by Michael Todd
“No.” Damian was emphatic. “That is your money. I couldn’t accept it, knowing I spent the entire time hiding behind an old couch that smelled like mildew.” He surreptitiously wiped his hand on his pants again. “Besides, I was suckered in that situation by believing the ghost hunters. I don’t know a human or Damned who could have taken that demon on their own. If not for you, I’d be dead.”
Damian almost stopped and turned away, but he didn’t. He paused for a minute, looking her up and down. There was something on his face… A smirk maybe—something Katie hadn’t seen from him before.
“When I say you…” He leaned in and said softly, “I mean both of you.”
Told you I’m a big deal, Pandora said, preening herself. Even human men can’t resist me.
“Thank you.” Katie smiled at Damian. “We accept.”
There was a pause. A moment of understanding, something that suggested to her that everything was going to be okay between her and everyone else despite her strange and unique powers.
They left the house and headed over to the pub to grab a drink. She actually had a beer rather than tea, and some dinner.
They didn’t talk about the day or her powers or the team. They just hung out, and for the first time in a while Katie felt like a person again—which was crazy considering her rather unique experience a short while ago.
Sometimes people forgot the restorative powers of a good meal.
Damian could tell Katie was on the edge, that she needed someone to show her that everything was going to be okay.
He knew that whatever was going on with her and her power was strange. It was unique, and probably something that needed to be reported, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. While he knew it could be dangerous, he also knew that it might be the thing that the team—and the world, for that matter—had been waiting for. She was special; there was no doubt about it.
When they were done eating, they sat laughing and talking, slowly sipping their drinks until the phone rang.
Damian picked it up with a sigh.
“Hey, Damian.” Derek was on the line. “Supposed to let you know that Korbin called a meeting. He wants everyone back ASAP.”
“All right.” Damian nodded, smiling at Katie. “We’ll pay, then we will be on our way.”
He hung up the phone and looked at her for a moment. “Duty calls.”
7
“All right, team,” Korbin told the six in front of him. “First,” he nodded to three of them, “I’d like to thank Katie, Damian, and Derek for holding down the fort today while we were gone.”
Everyone clapped, and Katie and Damian exchanged a quick glance. Derek noticed but kept it to himself, nodding at the others in appreciation for the recognition. Then Korbin continued, ready to get the new guys in and comfortable.
“So, we are welcoming two new team members to our little family,” he said. “To start things off, this is Eric to my right. Eric, do you want to tell us about yourself? Your specialties, and anything else you think we should know?”
“Sure,” Eric said, standing up. “Well, I’m medical, special-teams trained. I know everyone is wondering, so I’ll just say it: I am not infected by anything. I am a volunteer for life or until I am Damned, which I don’t count on happening.”
“Why did you decide to volunteer?” Damian asked the question Katie had on her lips.
“I was on a four-man team: me, Anthony, Keith, and Bobby out in the sands, doing routine hut-to-hut or house-to-house checks—whatever you want to call it. We walked right into a coven; some guys, Damned. Not very experienced, but strong. It was a serious FUBAR, like nothing I had engaged in before. Bobby and Keith were killed, pulled limb from limb right in front of Anthony and me by red-eyed sonsabitches. I can still hear the cries in my head. Anthony, well, he got Damned, but the demon was strong and Anthony was tired. It took over his body before anyone knew what to think. When the black ops team got there, there was nothing left of him anymore, so they put him down like a fucking wild dog.” He shook his head. “In fact, I’ve seen animals put down in a more humane manner. The black ops team had no idea what they were looking at, but I knew. I knew what kind of sick dark creatures were lurking, and that was something that would never go away.”
“So you decided to dedicate your life to it?” Derek asked. “I mean, this is the rest of your life you’re talking about here.”
“I’ve been read in on the conditions on more than one occasion,” Eric agreed. “I’m pissed, and not just about my team…for every human who has ever gone through this. I’m pissed that Anthony will either be forgotten or remembered only as some psycho. I’m pissed that there is a dark entity out there, something that makes being human extremely risky, and I want to help do something about it.”
He paused for a moment and scratched his jaw before continuing, “Look, I know that to you guys I probably look insane. You had no choice, and you do your best to make your time here worth something. Then this crazy-ass guy runs in like he’s Rambo, but that’s not how I think about myself. I want some retribution for my friends, and I want the world to be a safer place for the rest of the people out there. I’m not looking to take anything over or be a hot shot. Just show me where to go, who to heal, and who to kill.”
“Fair enough,” Derek said, nodding his head.
“Thank you, Eric.” Korbin turned to his left. “And our other new recruit is Jeremy.”
“Hey, everyone.” Jeremy said. “Name’s Jeremy. I am now ex-FBI. No one really knows the story of what happened, though people like to talk.” He allowed himself a tiny shrug. “I was on a sting operation, something we had prepared for over the last several months, but little did I know the sting was actually on us. We had been investigating a cult with terrorist ties, one we thought was planning some kind of huge attack on our soil. We weren’t wrong: they were planning an attack, just not the kind we were accustomed to dealing with. When we got there it was like a horror movie. Innocent people, demons—everything you think you’ll never see outside of the theatre.” He licked his lips. “It’s crazy to walk in expecting one thing and end up seeing something completely different, especially when you are talking demons, blood, and guts. Anyway, in the beginning there were six of us on the operation. Two of the guys sustained some minor injuries, two were killed—and I mean brutally killed—and then there were the two of us who were infected. I was the first, and my partner Henderson was the second.”
Katie noticed he just kept plowing through his story; accustomed to giving debriefs, she suspected. “He is in the hospital on life support. He’s expected to live for the moment, but I don’t foresee any huge future for him. He was the only family I had. That was six weeks ago—six really long confusing weeks ago. I was still in the hospital when Amy, one of the team leads, came out and talked to me and recruited me. I was on board. If I can help stop this, even one demon at a time, then I can’t turn my back.”
“I understand your feelings,” Katie replied. “I’m definitely glad to have you both on the team. It’s been a rough month or two for us with our losses, but we are ready to move forward. So, welcome to the team. I like to believe we are family, not just teammates, so we hope you learn to love it like I do.” She wrinkled her nose. “With fewer socks lying about the place.”
When the meeting was over everyone moved into the living area, getting comfortable and relaxing for the rest of the evening.
Everyone wanted the newbies to feel like they were at home, especially since it was going to be home for the foreseeable future.
Damian had just sat down on the couch to relax his aching muscles when Korbin walked into the room.
“Damian,” Korbin said. “Can I see you in the office for a debrief on the house issue from today?”
“Yep.” Damian sighed, grunting as he pulled himself back up from the couch.
He glanced at Katie and nodded before heading for the office.
Katie watched until he was inside with the door shut
. She wasn’t sure what he was going to tell Korbin, but she wanted to be prepared for anything—especially after the insane day they’d just had. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going to be said and what Korbin would believe. He was not a stupid man, but he did trust Damian. Katie would hate to see that trust wounded, but Damian had been right and she hadn’t seen it until she was around the others. It would be too much for them at this point.
“Hey, Katie,” Calvin called from the front of the area. “You got another box from Amazon.”
“Nice,” Katie said, her attention brought back to the living area.
No, Pandora said. I’m watching the game show.
We can put it on in my room, Katie said to Pandora.
Can we record it? she asked. This is a really good one, so I don’t want to miss a thing.
Sure, whatever, Katie said, shaking her head and pressing the Record button on the DVR.
Derek raised his eyebrow at her.
“I like game shows,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me. I’m exhausted.”
“All right, see you in the morning.” Derek waved as he grabbed the remote, ready to change the channel as soon as she was out of earshot.
MacGyver reruns were on.
Jeremy and Derek sat quietly in the room as Katie made her way down the hallway, disappearing into her bedroom and shutting the door. Derek could tell there was apprehension on the new guys’ part about having a woman on the team.
He’d had the same apprehensions when he’d first gotten there, but he understood the logistics of it—and the reality of Katie.
“So let me ask you,” Jeremy asked, turning his head back. “Is it really true about women on the teams and how they are considered the glue?”
Derek looked at him and smiled but didn’t say anything at first.
“I know that women are in more combat-related positions these days,” Jeremy allowed. “But I just struggle to see the reality of Katie holding the team together like glue, you know? Maybe because I don’t know her, but also because women in the field… I mean, outside of this world there are plenty of leaders in that group, but they are usually the tough cops—the ones you don’t want to fuck with. Katie seems like a nice girl. A normal girl, not the kind who would bind things together.”
“Maybe on most teams they are the glue,” Derek said, eyeing Jeremy. “Our lady is granite, but with a heart.”
“You know granite can be cracked,” Jeremy responded.
“That’s true enough.” Derek paused the show. “Granite can be cracked because it’s real. It’s firm and solid, just like Katie. She is the base of the formation, the part that takes the most weight and the most heat, and though it cracks, it doesn’t buckle under pressure. You’ll learn very quickly how this whole thing works, but just remember that it’s our job to make sure that she isn’t the only one taking the hits. If she goes down we all do, in a way, and I think you will understand that better as we go. Right now, what’s most important for you to remember is that she will have your back whether you have hers or not—and no one here fucks around with that. We make sure she is taken care of. Trust us, the bigger picture…it’ll come to you.”
“You look a little beat-up,” Korbin said, closing the door behind Damian.
“It was definitely a trying operation,” Damian said. “Nothing we couldn’t handle, though. It is taken care of and cleaned up.”
“Right,” he said, walking over and sitting down in his chair. “I read that in your report. You know, me and you, we’ve always made a good team. We trust each other, and can be honest with each other.” Korbin eyed Damian. “And I’m going to be honest with you right now: that report sounds like complete bullshit. It might appease the higher-ups, but I know you are holding something back from me. I want to know what happened at that house—and no bullshit, Damian. The truth, no matter what it is.”
Damian walked to the window in the office that looked over the pit where training was held. The room below was dark and still, but in the morning it would be filled. Vibrant—and Katie would be a huge part of that. He knew Korbin wanted the truth, but it wasn’t the time for that yet.
“Do you remember when I first got here?” Damian asked, glancing back at Korbin. “We had a whole conversation about my beliefs and your lack thereof. You told me that when it came to working together you would understand why I did certain things, because though we think differently, our hearts were in the right place.”
Korbin grunted. “I remember that.”
Damian turned all the way around to face Korbin. “Today was an interesting day, something I didn’t see coming and no one else would really understand unless they were there to see it for themselves,” Damian said. “I’m afraid that if I described it to you, it might be taken the wrong way and innocent people might be hurt. Katie was an important part of today’s kill and exorcism, so you are right—that part of the report is bullshit.”
Korbin nodded. “Figured she hadn’t just sat by, obeying your command to stay by the front door.
Damian shrugged, allowing a small smile to play on his face. “I’m not going to go into details. I’m going to rely on that trust that you said you had for me. Just know that you are going to have to make some decisions in the future that are hard, and that I will be there for you, supporting you through it all.”
“You are always full of damn riddles,” Korbin grumped. “At least tell me who these choices will involve.”
“I think you know.” Damian smiled.
“Katie,” Korbin said with a sigh. “Six ways an angel, six ways a devil, and one complete enigma wrapped up in a riddle.”
“True enough. When you have to make hard decisions, know that my vote—based on my experiences—will be for Katie, and that has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that I believe in her and what she can do for people and for souls.”
“You always make this so fucking hard.” Korbin laughed. “For as long as I have known you, you have always been the one engrossed in the secrets. The dark side of things.”
“Not the dark side.” He smiled. “Just the side that holds reality in a delicate balance. I can see both sides of the fence here.”
“Yeah, when one side is entrenched in turmoil and darkness, and the other side is fake butterflies and happiness,” Korbin replied.
“I’m sorry the reality of it is not covered in rose petals. I damn sure wish that it was,” Damian said. “Things would be a lot easier to take if they smelled and felt good all the time.”
Korbin shook his head and laughed. “You never did want to make things easier.”
Damian put his hand up and tilted it side to side. “I think sometimes you forget that our missions are a little bit different,” he admitted. “My job is first and foremost to save souls, and while the souls need to be alive for that to happen, it isn’t the same as making it easy on you to save lives. That being said, in this instance I need you to trust me when I tell you we are both working toward the same goal.”
Korbin wasn’t convinced, but it wasn’t a lack of trust in Damian. It was everything they had been through lately, and the fact that there were two new people sitting in the base. It was because he had lost two of his old team.
One was an exorcism. He knew that, but he also knew if that hadn’t been done he would have buried him too.
He chewed a moment on what Damian had told him. He didn’t want anything else to happen on his watch, so the topic of Katie made him nervous.
She was a rock in the group and fast becoming the rock of the group. Though he knew she was different, he hadn’t quite figured out all the little details that made her that way.
Then again, maybe it wasn’t his job to know it. Maybe it was just his job to control it enough to where things got done but didn’t get completely out of control.
For some reason he felt Damian was more comfortable with chaos during the process.
After about five minute
s of silence Korbin nodded his head in acceptance, figuring there wasn’t really another choice.
He was going to respect Damian, and he was going to trust in what he was telling him and his reasons for leaving something big out right now. If the secret was important enough, it would show itself in time.
Korbin just hoped that when it did—if it was something dangerous or negative in nature—it wasn’t too late to fix or stop it.
Taking chances in their line of work led to death more often than not, and he was determined to protect his team.
8
The next day, Korbin announced a free day to give the new team some time to bond before launching into training.
Derek and Katie trained for a little bit downstairs in the pit, but by dinner time they were all ready to go out to the bar.
Korbin and Damian led the team, old and new, through the back alleys of Vegas into the large grassy courtyard where their favorite dive bar sat. It catered to a rough, tough, and wild crowd, and had the perfect atmosphere for them.
Eric and Jeremy looked around in wonder as they entered, staring at all the roughnecks arguing, laughing, and fighting around them.
They looked like they were in fucking heaven.
Korbin grabbed one of the tables in the center and pulled over an extra chair. The guys sat down and perused a surprisingly good menu, and everyone ordered.
The new guys didn’t say a thing at first, just took in the sights and sounds around them. When the drinks had reached the table and the food was sitting in front of them, Eric wiggled slightly in his chair.
“Okay, I have to ask.” Eric was looking down at the chair legs. “What is up with this furniture? It is literally taped together” He reached down and played with a piece of duct tape.
Damian, Korbin, Derek, Calvin, and Katie looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in laughter.