There Will Be Blood

by Michael Todd

  Juntto shook his head. “Okay. Like when my father wanted me to take over the family business, but instead I became a warrior? I enjoyed chopping heads off and winning battles to become the ultimate warrior of my country.”

  Angie lifted an eyebrow. “Uh…yeah, like that, only minus the killing people part.”

  Juntto rubbed his chin. “Hey, I know what you can do. I have seen these people on the internet. They do these live-stream cams. You could do one of those. They have all kinds of followers and they make money and they seem to love what they do. The way they dance and cheer and answer questions from their streaming chat, they seem to really enjoy it.”

  Angie stopped, causing Juntto to as well. Her mouth was open in complete shock. “Juntto! I can’t believe that you would suggest that.”

  Juntto looked at her confused. “What? There is no shame in that.”

  Angie struggled to get through the shock. “What? I…you…”

  She leaned in and whispered to him angrily. “I am not going to do amateur porn. I told you already that we aren’t taping a damn thing.”

  Juntto put his head back and laughed. “No, no. I would never. You are mine to look at.”

  Angie opened her mouth to protest but just let it go. “What are you talking about then?”

  Juntto waved his hand in the air, walking again. “You know. Like Twitch. YouTube. Beam. Those people make money, right?”

  Angie’s face lit up. “Ohhhh. Yeah, they do. And I could do what I love at the same time. I like that. I like that a lot.”

  Baal shivered, pulling his long coat with tails closed in front of him as he waited outside of Beelzebub’s cave door. Usually, it was unlocked, but for some reason, it wasn’t this time. It was quite a bit colder on the outer rings of hell where Beelzebub dwelt, but there were too many ears listening where Baal lived. At least, that was what Beelzebub’s concern was.

  After a few minutes and several knocks, he finally opened the door. He put his hand up, smiling and swishing his glass of bourbon around. He was wearing what looked like a silk smoking jacket as they sauntered through the dark hallways of his cave. When they entered his study, the fire was blazing, cutting the chill in the air. Baal finally felt warm.

  Baal took off his jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. “I honestly don’t know how you deal with the low one-fifty outside. It’s frigid.”

  Beelzebub shrugged. “I’m sure I won’t be here forever.”

  Baal sat down, taking a glass of bourbon from Beelzebub. “It looks like a celebration again. What are we celebrating?”

  Beelzebub turned dramatically, throwing his hands out. His bourbon splashed onto the floor and evaporated. “My readmission to the council, of course. It has been many centuries, but I have waited patiently. That patience has finally paid off. On top of that, my first order of business is going amazingly.”

  Baal sipped his drink, lifting an eyebrow. “Oh, yes? Which one would that be?”

  Beelzebub chuckled, plopping down in the chair by the fire. “The Nightmare, Kabbus. Right now, he is free and sowing fear among the humans just like he was created to do. Of course, it took me speaking to him and having him moved to a better area, but after a few moments of groveling, he was more than happy to come along.”

  Baal raised his eyebrow as he watched Beelzebub’s face. He was suspicious of the other demon’s every move. He had thought he was suspicious before, but now it seemed that the plot was getting even thicker. He wasn’t sure if he could even continue to associate with him if he kept striding cockily down that road.

  Beelzebub waved his hand in the air. “You see, it takes two things to be successful in these missions. It takes finesse with the lesser creatures, and it takes the ability to grovel and not mean a word of it. Confidence in everything you do will sell it, even if you are lying through your damn teeth.”

  Baal nodded, faking a smile. He could see Beelzebub’s wheels turning. The old schemer always had something up his sleeve, and there was no way he was done with the situation. He was too antsy to just let it go like that. “You know, I’ve noticed that you’re awfully buddy-buddy with Lucifer these days.”

  Beelzebub’s lips vibrated, and he spat all over the place. Baal narrowed his eyes, wiping a fleck off of his eyebrow. He gazed into his glass and put it to the side. “So, you aren’t?”

  Beelzebub leaned forward, looking into the fire. “In a way, I guess I am, but I know full well that no one stays in favor for very long. And in the end, those so-called friends end up as meat under his feet. No. Lucifer is, in a word, twat-struck. He’s either pining over his lost wife Lilith or trying to please Mania by getting her a pair of grackles or some shit.”

  Baal smirked at the characterization of Lucifer as “twat-struck.” Beelzebub did have a point. Over the centuries, Lucifer’s mood had always ebbed and flowed with wherever he was with that one woman he’d decided to spend a few hundred years obsessing over and pining for. Yet the women never saw it; they were always fearful. Baal didn’t blame them. Lucifer often lost his temper and killed someone, then later regretted it. Too late then.

  Beelzebub took a deep breath and gulped his drink. “The point of the whole thing is, I am now back on the Council of Eight, and I would like to stay there. So if it takes sucking up and rubbing elbows for a bit, that’s what I’ll do.”

  Baal shrugged. “Actually, right now the Council is more like five, but I get your point.”

  Beelzebub rolled his eyes and looked at Baal. “Five, eight, who fucking cares? It could just be the two of us, and it would still be a position of power. That is what I wanted: the ability to wield that power in ways that I can see working out in the best interests of my closest comrades and me. Of course, right now that is you. I’ve got the power, and Lucifer is otherwise occupied.”

  Baal watched him, not replying. Then again, he had done that his whole life. When he saw someone spiraling, he tended to stay near but keep his mouth shut so as to not be implicated in their ludicrous plans. “You do have the power, that is true, but you have to be careful, or you could lose it. Though, looking around, I don’t think I need to tell you that.”

  Beelzebub was too caught up in his head to hear what Baal was saying. He turned to the other demon and leaned his elbows on his thighs. “What we need to do, Baal, is plan ahead. That is the most important part. Always stay two steps ahead.”

  Baal smiled and picked up his drink, lifting it into the air. He smirked snidely. You silly fool. I always think ahead. How do you think you got here in the first place?

  Beelzebub poured another glass and threw it back, stumbling around the room. Baal’s smile faded, and he sighed. Beelzebub, you are going to fuck yourself. Just wait and see.

  The sun was setting on the base, and training was over for the day. Most of the soldiers had already eaten and retired to their living quarters, knowing the next day would be full of more training and hard work. A small group of them stayed in the dining hall, playing poker for quarters and drinking a case of beer one of them had picked up in town.

  Outside, you could see a bunch of fruit lined up on the fence, glowing in the evening light. Eddie had his tongue hanging slightly out of the corner of his mouth, and he was aiming at the orange. He had already taken down a watermelon. He was doing better with his aim since Coco had given him the pointers. He breathed in through his nose and slowly let the air out of his mouth before pulling the trigger. He lifted his head just as it hit the orange, exploding it from the center. Eddie smiled proudly, moving over so Sean could wheel up and take a shot.

  Sean held the gun up, no longer needing Eddie’s help with it. He went through the steps, lining the shot up, focusing, and then pulling the trigger. He looked up as the bullet grazed the side of a grapefruit and watched as it spun in wild circles before falling to the ground and bouncing through the sand.

  Eddie slapped Sean hard on the shoulder. “It’s all right, buddy. You can always get a good job in a grocery store. You can ex
plain to old ladies how to peel a grapefruit.”

  Sean rolled his eyes. “At least I hit it without the assistance of a demon.”

  Eddie chuckled. “I am not ashamed in the least, and you shouldn’t be either when I shoot that demon who is chasing you around the base in your wheelchair.”

  Sean leaned his head back and laughed. “Okay, so he helps you with your shots. That’s great. Shouldn’t you already be good with that? The rest of the guys are. The only way your demon would be fierce is if someone pulled it out of you and tossed it back in the pregnant woman. She straight scared the living shit out of about forty highly-trained military personnel, some black ops, and some Damned.”

  Eddie fake-laughed. “You keep at it. Wait until you get a demon. Watch it be a demon in a fucking wheelchair. In fact, I’m half-tempted to cut one’s legs off and toss him inside you. The invalid leading the invalid.”

  Sean smiled. “I could probably still outrun you.”

  Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “I’d fucking roll this wheelchair right off a cliff, my friend. You better hope your demon has wings.”

  Sean smirked. “I’m pretty sure the one who saved your ass more than once did.”

  Eddie threw his head back. “Ohhhh, Sean’s got jokes.”

  They laughed, slapping hands and looking out at the sunset. Eddie sat down next to him and let out a deep breath. Just then, Brock and Turner walked out onto the roof. Turner smacked Eddie in the back of the head and roughed up Sean’s hair. “Aw, look, Brock. We interrupted the two lovebirds watching a warm and beautiful sunset together.”

  Brock laughed. “What you doing up here? Shooting shit? Let me have a go.”

  Brock and Turner took turns using Eddie’s sniper rifle. They each shot a watermelon, and Turner hit two grapefruit. He turned to Brock, grinning. “Okay. I got two grapefruit. You gotta hit an orange or two to beat that.”

  Brock rolled his eyes. “This is a real waste of food. You know that, right? We are facing an apocalypse, and we are shooting fruit. Fast-forward two years, and we’ll be kicking ourselves.”

  Turner looked at him seriously for a minute and then raised his leg. He stuck his tongue out of his mouth and made a loud, long fart noise. “You’re a real waste of food.”

  Brock threw one of the leftover apples at him and shook his head. “I can see that the IQ level of my team is still in the lowest bracket.”

  Everyone laughed as Turner shined the apple on his sleeve and took a bite of it. They all took seats, looking around as the moon began to show in the sky. Sean reached over, slapping Brock in the chest. “Hey, how is Katie doing? I know she came back pretty fucked up from her last mission. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like that before, and I’ve been waiting until you resurfaced again to ask.”

  Brock sighed, leaning back on his hands. “She’s resting right now. I finally got her to fall asleep. It took a while for her to feel comfortable with it. She was in really rough shape when she got back here. I was just glad she managed to get herself back before falling apart like that, but she’s getting better by the minute. You know her; she’s hard as nails. I bet by tomorrow she’s back up and rocking out, ready to kick more fucking ass. But it’s good that she let her human side rest and recover from things like that sometimes. Otherwise, she might just get too tired.”

  Sean chuckled, tilting his head to the side. “She is one of the toughest people I know.”

  Turner laughed. “Hell, yeah, she is. When she gets mad, I’m in a fetal position calling for my mommy.”

  Eddie smirked. “Shit, that happens when you fucking stub a damn toe.”

  Turner gave him the middle finger, and Brock shook his head. “Oh. Sean? Turner? You guys are missing demons. I know it’s something that you had set up with Katie and Pandora, but they are both pretty fucked up. When they are up for it, we’ll talk to Pandora.”

  They both nodded. Sean tapped his knee. “Hey, man, no stress. Tell them thanks, and to feel better. That’s the biggest thing to focus on.”

  14

  Katie leaned her elbow on the table and took a bite of the donut in front of her. The texture of the fresh dough and the sugar almost immediately warmed her chest, helping her to feel better. Stephanie sat beside her, glancing at her nervously from time to time as if she were going to shatter into a hundred pieces. On a normal basis that would have driven her mad, but it was nice to know she had such a strong support system in her family.

  Sofia took a deep breath and rubbed her belly. “It’s funny. I’m starving one minute, but after I eat two bites, I feel like I can’t move. Then about ten minutes later I’m starving again because the kid has stopped resting his elbow on my stomach, closing it off.”

  Pandora giggled inside of Katie. I think being able to control metabolism would be terrible for a pregnant woman. She would birth a 150-pound full-grown child from all the nutrients she would be giving it.

  Katie chuckled, glad to hear Pandora talking again. Katie looked more tired than she felt, but Pandora was feeling much better and eating her fair share of the donuts. Stephanie sighed and put her chin in her palm, leaning her elbow on the table. “What is it like having a baby in you? Is it like having a demon?”

  Sofia laughed, then stopped to think about it for a moment. “Wow, I guess in a way, it is. But the baby doesn’t do things on purpose, and I love it more than life. The demon did stomp on my bladder while it was in there and move around, making me feel very uncomfortable, but more in a weird fluttering-of-the-chest kind of manner.”

  Stephanie sat up and picked up her donut. “Yeah, I didn’t think about us having disdain for the demons inside of us, at least at one point or another. I never had any kids. In my former life I was never set up for it, and then I had all the girls. After that I became Damned, and by the time we were blissfully unaware of ever having been Damned, we were afraid to try since I was a bit past my prime in that area.”

  Katie put her hand on Stephanie’s shoulder and squeezed. “You have all of us, and I know the guys look to you as a mother figure. I know it’s not the same, but…”

  Sofia shook her head. “Please, by God, don’t look at me all wistfully. It is not as magical as it might seem. There are things your body does and produces that I swear have been written into horror novels.”

  They all laughed. Katie smiled. “How far along are you?”

  Sofia puffed out her cheeks. “Twenty-two weeks—almost to my third trimester. Even with all the shit that has gone down, it has really flown by. I feel like just yesterday I was strapping on a bikini to go for a dip in the ocean. No bikinis for this girl now. All I think about is food.”

  Stephanie glanced at the coffee. “So you can have caffeine?”

  Sofia nodded. “Oh, yeah. They used to say no, but my doc said just don’t overdo it and I’ll be fine. I don’t know how I would have functioned without Calvin around with no caffeine. I would have just been sleeping on the couch all the time.”

  Katie perked up. “What about wine? Did they change that rule?”

  Sofia pouted. “Unfortunately, no. No wine. I miss wine. Oh! And soft cheese. Oh my God, I miss soft cheese. Spread on some homemade crackers. Mmm.”

  Stephanie furrowed her brow. “Why not soft cheese?”

  Sofia shrugged, chewing her apple fritter. “Apparently it can carry listeria or something like that. All I know is that he said no and I sank into a deep depression. And you know what I really miss, out of everything?”

  Katie chuckled. “Balance?”

  Sofia smirked. “That too. But no. I desperately miss not having to pee every twenty minutes. I have never spent as much time in the bathroom as I do now.”

  Pandora grunted. Hell, no. That whole situation sounds absolutely miserable. And God knows I would end up with some weird craving like sardines. Nope. Not this body. I’m all about what leads up to a pregnancy, but I’m never gonna even think about putting one of those tiny shitting meatsacks in my belly.

  Katie held back a l
augh. Maybe if you met the right guy. Might be all for it.

  Pandora spat as she belted out laughter. Uh, honey? Let me just tell you about my romantic philosophy. There is never a Mr. Right. He does not exist in anything but fairytales and romance novels. What there is, though, is Mr. Right Now. There are plenty of those going around on a daily basis. And Mr. Right Now will never see me with a big, bloated belly unless I just left an Italian restaurant.

  Katie let out a deep breath. Yeah, but isn’t it wild to think that while there is so much bad in the world, something like a baby can take all of that away in like two seconds? There is something about a baby that brings hope.

  Pandora scoffed. Hope that it doesn’t pee in your eye when you go to change its diaper.

  Katie chuckled. I know you feel what I’m talking about, even if you try to act like a stone-cold bitch all the time. There is something inside of you that sees the beauty that is going on. The hope it brings that our species is stronger than Lucifer’s hordes. I don’t know. That’s just my thought process on it.

  Pandora let out a long deep sigh. I suppose you’re right. After feeling that fear from Kabbus and sitting here listening to the stories about the beginning of a new life, I guess it does make you feel a little bit hopeful. How can something so beautiful ever be overshadowed by something so horrible as Kabbus? The answer is, it can’t. Even if it just can’t in our minds, that is a start.

  Katie was proud of Pandora. See? And you never thought you could pull the demon from you. Here you are with angel blood, talking about the beauty and sanctity of a brand-new little baby. I’m proud of you.

  Pandora sniffed. Don’t get all mushy on me just yet. You never know; that thing could come out with horns and a tail.