“And kill the vessel? Highly unlikely that you’d go to such lengths. How would you explain it to the cops? You know we have our finger over the law in these parts.”
Ignore his charades. He’s trying to stall.
“A question for you, darling. How does it feel to have evil coursing through you veins? Do you think that hunting us down will pardon you for what you are? God can never love yo—”
My arm juts backwards from the recoil of my now smoking gun. Dead center in his opposite thigh, it hit him. A slight feeling of pleasure rushes over me as I see him stumble backwards into the wall. Even more so, when he slides down and grips the wound with both hands in agony. Last thing I need right now is Alfonse’s emotions running rampant on me. With an act of my will, I snap to my senses and continue to press the demon in front of me.
“Enough with the bullshit. I’m no Nephilim. I just have friends in low places. Now tell me what you know about Sphinx.”
The manager laughs malevolently at my demands, despite the blood soaking his dress pants and pooling onto the floor.
My blood boils as the feeling of hopelessness mixed with anger washes over me. I was careless and foolish to rush in against God knows how many demons with no backup. On the other side of the door, there are at least ten for sure, hundreds more around the city. “Don’t you value your life?” I inch forward as I jam the gun closer to his face. A tug in the pit of my stomach instinctively tells me to back off. Alfonse.
The demon in front of me was simply trying to manipulate my emotions, blunder my moves. Fuck him.
My hand jerks from the recoil of the gun. Another bullet finds its mark, digging deep into his shoulder blade. His unearthly screams violate my eardrums, but I don’t care. The sides of my mouth widen involuntarily, causing the dripping blood from my nose to trickle down to my mouth, staining my teeth. “There’re others like me. Different. Two of them are in this building right now. Haven’t you been paying attention? For living since the beginning of time, I didn’t realize that demons could be so stupid. I was bait, dumbass. Why else would I go balls deep into this place knowing that you all can sense me? I’m not worried because we’ve been studying you for weeks now, and yes there may or may not be a mole within your establishment. Now, tell me what you know, or would you prefer another round in your chest?”
The dark hue of the manager’s eyes fades and the soul of the human he possessed emerges. My heart stops at the plea of his screams. Suddenly it’s not so easy to shoot the man that tried to kill me.
Chapter 5: Crossroads
“Help me! Something’s inside of me! Help me, please! He makes me do horrible things! Horrible things!”
He’s sobbing now. I pity him. A man left to the devices of a feral being, forced to watch as he loses control and does the unthinkable. Like a slow moving reel, he watches, unable to slip away or mentally clock out. They’re one. It’s a reality that I can’t stomach too boldly when that same person could very well be me. The look on his face is sheer terror. He is not afraid of me but of what lurks inside him. He’s panicking, unsure of what to expect. I can hear the tension in his breaths as he rapidly breathes out. Coupled with a stab wound and two bullet wounds, I can tell that he’s in immense pain, especially since his other half checked out.
Behind his eyes, the demon resides. It’s a ruse. Kill him.
Of course I’m led to believe that what he says is true. It could very well be a ploy to get me to drop my guard.
A small tremor consumes my hand, causing it to noticeably shake. I never questioned the possibility. It’s easier that way…but what if the man I am facing is somehow resisting that thing that is inside him. I’m not stupid. I’m weak because I see myself in him. But with all things considered, I can’t help the way I feel.
The door to the right of me bursts open and the two guards who secured the room charge in. I sling my knife flush into the skull of the first one, instantly killing him, and then draw my other pistol from my hip and point it at the second demon’s face. “You may want to close the door. We wouldn’t want to scare anyone, would we?”
A look of confusion and scorn crosses his face. He knows that I can shoot him before he can try anything. A bullet would be faster than anything he can manage to do. They seem to be lesser demons. I lucked out this time, despite my feelings getting in the way.
Everyone that is possessed in here is the same as that man, and you mow them down effortlessly. But when the human part of him calls out to you, you falter and show compassion.
The demon gently shuts the door behind him as I smirk at his obedience. The other demon that I killed seconds earlier is face down on the ground with my dagger lodged deep into his brain only a foot or so away from me.
“Thanks, you’ve been a great help to me all this time, but I feel like our partnership is over.” My right hand bounces back as I fire a round into the skull of demon that was at my mercy only seconds ago as my doorman. His massive body hits the floor with a relatively mute thud and more blood paints the floor. Alfonse stirs in delight, and I’m repulsed that I feel even a smidge of what he feels.
Sailor!
My head flicks back to the manager just in time to see his hand stabilize a pistol on his wounded thigh. My heart stops and, out of fear, I submit to the raging voice thrashing within. Both of our muzzles flash in unison. My bullet tears through his bicep while his rips through my right side. I feel a small ember burning above my hip with every breath I take, but I’m thankful to still be standing.
Your compassion almost got you killed. Take note of that, darling. Weakness will only get us killed.
“Note taken,” I whisper as I look at the manager panting on the floor. “My men could be arriving any moment now. Send any more of your goons in after me, and I guarantee that I’m going to be the one to walk out of this alive. Now, I’m going to ask you one more time, and I expect an answer. What do you know about Sphinx?”
He looks to me, speechless with his jaw stammering empty words. The demon wants me to believe that the human is still in control, but given what just happened, I’m in no mood for giving the benefit of the doubt.
For good measure I give him some time, but Alfonse reminds me that we aren’t alone in this club. Others are gathering, looking, searching. I don’t know whether or not my bluff will hold or what the manager told his men, but it’s my only chance of making it out of here alive. Everything rides on my next move, but I’m not certain on exactly what that move will be.
I tuck one of my pistols away and kick over the body of the man I killed with my knife. Careful not to make the same mistake twice, I keep my finger on the trigger and most of my attention on the club manager. With my free hand, I rip the serrated blade from his skull and analyze it before stepping in closer to the one who has what I want.
“So, tell me…what happens to a demon after they die? Do you know? As you can tell, these bullets aren’t meant for exorcism. No, these are meant to kill, both human and demon alike. This isn’t a one-way trip to Hell. That’s too easy. Too convenient. We’re talking total non-existence,” I say with a smirk. “Where does the spirit go when it ceases to exist? Is it dark? Is it cold? Is it anything at all? How does nothing feel? Can you tell me? When you reach the other side, no pun intended, can you send me a message somehow to let me know what it’s like?” I inch closer to his weaker side. “Tell me what you know, and I just might let you live, you sorry sack of shit.”
He hisses at me. A stereotypical, almost satire-like hiss. He doesn’t take me seriously because I hesitated before. His mistake.
“Fair enough,” I casually say as I approach him and stab into his other leg. I put my weight into it and lean closer to him as I twist it, driving the blade deeper into his thigh. He yells as his face contorts in pain, but there is no sympathy left in my heart for him. I slide my gun underneath his chin, letting the dull metal barrel kiss him as a smile widens across my face. “You know; I don’t need you. If you don’t talk, your people will.
My little moles on the inside have already been gathering information because dicks like you can’t keep your mouth shut.”
Kill him, Alfonse whispers in my ear oh so subtly. It tickles more than I’d like to admit.
To my surprise, I am no longer repulsed by the thought. He shot me, almost broke my nose, and wasted my time. My life is on the line and he laughs like it’s a game. He thinks he’s won despite the fact that he is on the verge of non-existence. He thinks I’m weak. I hate him. I want to erase him. But I need him.
Though he can hardly move, he musters up the strength to insult me. “You’re wasting your time, pretty lady. After my boys get their hands on you, you’re going to wish that you were dead.” A blood-filled loogie flies my way, but I avoid it.
“You fucking cunt!” I yell as I drive the blade deeper. Alfonse tells me to kill him again, but I’m too busy basking in the rush of making him suffer as much as possible. I breathe deeply as he moans in agony, my face only an inch or so away from his. My beating heart numbs me to the outside world as its steady thump echoes in my head.
KILL HIM!
His voice pierces my conscious and my hand moves. The black floor tiles are dyed red and the hand that holds my blade shakes steadily while the rage that possessed me seems to pool into the puddle his blood made on the floor. I did it. I killed him, but was it me? I stare at his limp body and trace the swift incision at his neck with my eyes.
I had to kill him. I knew I had to, but was it me who had the final say? I try to think back to the few moments before he died, but I see nothing but a haze, a cloud of smoke that dulls my senses. Fucking Alfonse. It’s still my soul, I think to myself, careful to guard my emotions from being discovered by him and his insidious ways. I take a deep breath and release the tension in my body as I stand up and re-arm myself with both pistols.
We have to go…now.
“Yeah, I know.” I tuck away my guns and shrug my arms into my jacket, giving myself a much needed hug before I open the door leading back into the main room. The lights overhead circle around like a siren, almost as if their sole purpose is to alert the others that I am on the move. I walk slowly through the crowd, intent to keep my focus away from the infectious music that fills the room, as I navigate towards the exit. There are bound to be other demons out there, I know it, but I’m safe as long as I’m surrounded by people partying the night away. If they’re smart, it would be in their best interest to pursue me when I’m alone. No matter how many men they have on the inside, there’s no way they can cover up a massacre in a nightclub without a few loose ends.
I keep to myself as I continue to walk to the exit in sight. I hang my head low as I walk briskly, only raising it once I leave the light-blue compound. I pass the crowd of people waiting to get in and notice another worker has taken over the deceased manager’s role, most likely a human. No one outside seems to be the wiser about the killings, which is good. However, despite how it seems, I still get bad vibes by the onlookers as I pass them by. To my surprise, no one follows me out to the streets and I leave just as easy I came in. No sirens or cops in sight means that the demons decided to keep what happened a secret for as long as they can.
I decide to take a leisurely stroll downtown in the opposite direction of where I parked. The last thing I need is for another demon to follow me home and stalk me where I live. I make my way down the city streets, tucking myself in as close as possible to buffer myself from the cold. It’s later now, and the night only brings a bitter frost. As I walk deeper into the city, I notice an old man who keeps popping up in my peripherals.
I knew it was too easy.
As I make a turn at the end of the block, I duck off in an alley and hide behind the crevice in the wall, using the darkness to conceal me. From there, I wait. Five minutes pass by before I hear a set of footsteps passing the alley. They aren’t from someone who’s been out or from someone exploring the city. The steps I hear are from someone…something, searching. I listen and wait till his set of steps end about five steps from the alley’s entrance. I curse under my breath, remembering that because of Alfonse, it’s like I have a flashing beacon on top of my head. I ready my knife as the old man’s footsteps draw near. The cold chill in the air is now a thing of the past, overshadowed by the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Steadily, he walks my way, his shadow in plain sight on the concrete floor.
Come on, come on, just a little bit more.
My fist clenches the grips of my dagger in anticipation of what’s to come. He steps out into the alley and I lunge at him, placing one hand over his mouth and trusting my blade into his back with the other. His moan is short lived as his life leaves him. I drag his body over to a corner and prop him against the wall. A dumpster is nearby but it fails to dilute the smell of sulfur and cat urine that fills the air. God, it stinks when they die. That makes three today. Was he another user? Or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? For every demon I kill, I also kill another human being.
The corpse of the man stares emptily at me, as if he’s gazing into my soul. It’s disheartening, but for now, that’s just the way it is. I slide my pointer and middle fingers over his eyes, shutting them off to the outside world. There’s an eerie silence in the air now, which is strange for the city. Outside of the traffic, in the distance, the world seems still. They’re out there. It wouldn’t be right if they weren’t. Not after what I did. The scout they sent after me died in this alley so they would be coming soon. If he was the only one tailing me, I should be off their radar.
Why do you seem worried at the death of that man?
“I’m not. Just thinking…that’s all.”
Hopefully those thoughts are primarily focused on our survival, yes?
“I killed three of your kind today. That doesn’t bother you?”
It was either them or us. If we want to live, we must do what is necessary to survive. If you are not willing to do what is necessary, then you wish for death by default.
As much as I hate to admit it, Alfonse is right. My line of work isn’t exactly the cleanest. Even though I asked him the question innocently, in reality it was no different than me killing a human in self-defense. In a life or death situation, does it really matter what the other side is? No. All that matters is you walking away better than the person or thing that comes after you, no matter the cost.
“Alfonse, I have a question. That guy from before called me a Nephilim. That’s because he sensed you right?”
Yes.
“How does that work exactly?”
Your essence is that of a human but there seems to be a demonic presence underneath.
“Like a smaller…essence?” How is that any different than a human that’s been possessed?”
The balance is shifted. The essence is primarily that of a demon but the human soul is buried underneath.
For him to speak about it so casually…
“Hmm, thank you. That makes sense.” I turn away from the corpse laying against the concrete wall and continue to walk deeper into the alley. Home is a long way from here. Given the circumstances, it seems like a hundred miles away. I wipe the last bit of caked blood from my nose as I continue to walk. As expected, my nose feels fine as well as my side.
One of the perks of being bonded with a demon is accelerated regeneration. With possession, the effect is at least ten times more potent. Normal weapons don’t even faze them unless you catch them off guard, and even then, you have five seconds tops before they’re back in your face. One time I pumped one with a shotgun at point blank range, and he managed to get up before I could reload. It’s a nightmare being against one of those things unprepared. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.
I continue to walk briskly through the darkest parts of the city until my trek is interrupted by a group of men who are up to no good.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here? What’s a pretty girl like you doing out here all by yourself?” His hood hangs over his head, but with the dim lig
hts cascading overhead, I manage to see his tan complexion and green eyes underneath. He’s in front of me, him and two others who bear similar features. I keep to myself and try to walk past them.
“Whoa, where do you think you’re going, hot stuff? Did I upset you? Stay and talk for a little while.” He grabs my shoulder and clutches onto it while his group surrounds me. “I just want to talk.” Of course, he wants to do more than talk. Judging by the matching color scheme of green and yellow, they’re probably in some local gang. They probably think I’m an easy target, which I admit I am, if looks were everything. A frail one hundred and fifteen pound brunette walking down the alley late at night, alone. It would seem that I had a hankering for punishment. That I just put myself in situations like this, ‘asking for it,’ right? That’s what the politicians say, right?
I look at his hand gripped upon my shoulder and slowly move my eyes up to meet his. I study them with a stone face. He probably thinks I’m shocked, but I’m just checking to see if I have to kill him or not.
Nope. He lucked out. His eyes have a glint of human in them. He’s not a demon, just a dick. Just a poor misguided dick.
I release the guns that are in my pockets and let them slip to the bottom of the cotton lining, freeing my hands. “Hands off, jerk.” I bat his hand off my shoulder and continue walking. From behind, he grabs me and yanks me back. Using his inertia, I go back with the pull and deliver a straight punch that lands flush into his nose. His head juts back and he grabs his nose as it begins to spurt blood like a busted pipe.
“Get that bitch,” he yells from inside his cupped hands. He’s down for the moment, but his two friends approach me. One draws a switchblade while the other sticks to his fists. A sliver of a smile runs across my face, but I cover it quickly. In the back of my mind, I can hear Alfonse’s amusement. We both know that they have no chance.
Even though they have the numbers, they hesitate. For all they know, my punch could have been just a lucky shot, yet they brought out a knife. They probably thought I’d play dead and give in to whatever they threw at me. Pathetic. It wouldn’t be a far shot to say that they probably did this dozens of times to others like me. I often wonder how folks like this even sleep at night.
Sailor Ray and the Darkest Night (The Pact Book 1) Page 3