A Trip Down Memory Lane

It's my first week on at my new job at Mikey's BBQ. It makes me nervous to be around so many people in case he goes off, but, what can you do. Mikey's a great guy, and its nice to be able to talk to someone, especially since Cosette never called me back after giving me her number.

Today, Mikey has me running deliveries (he's trying to compete with Uber Eats). I got an order call for the fire station, so I'm heading over in that direction. When I got there, flames were shooting out the windows, and the area was black with smoke. Firefighters were rushing around everywhere, confused as to what they should do without access to their firefighting equipment. One of them yelled at me.

"Oi, is that my food!"

"Yes, it is."

"Bring it inside, over here. I'll be there in a second."

He pointed me towards My Grandmothers Attic, an old building that seemed to be some type of shop. It was strange that I'd lived in this town for years, but had never been inside this building. It was almost as if something inside of me was telling me not to go in.... Wait, no, that's pretty stupid. I walk inside.

"Hello is anyone here," I yell to what appeared to be an empty shop. There were many artifacts all around, some of them really old, but some of it looked like technology I'd never seen before.

"Who's asking?", a voice finally replied.

"My name is Dan. I'm supposed to wait in here until the fire is out".

A man came around the corner, and I'm trying to think about how to describe him, but no specific word is coming to mind. Eccentric. That's the best word.

As soon as the man saw me though, he quickly knew how to describe me.

"Demon! Out, out! You are not welcome here!"

"I am no demon," I replied, scared and about to dash.

"Demon, host of a demon, same difference. And not just a demon, THE Demon. I know you, host of Régilélek."

I had no idea what he was talking about. But that name, it was familiar, where I had I heard it before? Wait, I hadn't heard it before, he had. That's when it clicked.

"You know about him?"

"You don't! Oh! What fun! A host of Régilélek that doesn't even know he is a host of Régilélek! You know nothing of his history?"

"I barely know any of my own"

"Well that's something I can fix."

Everything went dark. All of a sudden a scene was laid out before me. A different time, a different place.

Flashes of three people in an alley appear. A woman, a man, and a baby. The woman is screaming, as a rat scurries by. The man takes out an old fashioned and whispers

"We can't kill him, but we can hamper his growth."

The man then slit his wrists, with his dying breaths he groans...

"Get 'er done"

The women then slit her wrists with the same razor, leaving a screaming orphan laying on the ground.

I launch back to reality, screaming as well.

Conversations

Well, I successfully fended him off. This time. I still shudder when the power flickers.

Still jobless (although I'm hearing rumors that I may be offered a job at Mikey's BBQ), I decided to venture outside of my apartment, keeping to myself of course.

Outside the Meridian, a large crowd had formed around the fountain. As I ventured in that direction, screams started coming from the crowd. Then weird animal noises started coming from near the fountain. The crowd started to run.

As I stood there, staring in shock, a woman (at least I assume it was a woman, I hate wrongly assuming someones gender) came running in my direction. She grabbed my arm and led me to the Tim Hortons on King Street.

Based on a snap judgement, I thought she seemed french, or at least of french descent.

Once we got to Tim Hortons, I learned that her name was Corsette Cordeaux. She told me that a circus type man had let a tiger or lion, an ostrich, and an alligator loose near the fountain. She also swore she saw a clown being escorted out of the Meridian.

"So you live in the Meridian too?" I asked.

"Yeah! What apartment are you in?" she replied.

"Thirteen, you?"

That's when I realized I was allowing myself to have my first conversation that wasn't job related or with him in over a year.

Me, Myself, and Him.

The day started with a piano riff. Duh duhh duhh dum duh. Duh duhh duhh dum duh. I immediately snatch up my phone an turn off my alarm. I hate that tone, but its one of the only ones that hasn't woken him up yet.

I check the list of job interviews I have for the day. Tim Horton's, Jim's pet shop, Dan's Diner, and Mickey's BBQ. Opposite sides of town, great.

I then look outside, its still dark. The rain billowing around, swirling through, never ceasing. Its gonna be a long day.

The interviews go well enough. It's doubtful that the jobs will be offered to me, however. No one want to hire the guy with a degree from Sneade.

I walk past the town homes where I grew up on my way back from Mickey's. Born and raised here in this town. Never could bring myself to leave. Too scared of being in an unfamiliar place incase it happened. Of course if it were to happen here.... Nope, don't want to think about it.

The whole town looks the same. Never changing. Or is it always changing? One of those two. Its confusing sometimes, which memories are mine and which are his.

Once back in apartment 13, soaking wet, I dried up, reheated some leftovers and sat down to watch Netflix. A loud bang echoes through my mind as the power goes out. That's when the attack began.

I could feel his reach spreading across my body. His hurt, his anger. His thirst for destruction and chaos. His want to fix the world, though in the worst and most twisted ways possible. Then came the voice I hadn't heard in years.

Hello Daniel. Was I missed?

If the world doesn't end tonight, I am most definitely choosing a new alarm tomorrow.
                                   
                                                                                                                                       
                   
                                                                                                                              - Dan Víceduší