by Michael Todd
Beelzebub stuck his glass out and snapped his fingers, and one of the servants ran over to fill it. He let out a deep breath. “It was that simple. A few compliments, and then showing him that the idea was perfect. Of course, we will have to make sure we follow through on it. We can’t drop the ball like so many of your cohorts have done.”
Baal rolled his eyes. “You do realize that those guys had no idea what they were doing, right? Anyway, it doesn’t matter; we are in charge of this. So what is our plan of attack?”
Beelzebub took a big gulp of his drink. “You need to learn to slow down. It’s not like Earth is going anywhere anytime soon. In my many years of being a demon…”
Baal tuned him out, narrowing his eyes at him across the space between them. He was being incredibly cocky, and he didn’t seem to care one way or another that Baal had any ideas. He was acting incredibly suspiciously, and Baal could trust nothing that was spewing out of his mouth.
Beelzebub got up and walked over to the fire, still talking. “…and that’s how it’s done. Anyway, since I was just put back on the council, I’ve got to use my momentum.”
Baal blinked at him, waving his hand at the servant and setting his glass down. He leaned forward, pressing his palms together and tapping his snout. “Okay, so what exactly is their plan? Do they want an incursion over Kabbus’ resting place? Do we have a specific location for it?”
Beelzebub turned swiftly to Baal. “You aren’t going to give this up. Fine, let’s talk about it. No, they do not want it over his resting place, and even if they did, it would be a very stupid idea. One wrong move and we would have that beast haunting our lives. Besides, we don’t want everyone to know where he is at this point.”
Baal nodded. “So more of a diversion tactic that he will sense. How about New York?”
Beelzebub shook his head, taking a drink. “New York is played out.”
Baal thought about it. “Maybe Washington, DC?”
Beelzebub stared at him for a moment, a smirk beginning to move across his lips. “Normally I would say that was insane. We have protected Washington in the past because we have so many allies there, but fuck ‘em. Hit the humans there. That will make a damn statement.”
Baal chuckled. “That will make a statement to more than just the people in the US. That will make a statement to every country in the world: we are not afraid to hit them where it hurts.”
Beelzebub laughed. “I love your sense of evil. It’s so refreshing. Besides, the president of Russia will love it. He’s had it in for America forever.”
They both chuckled for a moment, then simmered down to a thoughtful quiet. Baal looked up. “So, what kind of demons should we send?”
Beelzebub smiled evilly. “Actually, I started thinking about that before we ever had this conversation. I mean, that is the fun part, isn’t it? The crazier the demons, the more ferocious the attack.”
Beelzebub put his glass down and turned, opening a portal. He waved to whoever was on the other side. “Well, come on. Don’t be pussies. Get your asses in here. Let Baal have a look at you.”
Baal stood up and watched closely as demons began moving into the room and formed a line in front of the fireplace. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “You have outdone yourself this time, Bee. ‘Prepared’ is something I never thought you would be, but damn if I wasn’t completely fucking wrong.”
To the far right of the standard-issue beasts were two tiny EMP demons. Beelzebub walked over and leaned down to pet the little Chihuahua-looking beasts. “Our Freaks on a Leash were still out there running around hell. Guess these little bastards slipped away last time.”
Baal laughed. “They are very useful. We saw that in the last fight. And as far as I know, we haven’t given the humans enough time to come up with protection against this type of thing.”
Beelzebub smirked. “But wait, that’s not all. Besides our normal hordes of idiot flesh-hungry demons, we also have these.”
He waved at the portal, and Baal turned as a rhino carefully trotted through, trying not to mess up the floors with his heavy body. Baal cackled madly, clapping his hands. “Aren’t you just adorable!”
Beelzebub put up his finger. “Hold on, not quite done.”
Baal turned his head, and his mouth fell open. Four big, mean bastards came stomping through, bent over so as not to hit the ceiling. “I thought we lost all of them to the deep recesses of hell?”
Beelzebub smiled. “Apparently, these four guys survived the attack on the fort and got back through to us. They have been waiting at my cave, but I haven’t been there in days.”
Baal shook his head and stood up straight, slowly clapping his hands. “Bee, you’ve really done it this time. You have put the work in, and it shows.”
Beelzebub grinned as he opened another portal and showed the demons out. “Stay there. I’ll come for you soon. And dammit, corral the dogs. Their teeth hurt.”
The portal closed, and Baal crossed his arms. “The only question I have is, what about the fucking angels?”
Beelzebub shrugged. “We’ll see what happens when Kabbus is finished with them.”
Katie stuck her hands in the pockets of her raincoat. Its collar framed her face, and she also wore a pair of slim black ankle-length pants, a crisp white button-up blouse, and a pair of black flats. Her hair was pulled to the side and tied with an elastic band. She carried a small pack over her shoulder. Pandora was right beside her, wearing a black button-up with four buttons undone and a pair of tight jeans, plus black heels. Her makeup was dark, and her hair had been teased into a high bump in the front. She strode along with her hands in the pockets of her trim peacoat.
They walked down the steps behind the crowds and waited on the platform for their train on the Paris Métro. Katie glanced at Pandora and took a deep breath. “I’m really surprised you’re up for a trip to the museums. Figured you would be bitching about there not being enough action.”
Pandora shrugged. “To be honest, I just want to see how many of the things in these museums I have touched in my lifetime. I can also point out to you how many of the small statues were actually dildos. You would be shocked.”
Katie laughed, shaking her head. “For some reason, I really don’t think I would be. Given what I’ve seen since becoming Damned, nothing surprises me anymore. People are freaks. And here I thought the slutty girls on campus were the wild ones. They wouldn’t survive in your world.”
Pandora pursed her lips proudly. “Damn straight. I would eat those girls, chew them up, and spit them out. They would never be the same.”
Katie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know, they probably wouldn’t taste too good. Rode hard and put up wet.”
Pandora pulled her jacket closed and smiled. “Girl, that was my saying for about a century. I kind of chilled out, though. You know, wife shit.”
Katie laughed. “I can’t even begin to picture you as a wife. That is so strange. Although I suppose you being a wife to Lucifer was a lot like being a wife in the forties. Shut up and take care of the kids.”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “Yep, just like it. Oh! I wonder if the museums will have any Atlantean stuff in them?”
Katie furrowed her brow. “You would think not, because they would have no idea where it came from.”
Pandora tilted her head from side to side. “Yeah, but maybe they have it and just don’t know it belonged to them.”
Katie smiled. “Probably not, but we can definitely check it out.”
Katie looked to her right and then behind her, clearing her throat. She pulled her hand out and rubbed her chest, feeling a tingling sensation that was spreading to her bones. Pandora glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “What’s going on? You getting the vibe?”
Katie cleared her throat a second time, pulling on the collar of her jacket. “Yeah. My angel senses are tingling again. I can feel it. Something isn’t right.”
Pandora and Katie stood still as the people loaded onto and u
nloaded from the train. They shifted their eyes right and left, making sure to keep their senses open for anyone that might be trying to come up behind them. They stood there watching as each person passed by, but they didn’t see anyone with red eyes or any reason for them to be in danger.
After the passengers had changed places and the train left, the platform was basically empty. Pandora looked at Katie. “You still feel it? Even with everyone gone?”
Katie nodded, turning around. “Yeah. But not everyone is gone.”
Sure enough, walking from the shadows was a group of French guys wearing long black shirts, all with five o’clock shadows, and all darting their eyes back and forth. Pandora stepped up next to Katie. “Why do I feel like I’m either going to get into a gun battle or I am going to sing and dance my way through this fight like West Side Story?”
Pandora’s comment made Katie choke out a laugh. “Or a mime is going to come out of the shadows and give us a hard time in his beret and striped shirt.”
Pandora nodded. “I hate mimes. They are so freaky with their weird glass boxes. A mime comes, and I get to take him the fuck out. Boop! Thrown right in front of a fucking train. Mime that, bitch.”
Katie shook her head as the guy in the front came closer, tilting his head and smiling at them. He had both hands in his pockets, and his eyes roved up and down their bodies. Pandora pulled her hands out and slowly balled them into fists at her sides. “French men are supposed to be sexy, but this one is on the rape-y side of things.”
Katie nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
The guy in the front smiled widely. Katie looked around as a few people came down the steps and stepped to the front, waiting for the train. A kid in noise-canceling headphones stood closest to the guy, flipping through his phone with no clue what was happening around him.
The creepy guy stopped and smirked. “Amis du diable!”
He pulled a knife out of his pocket and flipped it open. As he reached for the kid, Katie stepped in front of him and shook her head. “No, no.”
The other guys in the group moved up behind him, pulling out their switchblades and swiping them back and forth. Pandora rolled her eyes and her shoulders, not impressed by them at all. The first guy lunged forward, stabbing under Katie’s arm and pushing the knife into the kid’s side. The kid dropped to the ground and the guy backed up, laughing loudly.
The group of guys pumped their hands, shouting, “Amis du diable!”
The rest of the people backed up against the wall, Pandora stepping in front of them. Katie looked at the guy’s knife and smiled. She reached up and tapped her back. The guy looked at her strangely, narrowing his eyes. Katie laughed, slowly letting her coat fall to the ground. On her back was her angelic sword, hidden from the others’ view but easy to get in case she needed it.
Pandora laughed. “You never go out without protection. I like it.”
Katie nodded at the guy’s knife and slowly pulled her sword out and held it in front of her. “That’s not a knife. This is a knife.”
The front guy went to lunge and Katie sprang into action, shifting to the side. She flipped her sword up in the air and caught it by the blade, not cutting her hands. She whipped the hilt of the sword through the air, slamming it into the guy’s head. He swayed for a moment, but she lunged toward him, kneeing him hard in the stomach and then punching him in the balls. Grabbing his crotch, he screamed, dropping his knife and falling hard to the ground.
Katie kicked the knife toward Pandora and jumped into the group of guys. She grabbed two of them by the necks and slammed their heads together over and over until they were unconscious. As she dropped them, another ran toward her, but she threw her leg out behind her and kicked him dead in the stomach. He flew back, hitting the wall. Pandora threw the switchblade at him, and it caught his sleeve and pinned him to the wall. He groaned, his head falling forward and his eyes rolling back.
The guy on the ground moaned. “My balls, they are in my belly.”
Katie stared at the last guy standing, kicking the first guy in the face as she passed. The guy was nervous, holding his knife with a shaking hand. She walked up to him and put her mouth by his head, breathing heavily on his cheek. “I would let you go, but you don’t seem to understand you can’t attack people. So…goodnight.”
She stood back and smiled as Pandora put him in a chokehold. She covered his mouth and held on as he struggled, finally passing out. Katie hurried over to the kid and nodded at him, looking at the wound. “You’ll be okay. The medics are on the way.”
Katie looked up at Pandora. “What were they saying? ‘Amis du diable?’”
The kid coughed. “Friends of the devil.”
Katie looked at the kid and back at Pandora, who nodded. “He’s right. Friends of the devil. Who knows where they got that from? It’s probably just another group of crazies who want demons to take over the world.
It was nighttime in DC, but the US Capitol building was still in full swing. With the drama in the country going on and the state of the government, that was becoming the norm. Outside the building and around the corner stood two congressional aides, vaping.
One of the aides blew out his vapor and shook his head. “Man, I tell you right now. I love fucking sausage on my pizza. Sausage, onion, green pepper, and maybe even some mushrooms. Thick crust.”
The other guy shrugged. “Definitely doesn’t sound bad. What about pineapple?”
The first aide wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Are you fucking kidding me? That shit does not belong on a damn pizza.”
The other guy fist bumped him. “You might actually be okay for a liberal. I personally believe that pineapple on pizza is a pure and simple travesty. An abomination.”
The first guy nodded. “Okay, I can see how we could get along…away from the media, of course.”
The second guy shook his head seriously. “Oh, man, of course. There have to be rules. We can’t let people in on the fact that we don’t actually hate each other. The country wouldn’t know what to do if it knew we might all get along.”
They both laughed and turned to walk back to the entrance. Stopping in their tracks, they watched as a giant demon stalked past, its huge feet leaving cracks in the Capitol steps. Right behind him was a rhino demon, swinging its horn and snorting loudly. The two guys looked at each other and screamed, taking off for the building’s back entrance.
The time had come; the moment that no one in DC had faced before. Demons had come to Washington, DC and let’s just say that they were not fucking around.
The congressional aides pulled two of the guards outside frantically, trying to convince them that there really were demons. The guards laughed and looked around, doing a double-take, their mouths dropping open. Across the mall, on the opposite side of the Reflecting Pool, a rhino demon slammed into the Washington Monument. The base cracked, and the stone split all the way up to the top. To their right, rhino demons raced around the mall, digging up the dirt and slamming into the Smithsonian’s buildings.
Sirens wailed wildly as cop cars came to a screeching halt to the right of the Capitol. They climbed out, their guns pointed over their doors, their faces wild with fear. The guards and the two aides turned their heads and watched, stunned, as a large demon stomped forward and let out a loud roar. It leaned down and grabbed what looked like a small Chihuahua in its large hands.
Rearing back, it threw the dog-demon hard, slamming into the cop car. The dog-demon fell to the ground, shook his head, and then exploded. An EMP blast blew out of it, and one by one, the lights went out around the Mall.
4
New York City was lively and wild as usual. The lights were blazing, the nightlife was bumping, and cars were backed up down the streets. You could hear horns blaring for miles and sirens wailing in the background. Inside Angie’s place, though, the lights were all out, the sounds were muffled by the thick glass walls, and no one except Angie and Juntto was home. Quiet was the last thing it was inside t
he condo, though.
Down the halls and through the living room, Angie’s high-pitched moans and Juntto’s low deep groans echoed. They went on and on, with a few giggles thrown in here and there. Suddenly the moaning stopped dead as Juntto’s phone blared Donkey Kong’s Country song.
Juntto groaned in frustration, fumbling around in the dark. He hit the lamp, knocking it in the floor with a loud crash. Angie fell back on the pillow and sighed, shaking her head. “Just let it ring. We are kind of in the middle of something. Whoever it is, we can call back.”
Finally, Juntto got his hands on the phone and looked at the Caller ID. “I can’t. I promised I would answer at any time and any place.”
Angie sighed again, and Juntto put the phone to his ear. “This Juntto.”
The general paused on hearing his labored breathing. “It’s General Brushwood. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Juntto sat down on the bed. “No. Just…uh…working my muscles.”
The general paused and then continued, having decided not to ask. “Sorry to call so late, but we have a problem.”
Juntto perked up. “What is it?”
Brushwood sighed. “There has been an incursion in DC. They’ve never had one before, and from the sound of it, these demons are not fucking around. Apparently, the Washington Monument is on the verge of collapsing, and they brought their EMP demons. The lights are out in that area, and the city relies on technology for communication, much of which is near there.”
Juntto stood up and tripped across the room, looking for the light switch. “Washington Monument…is that the pencil?”
The general chuckled. “Yes, Juntto. The giant pencil in Washington, DC.”
Juntto groaned as he stubbed his toe. “So much for the incursions stopping. I can be ready in ten.”
The general was pleased. “There will be a car waiting out front for you. Make sure you are small enough to ride in it. Thanks, Juntto.”