by George Fry
“You…. FUCKER!”
She was not happy.
Her rage reawakened her savage demonic powers in the form of a blistering red aura, forcing Drifter and the others to finally pay attention to her.
“I knew we should have just stayed and listened.” Amanda lamented.
“You guys up for a round two?” Drifter asked.
“Nope. It’s your ass she wants mounted over her wall, you can fight her.”
“Yeah.” Dale added. “My hand’s still fucked from that last fight. She’s all yours dude.”
Drifter, abandoned by his comrades, was left alone with the enraged she-demon.
“Aw, shit. What did I do to deserve this?”
“You ruined my life, you stupid asshole! Put me through hell! And you’re still ignoring me!?”
She stamped her foot into the concrete as the slabs of cement levitated in her aura.
“No one forced you through all that suffering, Catherine.”
With a powerful cry she kicked the slab, hurtling it towards Drifter. It flew with such force it caught fire before bursting in Drifter’s face, but it did naught, but dusty Drifter’s coat, which he begrudgingly brushed off.
“Look. You clearly have some emotional issues to deal with and I get that. But, I’m not your therapist and I don’t care about your sob story. So, either shut up, or go cry to someone else.”
Infuriated further by his callous behaviour, she levitated more debris and punched several slabs in Drifter’s direction, but it was all the same. Drifter didn’t even acknowledge them as a threat.
“Hey, stupid! Are you listening!?”
Catherine wasn’t sure how much angrier she could get, but she seemed to be breaking new records with each word that came out of the man’s mouth. She darted towards him, hoping a fist to the face would finally shut him up.
She tore the road up as she barrelled towards him, but her speed and ferocity meant nothing, as Drifter simply slid to the side just before she could connect.
Losing her balance, Catherine landed on her foot and spun around to quickly block any incoming counterattacks. However, Drifter just stood there, watching.
“How did he do that?” Catherine pondered. “He didn’t move a muscle, he just slid like he was on ice.”
She threw a flurry of fists, but Drifter dodged each one, slipping in and out of her attacks.
“You know, I think you’re just using me as a scapegoat.” He commented, sliding out of her range.
“Shut up and let me hit you!” Catherine replied, charging at Drifter again.
“I mean, I’m a pretty reckless guy, but I don’t recall ever getting the old farts in that photo of yours killed.”
“Don’t insult them! And don’t insult me, either! Locke told me the truth! That monster would have never shown up if you hadn’t! It was after your stupid sword! Everyone died because of you! I nearly died because of you! You should have died! Everything’s your fault!”
Catherine ended her barrage with a final punch, but this time, instead of just dodging, Drifter slid to her side, grabbed Catherine’s outstretched arm and effortlessly tossed her into the fog.
“See ya.”
Drifter walked away, as Catherine crashed on her face in embarrassment. She lifted herself from the concrete. She didn’t sustain any real injuries, except to her pride.
“Why is this happening to me!?” She decried.
“I never even cared about being a demon! I just wanted to live a normal human life! I controlled my anger and my powers! I did nothing wrong! But, ever since he showed up, my life’s spiralled out of control! I’m losing myself! I’m becoming a monster!”
The corpses of Catherine’s pets started to melt, as the mounds of flesh slithered to her.
“Everything’s gone! My life. My family. My humanity. None of it matters anymore!”
Catherine absorbed the flesh and viscera, melding it into her arms, making them larger and buffer, with clawed fingers. Her own flesh tinged with a slight scarlet undertone. She rose from her depressed heap, ready for round two.
“Why are you so weird with her?” Dale asked as Drifter rejoined the group.
“Weird? What?”
“You usually straight up kill most demons, but that’s second time you let her get away.”
“I don’t know. I guess I find her fascinating. I’ve never seen a demon so unstable before.”
“Unstable?”
“Yeah… she’s doubting herself, figuring out who she is. It’s just so… human.”
Like a goddamn tomahawk missile, Catherine suddenly rocketed out of the fog with a burning kick, crashing into the back of Drifter’s head and sending him flying across the ground, face first.
“Maybe you’ll take me seriously with a face full of dirt, you fuck!” She cried at the top of her lungs.
Dale and Amanda were left stunned. This was the first time they had seen someone effortlessly send Drifter flying that wasn't twice his size. A jarring experience, but not as jarring as Catherine’s sudden change in appearance and composure.
“What the hell are you looking at, blade boy!?” She chastised. “You want me to kick your ass, too!?”
“Excuse me?” Dale replied, still in disbelief at what was happening.
“You heard me!”
Catherine suddenly turned her attention to Amanda, her anger making it difficult for her to concentrate.
“What are you staring at!? I’ll kick your ass, too! I’ll kick both your asses!”
Just then, Catherine felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Drifter, already lurking behind her. She immediately swung her massive arm to attack him, but Drifter simply flared up his aura to absorb the blow.
However, when the inflamed limb collided with him it didn’t stop. His aura wasn’t strong enough and Drifter was thrown into the fog from the force of the blow.
“Where’d that shit stain go!?”
Catherine roared like an animal. She was acting on instinct, not even paying attention to where her target had landed.
“Shit, did you see that?” Dale uttered.
“You say something!? I’ll kill you!”
Catherine stormed over to Dale at an incredible speed, but Dale took advantage of her blind rampage, immediately finding an opening to exploit. With her arms raised, Dale ran underneath them, slashin at her side, leaving a bleeding gash.
“You need to calm the fuck-”
Before he could finish scolding her, Catherine swiped at Dale’s face with her corrupted arm. He flew across the ground like a ragdoll. Her wound however, was only a scratch, her body had become far more resilient than before.
“Hey!” Amanda yelled. “Leave him alone, you dumb animal!”
“I’m not an animal, I’m a demon!” Catherine corrected, enraged.
Her red aura flared as she roared. This was Amanda’s chance, she pulled out her anti-tank machine gun and unloaded a stream of bullets into the demon.
Catherine took all of them, most of them evaporating in the intensity of her aura, it was impossible to tell if she could even feel them. She barged straight through the storm of bullets until she reached Amanda. With no defense to speak of, Catherine was free to release all her fury on her new punching bag.
In that second, Amanda had nowhere to run and no way of surviving such a beastial assault. At that very moment, she seriously believed she was about to croak, if it weren’t for Drifter’s quick interference.
Out of the fog, Drifter’s sword stabbed straight into Catherine’s abdomen, the pain putting a stop to her frenzy.
“What the fuck are you doing, retard!? Run!”
Stunned by her luck, Amanda heeded Drifter’s advice and got out of there.
“And you!” He addressed the rampaging she-demon. “Just because I underestimated you, doesn’t mean you’ve won!”
Catherine pulled Drifter’s blade out and tossed it aside.
“You know, most demons risk their lives to get that thing.”
He commented.
“I don’t want your stupid sword! I want you dead!” She screamed.
“Well, then. I’d say we’re all tied up now. Ready for the final round?”
“Shut! Up! And! Die!”
Catherine couldn’t care less about Drifter’s showmanship, she had already abandoned all self-control and restraint, his words were like buzzing white noise at this point.
Her fiery aura burned an even deeper red as she dashed forward, tearing up the ground beneath her. Thrusting her fist forward she decked Drifter straight in his face, as usual he didn’t budge, but this time, her efforts were rendered useless. She didn’t understand, her power had only been growing this whole time, why did her attack not work now?
Just above her fist, she could see Drifter’s eye, looking down on her, whether it was intentionally condescending or not, it still pissed her off. She wasn’t letting him off easy, a single punch was nothing, she pulled back and unleashed a barrage of fists, beating Drifter from every angle she could.
His body flopped around on the spot, rapidly contorting with each hit and yet, despite the dizzying thrashing he received, once Catherine delivered the final decisive blow, Drifter barely moved, showing no signs of damage.
Having vented most of her anger through her relentless beating, Catherine was petrified by Drifter’s steadfast stance.
“Why… why?”
She took a step back and noticed his white aura, it wasn’t just a faint glow like she was used to, but a radiant light surrounding him with a deep burning energy, the depths of which were impossible to quantify.
“That’s how he moved earlier.” She realised.
“He didn’t use his muscles, he used his aura to slide around, like he was on ice. He can use the force of his own energy, to skate across the ground, and that precisely!?“
She was at a loss for words, she felt like a kitten picking a fight with a lion. The more she fought, the more impossible victory seemed.
“How can you have that much power, when you don’t even have your sword?” She questioned in disbelief.
“Come to your senses yet?” Drifter responded.
“Shut up! What’s going on!? Why are you so strong without your sword!?”
“That sword’s just a tool. The real power was inside me all along.”
“Don’t bullshit me!”
Just when she was calming down, Drifter couldn’t resist infuriating her again with his sarcasm. She looked over to the demon sword she threw earlier and made a run for it.
“If that’s the case, then you won’t mind me taking it!”
“Go for it.”
With no interference from Drifter or his companions, Catherine took up the sword and soon felt its power course through her. It was breathtaking, finally embracing her demon powers was cathartic enough, but now it felt like her power was being multiplied several times over.
Wielding the power of this sword, victory was assured, Drifter didn’t stand a chance. Without his sword, his power was limited, he couldn’t possibly keep up with her for very long. She had all the advantages. At least that’s what Catherine assumed.
She lowered the blade and charged forth, planning to joust the sword straight through Drifter. His gut, or his chest? It didn’t really matter, just as long as she skewered him with one mighty thrust. Her red aura and the sword’s white, mixed into an intense pink burst that launched Catherine towards Drifter, who simply stood still, and waited.
Then, Drifter got into position. He widened his footing, raised his fists and assumed a fighting stance. By the time Catherine realised he was preparing a counter, it was too late. The instant she got within arm’s length, he suddenly became a blur right before everyone’s eyes. A white streak that pierced through Catherine’s body while she was still in mid charge, with Drifter appearing behind her.
That single strike killed all of Catherine’s momentum as she stumbled to a halt, paralysed. At first she couldn’t comprehend what happened, but after her senses caught up with her, a powerful force blasted her gut as she coughed up blood and the sword flew out of her hands, lodging itself in the ground.
Catherine fell to her hands and knees, she was far from dead, but couldn’t move from the pain. Drifter pulled the sword out of the ground and sheathed it.
“You got that strong after just a week? That’s not bad. Most demons would be dead by now. But, that’s enough, I’m only here for Locke, you can just-”
Drifter stopped upon witnessing Catherine getting back on her feet, she could barely stand, but she was standing nonetheless. She hobbled over to him and threw a punch at his chest, but it was as light as a feather, even an average human wouldn’t have felt it.
“Stop it, or you might die.”
“Then do it. I don’t have much to live for anyway…”
“Uh… what?”
Drifter hadn’t a clue how to properly react, confused by her submissiveness.
“You’re not going to lash out at me in a last ditch-revenge kill?”
“It wouldn’t matter…”
Drifter could sense it, the raging furnace of energy had burnt out, she had exhausted all her hate. Underneath it all, she wasn’t some murderous monster, but a sad, emotional girl.
A bright white light broke through the fog, a light Drifter instantly recognised. Locke had finally reappeared.
“Oh, thank God.” Drifter sighed, pushing Catherine away. “That was getting awkward.”
The rustling of chains and his single piercing blue eye were a welcome sight to Drifter, much to Locke’s chagrin.
“I find your joyous expression unsettling, please desist.”
As requested, Drifter returned to his mopey self.
“Well, we’re here, Locke. Mind explaining what the fuck is supposed happen next?”
“This island and the human city at the center of it. In a few moments, it will fall victim to a demon invasion. It’s estimated hundreds of them shall enter the city, wreaking havoc wherever they go. From what I’ve heard, it’ll be Birmingham all over again.”
“What!?”
The mere mention of the Birmingham incident was enough to set Drifter off. He marched over to Locke, desperately wanting to get in his face, but his chains formed a blockade around him, preventing anyone from getting close.
“What the hell do you know about Birmingham!?”
“Catherine!” Locke called. “I’m glad you survived your training, but come. You need rest.”
“No way!” She cried. “I’m not going back there! I... need some time to think, by myself.”
“If you insist… do what you will here.”
The same bright light returned, as Locke escaped into the portal.
“What!? That’s it!?” Drifter yelled. “You’re just going to show up for two seconds, then fucking disappear again!?”
“Forget about him, Drifter!” Dale argued. “A literal demon invasion is about to wash over the city!”
“Fuck that.”
“But, we can’t just leave them!”
“Not even the Demon Sword can handle an invasion of that scale. If you want to be the hero who saved the Isle of Wight from a demon invasion then go for it, but I’ve got other priorities.”
Drifter slashed his sword at the air, reopening Locke’s portal.
“I’m tracking this cunt down, right now and beating answers out of him! I’ll drag them out, chain by chain, if I have to! I’m not gonna defend this city, I’m gonna make sure no city ever has to suffer the same fate as Birmingham ever again!”
Drifter leapt through the portal, leaving the rest alone on the bridge.
The three walked down the long country road, until they eventually reached the outskirts of the Isle’s capitol, Newport.
“Is she still following us?” Amanda asked.
“I don’t think she has much of a choice at this point.” Dale answered.
Catherine trailed behind them, still clutching at her gut. She looked up at the sky and omin
ously stated:
“It’s starting.”
Dale and Amanda looked over to find a massive portal, covering the city’s air space, as small dotted figures started to fall like hail.
“Fuck.”
Chapter 14: reject all reason
✽✽✽
“Oh, fucking nice. I lost him, again.”
Leaving behind a portal to the Demon World, Drifter followed Locke through it, only to appear on a dusty road between the large, overhanging walls of a canyon. However, unlike the majority of the neglected wasteland, obscured by the dust and dirt, a finely crafted marble pathway laid before him, leading down a long road toward a massive cliff, with a castle hidden at the back of its peak.
Drifter had been to the Demon World before, but architure of this calibre was a rare sight, as was the castle sitting on the horizon. It was hard to make out the details, with the walls of the canyon closing around his view, but a spiralling staircase lead up the perilous peak. He had a strong hunch that Locke purposely drew him here, towards the castle. Of course, he hadn’t the slightest clue why.
Along the walls of the quarry were simple shelters built into the cliffs, for housing the peasantry, although they were long abandoned. Dilapidated and decaying from decades of negligence, there was at least one point in time, where this place was a secluded, yet flourishing, fully functional society. The demonic equivalent of suburbia.
“Three of them.” Drifter told himself. “Three demons up ahead, but only one them seems tough enough to be considered a threat.”
He sighed in exasperation.
“Fucking hell… it can’t just be a straight shot to the castle. There’s always got to be a roadblock…”
In the human world, Dale and Amanda arrived in the heart of Newport on the Isle of Wight, watching from the bridge on the river Medina as serpent like demons rained upon the city, ready to wreak havoc among its populace. They recklessly crashed through buildings and cars as they fell, ready to unleash chaos and destruction on a massive scale.
“Welp, there’s no coming back from this.” Amanda accepted.