondered if Devin had organized all of this on her own, or if someone else had helped her.

Embarrassed with the thought of someone else possibly knowing what I had picked, I pulled off the robe and got dressed, choosing the sage green dress and flats over everything else.

Once I smoothed out the dress that fell down to my knees, I returned to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets until I found a hairbrush. I combed my hair gingerly for a long while, careful around the sensitive area in my scalp that still stung days after my big escape. I then fluffed up my blonde locks once I stopped feeling knots, freezing when I heard the door click open and someone step inside.

My eyes moved towards the still open bathroom door, catching a glimpse of someone moving around the bed. I slowly moved closer to the door and tried to calm my racing heart, panic starting to rise once again.

Thoughts of being attacked, being beaten down and dragged back to that underground cell crowded my mind and I struggled to fully enter the bedroom again. My head whirled with the possibility of Devins betrayal. Doubts spilling from my own reflection that followed me as I moved, questioning my decision to trust someone I met minutes after waking up. That bitter reflection of mine glared at me before I refocused on the room in front of me, my body locked up and ready to fight my way to freedom once more if I was met with violence.

But when I stepped out of the bathroom, turning to look towards the other end of the bedroom, a woman stood, freezing once she realized I stood a few feet behind her.

“Hi!” She chirped, beaming brightly as she whirled around to face me. “Wow, that looks great on you!”

I was confused for a moment, my body still tensed up for a fight, before I realized that she was talking about the dress. So I smiled weakly and nodded, moving towards the bed to sit. My body had suddenly and violently relaxed once I acknowledged that there was no threat around me, my legs trembling and growing weak.

“My name is Nyla, I’m Devins friend.” She introduced herself, turning back around and extending her arms out while holding a tray of food. “I’m also an Informer for the Matron and work for this building too.”

Shock spilled over me again, but I quickly shook it off as I took the tray she offered, smiling a little at the sight of the food.

“Our friend Nick made that for you.” She continued, gathering the clothes into the bag along with the shoes. “He’s Devins older brother.” Once everything was in the bag she moved about the room, moving the desk closer to me so I could set the tray down. “The rest of our friends are waiting to meet you now that you’re awake.” I felt confused over her statement, questioning why random strangers were waiting to meet me as I started to dig into the omelet. “We were all so worried about you when you blacked out. And when you didn’t show signs of waking up for the past three days it made us pretty anxious.” I paused, fork suspended in the air mid-bite once I learned how long I’d been unconscious. “Thankfully your wounds still healed and responded to the potions we used to treat you.” She nodded as she said this, smiling at me before grabbing the wicker seat and moving it so she could sit across from me. “Once you’re done with that, I’ll take you to our little lounge so you can meet everyone, sound good?”

I nodded slowly, still questioning why her friends were interested in meeting me at all. But as I finished my omelet and moved on to the bowl of yogurt with blueberries, I froze once more, looking at Nyla as she stared back at me, her hand holding her phone that she refocused on after a few seconds.

She had auburn hair that was cut so it grazed her shoulders and ringed eyes with an amber color slightly brighter than mine and a sky blue ring that glittered softly. She was also a tiny bit shorter than me when we were standing, with a lean frame that curved out with her hips. Her heart-shaped face held a few sharper edges than Devin, with those edges focused on the corners of her eyes, the curve of her nose and the corners of her lips.

She was very pretty and friendly looking, helping to bring out a blurry memory that I hadn’t focused on since waking up.

I stopped eating and grabbed the notepad and pen once more, writing down what I wanted to say before turning it to face her. I then watched her nod and smile at the page I showed her, helping me understand things better.

“Yeah, we were all there when you faced that Hunter.” She reiterated, scooting to the edge of her seat. “Honestly, I’m amazed at how long you held out against that bastard.” her gaze turned menacing, her focus miles away as she was pulled into a memory. “They keep popping up no matter how many of them we lock away…”

I tilted my head to the side, wondering what she meant with her last sentence. But before I could ask, she shook out the dark thoughts and smiled again, refocusing on me.

“All of our friends are happy that you pulled through so well.” I blinked rapidly through the shock, feeling strangely embarrassed for some reason. “So finish up your breakfast, Lora, so I can introduce you to everyone!”

My eyes widened at the sound of my nickname, having gone so long without hearing anyone say it.

“Sorry.” Nyla smiled sheepishly, looking a little apologetic. “Devin told me your name… and that you can’t talk right now… I hope that’s ok… I mean, I get it if you don’t want people to know… we are strangers to you and you just went through so much with that damned Hunter…” She stopped talking and started to squirm a bit, seeming unsure and a little sad.

I smiled as my doubts started to melt away, my mind shoving past the panic and fear that still clung to me. I then wrote to Nyla once more, telling her that I didn’t mind at all and thanking her for the food.

“You should thank Nick for that.” She said happily, going back to being all smiles and making me smile right back. “He’s the one that made it and everything.”

I nodded some more, feeling something warm and bubbly begin to grow in my chest as I continued to eat. I was also starting to wonder if, maybe, I could truly count on these strangers that had taken it upon themselves to step in and help me.

Maybe I could start things slowly and see where things go…

Maybe I’ll be able to save what’s left of my family with their help…

Maybe things will get better now that I'm not alone… right?