by Michael Todd
Pandora swallowed a bite and took a sip of her wine, then retrieved her napkin with two fingers and blotted her lips. “I have to admit, the whole rumor about superheroes and me? It’s true. In my mind, superheroes are the closest things to heroes from the old days. Of course, those heroes were a bit different. They didn’t wear capes or masks. Oh, some did, but it wasn’t a whole thing. They didn’t jump from tall buildings or fly around either. They did the things that were morally right for the people in their lives, and their societies.”
The detectives looked back and forth at each other, surprised to hear this from a demon. Pandora didn’t seem to notice. She just continued talking.
“During that nasty war, the one in the forties where they killed all those Jewish people, I met the nicest man. He knew if he stood up to the Nazis and attempted to help the Jewish people, they would shoot him dead. I sat him down in Poland at this neat little deli that was eventually taken over by the Germans. We had these delightful cheese perogies. Anyway. I told him if you can’t save them all, save as many as you can. It was like a lightbulb went off for him.”
Travers narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “Wait. Are you talking about…”
Pandora swallowed and glanced at Travers. “Oskar Schindler? Yes. Anyway, from there he started to bring Jewish people into his factories. He was able to pull from the concentration camps and put them to work. Those people didn’t end up in the ovens. In the end, I heard he saved, like, over a thousand people. Compared to the millions who were killed it seems like a small number, but it wasn’t small to those people.”
Travers sputtered, “But you’re a demon.”
“One of the things demons do constantly is play both sides of the fence. They do whatever it takes to get what they want.”
Schultz’s mouth dropped open, and he shook his head. “That’s an incredible story.”
Pandora didn’t even blink. “The whole point of it was, he was a hero. He might not have been called superhero because he didn’t have any type of magical abilities, but to me, that’s what a hero is.”
When she was done with her story, the two detectives sat there for several moments in silence, just watching her eat. After a bit of time had passed, Schultz looked at Travers and nodded. Travers pulled out what seemed to be a small men’s leather wallet and slid it across the table to Pandora.
Pandora flipped the case open. A golden badge rested on the leather. Her jaw dropped, revealing half-chewed ravioli. “What’s this?”
Schultz smiled. “We don’t want you to go vigilante. Try not to kill anyone.”
Travers piped in, “Unless they’re demons.”
“Right. Demons excluded.”
Pandora closed her mouth and swallowed, then picked up the badge with both hands like it was some delicate flower. She tilted it back and forth, watching the light play across its surface. They had made her a real superhero, at least on paper. She pursed her lips and looked at the men. She blinked and quickly grabbed her napkin to wipe away a welling tear. They had really gone above and beyond to make her feel important, something people had rarely done for her in the past.
Well shit, you take back over. You know I can’t handle this mushy shit, Pandora blubbered to Katie.
I got you.
Katie came back into her body and put the napkin down on her plate. She sniffed at the two detectives. “That was really nice of you guys to do that for Pandora. I have to admit, she was so touched that she didn’t know how to handle it. She sent me back out.”
Pandora scoffed. I know how to handle good touching.
Travers and Schultz stood up, Schultz reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long gold chain. He handed it to Katie. “This is for her to attach to the case. Anyway, we’re glad you liked it. We’re going to let you get back to your meal.”
Katie took a deep breath and pushed her plate away. “I won’t be far behind you. I’ve had my fill for tonight, and I think Pandora’s done.”
The detectives smiled kindly at her and walked out of the restaurant. A moment later the waitress came to the table bearing espresso and tiramisu. “From the two gentlemen,” she explained.
Katie chuckled to herself as she ate, Pandora silent inside her. After all the things her demon had seen and done, having people be nice to her was the one true way to shock Pandora into silence. Katie was starting to think Pandora was going soft, but she would never say that to her.
Katie collected her things and headed out of the restaurant, stopping on the busy sidewalk and stretching her arms over her head. Droves of cars raced by on the New York City streets, and there were people everywhere, locals and tourists alike.
You better hail us a cab, Pandora snapped without a thought.
I can do better than that.
Pandora perked up. What are you talking about?
Katie smirked and took off running, straight toward a large truck moving slowly down the block.
8
Katie leaped over cars and dodged swerving bicyclists, running as fast as she could to catch up with the truck. The whole time, a mischievous smile was plastered on her face.
“This broadcast is brought to you today by Reims Insurance. Nobody can deny that the world is a different place today than it was even two years ago. Paranormal and abnormal activity is now rampant. On today’s show, we’re going to delve into the effects that activity has on society,” the radio host announced with a chuckle.
Adam shifted in his seat excitedly and turned up the radio. He loved the show. The over-the-top blowhard radio host and his rhetoric made for good listening while he drove his rig around town. He also appreciated the informational aspects of the show. He thought it was important to keep up with what was going on in current events, namely the demons and various incursions.
The radio host continued, “I’m just gonna put this out there because you know I don’t bullshit my listeners. I think a lot of this demon shit is overhyped. Like with any of the other times in our history. One minute there’s some crazy virus going around the world, the next we’ve got a radical group that they say is endangering the entire country. It’s all overhyped. The government wants everyone to believe that the outside world is detrimental to our health and that we should stay in our homes, bolt our doors, and hide like good little peons.”
The truck driver chuckled. “Maybe you should take a walk on the New York streets once in a while.”
“And don’t even get me started on these fake fucking videos about Katie from Katie’s Killers. As if that little girl has ever killed one soul. I bet she’s never even stomped on a bug.” The radio host laughed, and Adam chuckled along with him.
The host was on a roll. He had found a good subject, and like a dog with a new toy, he was going to go after it. “Besides, how is someone that freaking hot a killer? That never happens, not outside the movies. If a girl like that truly was being chased by all these damn demons, there would be a hundred guys lined up at her door to protect her. They needed to slap a face onto the war on demons, so they picked the prettiest one they could find.”
Adam snorted laughter and reached into the passenger seat to grab a hot dog wrapped in tinfoil. He kept one hand on the steering wheel as he unwrapped the hot dog and took a big bite. Ketchup and mustard shot from the other end and ran down his shirt. “Shit!”
He put the hot dog back down on the seat and went to grab a napkin. His eyes bounced from the road in front of him to the mustard on his shirt. He shook his head and wiped at the condiments, really only smearing them around. Adam grumbled, “Fuck it” and grabbed the hot dog again, taking another big bite. His eyes drifted to the road and grew wide.
Katie—the Katie from Katie’s Killers—was running straight at his slow-moving truck.
He dropped the hot dog in his lap and grabbed the steering wheel, hitting the brakes. “Holy shit!”
Katie looked straight at him as she ran forward and jumped up, planting both feet on the truck’s front bumper. She gave him on
e of her signature smiles and launched straight up into the air, out of sight.
Adam slammed both feet on the brake pedal and the truck came to a screeching halt. He leaned as far out the window as he could. He could see her wings opening on each side of her body, and then the woman flew into the sky.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Katie from Katie’s killers right in front of him. He had seen a lot of shit in New York, but he hadn’t had a Katie sighting yet. In fact, it had been on his list. He wanted to see her, and he had planned to go out next time he heard about an incursion just so he could watch her at work. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to go far. There she was, wings and all, right above his head.
Adam slid back into his seat and searched frantically for his phone. “They aren’t going to fucking believe this.”
He grabbed his phone and hit speed dial. On the radio, he could hear the host still going on about how Katie was fake and how the videos were made to look worse than what they really were. “It’s a false flag, just like everything else in this world. New York seems to be the center of it, maybe because there are so many people. Oh! Looks like our weekly caller from New York City is on the line. Let’s hear from Big Adam from the Big Apple.”
Adam fumbled with this phone and turned down the radio to reduce feedback. He started to laugh nervously, still not believing what he just saw. “I’m going to tell you right now, I think you're a dumbass for not believing the hype. I live in New York City, and I see shit every day. When’s the last time you went out to one of these incursions or walked the streets of the boroughs?”
The radio host started laughing sarcastically. “What happened? Are you a video expert now, Big Adam? Because last time I talked to you, I could’ve sworn you were a truck driver in New York. Then again, these days most people are experts on something outside of their normal range of work.”
Adam scoffed. “No, I’m not a video expert, but I do believe what I see with my own eyes.”
“Okay, so you’ve seen Katie from Katie’s Killers? And I don’t mean on one of those sexy billboards in Times Square, Big Adam. I’m talking about in the flesh, huge tits, giant guns on her hips, and flaring red eyes. I’m talking about where you could reach out and touch her if she wouldn’t bite your fucking hand off.”
Adam picked up his hot dog and took a bite, talking while he was chewing. “I have. In fact, I just saw her. I was driving along in my truck, and what do I see? I’ll tell you what. Katie, running at full speed toward my truck and then leaping off the bumper and flying into the sky with those huge angel wings. So unless there’s something in my afternoon hot dog, I seen Katie from Katie’s Killers. And I saw this with my Mark One eyeball, the best bullshit detector I have.”
Nila shut the front door of the apartment and walked down the stairs. She sat down on the bottom step and sighed wishing she could go back to school and continue studying her sixth-grade science. It had been a long time since she actually enjoyed being at home, especially with her brother and her mother fighting all the time. She was despondent, looking straight down at the ground and not even blinking.
From the outside, no one could really tell what was on her mind. Was she suicidal? No, but she had some weighty things on her mind, especially for a girl her age. She was sad; really sad. She wished her brother would stop being such a dummy.
The sound of her mother’s voice rang out from behind the closed doors. “I just wish that you would appreciate the fact that I’m trying to raise you the best that I can. I don’t work my rear end off so that you can go run the streets at night and get yourself into this much trouble!”
Her brother snapped back. “I’m almost an adult. I can make my own decisions! It’s not my fault you’re gone all the time. I get bored.”
Her mother scoffed. “Oh, okay. If you’re such an adult, why don’t you go out and get a damn job? Why don’t you study a little bit harder and get good grades in school so you can get into college? If you want to be an adult, then you need to start acting like one instead of acting like a spoiled little child, because I didn’t raise you that way!”
Nila put her hands over her ears and stared down at the street. A lone leaf skittered past her, following by several pebbles rolling along. A sudden wind picked up, kicking dust into her eyes. Over the wind, she heard a huge thumping sound, like a big heart beating—or like mighty wings flapping. She squinted around, but didn’t see anything. She lifted her head and her mouth fell open. Carefully descending to the street in front of her was Katie, her large wings spread wide.
Nila was shocked to see Katie in real life. She had seen her on the television several times, but it never seemed real. Katie folded her wings behind her and tilted her head toward Nila.
Katie nodded at the door. “Hi. May I go in?”
Nila looked behind her at the sounds of her mother and brother fighting. “My brother. He’s not a demon, just a dumbass.”
Katie laughed and put her hands on her hips. “Most guys are at that age. Then again, moms don’t always react well to kids growing up.”
Katie touched down and walked over next to Nila. The girl reached toward her wings, but by the time her fingers got close they had disappeared.
Pandora snapped inside Katie’s head, You don’t touch the wings! That’s like touching the coochie without any smoochy. It’s just damn rude.
Katie frowned, not sure why Pandora was so bent out of shape about a young girl touching her wings. All right, calm down, demon lady. She’s just a child.
If you don’t teach them young, they end up like that little shitbird inside. Manners. It’s all about manners.
Katie chuckled. That’s rich, coming from you.
Katie didn’t give Pandora a chance to respond. She knew it would be something smart, anyway. She studied Nila and took a knee in front of her. “I promise it’ll be okay. Things like this tend to work themselves out eventually. I’m just gonna go in and see if I can’t help a little bit, all right?”
Nila nodded and watched as Katie walked up the stairs and opened the front door.
Katie went inside and looked around the meagerly-furnished house. It was apparent that the woman was a single mom doing the best she could.
The mother snapped her head to the doorway. “Nila! Don’t you have homework?”
Katie walked into the kitchen and smiled. The woman’s look of surprise turned into recognition, and she cleared her throat and stepped back. Katie’s eyes shifted from the mother to the son, sizing them up. She crossed her arms over her chest, and the boy glared at her indignantly.
Katie thought about the two of them, then chuckled and grabbed the boy by the arm. She said to the mother, “I’ll take this.” Then to the boy, “There’s something I want to show you.”
The boy was only about sixteen, so it wasn’t hard for Katie to manhandle him. The kid clearly did not like that. The mother was too stunned to say anything, and she merely watched as Katie walked him over to the window. “Look outside.”
The boy puffed out his chest and tried to shrug her off, but Katie could tell he was scared. He snarled, “C’mon. Seen it a hundred times, what’s going to be so unique about one hundred and one?”
Katie grabbed the kid under the arms. “This…”
She pushed him through the window and over the side of the fire escape. The kid screamed as he fell.
“No! Don’t hurt him! He’s not a demon. I love him!” the mother yelled after Katie.
Katie dove after the boy and caught him. Between his screaming and the mom yelling, Katie was starting to think that she made a bad decision.
Katie’s wings instantly popped out, and they flew skyward. Nila ran to her mother, and they scrambled to the window to watch them fly off. Nila patted her mother on the shoulder. “Mom, calm down. She knows he’s not a demon. I talked to her. Just take a deep breath. I promise you, when she gets back, things will be different.”
The mother nodded her head and pulled Nila close. They stood there f
or only about ten minutes, but to the mother, it seemed like hours. Finally, they saw Katie approach, carrying the teen in her arms. Nila noticed almost immediately that the boy was smiling. Katie hovered over the fire escape and dropped him the last foot. He scrambled through the window and hugged his mom tightly before she could say a word.
The boy began to ramble. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about before. And I’m sorry we were gone so long too, I was looking for jobs…”
The mother sniffled happily and hugged him again. He continued apologizing, and together they walked deeper into the house.
Nila climbed out onto the fire escape and grabbed the railing. Katie hovered in front of her and gave her a warm, comforting grin. “Want to see what the city looks like from above? I’ve gotta get back home, but I can spare a few minutes.”
Nila peeked inside. Her mother and brother were sitting in the living room, and they weren’t paying any attention to her. She climbed up on the railing and jumped toward Katie. Katie caught her and squeezed her tightly, then flapped her wings in great heartbeat-like thumps as they ascended.
Far below them on a street corner, for just a moment, a man thought he heard two girls giggling, accompanied by the steady rhythmic beat of angel wings.
9
Timothy rolled his office chair across the IT room, humming to himself happily. Everything was in order, just the way he liked it. Now that he had an actual job instead of just looking for random things and keeping the base safe, he had relaxed. It also helped that Korbin and Stephanie were back. Timothy and Stephanie had picked up like they were never apart.
“I’m grabbing some sandwiches. You want one?” Stephanie asked, poking her head in the door.
Timothy raised his hands in submission. “Girl, I’m getting fatter by the minute. If I’m not careful, I won’t fit into those leather Louis dress pants I bought the other day. Gotta keep my tummy small and my fanny tight.”