Page 19 of A Beginner's Guide to Demonic Possessions
Ifucking hate you with the passion of a thousand burning suns, Trent growled.
Paz only chuckled, reaching up with one arm to grab the handhold above their head, then hauling them up a foot or so.
They were currently hanging from a rock wall wearing a harness that couldnotbe comfortable, but it was probably the only thing separating them from sudden death.
You said nothing that would harm my body!Trent grumbled again.
“This is not going to harm you, Eeyore. We’re harnessed in and we aren’t even that high up,” Paz reassured him. He then reached up and started climbing again, looking up towards the bell at the top of the climbing wall.
We are totally very high up. I’m sure this fall could kill us. How safe is that harness, really? And my poor unathletic body probably can’t handle this, Trent complained. This was not where he thought the afternoon would take him.
After the coffee shop they’d wandered town, shopped for apartment decorations, and ordered some family photos to be made into canvas art for Trent’s walls. Then they’d stopped for lunch at a little cafe before going clothes shopping, where Pazhad picked out outfits that had looked great on him and that Trent probably never would have tried on. He had forgotten how many cute shops his town had, and even though it probably appeared rude, Paz had kept his phone out and chatted with him the whole time. It had all been… really nice.
Trent tried hard not to think about how much like a date it all seemed. Aperfectdate.
Well, perfect until Paz had surprised him by walking into the rock climbing place. Despite all his protests, Paz had paid and harnessed up, and now they were dangling in the air, preparing for sudden death. Or paralysis. Or at the very least broken bones.
Trent hadn’t realized that he didn’t care for heights until now.
Paz finally reached the top of the wall and rang the bell.
Thank god. Does that mean we’re done?Trent whined.
“Almost,” Paz said, and then, as if in slow motion, Paz lept backwards off the wall.
Only Trent could feel his legs kicking off, could feel the air rushing past him and his stomach flying up into his throat as he dropped at high speed.
He might’ve finally done the screaming that Paz had been waiting for at body takeover, but luckily (he supposed) Paz hadn’t given him control over his voice.
You asshole!Trent cried as they landed on the ground.Ohmygod! That was horrifying!
“That was exhilarating!” Paz replied, unhooking himself and stripping the harness off to hand to the rather bored looking employee.
Trent refused to reply as Paz finished up and gathered his stuff from the cubby he’d stored it in. He certainly wasn’t going to admit that maybe it was actually a bit exhilarating. Terrifying, but also a tiny bit exciting.
“Come on, I’ll cook you dinner for being such a good sport. You can taste it while we eat. Then we can find a movie to watch. Netflix and chill, or whatever,” Paz said as they made it back out onto the street and he used his phone to call a rideshare.
I don’t think Netflix and chill means what you think it means, Trent replied, which only earned a chuckle from Paz.And it’s not that far to walk home, unless you’ve seriously injured my body and you aren’t telling me,he added.
“Your body is fine,” Paz answered, and then their rideshare pulled up, and Paz hopped in and gave an address that Trent wasn’t familiar with.
Where are we going?he asked.Because I’m not sure I’m up for another surprise like the rock climbing wall.
“You’ll like this surprise,” Paz smirked, and Trent saw the rideshare driver give them an odd look in the mirror. Paz just held up his phone and waved it to signify he was talking to someone, and the rideshare driver just nodded.
What did you do before cell phones? Talking to your host must have been way more difficult. It was probably a lot easier to spot possessions with people talking to themselves, too. Explains why there used to be so many more exorcisms,Trent mused.
“Nah, times were just more paranoid back then. Most of those weren’t actual possessions, just like most witch hunts were fabricated,” Paz replied. Then he added, “Plus, as I’ve said, most people don’t really want to chat. You’re the most unique person I’ve ever been with.”
The rideshare driver was giving them some weird looks in the rearview mirror, and Trent supposed it was an odd conversation. Still, he had a warm fluttery feeling at Paz’s words, which was kind of weird because he didn’t have a body to have that feeling. He guessed some feelings really were brain based. He mused over that while they drove, and it wasn’t long before therideshare driver stopped and Paz hopped out. Trent still didn’t know where they were, though, because Paz was looking down at the ground as he walked.
That wasn’t suspicious. Nope, not at all.
Paz… Where are you taking me?Trent asked.
Paz just pushed open the door he had been walking up to, and Trent’s view went from sidewalk to carpet.
Then Paz looked up, scanning his surroundings. And Trent just sputtered.
