The Demons

A Story by Brennan Garcia

They live among us.

The Demons

Have you ever experienced a moment where your entire world collapses around you? A feeling where you know deep down inside you that nothing can get worse. A feeling where you so desperately try to breathe, but they’re holding you down. I’m talking, of course, about the demons. The demons I’m speaking of don’t hide under your bed, in your closet, or right behind you in the darkness. These demons live with you and they stand right next to you without you even knowing. You’re totally clueless that they’re among you. As you experience your world collapsing around you, this means that the demons aren’t around you anymore, but are actually inside you. They’re turning your blood vessels and arteries ice-cold. They’re freezing your brain and depriving it of oxygen, so that it’s completely and utterly useless. Worst of all, these demons try to become you. They take over your appearance and walk around among your peers and family members pretending to be you, without them knowing that you’re totally dead inside. If you’re wondering what the demons are made of and how they came in contact with you in the first place, you must examine yourself thoroughly and honestly. The demons aren’t made of pure evil or dark magic. You created them. Every mistake you’ve made, every opportunity you’ve missed, and every regret you've had helped with the creation of these demons. There is no way to stop the demons from climbing on your back and whispering in your ear other than to end yourself and every trace of your existence.

With all this in mind, let me talk about myself for a moment. The demons, those terrifyingly real demons, used to talk to me for hours on-end while I tried to sleep. They flashed their grins and sharpened their claws right in front of me. I tolerated all of this until that day came. That day where my world collapsed. I lost all feeling in my feet and the numbness worked its way up my legs and up to my eyes as well. A haze surrounded me as my once living body became incarcerated by the demons. I couldn’t feel a thing. The haze stayed with me wherever I went. I thought about how I could feel something again and conjured up a plan. The next day, as I was driving along the side of a river, with the demons sitting all around me in my car, I swerved and crashed into the water. As the ice-cold water surrounded me, I thought to myself for a brief moment. A thought, so well-realized wouldn’t leave my mind. Perhaps it’s better to be numb to everything; this way you’ll never get hurt. The demons protect me. With this sinister realization in mind, I swam to the surface and began to walk home with the demons standing beside me.