The Demon of London Read online

  After twenty minutes of letting John and Julie watch them. Stephanie decided it was time to leave the club, and whispered the suggestion. The only acknowledgment that Stephanie gave to John was a passing glance at him as she led Lars by the hand toward the exit of the club. This was her way of letting John know that tonight he could easily be replaced too. That was the moment that fleeting moment of revenge that was her reason for being out tonight.

  Stephanie purposefully kissed Lars outside the club, eyes half open, willing and waiting for John to realize his mistake and come and get her. As minutes ticked away, Stephanie saw that John didn't follow. Deflated with a deep sigh, she resigned herself to the night ahead.

  Back in the hotel room, the demon watched Stephanie's confidence disappear with each piece of her clothing. Stephanie considered pushing Lars away and leaving. Although she needed to give him what she promised, what the demon had suggested she promise. Going through with it would at least let her body resign John to the past. Stephanie was unsure, unconfident and felt sexually inept, Lars would be a new lover. She lay back on the bed, closing her eyes and let him do the work.

  While Lars wasn't looking the demon put a pinhole in the condom he planned to use. This was a usual trick for the demon who enjoyed playing with people's lives. Jassassah wanted her influence to be felt beyond the act of the next hour.

  Stephanie knew she was acting differently to the fun-loving girl she projected on the dance floor, in the bedroom her sense of confidence was gone. She knew that Lars could see it too. She knew this was going to be near disastrous, and that he wouldn't be interested in staying in touch with her, he probably wouldn't have been doing this if she hadn't offered herself. The night brought disappointment and twisted revenge.

  In the early hours of the morning as Lars was sound asleep Stephanie collected her clothes and crept out of the hotel room. She didn't leave a note with her number, she would go home, have a shower and prepare for work on Friday. Work would be her distraction.

  The demon followed her out of the room, wondering what further things she could encourage Stephanie to do. Following her to the London Underground station, but Stephanie was in a world of her own and not open to the suggestions of the demon.

  Neither the demon, Stephanie, nor Lars could understand the implications of the night. The minuscule pinprick hole in the condom had let through a special seed which would in nine months and ten days transform Stephanie's life and give her a new focus for the purity of love that she was capable of.

  Stephanie would never see Lars again, although she would see him every day in the face of her baby boy.

  Jassassah the Demon didn't know she was responsible for such happiness, if she had any inkling, she would have pushed the fire alarm button in the hotel to interrupt the couple.

  Years later Stephanie knew that the baby she conceived was the best result of her relationship with John, and she accepted her heartbreak as being nothing compared to the happiness she experienced as a mother. Stephanie learned a life lesson, and that was not to allow herself to look for happiness in another human being because her happiness was her own responsibility.

  Three

  The Schoolgirl

  She saw the ghosts of the human dead jumping in front of the rolling tube trains from the platform ledge, at the exact time they killed themselves years before. The many ghostly auras wore all the different fashions that London had known since the London Underground opened hundreds of years ago and became a tool for suicide. Like faded moving photographs, the ghosts were akin to individual signatures that rewrote themselves every day for eternity. Reliving each day at the exact time of the tragedy of their deaths. Jassassah was delighted that the tube was a magnet for such suffering, and felt the promise of the new environment she’d stumbled into.

  Jassassah the Demon decided to look for a new victim. Having never traveled on the London tube before, this was a new experience, she noticed the many people sitting around in the carriage that she entered, and she thought about the immense amount of fun that she could have with the sitting bait, as if they were patients in a waiting room and she was the doctor.

  The dull hum of the air-conditioning constantly worked in the background. Grimy surfaces, the lurid blue and red patterned chairs of which the fabric felt dirty to touch. Everything looked like it needed cleaning, and the blue handrails looked like they had the capacity to spawn new undiscovered strains of bacteria. The air was stale, and the hard flooring had blue and red speckles reflecting the color scheme; it looked like it was inspired by vomit.

  Although none of this interested the demon, she was only interested in which people she could influence, and who would be her next victim?

  The demon looked around the full tube carriage and decided that today the London tube would be her place of business.

  As the carriage rolled to a stop, the iconic sounds played in their ears.

  "Mind the gap," came the announcement over the loudspeaker.

  The early morning commute was disrupted by fifteen schoolchildren who entered in the excited manner of teenagers. The demon watched Stephanie depart with her head hung low, she'd served her purpose, and it was time for the demon to move on. It was still early in the day for tourist children, but these kids wanted to be the first in the queues for the museums.

  Among them was Blanca, not a child you'd easily notice. She was the responsible one, the last one to enter the tube watching over her friends. Making sure they all got on the train together, mentally counting them to make sure no one was left behind. She didn't want any of her friends to be stranded in a foreign country. Even though they all took English lessons, she knew none of them really spoke any English.

  Pedro was her secret crush, and he didn't have a clue, if he had, Blanca would be mortified. Pedro had been the reason Blanca had pushed her parents to attend the school trip to London, only showing interest when Pedro confirmed his place. Pedro would never know how she felt about him, simply because he was too busy trying to impress Sophia.

  Sophia was the pretty girl, the tall girl, one of the first to develop breasts. Sophia's family wouldn't mind her having a boyfriend even though she was only fifteen. Whereas Blanca's family were far more conservative. It was understood that male friends were strictly for outside the home, whereas Blanca could only invite her future husband home to meet the family, which at fifteen years old was a lifetime away.

  The demon could smell Blanca's raging hormones, and see her sideway glances toward Pedro, she could read the scene. The innocence and hormones were an intriguing mix. Out of all the other people, this is what attracted Jassassah the Demon to her. At fifteen she was a child who was feeling the first blush of lust. Blanca wanted Pedro's attention, whereas Sophia treated him like a fashion accessory. Everyone knew that Sophia blew hot and cold where he was concerned, it was only poor Pedro who did not.

  He hung on every word Sophia said, and as they sat on the tube next to each other, he tried in every moment to touch her. Whether it was by holding hands, or with his skinny legs outspread touching the side of her left knee.

  Sophia wore short shorts and brightly colored nail varnish, her too small T-shirt revealed her red bra. Pedro wanted Sophia in the way a man wants a woman, and she was aware of his desire. Sophia enjoyed the attention, but they were still children, and she wasn't ready to take that step with him. She had near confessed it to her female school friends.

  He spoke about his dreams, where they would live together in Barcelona ten years from now, adults making a life together. They were dreams that Sophia entertained. But Sophia had not really tested herself, she wanted to know what she was capable of. She was ambitious, and Sophia could just as easily live in Rome, London, or New York.

  In Pedro’s world, girls like Blanca didn't exist.

  The demon approached Blanca and sat next to her, wanting to know more. She could see the hidden envy in her eyes, it was an emotion she recognized. Envy was the source of the burning pit which started as a
bubble in the stomach and raged higher until it reached the lips, leading to spoken words that could not be taken back.

  The demon sat next to Blanca, who sat opposite Pedro and Sophia. Sophia brushed Pedro's unwanted hand off her knee, the demon saw this and took her opportunity to whisper into Blanca's ear.

  ‘Look at her, she doesn't really want him. Sophia doesn't appreciate him,’ whispered the demon, echoing Blanca’s thoughts.

  ‘Pedro deserves better, he deserves a good girl, one like you,’ continued the demon with her suggestions.

  ‘You should get his attention,’ whispered the demon.

  'And do what? I'm only fifteen,' thought Blanca to herself, of course, the demon heard her thoughts.

  ‘That doesn't matter, wouldn't it be great to have a holiday romance, your first ever,’ said the demon.

  Blanca thought about her words, she had a small hint of a smile on her lips. The demon understood that as a yes.

  ‘Weren't your parents the same age, when they met and fell in love?’ asked the demon.

  It was all the demon needed to say to get her confidence. Now they would plan together.

  'How can I get him to notice me, he's too busy trying to touch Sophia,' thought Blanca.

  ‘You can get his attention easily, and you should do it. Even if it's just to take it away from Sophia,’ whispered Jassassah.

  The demon could see Blanca’s mind whirring at the suggestion.

  'How though?' questioned Blanca innocently.

  ‘You need to do something you've never done before,’ whispered the demon. Blanca searched her mind for what she could do that would make her attractive. The demon watched him as he tried to touch Sophia's elbows against his on the armrests of the chairs. His eyes trained on Sophia's face, as if she was the only thing he saw, at the same time it slowly killed Blanca's hopes. When Pedro thought Sophia wasn't aware he tried to look down into her top and catch a glimpse of her breasts.

  ‘Pedro wants to see skin!’ whispered the demon.

  Blanca almost gasped aloud, at what the demon said. She watched the body language of them both and realized it was true. She was a good girl, she went with her family to church every Sunday. Uncomfortable showing too much flesh, it wasn't their way, they dressed modestly because they were conservative.

  This didn't stop the whispering; the demon knew she had a point.

  ‘Look at Sophia, she doesn't really want him, she just likes the attention. He would be so much happier with you,’ whispered Jassassah.

  Blanca listened, this was the first time she'd got close to Pedro during the trip, as a wallflower, she normally stayed at the back.

  ‘This is your chance. If you want him, you need to let him know you've got breasts too,’ whispered Jassassah the Demon, ‘Show him, just quickly, he'll give you the same attention. If you don't, he'll just think you're a child, and your chance will be gone.’

  Blanca listened to the demon, she tried to pull her eyes away from Pedro, but she knew there was some truth in what she said.

  ‘If you really want Pedro's attention, now is the time to get it,’ whispered the demon aggressively.

  Jassassah started to tire, this young schoolgirl was breaking her.

  It was the subtlest reaction. Blanca took out her hairband that secured her sensible ponytail and shook out her beautiful long brown hair, which instantly framed her face giving her a more adult appearance. The demons sat back and watched, feeling the competitive spirit rise in Blanca.

  She opened the top two buttons of her shirt, revealing her cross and the tip of her cleavage. As Blanca fanned her neck with her right hand in a gesture to denote how hot the tube was, she parted her lips in the subtlest of ways not taking her eyes off Pedro.

  The demon watched Blanca unleash an unknown seductress inside.

  Finally, Blanca leaned over and pretended to fix her shoelaces, letting her shirt hang off her body while giving Pedro a view of her own ample breasts in her black bra. In the breasts department Blanca was a clear winner, as is the way with conservative girls she just didn't put them on show.

  ‘Bravo Blanca, you just outplayed Sophia,’ whispered the demon as Blanca sat back up and smiled at him. Pedro's eyes grew wider with the private performance.

  Blanca felt happy with herself she knew she caught his eye.

  He smiled at her and Blanca gained something she never had before, the attention of a guy.

  The demon, satisfied, watched the tube roll to a halt. Sophia stood to exit, and Pedro chose to stand behind her holding her hand in the crowd. This time the demon could see he was checking out Blanca's ass. The demon pleased with herself smiled.

  ‘You're welcome,’ she whispered in Blanca's ear as she walked past the schoolchildren, Jassassah knew today was going to be fruitful.

  Four

  The Big Man

  The school children filed off the carriage, and the rest of the morning commuters breathed a sigh of relief. School children were noisy, they always carried bags that were far too big and heavy, and in their desperation to not be separated from their class, they would be rude and push past others.

  The London tube commanded an unspoken etiquette from a commuter, which was not understood by school children. Now the bustle of the children had left, the remaining commuters would sit together in silence. Reading their free newspapers, listening to their headphones or the pneumatic brakes of the train, lost in their own thoughts and never saying hello to the faces they saw daily.

  The demon could hear a barrage of negative thoughts, there were so many potential victims she didn't know where to start. So, she decided to walk along the carriage to see who else might be easy prey.

  Munch, munch, the sound of chocolate being eaten for breakfast, distracted her. It was the loudest thing she could hear. The demon, although invisible, was not immune to the annoying sounds.

  She looked for the source of the noise. A rather large man ate the chocolate bar, with the crinkling of its wrapper, it was the loudest sound on the train. The energy he emitted interested her, and the demon had long since made it her business to follow her instinct. He tried to hide behind a free newspaper, and for a moment the demon wondered whether she could be seen. Had he seen her in her true form, is that why he was cowering behind a newspaper. Jassassah soon wrote off that foolish idea, the demon knew human eyes could not perceive her unless she chose to uncloak herself. And even then, she could not be seen in her true form, the form she took in hell.

  Why had this large man caught her curiosity? Who was he and what was happening in his life?

  She sat next to him to tune herself into his thoughts.

  It took a while for the demon to realize that the large man was cowering behind a newspaper because opposite sat a woman who he recognized. The demon could hear his thoughts.

  'Oh, please don't recognize me,' he said to himself, again and again.

  The demon was intrigued as she made herself at home next to him. She could see that the big man was referring to the woman perfecting her makeup who was sitting on the other side of the carriage.

  ‘Is that her?’ she whispered to him

  'Yes, it's her,' his consciousness answering the demon’s question.

  The woman was oblivious to the man, why was the man cowering from her? It could only be if he were incredibly shy. The demon didn't understand shyness, it wasn't an emotion she'd ever experienced. From the energy the man emitted, the puzzle started to come together. The man had watched the woman every day for years. Still, she didn't know he existed. She didn't know that he liked her, and while he hid behind his morning newspaper, he fantasized about a life together with her.

  In his imagination, he thought of her with a personality of someone that was similar to him, although in truth he hardly knew anything about her.

  The woman didn't wear a ring, so the demon did not understand why the large man was hesitant to introduce himself.

  ‘Why don't you go and say hello?’ she whispered. Only because sh
e knew he would be challenged by the idea and she was curious about the outcome, it wasn't because she was interested in helping him.

  'When I've lost some weight, I'll be more attractive and less repulsive,' retorted the man in his thoughts.

  Clearly, he thought he was responding to his inner thoughts, rather than realizing that he was talking to a demon.

  ‘You're not repulsive, you're worse than that,’ said the demon, laughing at the man. ‘You should get yourself a burger when you get off the train,’ whispered the demon. ‘Is that the train rattling or your stomach?’ asked the demon, laughing at the expense of the man.

  He reacted by cowering further under the newspaper. The demon laughed at him when she noticed he'd started to sweat.

  The large man peered over his newspaper and glimpsed at the woman when she was looking in the opposite direction, careful not to catch her eye. She was attractive, dark haired, slim in her denim jeans skirt. The large man knew her from his block of flats, but he wasn't ready to be recognized. He wanted to wait until he could make a good impression, and today wasn't that day, which is why he hid behind the newspaper.

  The demon knew the man's secret, the reason for hiding. She could tell just from the aura that he was emitting.

  ‘You're unlovable,’ Jassassah whispered in his ear.

  The man looked defeated as he heard her words. He suspected that it was the case, but to hear the voice of the demon confirm the most negative thoughts that he had about himself convinced him. He so badly wanted a girlfriend, but he'd never been in a relationship before, and his only comfort was food. He didn't have the confidence to ask the woman on the train out for a coffee because he desperately didn't want to be rejected.

  ‘Food will love you back, it won't reject you, it won't judge you,’ she said.

  First torturing his thoughts and second comforting him with the very thing that was clogging his arteries and killing him, the demon had insidious strategies.