Prison of Blood and Lies

Eighteen

My stomach lurched. Information?

“He’s dead. There’s nothing more I need to know. They killed him.”

“Did they? Did you see it happen?”

“Well—well no. I didn’t. But I read his obituary when I escaped.”

“Vance was his name, was it?”

How did it know his name?

“Y-yes.”

“I like the little crispy cookies from the blue package. One is enough.”

“Wait. How did you know that?”

“One chocolate chip cookie. It would mean the world to me.”

It laid back down on the cot and rolled toward the wall, its liquid-like body lagging just a little behind the movement.

“I’ll think about it.”

I left the cell and walked, dumbstruck, back to the elevator. How on earth did the demon know about Vance and what more was there to know? Moreover, Gemba hadn’t been completely truthful about himself to me.

I needed to clear my head.

Instead of going back to my little room, I exited from the front and walked into the clear, crisp night. I zipped my leather coat up to my neck and shoved my hands in the pockets. I looked around and picked a direction.

I walked until I reached the park by the river. I found a bench and sat. The water always helped to focus me. Was this a test? Would Gemba want to see if I sneaked something in to the prison? He entrusted me with a key. I couldn’t break his trust right after he gave it to me, could I?

Vance was dead. I was sure of it. He would have come after me if he survived. I was sure of it. My high school sweetheart only ever wanted a family with me. He would have fought for it. For us.

I just couldn’t let go of the possibility that there might be some big clue that Zen had that could put everything together for me. All for the price of a cookie. What harm could it do? It was just a cookie. Not a weapon. Not a magical item. Just payment for information. It wasn’t like I could seduce the demon with its strange, shifting face making eye contact impossible. What other choice did I have?

I sat for a while and watched the moon. I clutched my bag and my babies to my chest. For them. They never got a chance at life. When I died, they died. Only, I carried their bodies inside me until my body brutally expelled them much later.

I shoved off the bench and walked until I found the nearest open convenience store. Most were closed this time of night. I found a truck stop near the highway that was open.

The cashier’s head lifted when the bells above the door jingled to signal my entrance. The kid had resumed playing with his cell phone before the door even swung shut behind me. In the center of the grungy store was an aisle of junk food. I looked for the blue wrapper and grabbed a pack.

I set the cookies on the counter in front of the cashier and cleared my throat.

“Yeah?” the kid asked.

“Check out please. Just the cookies.”

“Cool.”

I paid him for the cookies and walked back to the prison. As I walked, I opened the package and shoved a few cookies in my pocket. I gave the rest to a man sleeping on the sidewalk. He needed them more than I did.

Another guard was stationed at the entrance. Robert must have been asleep. The guard just waved me through. Gemba must have told the staff about me. I twinge of guilt crept into the pit of my stomach at my deception. I pushed it down. I was only here for information, not to be anyone’s friend. If that meant I had to bend a couple rules, so be it.

Gemba’s office was dark when I walked by and, like normal, I didn’t encounter anyone on my trip back down to the prison floor.

I opened Zen’s cell and entered without announcing myself.

“Back so soon,” it said, sounding pleased.

I made sure my back was to the camera and I pulled one of the cookies from my pocket and handed it over to the demon.

The cookie disappeared in its mouth with incredible speed. After chewing and swallowing, it smiled wide, and this time I was certain of the expression.

“Very good, child. Now, about Vance.”

“What do you know?”

“He’s not dead.”

“How could you know that? How can that be? He was killed.”

“Gemba didn’t lie when he told you I knew people. Your husband is alive and well.”

“How? How do you know?”

I put my shaking hands behind my back.

“I think it’s best that you find that out for yourself.”

“Where do I start?” Tears threatened to fall. If he was alive, how could he not be looking for me? No. It had to be a trick. None of this made sense.

“I really enjoyed the cookie, my dear. It’s been so long since I’ve had anyone to talk to or any good food to eat. The stuff they serve here is slop. Positively horrible.”

“Please, I need to find answers. Who is in charge of the ring that killed us?”

“There are a few competing rings in the city and beyond. It’s hard to answer your questions without knowing who was responsible.”

“I don’t know. That’s part of the problem.”

“Why don’t you tell me everything you remember and I’ll see if I can be of service.”

As loathe as I was to recount my story out loud, I did. Zen leaned forward, enraptured by my suffering and tears. This was the first time I’d spoken the whole tale out loud. Normally it just haunted my dreams. I struggled through the worst parts and tried to hide my tears from the demon.

More than once I thought I caught it smiling as I shared my suffering. I don’t know why that surprised me. Zen was a demon, after all.

When I finished, I wiped my cheeks on my sleeve and waited for a response. Zen remained motionless.

“The vampire who turned you. He was an incubus?”

“I don’t know.”

“The way you describe your turning and the powers you have now suggest that may be the case. Succubus and incubus traits are passed from maker to progeny. That’s the only way. There aren’t many like that near the city. That narrows it down.”

Relief flooded through me. This was the open door I’d been hoping for.

“Please, tell me where to look.”

“I will. For a price.”