by N. P. Martin
Holding her arm across my shoulders, I walked with her through the maze of crates as we headed for the exit.
“Dee?” Zee said as we walked.
“Yeah, Zee?”
“I let you down. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t let me down, Zee,” I said. “And those are two words you never have to say to me, alright?”
“Alright. How about, I love you. Can I say those three words?”
I stopped walking and stared at her bloody, demonic face, shocked because she had never said those words to me before, and I had never said them to her either. It just wasn’t who we were. All the same, I knew she meant it.
And so did I when I said back, “I love you too, Zee.”
19
After exiting the warehouse, I helped Zee lie down in the back of Murtagh’s car, who didn’t look too happy that his back seat was going to end up covered in blood, though he didn’t pass comment, probably knowing I’d just get angry if he did. Once Zee was in the car, she told me to go take care of Marino. “I’ll be fine, baby,” she said. “You go…do what you have to do.”
Kissing her on the forehead, I said, “I won’t be long. Then we can go home. I’ll take care of you then, okay?”
Zee smiled up at me, still in her demon form, her vermillion eyes barely glowing. “I know you will, baby,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.
After leaving Zee, Murtagh and Huxley dragged the still unconscious incubus toward a nearby shipping crate, hauling him inside the empty crate and pulling the door closed, Huxley taking out a small flashlight so we could all see. Using the two detectives’ handcuffs, I secured Marino’s wrists and ankles just as the energy net around him began to wear off. I had planned on using chalk to draw a magic circle around the demon, but the chalk that had been in my pocket had now gone, and was probably lying at the bottom of the sea. Standing back, I leaned against the cold metal of the shipping crate. “Can I get a cigarette?” I asked Murtagh.
Murtagh nodded as he took his cigarettes out and handed me one, lighting it for me. “You must be freezing,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to a hot bath, that’s for sure,” I said. “Just as soon as we deal with this asshole.”
“And by deal, you mean..?”
“I mean we question him when he wakes up.”
“And then what?” Murtagh asked as he stood staring down at the unmoving incubus, who was now naked, back in his human form.
I stood drawing on my cigarette, enjoying the calming effect of the nicotine on my nerves. “That’s up to you,” I said.
“Meaning?”
“He means he wants us to decide if we should kill him or not,” Huxley said.
At the mention of killing, Marino’s demon Visage reared up over him, barely visible in the darkness of the shipping container. “His Visage is getting nervous,” I said.
“His what?” Murtagh said.
“All demons have a Visage that follows them around,” I said. “It’s the shadow of their true forms.”
“I don’t see nothing.”
“Most don’t, or if they do, they dismiss it as a trick of the mind.” I looked at Murtagh. “That’s your trouble. Despite everything you’ve seen, you still refuse to see what’s in front of you.”
“I can see it,” Huxley said casually.
“No surprise there,” Murtagh said. “You can be a dark motherfucker at times too, Vinci.”
I stared at Marino’s demon Visage for another moment, then said, “So what’s it to be, Murtagh? Are you gonna put this scum down or what?”
Murtagh shook his head. “You want us, two serving police officers, to murder this guy in cold blood?”
“He’s not a guy,” I said, noticing Marino was waking up. “He’s a demon from Hell, and a scourge on society to boot. You’d be doing the world a favor.”
“Then why don’t you kill him then?” Murtagh said.
“He’s not a killer, that’s why,” Huxley said, aiming the flashlight at me. “Are you, Mr. Deadson?”
Squinting at the light, I stared over at Huxley. “I might make an exception in this case.”
“Uh…what the fuck?” Marino said as he came around and realized he was handcuffed.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Huxley said as he shone the flashlight beam in Marino’s eyes, who turned his head away like the light was harmful to him.
“Get that fucking light off of me!”
“I know you can break those cuffs,” I said to him as I tossed my cigarette away. “But if you do, these two will shoot you in the head, and we’ll lock you in this container so you can’t go looking for another host body. And we both know what happens after a while when you don’t find another body, don’t we?”
“What happens?” Murtagh asked.
“He get’s sucked back to Hell.”
“What’s to stop him possessing one of us?”
“He can’t. He needs someone weak of spirit, preferably on the verge of death.” I looked at Marino again. “Isn’t that right…what’s your real name?”
“Fuck you!” Marino spat. “I’m not telling you anything.” He stared at me and then smiled. “That succubus was your girlfriend, wasn’t she? You like what I done to her?”
My jaw clenched as I refrained from running over and kicking the demon in the head. “Tell us what you know about Martin Phillips and his website operation.”
“Martin Phillips? Never heard of him.”
I sighed. This would not be easy. “Don’t play dumb. You’re one of many supernaturals who work for him, killing people and filming it for the viewing pleasure of the sickos who pay to see it on the Dark Web.”
Marino smiled. “Hey, even demons gotta make a living. What can I say?”
“How much does he pay you?” Huxley asked, his pistol trained on Marino.
“Five thousand a kill,” Marino said. “It’s a good earner.”
“You sick fuck,” Murtagh said. “You killed all those women just for money?”
“I would’ve killed them anyway. Might as well get paid for it, right?”
Murtagh shot forward and punched Marino in the face, who merely smiled as blood trickled from his mouth.
“I wouldn’t bother,” I said to Murtagh. “He has a high pain tolerance.”
“He’s right,” Marino taunted Murtagh. “You could beat me all day and night and I’d hardly feel it.”
“There’s no way this guy is gonna talk,” Murtagh said, backing away from Marino.
“We’ll see about that.” Reaching down, I took the commando knife from out of its ankle sheath and held it up for Marino to see, who didn’t seem too concerned by the sight of the double-edged blade.
“What the hell are you gonna do with that?” Murtagh said.
Saying nothing, I went around behind Marino and hunkered down. “You think us humans are all dumb, don’t you?” I said to him.
“Yeah, I do actually,” he said. “Especially if you think cutting me is going to hurt me, or even scare me. It isn’t. I spent more time than you could fathom down in the pits getting tortured in ways you couldn’t even imagine. That’s how Asmodeus toughened us up after he spawned us. You wanna cut me? Go ahead, asshole. I’ll enjoy every second.”
“Bring the light around here,” I said to Huxley, and he walked around and shone the beam on Marino’s muscular back.
“What are you going to do?” Huxley asked as if I was about to do some interesting experiment.
“Prove this demon asshole wrong,” I said as I started cutting into his back with the tip of my knife.
“Oh yeah,” Marino said. “That feels nice.”
“Jesus Christ,” Murtagh said. “I don’t know who’s worse—you for doing it, Deadson, or him for fucking enjoying it.”
I said nothing as I continued cutting into the demon’s back, taking no pleasure in doing so, disgusted that I had to do it, but not so disgusted that I was going to stop.
“What are you drawing back there?”
Marino asked. “A pretty picture?”
“You’ll see,” I said.
Huxley leaned forward so he could gaze at the markings I was making. “Ah,” he said after a moment. “I see.”
“See what?” Murtagh said as he came around behind Marino as well. “Jesus Christ, Deadson. Is there any need for this sickness?”
“There,” I said, finally finished. Standing up, I walked around to face Marino again, his blood dripping from the tip of my knife.
“That was fun,” Marino said, smiling. “Draw something else. A pretty picture of your girlfriend, maybe.”
I smiled at him, for he had no idea of what was about to happen to him. Then, under my breath, I said a brief incantation, and barely a second later, Marino’s eyes widened as if he was suddenly feeling something. Which he was.
Pain.
When he screamed, it echoed loudly around the inside of the shipping container.
“Jesus,” Murtagh exclaimed. “What the hell did you to do him?”
“I engraved a pain sigil into his back,” I said. “The pain won’t stop until I break the sigil.”
“Ahhhhh…fuck!” Marino screamed, tensing and squirming like his blood had been replaced by acid. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”
“No,” I said, pointing the knife at him, hating him for what he did to Zee, for what he did to Angela Smith and those other women. “You make it stop.”
“I can’t! I—”
“Yes you can!” I shouted. “Tell me about Phillips. How did he recruit you?”
Marino screamed as the sigil in his back sent more and more pain shooting around his body. “The Dark Web! The fucking Dark Web! There’s...there’s a forum.”
“The address. Gimme the address.”
“I…I don’t—”
“You’re a demon,” I said. “Your memory is perfect. Give me the address.”
After another long, agonized scream, Marino shouted out the Dark Web address for the forum.
“You get that, Vinci?” I said.
“Got it,” Huxley said.
“What else do you know?” I asked Marino.
“Nothing!” he screamed. “Make it stop! Please!”
“I thought you were used to pain?” I said mockingly, unable to help myself.
“Jesus, Deadson,” Murtagh said. “I didn’t have you down as a fucking sadist.”
“Tell me what else you know,” I said to Marino, ignoring Murtagh’s comment, realizing the detective would never understand what was happening inside the shipping container, would never understand that when it comes to demons and other supernaturals, the rules were different.
“I swear, I don’t know anything!” Marino screeched. “I replied to the post on the forum, and then—”
“And then what?”
“Some guy met me…he gave me…he gave me a contact lens with a camera in it and told me…told me to go kill somebody.”
“How did you get paid?”
“Cash! I got paid cash after! Oh fuck…please…I’m begging you!”
“I think that’s all he knows,” Huxley said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right, Vinci.”
“What about the eyes?” Murtagh asked Marino. “Why did you take their eyes?”
“Because…” Marino barely said.
“Because what?”
“Because they fucking tasted good!”
Huxley tutted in disgust.
“Now what?” Murtagh said, although we all knew the answer to that question, even Marino, who seemed like he didn’t mind if he got put out of his misery at this point.
“I think you know what, Detective,” I said.
Murtagh shook his head. “I’m not shooting the guy. I’m a fucking—”
There was a bang inside the container and then Marino stopped screaming and fell over.
“Fuck!” Murtagh shouted. “Vinci! What the fuck?”
“Mr. Deadson was right,” Huxley said as wisps of smoke came from the barrel of his pistol. “There wasn’t much of a choice in this situation. Don’t worry. I didn’t use my service pistol. I used my back up gun.”
“Oh, well that’s all right then,” Murtagh said, shaking his head. “Fuck.”
With the demon’s host body now dead, the demon’s spirit was now hovering over it, its shadowy eyes seeming to glare at me, knowing there was nothing it could do now to hurt me.
“Now what?” Murtagh said. “What about the body?”
“I suggest you toss it in the river,” I said.
“Oh, just like that? Toss a body in the fucking river? We’re cops, Deadson! Why don’t you fucking do it?”
“Hold on,” Huxley said as he came walking forward, the flashlight trained on Marino’s dead body. “There’s a better option here. We call it in.”
“What?” Murtagh said. “Are you fucking crazy, Vinci?”
“No,” I said. “He’s right. Think about it, Murtagh. This is the guy that murdered three women. You already had him as a suspect. Just say you chased him down and then shot him.”
Murtagh shook his head. “Chased a naked suspect into a shipping container and then shot him dead?”
“You’ll have to do some creative thinking,” I said. “But I’m sure Vinci here will think of something. Right, Vinci?”
Huxley nodded as if the whole situation didn’t bother him. “By the time I’m done, this will look like a legitimate use of force, and we’ll get credit for catching a serial killer.”
“There you go, Murtagh,” I said. “Think of how good that will look on your record.”
Murtagh didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he nodded anyway. “Vinci, you better make this shit air-tight, you hear me?”
Huxley nodded. “Don’t worry. It will be.” He looked up at the demon Visage cowering in the corner. “What about that?”
“Lock it in here for a while,” I said. “Hell will come calling soon enough.”
“I still can’t see anything,” Murtagh said as he took out his cigarettes. “I don’t think I want to either.”
“If we’re done here,” I said. “I need to get back to Zee. I also need a lift to my car.”
“I’ll drive you,” Murtagh said. “Vinci, you stay here and figure out what we’re gonna say about this mess before we call it in.”
“And text me the address for that forum,” I said.
Out in the car, I sat in the back seat with Zee, who had fallen into a restful state. It would take a few days, but she would eventually heal completely. One of the benefits of being a demon in a human body.
“What are you gonna do about Phillips then?” Murtagh asked after he’d helped me get Zee into the Corvette. “I’d like that motherfucker behind bars.”
“Well,” I said as I leaned against the car, “I was going to go on to that forum of his and put a bounty on his head for half a million dollars.”
“You’re fucking crazy, Deadson. Where would you even get that kind of money?”
“I could get it if I had to. But I don’t think I’ll need it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve thought of another way to get Phillips.”
“Which is?”
I smiled as I turned to get into the car. “Good old-fashioned investigative journalism, Detective.”
20
The next two days I spent at home with Zee, helping her heal. She spent most of that time in bed sleeping as her body repaired itself. It turned out the incubus had done her more damage than I initially thought. When I got her home that night after dealing with Marino, I gasped in horror as I viewed her naked body, having never seen such extensive bruising, never mind the puncture wound in her abdomen. Marino had really gone to town on her, breaking ribs, causing internal bleeding, even biting a lump out of her back. If Zee had been just a human, she would’ve been fucked. She would have died the same night from her injuries.
Luckily for me, she wasn’t just human, though. After I got her home, I allowed her to siphon
off some of my energy—my life force, you might say—so she could kickstart the healing process. She could’ve probably healed in much less time if she had had the opportunity to drain a whole person dry, but I wasn’t about to go out and find her a victim. So instead, she periodically fed on me, leaving me temporarily weak, but unharmed.
As Zee slept, I spent a lot of time lying beside her, gazing at her, wondering what my life would be like without her, wondering if she really meant it when she said she loved me. I had always taken it for granted that she cared deeply about me, as I did her, but I never really considered if she actually loved me. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if she had a grasp of the concept, or whether she was capable of feeling such deep emotions.
But the thing about demons was, when they possessed a host body, who they were as demons merged with the person they were possessing. Zee’s personality wasn’t just her own, it was also the woman’s she had possessed. So when possession happens, a new kind of entity is born. Often, the demon spirit will eventually subsume the soul and personality of the human host, becoming as they were in Hell. But just as often, the demon will become more human than they ever planned to be, or thought they could be. Many demons embraced their new human selves, only wanting to fit in to the new world in which they now found themselves. Zee was somewhere in between. For the most part, she maintained the traits that made her a formidable demon—ruthless, manipulative, often arrogant and uncaring towards others. But she also had strictly human traits as well. She could be kind, gentle, loving, and empathetic when she wanted to be. All these traits combined made her taciturn at times, but more often than not, they made her as complicated as most humans. More importantly for me, they made her somebody I could rely on to be there for me, and they made her somebody I could genuinely love, perhaps more than I’ve loved anybody. Ava being an exception, of course.