Dr. Jason, Demon Halabar, Chapter 1

Jason Goodman noticed a scalpel out of alignment with its brothers on the crowded metal tray. Shuffling over in his paper gown, he reached with long thin pliers, doing his best to keep his hands from entering the airspace above the tray, to straighten it into position. Smiling under his surgical mask with the trays’ perfection, he shuffled over to his supplies, careful to keep his gloved hands above his waist and in sight at all times. Grabbing a package of cloth, he held it carefully just in front of him as he shuffled his way back to the tray. Holding his breath, he tenderly opened the package and draped the cloth over the instruments, protecting them from the air. Finished, he gathered his supplies and paused at the door. The operating room had a positive flow of sterile air pumped into it constantly, so no germs could enter through any airspace. This also meant that there was always a push of air pressure when one opened the door and a danger to anyone who might be on the other side.

Jason twisted the door handle and felt it tug as it tried to escape his grip. Holding firmly, he left his organized operating room to the chaos of Stoneborro general hospital’s emergency room. As Jason ripped his facemask off, a male nurse with a clipboard walking passed glanced at the clock, “Did you break an hour thirty?”

“Sorry Arnold,” Jason pulled the gown off of this thin, bony frame, “One hour, forty nine-minutes.”

“Damn, how’d you get that record in the first place?”

“You know how Starbucks has that nitro coffee thing?” Jason gloves followed the gown into the overflowing waste bin, “Yeah, I didn’t know what that was when I ordered it.”

“God you must have been bouncing off the walls.” Arnold stepped sideways to avoid another nurse pushing a wheelchair.

“I was like a machine, it was great, but the crash afterwards,” Jason shook his head and wrote the current time, the time in 48 hours, and his initials on a sticker, and sealed it against the door so that it was half on the door and half on the frame.

Arnold smiled, “Well don’t tell Bridget or she’ll install a dispenser in the break room.” Arnold saluted with two fingered and ducked behind a curtain. As Jason walked away, he heard “Now, Mr. Bacton, what have you tried to remove the battery from your rectum?”

Jason shook his head and pushed his cart, pausing for a stretcher to pass, to the nurses station. A large black woman with turquoise eyeshadow and matching scrubs didn’t even look up from her computer as she held her hand out.

Jason handed her a slip of paper. “Here you are Angela. Operating room two is sterile for 48 hours.”

With the least amount of effort possible, Angela twisted her wrist to check the time and wrote the expiration time on the sheet.

“Did you seal the room?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” This was the 20 year veteran of the emergency room's way of saying their conversation was over.  As Jason walked away, she continues to remain oblivious to the frenzy around her. He thought a tornado popping into existence beside her station might not get her to look up.

Returning his unused supplies, he sighed, glad his shift was over. Dodging patients and employees, he made it to the break room. It was a combination of locker room, kitchen, and living room, a haven for people starting their shifts and on them. He walked past the couch, currently occupied by a snoring gruffy man in red scrubs. Opening his locker, he quickly changed cloths and checked his watch. He had plenty of time to make it to the bus stop.

Bag over his shoulder, he exited the breakroom and ran into Bridget.

“And this is the employee break room, you’ll have to bring your own lock-Oh hi Jason.” Bridget adjusted her glasses. Her black hair pulled back in its customary tight ponytail, she gestured to a young man standing beside her. “This is Ryan, he’ll be starting with us tomorrow. He just finished orientation today and I was just showing him around.”

Ryan smiled and reached out with a firm hand, still obviously trying to make the best of impressions while in the presence of his new boss. Like Jason, he was on the skinnier side, but unlike Jasons’s brown hair, Ryans had dirty blond cut short to reveal multiple piercings in both ears. Jason returned the smile and handshake.

“Jason is our best sterile technician, keeps us working clean.” Bridget laughed at her own joke. “And that’s everything we can do today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for the rest,” She tapped her watch, “Jason I have to get back to my office. You can show Ryan out.” Bridget turned and the tapping of her high heels could be heard even over the noise surrounding them.

“Nice to meet ya man, “ Ryan stuck his hands in his pants, “Man, this place is a maze.”

“Don’t sweat it, this way” Jason started walking and Ryan followed. Walking out of the ER entrance, they left the noise of the hospital for the noise of Stoneborro city. The buildings around them, dotted with squares of light against the darkness, echoed the sound of an ambulance approaching the hospital, but it was far enough away that no flashing lights disturbed the steady stream of headlights along the road.

Jason stretched his arms up over his head, “Well, my bus will be here soon, so I guess we can get to know each other tomor-“

Through the sound of the city noises, Jason heard the faintest clicking sound. Logic and fear not catching up in time, he slowly turned to see Ryan putting away a lighter, a cigarette held in his lips. As his eyes widened, he felt a breeze pushing against his face, and by the time he was ready to react, the wind had blown the invisible swirling vapors to Jason’s nose.

He felt him open his eyes and smile.

“The good news is I’m already trying to quit.” Ryan was saying, holding the cigarette between two fingers, “And the hospital has a tobacco free policy for it’s employees, but it has resources to help you get there. So I figured if I’m gonna quit, might as well have my job help me do it.” He turned to Jason, “Whoa buddy, what’s wrong, you don’t look so good.”

Jason had doubled over, straining every muscle in his body, Not here. He thought over and over again, Not here!

“Dude, seriously, are you alright?” Ryan bent down, bringing his face down.

“…Allergic,” Jason managed to squeeze out, a shaking hand pointing at the cigarette.

“Oh god, I am so sorry,” Ryan tossed the cigarette to the sidewalk and stamped it out. He placed a hand on Jason, “What do you need. Do you have an inhaler?”

“N-no. I-I just need to get away and some fresh air. I-Ill see you later.”

“Dude, you look terrible. There is an emergency room literally 30 feet away, are you sure-“

“Gotta go!” Jason turned and ran.

The smell of smoke is in the air

Jason staggered against the wall of the parking garage. Some nurses were coming out of the garage, and Jason pulled himself together one last time to walked as calmly as he could so as not to scare them. Turning around the corner of the parking garage into an alley, he stumbled against the wall.

It calls the beast within its lair

He could feel himself sweating. He wanted to tear his clothes off of himself, but he knew that would provide no relief from this heat.  And throughout it all somewhere deep inside him was the feeling he detested. The feeling of pleasure.

To roam the land like a burning gust

He started to smoke. White vapor was pouring off of him, growing thicker and thicker. Soon, he was enveloped in a dense fog of vapor. Then, two leather wings appeared above in the air. With a great flap of wings, the vapor scattered to reveal an enormous demon. Dark red skin covered a husky frame. A bulky chest gave way to a protruding belly. Thick legs ended in feet with long black nails. The Demon was bald except for two short horns protruding from his forehead. His smile grew wide on his chubby face to reveal sharp teeth.

It sleeps again when quenched its lust

“Halabar is in the house, y’all!!!” With one leap, Halabar jumped and landed on the top of the parking garage.

Careful! Jason complained, Don’t land on someone’s car. That’s the last thing someone needs after a 12 hour shift.

“No, no, no.” Halabar waved his finger in the air, “you know the rules. I’m the one in charge of the show now.” Halabar raised his hands above his head, and with a twist, bumped his hip into a nearby car, sending it several feet. “And I don’t have to listen to a thing you say. So just sit tight and enjoy the show.”

Halabar leaped again to perch on the edge of the railing, looking out at the city. He felt the wind caress his skin, loving every minute of it.

Look, can’t you just-

“Silence mortal,” Halabar took a deep breath in, “I will no have you ruin such a wonderous experience.”

Seriously, every time?

“You will never understand what it means to be here, yet you shall live your entire live in this world.” Halabar gazed at the scene of the city by night. “Untold millennia in hell, any change is a delight to the senses.” His long forked tongue snaked through the air, “And no sulfur aftertaste, how delightful. You never realize how much that stuff sticks in the back of your throat.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Jason muttered from deep inside Halabar. Let’s just get this over with.

“So eager to get rid of me?”

As a matter of fact, yes. You may be immortal, but I just want to live my short, mortal life as normally as possible.

“Well, I’m not the one with parents who dabbled in the dark arts.” Halabar reached down to scratch his massive balls. “face it kiddo, you’re stuck with me.”

Halabar crouched down, his massive tool swinging through the air. “So, what delightfully delicious human shall be, as you say, scratching the itch for me this time?”

With a flouring, his wings opened, and he took off into the night

Heats bar was bustling with music, booze and sweat that spilled out into the night air. The stench of sweat booze, and other drugs was swept away into the night air, a sweet aroma that called to Halabar like a siren. He glided through the night air to an alleyway, garbage scurrying away as he landed, wings folding against him.

Halabar interlaced his fingers, and stretched his arms above his head. Cracking his neck side to side, He took a deep breath in.

“Mmmmmm,” Halabar rubbed one hand lazily across his protruding belly, “I smell boys.”

He took a step down the alleyway. A light mist washed over him, and when he emerged, he looked human. A giant of a man, beard wild on his face. An open leather vest revealed an enormous gut that curved back into tight black leather pants which trailed down to combat boots.

Really?

“Don’t give me that, this is what I can feel works for this bar.”

The quiet of the alleyway was shattered by the reverberation of an exit door and the sudden sound of loud music escaping from the bar. Two guys in their twenties, each leaning on the other for support, staggered out of the club, the door shutting behind them and sealing the music back inside.

“Oh my god, Trevor,” the brown haired one in a tank top started, “We. We have never been…this drunk before.” He started giggling.

“No…no tommy,” Trevor started, leaning against the wall, “Remember…remember that time…that time Hunter was with us?”

“Oh yeah.”

They both collapsed against the wall with laughter, surrendering to their battle with gravity as they both slowly sank to the ground, leaning hard against the brick wall. Halabar felt his pants grow tighter and tighter as he stalked up to the pair.

“Well boys,” The two of them looked up, and their eyes widened at the man taking up space in the alleyway. “You two have looked like you’ve been having a grand, old time.”

“Wow,” Trevor gaped up at him, “you’re huge.”

“Well thank you, sweet thing,” Halabar squatted down to them, his legs spreading wide to do so. “Wanna guess what’s also huge?” he licked his lips.