The place from which there is no return

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Human contact of a caring type had long been absent the boy. Several years after his initial encounter with his demon Gath wandered the streets of the city doing what he could to survive. Only recently had he been placed in a facility where human contact whether it be of the physically abusive kind was happening at all. Even though he had not been awake for happening of the girl snuggling up to his upper body, his subconscious mind knew it was happening. The act of the girl had brought warmth and light, even if it was just a solitary flame in an entire world of pitch black that was the boys soul. Then the girl had touched him again. She had gently stroked Gath's face, and this was the act that brought him to consciousness.

Slowly Gath's eyes slid open into slits and then further taking in his situation. Panic dawned on the boy as he lifted his head and looked down at his bare body without noticing the girl. He had just woken up in a strange place while missing his clothes. It seemed as if a bad dream had come true. With as much haste as his broken body could muster Gath reached down and began to slide his clothes back on when he noticed Penny. His cheeks blushed instantly and after several stuttering attempts he pushed out the words," H.. Hi.... Hi, Penny."
 
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Mildly amused, Penny chuckled. "Morning, sleeping beauty. Sleep well?" She asked, smiling cheekily with her legs sat crossed. Content conversation followed, comfortable silences scattered about, never any of the uncomfortable kind. Things kept that way for a little while, at some points Penny tried get up but her body protested in splintering pain. Every once in a while she would try to get up again, only to be met with the same result, along with Gath's considerable alarm. She would simply dismiss him with a laugh.

It seemed their joy had irritated a certain stocky figure in the corner. Booker, as he called himself, had always been a little sketchy. A sharp jaw and nose, unruly mahogany hair whipped back into a pony tail and an aura of unfriendliness had kept most at an arm's reach in the past. When she first arrived, however, with whatever little bits of innocence she had left in her, Penny attempted to befriend him. There was an incident. She wouldn't step near him again during her time within the walls of the asylum.

"Oi, pipe down. The rest of us are tired of your dovey bullshit." A low rumble cut through Penny's giggles. It was almost, almost akin to Gath's own voice, only, with more age wearing it down. She stiffened.

"Good, good." Booker muttered, eyeing the boy next to her with amusement and something close to curiosity. He wouldn't take his eyes off of Gath until he let out a yawn and ran a hand through his hair. A plot was brewing in his mind. From the smugly placed smirk crafting on his lips, anyone could tell it was not of benevolent nature.
 
Gath replied in kind with the grin at Booker, but Gath's was more of one of a taunt rather than a threat. Copying what he had done earlier he blinked slowly with only one eye before chuckling and returning to conversation with penny. Even though Gath was conversing with Penny his mind was off wandering elsewhere. He was thinking about how something wasn't quite right about Booker. Something seemed almost familiar even though he had never met this new figure. After several minutes of trying to figure out what it was Gath gave up and focused on Penny.

"Would you like help getting up?", Gath asked as he slid his legs off the bed. His act of standing was purely for show rather than any want to get up. Even though he was hungry and thirsty he would much rather have preferred to stay on the bed with Penny, but Gath felt it was almost necessary to show he was at least able to stand. "We can go get some dinner if you want?"
 
Penny was rigid through the rest of their conversation, and she could tell Gath was a little unsettled as well. She reluctantly accepted Gath's help, she didn't know if it was a good idea to let her vulnerability show in that moment. A chill ran down her spine. Once she'd been situated on her own two feet and gathered her footing, she thanked Gath.

"I think I'll be good from here, you can let go." She smiled. As they walked out, Penny stood unusually close to her company, heavy footsteps belonging to none other than Booker trailing behind them. It's nothing, she assured herself. He's only going to dinner just like us, Pen. There's nothing you need to be worried about. Are you shaking? Stop shaking. And get away from Gath, you're not a quivering, helpless damsel in distress! Walk on your own two feet. You are a strong, independent woman. Er, lady. She straightened herself. That's right. Nothing to fear. Nothing at all.

The dining hall was much less of a hall, much more of a rather large patient dwelling. There were, of course, tables dotting the floor and food lines to queue through, but still guards at every corner, almost waiting to pounce. The duo, well, trio slid into line. Penny braced herself as Booker set himself against the wall, leaning forward a little to get a good look over of Gath. His hands were pocketed and you could smell whiskey on his breath, courtesy of proximity. Penny wondered if booze was even prohibited within the asylum. She could've sworn it wasn't.
 
Gath stood in line with Penny in front of him and Booker in tow. Uneasiness and a slight hint of hatred were the words that could describe what was felt among the three of them. The hatred was from Booker towards Penelope. What had the girl done to be deserving of something like that or had she done anything at all?

The tension did not calm as they shuffled along the course of the line for several minutes. When they finally reached the trays Penny handed one to Gath who then turned to hand it to Booker. The grin which had been present last time they looked at each other was not apparent on Gath's face as he held out the tray for several seconds. When Booker did not take it Gath turned and set the tray down next to Penny's.

"So what's for dinner? More of the cold and ever so disgusting mystery stew today?", Gath asked Penny. Even while he asked the question he could feel Booker's stare upon the girl. It was at that moment he decided he didn't like it.
 
Penny bounced on her toes as she remembered the day. How could she forget?

"Oh, that's right! They tend to go all out on Sundays, if my memory serves correctly, we're having warm chicken noodle soup and corn on the cob. Slightly burnt." She added the last bit with a laugh. The women behind the counters cad in fishnets greeted them pleasantly and set their food on the trays. Penny huddled close to Gath and scanned the dining hall for empty seats. She spotted a small table next to a window near the back and made a bee line for it, turning around every couple moments to make sure Gath was following. It would've been a sprint, had she been physically capable of such a feat.

Booker sat at the table next to theirs, closer to Gath than to Penny, to her relief. He hadn't a tray. She took a spoonful of the soup and blew on it, before setting it down.

"I'll be right back," She said, leaving to the restroom, in desperate need of head-cooling. Penny knew there were guards at every corner, and more notably, lunch ladies armed with frying pans and wills of steel. He wouldn't start a fight. At the very least, a conversation, so she felt only a slight tinge of unease as she slid past the stall doors.

Booker, in turn, slid into the seat where Penny had been previously sitting and set his chin on interlocked fingers, smirking.
"You felt it, didn't you?" He tested, eyes slitting into thin piercings.
 
"You have one too don't you? A demon if you will," Gath said as he scooted his chair a little further away. "Yeah I felt it. However, I don't care for him or the feeling he brings. And what of your demon? Have you fully embraced the thing and let it consume you whole?"

"Just like you should boy," Gath's demon chimed in.

"On a different note why do you hate Penny? It is quite obvious the way you stare at her that you either hate her or despise her. So, which is it?"

After speaking Gath shoveled a large spoonful of the soup into his mouth. It burned but the boy did not spit it out or act even remotely as if it hurt. If this Booker's demon was anything like his own Gath's show of weakness, even if it was just the heat from soup, would be sought to be taken advantage of. Gath could not allow this because weakness on his part could mean that Penny could suffer. Deep down he knew Penny was the last light in his otherwise dead soul and any threat upon that light would not be taken lightly.
 
Booker's eyes held the mischief of a young child, he wondered just how much Gath actually knew of demons.

"I won't dictate your life, but I'll give you a piece of advice. Now look," he leaned against the table. "It would be wise to allow it to swallow you. Fighting it only costs you energy. Let it in. Besides," his manevolent smirk creeping on his lips. "It's a hell of a lot more fun."

His eyes grew uninterested as Gath continued.

"Penny?" He pondered, irritated. "Oh, that bitch. She's far too peppy, makes you feel like you need to shield your eyes. Just annoys the shit outta you, doesn't it? Naïve too," He muttered in disgust. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if the guards screwed her along with her beatings, the doll's hilariously weak. Slut probably wouldn't even fight back, huh?" He sneered at his own statement.

Penny, in her own obliviousness, stepped out and was about to walk into the hall, when she spotted Booker conversing with Gath. It looked to be a one sided conversation.

"Ooh dear," she mumbled, anxious once more. "Please don't do anything reckless," she stood still, hiding behind the doorway.
 
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"You don't know do you?", Gath chuckled out. "Several guards are dead because of her." Gath's expression was one that you would expect from on who had just won a game and not killed several men. He was brimming with a smile directed at Booker. "Now you also call her naive. I haven't seen someone trick her into anything yet. In fact she seems quite strong willed towards others. Take myself for example, she has been showing me around here and...."

Gath's words were cut short by Booker simply grabbing his forearm. Both of their eyes locked instantly into power hungry stare. Gath could feel the other boys demon. It swirled almost mingling with his own demon. Gath's body was rigid and seemed as if it was completely frozen. This was unlike any of his last encounters with his own demon. There was no shaking or screaming coming from the boy.

"This is what true power feels like boy. I can allow you to do anything. Whatever your heart desires. Allow me to take control and join Booker as well as his demon."

"Just let your demon in. Let it consume you, or die to it," Booker whispered into Gath's ear before letting go and walking away.

As soon as Booker had let go the sensation stopped. Gath drew breaths inside with ragged pants for air. He knew he had to make a choice between a constant and continuous struggle for control of his own body and mind or allow the demon to consume him and decide for him. He knew it would not be an easy choice to cast his decision upon. If he chose the former of the options it would be a constant and recurring choice. Whereas if he chose the former the demon would simply consume him forever and that would be that.

"I am not like him..." Gath whispered out before returning to the his meal like nothing had happened. He would not allow Penny to see his struggle. After-all weakness could be taken advantage of by anyone right?
 
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Penny was ready to sprint. The aura between the two was near deadly, and Booker looked just about geared for murder. But then he let go. He walked away, leaving Gath as though he'd seen a ghost, or very well multiple. She settled for a power limp, slipping past the ever crowded dining hall. As she approached Gath, she tripped, miraculously landing her in a compromising position with him. Penny quickly straightened herself. A whistle was heard from across the hall, but she paid it no heed.

"Gath, are you alright? Did he hurt you? Here, let me see your arm," She blabbered, taking his forearm in her hands with a shaky grip. Upon pulling up his sleeve and finding nothing other than past bruises, she sighed heavily and sat in her seat.

"Lord, that nearly gave me heart failure," She mumbled as she picked up a spoon. Lucky for her, the soup had cooled to an eatable warmth.

Booker stepped out of the hall. He kicked a hole in the wall as he walked to his room.
 
Gath was too busy clutching his ribs with his free hand to take notice of Penny's words and he act of rolling up his sleeve. He only noticed after she had let go that she was in some sort of distress. When she mentioned heart failure Gath forgot his ribs and looked at Penny with a puzzled expression. "Had Booker hurt her when he had left my table," Gath wondered inwardly.

"Why were you so hurried to get back and are you alright? You look as thought your heart would explode for a second."Gath knew that she had most likely seen what had happened between him and Booker. He decided to keep quite about it rather than worry Penny further. Gath began slurping down his soup with Penny hoping she would not ask him what had just happened.
 
Penny let out a small, polite laugh. She ruffled her hair, eyes cast down at her plate, wondering how she could respond. Her mind was drifting, and it had been drifting since she stood up to leave. There was an agreement that she made with herself, an agreement that she was near breaking.

"Booker," she paused. "That boy, his name is Booker. It's sort of an unspoken rule that no one bothers him and he doesn't bother you. But he spoke to you, and judging by the death glares you two were shooting each other, it wasn't a friendly conversation. Gath, please," She looked at him intently. "Be careful."

Penny let out a deep breath, before forcing a smile on her face. "Ah, but anywho!" She gobbled down the rest of her soup, before leaning back in her seat.
 
"Careful. That is a word for which its meaning is gone. This place doesn't allow one to be careful. Wreckless. I fear that is all i will become here," Gath spoke these words into what was left of his soup. Although they were his own words they came from a heavy influence of the demon within. Whatever Booker had done it had unlocked a door for the demon to step through. Right into Gath's thoughts and actions.

"Booker," Gath continued after finishing his soup and water, "Is as I am. We both have a demon inside of us. He embraces his while i do not." Gath tucked one leg underneath his chair while he slowly slid the other out till it was fully extended. "He wants me to embrace my demon as well. I don't know to what end but I doubt it would be a pleasant for anyone involved." After a short pause he looked directly at Penelope rather than staring at the table in front of her. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. Perhaps it's because I don't wish to see you hurt or I am simply losing my mind after all."
 
Penny looked up, in somewhat concerned curiosity. "Demon?" She started, "So it was a demon," She mumbled, mostly to herself. A slight shiver ran down her spine when Gath uttered his name.

"Gath? How long... how long have you been harboring this demon? Do you think," She was searching for words she wasn't sure of, "That I could... talk to it? The demon, I mean. Does it have a name? A gender?" Penny wasn't entirely sure what she was planning herself. It was evident that this demon was causing him a great deal of pain, and it was evident that exorcising it was a little too far out of reach.

"Ah, I'm sorry. That's a silly notion, huh?" A small laugh.
 
"He has been inside for about three years now. At first I was able to hide him but slowly he was able to work his way little by little to the surface. As far as I know he has no name, and I have always thought of him as a he for some reason. As to the question of you talking to him..... If you start talking to him you wont be talking to me. I don't know exactly what he would say but more than likely you wouldn't like it. Also I would have to allow him to have some degree of control over me. I myself do not know where that degree of control would stop. So lets play it safe and go with no you can't talk to him."

Penny could tell how serious Gath was even through his lighthearted smile. Giving up control of his own body was something that simply could not happen. The demon inside had only killed once and that had only been recent, but whatever Booker did to the demon it might very well just happen more often.

"I overheard one of the guards talking today," Gath said trying to change the topic of the conversation, "All of us are going to have to share cells pretty soon. They keep getting more nuts like us in here and they are out of room. I don't know how soon they will put their plan into action but it can only mean trouble for most of us.
 
"I see." Penny chuckled. She understood the gravity of the situation and she understood that she wouldn't be able to speak to his demon. Even so, she appreciated the fact that Gath didn't sneer at her question. But she did wonder of him.

"Ooh dear." The thought of sharing a dwelling with Booker crept into her mind and she instinctively recoiled.
"I wonder if they're gender separated." A sigh. "Likely not, huh? That would be an extra hassle the staff would doubtlessly refuse to take on." She sat there for a couple more moments, purely thinking.

"Oh! Gath, there's one more thing that you might need to kno-" She was interrupted by the thump of drums. The bass couple be felt in their chests and in the ground beneath their feet, and just like that, the entire dining hall rose. Everyone filed out of the doors, Penny stood and motioned for Gath to do the same. She reached out her hand to him.

"Stay close."
 
Gath looked puzzled as he reached his hand out to meet hers. For a second he though about in-twinning his fingers with hers, but instead went with allowing her to grab the tips of his fingers in her small hands. He had no more time to think for now she was leading him around the crowded room of now mobile attendances of the asylum.

"Where are we going Penny," Gath asked in a loud voice in an attempt to be heard above the crowd. He did not know why he was being led around by the girl. Moreover he did not know why she had to hold his hand while doing so. He wanted the contact but at the same time it seemed not as friendship but more of a parent leading their child.
 
Corner, corner, corner... The crowd was overwhelming. At some point or another, Penny lost grip of Gath's hand and floated along with the flood of people, too absorbed in trying to find an empty corner for her and Gath, ironically. Her height was not an advantage in this situation, she was nearly stepped over at least twice. She only noticed his absence when the crowd slowed, reaching a still, and she landed at the far end of the hall with Booker at her side.

Penny was frantic. Her insides jumbled and her mind concocted the worst of situations, though the most that was outwardly shown were fidgeting fingertips- her own way of calming down. Or working herself up. At that point, she couldn't decipher which. She was in a corner like she wanted, however, not with the person she had hoped.

"Alright you pieces of shit, quiet down!" A voice from up front boomed. Penny wasn't able to see from the sheer mass of people, but she could certainly hear. She took a tentative step away from Booker. He followed suit. This kept up until she had a back to the wall and a jaw clenched in dread. The voice continued to spew words Penny wasn't able to catch, she too absorbed in trying to decipher her left and right and the nearest exit. She wondered if Gath was okay.
 
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Gath followed the girl as she slid her way trough the crowd. Several times he ran into others and lost his grip on her hand for a second at a time, but every time except for the last he was able to attach himself back to the girl as she quickly, almost frantically wound her way through the crowd. The last time he became disentangled after being held up by a girl who shot him a dirty look. When Gath turned to look for her she was gone, lost in the crowd.

Then the words came form the front. Everyone stopped moving making them an almost impassible wall. Gath turned his head towards the voice. It was pointless to proceed in looking for Penny. She was to short to stand out in this crowd.

"She will be fine," Gath whispered to himself.
 
Booker could feel his demon burning in his chest, rage rising just like the bile in Penny's throat. His glare was enough to make the King of the Underworld bow at his feet, luckily for Penny, he stood with his back facing her. He grew spiteful.

"Gathinian, you better come get your bitch before... well, I'll leave that to your imagination," He growled. Not aloud, no, in some sort of demon to demon telepathy he wasn't even sure Gath was aware of. Booker hurled disgusting insults and jibes at Gath in a nasty attempt to wretch his demon out by force. He turned with the intentions of sending a fear-inspiring glace at Penny, but he was only met with a blank wall, no girl with shaking knees.

While Booker seemed to be lost in some sort of intense thought, Penny took the opportunity to weave her way through the crowd in an attempt to create as much distance between them as possible. She only made it so far, it could take 3 large Booker steps to reach her.

"Ah, um, excuse me! Ye- sorry, just if you could- thank you," She was trying her best to be as discreet as possible, but she was struggling to forget her manners. They were to be standing stock still in attention position, but the majority were fidgeting or sluggishly slumping- she wondered if they would notice if she cried hallelujah then and there.
 
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