Demon Hunters (45 page)

“What is it?” I ask. He points to a notice
he just posted on my door. An eviction notice. “You can’t do this!
Why am I being evicted? I pay my rent!”

“I had a complaint from the Bradleys. They
say you attacked them.”

“They attacked me! They broke into my place
and attacked me!”

“That’s not the story they’re telling.”

“I don’t care! They’re lucky I don’t call
the cops and have their wrinkled asses drop kicked into
prison!”

“And it says in that same lease that if a
tenant becomes a major disturbance to the other residents, said
tenant can be evicted.”

“So, one complaint and I’m out? A false
complaint no less?”

“There have been others.”

“Others? I barely know anyone in the
building. How could anyone complain about me? Who is it?”

“I’m not at liberty to reveal their
names.”

“So in other words, no one.”

“You have thirty days.” He says and hurries
away. I slam the door hard.

The World Against Me

I sit at my computer and a feeling of
frustration takes me over. Now I not only have to find a new job,
but I have to find a new home. Both endeavors are becoming
increasingly hopeless as the world is shutting me out
systematically. I attempt to search for either employment or
housing but it’s all so hopeless. I walk away from the computer and
pace around the room anxiously. A gentle knocking on my door breaks
the silence. I walk over and I can hear a familiar humming coming
from the other side. I pull the door open and I see Mike standing
before me with a small cake in his hand with a few lit candles on
top. He begins singing the happy birthday song and dances in
gracefully. He looks far too silly to ignore. He sets the cake down
on the table and looks to me happily.

“Happy birthday.” He says.

“That’s tomorrow. You’re a day early.”

“I know, but I thought you could use it
now.”

“Or maybe you’re just concerned that there
won’t be a tomorrow at all.”

“Just blow out the candles.”

“I’m going to need more candles than this
for all the wishes I’ve got. Especially now.”

“What do you mean?” He asks. I go to my desk
and fetch the eviction notice that the super had posted on my door.
I tore it off soon after he posted it. No point in giving the
neighbors the satisfaction. I slam the notice down on the table and
Mike looks down on it with disbelief.

“What is this?”

“They’re kicking me out. Now I need a new
home too.”

“Well, this is an easy fix. Move in with
me.”

“Right.”

“I’m serious. You’re never going to find a
place to stay now.”

“I’m not too worried. After all, the world’s
ending tomorrow right?”

“Don’t joke.”

“It’s fine. Really. I have thirty days, so
when tomorrow fails to produce Armageddon, I’m sure it’ll be easy
to get this whole thing turned around. I’m just going through
initial panic. I’ve never even seen an eviction notice before. I
never dreamt I’d be the recipient of one.”

“Then if you’re not really worried, let’s
just dive into this cake.”

After a leisurely breakfast of birthday
cake, I tell Mike I have to get out and find a job. The online way
isn’t working so I think a more direct approach will be better. I
get myself all fixed up and ready to pound the pavement. I will not
accept that my father has successfully black listed me from
society. I will survive this. At any cost. I really don’t want to
revisit the Hell that is retail, but there aren’t a lot of options
out there for me right now. I check my cell phone and I’ve got all
the information they usually ask for saved. Names and addresses of
old employers and the like. Mike wishes me luck and I make my way
down.

As I hit the street, I feel the tension.
It’s as if every eye turned to me at the exact same time. Doorman
Will is seething as I pass him. I notice his black eye, which he
received courtesy of Mike. I head out, umbrella firmly in hand. The
heavy rains haven’t started yet, so I just enjoy the light drizzle.
My first stop is the coffee house up the street. I figure I
practically live there as it is, I might as well start drawing a
wage from it. I walk in and it goes quiet. I walk up to the
counter, which is deserted, for a change, and I notice the normally
cheery girl behind the register shifts from a smile to a frown
instantly.

“Hi.”

“Hello.” She says in a tone that is
obviously designed not to hide her hatred.

“I just wanted to know if you were
hiring.”

“We aren’t.”

“Oh. Well, may I fill out an application
anyway?” I ask. She stalls for a moment.

“I guess.” She says at last. She leans down
and comes back up with a sheet of paper and hands it to me.

“Thanks.” I say.

“Whatever.” I nod to her and find an empty
table nearby. I quickly fish a pen out of my bag and begin filling
the form out. I ignore the whispered curses and threats from the
patrons surrounding me. I skip over the non-essential parts and
sign the back. I walk over to the girl behind the counter and hand
over the application.

“Maybe if something opens up?” I say. She
smiles gingerly and takes the application. Maybe she’s just having
a bad day, I think. Then suddenly, after giving the application a
quick glance, she makes a show of crumpling it into a ball and
throwing it to the floor.

“Have a nice day.” She says sarcastically. I
just smile and turn on my heel and walk out.

The rest of my day doesn’t go much better
than that. I hit every store for two blocks and get pretty much the
same treatment. Surly employees with mock graciousness, which
eventually falls apart before I leave. A few just crumple or tear
my application before my eyes. A few others actually spit on me as
I leave their store.

By the time I’m done, it’s nearly three
o’clock and the rain is coming down in sheets. I consider the whole
enterprise a bust and decide to retreat to home base. I head back
to my apartment through the usual crowds of disapproving faces and
a few hostile nudges. I pass through the front door of my building,
but Will isn’t there. One less headache, at least. I call for the
elevator and when the door opens, I see a man obscured by a pile of
boxes in his arms. I step aside and let him through. He thanks me
pleasantly, but I think that’s only because he couldn’t see who I
was. I get into the elevator and take it up. I step out to the hall
and as I turn, I see that my door is open and there are men coming
in and out with boxes. I race in and see the super watching the
moving men do their work.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you out of here.”

“You said I had thirty days.”

“I changed my mind. Everything ends
tomorrow, so who cares if I toss you out early? You can try and sue
me, but with only one day left, there’s not much chance of that, is
there?”

“I’ll call the cops.”

“Go ahead. I’ll time them to see how long it
takes for them to get here.”

“You son of a bitch.” I say. My fist begins
to tighten.

“Larissa?” Mike says behind me. I turn to
see him walking through the door.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s throwing me out!”

“You can’t do that!” Mike protests.

“I can do whatever the Hell I want! You
people think I’m this little worm who can’t get anything done!
That’s not how I’m going out! You, Ms. Corba, are out of here!”

“No, you’re not. You can stay with me.” Mike
says. Always coming to the rescue.

“No way! If she stays with you, you’re
evicted too!”

“You really can’t do that.”

“Try me! I’ll be back to check on the
movers. If you’re in his apartment when I get back, you’re both out
on the street!” He barks and pushes his way out to the hall.

“Come on.” Mike says.

“No. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“He’ll throw you out.”

“Let him try.”

“Look what he’s doing here! I can’t let you
lose your home because of me.”

“What are you going to do? You can’t live on
the street.”

“Looks like I’m going to have to. At least,
for one day.”

“Out on the street in a city full of people
who would just as soon kill you than look at you? No way. We can
just hole up in my place for as long as we need.”

“Mike. That’s sweet, but no. I may be
getting dragged down, but there’s no reason to take anyone else
with me. I’ll be okay. I promise.” I say and I walk out. Mike grabs
my arm quickly and pulls me to him.

“I love you. I can’t let you do this. Not
alone.”

“But I have to. I’ll be back. I promise.” I
say and then reach up to kiss him. He presses me tightly into his
body and I love it there, but I force myself to part from him. I
step away from him, still holding his hand. I try to keep contact
with him for as long as possible. I try to commit the feeling to
memory. I turn away at last and head back down to the street.

As I leave the building, I see my boxes
piled up on the street. They’re already soaked from the rain. I try
to think of what to do with them, but there’s nothing I can do. The
moving men keep coming out with more boxes and piling them on top
of each other. I watch as the stack of boxes melt into a messy
clump of wet cardboard and old clothes. I turn away and start down
the street.

I’m five blocks away before I realize where
I’m going. For some reason, it then hits me that I forgot my
umbrella. I run toward a nearby diner with an awning just outside.
As I enjoy my momentary respite from the rain, I try to formulate a
plan. I may have no home, but I still have money. I can eat at
least. I look inside the diner and it appears to be clean. I could
eat here, but I worry if the chef might recognize me. I’m paranoid
enough about restaurant food. I continue down the street and
stumble upon a large shopping complex that conveniently houses a
supermarket. I go in and head to the deli section. They have a
large selection of well-cooked food. I get a small rotisserie
chicken and a canned soda. I take the food outside and find a quiet
place to eat. The rain isn’t letting up one bit.

I head over to Central Park. I figure I can
camp out on a park bench for a bit. Get my bearings. I find a bench
in an enclosed area so I manage to get out of the rain and off my
feet at the same time. I check the time. It’s well past seven and
my options for sleeping accommodations begin to take priority in my
mind. I look over and see some homeless people camped on vents
across the street. I can see the steam rising up from under
them.

It looks warm, but I’m not ready to give up
yet.

I get up and start walking again when I feel
rested enough. I just go whichever direction seems good to me. I’m
heading down Thirty Fifth when I see a large hotel a few blocks
away. The Westmont. I walk up to it and I like the look of it. It
seems clean and well run. Not so fancy that I couldn’t afford it,
but not so cheap that I have to sleep with one eye open. I walk in.
The warmth hits me at once. I had been out in the cold so long; I
guess I had become acclimated to it. I walk up to the front desk
where I encounter an older gentleman standing at the ready.

“I’d like a room please.” I say. I know my
hair is dripping and my clothes are sagging down on my body, but I
don’t dare act like I realize it. He just smiles as best he
can.

“Of course.” He taps his fingers across the
keyboard of his computer. “Name?” I stop for a moment.

“Sally. Sally Henderson.” I say.

“Very well, Ms. Henderson. How many?”

“Just me.”

“A single. Right. Nonsmoking?”

“Sure.”

“Excellent. And how long will you be staying
with us?”

“I don’t know. Let’s just say just for
tonight and take it from there.”

“Very well. I will need your driver’s
license and a credit card.”

“What?”

“Or a state identification card, if you
don’t have a driver’s license.” He says. I feel a cold chill come
up my spine.

“I thought you took those things when I
left.”

“No, we need it for your receipt. If you
would?”

“Sure.” I say. I then pull out my wallet and
give him my identification card and my Visa. He takes them and
examines them carefully. He looks back over at me.

“Well, Ms. Corba, I see that everything here
is in order, but unfortunately we have no vacancies at this time.”
He says as he slides my cards back.

“That’s a lie.”

“Excuse me? I’m sorry for your
inconvenience, but I assure you, all our rooms have been
booked.”

“Show me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Look! I need a place to sleep tonight! I
know you have to have at least one room open. I don’t care what you
think of me. I can pay cash!” I say as I empty out my wallet. I
dump a pile of bills on the desk. “You have to take that! It’s
legal tender! If you don’t, I can sue you and this whole hotel!” I
shout. I can tell that my little tantrum is starting to gather
attention. He looks over my head and soon two security guards come
up on either side of me.

“Take her out.” He says and they do just
that. They both drag me across the lobby and push me out the door
into the rain. I stand outside looking in at all the warm, happy
people as the rain soaks me to the bone. I turn away and sit down
on the curb. The water in the gutter is coming up beyond my ankle
now. I think I’m crying, but it’s too hard to tell for sure. My
life is officially ruined. I know I can’t stay out here tonight. I
turn my head and a light calls to me through the darkness. I run to
it. As I come within a block of it, I see I’ve been running towards
the Corba Cathedral. The light from within floods the streets like
a sun. I stand across the street from it, staring. I gaze at the
long, intricate stained glass windows along the front of the
church, just above the front doors. Its spires twist and reach high
into the air. It is so ornate and overdone, but that seems to be
what brings the folks in. Everything is dark around me. I carefully
cross the street and head inside. I notice quickly that the roar of
the rain outside is muffled within my father’s holy walls. I hear
soft organ music as I walk in further. I see a few faithful souls
standing before the altar where a large cross hangs above them. A
snake made of light wrapping around the crucifix blinks on and off.
I quietly take my place in a pew at the very back. I listen to the
music and I listen to the soft, whispered prayers of the meager
congregation. I realize there is one last option.