Tales of the Fallen Book I: Awakenings by Edward Lee, David G. Barnett Read Free Book Online Page B

“Ever heard of a bunklewart?” Travis tried to shake his head, but since it was held firmly in place by the beast’s grip, he just sort of shook in the air like a ragdoll. “Nasty little bugger. Ate it on a dare a couple millennia ago. Little bastard is still down there. Likes to poke his head out every now and then when I take a dump. Never been able to get him out, though. You do not want to meet him in a dark place. And trust me, Chico, it’s damn dark all up in my hole. Know what I mean?”
    Again Travis tried to nod, only hurting his neck in the process. Then the beast let go and Travis fell in a heap on the floor. He quickly gathered his legs under him and stood, brushing himself off.
    “You can’t harm me. You serve me,” Travis said only half -believing what he was saying.
    “Wanna try that one out?” The demon’s eyes glowed as the corners of his deformed mouth turned upward.
    The grin that crossed the beast’s face told Travis that he had received some even more bad information. Shit! he thought. “But I thought if I called you to me you would have to do what I commanded.”
    The beast huffed, disgusted. “I don’t have to do shit for you, my man. I can do something for you as a reward for bringing me up out of The Pit, but I don’t have to.”
    Travis looked around confused and eventually glanced at the ground at the large circle he had put there to contain the demon. He felt a glimmer of hope. He spent years killing virgins, cremating them and gathering their ashes to form the circle. He waved his hand toward the ring of gray dust. “The Circle of Confinement bids you stay where you were summoned. You cannot…”
    But before he could finish the beast dropped to his knees, leaned down and stuck his right nostril—which was about ten times the size of his left—into the circle of virgin ashes. He put all his weight on one knee, cocked his glorious ass in the air and spun himself around a full 360 degrees. It happened in a flash and when he was finished, the entire ring of ash was gone, inhaled deeply into the beast’s cavernous nostril.
    “Your ‘Circle of Confinement’ blows, Chico.” And he jumped up, leaned into Travis and said softly while tapping his ash-covered nostril, “Between me and you…some of them weren’t virgins.”
    Travis was stunned…all that work.
    “But I wouldn’t worry about it,” consoled the demon, “pretty much impossible to find a hundred virgins these days. Shit, even back in the day it was hard to find a good crop of virgins.” The demon struck a demure pose and his voice changed to that of a young woman, “Why I assure you, sir, my yummy bits remain as kosher as the day I was born.” Then he dropped the woman act. “Meanwhile, she just got done spreading her virginal herpes to the entire infield of the 1919 Brooklyn Dodgers.” Then he shook his head sadly. “Women, huh?”
    Travis stepped backwards, and kept moving until the back of his legs met the seat of a chair and he collapsed into its worn leather. All that he worked for, everything he had planned for so long…all for nothing. He was devastated.
    The beast, seeing Travis’ hound dog expression, slowly approached him. He crouched down, tilted his head and gave Travis a look of concern. Or what he thought was one. His gnarled and lumpy face was hard to read.
    “Look… Uh, what’s your name, Chico?”
    Travis muttered something.
    “What? Speak up, boy.”
    “Travis. I said my name is Travis.”
    “Well, Travis, what say you and I hit the town? See some sights, maybe a little rape, slaughter some innocents, get a cheese steak…? But between you and me, I say we get the cheese steak first. I’m freakin’ hungry. Whadda’ya say?”
    Travis looked up into the demon’s grotesque face. “Do I have a choice?” he asked with a little more than a hint of bitterness in his voice.
    The demon moved in close, practically touching Travis’ nose with his own. Or it might have been his cheek or