Page 41 of Death Trap

“Now, we need to focus on a way to get us all out of here safely,” Eli said. “Then we can figure out why you were put in Hell in the first place. A mistake of this magnitude has neverhappened before.”

“The demons obviously want you here for a reason. Especially if they keep checking on you,” I said.

“Honestly, I thought the same thing. I think it has something to do with that box,” she replied. Then, her eyes widened as if a memory had struck her. “That’s where I know you from. The box with the symbol on it.” She pointed to the angel mark above my heart. “You have it there on your chest, too.”

My pulse began to race. I had almost forgotten. The box with the demon cure—Sean had said it was his mother’s box; she’d found it during one of her explorations. It was the first time I had ever seen my tattoo anywhere else besides my own skin.

Little had I known back then that finding it was only the first step in a marathon of absolute insanity.

“You were the one who gave it to me,” she said in a rush, waving her hand as she remembered. “I was researching demon lore in a library in Israel, and you came up to me, told me to protect the box with my life, and that you’d be back for it. Seeing how old it was, I knew it could be a key to my research, but I couldn’t get the damn thing open. But…” She glanced up at me, her gaze searching my face.

“What?”

“You didn’t look like this… No, that’s not possible, is it? But I remember you somehow…”

I frowned, all the excitement and hope seeping out of me the more she spoke. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Believe me, I’m confusing myself,” she replied. “The details are fuzzy…probably because it was so long ago, and you know, dying kind of screws with your living memories, but I’m almost positive it was you who gave me the box.” She paused. “But that was years ago. Maybe over thirty-five years.”

“That seals it, then. It couldn’t have been me. I’m only thirty.” I glanced at Eli, who was staring intently at me. “Wait…is it possible?” Was this part of my past he couldn’t tell me?

“It is. But I can’t tell you why,” he said.

Of course.

If it were true, and I had been the one to give Lisa the box decades ago, did that also mean I had been the one to fill it with the demon cure and instructions? Had I written the list on the slab of skin? Was that why only I could open it and read it?

A shudder ran through me. I’d thought it was odd how neat and organized the notes had been, as if the person who’d put the box together knew who’d be reading it in the future. Like I had prepared it for myself. But how could it be? How could I have known?

More questions with even fewer answers. I sighed. Was this ever going to end? Why was I so fucked up?

“The box had the demon cure in it,” I told Lisa. “We actually found it in your room and used it to save my friend’s life.”

“See that? You did end up coming back for it.”

“But I didn’t know I had been the one to give it to you all those years ago.”

She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. “I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I remember, really.”

“I don’t blame you. I just…” I sighed again. “I have so many questions about myself, and the list seems to be growing instead of shrinking. It’s a pain in the ass.”

“You’ll find out everything soon enough,” Eli assured me.

“As soon as I find Benjamin,” I replied. Hopefully he could tell me more than Eli could.

“Benjamin?” Lisa asked.

“Long story. We’ll have to fill you in. But I think we’ve been here long enough. Let’s move this party into the hallway at least. Then we can talk about our next step.”

Eli agreed, and together, we walked out of the room. I squinted against the hallway’s harsh light.

“I’m assuming you aren’t aware of a way to get out of here?” Eli asked Lisa.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you think? I was down here partying all this time?” She turned to me. “What’s his problem?”

I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “He can be annoying, but you can’t really blame him. He doesn’t spend much time on earth with normal souls.”

“Ah.” She put her hands on her hips and leaned back to stretch out her spine, then twisted her torso. No bones cracked, but she seemed satisfied after. Must have been one of those living habits that carried over after death.

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