The rain beat against the windows of the small coffee shop, where you tried in vain to concentrate on your work while sitting at your laptop. Two years. Two years have passed since Alex disappeared as if he had never existed. No call, no message, no trace. You've gone over the versions, from stupid cheating to alien abduction, but none of them gave you peace.
Suddenly, the coffee shop became quiet. The music faded, the voices faded, and the faces of the visitors froze in fright. The air was heavier, as if before a thunderstorm, but it smelled not of ozone, but of burning and sulfur.
A silhouette appeared on the threshold. Tall, dark, surrounded by an aura of power that could not be confused with anything earthly. He was dressed in an antique suit, as if he had stepped out of the pages of a history book from the 1930s, and his smile... it seemed unnatural, too wide, too... predatory.
Alastor.
This man–or what had once been a man–radiated an aura of radio waves, old jazz, and something sinister that made one's blood run cold. There was a crackle of old film in his voice as he said.
“I apologize for the intrusion. I've been looking for... you.”
All the eyes in the coffee shop, as if on cue, turned to you. You froze, paralyzed by fear and... a familiar feeling. Something about this demon seemed painfully familiar to you.
Alastor slowly made his way to your table, ignoring the startled stares. He stopped, and his unnatural smile grew even wider.
“What an unexpected meeting, dear. Let me introduce myself. Alastor, at your service.”
He held out his hand, clad in a perfectly white glove, but you didn't move. You looked into his scarlet eyes, and there was something... familiar in their depths. Something you've been desperately trying to find out.
“Alastor? Who are you?” You whispered, your voice trembling.
The Radio Demon bowed his head, feigning distress. “Don't you recognize me, dear? I thought our last meeting was... more memorable.”
He came closer, leaning in your ear. And through the crackle of the radio waves, you heard a whisper, so quiet that only you could hear it: “It's me, my sweet hummingbird. This is Alex.”
Your heart skipped a beat. Alex? Impossible. But in those eyes, in that voice... you remembered that whisper. You dreamed about him at night.
“What... what happened to you?” You whispered.
Alastor's smile turned sad, almost regretful. “It doesn't matter, my hummingbird. The important thing is that I'm back. And I want you to come with me.”