by Alex Apostol
“Now, I want you to look at her and block everything else out around you while you picture the demon leaving her body,” Sari instructed in a low, slow voice.
I focused on the deep empty eyes in front of me, but was pulled back immediately.
“Wait!” she screamed.
I tried to ignore what she had to say, knowing the demon would say anything to stop what was going to happen, but I could not ignore what she had to say next.
“I know who killed your son,” she whispered, looking down into her lap.
Demons were crafty. I knew that. They got inside your head and picked out your weakness in order to use it against you. But somehow, I knew this was not the case. This demon was telling me the truth. I looked into her frightened face as her eyes changed back from black to brilliant blue. If there could be bad angels, could there be good demons? I was sure anything was possible at that point.
“Her name is Lamia and she’s still out there,” she heaved under shallow breaths.
I felt her sincere honesty all around me as she spoke. Normally, when demons spoke to me I felt nothing but deceit. I don’t know how to explain it, except it was like a sixth sense for me; probably another one of my abilities I didn’t even know about.
“I can help you find her.”
The sincerity washed away as she said this and was replaced with the common feeling of dishonesty. She had no idea where the demon, Lamia, was and there was no way she could find her. She was useless to me now, but at least she had given me a name to use before I sent her back to where she came from. I focused my gaze back onto hers as the blackness overtook her irises again. Realizing she had failed to persuade me in sparing her life, she thrashed about fiercely.
I stared in fear, sure she was going to break free from the feeble wooden chair any second. My mind was distracted as I watched her growl, throwing her head around to impossible degrees. This time I hadn’t packed any back up in case I could not succeed in using just my mind.
“Just concentrate,” I heard Sari’s familiar whisper in the distance.
With no other option, I did what he said and everything else around me began to fade into the background. The woman let out a loud, violent scream as she snapped her head back. A cloud of black smoke came streaming from her mouth towards the ceiling where it hung for a while before falling to the ground like black snow. The floor around the chair burst into a ring of bright red flames, engulfing everything inside it. As the fire dwindled, so did the demonic ashes. All that was left was the blonde woman’s limp, inanimate body.
I fluttered my eyes as I emerged from my trance-like state. Seeing the still woman before me, I rushed to her side in a panic. I knew what I’d done wasn’t a simple, routine exorcism and there had been the slightest hope in me that she would live through it. I untied her arms and legs from the chair and laid her gently onto the hard granite flooring. I shook her shoulders gently.
“Wake up.” I repeated, trying to revive her.
“People don’t ever survive, but trust me, Kamlyn, you saved a lot of lives in doing this,” Sari said as I continued to lean over her motionless body.
And just like that, my hope was gone. My face fell in disappointment as I sat back up. I was so sure I had the power to get rid of the demon while keeping the girl inside alive. What was the point in being half angel if I couldn’t even save the victim? I turned to look at Sari when I felt something lightly touch my arm. The woman gasped for air as she sat up, sending me backwards in shock. I backed away, scrambling to stand next to Sari for protection. Apparently, I wasn’t very talented I though as I gripped his arm, certain I hadn’t banished the demon. I was relieved and overjoyed when I saw tears stream down the woman’s face.
“What happened?” she sobbed, trying to stand up.
Her legs shook frailly beneath the weight of her body. Sari and I turned to each other. His eyes stared deeply into mine with a look of amazement. The woman had survived. Without warning, he grabbed my arm and we were back in the parking garage next to my truck. I rapidly blinked my eyes, trying to balance myself out from our unexpected transport.
“How’d you do that?” Sari turned to me.
He shook me by the shoulders and whirled me around to face him. I looked into his desperately curious eyes while he squeezed me, afraid of him for the first time. I was alarmed I had done something terribly wrong.
“I don’t know. I just concentrated like you said,” I stammered.
He pulled me in hard against his firm body, embracing me tightly. I relaxed my tense muscles, taking in a deep breath of his sweet aroma.
“You saved that woman’s life!” he exclaimed as he pulled us apart. “No one has ever killed a demon and had the person survive!”
I took a step back and scrunched my face.
“Killed?”
It dawned on me. I hadn’t just sent the demon away. I had actually caused it to cease to exist, never to harm anyone ever again. I was overcome with satisfaction in myself. It had been the most rewarding experience since I started hunting. I learned the name of the demon I’d been searching for, sent another one to its death, and helped an innocent woman regain her life again. Overwhelmed, I handed my keys to Sari so he could drive us to a hotel for the night while I rested. My body and my mind were completely exhausted from the experience.
I stared aimlessly out the window, unable to shut my eyes from the excitement of what I’d done. Why was I able to do something a full-fledged angel couldn’t even do? I closed my eyes finally and smiled to myself, picturing the confused woman in her apartment. She was probably going crazy, but at least she was alive. I could hear Sari’s soothing voice humming softly in the background as I imagined the woman getting her life back in order.
*
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a warm soft bed next to Sari. I didn’t even care how I had gotten there without waking up. I was just happy to be so close to him.
“Sleep well?” he asked as he smiled.
“What time is it?” I responded, turning over to look out the motel window for a clue.
It was still dark outside so I couldn’t have been out for long.
“Early still. You can go back to sleep if you want.”
The events from earlier rushed back into my head causing my brain to race a mile a minute.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep if I wanted to,” I smiled back.
As I said it, I regretted opening my mouth at all. There was nothing I wanted more than to stay in bed next to Sari. Without thinking, I nudged myself closer to his radiating body for warmth.
“There’s no reason to get going this minute,” he said in a low voice, turning on his side to face me.
My heart raced as I looked into his round doe eyes. Ever since I met Sari I had been trying to hide my feelings for him because of who he was, but it was becoming more difficult the more time we spent together. My eyes flickered down to his smooth full lips as I thought about what kissing him must be like. Again, I inched my body closer to his.
“Are you cold?” he asked, lifting his arm to invite me in.
I hid my urge to squeal with glee as I rested my head on his chest. His body grew several degrees warmer the instant my body touched his.
“Are you doing that?” I asked, glancing up into his face.
“Just trying to warm you a little,” he responded, wrapping his arms around me.
“You can do anything, can’t you?” I laughed, closing my eyes again.
“I can’t do what you did earlier,” he retorted.
“Oh, that’s right. So, now that we have the name of the demon who killed Danny, how do we find her?” I asked, popping my eyes back open with excitement.
“Kammy, I have something to tell you,” Sari said as he looked away with somber, guilt-ridden eyes.
I sat up and rested my back against the headboard, waiting to hear what I already knew was going to be hard to swallow.
“I knew all along who the demon was that kil
led Danny…”
I couldn’t have gotten out of that bed fast enough. I paced around the room as I tried to think of what I could possibly say in response.
“Why have you been keeping this from me?” I yelled, glaring down at his remorse flushed face.
He stood up and walked around the bed to stand in front of me.
“I was only trying to protect you.”
I couldn’t help showing a hint of flattery as my face softened. I decided to let him explain himself before I condemned him for his actions. Keeping something like this from me for no reason just didn’t sound like something Sari would do, as if I really knew who he was at all.
“There was no way you would survive if you went up against her right now. You need more training,” he pleaded.
“More training?” I questioned. “What about the amazing thing I just did? I can kill demons!” I reminded him in vain.
I knew once his mind was made up, he was not going to change it. There was nothing I could do to prove I could take care of myself.
“Lamia isn’t a demon, Kamlyn…she’s a goddess.”
I stared into his desperate face with disbelief.
“A goddess? Are you serious? How is that possible?”
He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. I sat next to him and silently waited. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he started the story.
“Legend says that Lamia was a queen in Ancient Egypt. She was young and beautiful, irresistible to all men because she was a descendent of the Gods. She had an affair with the most powerful God of ancient Greece, Zeus, and bore several of his children. When Zeus’s wife learned of their forbidden love, though, she murdered Lamia’s children in a fit of rage and revenge.”
I was overtaken with intense feelings as Sari told the story with such conviction and emotion. For the first time ever, I was feeling something other than rage for Lamia…it was sympathy. A tear slid down my cheek as he continued.
“Lamia went insane with the grief of losing her children, which drove her to the devouring of others’ children. On top of the murder of her own kids and her new sickening habit, she encountered another horrible aspect of her new life…she was no longer beautiful. Zeus’s wife had cursed Lamia’s beauty, making it only possible to revive when she stole the youthful lives of children. From then on, she felt it necessary to kill for her own personal gain.”
As Sari concluded, he cupped my hands inside his.
“So you see, you may be an Earth angel, but she’s a goddess turned evil who walks among humans undetected. She has powers beyond your capabilities and imagination.”
I lowered my head in disappointment. It sounded like I would never be strong enough to overpower her. I’d never come across any records of anyone killing a goddess…or that they even existed outside mythology.
“What’s the use in training then if I’m never going to be able to take her down?” I asked, devastated.
The one task I had built my entire life around, I would never be able to complete. The revenge I sought would never be fulfilled.
“By yourself, you wouldn’t make it…but with me,” Sari paused and stood up, bringing me up with him as he held my hands in his. “We may be able to do it. You just need to ask yourself this question…is this something you’re willing to die for?”
I looked up at his towering figure and smiled. I’d never been surer of anything in my life.
“I’m ready, if you can promise we’ll find her.”
Sari wrapped his arms around me tightly, resting his hand gently on the back of my head to pull me closer.
“I promise.”
11
“We are the Earth intruders. We are the sharpshooters, flock of parachuters. Necessary voodoo.”
– Bjork
I couldn’t get to sleep after our conversation. I stared up at the ceiling waiting to drift into a dream. So many things were running through my head all at once that my brain couldn’t find a moment for rest. Was it the closeness of Sari that was keeping me from falling asleep? Just being near him sent my stomach into spiraling back-flips. I knew deep down there could never be anything between us, but in the still darkness with our bodies lying so close together, it was easy to forget what he truly was. Even though he was part of why my mind was racing, he was not the only thing keeping me awake.
Now that I knew who Lamia was, her face clouded my mind. I didn’t care that I wasn’t ready to defeat her. I wanted to find her right at that moment and rip her head off. It was torture to think she was out there stealing the lives of some other poor innocent child and I couldn’t do anything about it. How could I just lay here while she was still out there? I knew that if I tried to get up to leave, Sari would wake up and stop me. And even if I did manage to leave, where would I go? I had no idea where the monster goddess was. A wonderfully tempting thought popped into my head.
I closed my eyes and subdued all the thoughts that were flying around and pushed them out of my mind entirely. Just as I had hoped, my mind was carried off to a lingering evil, just not the one I was searching for. Every time I found a menacing face that was not Lamia’s, I would open my eyes and start over again. I spent hours searching and only finding the hiding places of vengeful ghosts, murderous shifters, possessive demons, blood-thirsty vampires, and even a few things I never knew existed, but no child devouring goddess.
Before I knew it, the early morning sun was creeping through the cheap bent blinds and dancing across my face. I opened my eyes halfway and rubbed them with the back of my hands, realizing I must have fallen asleep during my search. My eyes stung as I forced them open. I couldn’t have gotten more than a few minutes of sleep. I rolled over, away from the blazing sun only to find an empty space where Sari should have been. I climbed out of bed, sure that he would be back from wherever he went soon. I could use this time alone to try to make myself look halfway decent. I stripped off my dirty, worn-in clothes and reached for fresh ones from my duffel bag.
“Morning! Sorry I’m…”
I scrambled to reach for a towel sitting on the floor to cover myself as Sari came barging into the room. Right away his eyes averted to the floor and his face turned a bright rosy pink.
“You could knock, you know!” I shouted, mainly out of embarrassment. “Where were you anyway?”
“I left after you fell asleep to check in with the other watchers,” he responded without taking his gaze off his shoes.
“Yea? And what did you tell them?” I asked as I rearranged the towel to hold itself up around my bare body.
Sari turned on his heel to face the window so he wouldn’t have to stare downward any longer.
“I just told them you were still hunting, you were safe, and I was keeping an eye out for you in case you got into any trouble though I’m sure you’re not what they’re looking for.”
“Well that’s good,” I said as I grabbed my clothes and turned towards the bathroom. “I’ll shower and get dressed. Then we can go.”
Before I shut myself in the bathroom I turned back to look at Sari. Our eyes met for a brief second before we both looked away again. I shut the door behind me. I turned on the shower and let the warm water wash away my embarrassment. When I got out, I pulled on my tight, tattered jeans and slipped into a black turtle-neck sweater. I leaned in closely to the mirror as I pulled my hair up into a clip. I examined my face in silence. My eyes were the darkest shade of gray that I’d ever seen them. I imagined my son’s dull, lifeless eyes as Lamia devoured his soul and youthfulness. If only I knew where to find her…
“So, where are we off to today, Kammy?” Sari’s voice broke my trance.
I opened the door and sat on the edge of the unmade bed as I pulled on my shoes.
“Uh, I don’t know…there’s a powerful coven near the Pleasant Little Bay in Massachusetts.” I answered without stopping to think.
Sari stared at me as I finished lacing up my low-tops.
“You’re not going to ask me if I kno
w where Lamia is?” he asked, looking at me from the corner of his squinted eye.
“Well, if you knew where she was you would have told me, right?”
Instead of answering me, Sari just grabbed the luggage and headed for the truck.
“You know, this whole hunting business would be so much easier if I could just appear where I wanted like you can,” I hinted as we drove east, away from the city.
“I know, but you can’t,” was all Sari responded as he stared out the window.
I wasn’t about to accept that answer, though.
“Why not? If you can, then shouldn’t I be able to?” I pried further.
He sighed and glared at me with piercing eyes, obviously frustrated that I had bothered to inquire any further.
“Because I’ve never met someone like you who can, that’s why.”
I didn’t know why he was suddenly frustrated with me, but something was clearly bothering him. Lucky for me, we had a seventeen hour drive ahead of us so I had plenty of time to get it out of him.
“Well, you thought I couldn’t kill a demon and have the person survive but I did. So, maybe I can do this too,” I persisted, not willing to give up on learning such a useful ability.
He didn’t say a word as he returned his gaze outward. This aggravated me. I hadn’t done anything to him, so why was he treating me as if I’d just kicked his dog? I couldn’t contain myself any longer.
“What the hell is wrong with you today?” I burst, periodically shifting my glare between him and the road.
“You expect me to be all smiles all the time? Gimme a break why don’t you?” he snapped back to my surprise.
“This isn’t you so obviously something is bothering you,” I said in a low, meek voice.
“It’s nothing, really. It’s just that…the other watchers are…a little…suspicious,” he responded guarded.
“What does that mean? Suspicious of what?” I questioned, staring more at him than the road now.