Page 6 of Fallen: Darkness Ascending, Vol.1

S I X

W aking after that is slow to start then all at once.

The moment my mind realizes it has consciousness again, adrenaline pulses right back into me and I’m heaving in breaths and sitting upright, head swimming dizzy as I spin around to take in my surroundings and see if I’m alone—or, if I’m still in hell.

A sunflower-shaped throw pillow tumbles to the ground off my frame, when I sit up.

Chest heaving, realizing I’m home and safe, I shakily reach to take the pillow and figure myself out.

There’s an uncomfortable sensation of someone having been watching me, but I try to shake it off.

I’m…on the couch? There’s a bl anket somewhat covering me, too.

The empty cabinet along the wall has its doors tidily closed, and Stray had been asleep in his bed a second ago until I spooked him awake.

He stands with his front paws splayed, back half still laying down, ears tall and eyes alert as he scans for threats.

A small boof blows through his lips.

I lick mine, and breathe. “It’s okay, boy. Lay down; I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s okay.”

His stance relaxes a little, and he scans the room before deciding to stand, give a big stretch, then spin in a few circles on his bed and curl in again.

The house is silent. My head feels groggy as hell, and the clock reads 3:14 am. It was barely past nine when I was watching my shows, I…?

There’s a water bottle on the coffee table in front of me.

And one of my small bags of mini pretzels.

Neither seem to have dog saliva on them, and they’re placed quite neatly next to one another, so either Stray was an extra good boy, or his saliva already dried by the time I woke up, or, this is suspicious.

I force myself to believe it’s all perfectly fine, reaching to the bottle and cracking it open for a few long, desperate swigs before dialing my emergency contact. This time when I lift the plastic headphones from my neck, they’re perfectly dry. Everything’s normal.

The call connects even while his voice cuts into focus.

“—nk heavens you’re awake. I’ve been waiting for you to call me back; are you alright? Any injuries?”

I hum a little, shaking my head even as I look down at myself. “Feels like bruises, and soreness.” I rub a fist delicately into my left eye.

“Good then, that’s good. You had a rough go of it last night…What happened to the headphones? I couldn’t hear you.”

“They got gross,” I say with a grimace, trying not to think too hard of what that specific texture and temperature combination had felt like on my fingertips. “I couldn’t put them on. That’s never happened before.”

Dr. Karagiannis hums over the line, for a few seconds. I can’t hear it, but I can tell he’s scribbling down notes on a pad of paper.

“Did you somehow leave water out for me?”

A pause—his attention, honing in. “Did I what?”

I gesture uselessly to the coffee table. “There’s a fresh bottle of water and one of my pretzel snack bags, here. Like set out, for me when I wake up. I kind of don’t think it was Stray. But it…kind of doesn’t sound like it was you, either.”

“…It wasn’t me. I cannot interact with the real world, if I’m not in it. Not like you.” He pauses, then starts with a bit more energy, “It could have been Stray, he’s a clever boy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he taught himself that little trick.”

Nodding, I breathe out and untuck my legs from the blanket to sit properly on the couch—noticing the blackout curtains have all been lifted.

That wasn’t me.

“C-Cornelius?—”

“My lamb, breathe for me.”

“—My curtains are open, too.”

“ Breathe , Hope. Now.”

I begin to suck in a breath through my nose. Instinct usually makes me take a deep breath anytime I hear someone mention it—the room brightens a bit as the calming breath works its way into my system.

He waits for my exhales, then, “You’ve done acts you’ve forgotten before.

Fourth of July, you were all tucked into bed with the fan turned on and windows cracked open, no memory of having moved from your backyard after the episode had ended.

The fugue state is still quite rare, but twice now could be indicative of a pattern.

That’s good, Hope, it means we can better anticipate it.

Go close your curtains, if you’ll feel better. ”

I grumble softly, not sure why fugue-me would ever have opened them in the first place. She must be crazy . Standing, I head for the nearest window and begin to tug the cord to lower the thick fabric when I catch a glint of gold.

Startling in a squeak, I flinch a little and turn to look straight at the source— it’s him . All black, dark shrouds, and that golden devil mask across his entire head.

Stumbling now, I backtrack away from the window to quickly grab my phone, hearing Cornelius ask me something, but I open the call on my phone and turn the camera on.

The view of my kitchen and living room shakes as I hold the phone up to my door, Phantasmus’s mask scarcely visible. “D-D-Do you see him? That’s him , Cornelius, I-I’m telling you?—”

“I don’t see anything, little lamb, and I need you to stay calm.”

I force a breath into my nose instead of panting out my mouth, but then the doorknob begins to turn. Red hues into my view of the room, tickling and teasing at the edges, but being actively on the phone with Cornelius is offering just enough solace to keep it from consuming.

“He’s opening the door, Cornelius, he’s—why is he doing this to me?? Why?? ”

“It’s very, very uncommon for a demon to return to a scene like this—even an elder demon. Hope, listen to me, I don’t see anything ?—”

The door unlatches, and begins to creak open as the kitchen lights flicker. I can’t tell if the darkness I see now is from hell trying to take over again, or because the bulbs are starting to burn out. Either way, a human leg in black boots and pants begins to stride confidently into my kitchen.

“ Cornelius…! ”

“—nother deep breath, right now. You have to keep breathing, Hope, I’m telling you, I’m looking at the door, and I see no one . Your fears are justified, but do not let yourself cast shadows where there are none. Take that breath—do you want to take it with me? In…”

I shakily inhale as I watch the demon in human-skin step fully into my home, leaving the door open in his wake. His head tilts at me, mouth neutral, just watching.

“Out…”

The exhale is just as jagged, and I keep the camera centered on Phantasmus as he steps slowly through the kitchen, to the precipice of the living room, and begins to idly look around. I finish my breath and say, “He’s standing right there next to the couch.”

“Ah-ah-ah, re-frame it. Try again, little lamb.”

I lick my lips and swallow—eyes locked on a soot-black fingertip that trails along the back of my couch.

“I-I… see someone, standing right there.”

“Okay. That’s better, good job. Now, Stray,” he instructs.

Taking my eyes from the demon is difficult, but I glance quickly at the dog bed—he’s awake, looking around, listening. “Stray, greet.”

His brown eyes look to me, then away. He even turns his neck and looks up toward the staircase, which almost makes me flinch to see what he might have sensed from over there, but then he turns around again and whines softly at me. No other reaction.

I face Phantasmus and take another step back and away. “Heel.” The dog immediately rouses himself and trots to stand at my side. I point forward and repeat his command, “Stray, greet . Greet.”

He looks around, baffled, then back up at me with another small whine.

My hand shakes as the pointing finger lowers.

Phantasmus’s lip is just slightly quirked upward.

I take another deep breath of my own accord, softening under the sound of Cornelius’s praise in my ear, then step back again and to the opposite side of the couch from Phantasmus.

My fingers reach down and tuck under the fabric strap of my go-bag, and I lift it up onto my shoulder.

“I-I’m going to stay at a friend’s tonight. ”

“Yes! I think that’s a lovely idea. You’re doing wonderfully, little lamb—how’s your color?”

I blink as though that would clear anything. “Just…just a tiny bit dark. But the kitchen lights are flickering.”

“Mmm. They’re on bright and bold, from where I can see. I’ll stay on the line with you, while you drive.”

I’ve got Stray at my side, confirming my spare set of keys are in the backpack, watching Phantasmus climb up onto the back of my couch and perch like a gargoyle. He leans forward, a hand on the edge as the other stretches long to take the sunflower pillow, and bring it to his face.

I can hear the sharp, stiff inhale he takes. It lasts a full five seconds before I cut my attention from him and say, “I…I think I’ll be okay. I, knowing he’s not really here…helps. Thank you. You don’t…you don’t see what he’s doing right now, do you?”

I glance at the image of the demon in my phone, tossing the pillow aside recklessly as he breathes out and takes up the blanket now, instead.

Cornelius gives a small chuckle, the sound of it melting my edges. His confidence, his lack of concern, is all a balm for my anxiety. “Not a thing, love.”

Swallowing, I nod at what I see. If nothing else, I’m glad this part of Phantasmus truly is just my imagination—glad he’s not actually here, sniffing my blanket. I push out the side door and Stray follows as I head through the yard and to my car.

‘My’ car, that Cornelius got for me. He was able to write it off as a donation, and got it listed as a required medical device for me, somehow.

I pay a bit more in electricity to charge the hybrid battery, a decent amount in insurance each month that was also haggled down in price, and that’s it.

Top of the line, bougie car all to myself.