The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) (19 page)

“Tell you what.” Josh placed a comforting hand on her arm. “I’ll help you carry these drinks over, and if you want me to leave, rub your eyebrow like this.” He ran his middle finger over his right brow. “Deal?”

She nodded.

“Cool. Now, are you sure you don’t want one of these? Might help loosen you up.”

Katie contemplated it for a moment. Beer would help her relax, put her at ease, but was that really a good idea with a demon running around? Not only that, but it was 11:00 in the morning. It was too early and it was best to keep her senses sharp.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Suit yourself.” He grabbed three cups and the pair walked back to the group.

Katie handed one cup to Deb and the other to Andrew before taking a seat. It didn’t escape her notice that Andrew had moved to the other side of the blanket closer to Deb. That was both a relief and a disappointment. Relief because she had no idea how to act around a real boy and a disappointment because Andrew was her chance at a real relationship. Well, maybe he was. Who really knew for sure? Still, she wanted the chance to find out.

Josh handed his cups to Stan and Paul, keeping one for himself, and sat next to Katie, close enough for his thigh and shoulder to touch hers. She couldn’t have moved away if she wanted to, unless she wanted to sit on Deb’s lap. He took a drink of his beer.

Really? That was how he was going to approach the situation? He was going to pretend the day before didn’t happen? He was going to totally forget about the incident with the Tormentor and ignore that Katie was still upset with him? Of course he was. Maybe Katie’s feelings didn’t matter to him. Perhaps this was his way of torturing her. But it didn’t feel like torture. It felt nice, right. What if Katie was overreacting? What if Josh was acting like there was nothing to be upset about because there was nothing to be upset about.

The memory of his face and how he looked when she accused him of being sneaky and underhanded came to her mind. Why would he need to sic a Tormentor on her? He already had her in Hell; if he’d wanted to prevent her from leaving, he could have. She was helpless in his realm, and yet he’d taken her back to the hospital when she wanted to go. Was it possible she’d misread the entire situation? She had been tired, drugged, fuming from the betrayal Wes, Randy, and her mom had put her through. Maybe she was looking for others to do the same thing when in reality, they had no intentions of hurting her. Josh was so unlike anything she had ever experienced, yet she was treating him like Wes. That was unfair. He was a demon, yes, but he’d had many opportunities to kill her and never taken them. Maybe it was time to stop being so defensive and let him give her some answers. She was going to need them if she wanted to avoid becoming like him.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Josh licked his lips.

“The boys and I were just talking about going water skiing.” Deb nodded toward Stan. “Apparently Stan’s cousin has a boat and will take us out.”

Katie frowned. “I can’t go on the boat. I can’t get my arm wet.”

Deb looked her up and down, disappointment on her face. “You don’t have to ski. You can just sit on the boat.”

Katie pushed her eyebrows together. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I could still get splashed.”

Deb’s shoulders slumped.

“You guys can go,” Josh interjected. “I can hang out with Katie.” He nudged her with his shoulder.

“Or I can stay with her,” Andrew volunteered. “If you want to ski, Josh.”

Deb brightened up. “We won’t be gone for very long.” She winked at Katie. “And it looks like you will have plenty of company.”

Katie pursed her lips and lowered her voice. “I thought you and I were going to hang out today.”

Deb stood. “And we will. Just as soon as I get back from skiing.” She tipped her cup to her lips and chugged the beer. Streams ran down her chin and glistened on her chest. “Oops!” She wiped at them with her hands, licking the liquid off her fingertips.

The boys stared at her, their mouths hanging slightly open. Katie held back a laugh. Leave it to Deb to figure out how to become the center of attention and turn all the boys’ heads. Not that Katie was surprised. That was part of the reason she and Deb got along so well. Katie was the shy, introverted girl, and Deb was the outgoing loud-spoken one. They complemented each other. Katie liked that Deb was everything she wasn’t. It allowed her to experience things through her friend without taking too much of a risk. Katie straightened up. Plus, it gave her an opportunity to learn something. Deb had had several boyfriends since junior high. She knew how to act around boys, what they liked. Katie could pick up a few pointers and use them later.

Deb tossed the empty cup onto the blanket. “You guys ready?”

Stan jumped to his feet. “I am.” He finished his beer and threw his cup next to Deb’s.

Andrew glanced over at Katie and Josh, twirling the cup in his hand. “What do you want to do, Josh?”

Josh placed his arm around Katie. “I think I’m going to hang out here for a while. You go and have fun. If I want to ski later, I’ll let you know.”

Andrew nodded and placed his cup in the sand. He didn’t bother finishing it. The three of them interlinked arms and headed toward the docks before stopping and turning toward Paul.

“You coming with us?” Deb asked.

He shook his head. “Nah. I’m gonna hang out on the beach and see what’s going on here.”

Deb shrugged, and the three of them continued on their way.

Paul turned toward Katie and Josh. “I’m off to see what other kinds of recreation I can find.” He smiled and got to his feet.

Confusion rushed through Katie. “What is he talking about?”

“Pills.” Josh released her shoulders and finished his beer. “You wanna see me work?”

Katie stared at him. “What?”

Josh finished his beer and burped. “Well, you never rubbed your eyebrow, so I figured you wanted to hang out with me longer. I figured I could show you how I harvest a soul.”

Shock hit Katie. Was that something she wanted to see? Was it part of the answers she was looking for? She had inwardly decided hanging out with Josh would be all right, but now she second-guessed the decision. If she really wanted to, she could have gone out on the boat. She could have wrapped her arm in a plastic bag to keep it protected. It would have looked ridiculous and embarrassed her slightly, but then she would still be able to hang out with Deb. It annoyed her a little that Deb so easily ditched her to hang out with the boys. Katie was really hoping for some girl time so they could talk. Maybe they should have gone shopping. They would have been alone then. Not a lot she could do to change it now, and she kicked herself mentally for that. What was it about Josh that made her lose the ability to think rationally? Was it some kind of demon power he had over her? Was it the blackness in her soul that drew her to him?

She sighed. If she were honest with herself, she would admit she was curious to know exactly what Josh did. Again, she reminded herself that maybe if she saw firsthand what he was capable of, it would give her information of how to fight against him. Besides, what else was she going to do? Her friend had left her on the beach.

Josh nudged her again. “C’mon. You know you wanna. You know you can’t resist my charms.” He flashed her his most adorable smile.

It bothered her to no end that he was right. She couldn’t resist him. No matter how hard she tried, no matter what he did or put her through, she found part of her didn’t want to.

“Fine.” Katie tried to sound exasperated. “What are you going to do?”

Josh stood. “First, I’m going to refill my drink, then I’m going to give Paul what he wants.” He helped Katie to her feet and held her hand as they walked back to the keg.

 “How many of those are you going to drink?”

He shrugged. “A few. It doesn’t matter, though. I could down the whole keg and it wouldn’t have an effect on me. Demons can’t get drunk.”

Katie nodded her head, then let her gaze drift around the beach. Deb waved to her from the docks, and Katie grudgingly returned the gesture. Josh filled his drink and scanned the area. He pointed to a group off to the left.

“Paul’s over there. Shall we?” He grabbed Katie’s hand again and led her to the group.

It could have been Katie’s imagination, but she thought a look of desperation crossed Paul’s face. He was laughing with a group of teens, but it seemed strained, forced almost. Her mind drifted back to the conversation about pills and what kind she was on. At first, she thought he was joking about wanting her pain pills. Not that she had any on her. She had left those at home. She hadn’t needed them. The pain wasn’t that bad. She knew kids her age took them to get high, but not anyone she knew. She figured it was mainly the Emos and Hoods that did that kind of stuff. Her belief was that maybe Paul was just saying that to look cool in front of everyone. That was what Andrew said he was doing. They were friends, so Andrew would know. Now, though, she wasn’t so sure. Again, it could have been her imagination, but he seemed twitchy, stiff. His arms were straight at his side, his left hand clutching the pocket on his swim trunks. It was possible Andrew said what he said so Katie would relax and not be afraid. Or maybe Andrew really didn’t know Paul. What she witnessed was not the actions of a guy who wanted to look cool; it was the desperation of an addict. She had seen the symptoms multiple times on documentaries they were forced to watch in health class and the many crime shows she watched with her mom.

When a moment presented itself, he grabbed one of the guys–Katie thought his name was Derrick, but she wasn’t sure–and spoke to him quietly. Derrick pulled away, shaking his head, his hands out to his sides, and redness crept into Paul’s features.

“Come on, man. Help me out.”

Derrick turned his back and walked away.

“Here’s our chance.” Josh sounded almost giddy.

Paul’s eyes scanned the beach, his forehead creased with concern. He chewed on his thumbnail.

“Hey, Paul!” Josh called. “I’ve got what you want.”

Paul’s eyes widened and lit up. Josh jerked his head to the left, indicating Paul should follow, and he eagerly did. The three of them headed for the bathrooms that serviced the area. They were nothing more than holes dug in the ground with walls constructed around them, but they did what they needed to do. On a hot day, the smell would be less than desirable, which meant a lot of people wouldn’t want to hang out by them. It would give Josh and Paul the privacy they needed to conduct their business. Katie wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of it anymore, especially when the stench of human waste hit her nostrils. It was nice to be in the shade of the building, though. Katie hadn’t realized how hot the day was getting.

Paul approached, looking pale and a little sweaty. “What is it you think I need?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but Katie was sure she heard the desperation in his tone.

Josh reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He held his hand open to Paul, and Paul’s eyes lit up. To Katie, they just looked like two small white pills. Nothing worth getting excited over. Josh folded his hands back over the pills.

“You want them?”

Paul’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head, and he nodded enthusiastically. “I do. How much?”

“I’m not looking for money.”

Paul raised an eyebrow. He glanced suspiciously at Josh and Katie. “I’m not doing anything kinky, so don’t even go there.”

Josh laughed. “That’s good to know. No, that’s not what I had in mind.”

Paul licked his lips, his eyes kept darting to Josh’s hand and back to his face. “What do you want then?”

“Your soul.”

Confusion covered Paul’s face. “My soul?”

Josh nodded.

Katie’s gaze drifted from Josh to Paul and back, trying to take in the whole situation. What was Paul thinking? Would he go for such a deal? Did he think the whole thing sounded ridiculous? If Katie had heard the conversation days before, she would have thought Josh was insane. She probably would have made it, thinking she had nothing to lose. Was that what was going through Paul’s mind?

A nervous, shallow chuckle escaped Paul’s lips. “Sure, man, whatever. Take my soul.” He held out his hand. “Just give me the pills.”

Josh released Katie’s hand and stepped forward. He placed his hand on Paul’s chest. Paul stared down and tried to back up, but he couldn’t move. His eyes widened in horror and his mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. A golden light glowed from Paul’s chest, outlining his ribs in shadow. Katie’s stomach tingled. She wanted to rush forward and grab Josh’s hand, pull it away from Paul, but she was also frozen in place. The light grew, entwining itself around Josh’s hand. She glanced at him. A smile covered his lips, a smile she had never seen before. It was evil and self-satisfied. Katie sucked in a sharp breath. The body of Josh turned into a transparent shell, and inside of it was something with dark and mottled flesh, like it had been badly burned, and pulled tight over the bones. Like the Hell Hounds she had seen in the warehouse, the creature didn’t seem to have any muscles. Its eyes were white, glowing. A red tongue ran over pointed teeth. She blinked, trying to clear the image from her head, and when her eyes opened, Josh stood before her, the gold glow collapsing in on itself until it was the size of a marble. He quickly popped it into his mouth and swallowed.

Katie turned to Paul. He was still frozen in the same spot, his eyes cast down like Josh’s hand was still on his chest.

“Here ya go,” Josh said.

Paul blinked and looked at the open hand in front of him. He snatched the pills from Josh’s hand and downed them with the beer he carried. He pointed at Josh.

“Thanks a lot.” He turned and headed back toward the party.

Katie stared after him, her mouth gaping. Josh grabbed her hand and led her away from the outhouses.

“He won’t remember any of it,” Josh whispered in her ear.

Katie couldn’t find her words. Did she really just see what she thought she saw? What exactly had she just seen? She brought her hand to her head to stop it from spinning. Part of her told her she needed to get away from Josh, to run as far as she could, but where would she go? Deb brought her here, and she didn’t have the keys to the car. Surely someone could give her a ride home. Then again, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. If anyone could answer the questions she had about what had just happened, it was the guy holding her hand, the guy who just performed an unholy act. She turned to look at him. He smiled. Movement caught her eye and she glanced over his shoulder. She opened her mouth to warn Josh, but it was too late. With the element of surprise and a log, Wes knocked Josh to the ground.