Welcome To The Jungle

by Michael Todd

  “Now, what was I saying?” Katie asked.

  “Donuts,” Damian reminded her.

  “Oh yeah.” She smiled. “So, I want to make my own donuts.”

  About two minutes into the conversation Damian paused, hearing only silence now from the other room. Katie tilted her head and waited until someone yelled from the other room.

  “COVER FIRE!”

  The three guys ran back out, carrying their fearless leader and laying him on the ground. He was out cold, but still breathing; no fatal wounds, just knocked the fuck out. Katie raised one eyebrow and looked at one of the soldiers, who was covered in dirt and breathing heavily.

  “We’re tapped out,” he told her, clutching his chest.

  “Oh, hell no!” Katie jumped down and putting up a hand. “Just because your leader is out cold, that doesn’t mean you get to leave. He told me that you guys are the specialists. That you had this.”

  She waved them toward the room. “Go ahead. We got all night.”

  They looked at her pleadingly, and just then General Brushwood and Colonel Jehovivich barreled down the hall. The soldiers stood at attention and saluted as they waited for him to approach.

  The general saluted back when he reached them.

  “At ease,” he commanded, staring at the sergeant on the floor and then at one of the soldiers. “I need a sitrep.”

  “Um, well, he,” the soldier said, pointing at the sergeant on the floor, “decided that we would take out,” he jerked his thumb back at the demon, “the boss demon there.”

  The general grunted in irritation. “Well, don’t make me wait. What happened?”

  “Well,” the soldier answered, grimacing, “we got our asses handed to us.”

  A deep laugh tumbled from the room behind them, and the soldier lifted his shoulders and scrunched his face.

  “Did all my toys leave me?” the boss demon voice bellowed. “Are none willing to play with Bokorgh?”

  Ugh, it’s Bokorgh. Pandora groaned. He is a big one but a bit of a pussy, for what it’s worth. Just watch out for his right cross. It will lay you out until next week.

  The general turned and stared at Katie and Damian, who had their hands in their pockets. They hadn’t even broken a sweat.

  “What?” Damian asked. “We already did the rest of this.”

  Damian waved his hand at the hallway behind them. The general followed his gesture and watched as another of the wounded demons burst into dust. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t believe these two had done the whole thing.

  “You want us to take out the last one too?” Damian asked with a smirk.

  The general turned to the men, who nodded and shrugged.

  “The sergeant told Team One—those two,” the soldier confirmed, nodding to Katie and Damian, “to clean out the building so we could go in fresh.”

  “Let me get this straight,” the general said slowly. “Your sergeant allowed these two fighters to go in and clean up the warehouse so, and I quote, you could, ‘go in fresh.’ And now your sergeant is laid out here unconscious, and you want the two demon hunters to go in there?”

  The leader of the group just shrugged, not really knowing what to say. The general sighed and rubbed his face as he looked at the colonel. A loud bang shook the room behind them and the general flinched, rolling his eyes. He turned to Damian.

  “Would you please finish this?” the general requested.

  Damian and Katie nodded, stepped over the sergeant, and headed toward the door. Katie stretched her arms over her head and cracked her knuckles, then tilted her head quickly from side to side. She cleared her throat and kicked open the door, Pandora’s voice joining with hers.

  “Welcome to the jungle, BITCHES! We got fun and games coming your way!” she screamed.

  That was when all hell broke loose.

  The general stood next to the colonel and the other soldiers as Katie and Damian disappeared into the room. They could hear Katie and Damian fighting hard and taking blows, then the high-pitched screaming of the demon. The general looked at the colonel with furrowed brows, and she just shrugged. Suddenly Katie crashed through the wall and rolled across the ground toward the soldiers. They backed up as she jumped to her feet, not even noticing them as she talked to herself.

  “Oh, you did NOT just throw my ass through a wall, you motherfucking irredeemable barrel-jacker!” she growled, clenching her fists.

  The soldiers took another step back, looking at each other in wonder. This woman had just been thrown through a cinderblock wall, and she had gotten back up for more.

  They had never seen anything like it. They were blown away and scared at the same time, so they just watched the action like birds watching a cat that was stalking something else.

  Katie dusted off her pants and ran back inside, and they all stood there waiting for whatever would happen next. Sure enough, only a moment passed before the demon screamed again and there was a giant crash.

  Before they could even blink the demon smashed through the wall, destroying part of the building. The soldiers and the officers ran for cover, leaving the sergeant where he was. They watched from behind the crates as Damian and Katie stalked out of the room, their eyes on fire as they grabbed the demon by his legs and pulled him back into the other room.

  The demon was gibbering in fear and clawing at the ground as they dragged him over the debris. The soldiers’ eyes grew wide when Katie kicked him hard in the leg.

  “Stop it,” she yelled. “You’re embarrassing the whole demon race! You could at least die with a little dignity. Damn, she was right when she said you were a pussy. You need to get it the fuck together. You did this to yourself.”

  A few minutes later another scream rang out, only this was worse than any of the others. It shook the walls, and forced the soldiers to put their hands over their ears.

  After a few seconds it stopped, and perfect silence ensued. The military people crouched in the quiet, waiting for what was next.

  To the right of them a piece of the ceiling crashed to the ground, startling them.

  The general stood up straight and dusted off his uniform, then slowly inched forward and stared into the dust cloud ahead of him. He was pretty sure that the demon was dead. He looked down when he felt someone pulling on his pantleg. It was the sergeant, who had just woken up from his unconscious state.

  “Did we take him out?” he asked, then closed his eyes again.

  I would fucking kill for a donut right now, Pandora snarled.

  I thought you were off donuts, Katie remarked, brushing the dust off her pants.

  Donuts are a lover that you get into fights with, Pandora explained. All so that you can have great makeup sex, but then you feel bad about yourself when you’re done.

  Katie was confused. So, are you telling me that you’re giving up donuts?

  Which part of “you’re talking crazy” don’t you understand?

  24

  You really can’t see it? Melneck laughed. You can’t see how pathetic you really are?

  Stop it, Ella growled.

  I mean, I thought I was blind to reality sometimes. He chuckled. But this? I mean, I saw it before I even entered your body. There you were, standing on those stairs, holding onto that little bag of trash, angry at the world. Poor Ella! She has to work a real job, and her parents give her a hard time. Boo hoo. Why don’t we just run off and get high, because that solves everything? Please! Get it together here and face the cold hard truth. If you ever want to be anything in this world, you are going to have to install a new fucking brain.

  “I said SHUT THE FUCK UP,” she screamed out loud, and the boys stepped back and looked at each other in confusion.

  Yes, yes! That is it, right there, Melneck told her. Now you are ready! Tap it, feel the rage, BE the bitch you were meant to be. These boys are everything in the world you hate. They are your parent’s nagging mouths, they are the demons around you, they are society’s hold on you. This is yo
ur moment, now GIVE IN TO IT!

  Ella lost it. She lunged forward and grabbed the leader by his shirt with one hand and punched him repeatedly in the face with her other hand. When she finally let go, he fell into a pile at her feet.

  The next kid’s fist hit her face, but there was no pain.

  “That all you got, prick?”

  She growled and grabbed him by the shoulders, ramming her knee into his gut before punching him hard in the side of the head and sending him spiraling to the ground.

  She turned, thrusting her leg out to the side and kicking an oncoming guy in the chest. He doubled over and fell backward, wheezing as he landed on the asphalt.

  “Behind you,” the nerdy kid yelled, and she turned right into a punch in the mouth.

  Ella spat and chopped the fourth guy in the side of the neck, then punched him in the stomach. Not content, she grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him to the ground. The leader had gotten back up and came toward her, screaming at the top of his lungs. She bent down and punched him square in the nuts, then stood up quickly and elbowed him in the neck. The fifth guy ran toward her as well, but she stepped to the side and stuck out her arm, catching him in the throat. He bounced backward and hit the ground, not getting up again.

  “I…uh…I think you got them all,” the kid told her, clutching his notebook to his chest as he looked around. He pushed up his glasses a moment later.

  Ella stood up straight and glanced over as one of the guys tried to get up.

  She walked over and tilted her head to peer at him, then pulled her leg back and kicked him hard in the stomach like she was punting a football. He collapsed again, out cold.

  Her face was on fire, but she didn’t care. She had kicked all their asses. She wiped the blood from her nose and mouth on the back of her arm.

  She slowly walked over to the leader, who was groaning as he lay on the ground looking up at her. As she stared down at his pathetic face, she felt strong, powerful, and in control.

  “Be thankful I don’t hang your testacies around my neck like my friend told me I should do,” she whispered to him.

  Ella turned around and looking at the kid, who jumped slightly. She forced a smile, blood covering her teeth. He grimaced back as she walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

  “If these assholes harm you again—make fun of you, hell, even breathe in your direction—I want you to let me know,” she told him. “Next time I’ll start my necklace.”

  “B-b-but I don’t even know who you are,” he stuttered. “How can I let you know?”

  “I’m the new kid on the block,” she replied. “I’ll be around, don’t you worry, and I’ve got your back.”

  Okay, cool girl, time to walk away, Melneck suggested.

  Ella smirked and walked back past the guys lying on the ground. She pretended like she was going to kick one of them, and laughed when he flinched.

  She marched back to the sidewalk and kept walking, not knowing at that point whether to go back to the base or head to the store covered in blood. She didn’t feel any pain anymore, and when she ran her fingers over her lips they were healed.

  Melneck chuckled. I never said to use their testes for a necklace.

  I know. Ella smiled. I added that. You are too much of a pansy to say something like that.

  And I know how it feels to be punched in them, he added.

  Now who’s the big bitch? she asked, chuckling.

  As she passed a car on the street she looked at her reflection, and she realized she couldn’t go into the store covered in that much blood. She sighed and headed back toward the house. She slowed down and looked over her shoulder.

  John William Smith was watching her every move from a distance. He nodded and stepped back behind the fence.

  “You will do, little girl. You will do.”

  Why are you slowing down? Melneck asked. People are starting to stare.

  I thought I saw someone watching me. She shrugged. Guess I’m just paranoid.

  Let’s talk about that kick, Melneck said. I think you could use some help on the technique.

  Oh Lord, here we go. She sighed, rolling her eyes. Nag, nag, nag… It’s like having a grandma in my head.

  Hey, it’s my job to help you get better,’ Melneck replied. And if you think that’s nagging, you just wait until the Vegas kids are gone, I’m going to be your only friend.

  Right, because no one else will want to be my friend. She scoffed. You are a forced friend; a leech I can’t get rid of.

  A powerful one, Melneck reminded her.

  A powerfully damned annoying one, Ella shot back with a smile.

  The two argued as they walked back toward the house.

  She might have changed in that high school parking lot, but things didn’t change in her head.

  Katie sighed as she shoved her things in her bag. Before she left, she checked the room one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

  It was time to head back to Vegas and get settled into to their new routine.

  They would be moving to the new base soon, and she had a lot of shit to pack. Besides, she missed her room, she missed her team, and she missed normal demons without tails and snouts. She had to admit, though, it had definitely been an experience.

  She walked out of the room and out to the sidewalk, where the team had gathered. She and Damian would take a car to the airport, where John had a jet waiting to take them home.

  The other team members hugged her, some still flirting, then she went to the SUV where Damian, Ella, and John were waiting for her. It was in that moment that she realized she was going to have to say goodbye to the little one.

  She had gotten kind of attached to Ella’s snide attitude, bad jokes, and terrible sense of fashion.

  Damian turned to Ella and smiled.

  “Man, you look a bit the worse for wear there, priest,” Ella commented.

  Damian reached up and touched the bandages on his face. The last few cuts and scrapes had yet to heal. John and the others had taken very good care of them when they returned, and they had all sat around laughing at the story they told. John agreed that it sounded just like one of those ignorant assholes.

  “Yeah,” Damian said to Ella. “I haven’t quite healed yet. While my demon is pretty good at the healing thing, I didn’t get the same upgrades,” he jerked a thumb toward Katie, “as this one.”

  “Hey, I saw the bloody mess Ella was when we got back yesterday,” Katie exclaimed. “But today she magically doesn’t have a scratch on her. Pretty impressive.”

  “Take care of yourself, kid,” Damian said, hugging Ella.

  She went rigid at first but slowly relaxed, leaning her head on Damian’s shoulder and smiling. He ruffled her hair and stepped out of the way so that Katie could approach.

  Katie walked up to Ella and blew out a deep breath of air, feeling slightly emotional about the entire thing.

  “Don’t let these guys push you around too much.” Katie smiled at her and winked at John. “And remember…you are important, and you are one badass bitch.”

  “Melneck said the same thing.” Ella smiled.

  “Oh yeah?” Katie nodded. “You guys getting along better now?”

  “Yeah,” Ella replied. “Kind of. I mean, he showed me something yesterday; brought out a side of me that I didn’t know I had. I think there might be some possibilities in our relationship. Probably not like you and yours have, but he definitely has his own interests at heart, which helps me become more of a badass. He’s still a jackass, though.”

  Bitch, Melneck interjected. Tell that human to tell her demon I’ll be watching for her brother.

  “Oh, and he just said to tell Pandora that he will be watching for her brother,” Ella relayed.

  “Good.” Katie nodded. “And when he finds him, I want to get in a few blows too. He stole my damn car.”

  Ella looked confused and Katie shook her head. “Never mind, not important. Come here and give me a hug.�
�

  Katie pulled her in and hugged her tightly, which gave her a warm sensation in her chest. She felt like Ella had become her little sister, and there was no doubt she was going to miss her—even if she was a pain in the ass.

  Ella pulled back and quickly wiped a tear from her cheek, trying to hide her emotion. Katie rubbed the top of her head. Ella walked over to the guys and started joking around with them. Katie smiled and turned to John, who looked at her sweetly.

  “I didn’t get to take you out to dinner.”

  “I was too busy chasing hellhounds.” She laughed. “Maybe next time.”

  “Definitely,” John agreed.

  “And hey…look out for Ella. She’s a good kid underneath that tough exterior.” Katie smiled. “I’m worried that she isn’t ready, but I know she has what it takes.”

  John looked down at Katie and nodded in agreement. He knew she had what it took; he had seen it with his own eyes. Katie read the look on his face and smiled, nodding back at him before climbing into the SUV.

  Feeling at ease, she waved at Ella as they drove off.

  25

  Katie looked at Damian, who had his head pressed against the glass and was breathing heavily, off in a dream world. She smiled and looked out her own window at the clouds. Her trip to New York—and Virginia, for that matter—had been eye-opening.

  She had learned things about herself. She had learned things about other people too, realizing that everyone was going through their own inner struggle.

  Watching Ella had made her remember all the emotions she had felt when she first joined the team, and she had realized how far she had come since then.

  In the grand scheme of things it hadn’t been that long since she had become a Killer, but she felt like a completely different person. When she got home she would embark on the next chapter, finding a new place to get comfortable and continuing to kick demon ass.