Free The Dark Corner by Christopher Pike Page A

difference does it make?” Sally’s demon asked. “Let’s eat the rest of her and leave her liver alone.”
    â€œIt makes a big difference,” Watch’s demon said. “If she caught type B or C she could still be a carrier of the virus. If we eat her, any part of her, we might get sick.”
    Sally’s demon snorted. “That’s ridiculous!”
    â€œIt also happens to be accurate,” Adam’s demon said.
    Cindy smiled in relief. “Yeah, you don’t want to get sick. Now that I think about it, I had type B. Yeah, I’m definitely a carrier of the virus. But that’sOK. There’s plenty of food here. Just have one of these slabs of beef. Really, I don’t mind cooking you something to go with it. I’m a great cook. My mother always works long hours and I have to do most of the cooking. I’m flexible, too, when it comes to requests. Anyway you want your food is fine with me. You can have it spicy or bland.” She added quietly, “Just don’t eat me.”
    The demons looked at one another. “She could be lying about the hepatitis,” Sally’s demon said.
    â€œIf we did a blood test we’d know for sure,” Watch’s demon said.
    â€œWe can’t do a blood test,” Adam’s demon snapped. “We’re in a freezer, not a medical laboratory. Besides we’re demons. We don’t know how to do blood tests.” The demon suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Wait a second. We are in a freezer.”
    Watch’s demon put a hand out to steady himself. “And the door’s locked. That’s bad. The cold’s bad.”
    Sally’s demon swayed and pointed a claw at Cindy. “She tricked us to come in here! It’s her fault! Let’s kill her!”
    The three demons nodded in agreement and turned on her.
    â€œNo!” Cindy cried, backing into a wall. “If you eat me you’ll get sick! Remember?”
    â€œWe can kill you without eating you,” Adam’s demon said, now only three feet away. Ignoring her burning flare, he reached out with his gross scaly hand and grabbed her by the hair. Yet he seemed to be moving in slow motion, and Cindy realized the cold was finally getting to him and the others. If she could just delay one minute more, she’d probably be all right. Adam’s demon added, “Do you have any final words?”
    â€œYes,” Cindy said quickly, stalling for time. “Just before you kill me I want to say that it’s been a pleasure meeting demons like you. I understand you come from a poor neighborhood and that I can’t judge you by my standards—when I have had every advantage in life. It would be completely unfair. Really, considering where you guys started, you’ve come pretty far. I just wanted to congratulate you.”
    Watch’s demon seemed impressed, although he continued to sway as he spoke, almost as if he could no longer feel his legs. “That is awfully gracious of you. You’re one of the few humans we’ve met who understands how difficult it is to grow up a demon.”
    â€œYes, it’s a hard life,” Adam’s demon said, yawningheavily. “But we try not to complain. Our motto is, If it hurts, it can always hurt more.”
    Sally’s demon staggered and bumped into a side of beef, setting the red meat swaying back and forth in the gruesome red light of the flare. “Enough compliments,” she said. “Open her throat and let her bleed to death. We have to find a way out of here.”
    Adam’s demon nodded and moved a claw up to her throat. He tried to grip her neck, but his fingers were having trouble working.
    â€œI’m sorry I have to do this, but we are the bad guys,” he said. “We’re supposed to do bad things. It’s our nature.”
    Cindy met his gaze and suddenly she didn’t feel afraid, even though she had begun