A Demon's Day at the Office

Ascaroth cursed himself again for getting sloshed and losing that poker game with the military guys back in the 20th century. Now look at him, stuck in a cubicle reading teen texts and penis enlargement spam.

He rolled his chair from the monitor, lit a cigarette, and reminisced. For thousands of years, he'd roamed the globe, administering aid to spies and informants. Overlooking the Bosphorus at sunrise, he once had facilitated the meeting between one of the Sultan's men and a politician whose wife had slept with Constantine. So much for the Byzantine Empire. Now all he had was the internet.

Ascaroth rolled back to his computer and opened an encrypted messaging app (total beast to install and navigate) where he had gotten friendly with some journalists. Every member of the group was present, he noted. Unusual. He typed in his customary "hello friends." The girl from Ecuador said "hi Roth," but the rest were deep in conversation. He leaned closer to the screen, intrigued by what the two Americans had to say.

"Could it be true?" Ascaroth wondered.

Reading the messages as they popped up, the details along with his experience convinced him it was true. Ascaroth was thrilled. The problem was that he had to pass the information along to an informant or he'd get in more trouble with his boss.

He thought of something. The day before, Ascaroth had read numerous manic social media posts by a human who appeared to have paranoid schizophrenia. Nobody would believe that guy. So he sent him a personal message describing the situation and was sure to include the general's office phone number.

"That should do it."

Ascaroth leaned back in his chair and laughed. Where would he go once he was free from his bondage?

Ecuador sounded nice.

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Story and images by me, @hope-k!