I never would have expected to end up with a demon bodyguard, but I guess after all that’s happened, it was necessary. I also never would have imagined they looked the way they do. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a bit.
Mrs. Coriz’s family has run a spirit sanctuary for generations. Why do spirits need a sanctuary? Because they’re hunted by vipirits. Spirits aren’t the dead, but creatures born of humanity’s pain and suffering. Whereas vipirits are creatures born of humanity’s hate. Spirits feed off of fear, and vipirits feed off of spirits.
The sanctuary was protected by invisible barriers that the Corizs innately knew how to make. Sooner or later, the spirits wanted to give back, and thus the Eidolon Hotel was born. Each spirit gets a room (except the twins, they share one), and Mrs. Coriz charges guests a fee to spend the night in their preferred room to get their scare on. A perfect solution for everyone.
Mrs. Coriz is the last of the Corizs, and after a few dangerous run-ins with vipirits where I proved my worth as an employee, Mrs. Coriz adopted me and began teaching me vipirit-banishing and barrier-erecting. Although it wasn’t in my blood, I was getting pretty good at it.
But not fast enough.
Mrs. Coriz ended up getting sick, and she needed to undergo a dangerous surgery. Afraid of being responsible for the hotel by myself while she recovered, I suggested she take an ancestry test to see if she had any distant relatives who shared her skills. To our surprise, Howard popped up.
It was also to our detriment, as he turned out to be a monster. Howard had the innate ability and learned everything from Mrs. Coriz within a week, but he also cared more about money than spirits. He decided, instead of the hassle of running a hotel, he was going to auction off spirits to vipirits.
The night before Mrs. Coriz’s surgery, while she was at home, he launched his idea. He trapped Wd. Luleelei (one of the sweetest spirits in our sanctuary) with the vipirit that paid the most. And he did this in a glass structure so other vipirits could watch the massacre and see that Howard was true to his word. Thankfully, his sick demonstration was ruined by my fear for Wd. Luleelei, which gave her a surge of energy that allowed her to escape the vipirit long enough for it to die of exhaustion.
The vipirits on the outside were furious with Howard, but he managed to calm them down with the offer of a spirit each. Thankfully, with the help of Wd. Layl, I managed to evacuate all the spirits, sending them to the forest. All except Wd. Luleelei, who was still trapped. To buy myself time, I told Wd. Layl to call Howard and pretend to be a fussy guest to distract him while I called Mrs. Coriz. Despite being sick, Mrs. Coriz was able to teach me how to free Wd. Luleelei, and she demanded that we run away for our safety while she took care of everything. So, I hung up and let Wd. Luleelei carry me to the other spirits. (If you want the details of this part of the story, you can find it here.)
In the forest, beneath a broken bridge over a dried up creek, I smiled in relief when I saw all the spirits safe and sound. Wd. Luleelei glided to the ground and set me down, and I ushered her under the bridge. It was the only place I’d protected from vipirits during my practice sessions with Mrs. Coriz. But it wasn’t safe from Howard. His skills exceeded mine.
The spirits crowded around Wd. Luleelei, making sure she was okay as well as marveling at her exceptional silvery brightness. I listened to them as I looked around with wary eyes, dreading catching a glimpse of a vipirit’s white.
“He was ready to feed us to the vipirits for money?”
“And lure us in by pretending he was still running a sanctuary!”
“How could he betray us?”
“I always had a bad feeling about him!”
“I thought he was nice, I’m devastated.”
“I’m not surprised, he never cared about us.”
“But murder? I didn’t think he’d go that far!”
“What are we going to do now?”
They all fell silent as they turned to me, and I said, “First, do any of you know how to pick a lock?”
I lifted my arm to show them the handcuffs dangling from my wrist, and Wd. Sko floated over.
I’ve got some experience,” he said, holding up his long, thin, pointy fingers.
It didn’t take him long at all to free me, and I tucked the handcuffs in my pocket as I said, “Now, I need a phone. I have to call Mrs. Coriz. She said she was going to take care of everything but she’s sick and I want to help.”
Wd. Bunny floated forward. “I can carry you to her. I know where she lives.”
“I don’t want you to be vulnerable to vipirits.”
“He won’t be.”
We all jumped and looked up as a giant silvery spirit with fifty eye-stalks floated down.
“Wd. Layl!” I said, thrilled she was okay. “You were amazing! I don’t know what you told Howard to do when you called, but he rushed off right away!”
“I just took your advice and ran with it,” she said, smiling. “And I have good news! After sending Howard on an errand for the third time, which he used your car for, by the way, I called Mrs. Coriz since I couldn’t call you. She said she sent a demon to take care of the vipirits at the hotel, and so I told her where I sent Howard and she’s sending the demon after him!”
My mouth fell open as I stared at her. “A what? A … a demon?”
“Yes! The little guys with the big shadows!” Her eye-stalks drooped down in quizzical amusement. “You’ve never heard of them?”
I shook my head, still stunned.
“They’re born of death,” Wd. Vinashak said.
“And they feed on memories!” Wd. Samara and Wd. Tamara said in unison.
“But they’re attracted to heat,” Wd. Cobra added, “so they don’t hang around much. Most burrow down to the Earth’s core.”
“So … but … what do they look like?” I asked in mesmerized awe. “Do they have, you know, wings and horns and stuff?”
Wd. Rowena, who’d chosen to look like a succubus, unfurled her wings. “If you’re asking if they look like me, they don’t, but their shadows do.”
“That’s why humans draw them like that,” Wd. Dolor said. “The demons that stay up here hang around fire for warmth, and they have insanely huge shadows for their size. Humans see their flickering shadows and get freaked.”
“So what do they really look like?” I asked.
“You’ll see for yourself!” Wd. Layl said. “But first, Mrs. Coriz told me to carry you back to the hotel to take care of the guests. And once the demon erases Howard’s memories, it’ll let us know so the rest of us can go back.”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m ready, let’s go.”
She grabbed my shirt and the waist of my jeans, and I squeezed my eyes shut as she zoomed up and away, the wind whistling across my ears. My stomach turned as my pulse raced, and I hugged myself. One of these days, I was going to have to work on my fear of heights.
Once I felt my feet touch the ground, I opened my eyes, and I gawked at the viney, white clumps hovering around the hotel. Those were vipirits, but they weren’t moving. Their color wasn’t completely transparent, so I knew they weren’t dead, but what were they doing?
“A-Are they sleeping?” I whispered.
“No, they don’t sleep. I think the demon ate all their memories.”
She flew up to one, and I gasped. “No! Wd. Layl, what are you doing?”
She didn’t reply as she poked one, and I cringed, expecting it to start screeching. Instead, it bobbed to the side and bounced off another motionless vipirit.
“They’re brain-dead,” Wd. Layl said, grinning as she floated back down to me. “I mean, if they had a brain to begin with.”
I gulped, the relief that the vipirits had been neutralized now overshadowed by the demon’s power. “Do demons just eat any memories they want? As m-much as they want?”
“I don’t know, actually. But this one has lived with Mrs. Coriz for a decade or so, so she trusts it.”
I walked towards the hotel door, casting anxious glances at the vipirits above. “Are demons like you? Or more like the vipirits?”
“They’re like vipirits in that they can’t choose how to look. They’re like spirits and vipirits in that they can fly and vanish. They’re alone in that they’re bluish, have shadows, can touch the living, and can’t talk.”
“They can’t talk?” I asked in surprise.
“No, but they understand just fine.”
“But how do …”
My words trailed off when I saw the crowd of disgruntled guests in the lobby. The spirits had only been gone an hour, a bit longer for Wd. Luleelei, but that was apparently too long. These people had paid for a thrill, and I couldn’t tell them why they weren’t getting their money’s worth.
“I’ll wait out here,” Wd. Layl said. “Good luck!”
She hovered back, and I took a deep breath and walked inside.
“I haven’t seen a ghost for the past hour!”
“I didn’t see mine at all!”
“Is this a scam?”
“It’s not, I’ve been here before, but I never had to wait for the haunting to start!”
“No one is answering the phone!”
“Ladies and gentlemen!” I said, jogging towards the counter. “I deeply apologize for being away from the desk. We had a minor emergency, but it should be settled. I don’t know why Howard isn’t answering the phone, but I’m here now.”
“I want a refund! This was a waste of time!”
“Are the ghosts okay?”
“What were those white blobs with tentacles?”
I looked across their faces, some angry, some concerned, and I tried to come up with a safe reply. “Howard … he, uh … he’s been experimenting with new ideas for the hotel. He decided to test them out today and that you’d be the reviewers. The white blobs, the elongated breaks between hauntings, those are some of his ideas.”
“They suck!”
“We didn’t consent to this!”
“We want what we paid for!”
“He didn’t want to tell you because he … uh … he wanted genuine reactions,” I said, scrambling to salvage this mess. “I understand that this isn’t what you signed up for, and I’m ready to refund any of you who wish to leave.”
“Howard is an idiot.”
“Where’s Mrs. Coriz? I want to issue a complaint!”
“Mrs. Coriz is preparing for a serious surgery tomorrow,” I said, trying to hide my worry. “I hope it’ll go smoothly, and once she recovers she’ll be able to address your concerns, which you can leave with me.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
“If she doesn’t recover, will the hotel shut down?”
“Shut up! Of course she’ll recover! And there are two employees to handle the hotel until she’s back!”
“You won’t shut down, will you?”
“There are no plans to shut down,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “And we’re all praying for Mrs. Coriz to recover quickly after a successful surgery.”
“I don’t want a refund anymore, but I don’t want this new-fangled haunting stuff. I want the usual!”
“Same. No blobs, no waiting.”
“I still want a refund.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll let the spirits know that they’re free to haunt as per their usual methods. For those who wish to stay, please return to your rooms and the spirits should join you shortly. For those who wish for a refund, please form a line.”
Out of the thirty-one people in the lobby, only six lined up, and I began refunding them as well as offering them a discount on their next booking. This was a bad hit for the business, and one we’d never encountered before, but hopefully we could rise above it.
The fifth person in line gave me a curt nod and walked away, and I froze when I saw the person behind him pull back his hood.
Howard.
We both stared at each other, me in fear, him in fury, as we waited for the guest to exit the hotel, neither of us wanting to ruin this hotel’s reputation. It didn’t seem like the demon erased any of Howard’s memories. Maybe it didn’t find him. We needed to get it here. Now. I had to let Wd. Layl know. My throat was dry, but my determination managed to push my hoarse, shaky words out.
“Howard is here! He’s h—”
Howard tackled me over the counter, and I cried out in pain as we crashed to the floor. I tried to shove him off me, but he was twice my size, and my arm was broken. With one hand over my mouth, he dragged me to the employee area in the back, and I screamed and kicked as I tried to wiggle free.
Once we were in the kitchenette, he chanted, and my heart dropped as I realized he was creating a barrier to block spirits from saving me. I’d learned the counter-chant not even an hour ago, but I doubted he’d let me finish saying it. He threw me to the ground and straddled me, and my terrified eyes got wider when he pulled out a knife.
“Where are the spirits?” he asked, foaming at the mouth as he pressed the blade against my neck.
My heart rattled in my chest as I strained to escape the blade.
“Where are they!” he roared.
I flinched, tearing up as I gasped in jagged breaths. I hoped Wd. Layl heard me and went to send the demon here. I also hoped they’d make it in time. I had to stall in any way I could.
“Th-They’re s-safe,” I stammered.
“You got one of the spirits to call me, didn’t you? To distract me. After the fourth call, I caught on and rushed back here.” I let out a terrified squeak as he twitched the knife. “Tell me where they are.”
I tried to muster up whatever courage I still had. “Wh-why does it m-matter anymore? The vipirits are dead. You s-saw them out there. W-Word will get out, they’ll never t-trust you again.”
I gasped as he slashed open my shirt. “No! Stop!”
“Tell me where they are, and tell me the truth or I’ll carve every lie into your skin,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
He brought his weapon to my abdomen, and I held my breath again, watching my stomach quiver beneath the knife’s glinting tip.
“Where are the spirits? Don’t make me ask again,” he growled.
“It’s t-too late, y-you—”
I screamed as the blade pierced my skin. “Howard, stop, please!” I cried out, straining to escape his weight and wrath.
“Where are—”
He stopped talking, and I paused my struggles in desperate hope as I looked at him. He was still straddling me, knife in hand, but his cold, piercing eyes were now unfocused and vacant. He didn’t move a muscle as he stared right through me, and drool began dripping out of his open mouth.
This had to be the work of the demon. It made it in time! But where was it? Assuming it had to be on his head, I squirmed out from under Howard and sat up, cradling my broken arm as I scanned his hair.
There it was. And it looked nothing like what I imagined. Its body was like two small, blue, crystalline saucers placed on top of each other, face-to-face, with two triangles cut straight through. Four sharp protrusions stuck out from the lower half, two in the front and two in the back, and those were now stuck in Howard’s skull. The upper half had four protrusions as well, but those were long and spindly, like a daddy long-legs spider, and they were keeping it steady as it feasted on Howard’s memories.
It did save me, but I wasn’t about to stick around so it could eat my memories too. I didn’t know if Howard would end up like the vipirits or if he’d regain alertness, so I scrambled up and handcuffed him to the fridge’s handle before I searched his pockets. After finding my phone, I dashed out of the room, only to run straight through Wd. Layl.
“I’m sorry!” she said, looking at my bleeding torso and crooked arm. “I tried to be fast!”
“Don’t be sorry, you got the demon here just in time! I’m going to call Mrs. Coriz, you go tell the spirits they can come back.” I managed a shaky smile. “Your fans are waiting.”
She smiled back. “On it.”
She vanished, and I dialed. “Hello, Mrs. Coriz?”
“Where are you now?” she asked, her weak voice full of concern.
“I’m at the hotel. The vipirits are neutralized, I took care of the guests, only five wanted a refund, and Howard attacked me but the demon got him in time. It’s on him as we speak.” I cast a nervous glance into the kitchenette. “Is it going to eat all his memories?”
“No, I told it to only eat the most recent ones that contain knowledge of us. How are you?”
“I’m fine, I’m alive … a bit shaken up. Howard broke my arm, but I’ll go to the hospital after everyone checks out.”
“You must call the police. Tell them Howard is a new employee and he had a psychotic break. There is surveillance footage of the lobby, parking lot, and kitchenette that can back you up. Call me once that’s done.”
“Okay.”
I did as she said, and I took a detour to the bathroom to clean off the blood. Howard didn’t cut me too deep, so I found the first aid kit and disinfected and dressed my cuts myself. Once Wd. Layl returned, we worked on wrapping a rudimentary split around my broken arm, pressing it to my body. Grabbing a spare hoodie from the back office, I slipped it on, jogged to the front desk, and sat down, still shaking with adrenaline.
“Can you let me know when the demon is done with Howard?” I asked Wd. Layl, casting a nervous glance back. “I know you should be haunting your guests, but I’m scared it’ll come after me.”
Wd. Layl chuckled. “It won’t. Mrs. Coriz told it not to.”
“You sure it’ll listen?”
“Positive!”
Wd. Layl vanished, and I sighed and pulled out my phone, dialing.
“Mrs. Coriz? I called the police. They’re on their way.”
“You have gone above and beyond. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation.”
“You shouldn’t be sorry. In your place, I’d have hired Howard too. You were desperate to make sure this hotel was in good and capable hands. It just sucks Howard betrayed us, he actually had skills.”
“I already had someone with good, capable hands and exemplary skills. I should have spent time training you more instead of focusing on a stranger.”
I smiled, wiping away a tear. “Well, everything is good now, the hotel is safe, the spirits are safe, I’m safe, and I know you’ll be safe after your surgery tomorrow. The—”
I froze at the sound of a scream coming from upstairs, and I relaxed when it dissolved into shrieks of laughter.
“What’s wrong?” Mrs. Coriz asked.
“Business as usual, I’m just a bit jumpy,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “Should I banish the vipirits? They’re just … floating outside.”
“Yes, please. And also start up the fireplace in the lobby for the demon.”
I gulped. “Yeah, about that demon, how come you never told me about them?”
“They are not as prevalent as spirits and vipirits. Most make their way to the Earth’s core as soon as they are born. They only eat memories if there is no heat available.”
“How did you meet this one?”
She was silent for a while before she said, “It’s my brother’s. I was with him and his family the night of their fatal accident. He and I were thrown out of the car, and I knew he had passed when I saw his demon. In my traumatized and sorrowful state, I offered it a memory and promised it warmth and a good life if it remained with me, and it did.”
“Oh …” I said, too shocked to find the right words to say.
“I know it’s not my brother, it doesn’t have his memories or his soul, it was just born of his death. But I wanted to hold on to the last living thing related to him. The last living thing related to my family. I trained the demon - they are quite intelligent once you get to interact with them - and it has lived with me ever since.”
Mrs. Coriz had always been stoic, and this was the first time she’d opened up to me about something this emotional. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Which, you know, I already knew about, but not about the demon. That’s … wow. It must be some type of comfort for you to care for it.”
“It is.”
“Was it easy to train it?”
“Yes. They may be non-verbal and instinctual, but they are eager to learn for warmth. You can consider them like a pet with above-average intelligence.”
“So, this one, you told it not to eat my memories?”
“Yes. I told it not to eat any memories unless I specifically request it. It has its own continuously running heater here, so it doesn’t need more to feel full. I have noticed it doesn’t feel fulfilled, though, so I’ve been trying to incorporate activities into its life despite being overprotective of it.”
“Does it have a name?”
“I named it KC, after my brother’s initials.”
I smiled. “KC, that’s a nice name.”
“I would like it to remain with you.”
I nodded. “Of course! I’ll take care of it until you’re ready to take it back.”
“No, I mean I want it to always remain with you. It can be your bodyguard.”
My mouth fell open in surprise. “Really?”
“You have been through a lot at this hotel, and you will go through a lot more. I believe both you and KC will benefit from this union. You will be protected, and it will find purpose.”
“Mrs. Coriz, I … I don’t know what to say. I’d be honored. Thank you!”
“No, thank you.”
“I promise to take amazing care of KC! I’ll—” The old grandfather clock chimed in the lobby, and I gasped. “Oh, Mrs. Coriz, it’s really late. You’ve been up worrying all night! You should rest before your surgery. Don’t worry, everything is fine here.”
“I know it is. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight!”
After hanging up, I grabbed my spare banishing weapons from my car and took care of the vipirits before I ran back inside and started working with the fireplace. Before I could light the fire, I gasped at the large demonic shadow cast against the wall.
I whipped around, my pulse racing, and let out a shaky chuckle when I saw the little demon scuttling towards me. I expected it to settle down by the fireplace in anticipation, but instead, it climbed up my pant leg and shirt before it settled on my shoulder.
I didn’t move, my heart hammering, my eyes darting towards it as I wondered if it was going to defy Mrs. Coriz and sample a memory. It adjusted itself, draped its legs down my shoulder, and snuggled in, and I relaxed, smiling.
“Hi, KC.”
It wiggled a leg at me, and I chuckled. “I’m starting a fire for you, just give me a sec.”
As I worked, I could hear Howard in the back, confused and weak. “Where am I? What am I doing here? Hello? Anyone? Help!”
I ignored him, hoping the police would show up soon and take him away. Once the flames sprung to life, I backed up and smiled.
“Okay, KC, I’ve got to get back to the desk, which is all the way there.” I pointed. “If you want heat, you’ll have to stay near the fireplace.”
It didn’t move, so I walked towards the desk to show it I wasn’t kidding. It still didn’t move. Maybe my body heat was enough right now. As insectile as KC looked, it was rather cute, and I gave it a little pat as I sat behind the counter. It responded to my touch by sitting up and poking my cheek with its leg. The lamp behind us cast our shadow, and it looked like I had a giant demon perched on my shoulder. KC was going to be a great addition to our hotel.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
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