by Michael Todd
Damian raised an eyebrow and sniggered. “I don’t know if this body could handle that, but it’s good to see you out and about.”
The demon snarled. “Yeah. This bitch over here is always whining about her private time. Plus, she doesn’t eat enough for me to be happy, so I gotta get out and stuff my pie hole myself. Rude.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ve seen the lava attacks and the Leviathan scare. Things are insane. We are getting ready to head back to continue looking for Brock and the team. I refuse to give up on the idea that he is out there. I have a gut feeling about it.”
“Then go with your gut because you’ve always had good intuition,” he replied. “I would trust your gut over anyone else’s opinion.”
Damian could tell by the sadness in her eyes that Katie was struggling with Brock’s disappearance. He wanted to be there for her, but he knew that if she wanted to talk about it, she would. The truth was, he might be dead, but telling her that would not help, not now. She had to find the answer out for herself.
“Thanks, Damian,” she replied. “It’s nice having someone back you up every now and then. I mean, the others haven’t come out and said I’m dumb, but they definitely have given me the pity stares.”
He grunted his irritation. “I hate the pity stares. That’s all I’ve been getting lately. It drives me freaking nuts.”
Pandora sat behind Katie, eating a donut. “Personally, when someone looks at me that way, I usually ask them if they need me to surgically remove the humanity from their soul. That usually causes them to not pity me quite so much.”
Damian laughed as Katie snapped at her. When she turned back, she took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Sooo, I bet you miss this.”
He laughed. “All the time. So, I saw Moloch on the news yesterday. That wasn’t really something I wanted to see.”
She looked confused. “How do you know about Moloch?”
Pandora snorted. “Because Moloch has a fetish for torturing Christians. It gets him off.”
Katie was surprised. “Really? I took him as a less-focused individual.”
Damian shook his head. “No, there is definitely a long history of him with the churches. And from what I know, it didn’t stop there.”
The demon swallowed the last bite of donut. “No, it did not. We’re talking all the way back to 88 BC with the Asiatic Vespers in the Kingdom of Pontus. They killed all the Roman citizens and a bunch of others in Asia Minor. After that, it really snowballed. There was the Massacre of Verden, The Stockholm Massacre, the Ulster massacres, the Penn’s Creek Massacre, the Holocaust, and the list goes on and on and on.”
Katie glanced back at her. “Moloch was part of those?”
“Of course, he was. They were his idea. He messed with people in every way he knew how to. When he ran out of ideas, he would pick the brains of some of the most maniacal overlords ever born. And let’s face it, humans are good at the overlord thing. It was his hobby and he loved it.”
Damian hesitated and rubbed his chin. “What about any of the more recent terrors? Is he still on active torture duty?”
Pandora shrugged. “I doubt it. Last time I was in that circle of morons, he had stopped. I think he got bored with it. I mean, after centuries of the same thing, you tend to want to move on to something new—like trying to take over an entire planet. But it didn’t stop. The humans that were loyal to him were the ones who continued his legacy. I’m sure if you researched these events thoroughly enough you would find a connection between the perpetrator and Moloch. Even if it is only a specific cult or something.”
He shook his head in real disgust. “I hate the idea that there are people out there who want to do as much damage to life as an actual demon. Humans are supposed to have that block, that intrinsic moral code that makes them not want to kill, murder, and maim. But it always seems that when you think humans are headed in the right direction, boom, some psycho pants runs out and shoots up entire cities. Bombs buildings, beats babies, and all that fun psycho shit that happens.”
The demon nodded. “Yeah. Then again, who knows? It could be him. I can’t be certain that he really quit it all. I haven’t seen him in a really long time. The amount of time I’ve been on this plane, actually.”
She stood and patted her belly. “Well, papa priest, I have donuts to eat and men to ogle out the window of the condo. I think it’s about time for the running team to make a pass to the park. All those tight asses in spandex. Whoop. Good luck with your broken body. Love ya!”
Pandora skipped off out of the frame and Katie groaned as she scooted to the middle of the screen. “Sorry about that. She is a handful these days. It’s like I’m her mom and not…whatever I was before.”
Damian chuckled. “I’m used to her. It’s okay. So, besides searching for Brock and the lava falls, what else have you been up to?”
Katie squared her shoulders. “Well, we’ve worked with the NYPD, trying to get them fully up to speed on demon and Damned protocol. They are starting to really enjoy working with Timothy on the programs and being able to head off calls before they get too bad.”
“Nice,” he replied.
She perked up a little. “Oh, and I have a fan club that comes to the condo and holds up loving signs to me. That’s always uplifting, except for when the haters come too. That sucks.”
Damian grinned. “I’m sure it is but believe it or not, you have fan clubs all over the place. So, if it gets too bad with the haters, call in reinforcements.”
Katie shook her finger at the screen. “That is an excellent idea. How about you?”
“Actually, I have something to tell you that you might enjoy,” he replied “We were recently put on assignment—the one that beat me up—to take down a cult. When I looked into it, I realized it was the cult that took you, so we went in pedal to the metal and either exorcised or killed every single one of them. I don’t know if this will affect the cult as a whole, but the leader was one of the ones who escaped before. And now, he is dead.”
She looked at the screen and her mouth formed into different shapes but no words emerged. A tear glistened in the corner of her eye. “Wow, Damian. Thank you. I can’t say that hasn’t weighed heavily on my mind, but life has been far too busy for me to chase after old enemies. I had put them on my to-do list after ‘save the world’ and ‘get a pedicure.’”
Damian laughed and tried to lift her mood. She looked incredibly emotional. “It was my pleasure. And worth all the pain. I knew somewhere in there it was on your mind. Something like that wouldn’t be easy to get over. Your whole life was changed by it. But if it means anything to you, the world is a better place because you and Pandora were smashed together. You have become the hero.”
Katie pressed her lips together and sniffled. “Thanks, Damian. Funny, because you’ve always been my hero.”
This is nice. I was starting to think that we would never get any time away from the house. Astaroth sighed. I mean, yay, we all love Damian, but the whole handicap vibe made me itchy.
Max turned the corner on his way to the coffee shop. No problem. We really needed to stock up on coffee anyway. I was afraid we would end up with one of those big tubs from the grocery store.
The demon gasped. Oh, the horror. I would drink tea before I did that.
He laughed. I thought that afterward, we could go to the library. I really want to do some research into the past attacks on churches and the demon theories behind them. It might shed some light on everything going on.
I wouldn’t mind that so much. I do like to remember all the old glory days of my past. I’m sure I was involved in or knew about some of them, Astaroth replied.
Max raised an eyebrow. I think it best that you tell me the facts, not the facts about your part in it.
The demon sighed. Okay, but you are missing out on some fantastic war stories. Just saying.
“Wait a minute,” the priest whispered and stared across the street.
Maps wa
lked down the sidewalk, her sunglasses tight against the bridge of her nose. She had her hands shoved into the pockets of her hoodie and skulked against the building before she turned quickly down the alley. Almost immediately, she merged into the shadows as if she had never been in the sunny London streets.
Astaroth sniffed. Was that Maps? I really thought she was undead. Like, I thought sunlight would kill her.
Max took a turn, stepped to the edge of the curb, and put his hand out. He hurried across the street and ignored the cars that honked at him. In moments, he strode along the sidewalk and up to the entrance of the alley.
Uh, what exactly do you think you’re doing? This might be considered stalking, Astaroth said.
She acted strangely the other day and now, she is creeping down alleys in the middle of the day and wearing glasses all the time. I want to make sure she is okay, he replied.
Astaroth chuckled and launched annoyingly into song. Because you loooove her, you like her booty, you forgot your chaaaastity.
Max sighed, peered around the corner, and frowned when she disappeared behind a large metal door. As soon as it shut, he scuttled forward and stepped over the large, disgusting puddles. It really would be too bad if he got his shoes dirty. He hesitated in front of the door and looked for a doorbell or something, but he couldn’t actually imagine anyone on the other side of it.
Tentatively, he tugged on it but it was locked. He rubbed his head as he considered his options, glanced up, and noticed a window just above his head and to the left. As luck would have it, an old crate sprawled nearby. He dragged it hastily into position, stretched toward the sill, and grunted as he hauled himself onto the crate and up on his tiptoes. He could barely see anything the window was so dirty.
Max sighed and scrambled off the crate, feeling defeated. He shrugged and turned but gasped sharply when Maps grabbed him by the neck, her eyes bright red.
Chapter Twenty
Maps gritted her teeth and slid her hand around to the back of Max’s neck to dig her nails into his skin. He hissed and raised his hands in protest. “I’m sorry. I saw you and I thought…well you were so weird the other day. I was worried.”
She pulled him along the alley, stopped for a moment, and shoved him against the dirty brick wall. “Shut. Up.”
Before he could even nod his agreement, she had marched to another door and kicked it violently with her boot to thrust it open. Max was now freaking out as she closed an iron hand on his arm and yanked him toward the doorway. He tried to slow himself, but she was fucking strong. Before he knew it, she had thrown him through the opening.
She turned and slammed the door shut behind them and only the dim light from the high windows illuminated the room. Max rolled across the floor and only managed to stop when he met the back wall. Of course, it was a tiny room and empty, with a dirty-ass concrete floor. Astaroth hissed at him. Get up. Get up, you fool. Obviously, she isn’t playing fucking games.
He groaned, rolled onto his back and glared at her. She lunged toward him, her face angry and her eyes glowing. Quickly, he sat and used his legs to scoot himself along the wall as far as he could possibly get. He raised his arms and turned his head in preparation for whatever came next. Sure, he could get up and protect himself, but could he really? Could he bring himself to punch his friend and possibly even fight to the death? Would she let him exorcise her?
He had so many questions, but from the look of pure hate on her face, he was almost positive he wouldn’t have the chance to ask any of them. In his mind, he was positive that she would kill him, and he had no idea why.
Instead of his worst nightmare, however, her feet slowed and she stopped and frowned at the look on his face. She gritted her teeth, folded her arms, and began to pace. Her boots thumped rhythmically on the concrete. He raised his head cautiously and lowered his arms. When she looked at him, he made sure to look away—a dance that continued for what seemed like forever. Astaroth quickly healed the scrape and pulled muscle he got when he tumbled across the cold, hard floor.
His demon also decided he might be done for. Fallen at the feet of a woman. That seems to be the reason for the defeat of so many. And for good reason, usually. But Maps? She is fucking scary.
Max leaned against the stone and wiped the dust and crumbled rocks off the palms of his hands. She paced angrily and mumbled to herself as she shook her head and acted even stranger than she had before. He straightened when she snapped her head toward him. Her eyes burned bright red, so much so that her pupils were almost hard to separate from the iris.
She clasped her hands in front of her and screeched before she dropped them angrily to her side. Her legs moved again and stomped frustratingly in the now familiar rhythm. “I thought to myself, Max might be shy, but at least he is extremely intelligent. Yeah, he is like Damian smart. Then I see you on the streets of London and you prove me completely wrong. Like, so wrong that I question whether you are human.”
Maps stamped and he flinched. “God, why do you have to be so stupid? I really need to understand the depth of your stupidity.”
He didn’t respond, not sure if she wanted a response. She huffed and now raised her feet as she marched to release as much aggression on the dirty concrete floor as she could.
Suddenly, she stopped and whipped toward him. “Why, with all of the knowledge that you have of the things that creep in shadows, would you follow me down a dark fucking alley? A dark alley? Do you know what waits for people in dark alleys?”
Max shook his head slowly. She slammed her hands to her chest. “Me. Or things…people like me.”
“I was worried, and obviously for good reason,” he said and leaned forward with a surge of courage. “Maps, when did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?”
Astaroth did not like the vibe. Dude, back off. Whatever demon she has in her, it’s causing serious rage.
She threw her hands up. “You know what I do for a living. You know I deal with some really shady-ass people. Did it ever occur to you that I would see or meet up with one of those people? Hmm? That they could have killed you and me both? Not to mention that if you showed up—a priest—you could totally blow a job for me. These jobs don’t miraculously appear. It takes a long time for me to gain these people’s trust.”
Maps stopped and rubbed her face. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, okay? The people I deal with don’t give a fuck about the collar around your neck. They have no respect for you, and they honestly have no respect for me. It is an ugly truth. And you put me in a terrible position.”
She resumed her pacing but slower this time. “Why are you even out?”
He shook his head. “Umm, I had to get coffee. Damian’s been hurt—like bad—and I’ve been taking care of him. He’s finally feeling well enough for me to go do some things.”
The woman stared at him for a moment, worry on her face. She quickly shook it off, though, and scowled again. “Yeah, well, it’s dumb for you to be out here alone. You know what is happening right now, and you think you are capable of handling it on your own. That’s stupid. Plain fucking stupid.”
By now, both Max and Astaroth were tired of her freaking out on them. The demon sniffed. She is on twatwaffle patrol today. I say give her another minute or so, then stop this shit in its tracks.
“I came here to check on you, not to be lectured by you,” Max replied. “I am more than capable of handling myself.”
He pushed to his feet. She stared at him, her shoulders hunched forward, her hands on her hips, and her breath heavy. Without warning, she lunged at him and he raised his hands. “Please don’t kill me.”
Maps halted and blinked the fury from her mind. She stared at him for a moment and realized that she was terrorizing one of her very few friends. Miserably, she swallowed, straightened, and tilted her head. She knew she needed to calm down. There was no use in scaring the hell out of him like that.
She cleared her throat and her shoulders sagged as she backed up a step. “I’m not here to k
ill you, you big fucking dummy. I’m here to protect you. That is why I am down this alley. That is why I have these damn red eyes.”
Max lowered his arms and stared at her in confusion. “What do you mean, you’re protecting me? As far as I knew, no one but us knew about the names in the book. No one knew about any of this. How does you going down a dark alley with a demon in you have anything to do with protecting me?”
Maps sighed. “Because the three Wise Men have caught wind that you and Damian are sniffing their trail. They know you are suspicious and that you’re sneaking around. They also know that you know what the insignia on that vase you retrieved was. Why do you think they sent you two to get it? It was a trap. To see how you would react to it.”
Astaroth growled. How the fuck does Debbie Goth Face know about the three Wise Men and that vase?
Max studied her suspiciously. She gestured dismissively. “Look, I know it’s weird that I know all this, but how do you think the Wise Men found the vase in the first place? Me. Damian knows all the details about what I do. And how I’m connected to all this.”
With a slow exhale, he pushed away from the wall. “If he knows and he didn’t tell me, that means he really isn’t worried about it. Nonetheless, how do you know they are on our trail?”
She kicked at the rocks on the floor. “My informant. They came to me and told me about it. I need to be able to protect you guys and make sure nothing happens before you get there and stop them. The informant told me that at this point, the best way to ensure that protection was to become infected. So, I went to the club where I know shit like that goes down for a fee.”
Max shook his head. “Hold up—people pay to be infected?”
Maps scoffed. “Fuck, yeah. People want to be strong. They want to be able to protect themselves. Anyway, so I have this asshole inside me who likes to fuck with my emotions and keep me up all night. He isn’t happy when I down Valium and pass out.”