by Michael Todd
Juntto turned to walk away, and the guys rushed him. He struggled to get free, trying his best not to hurt them. One guy grabbed his shirt and jumped on his back. Juntto growled and flipped the guy over his head, slamming him to the ground. Another pulled on his arm and he lashed it out, throwing him hard into the dumpster.
The last two guys backed off, putting their hands in the air. One of them told the other, “He’s stronger than he looks.”
Juntto roared at them, causing them to jump back. “Get out of here!”
The two guys looked at their fallen buddies and shook their heads, running off down the alley. By the time Juntto got back, he was slightly disheveled, but he had the pizza in hand. He opened the condo door and walked inside, putting the change and the box on the counter.
Angie turned around in the living room. “Did you get so…da? What the fuck?”
Juntto pulled the shredded sweatshirt off and tossed it on the floor. “Four guys jumped me.”
Angie groaned. “You can’t just beat the hell out of random people, even if they do try to mug you. You have to understand that laws are fucking stupid here. Your fists are literally considered deadly weapons. If you get in trouble, there’s going to be a fuck-ton of paperwork.”
Juntto snapped his head up to look at Angie. The word “paperwork” still sent chills down his back. He shrugged. “You know who I am—a conqueror from a warrior society. I still need a little bit of conquering.”
Angie looked at him suspiciously. “Are you slipping back?”
Juntto sighed and sat down. “No. I am not slipping back. But you have to understand that while I may feed off of empathy and compassion now, I am still a warrior.”
Angie pursed her lips. “Well, what about the video game competitions you talk about so much?”
Red looked at the Oklahoma night sky as they climbed out of the SUV. “Sure is wide-open out here. Feels almost against God.”
Wilson chuckled as he brushed past her. “Wide-open spaces, my dear. It’s beautiful.”
A second SUV pulled up behind them and five guys piled out, all dressed in black. Wilson and Red watched them as they quickly opened up the back of the truck and pulled out their weapons, making sure they were fully ready for what was to come.
Wilson was impressed. “Not bad for such short notice.”
Red kept a straight face. “You know I am the best. I don’t let my men fuck up. They know I’ll put a bullet in their heads faster than I’ll eat a fucking pizza. One guy can get the rest of us killed. I only use the best of the best.”
Wilson chuckled excitedly. “Exactly why I brought you in on this.”
The team lined up at attention and waited for Red to approach. She cleared her throat and looked at the men. “This is a mission set out by the mayor himself. Inside that building, you are going to find a group of morons waiting for you. This is an infected gathering place, and they have been giving the local townspeople complete hell. All of you have seen infected before, so I don’t want to see a single one of you hesitate. Do I make myself clear?”
The guys all nodded hard, knowing they had to keep the noise level to a minimum. Red put her hand on the butt of her gun. “Good. Now, these idiots think they are mobsters, so we are going to go in and show them exactly what it means to be a mobster. No prisoners. Move out.”
Red and Wilson followed the five men, moving quickly through the shadows toward what looked like an old run-down house. They went around to the side door and one of the team members stood back, kicking in the door. One at a time, they moved low and ready into the house. Without a thought they went to work, fighting and taking down the infected with no mercy.
Red and Wilson stood by the door with their weapons pulled. They were the only two with guns and special bullets, but they were only going to use them if they found they needed to. The rest of the team were equipped only with special-metal knives. They jumped over infected, slicing their throats and cutting deep gashes into their chests. As each fell, a demon rose from its chest, floating momentarily in the air and then bursting. All of the people were young, infected not long before.
Instead of turning to dust, the humans died instantly when the demon left, and the bodies crashed to the ground. They lay on the cold and dirty floor, their motionless eyes staring at Red and Wilson. Neither of them cared, though. Each had seen their fair share of dead bodies. They had been trained to detach themselves from the battle at hand; to not feel for the victim no matter what. It was Red’s first time working with demons, but it made no difference to her. An enemy was an enemy no matter what form it came in.
When the team was done, they all lined up at attention up at the back. Red winked at Wilson and walked carefully through the bodies. She looked up and down the line of guys and then stopped, nodding. “Good work, all of you. Now, you know what to do.”
One of the soldiers took out a rag and lit it, throwing it under the stairs. It was a small fire, but it would be enough to draw the locals and the fire department out to find the bodies and the ritual space they were using to talk to the demons. Red wasn’t exactly sure why they were playing it that way, but she had her orders, and she was programmed to follow them without question.
As they walked away from the blazing fire, Wilson looked back with a smirk on his face. One group down, a whole lot more to go. Mr. Belly will be pleased.
Calvin and Katie sat at the breakfast table, trying to wake up. The smell of coffee was wafting through the air and Stephanie carefully walked over, setting three mugs down in front of them. Katie sighed and grabbed one, bringing it to her lips and taking a long, deep sip. Calvin did the same, but Stephanie just held hers in her hands, trying to warm herself up. The barracks didn’t have the best heating system since the place was old, but they would fix that in time.
“You know what would make this even better?” Calvin asked.
Stephanie and Katie replied in unison, “Donuts.”
Calvin chuckled. “Yes, donuts.”
Stephanie put down her cup and yawned, looking out the window. “I have to admit, I do miss my little house with my Christmas tree and everything else. Korbin would bring out the lights and string them up across the porch. We would go to town and then go up on the hill when we came back and sit there with hot chocolate, just enjoying our work.”
Katie smiled, thinking about Christmas for the first time in forever. “My mom always had the same old fake tree, but I loved it. We didn’t have the money for a new one. She would bring all the decorations out, and we would make the whole place beautiful. As a kid, I used to lie on the floor looking up through the tree at all the sparkling lights. I would pretend I was in a castle or something.”
Calvin chuckled. “Y’all had quiet Christmases. Not us. We all lived within a ten-block radius of each other. I had a truck-ton of brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles—you name it. We’d all go over to my grandma’s house and decorate her tree. Then we’d make Christmas cookies and eat half of them before she could save them for Christmas. We had a tree at home too, but it was more magical when you went to Gram’s to decorate. It was almost more of a celebration than Christmas Day. We spent half the day in church on Christmas.”
Katie chuckled. “Not us. My mom believed in God, but she didn’t go to church, and as I got older, I figured there was nothing out there.”
Stephanie laughed. “Strangest comment ever coming from an angel.”
Katie smirked. “I know, right? How strange is life? I go from an atheist to an angel.”
Calvin put his hand in the air, imitating his grandmother. “Praise baby Jesus.”
The three laughed, and Stephanie leaned back in her chair. “Why don’t you guys come back for Christmas? I’m going to decorate the place; have a tree and a huge feast. Any of the military who doesn’t go home for Christmas will be down here enjoying ham, turkey, potatoes, green beans, and everything else I can think of.”
Calvin scoffed. “Shoot, I’ll be here, that’s for damn sure.�
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Katie nodded, not sure if she or Calvin would actually make it. They finished their coffee, then walked Calvin out to the plane. They had already loaded it with ammo and weapons for Taipei. Katie gave Calvin a big hug. “Be careful out there. Remember that you are human, and remember that there is a little human growing in your wife’s belly. That baby will need a strong father.”
Calvin hugged Katie back. “You know I won’t be too stupid.”
Katie lifted an eyebrow. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Before Calvin could get on the plane, Timothy came running out of the main building. Calvin put down his bag, and the group met him in the center of the field. Brock hurried over, seeing the whole thing from the training area.
Timothy held the tablet out, breathing heavily. “Sorry, guys. There seems to be an incursion in St. Louis. It looks like a pretty decently-sized one, although I’m struggling to really get a grasp on it.”
Katie turned, snapping her fingers. “I don’t know if the plane is fast enough to get me there. I mean, it’s fast, but this looks urgent since it is already open and roaring.”
Timothy nodded. “Sorry. I walked out of the room for five minutes and came back to it.”
Katie shook her head. “Not your fault.”
Pandora cleared her throat. I can try to open a portal. You know that my demonic powers have been acting strange, though.
Brock came up to Katie. “I want to go with you.”
Pandora was not about it. No. I’m not sure I can hold a portal open that long. Three people are a lot to get through when I can barely handle myself. I think that if I can get it open, I am going to be able to get through, but I need to do it alone.
Katie paused. You mean alone as inside me, right?
Pandora sighed. Yeah. I mean, it’s not like you would let me go all by myself. Besides, you may be an angel, but you still have that fragile human shell. I’m not leaving you like that, especially since I don’t know if I’ll be able to portal back.
Katie looked at Brock. “We’re going to have to take this one alone. Stay here and make sure it’s not a diversion. You need to protect this base and everyone on it. You’ve been training these soldiers, and you need to stay here to see it through, just in case.”
Brock looked at her strangely for a moment, then nodded. “Be careful out there.”
Katie gave him a big smile. “You know me—always on the right side of careful.”
Katie turned away before he could argue and took a few steps forward. All right, do your thing.
Pandora took over Katie’s body for a moment and reached out, her fingers curving into claws. She groaned as she ripped the portal open, pulling the sides as far apart as she could. She knew she couldn’t waste any time so as soon as she let go, she hurtled herself and Katie into hell. The rift slammed shut behind them, the hot air taking Katie’s breath away for a moment.
Immediately Pandora began working to open a second portal to get out of hell. She stayed inside Katie to protect her from the heat. Her arms shot out of Katie’s chest and pulled at the air in front of her. She cursed and hissed when nothing resulted from her trying to open it. Katie’s head snapped to the side, hearing the all-too-familiar scrape of claws on the hard lava stone. They’re coming. I can hear them.
Pandora growled. I can’t get the fucking portal to rip open.
Katie reached to her side but pulled her hand away, her gun extremely hot. The sounds were getting closer, and she saw small bodies in the distance as the demons rushed toward them. Hurrrry. I can’t use my guns in here.
Pandora pulled a rift partway open, but it quickly snapped shut again. She growled, frustrated as fuck that she couldn’t do it. She had done it a million times before, but something had changed. The demons were cresting the hill and climbing the cliff they were standing on.
Katie looked down at them. Dead serious, Pandora. Get us the fuck out of here.
Pandora screamed, I’m trying, goddamn it!
She put everything she had into it and ripped open a rift, pulling Katie and her through just before the demons pounced. Katie stumbled forward, the rift closing. She looked down at her feet, feeling a bit dizzy. She was standing on a street, and there was loud marching band music playing in front of her. She looked up and blinked wildly. She was in the middle of some sort of holiday parade.
Pandora pulled herself free of Katie and wrinkled her nose, standing still as the parade kept moving around them. “Well, Merry fucking…What the hell is that?”
Katie looked at a very tall Christmas ornament balloon that resembled a penis more than it did a Christmas ornament. “Uh, Merry Porn Christmas?”
Pandora looked over the large arch in the distance. “Well, we’re in St. Louis, all right. I’m just not sure how we ended up in the center of hell on Earth.”
Katie looked up at a woman dressed like a Christmas tree walking on stilts. “Uh...probably not as bad as hell.”
Pandora shook her head. “Nope. Definitely on the same level, if not worse. It’s just not as fucking hot. I’m getting back inside you.”
Before Katie could say a word, Pandora jumped back inside. People were starting to stop and stare, some cheering and others looking confused. Katie and Pandora had somehow crashed the parade and had become part of the Christmas celebration. It definitely wasn’t what they had come there for.
5
General Brushwood sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair. He tapped the pen on his lips, thinking about Katie and the meeting at the World Council. It couldn’t have gone worse if she had killed every single one of them before she left. She had dismissed them like they were nothing more than children playing a game. He wasn’t offended since he understood, but it had struck a nerve with all of the leaders on the Council. He had yet to find the so-called lawyer who had apparently orchestrated the entire thing.
There was a knock on the door, and the general sat up. “Come in.”
A tall young guy walked in, coming to attention. “General, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there is a large incursion in St. Louis.”
The guy grabbed the remote and clicked on one of the screens on the wall behind him. “As you can see from the radiating red dot, this is a pretty big one, and seems to be moving down the main streets.”
The general leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “What in the hell? All right, thank you. Send the exact coordinates to my email. I’ll call in a team.”
“Yes, sir,” the guy replied, pivoting and walking from the room.
The general pursed his lips, thinking about possibly calling Katie and at least letting her know what was going on. He had no authority to force her to go, but if he knew her like he thought he did, she would get there as fast as she could. He reached for his cell, but quickly set it down. Katie had made it very clear that she wanted to be on her own. She wanted to handle the incursions however she saw fit. He wanted to respect those wishes, knowing it was hard for her to walk away from him.
Instead, he dialed Angie. She answered on the first ring. “General, what’s wrong?”
The general cleared his throat. “Where is Juntto? I need to speak to him. There is an incursion in St. Louis, and it looks pretty big.”
Angie got nervous. “Uhhh, we are out, but I will find him pronto and have him call you for instructions.”
Brushwood’s phone began to ring. “Hold on just a second. Brock is calling my cell.” He put the line on hold and answered, “Brock. I am assuming your people saw the incursion.”
Brock took a deep breath. “We did. And Katie is on the way, if not there already. She took a portal through hell with Pandora.”
The general let out a relieved sigh. “Good. Keep me updated, and I’ll get the military on the move.”
He got Angie back on the line. “Katie is heading there. No need to worry Juntto. I’ll send the military as backup for her.”
“Yes, sir,” Angie replied. “Contact me if you need anything from us.”
; The general nodded. “Will do.”
The banners all around the convention center had the E-Gaming insignia on them. It wasn’t their major event, which usually brought in close to seventy thousand people, but a smaller winter version designed for New York. Still, there were thousands of gamers there, some young and some middle-aged. The only older people Angie saw were the ones chasing their kids or grandkids around as they raced off to watch different competitions.
Angie wasn’t playing. She was there for moral support. At that moment, she was there for hot dog support. “I’ll take six dogs all the way and two Gatorades.”
The guy behind the counter looked at her for a moment and shrugged. He made the food and piled it on a tray with the two Gatorades. Angie passed him the cash and hurried over to the side, where she set the food down on a small table and pulled out her phone.
“Where are you, Juntto?” she muttered as she pulled up her find-a-friend app.
The system took a minute with so much internet being used in the place. Finally, the little dot on the screen showed her exactly where he was. “Ha, got you.”
A woman standing close by chuckled. “Lose your kid? Mine has gotten away from me five times today.”
Angie looked at the disheveled woman and smiled sweetly. “Yeah. Can’t keep him in one place.”
She hurried off with her tray of hot dogs, finding Juntto standing in line for a two-person challenge. He was in a normal human body, having mimicked some teenagers he’d passed earlier in the day. He wanted to go full-on Juntto, but Angie thought it would be a really terrible idea. He was standing on his tiptoes trying to watch the game that was currently going on.
Angie walked up and put her hand on Juntto’s arm. “Hey. The general called.”
He turned immediately. “What’s going on?”
Angie handed him a hot dog. “There’s an incursion in St. Louis…”
Juntto puffed out his skinny teenage chest. “Come on, let’s go. I can be on the plane in twenty.”