by Michael Todd
“That means ears and eyes open, people,” Calvin said. “There is no room for mistakes here, especially stupid ones. They could cost you an innocent, or another teammate’s life.”
“I want to make one other thing clear,” Korbin said, folding up the map. “If you can save someone easily do it, but if the demon seems too far gone then take care of it. We are in the job of saving lives, but not if it comes at the cost of others. There has been an influx of powerful demons, ones that may shield themselves as smaller demons to trick you. Treat every demon as top-level.
“Every demon is a Seventy-Two,” Damian said, keeping his eyes straight ahead.
Katie took a deep breath, knowing that she herself had one of the Seventy-Two inside her. It didn’t matter, though. There was no way she would spare any of their lives, even if it meant pissing off her own demon. There was too much at stake.
You won’t piss me off, Pandora said, but you guys better get ready, because this shit is about to get crazy.
I don’t know what you know, Pandora, Katie said. But whatever it is, it better not be a trap. If it is, I promise you I will slit my own damn throat and drag you down to hell kicking and screaming.
I know, she said, going silent again.
“All right, guys,” Korbin said. “Good luck out there, and if we don’t see each other after this, we’ll meet up one day in the big blue place in the sky.”
All three teams headed out to their respective meeting spots. Damian took the wheel in the car with Katie, gripping it tightly as he drove. Katie looked over her shoulder at Eric, who was sitting silently in the back seat.
He had his gun between his knees, his war paint ready, and a look of determination on his face. Katie could tell the bottom was about to drop out, but there was nothing she could do but wait.
When they got close to Disneyland they pulled off into an abandoned parking lot, making sure to pull around to the back corner so they wouldn’t attract any attention.
“So here is the deal,” Katie said. “Damian knows I am no-bullshit in this thing. My team has to be tight—ready to go, ready to fight. There will be no showboating or playing around, and definitely no searching for a demon while we are out there. Kill as many of those bastards as you can get your hands on. Eric, it is important that you assess any and all injuries innocents might have right off the bat. What is the first thing you do?”
“Check their eyes,” he said.
“Perfect,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “Now all we can do is wait.”
Across the city, Calvin’s team with Jeremy at the wheel pulled up in North Hollywood, right at the edge of the Ventura Boulevard. Jeremy found an abandoned building with an attached overgrown parking garage to pull into. He stayed close to the exit and they looked around the structure, keeping their eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
“Jeremy, fight,” Calvin said. “When you get there that is your priority: fight with everything you got. Save whatever people might be there, and kill these motherfucking demons. Rob, you know your role, so I don’t need to explain. Heal everyone you find, and we will have your back as much as humanly possible. If you get into a bad situation, yell out for us.”
“Got it,” he said, nodding his head. “And the same for you guys. If you need me, yell. I’ll come running.”
Korbin’s team was quiet all the way to the pits, endlessly analyzing every move they intended to make.
Derek tapped his foot as he stared out the window, his med kit and rifle in his lap. He was nervous—that was for damn sure—but he knew he had it. Sebastian parked the car in an off-road made for service vehicles. When they came to a stop, Korbin turned and looked at all of them.
“I’ve made my speeches,” he said. “You boys know what your job is. All I ask is, stay alive to see another day.”
“You got it, boss,” Derek said. “The same goes for you.”
“I’ll do my damnedest,” he replied, turning back around. “Hopefully a Higher Being is up there looking out for all of us.”
Calvin looked down at his watch and then back up at the street as another car passed the old parking garage.
They had been sitting there for hours with no word, but that had always been a possibility. They had to stay vigilant, hoping that in the end the children were safe and as few people as possible were killed.
Calvin put his hand up to his ear and pressed the button, waiting for a response from the other teams. They needed to stay in contact and know where each other was just in case they needed backup.
They might be in separate teams for the night, but they all belonged together in the end. One big family, even the guys there helping them out.
“Team One, Korbin checking in. Any status to report?”
“Negative,” Calvin said. “Still awaiting orders.”
“Roger that,” Korbin said.
“Team Three checking in,” Katie said. “Status is same, still awaiting orders.”
“Just hold, guys. Be patient.” Korbin looked outside their SUV. “This will happen.”
As soon as Korbin said that Calvin’s walkie talkie went off, so he pressed his earpiece to mute the other teams and pulled it up to his mouth. He could feel that pre-fight exhilaration running through him.
“Team Two reporting,” he said.
“Team Two, you are to report to La Cienega Boulevard to the abandoned store in the fifteen hundred block,” the woman from the main base said. “There is one cop down, and one unaccounted for. Suspect unknown, so approach with caution.”
“Copy that.” Calvin punched the address into their GPS.
Jeremy immediately pulled out of the parking garage and headed in that direction, making sure to keep his speed consistent as to not bring any attention to themselves. When they approached the abandoned store, Jeremy pulled over to the side and parked the vehicle. Calvin unmuted his earpiece.
“Team Two reporting,” Calvin said. “Taking a call on the fifteen hundred block of La Cienega. Officer down, suspects unknown.”
“Good luck,” Korbin said.
“Godspeed,” Damian added.
“Kick some motherfucking demon ass, guys,” Katie yelled.
22
“Listen up,” Korbin said turning in his seat as the car sped down the 5. “We are headed over to a spot off the 5 near LAX. There is a warehouse over there—empty most likely, but not abandoned. The roving guards on the property found the bus, with one child deceased. He was able to call in the event before there was radio silence. There have been ten minutes and counting of radio silence, which in this world is a very long time.”
“Do we know what happened to the second guard?” Derek asked.
“No, and for all we know he is a part of the whole thing,” Korbin commented. “There is one thing that I want to address before we get there, though. This is going to be a mentally taxing call—we already know that. I don’t know if any of you have seen a dead child before, but it’s different than a dead adult. Both are tragic, but there is something unnatural about a dead child. We know for sure that there is at least one, but I need you guys to be prepared for the worst. We can’t let it shock us. We have to move forward, and we have to find whatever did this—it or they will most likely still be there—and take care of it. There can’t be any hiccups along the way, is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Derek and Sebastian answered.
“Good,” he said. “I promise, whatever needs to be addressed after will be addressed, but unfortunately this is the job we have and the job we need to take care of. I will be there with you every step of the way. Do you have any questions for me?”
“What if the demon hasn’t fully taken the human yet?” Derek asked. “But they are the ones that did it?”
Korbin took a deep breath and looked at Derek. “Double-tap the son of a bitch right between the eyes.”
Derek stared at Korbin in disbelief but nodded, seeing the anger written plainly on his team lead’s face.
They pu
lled up one block from the warehouse and parked the SUV. Korbin nodded to both men and they exited the vehicle, following Korbin down a long dark corridor to a back entrance of the building.
With guns out they slowly entered, taking each turn and each room with extreme caution. First one would lead, then the next as they worked together to clear their route.
When they reached a set of double doors, Korbin put his hand in the air to signal them to stop. Slowly he crept over to the door, and pushed it open a crack. He could see the back of the bus, one back door slightly open and a small body lying on the ground.
He turned to his men and nodded before opening the door and creeping out into the space.
Derek and Korbin provided cover while the medic ran over to the child and checked his pulse. Sebastian looked up at Korbin and shook his head.
They had found the dead child. Small whimpers echoed through the space, and the medic crept over to the open door of the bus and peeked inside. There were close to fifteen children huddled together at the front, with the bus driver dead in the front seat. He put his finger to his lips and nodded to Korbin.
Korbin let out a sigh of relief and slowly made his way to the front of the bus, checking underneath and all around for any sign of the demons. When he rounded the corner he dropped onto one knee and stared down at the two kids lying on the pavement. They were both bloody and battered, but still breathing.
“Sebastian!” Korbin called. The man came running, placing his kit next to him, and popping the small locks. He pulled out his tools and got to work.
Korbin could feel anger building in his chest—something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Sebastian grabbed his shoulder and gave him a nod, trying to pull him back from the edge.
He had to keep his wits.
Just then, the doors around them opened and red eyes shone in the dark recesses of the warehouse.
The demons had found them, and there were plenty to go around.
Damian parked the SUV down the street from their call, pulling out both his bible and a gun. They had been called to one of the major churches in the city. There wasn’t a lot of detail on the phone during the call, only screaming and terror in the priest’s voice.
Katie could see the recognition in Damian’s eyes as he stared at the steeple down the street.
There was no movement outside but Mass had already begun, so the church would be pretty full. Katie pulled out the tablet and looked at a blueprint of the church. Around back in the cemetery there was an old stone chapel that held a passageway into the church.
It would bring them into the main hall, from which they could enter the sanctuary.
“I need everyone alert,” Katie said. “We are going to take this underground entrance into the church. Once inside, you need to keep your eyes open and check every person, even the priest, for signs of infection.
“Once we get the people to safety, we’ll attack whatever is inside. We don’t know what we are walking into and that makes this extremely dangerous, so stick close.”
“Got it,” Damian said, nodding.
“I’ll help as many as I can,” Eric agreed.
The team dispersed, circling the block to enter through the cemetery. They stayed as low as they could, unsure who was watching from the many windows in the church.
When they reached the stone chapel, Damian and Eric slid open the heavy stone door and cleared the area. Katie took the lead as they walked through the old passageway, which was thick with cobwebs and mold.
When they reached the end, they found the door unlocked. Katie was surprised; she figured it would have been bolted shut.
“They keep the inside door unlocked,” Damian explained. “It was originally a way for priests to escape capture and find sanctuary inside, but now it’s just an old wives’ tale—a talisman of sorts. Lets the church say they never close their doors.”
“Always tricking people.” Katie winked.
They moved quietly from the side entrance to the main hallway, and stopped right outside of the doors. They could hear crying and screaming from inside the sanctuary. Katie took a deep breath, looked at the guys, and nodded.
Swiftly she moved forward, opening the doors and crawling inside. Once in, though, she slowly got to her feet, looking around in awe at the scene.
They brought their guns to the ready, then stared at the dead in the aisles, the pews, and anywhere else they could have fallen. Eric bolted forward with his gun raised and went to each body, making sure there was nothing that he could do.
There were a few older ladies to the side who were still alive, though badly injured. Eric tended to their wounds as best he could and helped to quietly usher them out into the church’s courtyard. When he came back he looked disheveled, almost lost. Katie walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders.
“I know it’s hard,” she whispered, “but this is important. We have to find this demon. We have to fix this. I need you to ball up all that emotion and bury it. Bury it as deep as you can until we get out of here. When we get back, we will all deal with what we have seen.”
“All right.” Eric shook his head and took a deep breath. “I got this.”
“Good,” she said.
“Katie,” Damian said softly, pointing with his right hand, “over here.”
As Katie approached, one of the priests, holding his stomach, blood pouring into his hand, looked up at her with tears flowing down his cheeks. He raised his bloody hand and pointed to the front of the church. Katie moved closer, not sensing any demonic presence in him.
“Behind the holy water,” he whispered. “Steps that go underground!”
Katie nodded and stood up, and her eyes flashed red. She waved to Damian and Eric, then pulled her pistols back out of their holsters while heading toward the pulpit
“Kill that sonofabitch!” the priest yelled as the group ran down the steps.
Katie looked back just as the priest collapsed into a pool of his own blood.
Korbin pulled his knife from his vest and held it firmly in his right hand, his gun in his left. The three men circled, their backs pressed against each other’s. From the shadows emerged the first of the demons, but they were at least a dozen strong.
From what Korbin could see most of them were young, weak demons, ones that could be taken with ease if approached correctly. As they drew closer Korbin whispered to Derek and Sebastian, “Avoid their claws. They will try to swipe for your face to blind you, your neck to kill you, or your stomach to spill your guts. Fight as far back as you can, but if you have to engage hand-to-hand, either get them on the ground or swing around to the back of them.”
Both guys nodded their heads and took defensive positions.
When the demons were in the light, Korbin nodded and the three men split apart and ran head-first into the enemy. Shots rang through the empty warehouse as Korbin stood, arm outstretched, spraying bullets into the demons closest to the school bus. Some were badly injured and fell to the ground, while others dropped dead where they stood. Almost supersonic shrieks exploded from the animals.
Korbin glanced at the others of his team as he sprinted forward, jumping into the air and slamming his boots into an injured demon.
He screamed in anger, his battle cry pulsing through the building and out into the streets. He raised his knife high and stabbed the infected’s heart.
On the other side Derek fought hard, swinging his sword and striking a demon right in the throat.
He grunted loudly as he pushed the blade through the bone, leaving the beast’s head barely attached. He kicked hard into its chest and it fell to the ground, then bounced slightly before turning to dust. Immediately he threw his arm up, and caught a claw in the forearm from a demon to his side.
Derek gritted his teeth and drew his sword back but before he could make contact the demon screamed. Sebastian had stabbed the beast from the back.
He pulled his sword back and let the demon fall to the ground, smiling widely.
>
Derek smiled back, but it quickly faded when Sebastian groaned. The man looked down at the claws sticking through his stomach.
“Goddammit!” Derek yelled.
Blood trickled from Sebastian’s mouth and down his chin, and as he dropped to his knees the demon pulled his scaled arm back with a snarl. Derek slashed at the demon, his sword cutting deep into the creature’s throat. Derek fell to his knees and caught his teammate, looking down into his eyes.
“You did good, Sebastian. You did really good,” Derek said as Sebastian’s head rolled back and the air left his lungs.
Derek breathed in deeply and ground his teeth together, feeling a righteous anger.
He stood again and yelled, matching Korbin’s battle cry. He charged forward with his sword raised, determined to end every one of these motherfucking demons’ lives.
Katie ran down the passageway which opened behind the pulpit. As she reached the bottom of the staircase she pushed her pistols back into their holsters, then pulled her shimmering short swords and gripped them tightly. Slowly she crept forward, her eyes flashing red as she walked.
Don’t worry, Pandora told her. I’m here right with you.
I don’t know if this is your boyfriend, Katie growled. But I’m going to kill this sonofabitch.
Don’t hold back, Pandora hissed angrily.
Katie moved slowly down the stone hallway, with Damian and Eric close behind. When she reached the doorway, she looked inside the room in front of her. There were seven demons growling, hissing, and dragging bodies into corners. In the center was a large demon—not the largest Katie had faced, but definitely bigger than she had been hoping for.
Is it him? Katie hissed.
No, Pandora spat. Just one of his cronies.
“Fuck it.” Katie kicked open the door and screamed, rushing into the room with her swords ready.
The large demon smiled as the smaller woman got his attention.