What could make them be sad? What was the reason that they were walking like strangers? The demon didn’t know that strangers were ok for human relationship. Time mercilessly took everything that people were happy with. Step by step people were turning back from each other, stopping understanding each other, and one fine day they would wake up, look at each other and coincidently wonder: “Who are you and why are you lying in my bed?”

The demon didn’t think of real complexity of human relations, of the crazy spectrum of their unexplainable feelings and murderous interventions of consciousness. While Kharon was observing the people possessed with passion, maybe, love, he tried to understand them at once.

Kharon put on every human movement. Could he do the same? What did he feel about the girl with Lucifer’s mark? Did he really feel?

Doubtlessly he understood he wanted to make love with her. She smelled of sex and despite of she was too young and awfully inexperienced, the demon felt a sexual moth-to-the-flame. Was it good? Was it enough for a woman? Sex in dreams was what he needed. He was never rejected, ashamed and always wanted. All his women waited for continuation in next dream, without thinking that they were going to die after the first night. None of them thought that the same thing could happen in reality.

Kharon was observing all people. He was listening to human speech and reading their minds. It was very often when speaking didn’t fit thinking. Sometimes speaking was beautiful and Kharon listened with delight to it. But there were wild thoughts floating through the head about how they were fed up with all of that. And good thinking and better speaking were more seldom.

Kharon was highly motivated not to disappoint his Lord and the girl whom disrespectful future would be waiting for.

4

^th

September 2013 (Wednesday, Afternoon)

Victoria was going by metro, Kharon was holding her from the left side. She was going to be interviewed again, the demon was just accompanying her.

They both kept silence. Victoria got her thoughts out of her head one by one, while the strong hands were embracing her. Kharon was smiling, looking at the useless attempts to stop thinking of love.

It was a strange and inapprehensible case for him: in the beginning people had been looking for love, long and passionately, having tried lots of woes. Then some of them were lucky and found love. Instead of obeying, yield to love, they started driving it out from hearts and heads. So, what was the matter? How was it possible?

Victoria was looking for an excuse for herself: I’ve got an interview and I don’t wanna look stupid.

‘Victoria Drache?’ a nice-looking girl appeared in big hall.

‘It’s me.’ Vic smiled, rising up from the chair.

‘Let me introduce myself – I’m Anne. I’m HR specialist for staff recruiting.’

‘Victoria. I’m a designer.’

‘Ok, Vic. Nice to meet you. Tell me about you a little.’

‘I graduated…’

Suddenly there was darkness before her eyes. That wasn’t just pitch-dark but a substation where one could wander eternally. Through the dull foggy curtains gray paths were seen, which were often crossed. It was a labyrinth. A terrible mischievous labyrinth.

The girl was alone between that darkness, enveloped with crossed paths. Breathing was becoming more difficult; her heart didn’t obey her. As a result, she was turning around like a humming-top. She tried to find out where to go and if she needed to go anywhere. The girl ran following her nose. She stepped from one path to another, going through the black walls, feeling their slight obstacles, which were got over with no problem.

Fear was closer and closer, ready to strangle with its emaciated hands like huge pincers. Panic was on the top of its madness, wrapping the consciousness…

‘Well, Victoria, I’m not gonna be cunning, I like you and… here is the list of documents that you need to hand in HR during next week. As soon as you’re done your paper work you can approach. Agree?’

Vic kept her eyes wide open at her interviewer. To say that she understood nothing meant to say nothing.

‘You mean, I’m considered for this job?’ she asked quietly and unconfident.

‘Of course, you are!’ Anne exclaimed. ‘Is it ok?’

‘Yes, absolutely…’ Victoria was confused more.

‘So, Vic, here’s the list, make it done and you are welcome. Take my cell number, yours is here. If you have any question, call me with no hesitation.’

‘Well, thank you. Can I go?’

‘Yes, sure. Please, don’t delay the document preparation.’

‘Ok, see you.’ Victoria slipped behind the door and stood in the hall, breathing heavily.

There was not a single soul. When Victoria had come there had been four people… But hall was empty now.

The girl looked at the watch and banged: her interview had been lasting for two hours and a half! How could it be?

Victoria remembered nothing. There was nobody nearby to explain the strangest adventures during the interview.

She had hardly gone outside before Kharon appeared. He was smiley, in a manner of speaking, merry. In contrast Victoria was dejectedly.

‘So?’ Kharon was interested, making one of human gestures: he took her by the hand.

The girl couldn’t help but smile. She was madly happy with that unexpected touch of her beloved man. His warm hand made her nervous system shudder, wake up from the longest dream.

‘I’ve been… considered for the job.’ Victoria came down to earth, fighting intoxicant desire for his hand to keep on its thorny way.

‘There was no doubt in my mind.’ The demon wickedly smiled.

‘Why are you smiling like this?’ Victoria was suspicious of something.

‘You’re so juicy inside…’ Kharon said and closed his eyes with pleasure.

‘I beg your pardon?’ Vic frowned more. ‘What does it mean?’

‘I’ve penetrated you during the interview.’

‘You… What?’ she stared like a stuck pig at the demon’s smirk face.

‘Put myself into you. I sent your soul in districts of the Abyss. To walk there. I took your body to help you with your interview. So how did you like non-existence great spaces? For my liking it’s a little bit twisted.’

The girl was listening to his story, being again unable to believe not a single word. Whatever Kharon told, it sounded like a passage of a book about witches or some mysterious serial. How was it possible to believe it? And of course, Victoria couldn’t. She was at a loss, trying to re-direct her fantasy in a positive way.

‘Don’t worry. Demons often penetrate people.’

‘Why?’

‘What does it mean why?’ Kharon was surprised. ‘Devour energy. If you wake up and remembrance of the black emptiness is before your eyes instead of a beautiful dream, you can be sure, someone has been devouring you inside.’

‘Are you kidding me now, right?’ Victoria still couldn’t believe.

‘No, certainly. It’s normal and frequent fact. People suspect nothing, feel amoebic snottiness and they are sure they’ve been breaking bulks while they’ve been sleeping walk.’

‘You mean you’ve devoured my energy?’

‘No, I’ve been interviewed. From you first words I knew already that you were going to fail the important meeting. Forgive my independent act but I decided that you needed help. How many times have you been interviewed? Two months? Threes? I’ve done it on the first try.’

The shocked girl was staring at the man in front of her. Did everything that he had told have any relation to reality? A score of different questions annihilated her mind.

‘Well, could anyone else penetrate me?’ Vic asked with caution, grabbing his hand.

‘Hypothetically, yes. Even the lowest ranks can do this, with no speaking about the greatest. But you don’t have to worry, my dear human. No one will dare do this within the nearest two years. Foreseeing your question why, I say: you have a great protection in form of me. So, you can sleep peacefully… or not if you, finally, let me touch you. Will you?’