“Much better,” she said with a grin.
Confident in her abilities and comfortable with her surroundings, Alexis felt ready to face that person, whoever he was. But how could she get him to appear? She knew she didn’t have control over his actions; that had been the source of the problems last night. Still, it was worth a shot.
“Come get me!” she screamed into the desolate, wind-swept landscape, her voice echoing off into the atmosphere. “I’m right here!” she cried, feeling her voice falter just a bit.
She waited and listened. As her voice’s echo faded, an oppressive silence settled around her, broken only by the howling wind. “Come on!” she screamed in frustration. No response. What’s the problem? Alexis wondered. She began to pace back and forth on the dusty road.
For a few long minutes, she waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. She didn’t know what else to do but wait. Just as she was beginning to give up hope, she looked up and saw a figure walking towards her in the distance. She squinted through the dust, trying to make out who it was.
“Hey!” she called out.
As the figure approached, she was gripped by a sudden fear. What if she lost control again? What if the figure meant her harm? She had no idea what to expect, and wondered if there was something supernatural going on. But she held her resolve, and kept her back straight and her head held high as the figure came closer and closer.
The figure stopped short about five yards away from her. It was well within earshot, but hadn’t yet said a word. As the dust cleared, she got a closer look: it was Evan. No, not Evan, not really – but it was the same man it had been the previous night.
She paused. But was this really a ‘man’? Or something else entirely? She remembered the way his eyes had changed in the last dream, and she realized she couldn’t be sure.
A figure, then. Just a… something… in the body of a man.
They stared at each other for a long second, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, the figure broke the silence. It held up its hands, as if to reassure Alexis that it meant no harm.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the figure said, tentatively stepping a bit closer towards her. “Please, give me a chance to explain.”
“You’ve got some explaining to do, all right.” Alexis spat out the words angrily. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my dreams?”
The figure sighed. “I understand your anger, and I’m sure that what happened last night was very frightening for you. But if you’ll just let me explain, everything will become clear.”
Alexis stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. She folded her arms defensively, her body tense. She wanted to hear what he had to say, but she was ready to escape at the first sign of danger.
“First of all,” said the creature, “As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not Evan. My name is Philip. I’m an incubus.”
“A what? ” asked Alexis in astonishment.
“An incubus,” he repeated, a pained look on his face. He sighed. “It’s a type of… a type of demon.” At the word ‘demon,’ Alexis’s body went rigid. She had heard just about all she needed to, and she was a split-second away from bolting.
“Now wait, just wait a second!” he cried, his hand reaching out towards her. To her surprise, she heard a note of panic in his voice, and somehow that calmed her down.
“Please,” he said, “just hear me out. I’m a demon, it’s true, but not by choice. And I mean you no harm. In fact… I need your help.”
She had to laugh at that statement. “After deceiving me like that, you expect me to help you?” she scoffed. “And besides,” she added sarcastically, “how can a mere mortal like me possibly help a demon? I thought you’re supposed to be all-powerful.”
She had only been half-serious, but Philip’s expression gave her
Confident in her abilities and comfortable with her surroundings, Alexis felt ready to face that person, whoever he was. But how could she get him to appear? She knew she didn’t have control over his actions; that had been the source of the problems last night. Still, it was worth a shot.
“Come get me!” she screamed into the desolate, wind-swept landscape, her voice echoing off into the atmosphere. “I’m right here!” she cried, feeling her voice falter just a bit.
She waited and listened. As her voice’s echo faded, an oppressive silence settled around her, broken only by the howling wind. “Come on!” she screamed in frustration. No response. What’s the problem? Alexis wondered. She began to pace back and forth on the dusty road.
For a few long minutes, she waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. She didn’t know what else to do but wait. Just as she was beginning to give up hope, she looked up and saw a figure walking towards her in the distance. She squinted through the dust, trying to make out who it was.
“Hey!” she called out.
As the figure approached, she was gripped by a sudden fear. What if she lost control again? What if the figure meant her harm? She had no idea what to expect, and wondered if there was something supernatural going on. But she held her resolve, and kept her back straight and her head held high as the figure came closer and closer.
The figure stopped short about five yards away from her. It was well within earshot, but hadn’t yet said a word. As the dust cleared, she got a closer look: it was Evan. No, not Evan, not really – but it was the same man it had been the previous night.
She paused. But was this really a ‘man’? Or something else entirely? She remembered the way his eyes had changed in the last dream, and she realized she couldn’t be sure.
A figure, then. Just a… something… in the body of a man.
They stared at each other for a long second, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, the figure broke the silence. It held up its hands, as if to reassure Alexis that it meant no harm.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the figure said, tentatively stepping a bit closer towards her. “Please, give me a chance to explain.”
“You’ve got some explaining to do, all right.” Alexis spat out the words angrily. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my dreams?”
The figure sighed. “I understand your anger, and I’m sure that what happened last night was very frightening for you. But if you’ll just let me explain, everything will become clear.”
Alexis stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. She folded her arms defensively, her body tense. She wanted to hear what he had to say, but she was ready to escape at the first sign of danger.
“First of all,” said the creature, “As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not Evan. My name is Philip. I’m an incubus.”
“A what? ” asked Alexis in astonishment.
“An incubus,” he repeated, a pained look on his face. He sighed. “It’s a type of… a type of demon.” At the word ‘demon,’ Alexis’s body went rigid. She had heard just about all she needed to, and she was a split-second away from bolting.
“Now wait, just wait a second!” he cried, his hand reaching out towards her. To her surprise, she heard a note of panic in his voice, and somehow that calmed her down.
“Please,” he said, “just hear me out. I’m a demon, it’s true, but not by choice. And I mean you no harm. In fact… I need your help.”
She had to laugh at that statement. “After deceiving me like that, you expect me to help you?” she scoffed. “And besides,” she added sarcastically, “how can a mere mortal like me possibly help a demon? I thought you’re supposed to be all-powerful.”
She had only been half-serious, but Philip’s expression gave her
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