“Good Neighbors” is a short story published in the collection Small Victories in 2020. Rachel and Alex hunt a neighborhood demon.
Warning[]
“Good Neighbors” contains explicit violence, rampant profanity, a homeowners association, perfidy, destruction of private property, fantasy depictions of demonic and divine beings bearing little or no resemblance to established religious canon, ambitious neighbors, stabbing, beating, defenestration, false identification, dangerous misuse of gym equipment, assault, harsh words, immolation, explicit expletives, demons, angels, ordinary jerks, attempted murder, punching, kicking, elbowing, grappling, bearers of false witness, and innuendo.
Synopsis[]
Rachel had noted traces of a demon in their building after the Battle of Suite 1705.[1] She was unable to locate it herself and enlisted Alex as bait. He started in the condominium gym, where he first suspected Ransom of being the demon. Sarah entered and made a pass at Alex before she went to the sauna. A demon—Xazzal—spoke to Alex on how he could have her, and Alex realized the demon had found him.
He went to the sauna in order to give Rachel a shot against Xazzal, but it turned out Sarah was a demon wearing a mortal skin. The following fight banished both Sarah and Xazzal to Hell and left the gym wrecked. Rachel and Alex blamed it all on Sarah as Ransom saw the damage.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Alex Carlisle
- Rachel
- Melanie, a resident of the building
- Ransom, another resident of the building
- Sarah
- Xazzal
- Lorelei (mentioned only)
- Robert Gorge (mentioned only)
Locations & organizations[]
Items[]
- Alex’s gladius (mentioned only)
Continuity[]
“Good Neighbors” is set in January, the week after Personal Demons.
Theories[]
It is unclear how long Sarah had been a demon, or which type she was. That Rachel was unaware of her presence implies that her skin had been fitted well and carefully, and not in a rush. On the other hand, Sarah makes a reference to having seen Alex with his girlfriend before, and it is well established that other demons can easily sense and identify Lorelei.[2] Other demons can also sense Lorelei’s presence on Alex up to a day after any sexual contact between the two, and would avoid him for that reason alone.[3]
Sarah attempted seduction to get Alex alone, but she was assisted by Xazzal, and so it doesn’t appear to be her usual way of working. Sarah also says ”I’m an—” before she is interrupted by Rachel, implying that the name of her type begins with a wovel sound.
Publication history[]
“Good Neighbors” was first published on Elliott Kay’s Patreon in June 2020. It was re-published in Small Victories in July 2020.
References[]
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 23
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 8
- ↑ Skin