Hell To Pay (Hellscourge Book 5)

by Diem, J. C.

  Two men in black suits stood at the front entrance. Their outfits and bearing identified them as security guards. Plus, they were at least twice the age of the kids who were dancing inside.

  “This way,” Sam whispered and tugged on my hand. He’d spotted a side entrance that I hadn’t even noticed. His night vision was a lot better than mine while we were in this dimension.

  The door was unlocked and he cautiously pushed it open. Another security guard stood just a few feet away. The music was loud enough to drown out any noise that we made. We slipped inside and shut the door then made our way down the hallway. I kept close to Sam and he trailed a hand along the wall, prepared to make us both blend in.

  Coming to an alcove, I almost let out a startled noise when I saw two kids making out. They were far too engrossed in each other to notice us as we hurried past them. I was embarrassed when I realized this was how oblivious Zach and I were each time we allowed ourselves to get carried away by our passion.

  Sam sent me a sardonic look over his shoulder as if he’d read my mind. I stuck my tongue out and he grinned.

  Coming to a wide entrance that led to the main hall, we crept up close enough to see hundreds of teenagers wearing expensive dresses and suits. “Can you see Zach and Candy?” I asked.

  Sam peered intently at the throng and shook his head. “There are too many people squashed in together.”

  Looking up, I saw a balcony overhead and pointed at it. “Let’s head up to the next floor. Maybe we’ll be able to spot them from up there.”

  We retreated back down the hallway and found the stairs around the next corner. Two couples were making out in the stairwell. Again, they were too engrossed in each other to notice us as we made our way past them. Sam didn’t even bother to hide us from their view.

  Reaching the next floor, he made us disappear before we entered a long hallway. His caution paid off when another security guard rounded the corner ahead. We pressed ourselves against the wall and held our breath as he walked past us almost close enough to step on our toes.

  “That was a close call,” Sam whispered when the guard was gone.

  “That door should lead us to the balcony,” I said and pointed at the doorway just down the hall, forgetting that he couldn’t see my hand.

  We hurried towards it and peered through the doorway. There weren’t any security guards in sight, so we crossed to the balcony. Looking down, I saw a large multi-purpose arena below. The wooden floor was covered with markings for various games. Chairs had been folded up and were stacked up against one wall.

  Bright lights shone down on the teens. I felt shabby and underdressed when I studied the beautiful dresses the girls wore. Remembering that Candy was wearing gold, it didn’t take me long to pick her out of the crowd. She stood in the middle of the room in a tight sparkly dress. Her hair had been artfully curled and hung halfway down her back. Her dress was low cut, revealing her impressive cleavage. Boys watched her hungrily and girls glared at her in envy.

  Switching my attention to her date, my heart lurched to see Zach in a black suit. None of the boys wore actual tuxedos, but their suits were almost as formal. Just as Candy had requested, Zach wore a gold bowtie and cummerbund that matched her dress. A beautiful white orchid was pinned to her chest. Jealousy spiked inside me when I wondered if he’d pinned it on her himself.

  Sam elbowed me in the side to get my attention. I turned to him and he flinched away. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Your eyes are glowing red,” he replied uneasily.

  “I’m not surprised. That seems to happen whenever I’m really pissed.”

  “Why are you so angry?”

  “Because my boyfriend is dancing with a beautiful girl and she’s putting her hands all over him.” My ire increased to see her stroking a hand down Zach’s back. His expression was utterly bored, but she couldn’t see it. She pressed her breasts against him and her face was rapturous as they turned in a slow circle.

  “What are you planning to do?” he asked me in trepidation.

  “I’m thinking of leaping over the balcony and tearing her hair out by the handful,” I replied honestly.

  “The security guards will probably frown on that sort of activity,” he said solemnly.

  I laughed just as he’d intended, but my anger wasn’t going away. Instead, it was growing by the second. “Do you have any ideas about how I can get revenge on her without her realizing I’m responsible?”

  He was silent for a few moments as he watched my foe. The song ended and Zach stepped back. He motioned towards the set of tables where drinks were on offer. Sam smirked and turned to me. “I have an idea and I think you will approve of it.”

  I grinned in anticipation. “What’s your plan?”

  “I would not want to ruin the surprise. Wait here. I will be back soon.”

  He was gone before I could protest. Just in case another security guard came along, I moved deeper into the shadows and waited for Sam to unleash his brand of justice on my rival.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty

  Peering down at Zach and Candy, I didn’t see Sam at first. His abilities went deeper than merely being able to camouflage himself. He could also take on someone else’s appearance just by touching them. After a few moments, I saw someone working their way through the crowd, heading towards the refreshment area. His face and clothes changed in the blink of an eye, which gave away his true identity. He glanced up at me and winked just in case I hadn’t figured out who he was.

  Candy took a cup of punch from Zach and flicked her hair back over her shoulder so her boobs were on display. He staunchly kept his attention on her face rather than her chest, which made him a hero in my eyes.

  Wearing the disguise of one of the teens, Sam looked around and his eyes came to rest on the gigantic punch bowl. It was half full of dark red liquid that almost looked like blood. My lips turned upwards in anticipation as he reached for it. “This is going to be hilarious,” I crowed quietly to myself and took my cell phone out of my pocket. I managed to turn on the camera and zoom in just as Sam went into action.

  Lifting the bowl, Sam turned and dumped the entire contents down the front of Candy’s sparkly gold dress. The flash on my camera went off as I captured the image. Her howl of outrage rang out, silencing everyone. Heads turned, but Sam was already on the move. He changed his appearance several times as he made his way through the crowd, managing to escape before anyone could pinpoint who the culprit had been.

  Stepping back out of sight, I laughed so hard that tears ran down my face. I wasn’t the only one who was amused. I peeked through the railings to see Zach bent over and holding his stomach as if it hurt. Candy glared at him in something close to hatred. She snarled something that wiped his laughter away and stomped off through the crowd, presumably heading for the bathroom. Shrill giggles and pointing fingers followed her progress. It was obvious that she wasn’t well liked.

  Sam rejoined me a short while later, grinning from ear to ear. “I am afraid that Candy is feeling a little indisposed right now,” he said.

  “I can see why. Her outfit doesn’t really match Zach’s anymore,” I replied in mock sadness and broke into laughter again. I slid my cell phone back into my pocket. The image was grainy from distance, but I’d captured her humiliation on screen. While I hadn’t poured the punch on her myself, I still felt satisfaction seeing her mortified in front of everyone.

  “We should leave before Nathan and Leo notice that we are missing,” Sam urged me. We’d already been gone for an hour and a half and it was time to leave.

  “Lead the way,” I said and took his hand.

  We were both still struggling to hold onto our giggles as we made our way back outside. Retracing our steps, we returned to the wall. Sam lifted me up and I peered over the top. The guard was looking away, so I flattened myself down and motioned for Sam to jump up. He pulled himself up beside me and we both dropped to the ground.

  Hearing us lan
d, the security guard’s head whipped around. Probing the shadows suspiciously, he looked right at us, but Sam had already blended us in with the wall. After a full minute of peering in our direction, the guard finally relaxed again.

  Sam began to slink away, pulling me along behind him. I was still grinning when we were safely two streets away. “I wish our trips to hell could be that much fun,” I said.

  “It took all of my skill to remain unnoticed,” he replied. “I thought Candy was going to take a swing at me when I spilled the punch on her.”

  “I’m surprised she didn’t.” Thinking about it, I shook my head. “Nah, she’d be too afraid that she’d break a nail.”

  “Your boyfriend was almost as amused as you were,” he said.

  Feeling my cell phone vibrate, I pulled it out of my pocket. “Speak of the Devil,” I murmured. Checking the message, it was a photo of Candy that Zach had taken without her knowledge. I now had a close-up view of the burgundy stain that had ruined what was probably a very expensive dress. The message that accompanied the photo was that he thought I’d want to see Candy’s wardrobe malfunction.

  I sent him a message back expressing my amusement and told him I wished I’d been there to see it. I also wished I’d heard what she’d said to him before she’d stomped away. Hopefully, he’d fill me in on the details later.

  Putting my phone away, I looked up to see a pack of demons loitering on the corner ahead. To everyone else, they appeared to be surly twenty-somethings with nothing better to do than to stand around. To me, they were hideous monsters with unnaturally black skin and scarlet eyes. Their leader was a captain with short stubby horns and ivory fangs. Their gazes briefly flicked over us as we walked past them, but our bracelets rendered us nearly invisible to their senses.

  Turning the corner, we almost collided with a family of four people. It was a mother, a father, a boy about fifteen and a girl around my age. They were human rather than demons, but the girl caught my eye. About my height, she was slim, pretty and had long blond hair.

  The girl scowled at me and we passed so closely that I saw her eyes were the exact same shade of green as mine. A sense of foreboding filled me as they stepped around us. I turned to see the hell spawn come on full alert when they saw the girl. I knew what was going to happen even before the captain motioned to one of his lackeys. The lesser demon stepped forward and grabbed the teen and all six of them teleported away.

  A scream rang out when the mother realized her daughter was gone. The father shouted her name and the brother spun around in confusion. I exchanged a look with Sam and started running. This was the demons’ territory, which meant they were somewhere on this block.

  A dark blue car came towards us and the father ran out onto the street to stop it. I was completely unsurprised to see Detective Reynolds behind the wheel. “Call the police!” the father shouted. “My daughter has just been kidnapped!” The detective saw me and his mouth dropped open in shock.

  With no idea which building they’d taken the girl to, I raced down the street with Sam on my heels. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop when we were nearing the next corner. “I heard a scream coming from there,” he said and pointed at an underground parking lot to our left.

  The demons had warded the place, but I pulled my dagger and scraped the blade over the rune that was just inside the entrance. A car screeched to a halt behind us and I glanced over my shoulder to see Reynolds climbing out. His gun was in his hand, but he pointed it between us rather than at us.

  “I don’t have time for this,” I said before he could attempt to arrest us. “We think the girl is in here.”

  “Who has taken her?” he asked.

  “Demons,” I replied bleakly and broke into a run.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sam and Reynolds were right behind me as I sprinted down the slope. I could hear evil chuckles coming from deeper in the parking lot. Some of the lights had been broken and it was dim and shadowed. Cars rested in their slots like slumbering metal animals that could wake up at any moment.

  Another scream rang out, sounding more defiant than afraid. Reaching the top of a ramp that led down to the next level, I saw the demons in a clearing below. The girl was being held by two of the lackeys. She kicked out at the captain and he snarled when her boot connected with his knee. Grabbing her by the shirt, he called up his sword and sliced her sweater and shirt open.

  “Get away from me, you pervert!” she shouted.

  The captain ignored her and pulled a vial out of his pocket. My blood ran cold when I saw it was the same type of vessel that the Collectors used to harvest souls. “I see no reason why we should take you before our master, Hellscourge,” he said in a deep, guttural voice. “I will harvest your essence myself and render you powerless.”

  I started running again, but I knew I was already too late. Sam didn’t bother to take the ramp. Instead, he leaped over the barrier and landed lightly on his feet. Reynolds fired a shot in warning, making the demon hesitate. “This is the police!” he shouted. “We have you surrounded!”

  Dismissing the warning the captain made his sword disappear. One of his minions handed him a dagger and he stabbed the girl in the heart. I shouted in denial even as Sam barreled into them. He carried the girl to the ground, but he was too late to save her. Her soul seeped out and the captain knelt to catch it in the vial. He growled in disappointment when the soul was just a pale white color. It looked weak compared to an angel’s grace.

  “Bah. She is just another useless human!” he said. In a fit of pique, he carved a hole in her chest and reached inside to fish out her heart. Crushing it in his fist, he hurled it to the ground and it landed with a sickening splat. He turned his attention to Sam. “I do not know how you escaped from hell, imp, but my minions will ensure that you cause no further trouble.”

  “Release the boy immediately!” Reynolds shouted when Sam was seized. They ignored him, so he shot one of the lackeys. The bullet hit the demon in the back and he twisted around and glowered upwards.

  Crimson light from a dagger flared when it appeared and Sam made a sound of pain when he was stabbed in the stomach. The wrath that had been building inside me exploded and my exhaustion was washed away.

  One of the minions saw me coming and shouted a warning. The captain’s eyes widened when he realized the real Hellscourge was here and that I was coming straight for him. His sword reappeared and he moved to intercept me.

  My dagger wasn’t the best weapon to use against a sword, but I didn’t have the ability to change it while I was in this dimension. Sparks flew when our blades met with a metallic clang. Sam pulled a steak knife from a sheath in his pocket and slashed at the minions who were holding him down. Reynolds sprinted down the ramp, yelling for backup on his radio.

  Ignoring everyone else, I concentrated on my foe. If we’d been in hell, he would have been a lot bigger and stronger than me. Trapped inside a medium sized human, he still had demonic strength, but I had my rage. I also had the skills and experience of the legion and the training that my friends had given me.

  We circled around, jabbing and slicing and getting each other’s measure. I deflected his blows, searching for an opening. Everyone had a weakness or a vulnerability that would give me an opportunity to take them down. The captain was no different. He overextended himself each time he thrust his sword straight at me.

  Timing his next strike, I sidestepped and let his sword skewer the spot where I’d just been then rammed my dagger into his heart before he could recover. The life left his eyes and he fell to his knees. I barely waited for his soul to invade me before I turned to my next target.

  Exchanging looks, the five lackeys gave up on their futile attempts to kill Sam. They could stab him all night long and he wouldn’t die. Shock coursed over them when they tried to teleport away and failed. “You have incurred my wrath,” I said in their language and grinned at their fear. “Now you will pay the price.”

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sp; I was dimly aware of Reynolds as he skidded to a stop. He bent to check on the girl even though it was painfully obvious that she was beyond hope. Filled with rage, I cut the lesser demons down easily then turned in a circle to survey the bodies. Their souls oozed out of their torn hearts and I grimaced when their memories flooded into me. I didn’t see anything of note and banished them to the back of my mind with the rest of the legion.

  Detective Reynolds stepped over the bodies and knelt beside Sam. He started back when Sam sat up. “How are you alive?” he asked in shock. Half a dozen slices were in his clothes. “How are either of you alive?” He turned to me when I walked over and helped Sam to his feet. “I saw you get shot in the chest and fall off the roof of the church.”

  “What did you see after that?” I asked. My wrath was fading and exhaustion came crashing down.

  “I saw him catch you,” he said and gestured behind me.

  Turning, I saw Nathan watching me with an expression of utter disappointment.

  “I can explain,” I said.

  “I am sure you can,” he replied coolly. “I assume you snuck out so that you could meet with your beau?” I’d only seen Zach from a distance, but my face must have been guilty. “See that Violet makes it back home safely,” he ordered Sam and disappeared.

  “Great,” I said with a groan. “Now he hates me.”

  “He does not hate you,” Sam refuted. “Nathan cares about you even more than I do.”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” Reynolds said. He sounded as numb as I felt. “Are you aware that you’re related to all of the girls who have been murdered?”

  It wasn’t a shock, but I didn’t know how he could possibly know that. “I just found out a short time ago,” I told him. “We’re distant cousins, or something like that. How did you know we’re related?”