by Joshua Laack
Chapter 37
Dark forms rushed into the room from all possible openings like bugs pouring from a disturbed nest. Now that Andrew's vision was modified by his recent upgrades, they were no longer the blurs that he remembered from the days of his humanity.
They were humanoid, but the similarities were far fewer than the differences. Their faces were flat and featureless with no eyes, mouth or nose. There were two vertical slits about a half of an inch long near the center of the black skin. The arms were long and bulky, though not in a rounded muscular form, just large. The legs were also long and bulky, though not as much as the arms. The torso was slender and shorter. They had no real necks to speak of. All in all, they were ugly and seemed as if they should be awkward in their movements, but instead they moved with a grace and speed that defied belief.
“That one,” screamed Lazarus! He pointed and face after blank face of demon swiveled in Andrew's direction, before charging toward him. The flow didn't seem to cease and Andrew lost count at almost a hundred. He grabbed the first as it came within reach and whipped it into the oncoming demons. The move bowled over three of them, but it did little to slow the onslaught. Andrew did the only thing he could think of.
Moving as fast as it seemed only he could, he stepped between the demons and grabbed Johari and pulled her with him out of the center of the mass. They moved around the table to where Tabitha stood just as the demons crashed together in the spot he had been only moments before. From behind the table, Andrew spun and pulled Tabitha and Johari with him and backed up against the stone wall. By this point, the confused demons spotted him and turned to rush once again.
The first of the demons reached them followed by Lazarus. Andrew dropped into a fighting stance and stepped into the first demon's attack. His left arm swept aside the strike and then his right fist bowled into the demon's chest with a cracking sound. It, along with several behind it, flew back several feet and landed in a pile on the floor.
He was about to step up when Johari stepped past.
“Help the others,” she muttered into the air in front of her just as she blocked the first hit by one of the still standing demons. Andrew froze for a moment, fear for her at the front of his thoughts. Then he realized she was right. He could reach them all. Andrew switched into high speed and moved to the closest Blood locked in a fierce battle that she was losing against four demons.
Andrew grabbed the young looking female by the back of her shirt and hauled her out of the middle of the circle of demons. A kick as he did sent three of the demons crashing to the floor.
“Thanks!” Andrew let go of her and she rushed the one still standing. It was still facing the center of the circle where she had been a moment before and didn't even turn in time to see where the blow that knocked it from its feet came from.
Andrew moved around the room freeing those in danger of being trampled under and setting them back in the fight where they had a better chance of doing some good. There were only a few to go when he noticed that Lazarus had reached the front of the group demons and found that Andrew wasn't there. Lazarus turned instead to Tabitha and started to bring his large fist to bear upon her. Andrew started to run toward her.
Her tiny hand came up and Lazarus' fist stopped in the air. Demons and Blood alike stopped and watched in shock as she held his fist in the palm of her hand. Then, as they watched, tears began to fall from her eyes. Lazarus gasped.
“No! This isn't possible!” At first, the reason for Lazarus' shock was unknown, but then a slow wizening of first his hand and then his arm appeared and the answer became apparent. It didn't stop there, but crept up his arm and vanished inside of his shirt, reappearing moments later, both on his other arm and creeping up his neck. His hair began to fade into gray and then pure white. His back bent and he seemed to shrink. His fingers became gnarled lumps of their former glory.
Somehow, Tabitha had taken the life from Lazarus. Tabitha's now golden brown hair and twenty something face was the saddest thing Andrew had ever seen as her hand dropped to her side and Lazarus staggered back from her on unsteady, ancient legs.
“He told me this would happen one day, but I refused to believe. I'm angrier at myself for not seeing this than I am at you for losing your way.” One last tear fell and then she wiped both eyes and they were gone. “I'm sorry my old friend. May you find forgiveness and happiness on the other side.”
The whole exchange seemed like it lasted a long time. In truth, it was no more than two or three minutes. In that time, no one in the room moved.
At the sight of their inside ally being destroyed, some of the demons went into an angry frenzy and began to fight even more fiercely. However, most of them backed away and then turned and ran. Andrew was sure they were afraid that Tabitha could destroy them with a touch as well, and to be sure, the thought crossed his mind. There was no telling just how much power this woman had. From the look on Johari's face, she had no idea either.
Lazarus fell down onto the floor as his legs could no longer hold his weight. What landed was no longer him. The ash that hit the floor spread out and settled as powder onto the floor. As they continued to watch, even the ash faded into nothingness. Andrew shuddered as he realized how complete Lazarus' destruction had been, and how quick that total destruction had occurred.
Andrew joined back in the fight as those thoughts ran through his mind. With most of the demons running, it wasn't much of a fight to dispatch the few who remained. When it was over, several immortals took the pieces of torn demons and removed them from the room as Tabitha and the other two council members vanished from the room.
Johari and Andrew stood there as the room cleared and looked at each other, hopeful, but still uncertain as to what the future would hold. He reached out a hand and she smiled, taking it into her own. The soft tingle flowed at their touch as Andrew smiled back at her.
“It's really not fair you know,” she said through the smile.
“What's not fair,” he asked softly? She pulled him to her and he picked her up into his arms where she whispered in his ear.
“You are just a young immortal, yet so much stronger and faster than any other. I thought we agreed I was supposed to be the stronger one.” Andrew thought he detected a note of humor in her voice, but wasn't positive until she pulled back and grinned. “You are the most amazing thing I have ever had the pleasure to know.”
“Funny, that's what I thought when I got to know you!” He grinned back at her and then they were kissing. Lost in the pleasure, those ever present explosions of joy, it took them both a minute to acknowledge the soft throat clearing. A young looking Blood stood there waiting for them to finish their celebration of each other and the life that they shared.