The music of the Partridge Family blasted all around her and Stella slowly opened her right eye. She was in pain and her left eye was sealed shut. Her mouth was gagged and as she struggled to move her arms and legs, she realized they were tied to the posts of the bed she was laying on. "What the hell is going on?"

Each breath she took brought more pain in her chest and she wheezed a bit as she adjusted her position. She remembered going on her date and standing by her car. The realization of what her date had done was overwhelming. She felt herself screaming but her body refused to make any noises. She could feel the tears leaving her right eye. Her shoulders shook with each silent sob her body made. She couldn't move and she didn't know where she was.

Suddenly a door opened and a stream of light filled the room. A tall dark figure stood in the middle of the light. "So you finally decided to wake up? Those sleeping pills worked a little too well. I was afraid I almost killed you and that wouldn't be any fun for me now would it?"

She could see him getting closer and he was carrying a circle of white flowers.

"I was a little busy making you a present. Do you like it?" He held up the crown of flowers and gently placed them on a nightstand next to the bed.

She couldn't see much but she tried moving her arms and legs to attempt an escape. She knew it was useless but she had to try. He laughed. It was the most evil sound she had ever heard.

"You dumb bitch. Do you actually think you can escape? I didn't tie up the last one and she got loose." Stella felt his weight as he sat on the bed. She shut her eyes and felt the tip of a knife against her temple. "Although, the idea of chasing my kill is tempting, I don't have time tonight. I have plans for you Stella. Why are you crying? I told you we were gonna have some deadly wicked fun tonight, didn't I? Well...I will anyway." He laughed again.

Stella thought of JB pleading for her not to go on this date and her pinky promise to be home before he woke up the next day. Her heart ached for the little boy she loved who would now be all alone. She started to say a mental prayer that he would be well taken care of and that he wouldn't be too sad without her.

"Look at me Stella." He climbed on top of her and forced her right eye open with his hand. She could feel the rubber gloves he was wearing as he forced the knife into her flesh, "Don't worry sweetheart, you'll pass out from the pain soon enough."

~MEANWHILE~

Eva was trying to keep her fear under control at the sound of the man yelling at her from the other side of her door. Joelynn ran downstairs after she heard screaming outside and she was shocked to see Eva standing against the door while someone was banging on it.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

Eva shook her head while the person behind the door shouted, "Open the door! I just want to talk to you!"

Eva shouted, "I have the cops on the line you asshole!"

Suddenly it became quiet. The banging had stopped. Eva felt like she was in the eye of a hurricane and the horrible part had passed but there was still more to come. She waited a few more beats before stepping away from the door.

Joelynn was scared. She walked towards Eva and asked, "Are you okay?"

Eva had the phone in her hand. She told the 911 operator that she was going to hang up and wait for the cops.

As Eva clicked the button to end the call, she took one more step away from the door when she heard, "I'm sorry I scared you Eva." The voice was calm but Eva jumped in fear. "Eva. Open the door please. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Go away!" Eva said loudly with a strangled voice. She was amazed that anything was coming out of her throat, she was so scared.

"Please. I need your help." He sounded like his face was pressed up against the door.

"The cops are coming!" Eva warned him again but all she could think was, "Where the hell were they?"

"We met a few days ago at the police station. My name is Tom McDaniels. My friend was killed and I think you can help me. Please." The word please came out as a choked cry.

Eva remembered him. He was some big time businessman that came out in the newspaper's society pages every once in a while. She had been in such a rush to work her story that day that she didn't fully process who the man had been at the police station. It wasn't until later, that she remembered his name and face. Eva came around to the window next to the door and peeked out. She had the porch light on and looked at his face. He was still trying to wipe at his eyes with his tie. She loved her pepper spray and made a mental note to buy a stun gun too. As he lifted his face upwards, she recognized him for who he said he was.

It was at that moment that the squad car came driving up with its flashing red and blue lights.

"The police are here Eva. I just want to talk to you." Tom was still pressed against her door.

"Sir, would you mind turning around with your hands in the air?" Eva could hear a police officer telling Tom McDaniels. Eva saw that Tom did as the police ordered.

She clutched her locket and a memory of her father warning her, "Eva, curiosity killed the cat...but so can ignorance," prompted her to open the door to her house. Tom tilted his head slightly towards her.

"Officers, I'm really sorry but I made a mistake. I thought he was an intruder but he's...umm...an old friend." Eva could be signing her own death warrant but she hoped her gut feeling to find out what was going on with Tom McDaniels was going to pay off.

One of the officers responded, "Ma'am, are you telling us you called 911 by accident?" He looked at the groceries which were still on the ground around Tom McDaniels, "I suppose that was another accident?"

Eva shook her head, "No officer. I didn't recognize him at first and I was scared. I even pepper sprayed him." Eva pointed to Tom's red eyes. She quickly picked up the few groceries that hadn't been damaged. "See? His eyes are like that because of the pepper spray."

The officer looked Tom up and down, "Yeah, he looks like shit. If you know him, what's his name?"

Eva answered and the officer checked his ID. He then told Eva, "I'll let this go tonight, but if you make another call like that again, I'll arrest you for making prank calls to the police."

Eva apologized as did Tom. After the police officer left, Eva turned to Tom. She looked into his red eyes and took a step back in surprise, "Your eyes!"

Tom sighed, "May I come in?" He didn't wait to get an answer but stepped inside the house. Joelynn was there standing behind the sofa. He nodded once to her in acknowledgement and then asked Eva, "May I use your sink please?"

Eva led him to the kitchen so that he could wash his eyes out. While he was busy wetting his eyes and drying them with a paper towel, Joelynn asked her cousin, "Eva...what the hell is going on?"

Eva gave her an abbreviated version, "He's a guy I met the other day. I didn't recognize him but he's okay. Don't worry Joelynn. I got this. What have you been up to?"

Joelynn looked at the guy at the sink who was trying to stop the stinging in his eyes while cursing under his breath and back to Eva who was also watching him, "I filled out an online dating profile."

"What about Jacob?"

Joelynn rolled her eyes, "For the millionth time, he's gay and stop trying to act like things are not weird right now. That man at the sink was just trying to bang down our door!"

Finally, Tom finished wiping his eyes. He had a wet paper towel pressed against them. Eva pulled out a kitchen chair, "Take a seat Mr. McDaniels."

Tom lifted the paper towel over his eyes for a second to see where she was pointing and then he sat. "I see you know who I am. Do you mind if our conversation is private? I'm not sure who the other lady is but I would prefer this stay between the two of us."

Eva looked at Joelynn who was shaking her head, "No."

Eva looked back at Tom, "You do realize that you're in no position to be calling any shots, right?"

Tom sighed, "It's why I used the words do you mind."

Eva frowned and then looked over to Joelynn again who had her arms crossed and was looking at Eva as if she would refuse to budge. "It's no problem. Joelynn, it's okay. I'm not afraid of him." When she said that Tom scoffed.

Joelynn clearly didn't want to but decided to let Eva handle the situation on her own, "If you need me, just call out. I'll be in the next room with my phone...ready to call the cops again."

Eva sat across from Tom, "So before we begin. Why the contacts?"

Tom laughed bitterly. He removed the paper towel and looked Eva straight in the eye, "What? I can't wear green contacts?"

Eva shuddered as she looked at his eyes which were still red from the pepper spray. "It's just odd. Most straight men don't wear colored contacts." She realized what she said and tried to correct herself, "Well I'm guessing you're straight. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay. Or that only gay guys were contacts but you don't seem metrosexual either. Besides light blue trumps green eyes in my book. So why the contacts?"

This time he gave a genuine laugh, "Look, I'm sorry I scared you earlier. I just really wanted to talk to you. I shouldn't have waited for you outside like some stalker but I was desperate and that's not something I admit to very often. I admit I was a bit angry earlier."

"Open the fucking door, you bitch," Eva reminded him. "That's what you shouted at my door. Who wouldn't be frightened by that? I couldn't exactly mistake you for Avon or something, could I?"

Tom put down his damp paper towel, "Again, I admit I was angry. I said some things I shouldn't have said but you deceived me."

Eva lightly clutched her locket and looked away, "What are you talking about?"

"The police station? Are you going to sit there and pretend you didn't play me for some chump? You said you were trying to help me. Imagine my surprise when I looked at today's newspaper."

Eva had the grace to look a little guilty, "Oh...that."

"Yeah that," Tom said dryly.

Eva straightened her shoulders, "I can make an assumption about what you want help with but as you clearly just witnessed, when I assume...I make an ass out of you and me. So just spit it out. What do you want?"

"I know I could hire a private investigator but I don't think that would work. I need someone that has an understanding of what I'm dealing with. I've read your articles on the Demon King. You've been able to find out things that the police have tried to keep a secret. That tells me you're smart, resourceful, and a good investigative reporter. I want to hire you to help me."

Eva was confused, "Help you do what? Look for the Demon King? Why would I want to do that? I just write about what he's done, I'm not trying to find out who he is."

"Why not?"

"Why would I?" Eva stood up, "I'm not a police officer. I don't catch the bad guys, I just write about them."

"I know I'm right about you. You're not somebody that sits back and waits for a story to come to her, you're the reporter that chases after the story. Wouldn't the ultimate story be that you uncovered a murderer? Before the police?"

Eva shook her head, "Get a private detective."

"I don't want one. I want you. That last girl. She was a friend. I tried to erase her from my memories but I can't. I just can't." Tom began swaying as he hunched over in his chair. He had his face in his hands and his elbows were on his knees. He was talking slowly like someone would do if they were trying to carefully explain something. "I wish someone would scrub my head clean until she was gone...but there isn't anybody. I can't let it go and it's killing me. It's fucking killing me and if I don't take care of this pain inside me, I don't know what I'll do. I need your help. Please Eva. Please...help me." He took a deep breath and then another as if he were trying to control some kind of demon inside of himself.

Eva felt sorry for him. She sat back down and said, "I'm not making any promises and I'm not agreeing to anything...but what would you need me to do?"

Tom looked up at her and his blue and red eyes were frightening to her. He gulped and answered, "I need you to tempt the Demon King."

While Eva was in the kitchen with Tom McDaniels, Joelynn waited in the Living Room. She was pacing in circles while she waited for the creepy guy in the kitchen to leave. She didn't understand what Eva was thinking but she trusted her cousin. She heard a dinging sound and looked at her phone. "Wow that was fast." It was a message from someone at the dating site she had registered with earlier that night. Joelynn smirked, "I know I'm pretty but dang that was fast."

She looked at the message, "Hi. I think you're cute. Let's chat."

Joelynn looked up towards the kitchen. She hadn't heard any screaming or yelling so things must've been going okay in there. She looked back down at her message and clicked on the username of the person who sent her the message.

It read King27.