by Michael Todd
Calvin reached to his side and pulled a dagger. There was no way he was going to be taken down by some two-bit fucking biker demon at a low-rent gas station in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t give a fuck how big the dude was.
Calvin swiped with the knife, pushing the demon back. He crouched very low and cracked his neck before running forward and leaping high into the air. He came down knees-first on the biker’s chest and then grabbed his head, swinging his body around to the back. Calvin gripped the demon’s chin tightly as the biker whipped back and forth, trying to throw him off. He dug the blade of his dagger into the biker’s flesh, ripping open his throat.
The demon reached up, clutching at the flowing blood. Calvin jumped down and kicked him in the back, sending him to the ground. He squirmed and groaned for another few seconds before bursting into ash and blowing off with the desert wind. Calvin, breathing heavily, stuck the dagger back in its sheath and walked over to the Jeep. Sofia jumped out and wrapped her arms around him.
Calvin looked down at her knee. “You’re hurt.”
Sofia shook her head. “Just a scratch. It’s okay.”
Sofia’s mom got out, handing Calvin’s gun back to him. “Thank you.”
Calvin smiled at her. “That was some pretty good aim. You ever think about joining the business?”
Everyone laughed, although Sofia’s father looked nervous as hell. At least they were all alive.
Coco climbed out of one of the leather bags on the motorcycle and scurried over to the side, hiding behind one of the poles. He watched as the mercenary battled the bikers, turning them all to ash. He whimpered and rushed across the concrete before they could see him, running under the Jeep. He hid there until it was all over. Suddenly the Jeep started up and Coco panicked, reaching up and grabbing the frame as tightly as he could. He was not going to lose them.
Stephanie walked out of the building and looked up at the moon, tapping her foot. The stars were shining extra bright that night, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. She glanced down at her watch: ten after midnight. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen, finding that she had no missed calls or texts from Calvin. They were supposed to be there already. In fact, they should have been there hours before.
She tried to force herself not to worry when it came to things like that, but with the current situation, she was very concerned for their safety. Just as she was about to go back inside, a plume of dust and sand billowed up near the front gate. She walked forward as a Jeep, dirty and worse for wear, drove up to the building. It stopped, and Calvin got out, smiling at her.
Stephanie let out a deep breath and put her hand to her chest, then walked over to Calvin and wrapped her arms around him and giving him a big hug. “I was worried about you guys. I tried to call, and I texted.”
Calvin looked at his phone. “I always have terrible service out here. We ran into a few issues, but we’re here now.”
Calvin pulled a folded envelope from his back pocket. “I don’t want to forget. Korbin sent these with me from France. They are for your garden. Lily seeds.”
Stephanie laughed and took the envelope from him. She took a deep breath and glanced over as Sofia’s parents got out of the Jeep. “So, I know you had some sort of issue and you had to come here for safety purposes, but the rest of it I am completely lost on. Why are you here instead of in France? And why do you have Sofia and her parents along with you? I thought she was all settled in San Diego and getting ready for the baby and all that stuff.”
Sofia walked up and hugged Stephanie, kissing her on the cheek. Stephanie smiled and rubbed her hand across her belly. Calvin took a deep breath and looked at the building. “I’m going to start out by saying it’s been a long couple of months. So, we were in Taiwan, and we ended up getting attacked.”
Stephanie blinked. “Which time?”
Calvin chuckled. “This last time. Anyway, it was brutal, I won’t lie. There were hundreds and hundreds of those suckers coming out, and none of the Damned were trained. They were dropping like flies, more of the wall was getting knocked down, and everyone was running out of ammo. Korbin took the three Damned that were left and were headed to try to help the city. Well, I could tell that we were in a no-win situation at that point, and I just couldn’t let that happen, so I pinpointed the biggest motherfucker out there and I tricked him into infecting me, then bullied him into submission, basically.”
Nate scoffed. Now, I wouldn’t call it submission. More like I gave in for the food.
Stephanie looked at the beat-up Jeep and the scrape on Stephanie’s leg. “And this?”
Calvin nodded. “After I became infected, I knew I needed to go see Sofia. You know, be there for her. When I got there, we were at dinner and someone shot up the house. Turned out it was a demon. I moved everyone to a hotel while I tried to figure it out. Well, at the airport, she attacked, and let’s just say they won’t be using that plane again. We thought it was done.”
Sofia snorted. “Then we were attacked at the gas station a ways back. Thank God my mom is a good shot.”
Stephanie smiled, giving Sofia’s mom a thumbs-up. She shook her fist in return, nodding her head.
“Well, that sounds like a full day of total bullshit,” Stephanie remarked, turning to lead them inside. “Come on, let’s check on portals. Maybe one opened and we didn’t see it.”
Sofia gathered her parents and headed upstairs to the kitchen for some coffee while Calvin and Stephanie went to Comm. Timothy looked up as they walked in. “Well, look what the wind blew in. I thought you were coming by plane.”
Calvin chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Long story. Can you scan from San Diego to here and tell me if you see any abnormal demonic activity?”
Timothy looked at him strangely and nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”
He typed quickly and put the resulting image up onto the main screen for everyone to see. Standing up, he put one hand on his lower back and shook his head. “No, no portals opening. In fact, when I checked nationwide earlier, there were no portals opening anywhere. If you are looking for strange activity, that is definitely it. It’s probably the first time since I created this system.”
Calvin shook his head and leaned back against the desk. “There are no portals opening anywhere? What the hell is going on? Why were these asshats chasing us around, trying to kill my wife and me? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Stephanie pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “Well, you need to think about the fact that you are Calvin. You are well known, you have been a mercenary for years, and you are part of the elite force. That right there makes you a target for demons. Maybe the ones already here on Earth have banded together somehow.”
Calvin rubbed his chin, looking up as Timothy expanded the view to the whole country. There were no flashing red marks, no dots, nothing. It was eerily blank. “There is something going on here, and I think there is more to it than some Damned and demons taking my past actions to heart.”
16
Katie leaned against a stack of stones in the construction area, pulling out a bottle of water and gulping it down. It wasn’t hot and she hadn’t been working extra hard, but she felt absolutely exhausted. Even with Pandora trying to help her, the exhaustion lingered. It was starting to get on her nerves. She couldn’t sleep, and she was walking around like a fucking zombie.
She put the cap back on the bottle and tossed it into one of the trash bins. Several soldiers walked past, nodding to her in respect. Katie stood up straight and nodded back, wiping the drops of water from her chin. If I don’t start waking up, I’m going to have to inject coffee right into my fucking bloodstream.
Pandora chuckled. That might kill you, I’m not going to lie. But I also wouldn’t be too sad to tape the spazz-out session you would have before your heart exploded.
Katie smirked, looking down at her watch. Wow, thanks, buddy. I always knew you would have my back.
Pandora sighed. Hey, if you can’t lau
gh at yourself when you’re dead, what’s the point of living?
Katie raised both eyebrows. I’m not sure that makes much sense, but okay. I think you’re telling me I need to lighten up a bit.
Pandora gasped playfully. You? Too serious? That’s absolutely ridiculous.
Katie looked at the cleared area and began walking over there. Very funny. I am not always serious, by the way. Sometimes I actually have a good time.
Pandora smacked her lips. Mmhmm. I didn’t know emo kids could have positive emotions.
Katie grinned. Oh, sure, like when you get taken down a peg or fail at flying or any of the other things your ego gets a deflate from. That puts a happy smile in my heart.
Pandora grumped. You may be more sadistic than I am, you sick bitch.
Katie laughed out loud as she went into the cleared area. She looked down at the ground, which had been tilled and cleaned up. All that remained of the once-bustling area were a few pebbles and a line of bushes on the edge of the property. She kicked her foot through the dirt and looked up at Notre Dame. It’s kind of sad. One day you are living in that comfort zone where everything is familiar and you don’t think about losing anything, and the next, you’re watching bulldozers clear out the rubble. That has to be a shock to your system.
Pandora clicked her tongue. Right. I’m sure. Kind of like when the first base was destroyed. I bet that hit Korbin and Calvin pretty hard.
Katie stopped, furrowing her brow. Wow, I never thought about that. I was too worried about where we would go from there. That had to have been very difficult for them. Especially in our line of work, where very few things are stable.
“Katie!” Korbin called.
Katie looked up and across the clearing. She hadn’t realized that she wasn’t alone on the property. Standing on the other side were Juntto and Korbin, who were entertaining a few of the representatives of the French government. Juntto was standing tall, his body morphed into a white young guy in a nice suit. The only reason Katie knew it was him was from the streak of silver in his hair.
Katie smiled and headed over to the group, although she was not quite in the right mindset to put on the glam required when meeting government officials. Then again, when was she ever really ready for that?
Korbin gestured for the others to turn around and put his hand out, almost presenting Katie to them. "Ceci est notre chef intrepide et bien sur, l’incroyable ange mercenaire, Katie.”
All of the officials looked at each other in awe, nodding their heads. One of the women, who was dressed in a shimmering purple skirt suit and heels, stretched out her hand. “We are so pleased to have you with us, Katie. We feel even more secure, knowing you and your team will be assisting in creating a barrier to the demons that are threatening all of humanity. If there is anything you need while you are here, please do not hesitate to ask for it.”
Katie smiled. “Thank you. And I’m glad I have the opportunity to be here.”
She went through the group, shaking the rest of the hands. The last gentleman was tall and slim, with a perfect beard and wisps of gray in his hair. “Have you found your accommodations satisfactory? We have heard that you have been out in flight at night.”
Katie shook her head. “Oh, they are more than perfect. It’s not that at all. I guess the time change has messed with my sleep pattern. I don’t know, I seem to be struggling to sleep.”
He chuckled. “We should send some bubbly over. There is nothing a little champagne cannot fix.”
They all laughed and Korbin smiled, putting his hands together. “We were just sharing the plans for the fort with them. For this particular one, I believe that it may be necessary to install a basement bunker, the extra tall walls as Juntto pointed out, an ammo depot to ensure they don’t run out like in Taiwan, and enough beds for a full-time staff. It can be a barracks if they wish to rotate their guards out, but living quarters nonetheless.”
Juntto put his hands together in front of him, giving Katie a sly wink as he turned to the officials. “We want to ensure that you feel safe no matter what time of day it is. That you have more than adequate protection, and that the Notre Dame Cathedral is always being watched.”
The woman nodded. “That sounds fantastic. We did receive the blueprints this morning, but being out here really helps me visualize the facility. And we are in agreement that the stone and architectural design you picked will be in line with the romantic qualities of our beautiful city while maintaining the functionality.”
Korbin patted Juntto on the shoulder. “That is surely excellent to hear. Do you have anything to add? Anything more you would like to see?”
The tall, slim man cleared his throat and glanced around. “Big guns. We want to make sure there are plenty of big guns. Not only to kill the demons but to close a portal as quickly as possible if it were to open over or anywhere near us. Of course, we will also want the handheld kind, but big guns are what we envisioned.”
Juntto smirked and glanced at Korbin, who laughed. “We have already begun construction of your weapons, and trust me, we will have all that covered. By the end of it, you may have so much artillery that some of it will collect dust while waiting for its moment to be used. Of course, we would prefer never to have to use it, but we cannot predict demons.”
The woman looked at Katie and smiled. “No, we cannot, but we are lucky enough to have people like you to protect us.”
The whole crew packed up at the site and walked back over to where the cars were parked. Katie, Juntto, and Korbin piled into the SUV, while the government officials got into their guarded limos. They headed for another building adjacent to their apartments. Katie had yet to venture in there, but it was Korbin’s office space, a place he spent little time. Korbin was hands-on most of the time, but it was nice for him to be able to get calls and paperwork done somewhere that was not an uncomfortable fold-out stool in a tent in the middle of the chaos.
The building was smaller than the apartment complex but just as fancy. There were ornate details on everything, and art covering almost all of the empty wall space. It was only temporary since Korbin was only temporary, but much nicer than anything he’d ever had before. Juntto held the door for everyone as they went through into the large common area. A huge chandelier dangled in the center of the room and the crystals reflected the sunlight onto the walls.
Katie walked in, raising an eyebrow. Good lord, this place is nicer than our condo.
Pandora chuckled. Goals, bitch. Goals. We gotta start thinking bigger.
Katie scoffed. I’m pretty sure that saving all of humanity from attacks and takeover by demons from hell is a pretty good place to start. The rest of the stuff will fall in line with that.
Katie glanced back at Juntto as he hurried behind them. He slowed next to her and put one hand in his pants pocket. Katie chuckled. “You look like a Wall Street analyst.”
Juntto nodded. “I watched Wolf of Wallstreet. I figured I would emulate one of the extras instead of rolling in here as Leo. I heard the French love Leonardo DiCaprio.”
Katie smiled. “I think everyone loves him. He’s like the golden child of the silver screen.”
Juntto furrowed his brow. “’The silver screen?’ What is that?”
Katie laughed. “It’s what they used to call the movies. The film industry back in Hollywood’s glamorous days—the twenties, thirties, and forties.”
Juntto smirked. “I like that. I think I slept through that time period, though. Shame.”
They looked up as two of the guards opened up double French doors, then walked through into an enormous dining room. The table in the center was at least fifteen feet long, and there were at least a dozen ornate high-backed chairs. There was a veritable feast of lunch foods, soups, and breads laid out, and a setting at every place.
Katie glanced at Korbin as she pulled out her chair. “I thought this was a meeting?”
Korbin chuckled as the wait staff immediately began filling coffee cups. “It is. We are meetin
g over coffee to discuss the timeframe for the new fort, and then we feast on delicious French cuisine. The French like their food.”
Pandora gasped. I love food! Maybe I am French.
Katie placed her napkin in her lap and picked up her spoon to stir the cream into her coffee. No, you are just a skinny bitch with a fat kid inside you, not that I blame you with that metabolism. It’s off the charts.
Pandora groaned. But I want to be exotic.
Katie dropped a sugar cube in her coffee. Trust me, an angel/demon with tits for days and a mean streak a mile long is definitely exotic. In fact, you are probably the most exotic woman on Earth right now.
That appeased Pandora. Then I accept. I shall be the most glorious bitch ever to have walked the Earth.
One of the government officials patted his lips with his napkin. “Will you be seeing all of the construction through and possibly the beginning of the next sector?”
Korbin swallowed his coffee. “Well, we will definitely finish up this fort and prepare your military to build another. They will have all of the tools to do everything we are about to do by the time we are done. Unfortunately, as wonderful of a place as this is, Katie, Juntto, and I will not be able to stay forever. But we will help wherever we can.”
The doors to the dining room opened once again, and a young woman was escorted in. She stopped at the end of the table and looked around at everyone. In her early twenties, she was slender, with porcelain white skin and flowing red hair. She blinked, her eyes revealing the red glow. It was obvious that she was one of the Damned.
One of the officials stood up and walked over, putting his hand on her back and leading her to a seat. “This is Chloe. She does not speak very much English so I will speak for her at this moment. She is a Damned recruit whom I believe might make an amazing leader for our fort.”
The tall, slim man with the beard cleared his throat. “Actually, we have quite a few Damned recruited already from the Armed Forces. We have pulled their information, and have given them notice of their change of duty station. They will be stationed at the fort fulltime and work in shifts, just like normal soldiers. We thought that going ahead and recruiting once we heard what you did in Taiwan would save you some time.”