Katie’s War

by Michael Todd

  Pandora laughed loudly as Katie barrel-rolled in the air and then slammed her sword into Pandora’s shield. “You look like a circus freak.”

  Katie bowed, keeping her eyes on Pandora. “I prefer a dancer of the blade. Don’t be jealous because I’ve got the moves.”

  Pandora scoffed. “Please, woman. I’ve been alive through every single dance movement you humans decided to create. Shaking your parts all over the floor and calling it art. I can jive, disco, shimmy, and twerk. I can change from a Broadway dance ensemble to booty, booty, booty rockin’ everywhere in two seconds flat. You try tap dancing and then doing the shopping cart. That’s talent right there. But go ahead. Do your air ballet, Pavlova.”

  Katie smirked, doing a twirl with her finger to the top of her head. “Call me names all you want. I’m still a better fighter in the air than you.”

  Pandora rolled her eyes. “Not for long, ballerina bitch.”

  As Katie comically twirled through the air, Pandora raced toward her, grabbing her arm and spinning her hard. Katie spun so fast she couldn’t stop herself. “Whooooaaaa.”

  Pandora was waiting for her to stop, and as soon as she did, she swooped toward her, ready to strike. A smirk moved across Katie’s face as she used her powers to steady her vision. Just as Pandora came down on her, she spun again to the side and watched as Pandora toppled head over feet all the way to the ground. Katie threw her head back and laughed, floating down and landing softly on the ground next to her.

  Pandora shook her head, looking up at Katie. “Well, it seems I need a bit more practice with the flying and fighting, but it’s not a lost cause.”

  Katie smacked her sword on her shield. “Come on, let’s—”

  Both Katie and Pandora stopped, putting their hands to their chests. Their blue eyes shimmered brightly, and they inhaled heavily. Pandora gripped her sword. “You feel that?”

  Katie swallowed, nodding. “It’s our angelic powers—they’re trying to tell us something.”

  Pandora rolled her eyes. “With all the technology in the world, this is how the angels send messages?”

  Katie shook her head and stepped forward, looking around. “This is the feeling that has sent me numerous times to help people.”

  Pandora used her wings to hoist herself to her feet. Both of them stood in the center of the clearing with their swords dangling from their hands. They turned in all directions, scoping out the surroundings, looking for anything that might have pushed that button.

  Everything looked the same as when they’d arrived, no sign of demons or danger. Pandora shook her head, her eyes glued to her surroundings. “I don’t see anything.”

  Katie licked her lips. “I don’t think it’s here, but whatever it is, it feels dangerous. It’s not even slightly human.”

  Both of their eyes shimmered blue again, and Pandora gritted her teeth. “Demons.”

  Katie spat on the ground and looked at Pandora, raising her sword toward the canopy. Pandora nodded, and the two took off, soaring up and out of the woods. When they left the cover of the forest, they hovered, looking all around. Pandora narrowed her eyes. “I don’t see any portals.”

  Katie shook her head and elbowed Pandora. “No, but that doesn’t look quite right.”

  Pandora followed Katie’s gaze to a casino with smoke billowing from it. “Either they got some demon shit going on, or those showgirls really know how to drop it like it’s hot.”

  Katie wrinkled her nose and looked at Pandora. “Really?”

  Pandora shrugged. “What? I couldn’t think of a good analogy.”

  Katie shook her head. “That’s definitely where this angel surge is coming from.”

  Pandora put her sword on her back. “Well, I guess it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

  Katie put her sword away as well. “Much better.”

  The A400M Atlas flew steadily through the air, carrying upwards of two hundred souls in the back with a minimal amount of cargo. Juntto and Angie were scrunched in the center of a bunch of soldiers, still pissed that they had been roped into coming. They were sure they would have to make it back on their own. While Angie wasn’t looking forward to that, she didn’t want to be on a plane full of the military who had originally sought to arrest her. Still, she guessed it was better than being pressed between two sweaty old people on a Greyhound.

  Juntto had his arm around her, holding her close and away from the soldiers. He looked down at her and narrowed his eyes. “I can see your mind going a million miles a minute. Are you all right?”

  Angie took a deep breath and let it out with a shrug. “I’m worried about Katie. She’s always had to deal with stuff on her own, but never when the whole country was trying to take her down. The fact that they’ve turned on her is really disheartening, and I can’t imagine how it makes her feel. She is a hero, not a bad guy, and so is Pandora.”

  Juntto squeezed her tighter. “Katie will do what she has always done. Survive. On top of that, she has the angels on her side. With the way she and Pandora fight, there is little to no demon left in them. She will do what she needs to do, and she won’t let the hurt of being villainized get to her. That’s just how Katie and Pandora roll.”

  Angie looked at the other soldiers. “It’s just crazy to me that after all the lives she’s saved, all the military lives she’s protected, they would turn on her. I know they’re just following orders, but when does the moment come where they stop and realize that following orders isn’t the right thing to do? Without Katie, there would have been none of this. No fighting squads, no special metal, nothing. This is the thanks she gets?”

  Juntto squeezed her a bit harder. “If there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s how fickle humans can be. They think demons are susceptible to greed and betrayal, but the human species is probably the worst of all of them. They fall to those things at the drop of a hat. I’ve seen it over and over.”

  Angie nodded, swallowing hard. She looked up at him with big soft eyes. “And Juntto, I want you to do what you need to do, too. If video games aren’t working, maybe you should think about joining a team at the base. I’m sure everyone would want you. You’re badass. And you would also be working with the general. You would get to do those things.”

  Juntto took a deep breath. “Not sure if joining the military is the wisest choice.”

  Angie pulled away and turned toward him. “I doubt they would make you join. Just to have you on their side would be like a huge weapons payday. Look, I know that being a fighter is in your blood.”

  Juntto smiled. “And I have you as a battle buddy. We can take shit down together. You’re a little rusty, but you’re better every time I see you fight.”

  Angie ran her hand across Juntto’s arm with a smile. “And I love fighting with you. I want to be a champion for you too. A real fighter. But you have to remember that I also need to be there for Katie. She pulled me out of a situation that probably would have killed me, and she became my family with no questions asked. I will always be loyal to her and that gift.”

  Juntto gave her a kind grin. “That’s what I love about all of you. You’re loyal to your people. Back at home, we were loyal to our groups, but deception came naturally to us. Humans will fight to the death for what they believe in. Even more so, they will fight to the death for who they believe in. That’s a powerful thing.”

  Angie chuckled. “Yeah, and then go home and make eggs and bacon the next morning. I have to admit, when I first started working for Katie, it was a bit of a change. I had lived in a battle zone all my life, but this was so different. It was violent, but at the same time, calm and comforting. Katie would kick a hundred demons’ asses, then wake up the next morning and drink coffee in her pajamas like nothing had happened. I didn’t think I would ever get used to it, but here I am, out of a battle and on my way back, thinking about what I should make us for dinner.”

  Juntto nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but the pilot came over the i
ntercom. “All right, troops. It looks like there has been an incursion in New York City. We’re heading right back into the shit. Get your minds straight and your battle gear ready. We don’t know how much time we’ll have when we arrive. Report to your section lead at the runway, and we’ll get you out there and pumping.”

  Juntto’s mouth curled into a smile. “Come to my city and see what happens to you.”

  Angie looked down, clasping her hands together. Juntto put his hand on hers, drawing her attention. “You’ve got this. You’re going to be great. I’ll have your back while we’re out there, too. Don’t worry about a single thing.”

  Angie shook her head and forced a smile. “I got this, I know. That’s our city.”

  “Just don’t forget to bring more bullets this time.”

  Warren and Olivia Potts lived in rural Tennessee, but every so often, they would make their way to the closest casino. They loved playing the slots. It reminded them of the good old days with their fancy clothes, sipping champagne and sitting at the craps tables. They didn’t get into the card games often, but they could sit at the slot machines for hours just pulling the handle over and over. They never brought much money with them, but they had a hell of a time with what they had. After fifty-three years of marriage, they still acted like kids when the grandchildren had all gone home for the day.

  Warren rested his cane against one of the slot machines and looked down at his cup of quarters. It was over half-filled, which was twice as much as he came in with. His wife Olivia came up next to him, her white hair almost sparkling under the casino’s lights.

  Warren peeked into her cup, but she pulled it close. “So, how did you do? I saw you hitting aces on that one slot earlier.”

  Olivia smiled and poured her cup into his, filling it to the top. “It was a good day, Warren.”

  Warren whistled. “Hot damn. We kicked those slots as—”

  Olivia put her finger to Warren’s lips. “Now, now. No need to start with the profanity just because you won some money. What do you think you are, a twenty-something?”

  Warren chuckled and leaned in, whispering in Olivia’s ear. “We can go upstairs, and I can take one of those little blue pills and act like I’m a twenty-something.”

  Olivia giggled for a moment and then stopped suddenly. Warren tipped his head to the side and pulled back, looking at Olivia. Her head was hanging down, and she wasn’t making a sound. “Olivia? Are you all right?”

  He gave her a small shake, and slowly, she lifted her head. She blinked her eyes, and they turned from a warm dark-chestnut brown to a bright red. Warren gasped and let her go, shaking his head. “No, no, no. Someone help. A demon—it’s got my wife. A demon’s got Olivia.”

  Olivia snarled and cracked her neck, looking at Warren with a toothy smile. Warren took a step back, wobbling as he tried to find his cane. “You get out of my wife, you sack of demon shi—ugh.”

  Warren’s arms flew to the sides, and his head rolled back. His legs stretched out, and a deep breath came from his throat. He opened his eyes and blinked twice, the color fading from his pupils. Red glowed from them, and he stood up straight, no longer inhibited by his old war wound. The second of the demons had come around the corner and jumped right through his back, pushing his old soul into a corner of his dark insides.

  Olivia smiled again and reached out, grasping Warren’s hand. Just as they were about to lunge forward to attack those walking past, Katie and Pandora burst through the skylight overhead. Shards of glass fell to the floor, and everyone screamed and scattered throughout the casino. Each was down on one knee, holding her sword in her hand.

  Katie looked at Pandora and they stood up, sheathing their swords. They gazed around the casino for a moment, their eyes stopping on the old couple in front of them. Pandora turned her head to her side, sniffing. “Well, looks like Grandma and Grandpa had a really bad day at the casino.”

  Katie hurried forward to Warren and put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, sir. I’ll get this bastard out of you.” He snarled and hissed at Katie, and she shook her head. “You’re not the only one who feels that way about me.”

  Katie rubbed her hands together and thrust the right one into Warren’s chest. He groaned as she attempted to grab the demon inside of him. “Come on, you little bastard. Hold still.”

  Finally, she grabbed its leg and began to pull it out of the old man. The demon hissed and snarled, scratching its claws through the man. It ripped and pulled as Katie finally got it all the way out. The damage was horrendous, though, and the old man dropped into a pile on the floor, dead.

  Katie gritted her teeth angrily and threw the demon into the air, sending it back to hell. Before she could even think, Olivia screamed loudly and leapt, tackling Katie to the floor. The old woman’s hands morphed into sharp claws, and she swung her arms at Katie over and over .

  Katie put up her shield, hearing the nails scratch along the steel. “Fuck me. I know your husband is dead, but I didn’t do it.”

  Katie grunted as she pushed on the shield, launching the old woman into the air. The woman twisted midflight, turning and latching herself to a wall with all fours. Katie shook her head and ran after her. She grabbed her leg and tossed her to the floor, following her. She pinned the old woman’s arms down and shook her head, watching as the demon tore through the woman’s flesh trying to get to Katie.

  Katie sighed, grabbed her pistol from her waistband, and pointed at Olivia. “I’m sorry about this, but it looks like you’re better off this way.”

  She pulled the trigger and the body went limp, the demon racing out of her. It screeched and hissed as it burst and disappeared.

  Pandora walked over and grabbed her hand, lifting her to her feet. “This place looks to be under major attack. There are tons of infected.”

  Katie groaned. “That sucks. The demons know we can exorcise them and save the humans, so they’re killing their fucking hosts.”

  Pandora’s eyes narrowed. “This is some hell-class bullshit!”

  21

  The tanks rolled down the streets of New York to the famed Broadway district. They came to a stop with several Hammerheads rolling behind. Juntto jumped from the back of a Humvee, growing to full frost giant size. Angie leapt out next to him, grabbing her pistols from their holsters.

  She took a couple of steps and peered at a group of people. “Uh, all of those infected are in costumes.”

  A soldier came up beside them. “Seems they got to the actors. Well, I guess they’ll be doing some new casting when this is all over.”

  Angie lifted her eyebrows as the soldier ran off. “Break a leg!”

  Juntto nodded and took off down the street. Angie took a deep breath and followed him, raising one of her guns. An infected jumped in front of her, dressed in the Bustopher Jones costume from Cats. He straightened his coat and put up his furry claws, hissing as his eyes burned red.

  Angie shook her head. “Good kitty. Niiiice kitty. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

  Bustopher leapt into the air, swiping his claws as he came down, trying to scratch Angie’s face. She winced and pointed her gun before pulling the trigger. Two shots rang out, and Bustopher dropped to the ground in a pile of fur and spandex. His demon wriggled inside, growling and screaming before turning the entire person to dust. Angie swallowed hard and shook her head. “I hate cats.”

  A loud growl came from behind her, and she turned slowly around, finding Victoria crouched in her white furry costume. She pretended to lick her paw, blood splattered all over it. With a hiss she pounced, tackling Angie and rolling across the ground. Angie grabbed her dagger as she pushed herself on top of the actor. She plunged the special metal into her heart, twisting it hard to the right.

  The woman hissed and snarled, blood seeping from her mouth as she died. The demon inside her floated upward, spitting and writhing before bursting, leaving the human below her intact. Angie, breathing heavily, pulled herself to her feet.

  Acro
ss the street, Juntto slammed his huge feet down, pointing his giant gun at two gazelles from The Lion King. They bobbed up and down as if they were on the stage, and Juntto rolled his eyes. “Humans are strange.”

  He pulled the trigger and riddled them with bullets, watching as they hit the ground. They didn’t turn to dust, but he could feel the demons get expelled back to hell.

  A loud cackle pulled his attention to the right. He saw a human covered in green makeup with a tall black hat and a billowing black dress. Her lips were bright red, and her eyes matched. Juntto raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Dorothy?”

  The Wicked actress hissed and put her hands up like claws, and Juntto pulled the trigger of his gun, sending out a wall of bullets. As they hit her, they threw her body back, slamming her into the Broadway street sign. She and the demon were dead before they hit the sidewalk.

  Suddenly, the group began to shift, fighting their way toward Times Square. Juntto unloaded his Tommy gun, following them toward the shimmering lights.

  Waiting in the center of Time’s Square were Wilson, Red, and the three remaining members of the DDF. They moved with tactical precision, ducking low and taking control of the incoming scene. Wilson had his M-16 equipped with special bullets. Red held one special-metal dagger in each hand, and the team fought with their normal blades. Angie paused for a moment and then shrugged, chasing the costumed infected.

  With each step Wilson took, he pulled the trigger, taking down one infected after another. The monster of the Phantom of the Opera stood in the center intersection, singing loudly as his red eyes glowed and blood dribbled from his chin. Wilson shook his head, getting him in his sights. As soon as he had him in the scope, he pulled the trigger.