Chapter 73: Chapter 73

Darkness.

Muffled sobbing. Footsteps. Blur. The darkness parted in the middle, and it revealed a widening oval of bright images. My vision, I realized. Shapes started coalescing, and the feeling in my body was coming back. I was on the floor. Kneeling by me was Eris, mascara running and eyes red from crying, the same clothes she wore back then... She was shielding her mouth, letting out strenuous, gut-wrenching gasps while looking at something out of my field of vision.

"Ughh," I groaned, and in a moment, she looked down opened her eyes widely. A second more and she yelped and bounced away from me, then started screaming something. Before I could react, she threw herself onto me in an embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Matt...! Ma-aa-tt!" she cried and coughed.

Two figures appeared above me and pulled her away. "Demons, no doubt," I thought. When my vision cleared up, they more closely resembled paramedics. Just like Eris, they seemed shocked when looking at me, mouths open and eyes staring.

"W-what... happened?" I mumbled.

"You were dead," announced one of the paramedics, a burly man with short hair and a stubble. He quickly pulled out a blood pressure monitor and began wrapping it around my arm. "Do you know where you are?"

"Ho... me...?" I asked and he nodded.

"Wait, h-how long... Was I...?"

Instead of responding, he quickly pulled out a little flashlight and shone it right in my eye, observing me with concern.

After he was done, the two paramedics looked at each other, one shrugging, other shaking his head while the device on my arm beeped steadily. Eris, couldn't stand in one place, holding her head and swaying back and forth.

"Anywhere from fifteen... thirty minutes? From what we heard," the other one, a lanky blonde responded, rifling through a big box he had with him.

"Oh my God... oh my God...!" Eris kept on repeating with a shaky, tearful voice while walking in circles.

"That was only... thirty minutes...?" I mused to myself. The paramedics exchanged confused looks.

Then it hit me—I was dead for that long?! They pulled me up very gently to a sitting pose.

"Well, we can't really be certain," the burly one commented, propping my neck up while the lanky one put a stethoscope up to my back. "When we came by, your girlfriend was banging on your chest, trying to resuscitate you," he nodded at Eris, who looked back at us and flushed bright red. "I suppose it might have kept your blood flowing for a bit?" the paramedics exchanged looks and shrugged.

Looking around, I saw that the room was in disarray, but no signs of costumes around.

"Where did... everyone... go?" I asked the frantic Eris.

"Well, first, Ra'zizi disappeared..." she said, hugging herself and rubbing her arms. Like, literally, poof!" she gestured with her hands.

"Can you not talk for a moment?" the paramedic with the stethoscope asked her, then turned to me. "Take a deep breath through your nose and breathe out through your mouth."

After having thoroughly checked, poked and prodded me to see if I reacted properly, they allowed her to get close again.

"So, Ra'zizi just poofed, and then they all started looking... mindless?" she continued, "I don't know, like they were woken up from sleepwalking. They all looked at each other and then kind of... realized they were," she looked back at the paramedics, then leaned in to whisper, "... naked! And then, they stopped looking at each other and just quickly dressed up and left, like they were pretending they didn't do anything..."

"You tried to reanimate me...?"

"Of-of course!" she blurted out. After a long pause, while the paramedics aside for a moment, she looked at me with a nervous smirk, "... I guess I'm under your spell now?"

We both chuckled lightly and I began coughing. The room was as I remembered, but with signs of heavy wear and tear on the couch and a sheen on the floor and table. I could only wonder what the emergency team must have thought about the stains and the smell.

"Well, I gotta tell you this," the muscular paramedic came back after consulting with his colleague. "This the first time I've seen someone come back after being gone for so long..." he seemed to be very confused about the turn of events, pausing to think while staring into space above me. Eventually, he shook his head and looked back down. "Well, long story short, we were about to pack you up, and here you are... so count yourself lucky!" he concluded, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Still, we need to take you for a checkup," his colleague interrupted while packing up their equipment.

"Right," the first one agreed.

"Can I come with you?" Eris asked, turning her head between me and them.

The paramedics and I all nodded.

"Lucky guy..." I heard the burly one mutter while turning away.

He was right.

 

---

 

"Hey!"

"Oh, hey!"

Izzie was unlocking her door when I saw her again on that warm autumn day, at last in non-hospital clothes. It was almost a week after I came back. Her tan seemed to have faded from being indoors so much. Immediately, I wanted to run up and embrace her.

"You're back!" I said with a wide smile, stepping up in strides.

She seemed a bit shy and looked worn out, so I slowed down.

"Yeah, it's... been a while..." she said and chuckled softly. "They told me they had to do all these tests and, in the end, didn't tell me much other than that I was comatose," she cleared her throat, holding onto a bag of her belongings, and her gaze dropped down. "I... uh..." she wavered for a bit, looking up at me and down again while we stood a couple steps away. "They told me we... had sex?" she smiled awkwardly, raising an eyebrow and playing with her hair.

"Ah, yea," I responded with a chuckle while feeling goosebumps.

"But I..." her eyes wondered a bit and she blushed, "I'm sorry, I know how this is gonna sound, but I don't really remember... any of that...?"

She was stepping in place with had an apologetic smile on her face, and her eyes seemed to be waiting for some confirmation.

"Do you remember if we dated...? I asked.

"Uh... maybe? I guess...?" she kept on looking at me, puzzled, as if asking for clues. "I mean, if we had sex, I probably... no, I definitely would have dated you first, but... I don't remember...?" She scratched her head and giggled. "Ohhh, God... I'm sorry, Matt, I'm still a bit out of it after the stay in hospital, they told me it would be like that for a while."

She gave an exasperated exhale and an awkward chuckle, turning and stepping to the side.

"Right," I said. I didn't know what to do with my hands. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"Well, didn't they tell you... how you ended up there?"

"Oh... yes, they mentioned..." she paused for a bit, stepping in place once more, looking solemn. I felt the hair on my back standing up. "They also said you called for the ambulance," she added and suddenly smiled at me. "That's brave of you!"

"Oh! It's, it's nothing, I had to!"

"Maybe, but a lot of men would have chickened out..." she shuffled a bit and smirked. "We must have been going at it really hard then...?"

Seeing my flabbergasted face, she suddenly grinned and lightly punched me in the shoulder. "You're blushing a lot now...!"

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I chuckled, trying to think of something to say. An unbearable sense of relief, like a gust of fresh, cool air after stepping out of a sauna, washed over me.

"I..." I paused, realizing there would be no sane way of explaining what happened to her.

She made a tiny step closer to me. "They also said you visited me while I was in the coma," her tone this time was soft. "... Thank you!"

"You're not angry at me then...?"

"Me? Why? You're a good neighbor, and you did your best, I'm sure of that. I mean, you couldn't have guessed what would happen, right?"

I was stunned by her kindness. I expected more of a slap in the face, but Izzie remained as I remembered her—gentle and well-meaning. It was almost painful to face someone so kind-hearted. Biting my lower lip, I wondered, mabye if I told her, maybe she would have believed any my story.

"C'mere...!"

Suddenly, he stepped up I felt an embrace. It was a friendly hug like I haven't felt in a long time. I reciprocated, letting my emotions get to me—I sighed, overjoyed at the fact she was safe, at the fact that my effort wasn't in vain, and relieved at the fact that I managed to make it back to see her.

"Now," she said, letting go. "... Oh, you're tearing up?"

"Yeah," I said, wiping my eyes. "I'm just happy... it all worked out!"

"Me too, it's good to be home... Now, if you don't mind, I really need to wash this hospital smell off of me..."

"Of course!"

She stepped through her door, but before retreating into her apartment, she turned around and added with a smile, "À propos working out, let's go for a run some day."

"Sure," I replied and saw her nod and wave at someone right before closing the door. Feeling ten tons lighter, I started turning around.

"You're gonna miss out on the warm pizza and the live broadcast," Eris was standing in the door of my apartment, smirking. She already knew about mine and Izzie's past—I figured I wouldn't and shouldn't keep it a secret.

"You... heard the conversation?"

"In bits and places," she gave me a mischievous grin, tilting her head.

"Sorry, I had to... welcome her back."

Eris walked up to me. "Just so I'm certain, she's that neighbor you knocked out instead of knocking up?"

"Yeah... that's kind of how it went," I sighed. I was sure she knew already.

"Sounds hot, not gonna lie," she kept inspecting me. "You think you're gonna try that with anyone else?"

The question made me gasp and cough. "N-no! Definitely not!"

"Hmm, alright..." she mused. "I know, let's make a pact on it...!" She raised her clenched hand, knuckles towards me. "For a lewd future, without coma!"

We did a fist bump and chuckled, then stood for a moment in silence.

"... She really didn't remember any of it?"

"Looks like it..." I said and breathed out.

"Wait, you sure?... Like Suzanne?"

"Yes," I reassured her. "Just like Stephanie too. Remember?"

Suzanne would only glare at me when I talked to her and told me off when asked if she ever wore different clothes. Stephanie called earlier that day, when we were out, but only confirmed that I was her patient when I called. I put her on speaker phone so Eris could hear her deny any special treatments.

I heard a barking from downstairs and walked up to the railing, Eris following. Scruff was back, sitting next to the trees by the gate, looking intently up. Suzanne agreed for him to stay on premises from time to time if we get him to the vet and feed him, after Eris pestered her a lot. Perhaps the landlady did have a heart, after all? I guess the fact I had a stable income again after she helped me find what she called a "basic" helpdesk job might have sweetened the deal. She'd been spending a lot of time at my place, too, pointing me towards courses to take, and today we even bought special ingredients for her to try making a home-made pizza to eat together while watching a video game tournament. It was a side of her I never knew. I'm guessing she felt guilty for participating in the debauchery of the past weeks, but I reassured her many times it was fine, and we were both excited to move on from the occult onto what was yet to come. There was redemption.

Scruff must have noticed me looking into space while lost in thoughts, because he started wagging his tail.

"I still can't believe it," Eris said, standing by me, leaning against the railing. "You'd think she'd remember a shag like that... Heard anything from the nun?"

"Nope, but I suppose the church would want to keep that a secret too..."

"Well, damn," Eris mused. "Talk about a pact."

We even called the police a few days after my return to make sure they didn't want me for questioning anymore. I learned that Natasha wasn't handling the case anymore. The previous day, I also confrimed with Tim that I'd return the grimoire—he was upset I didn't let him know I was in a hospital, but when I informed him of what happened, for the first time in a long time, he seemed relieved. In the end, I think he accepted my apology.

It was as if nothing had happened, and in a strange way, I was fine with it. You can call me a sucker, and I know I've been one, but I just couldn't bring myself to be the depraved corruptor—I already had a taste, and I knew all of that power would just feel empty. A fantasy I chose to keep a fantasy. What I had was more than plenty.

To his credit, Ald-ghareth delivered as I asked: to make every woman forget I charmed her, and for the charms themselves to dissipate. Nobody remembered what I did—nobody besides Eris, that is.

And of course, there is no way of proving anything I said happened. Yes, thread is there, archived, I have the original video I took, the ones of Ra'zizi messing stuff up, which Eris took with her phone and webcam, and the photos taken throughout, most not featuring anything demonic. But nowadays, pretty much everything can be faked—from politicians saying outrageous stuff to celebrities having sex. Even if someone were to certify no editing software ever touched the footage, all I had didn't amount to more than strange, homemade cosplay porn.

"You're gonna keep on spacing out or shall we go and save some leftovers for your dog?" Eris asked me, prompting me to turn back to her.

"I think my parents are gonna visit next week," I said.

She blinked rapidly.

"... Do you think I shouldn't wear my Kyun Kyun Schoolgirl Vampire X2 outfit?" she feigned worry, trying her best to not smirk.

"I think you should... you only ever get to make one first impression," I said and we both ended laughing in a dorky fashion, then stood for a while in silence, letting the last of warm summer air waft lazily past us.

"... What will we tell them?" she asked, looking me in the eyes, suddenly serious.

I breathed out gazed into her eyes for a moment.

"You know... We'll just say that we met each other at a-"

"-very strange time in our lives...?" she finished my sentence with a grin and took my hand.

We stood in silence, then chuckled softly and went in for a kiss.

 

---

 

About a month later, I happened upon a local news headline that caught my attention while scrolling mindlessly. I would like to imagine it was a tasteless bit of yellow journalism. It said: "Pregnancy Scandal in Silversmith Road Church". A quick and recheck of online maps made me sweat. When I reached out to the church, the man on the other end insisted he wasn't going to talk to the press and hanged up. When I went there in person mentioned Theodora by name to a priest, he got really angry and insisted she had moved far away, then chased me out. Nobody would tell me anything more, so I suppose I will never know.

 

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