by Michael Todd
Katie stretched her arms out like a mother beckoning her child. Juntto came to her and she picked him up, settling him on her hip. “For a little person, you’re mighty heavy.”
Juntto nodded. “We tend to be dense.”
Pandora snorted. No shit.
Katie tried to hide the smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. Her head tilted back, and her eyes fixed on the canopy as she ascended through a break in the trees. The branches of the trees rubbed against her wings as she broke into the open air and hovered over the forest.
She could see the city burning in the distance.
Billowing clouds of smoke floated ceaselessly toward the sky. Below, there was a faint shimmering where the fires still burned. Rivers of dark reds and purples flowed throughout the entire town. Lava. “Well, I guess we know we’re in the right place.”
The wind whipped through her hair as Katie soared toward the town. Juntto laughed as he took in the forest from the air, loving the whole idea of flying. Katie’s lips twisted into a grin despite the serious nature of her task. The Leviathan was actually having a good time. She found it kind of endearing.
As they got closer, they scanned the area, finding a ramshackle forward operating base set up on a ridge overlooking the town. Katie descended and set Juntto carefully on his feet. Immediately, he grew to over six feet tall and beamed with excitement. “We should see what more we can do while we’re searching for people.”
Juntto stared hazily at the clouds. Katie snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Juntto. Earth to Juntto.”
Juntto shook his hair back and looked at Katie. “Huh?”
Katie closed her eyes for a moment, calming herself, and started quickly toward the tents. When the soldiers saw her, they all stopped what they were doing, their mouths dropping open. The commander of the operation stood in the middle of the base, staring down at a stack of papers and barking orders. “Johnson, you’re taking the left quadrant. Johnson? Johnson, goddammit. Am I talking—”
The commander’s eyes met Katie’s. He fumbled with his papers, passing them off to a soldier standing next to him, and his boots slapped the ground as he jogged to meet Katie. “Katie and…Channing Tatum?”
Katie sighed. “No, this is my friend. He’s a shapeshifter.”
The commander nodded, taking it all in stride. “Right. General Brushwood didn’t tell me you were coming.”
Katie looked over the town. “I’m here of my own accord. I have some people out here I’d like to search for. I figured if I can lend a hand while doing so, then hey, why not?”
The commander wasn’t going to tell her no. “Right now, we’re searching for survivors. There are still a few demons lurking around, so if you’re interested in taking care of those, we’d appreciate it.”
Katie forced a smile. “Anything I can do.”
The commander waved his hand at the soldier holding his papers. “Get me a comm.”
Katie shook her head, her face grim at the sight of the town below them. “I can’t help staring. I’ve never seen anything like it—a whole town flooded by lava.”
“We’re still trying to make sense of it.” The commander handed her the comm gear. “If there’s anything you need, just let us know.”
Katie clipped the relay on her belt and the microphone to her shirt. “Will do.”
With that, she and Juntto headed down the hill toward the town. They immediately started to search and found more people than they had thought they would. The people were resourceful, banding together and hiding in all sorts of places out of the lava’s reach. They spent all day searching, only occasionally being called to a specific area to take down rogue demons.
By the time the sun was low on the horizon and casting orange and red stripes across the sky, Katie had nearly given up. There was no sign of the guys. The commander walked up next to her and crossed his arms. “Sorry you haven’t found your friends yet. Don’t lose hope. We’ve been pulling survivors out all over the place. We set up a tent for you. Hopefully, you can get some rest.”
“Thank you.” Katie turned toward the base. “Oh, and my friend?”
The commander smiled. “Already sawing logs next to your tent.”
Katie waved at him and headed toward the tents, hoping she could get at least an hour or two of sleep. That, however, did not seem likely.
19
The search the next day did not help Katie’s mood. Her nerves caused a hollow feeling to spread through the pit of her stomach. In addition to the few survivors, they found bodies. They were completely encased in cooled lava. It gave them a terrifying statuesque appearance. Their faces were haunted and deformed and their mouths hung open, their eyes wide and empty. They almost looked like some sort of eerie art installation. The adults had been caught writhing through the lava rock until they could no longer move. The children had almost all been enveloped on the ground.
Plumes of chemical smoke floated from the ground, burning the inside of Katie’s nose. Pandora worked diligently to clear the air she was taking into her lungs. Her wings flapped tiredly across the sky with a small Channing Tatum clutched tightly in her arms. He pointed his short arm at a steeple toppled to the side in the distance. “That might be a good place for survivors. It’s holy ground.”
Katie didn’t say a word, just shifted her wings and glided lower. Her feet hit the church roof. Juntto grew to his regular size and they walked across the singed surface, the sound of cracking shingles ringing in their ears. Katie’s eyes combed the rooftop for a way to get inside. Juntto leaped onto the crest of the roof, teetering back and forth on the peak. “Over here. There’s a hole in the roof.”
They carefully situated themselves at the edges of the jagged hole and peered inside. Katie wrinkled her nose and sighed. “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone inside. The place did stay fairly clear of lava, though. I wonder if anyone got caught in it trying to escape.”
She stepped over the hole and unfurled her wings, steadying herself in case the roof collapsed. She looked over the edge of the church into the yard below. It was covered in a layer of black tar with smoke slowly rising from it. Juntto moved next to her. He shrugged. “Let’s go look for bodies.”
He stepped off the edge and Katie gasped, sticking her arm out for him. “Don’t.”
Too late.
Juntto’s bare feet hit the ground and he wiggled his toes experimentally, then grinned up at her. Katie jumped into the church, letting her wings carry her gracefully to the ground. “I don’t understand. How in the hell are you able to walk on this so soon? It’s only been a little over a day since the entire thing happened. I thought for sure this place would still be a smoldering pit.”
Juntto cleared his throat, putting up his finger. “I was around when Vesuvius happened, and I learned a thing or two about lava. It only takes ten to fifteen minutes for lava to cool, and that creates an insulating layer sturdy enough to walk on.”
Katie’s eyes grew wide. She was impressed. “And to think I used to believe you were just a giant hunk of angry alien.”
Juntto scowled. “Hey, believe or not, this giant hunk of alien does have a brain. And may I point out, it’s bigger than a human brain.”
Katie shrugged. “Something’s gotta fill in all the empty space up there.”
Juntto glared. “That’s not funny, bitch.”
Katie pointed her finger at him, her eyes gleaming. “Aha! There’s the Juntto I know and despise. I was wondering if you were going to walk around for the rest of your days like a wide-eyed church kid.”
Juntto grabbed his junk and stuck out his tongue. “I may be caring and thoughtful now, but I didn’t lose my sarcasm.”
Katie patted him on the arm. “Good to know that not everything in this world is upside-down. Come on, let’s look for bodies.”
With every step, Katie’s heart beat faster. She wondered what she was going to find around each and every corner. The lava’s surface was flat, hard, and not as deep as one
might think. If anyone had fallen victim to it, their remains would still be visible. The two of them searched the entire building. They went down the cellar stairwell as far as they could but found nothing. Katie walked back up to the main floor and joined Juntto. “I just don’t get it. Not a single body here. Maybe no one was at church that time of day.”
Juntto peered out at the street and scratched his forehead. “Or they all left when the lava hardened. But you’d think we would have found them, or at least the other soldiers would have. They can’t just be wandering around town.”
Katie rubbed her palms on her thighs as whispers of Brock’s voice floated around in her head. She couldn’t bring herself to believe he’d died. He was too strong and too smart for that. She had to believe he figured out a way around the lava, but if that were true, where was he? Katie had no idea what to think.
Moloch stood tall with his shoulders slightly forward, his arms out and his palms up. “You should have seen them, marching their Leviathan out there to save the fucking day. It was disgusting. He’s a traitor, and I’d like to see him as dead as Katie. Too bad we don’t get the Leviathan souls when they die. He would be a nice addition to my fireplace.”
Beelzebub’s large hand fiddled with a stack of papers. “The Leviathan should be the least of your concerns. He’s just a dumb alien. If his friends die, he’ll simply go back into hibernation and be on your side again a century from now, or whenever he’s called upon.”
Moloch’s forehead wrinkled, and he dropped his hands to his sides. “Then we’ll focus on that bitch and her demon. I know that joining forces to take out her main base will secure us a win. I need her and fast. Lucifer isn’t going to wait forever.”
Beelzebub wrapped his clawed hand around a glass and threw back the contents. Black liquid seeped out of the edges of his mouth, and he wiped it away with his arm. “She can’t be as big of a pain as you think. I personally believe it’s mind over matter. If the Leviathan hadn’t shown up, you would have tired her out and eventually beaten her. She’s no walk in the park, I get it. But still, this should be an open-and-shut case.”
Moloch crossed his arms and frowned. “You’re underestimating her strength and power. She’s an angel with Lilith inside of her. That’s like a double-fucking-whammy.”
The other demon snorted and cleared a wad of spit from his throat. “She’s part-angel, which makes a huge difference. Besides, like I told you before, I have demons who can weaken her. In fact, I have the whole plan laid out. You’re worrying for nothing at this point. Everything happens for a reason, and you coming to me is exactly what needed to happen. There’s no shame in not accomplishing this all on your own.”
Moloch chewed the edge of his tongue. He glared at Beelzebub. “The only one who could have done it alone would be Lucifer, and even he wouldn’t be able to set foot on Earth without summoning the angel army.”
Beelzebub shuffled across the dirt-covered cave floor. His expression never changed, and he responded with very little. Moloch got the feeling he was listening out of courtesy and nothing else. He’d always been a hard-headed sonofabitch. Beelzebub motioned for him to sit, but Moloch didn’t move from his spot. There was no way he was sitting on one of those old dusty chairs.
Beelzebub cleared his throat, not noticing Moloch didn’t sit. “We’ll take care of her, but you’ll need to get her here, to hell. At the same time, you’ll need to get rid of that bitch Lilith. Weakening her human will allow you to do that. Once you’ve pulled her out, you can take her by the neck to Lucifer, and he’ll forgive your few mistakes.”
Beelzebub stood slowly from his chair and put his arm around Moloch’s shoulder, ushering him from his cave. They stepped out into the cooler-but-still-blistering heat of the outer ring. Lightning flashed across the black sky. “This is not going to be hard. Lucifer will welcome you back with open arms. You worry too much. It’s one of your worst traits.”
Beelzebub’s mouth curled into an evil smile, and Moloch’s followed suit. Beelzebub took a step back and waved his hand, disappearing from sight. As soon as he was gone, Moloch’s face fell to a deep frown, his smile no longer needed. “I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into. If this doesn’t work, Lucifer will be wearing my nuts as a necklace.”
Katie’s feet tapped to the sound of the radio playing in one of the tents behind her. She was back at the HQ, taking a dinner break. She planned to go back out before the sun started to go down. She wanted to search as much of the town as she could. It wouldn’t be long until the military was done and pulled out, but she couldn’t let that happen without figuring out what had happened to Brock and his team.
When her phone rang, she leaned her head back and stuck her hand in her pocket to pull out her phone. Korbin’s name flashed onto the screen. “Hey, Korbin. Tell me something good.”
Korbin chuckled. “Well, we finally have the right weapon. It’s time for you to come back. We are ready for you as soon as you get here.”
Katie’s eyelids were low as she stared at the quiet town in front of her. “Right. Okay. I’ll grab Juntto, and we’ll head back as soon as we can.”
Before she could hang up, Korbin added, “Katie, did you have any luck with Brock?”
Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she quietly shook her head. “We haven’t found him yet. We’ve rescued some survivors and killed the rest of the demons, but there’s no sign of the team.”
Korbin knew that wasn’t the worst news. “That could be good, though. That could mean they got out. Maybe they sought medical attention in another town or something. From the pictures on the news, it doesn’t look like you’d be able to miss a body if it were there. The lava was brutal, obviously, but not deep.”
Katie pulled herself to her feet. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true. Anyway. I’ll grab Juntto. See you in a bit. I want to get this shit going.”
Pandora mustered her strength as they walked away from the HQ. Don’t worry, we’ll come back and look for him. Right now, we have to maneuver our way back to the base.
Katie stared at Juntto’s back as she walked. Right, and don’t forget to bring us out a little bit away so we don’t have any of those bastards following us back.
Pandora could feel the energy gathering over her. Aye-aye, Captain. Now hold still, I’m ready.
Katie tapped Juntto on the shoulder and gave him a nod. The two stopped on the outskirts of the woods and turned their bodies toward the setting sun. Pandora lifted Katie’s arm and formed a claw. She slashed downward, ripping a portal in midair. Juntto stepped through first and Katie following him, staring at the ground as she walked. As soon as she was through the portal, a heavy hand pushed her stomach. She stumbled to one side as a demon lunged at her with its fangs out.
Katie grabbed her sword off her back and slashed it in a wide arc, taking the demon’s head off. Wow. Drop us right in the middle of a demon fucking disco.
Pandora growled. It’s not a perfect science, bitch.
Katie felt the need to let off a little steam. Well, while we’re here, why not?
Juntto was already in action, grabbing demons by the arms and ripping them in half. Katie smiled and jumped up and down, the adrenaline starting to pulse through her. She gripped her sword tightly as she slashed it through the air, slamming into a demon’s forehead. The sound of the scales cracking and skin tearing was music to her ears. There was no holding back at that point. Katie whirled through the group, taking off limbs, heads, and anything else her sword touched.
The last demon faced her, his arms curved to grab her and his veins popping out of his black skin. He showed his pointy, jagged teeth and raced toward her. Katie screamed as he ran at her, holding the sword to one side like a baseball bat. She swung hard, but instead of decapitating the creature she lodged the blade in the demon’s neck. She put her foot on his chest and yanked it out, dropping it to the ground. From her holsters, she pulled Tom and Harry and pointed them at his head. “Fuck you, motherfucker.”
With that, her finger firmly pulled the trigger and sent bullet after bullet into the demon’s skull. She walked forward, screaming, until she stood over him, emptying her guns into the demon’s chest. She ran out of bullets but continued to pull the trigger, listening to the hollow clicking. Juntto put his hand on her shoulder. “We should go.”
It was like he had broken a trance.
Katie looked down at the pile of ash beneath her feet and holstered her guns. “Fine.”
She let Pandora rip open another portal. They stepped through into a field about two miles from the base. Katie didn’t say a word; her face was frozen in disgust. She grabbed Juntto without asking him to change and spread her wings.
Juntto whooped loudly as they flew toward the base. He put out his arms and Katie grunted, her fingers digging into his stomach to keep him in the air. “Don’t squirm or you’ll be a pile of smashed Juntto.”
Juntto laughed wildly, his eyes excited and his hair blowing in the wind. “I would more likely put a crater in the ground before I hurt myself, but thanks for looking out for me.”
Katie wrinkled her face, grunting. “I’m looking out for myself, but yeah, you’re welcome. Still, stop fucking fidgeting, or I’ll carry you upside down by your ankles.”
Given the way he wiggled in her hands, that didn’t seem like a deterrent. Katie ignored him and kept her eyes on the base. She was impatient. She didn’t want to waste any time getting back to Romania. Brock could still be out there, and she had to find him.
As they lurched over the fence, Katie put her feet toward the ground, sweat beading her forehead as she lowered Juntto. She landed behind him, breathing heavily.
Juntto clapped his hands. “That was awesome. Thank you.”
Katie cracked her back. “Sure.”
Both their heads snapped up as Angie opened the door to the barracks and waved at them. Katie replied with a short wave while Juntto put his fist in the air. Angie giggled and put her other hand in the air, holding up an Xbox controller. Juntto pumped his fist and took off toward her, looking back with a huge grin at Katie. She couldn’t help but smile.