Page 5 of The Good Char (Soul Taker)

DZIK

This bizarre human girl had the strangest reactions to things around her.

Her overly jovial nature disgusted me but she seemed like she was willing to do my bidding and that was all I needed for this wretched shop.

I needed to be able to remove myself from the humans when my aggravation got the better of me.

I stared at Kimmy’s back curiously. It looked like she was trying her best to stop herself from dancing to a tune only she could hear. Strange. What was she so happy about? The only people milling around Hellscape Mall at this hour were humans that needed to let go of their tight grip on life.

But unlike my last employee, she didn’t look like she minded working.

“Kimmy!” I growled. Caught in my thoughts, I almost missed her inching her way toward the grill. “Stay away from that grill.”

I made my way over to her in two strides, picked her up and plopped her back behind the register. I was going to have to watch out for this one. She was wiley, like that cartoon coyote those annoying little human minions liked to watch on television.

Kids, my mind supplied me. Humans called their spawn kids. Why they wished to name them after goat offspring was beyond me.

I didn’t need the master getting on me about another wayward soul finding its way in places it didn’t belong. I looked at Kimmy again who waved animatedly at another ancient human walking by. I wouldn’t hear the last of it if she fell into the vortex. Her soul was too innocent and pure.

“Are you guys open?” a new voice approached us. It was the old man who passed her the first time.

“Yes!” she squeaked with excitement. “What can I get you?”

He rambled off his order and her fingers flew nimbly across the register. When she looked over her shoulder in my direction with a smile, I cleared my throat and turned away to complete his order before handing it to her.

“There you go! Enjoy your meal!” she hollered after him after he left, almost falling over the counter with how far she was leaning.

“Get your feet back on the ground!” I growled, grabbing the back of her shirt and pulling her back into place. “You don’t need to glue yourself to the customers once they’re gone. Just place their orders.”

She bounced on her feet as she turned to me. “Did I do good? He looked happy! First satisfied customer of the day!”

When she clapped her little hands in front of her, I ran my hand down my face. What had I gotten myself into?

I grumbled and walked away, leaving her in her happy little bubble as I observed the mall picking up over the course of the next hour.

Kimmy excitedly greeted anyone within a ten foot radius and I had to physically pull her back a few more times before my command to keep her feet on the ground went through her thick skull.

I was finally at my wits end when I stomped to the back room, came back and slammed a stool down in front of the register, glaring at her while pointing at it.

To my vexation she did her little clap and hopped on, crossing her legs, diligently looking out for more customers as if she was on a mission.

Working The Good Char in the realm of men was the worst punishment the master could bestow upon me.

For all I knew, he probably planted Kimmy here just to watch me suffer.

I peered at her through the side of my eye and wondered if the master would shorten my sentence if I tainted her soul.

It would show him that I deserved my old position back.

“Mr. Dzik, what else can I do now?” she asked with enthusiasm, following me around the area like one of Sabnock’s nasty rashes. “Are you going to show me how to do the corndogs?”

“No.”

“Pretty, please! I’m a fast learner, I promise! I just want to make your day easier. That’s what I’m here for.”

Was she? I was suddenly sure she was here to torment me with her monstrously happy demeanor.

“Take a seat somewhere if there are no customers,” I commanded.

“But what if they don’t see me? I’m not that tall. It’s the Asian in me. They might think we’re closed. It’s okay. Thank you though. I’ll just stand behind the register and wait for the next person to come,” she rambled as she hurried back to the counter.

My head hurt as my annoyance climbed—and it wasn’t even lunch hour yet. I needed to get her out of my hair before I threw her in the vortex myself.

“Kimmy,” I called out.

She popped up like an animated character in one of their human box contraptions and quickly ran back to my side, eyes sparkling. “Yes, Mr. Dzik?”

I leaned back, not wanting whatever infected her to get on me. When she leaned in with a smile that overtook her face, I grimaced and blurted out the only thing I could think of to get her away from me. “Pop open the fridge and grab a pop. This will be your breaktime for today.”

Her eyes practically shone like diamonds as if flames danced within her. It was both fascinating and horrifying.

“Really? Oh wow! My parents never gave me a break. Especially not one this early. And with a treat to boot! Thank you, Mr. Dzik!” she sang at an awkward pitch.

She skipped over to the fridge and I exhaled a sigh of relief.

That was close. I bet if she touched me, I’d end up infected with whatever positivity that was inside of her.

It couldn’t be normal. Something was definitely wrong with this little human.

But that wasn’t my problem. I just needed her to work The Good Char.

With her finally occupied, I began creating more batter.

The lull in customers and quiet eased me as I rhythmically mixed and stirred.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. There were unwanted eyes on me.

I slowly looked over my shoulder to find Kimmy’s eyes staring intently at everything I was doing with a pen and little notepad.

How the hell did she manage to bring one with her when she didn’t even have a purse?

“And just what are you doing?” I asked through gritted teeth, my paranoia rising to infernal levels. “Why are you writing? And why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well, I was writing down your steps according to what you were doing,” she explained, nodding with seriousness. “You can never be too prepared.”

She placed the pencil behind her ear and stuffed the writing tablet in front of her apron pocket.

I stood there, contemplating what she said for a few moments. I never had an employee so diligently want to learn before. My lips twitched in a slight smirk. This could work out well for me.

“Why don’t you use that writing tablet you have and take down orders as they come.

Then hand it to me and I can prepare the food.

I cook and you take the money and put it in the money box and give change.

You can count, can’t you?” I asked after giving some thought to the fact she never told me how old she was.

“Of course, I can count, Mr. Dzik,” she giggled, covering her mouth with her dainty little hand.

Why would she think she could stop herself from laughing with her hand that far from her face? The best way for anyone to stop something from coming out of a human mouth would be to slap their hand entirely over their face and shove them into the flames?—

“I graduated highschool five years ago and I have just been working for my parents,” she continued while going over to sit down on the stool. “But sometimes you need to make a life for yourself, ya know? Not for my Mom or Dad, but me.”

I looked at her, perplexed. How in the world did the conversation route itself in this direction?

“I really didn’t need to know all of that.

The only thing I needed to know is if you could count.

” These humans were too much. It was a wonder they managed to stay alive this long.

You ask them one simple question and they will tell you their entire life story.

“You better enjoy that break of yours. It’s nearly lunchtime and we’re about to get swamped.

Today, we’ll see how much you really want your job. ”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Dzik,” she replied obediently, straightening her back, her face showing nothing but pure determination.

My eyes flicked below her face involuntarily for a second and then back.

All this positivity was causing me to itch.

I wanted to scour my skin in acid and peel it from the overload of her upbeat attitude.

It was humans like her that were causing a shortage of souls back home in the underworld.

Right on cue, I could hear the crowd begin to gather as the mall became alive with chatter. I could feel a line begin to form in front of the counter. The presence of a human crowd always made my skin prickle with the need to torture something.

I looked over to her with a wicked grin. “It’s showtime, Kimmy. Take your time and it will be fine.”

I wanted to break her, show her that working under me wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

As if possessed, she stood up with a fire in her eyes, wrapped her hair into a bun and walked over to the front counter like she owned the place. With her pad in hand she leaned over the counter with a large smile and was bombarded immediately by the first customer.

She happily took orders with giggles in a meticulous manner, handing me the notes and quickly taking the next order. I stood there dumbfounded as I watched her, running the register like a pro.

Where the hell did she learn to handle orders like this? She acted like she never had a job before despite her ramblings about whatever it was the humans that birthed her did.

There was definitely more to this girl than meets the eye.

“Mr. Dzik, we need to push!” she called out boldly. “We got a bigger crowd coming.”

She walked back and grabbed the first couple of completed orders and calculated the change before handing them their food—all the while humming cheerily as if she was in her element.

To my dismay and wonderment, my business had never run this smoothly before and it was only her first day. I could get used to this. Other than all of that humming and smiling, she was actually… okay.

I narrowed my eyes. This may work out after all. I was one of the smartest demons there was! And the master needed to see that for himself.

I nodded to myself at my own brilliance.

I had been in the human realm long enough. It should be time for me to come home!