Human Spines

General Dindolcon's Plan-II

Emmeline

        They don't know I'm me yet. I'm laying mostly on Dumaine, my back atop his legs, my arms wrapped around his waist, my face tucked into his shirt. It's actually quite uncomfortable. I can't breathe, and my feet are on Hans's lap. Who put them there? I'm starting to feel like my feet are in a tank full of a thousand tiny scorpions, but none of them have harmed me yet and I can't figure out why. It doesn't hurt. It's simply terrifying.

        I don't understand why I can't just yell at Hans then no longer be afraid of him. It works with everything else. Maybe it's because he's a human and humans are horrifying. When Demons go insane, they cut your hair and break their own limbs. When humans aren't insane, just stressed or jealous or angry, they lock babies in closets and kick dogs off cliffs and they don't even have to be in a bad mood to want to kill a deer! They've made a sport of it! And humans are influential. They can get more humans to join them by simply mentioning that taking control over another human is fun. They're too smart.

        "She's herself again," Hans whispers to Dumaine.

        "Emmeline?" he tests.

        I flop over, gazing up at him. "What happened?"

        They look at each other. Now back to me. It takes us an hour to sort through what happened.

****

        "Thank you," I tell the woman with the fake eyebrows and dark hair. "You're a very kind and helpful person. I apologize for any trouble we may have caused or will cause."

        "Oh, it's alright. Just don't let that boy of yours push you around again or I'll have to beat his—"

        "The situation was much more complicated than it seemed, but thank you, still." I try again.

        "Nothing's complicated about how he treated you. There's never an excuse for—"

        "I was possessed by a Demon. Dumaine was trying to save his life. If you would like to help save the lives of the entire planet, you may join our quest to speak to the Reaper-Mother. It will be dangerous and it may make you question your very existence. Will you help us?" I give her the truth.

        She's staring, eyes bulging out of her head, nostrils flared, brows a confused scribble. "...No." The woman turns her back to me silently shaking her head. Well at least she didn't laugh.

        "Why'd you do that?" Dumaine whispers. I'm not sitting on him anymore. I was too close to Hans like that.

        "We still have many more hours on this bus. I didn't want her staring at you like that the whole time."

        "Oh." He has no argument.

        "Do you suppose the Hakken-Krak came because Marvin K. Mooney asked for help? Because it seems to me—"

        "Illyvimsius is their secret weapon." I realize, cutting Hans off.

        "Yes! Their Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo!"

        "Their what?" Dumaine's eyes go wide.

        "Amistifer did say she was warming up when she killed all those Demons at the train station. I bet she's their bodyguard and assassin."

        "Which would explain why she was so much stronger than Marvin against Dumaine." Hans nods.

        "I don't understand."