“The demons are coming,” the old woman said from the corner of her cell.

“When,” the sheriff asked.

“As soon as you kill me,” she replied.

“What if we don’t kill you?”

Cries from the townsfolk rose above the window.

“That’s not how this goes,” she said, her smile anticipatory.

C. P. Lopes is a Canadian writer whose brain is in a constant tug-of-war between fantasy and reality. She’s blessed with two amazing bright and talented children, a brilliant and supportive husband, and the most affectionate dog on the planet (#FightMe).