"Billy, which one should I take?"
Eva's violet eyes shimmered beneath the store lights, two dresses hanging from her hand, one silver, one burning red.
"This one," she said, holding them up. "Or this one?"
Billy tilted his head, calm as ever. "The one on the right looks good."
She disappeared behind the changing-room curtain. And soon a worker went in for assistance.
A few minutes later, the door slid open, and Billy almost forgot to breathe, as his jaw dropped.
"So... how is it?" She asked as she turned slowly, letting the dress catch the light from every angle. She pivoted once, twice, checking how the fabric moved against her skin, how the hem fell at her legs. Then she faced him again, waiting.
The red dress glowed under the fluorescent lights. Sleeveless, smooth, perfectly shaped—not indecent, just impossibly graceful. The front contained her breasts, which were not too large but portable in a man's eyes.
Her long purple hair cascaded down her shoulders like silk. A woman no man would ignore.
Beautiful, cutie for her age. Pretty. Billy didn't know which word was to actually use. Stunning, Billy thought.
"Wow," he whispered before catching himself. "It's… nice."
"Nice?" Eva's voice shot up as she spun on her heel. "If it's only nice, I'm not taking it."
"No...take it," Billy said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's—uh—beautiful. Outstanding. Stunning. You know that I'm terrible with words."
Eva grinned in victory. "That's better."
They paid for the dress and stepped into the wide halls of the mall, still buzzing with weekend noise, music, people, distant laughter.
"Billy, do you want anything?" she asked.
"Nothing, really."
Eva rolled her eyes. "Don't save money forever, sweetheart. If you never spend it, what you're storing isn't security...it's fear wearing a price tag."
"Well," Billy said, "when you put it like that…"
So he bought things for himself: hoodies in muted colors, a handful of trousers, sneakers to match, and a plain black watch that suited his wrist perfectly. By the time they'd left the mall, both of them were carrying bags—and sunlight spilled across the parking lot, painting their shadows long and thin.
Then the ground shook.
A rumble tore through the air, violent enough to rattle the parked cars.
"Is it an earthquake?!" Billy shouted.
"No, it isn't!" Eva's tone shifted, sharp and wary. "It's a—"
Her words broke as the center of the six-lane highway erupted.
Concrete fractured like paper. Smoke and dust blasted upward, swallowing the sound of screams.
When the haze began to settle, people saw it.
And Eva finished her sentence, voice trembling: "It's a demon."
It stood twice as tall as the nearest streetlight. Its body a twisted blend of flesh and molten glass. Pulsing black veins glowed faintly through translucent skin. Where a face might've been, it had a circular mouth lined with rows of vertical teeth, constantly exhaling violet mist.
No one moved. Not a breath dared slip past their lips.
For a moment, the street existed in a horrifying kind of silence.
Then the gas spread.
From the creature's throat poured a surge of thick purple vapor, rolling through the streets like fog at dawn, only sharper, heavier. Within seconds, it blanketed the air. Vision blurred. People began coughing, panicking, clawing for escape.
"What is it?!" someone screamed.
Another dropped to the pavement. Then another.
"Everyone! Don't breathe!" Eva yelled. "It's poison!"
But it was already too late. Bodies hit the concrete in waves.
Above them, the demon laughed, a horrible, echoing sound that didn't sound alive. It was glee twisted into noise, shaking the clouds themselves.
Billy pulled his jacket over his nose and mouth, struggling to move through the haze.
"Billy, we have to go!" Eva shouted, reaching him through the smoke.
He stumbled forward, knees buckling. "I don't think I can make it." A thin cough escaped him, the poison clawing into his lungs.
Without hesitation, Eva moved. She heaved him onto her back as if he weighed nothing, her body surging with inhuman strength. She ran, faster than the wind could carry the toxin.
Through the choking fog, she sprinted. Her hair whipped behind her as she gasped lungfuls of poison herself. The parking lot came into view, but it was drenched in violet mist. Rows of cars lay buried under the vapor like corpses under waves.
She fished into her pocket, fingers trembling, and pressed the key.
Beep!
One car blinked faintly through the haze.
Eva darted toward it. She yanked the door open, laid Billy in the back seat, then climbed into the driver's spot. Even inside, the air tasted bitter.
Cutting her palm with a hardened nail, she brought the wound to Billy's lips. A few crimson drops fell into his mouth before the skin sealed itself once again.
Billy's eyes flickered open. His breathing eased. "What did you just do?"
Eva didn't answer immediately. She wiped the blood from his chin.
"I gave you something that should keep your heart working. It won't stop the poison, but it'll slow it down."
Her mind raced. It's not enough. His body's too human for this.
"Fuck," she hissed under her breath. "Think, Eva. Think."
Then a thought sparked, clear and dangerous. I know what to do.
Her eyes glowed a deep, violent purple as she slammed her foot on the gas. The car roared to life, shooting forward through the fog-filled city. In the rearview mirror, the demon still towered, laughing over hundreds of lifeless forms, its breath turning the sunset violet.
Somewhere, sirens began to rise.
The Order would come soon—agents, hunters, whoever cleaned up what humanity wasn't meant to see.
But for now, there was only Eva, Billy, and the promise of every secret she was never supposed to reveal.