Page 19 of Devil's Night

I revealed the small figure, holding it out for her inspection. Her brows knit together as she studied it, plump lips pursing. I braced myself for her inevitable look of horror and disgust.

Instead, to my surprise, a bright smile broke across her face. “Oh, it’s so cute!” she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “In a creepy, kinda freaky way. Like a little skeletal action figure!”

Cute? Of all the words I expected her to use, that hadn’t even crossed my mind. I blinked at her, nonplussed by her delighted reaction. “You aren’t repulsed by it?”

Nicole laughed, the sound like windchimes on a warm summer breeze. “Why would I be? It’s just a tiny robot made from leftover scraps. I think it’s brilliant how you were able to put it together.”

Her enthusiasm was infectious, coaxing an unbidden smile to my lips. Of course she would find ingenuity and practicality endearing, rather than focus on outward appearances. It was one of the many traits I’d come to admire about this remarkable human female.

“Here, let me see it,” she said, holding out her hands.

I passed her the construct, unable to resist brushing my fingertips against her soft skin as I did so. A shudder ran through me, that now-familiar spark of desire igniting low in my abdomen. Gritting my teeth, I forced the feeling down.

Nicole cradled the creation tenderly, examining it from all angles with rapt fascination. “You did an amazing job putting this together from just scraps. The articulation and detail is really impressive.” She beamed up at me, pride and admiration shining in her eyes. “You’re a true craftsman, Sargon.”

Her praise warmed me. I couldn’t explain it. No, I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on it. Clearing my throat, I gestured for her to hand the construct back to me. “While aesthetically pleasing is not its primary function, I’m gratified you find it appealing.”

With a soft touch, I activated the creature, watching as it stirred to life. Joints whirred as its thin limbs extended, gears clicking into place as it oriented itself. Twin pinpricks of red light flickered in the empty sockets of its skull, giving it an eerie semblance of sight.

“This one will lead us through the maze,” I explained. “We need only follow where it goes.”

The construct turned, joints rearticulating with a faint metallic rasp. It began scuttling forward in a peculiar, stilted gait. I motioned for Nicole to join me as I fell into step behind it.

“Incredible,” she murmured, falling into pace beside me. Our hands brushed together, and I felt her fingers tentatively entwine with mine. The simple gesture sparked an eruption of warmth that spread through my entire body.

I risked a furtive look at her, committing every curve and angle of her lovely face to memory. Even streaked with dust and sweat, she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes upon. An ache blossomed in my chest - one of longing, but also dread.

Because no matter where this path led, I knew our journey together would have to end. And when it did, it would shatter me in a way no weapon ever could.

NICOLE

The skeletal lizard darted through the shimmering maze walls as if they weren’t there, its whip-like tail disappearing through the solid-seeming surface. I hesitated, hand outstretched to touch the barrier, but Sargon’s low voice spurred me forward.

“Go on, little one. I’m right behind you.”

Bracing myself, I plunged through the rippling wall. The surface parted around me like disturbed water before solidifying at my back. I emerged into an abandoned bedroom, the walls wavering with a faint iridescent glow. Tattered curtains fluttered despite no breeze, and a rocking horse creaked back and forth in an unsettling rhythm.

The lizard scrambled under the dusty bed frame, and I quickly followed, desperate not to linger in that eerie space. Another shimmering wall parted before me, depositing me into what looked like an old study. Sargon’s tall form stepped through behind me, the dim light casting sharp planes across his face.

Our guide skittered across the warped floor, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. It paused at a bookcase, then faded through the shelves into another flickering hallway beyond. I shuddered, thehairs on my nape prickling with unease as I passed through the disorienting portal.

We twisted and turned through a labyrinth of decaying rooms - a conservatory with dead plants, a sitting room choked with cobwebs, a library filled with scattered. Each space felt subtly wrong, off-kilter, like a twisted reflection of reality. I tried not to look too closely at the disturbing details as we followed the lizard’s relentless path.

And then we stepped into the cold light of the sleek laboratory. The skeletal lizard scurried under a counter, and I took a tentative step forward, my boots ringing against the metal floor. This was it – the key to our escape.

On the workbench sat the Temporal Reset whatever it was, looking like nothing so much as a glorified toaster oven.

Sargon moved beside me, his lean muscular form taut with tension.

Wordlessly, he retrieved the ancient release card from his pocket and slid it into the glowing slot.

For a breathless moment, nothing happened. Then a shimmering portal materialized before us, its edges rippling like disturbed water.

I stared at the swirling vortex, my heart in my throat. We had no idea what lay on the other side, what world or time awaited. But one thing was certain – if Sargon stepped through that portal, I would never see him again.

He seemed to sense my thoughts, his angular features softening as he turned to face me. “Nicole “ His voice rumbled with a melancholy I’d never heard before. “You should stay behind.”

I recoiled as if he’d struck me, shock and hurt lancing through me. “What? You don’t want me to come with you?” My voice cracked with vulnerability I couldn’t hide.

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