Star Eater
Chapter Thirty-Two

Kai didn’t know how long he cried before falling asleep. When he woke, it was to an aching body and swollen eyes. He was lying on the ground in front of the couch. The aches weren’t from Akuma hijacking his body. No, the demon had fallen quiet and uncertain since their fight. Kai guessed the aches came from the concrete under his thin carpet and his own emotional turmoil. He’d read somewhere that mental trauma could manifest as physical symptoms.

I guess murdering someone makes you really achy then, he thought, depressed.

The star pulsed inside of him, as if reminding Kai what he’d gained from the death of the guard: power. He wondered if it was worth it.

You should shower, Akuma said.

Where? Kai asked, gesturing at the storage room.

We could go to a golf course, Akuma said. Or school.

Kai didn't answer. His stomach growled noisily. He went to look at his Fitbit for the time and realized he’d taken it off because it was broken. Because he had broken it. That and everything else in my life, Kai thought.

There are bear claws nearby, Akuma suggested.

Akuma, please leave me alone, Kai thought.

He threw an arm over his eyes and lay there on the ground, trying to figure out what to do next. Akuma filled up his shadow and sat quietly nearby. The warmth of the star spread through him and eased the pain in his muscles. His stomach growled again, louder this time.

Rolling onto his feet, Kai went over to his hamper and found the vomit there. He sighed. He’d never done laundry and now this. And now I can’t do laundry because nothing fucking works, he thought angrily. He considered going to the donut shop and getting bear claws and realized the bakery couldn’t operate. It probably hadn’t been able to open with him so near.

Farmer’s market, Akuma said.

Kai didn't want to like this answer, but the demon was right. A farmer’s market didn't need electricity. He packed light: his camera, an extra roll of film, a few manga, and some bottles of water, into his schoolbag before heading out. He left his backup cellphone behind. He had shattered it anyway.

As he walked down Ventura, Kai hunched in on himself and tried not to look suspicious. He found the farmer’s market bustling and filled his schoolbag with fresh fruit and apple cider. Then he stole a bike by phasing the chain out of the way.

Then Kai wandered up into the hills. He spent the morning by Stone Canyon Reservoir waiting for the meet up time. He tried to distract himself with photography but he wasn’t much into nature shots. Eventually he found a shaded area and sat down for some serious worrying. He worried about Link and Ava, he worried about what the daemons were going to make him do, he worried about what his parents were going to do if they found him.

It was like exam time but ten times worse because Kai cared. He cared about what was going on with his friends and whether or not his parents were even looking for him. He worried about the deal he had to make with the daemons because he really didn't want to. He worried that he was a monster. That at some point Homeland Security or someone else would realize he was the cause of all these issues and they were going to come after him. What then? He was a teenager. He couldn't run away from the government.

At every worry, Akuma tried to reassure Kai but Kai didn't listen. He ignored the demon. He knew Akuma had saved his life but the memory of the guard dying had upset Kai more than he could express. And the worst part was Akuma didn't understand why.

Around six o'clock, Kai packed up and headed out to the meeting place. It took him an hour and a half to bike there since he stuck to the wooded areas. He was sweating by the time he arrived but he was early, so Kai went into a cafe across the street. The power had gone out suddenly and the baristas were checking the fuse box. They stopped taking credit card transactions. Kai paid for a donut, a banana, and a water in cash and told them to throw the change into their tip bucket.

He went to a window seat to scout out the place. He had half an hour before the meet time. The storefront for Guided Way certainly looked like a tourist shop with a single story apartment overhead. On one side was a flower shop, on the other a travel agency.

Let’s not go in the front, Akuma suggested.

Kai agreed although he ignored the demon. He ate his food and downed the water. By then the baristas were herding people out the door. They couldn't stay open without the electricity on. Kai merged with the crowd and saw many of the stores doing the same. The sidewalk was swollen with lost tourists. It made him invisible and he slipped through the crowd easily, then around the corner into the back alleyway. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Dumpsters and the smell of urine greeted his nose. A rat the size of a chihuahua scurried by. Kai grimaced and walked down until he measured he’d come to the correct back door. Glancing side to side, he affirmed that he was alone and walked through the back wall.

The aroma of flowers assaulted his nose and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. Kai cupped his face to stop himself from sneezing.

I went into the wrong shop, he thought. Akuma didn't answer, though Kai felt the demon’s senses heightened. He was on edge, ready to spring if need be. Kai turned to duck through the wall on his left and into the back of the gift shop, when the sound of voices stopped him short.

Cautiously, Kai crept up towards the front to investigate. He could hear the chatter of women talking. They were discussing the power outage and what to do about the flowers. One voice in particular, sounded familiar.

That’s Ava, Akuma said.

“I’ll check,” a female voice said, and then Kai heard footsteps approaching and saw the figure heading his way. Kai jumped into the nearest wall. Instead of finding himself in drywall or stone or even steel beams, he landed in what could only be described as a crawl space. Turning back around, he saw the wall he’d jumped through was actually a door disguised as a wall.

Interesting, he thought.

He poked his head tentatively back and was lucky he’d just missed someone swishing through into the front room. Curiosity was killing him, and he crept out again, closer to listen in on the conversation.

“I’m almost done,” Ava said.

Done? Kai thought.

Didn’t she tell you she worked at a flower shop? Akuma asked.

That’s right, Kai thought.

“You think you can deliver them today?” Ava asked.

Kai edged closer. He’d forgotten how nice Ava’s voice was, and how much he missed it. It had only been a few days, but it felt like years. He realized he wanted to see her. He wanted something in his life to be normal. No, he wanted to see something that hadn’t been affected by Akuma, to know there was a piece of his life to go back to. Ava was that piece.

He edged up against the doorway and cautiously pushed himself through the hanging rubber leaves that kept the cold in. Ava was seated at a counter touching up a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers. Next to her, with her back to Kai, was an older woman who prattled on in a low whisper. Ava nodded.

“You’re right. I’ll go myself,” she said softly.

“No!” the other woman said. “You cannot be seen there.”

Ava looked up and caught sight of Kai.

Kai ducked back and then dove into the little crawlspace, his heart pounding. He heard feet pursue him, then stop outside the wall. He prayed Ava didn't come into the tiny room. After a moment, he heard the footsteps retreating. Kai exhaled and took a step back, his feet hitting something plastic on the ground. He looked down.

On the floor sat a small stack of electronic equipment. There were no blinking lights. Apparently Kai’s aura had killed them. Kai bent down on his hands and knees to inspect them.

What do you think this is? Kai asked.

Instead of being sullen, Akuma seemed relieved that Kai was talking to him again. I don’t know, he said.

At that level so near the ground, there was a tiny chink in the drywall, giving Kai visual sight into the room next door. Joseph, Mason, and a few others stood waiting for him. They were better dressed than mob guys in movies, Kai gave them that—all except Mason who was still in his school blazer. And yet, they were lined up for a showdown.

Holy shit, Kai thought. It hit him more than ever, that this was real. It was realer than real.

We should leave, Akuma said. This is dangerous. We should just go far away. If you aren’t going home, then why are we doing any of this?

I’m not abandoning Link to deal with the consequences of your murder, Kai said. No. Besides, I thought with the star fed we were fine.

Akuma sighed. We should at least show them that we are powerful too.

On that score, Kai agreed. He stood and walked parallel along the wall until he was behind the daemons, then he phased in and walked up behind them.

“I’m here,” he said, and got the satisfaction of watching all the daemons jump and spin around. His satisfaction was short-lived.

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