Page 160 of Lost in the Dark
Thibodeaux narrows his eyes at me in challenge, and I mentally tell him to bring it on.
“Thib ain’t got nothing to say to you,cooyon. I be here, minding my business.”
Sounds like he’s calling me names and I don’t appreciate that one bit.
“Seems to me, we all be ‘cooyon’ here as you call it. Seeing as you’re sitting right across from me.” I wave my hand between us in emphasis.
He sneers, and I give him my signature smile. The sound of chairs scraping the tile floor of the room grows louder as the other residents move farther away from us, anticipating what’s to come. I tilt my head, staring directly into his eyes. After all, isn’t that what predators do?
The air thickens, and the weight on my shoulder gets heavier as something lands on it. I don’t know what Astar is up to, but the moment I feel his tail wrap around my calf is the moment I jump up, knocking my chair down. I play it off, not letting the surprise and embarrassment show on my face, choosing instead to continue to stare at the Cajun. Thibodeaux stands up as well in challenge.
The room is deathly quiet as we both continue to stare at each other with hate.
“Boys, please, settle down. This was supposed to be a calm group. Please, sit down.”
The smile creeps up on my face again. I can feel Astar’s tail caressing my thigh, but no one else around me flinches. They can’t see him like I can. “That’s right, T-boy. Why don’t you do as Mrs. Brown says, like a good little boy, hmm?”
His fist comes quick, but I’m fast enough to dodge to the left and throw one of my own into his gut. Thibodeaux is a big fucker, standing over six feet tall, but that also means I’m more agile. A few more dodged attacks and T-boy grabs my neck with his large grip, picking me off the ground.
Well, this is turning into a shit show quickly.
“Thibodeaux! Put him down!”
Someone screams when the orderlies come rushing in, and suddenly, I’m tossed to the ground with force, landing in a heap against some of the metal folding chairs. I laugh like a lunatic, because really, crazy is just a part of this place—never a dull moment. Rubbing my hands down my face, I listen to the scuffle and knocking of chairs as the orderlies’ tackle Thibodeaux when he tries to lunge at me.
Something slithers up my leg and my crazed laughter dies down. One of the residents’ stares at me when I reopen my eyes, and I let out another hyena laugh at their response. Getting myself up, my head twitches with the feeling of claws latching onto the back of my neck, digging in.
“What are you looking at?” I bark at the girl next to me, and she stumbles into the next resident, trying to hide behind them.
“Cooyon.” I’m beginning to like the word. Rolls off the tongue better than crazy.
“Mister Muñoz, where are you going?” The group leader’s voice grates on my skin, today, more than usual, as she calls for me by my family name.
“Where the green grass grows, on the other side ofyoulot.”
She sputters, trying to come up with a reply. I look over my shoulder and give her a grin before chucking a folded chair against the wall on my way out of the room.
The echoes of a chitter noise ring in my ear as the sound of whimpers and gasps fade into the background.
Itoss and turn, my body heated from what feels like a fever. My skin is damp, and no matter how much I scratch at my clothes, it doesn’t help.Why isn’t the air conditioning on? It’s usually like an ice box here.
Something holds me down, and I can’t move my limbs. Growling, I buck my body, but a heavy weight lies on top of me. I open my mouth to say something, but a long, black tongue chokes me. The sound of laughter in my mind makes my head want to twitch but I’m too fucking pissed and too restrained to even do that.
Astar jumps into my skin, and I choke some more, coughing up what he put into me.The slimy bastard.His laughter rips out of my mouth as if it's my own, and I start to wonder if I am crazy after all. Shaking my head, I try to dislodge him from my mind. I don’t like the feel of him using me like a flesh suit.
“Mi cooyon.” The demon’s voice is fragmented, like it belongs to multiple beings.
“You need to let me sleep, demon, before I grow tired of your company and permanently remove you from my mind.”
The demon growls, and the entire room turns pitch black, blinding me from seeing his next move. Something crawls along my shin. It looks like his tail leech, and I narrow my eyes. We’ve hung around together long enough for me to feel his masculine energy. Crossing my arms behind my head, I ignore him.
He hates me ignoring him.
I close my eyes and pretend to fall asleep. This asshole has kept me up for the better part of my rest periods, and my mood has been affected. I’ve been given more warnings and behavior health appointments than I care to have recently.I blame it all on this asshole.
“Leave me alone, Astar.”
I open one of my eyelids slightly, peeking down only to find black tar emerging from my thighs and shaping into something humanoid. He’s trying really hard to get my attention today, and I stifle a smile. My smile falters when suddenly the form solidifies and changes color into something I recognize.