Page 23 of Virgil's Demons

It was just there, standing beside me, its cloaked figure almost blending into the shadows. The voice was soft and feminine, almost sympathetic.You love this woman?

I didn't look at it. I couldn't. My eyes were glued to the door they had taken her through.

You don't have to say anything, I can read your thoughts.

I looked around the ward, nurses were milling around, doctors rushing past me, no one noticed death standing among them. This wasn't another dream. This was real.

Of course, I'm real. Where there is life there is death, Virgil.

'Leave me alone', I let the thought linger knowing it would hear it.

I'm the only one who can help you, Virgil. God isn't coming.

'I don't care. I don't need him.'

Everyone needs someone, Virgil. A god, a mother, a love. It would be ridiculous if humanity didn't have a purpose. What would be the point of living?

'I don't need a fucking sermon!' I screamed in my head.

I know you're suffering so I will let your little tantrum slide.

I slumped down into a chair, burying my head into my hands.

It's okay to love, Virgil. It bothered me at first, but it is a human trait. Love.

'She is the closest thing to love that I have ever found,' I confessed.

Death nodded, its skeletal frame hidden beneath gray whisps of cloth.Then I will help you.

I turned to it, my brow furrowed in confusion. 'What? Why? Why now?'

Because I don't want that demon, that evil, to win.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. 'A day ago you were threatening me. What made you have a change of heart?'

Like I said, I don't want that evil to win.

'I'd say you have another motive. A darker one.'

Death is not selfish. I am still an angel after all.

'Jealous. Angels are filled with jealousy.'

Death shifted, its presence cold but strangely comforting. The sensation irked me.

Your human is strong. She hasn't let him in just yet. Her soul is still intact. If I occupy her body, the demon has nowhere to go.

I stared at him, confused. 'Occupy? Are you fucking kidding me? Doesn't that mean she dies?'

Death's figure seemed to blur as if the shadows around it were alive. Its voice grew softer now, almost mournful.

No. I will not harm her. I can't.

I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening at my sides. 'I can't… I won't let you take her.'

I will not take her. I will merely stand in the way of the demon. It's already working its way in. If you don't let me do this, it will take her instead.

I shook my head. 'I won't make a deal with death. I know what that entails. I already have someone who owns my soul.' I pointed up at the sky, referring to God.

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