Wrath of the Demon Girl

by Eddie R. Hicks

  “Probably a coincidence.”

  “A coincidence that the Ivanov’s knew Belyana and her mother personally?”

  Lexi returned to massaging my shoulders, easing the tension that began to build up as I looked down at my phone. I wanted to call because she told me to do it. I wanted to put the phone down because logic told me not to listen to voices in my head, or an imaginary woman for that matter.

  My thumb hovered above the send call button. Logic was fighting hard to win the battle against Lexi’s seduction. “What the fuck am I doing . . .?”

  “The more you hesitate; the worse off you’ll be in life.” I felt Lexi’s lips press against my neck. The endorphins that left my brain caused my head to tilt backward and my eyes to shut. I was rewarded with two more pecks on my neck and teased with a third. “No action, no results, no progress . . . and no fun.” My thumb hit the send button, but it wasn’t by my command, as logic was still trying to speak to me. Lexi’s finger forced my thumb down.

  I heard the ring back tone sound as Lexi guided the hand that held my phone to my ear. Miroslava picked up, no turning back now. “Hey, Miroslava, it’s me, Reika, I just wanted to follow-up with you to see how things were.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

  “I know it’s getting late and short notice, but would you happen to be available to meet up to talk? And perhaps have a drink or two.”

  “Hmm.”

  Lexi whispered. “Tell her it won’t be long.” And proved that she was more than just a figment of my imagination. She was listening in on our phone call despite the phone being pressed against my ear. It made my breathing accelerate knowing that she quite possibly was able to sense everything I was able to.

  Following Lexi’s directions, I said. “It won’t be too long.”

  There was a pause on Miroslava’s end before she replied. “I suppose, just for a short while.”

  “That sounds great; I’ll text you the location.”

  The phone beeped, signaling the end of the call. Patting me on the back, Lexi said. “Call Jim.”

  “Why?—”

  She silenced me with a single index finger, firmly pressed against my lips. “Less questions, more answers. There’s nothing wrong with bringing a wingman to an outing, right?”

  Logic at that point threw in the towel and went outside to have a smoke. I dialed Jim’s number and waited for him to answer. I began to wonder if what I was going through was what possessed humans had to endure. A demon inside them pulling at their strings, reducing their body to a marionette made of bone, flesh, and blood.

  They say possession kills the host, erasing their mind once the demon moves in and takes control. But what if they were wrong? What if the demon just cut off the human ability to control their body and mind while they did what they wanted? Because that’s what I somewhat felt as I sat there holding the phone to my ear. I was making calls I didn’t want to make while a demonic force from the world of Umbral took on the appearance of Lexi, massaging me and telling me it was all right. I felt as though if I resisted too much, I’d be judged harshly.

  But at the same time, I was still somewhat in control of myself, especially when Lexi wasn’t there. I was free to make my own choices, knowing that the real judgment was probably going to come later in life by the man upstairs, assuming he did exist. And if he did exist, fuck, he better throw me a lifeline soon, I need it, more so than Al Gore needed votes back in 2000.

  Jim answered, and he was game for hanging out. Lexi rewarded me with an embrace from behind, one that filled my chest with fluttering warm vibes.

  Chapter Nine

  The bar we chose was a nifty place out in Midtown. Calming Jazz music played in the background, the smell of finely made foods from the odd person that ordered off their menu, warmed my nostrils. Miroslava was dressed all business casual, a far cry from the blue jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket I had on. Hell, even Jim put me to shame as he sat alone at the bar with his Armani business suit and tie, a reminder that a life of crime does pay, if you know what you’re doing.

  Miroslava and I sat together at a lone table not far from the bar. We downed a few cocktails and shared a bowl of Edamame beans. I never did understand why a Japanese appetizer like that was commonplace in establishments like this across North America. Whatever, it was cheap as fuck, unlike the drinks we had.

  When the time was right, I asked her, “Did the police talk to you about your ‘missing husband?’”

  She made a slight wince. “They . . . did. They don’t know about what you did to him.”

  Shit, he may have been possessed by a demon that was hell-bent on killing me. But at the end of the day, the body was still the man she loved and married. And I put two fucking blades through his head. “I’m sorry; the demon didn’t leave me with much choice.”

  “That’s fine; I wanted that ring back no matter what. And if what you said was true, he was already dead.”

  “Right, I basically avenged his death in the process.”

  “Believe me; I’m sleeping better now knowing that street justice was served.”

  “Did you tell the cops that he might have been possessed?”

  She guzzled down the last of her tasty cocktail as an instrumental version of Fly Me To The Moon played. “They had dismissed my claims as a missing person’s report rather than possession. I didn’t reiterate it out of fear you might be linked.”

  “Good, good.” An awkward silence followed while my head shifted to ensure nobody else had been listening in, not that there were many patrons here, it was getting late after all. “So, what’s new with you?”

  She sighed. “I can’t have a funeral for him; it would feel like I’m having it for the demon rather than him.”

  “I know the feeling, I lost someone important to me due to possession.”

  “How did you deal with it?”

  I lifted my drink up, the same one I had been nursing since we sat. “Drink and enjoy the company of those around you.”

  “Fair enough,” she said, and polished off her drink. “So, I hear Nikolayev asked you to help her find her daughter.”

  “Word travels fast, and yes.” Which reminded me. “How long did you and your husband know them?”

  “Not very long, my husband befriended Nikolayev after she adopted Belyana off the streets.”

  “Was that before or after he was possessed?”

  “Hmm, his friend Arkady was the first one to suggest he was possessed. And that was right around the time he introduced Nikolayev to me.”

  So, Leonid gets possessed and takes it upon himself to make friends with Nikolayev and her daughter Belyana. She then starts writing demonic scribble on the walls of her room, carving her hands up for blood sacrifices, and chanting in tongue to some tome of the occult. That was red flag number one.

  “Did Arkady and your possessed husband remain friends?”

  “I’m not sure; he stopped coming home days after the demon took him away from me. You would have to ask him.”

  “I plan to, any idea how to get a hold of him?”

  “His full name is Arkady Sokolov, unfortunately that’s all I know about him. Again, we weren’t really friends. I only knew him through my husband.”

  Arkady Sokolov, he was red flag number two if he had continued to be friends with Leonid despite suspecting he was a demon. And if not? Then he had the best chances of knowing what he was up to prior to the encounter in the club. Either way, I needed to commit his name to memory and find him.

  “Anyways, I should get going.” She stood and gathered her purse. “Thanks for the drinks and checking up on me.”

  Nodding my head, I said. “Ah, no worries.” She stepped out of sight to flag down a taxi.

  “Having fun?” Lexi taunted me internally.

  I finished my drink fast as anger manifested in me, and traveled into my hands, hands that wanted to smash the empty glass before me. It didn’t happen, as I felt Lexi’s power prevent it, like sh
e was the one in control. It was both good and bad, good because that would have gotten some weird looks from the bar’s staff, bad because I physically lost control of my body. I might very well be undergoing a slow demonic possession of my body. That’s going to be bad for business.

  I took four long and deep exhales, calming my violent thoughts, the results allowed me to regain control of my body. I took a seat next to Jim at the bar, he grinned at me with his smile buried within his thin and nicely trimmed goatee. “The long face isn’t you, Reika.”

  I shrugged. “Been a long day.”

  “Hey, barkeep,” Jim called out, commanding the bartender to walk over to him. “I’ll take care of her tab and her friend.”

  I became wide-eyed instantly. I think there might have been something that resembled a smile appeared on me as well. “Holy shit, Jim, I love you.”

  His face flushed as his hand reached back to scratch his head. “Uh, thanks?”

  “Not that kind of love.”

  “I know, I know. It’s the ‘I want to fuck your brains out’ kind of love.”

  “No . . . It’s not.”

  “Relax, that was a joke, I don’t waste time with love. Thanks to the benefits of my line of work, I could afford the high price of expensive call girls this fine city has to offer. You should try it.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Don’t hmm me.”

  “Listen, Reika, the weakest opponent is the one that has something to lose. The people that’s been fucking with you? They’ll exploit that when they find out. And they will find out.”

  “I’ll keep it under consideration.”

  “Want my advice? Fuck relationships, all you need is money.”

  “And the truth comes out, thank you, booze.”

  Jim’s eyes rolled. “Please.”

  “Like I said, you must have done something really stupid, and a great woman left you because of it.”

  Jim was like that; his motto was always ‘money makes the world go round.’ And with his line of work, there was a lot of money to be made. Half of it he used to make more money, like buying guns and shit like that to continue his business. The other half? He used it to make himself happy, hookers, strip clubs, parties, drinking, random trips to Disneyland with escorts, the works. Fuck everyone, make money, and enjoy life.

  It was easier for him to argue that hurting people you cared about in life was part of the plan, than admit you did something wrong. It was Jim’s world in a nutshell, and it was Jim’s mask he wore to hide the guilt and loneliness he must feel on a daily basis.

  It became clear there wasn’t anything else left for me to do. Why Lexi manipulated me into coming here, was beyond me. It was almost as if she wanted to help with my case, which meant she had a means to benefit from it. Or maybe it was a show of power to demonstrate she had control. That’s when I remembered the blood I had Jim keep.

  Time to see how much control she had over me.

  “Hey, Jim, remember that stash of blood I had you keep in storage?”

  “Yep, still don’t know what you want with it. Donated blood does have a limited shelf life.”

  “Yeah about that.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Lexi’s irate voice echoed.

  “Want me to get rid of it?” Jim asked me.

  I felt Lexi try to force my lips to shut. It didn’t work. “Yes.”

  Get fucked, I’m in control. During the months following the hospital fiasco, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Jim that. Something always kept holding me back, Lexi’s charm was strong. I wasn’t sure what the fuck was up with me, but a powerful love spell wasn’t it. Emily’s help did break me free.

  “I’ll get right on it when I have the chance.”

  “Thanks. I’m gonna head home,” I said, standing up and bidding my farewell to Jim.

  The two of us looked at each other. I never realized how nice Jim’s eyes were, as he always had them covered up with shades. Jim made a twist of his lips. “Yeah, so be careful out there.”

  “Buses should still have lots of people aboard, I’ll be fine.” And by bus I meant finding a nice quiet place to cast my return-home talent.

  “I mean in general,” he added. “You’re walking a real risky line, five-oh on one side, me on the other, and all the shit in between.” He sipped his drink. “Then there’s your PI business.”

  And my magical talents, and the demons I’ve gone to war with. Oh, the things about me he didn’t know. “I’m out, peace.”

  The music playing came to a sudden end, like someone switched off the radio as I strolled out of the bar, its front doors shutting behind me. Into the darkened nighttime streets I went, streetlight after streetlight illuminated every other corner with orange light. I searched up and down for a discreet place free from the public eye and surveillance cameras to use my skill. Five minutes later I found it, a dark alley. My head shifted back confirming nobody was behind, or in the alley. Looking up, I saw no signs of security cameras, I was alone.

  I faced the end of the alley, and waved my glowing hand in circular motions, cutting away at the fabric of time and space, commencing the first stages of my return-home talent.

  “You should follow Jim’s advice,” Lexi whispered to me.

  My body became stiff like the bricks on the walls around me. I couldn’t move my head to see what had happened, or my arms and legs for that matter. What the fuck, were the words I wanted to scream, but they failed to exit my mouth, a mouth that was wide open. My legs could no longer support my convulsing body, motor skills became nonexistent, and my portal that was to teleport me back into my living room evaporated before it could form.

  I crashed onto the cold dirty alley walkway, as my vision slowly faded to black. I heard two maybe three footsteps approach me from behind. None of them seemed surprised to see me blackout. Be careful out there, was a tip I really wished I followed.

  The last thing I remembered was the voice of one man who spoke. “Spokoynoy nochi,” were his words.

  Whatever the fuck that meant.

  Chapter Ten

  I woke up God knows how many hours later. I couldn’t see fuck all in front of me, just eternal darkness. Couldn’t move much either, arms and legs had been tied up, though that was the least of my worries as it became abundantly clear I was tossed inside a very small, compacted space, like a coffin.

  I tried to shake off the weird dazed and confused lingering effects of what I suspected was a taser to the back. The all-mighty Reika Araya, slayer of Lucifer and his demonic followers and human cultists, got shot six times by the police, wielder of devastating talents that can both kill or protect me, taken out by a fucking taser from behind. Not my finest moment.

  The air inside the dark compartment I was in grew thick and warm with each passing minute. Crackling noises were heard from beyond. My skin got singed a bit when I rolled too close to one of the walls causing me to flinch at the sudden bolt of pain. It was a reminder of what it felt like to be burned, a sensation I never felt as long as I had my flaming coat on when I attuned to the fire element.

  I tried to do just that, harness the power of fire, hoping that its golden light would give me a better idea as to where I landed, and burn the bindings clenched tightly around my legs and wrists. Nothing happened, the stun effect from the taser must have been lingering. I had no access to my talents until I recovered. Whatever, I sat back and waited for my captors to grab me, clearly, they wanted me alive, why else would my body be free of bullet holes?

  Three minutes had passed, and the heat within my cramped space kicked up a notch. The smell of smoke delivered its toxic odor of burning metal, plastic, wires, and all sorts of other things that made me nauseous. I kicked against the side as the fanged jaws of panic and trauma began to eat away at my thoughts. The heat grew to an unbearable level while the crackling sounds from earlier were revealed to be flames burning. Whatever I had been placed in, was set on fire, and if I couldn’t use my fire talents
, I was a goner.

  I tried to activate it. Nothing.

  I took a deep breath and tried again. Nothing.

  Fuck. I couldn’t go out like this. Maybe that’s why they kept me alive, so I could suffer as opposed to the easy way out: a bullet to the head.

  One more time.

  The Umbral energy within me ignited and a flaming aura consumed my body. Like turning on a car during the middle of winter, I just had to be persistent. With the glow from my flames, my bindings began burning away into ash by my command. The red and orange glowing light from my flames shined upon my surroundings. It looked like I was stuffed inside the trunk of a car, a car that was set on fire.

  Fire, heat, and smoke were no longer a threat as my flaming coat protected me from all of that shit. I was safe for the time being and exhaled in relief, though my safety wouldn’t last for long. If the car was on fire and it had fuel in its tanks, yeah, that could be a problem when things went boom. Sure, the heat and inferno that came from an explosion wouldn’t do much to me. But the shrapnel and chunks of flying debris would tear my body apart in the most gruesome way imaginable given the close proximity. I needed out, being cooped up in here got old a hundred and twenty degrees ago.

  I hurled a big fuck-off-sized fireball at the trunk’s door. It splashed against it with a red dazzling effect, partially melting it. I lunged my feet forward kicking against it, it wasn’t enough. My talents may have been back, but their strength was still less than stellar, either that or my fireball just wasn’t up to the task. I hadn’t been upgrading the power of my fire-based talents lately, mastering the water abilities had been my primary task.

  My arms folded across my chest as I rolled onto my back. Seconds later my flamethrower talent shot forward, ejecting a torrent of flames upward. It destroyed the trunk’s door, paving the way to my freedom from the fiery coffin I had been tossed into. I leaped out into the parking lot amongst several cars. Dark skies hung above, not much time had passed since I got my ass zapped. I ran from the burning car, hiding behind another as I got a better idea where I was. It was a small car dealership by the look, and the main office was just a few yards away from where I hid.