Demon Hunters
Page 9
“That’s great, but I need to talk to you about,” I began but he quickly threw his hand up to stop me.
“I know. The demon.”
“Can you help me?”
“I don’t know. We need to figure that out now.”
“How?”
“Let me, Jonathan,” Lilith said. “I haven’t had a chance to do this for years.” I looked over and her lips were stretched into a wide grin. She held her hand out to me from across the table. I looked to Jonathan and he nodded to me. I got up and went over to Lilith. Her fingers wrapped around my hand like snakes and her grip was stronger than I anticipated. “Very interesting,” She closed her eyes and they fluttered gently and her grip tightened. When I felt a bone breaking, I pulled free and fell to the floor. I looked up at her and she was smiling down at me like the cat that ate the canary. “Sorry. I should have warned you it could get intense.”
“What did you see?” Jonathan asked.
“I’m not totally sure. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before. His path diverges into two roads. Along one, I see death and destruction. Horrible black skies and oceans of blood and acid. Along another, I see salvation. Life. Love. I see great promise in this one. Or the end of everything.”
“What would you advise?”
“I’m not sure. He could be worse than a thousand plagues, or he could save countless lives. I think it would be foolish to allow him to go and make those choices for himself.”
“Everyone has the born right to choose their own path, Lilith. You know that as well as anyone.” It sounded almost as if he were scolding her.
“I realize that, but I think…” She started, but Jonathan raised his hand up to silence Lilith’s protest. He then turned his attention back to me.
“And what do you want?”
“I don’t know what’s going on here. Ivar said you would be able to cure me. He said you could release me from the demon.”
“Is that why you are here?”
“Yes!”
“You, until now, have been blissfully ignorant of your family’s history. You have come here to be freed of a curse that was leveled upon your bloodline centuries ago. My question to you would be are you sure you want this?”
“Of course! My life has been Hell because of that demon! If I don’t cut that cord now, it’s going to kill me! I need to be freed! Now!” The sound of eating had stopped and I noticed everyone at the table was staring right at me.
“Life is complicated, Mr. Corba. We are brought into it under different circumstances and we spend a good amount of our lives dealing with those circumstances. For some, it’s easy. For others, exceedingly difficult. Those who are tried the hardest often find strength and purpose through their trials. I admit that yours is a unique case. I can release you from the demon, as you wish, but you must first decide if it’s really what you want. It is only until we accept who we are, that life truly begins.”
“I didn’t come here to hear riddles.”
“You may show yourself out now, Mr. Corba.”
“What?”
“Our business is done. You are free of the demon. As you wanted.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I wish you luck.”
“Thanks.” I then turned and left through the door I had come in from.
I emerged back in the church and I felt a little different. The growing discomfort I had been suffering for so long was gone. I knew in my heart of hearts that I was finally free of the demon.
“Brings back memories, huh?” A voice said in the darkness. Sam’s voice. My eyes began to focus to the dim light and I saw him standing in the back of the church. “You were in a church a lot like this one, weren’t you?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I guess I should introduce myself to you. For real this time. My real name’s James Corba, but you can call me Uncle Jimmy. I’ve been going by Sam Abaddon since the fire at the church. Made things easier all the way around.”
I stopped in my tracks. There had been something about Sam that seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. As I got closer, I looked more carefully at his face and I began to see the small details he shared with my father. His brother.
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course not! Let me break it down for you. That night in the church happened because of me.”
“You?”
“Yes. I’m the one who called for the demon in the first place.”
“You did this to me?”
“Yes and no. I didn’t really intend for the demon to take you as a vessel. I conjured it forth in order for it to take me. You were supposed to be the sacrifice. I needed an innocent soul to offer. When Jerry told me he had a kid on the way, I started planning. He and I never were quite on the same page with this whole demon thing. He wanted to keep up the family tradition while I realized a long time ago we were on the losing end of this battle. I decided to switch sides. That night was supposed to be my baptism, but instead the demon chose to take you and wasted everyone else in the process.”
“I don’t believe this! You caused the deaths of all those people! My parents!”
“Yes, but let’s not forget what you got in the bargain. The demon. You really just snuck that right out from under me didn’t you, kiddo? Don’t get me wrong. I was mad for a long time about it, but I’ve mellowed. I’m over it. Especially now. Now that you’re giving it up, I’ll be able to take it off your hands. Better late than never.” I just stood there watching him. I saw the smile on his face. Not a bit of regret. He murdered my mother and father. He cursed me with the demon. He single handedly destroyed my life before I even had a chance to start living it and there he was. Listing his crimes to me as though he were bragging. As though the power he sought justified any death he may have inflicted. Like his victims were obstacles to his grand ambition.
I walked up to him and without even thinking; I grabbed his throat and closed my fists around it. I felt his neck crumple under the pressure. I looked up to him and saw that he was still smiling. I suddenly realized what I was doing wasn’t going to change anything. It was clear he didn’t care about the lives he took or the pain he had inflicted. I just let go of him and pushed him back.
“The demon’s gone. At least, for me it is. I’m free. You can do whatever you want now. Just leave me the Hell alone.” I pushed past him and out the door.
I stepped out of the church and took a breath and the air filled my lungs. It was cool and calming. I stepped onto the dirt. I could see Ivar in the jeep far above me. I headed back, but as I did, I felt a force pull me back.
I flew up and landed flat on my back. I looked up and saw James standing over me. I scrambled up to my feet.
“I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”
“Don’t push me. I don’t want to kill you, but I will. Wait. That’s a lie. I do want to kill you.”
“If it were up to me, I’d let you go about your merry way, but we kind of made a deal.”
“We?”
Suddenly, a large hand came down and wrapped around my head and lifted me up. I soon felt the sensation of weightlessness as whatever it was that had me, threw me. I hit the large black tree hard and felt all the air in my lungs escape. As I fell to the ground, I looked up and saw the demon towering over me. It was huge and its body was bestial and human at the same time. Its large arms were as big as tree trunks and its hands had long, razor sharp claws at the end of each finger. Its face was contorted in rage and fire spewed from its eyes.
“Corba.” It growled as it stomped forward. I crawled back to avoid its large feet. I suddenly felt my strength draining from me. It swung its arm around, striking me, and I went flying across the small patch of grass.
“I think it might be best if you just stay down, buddy.”
“I already severed our connection. I’m free of you!”
“That’s kind of it. You did sever your bond, and when you did, my buddy got all
his powers back. He’s at full strength. The thing is he really hates you and wants to kill you anyway. He might go easy on you if you just let it happen.”
“Not likely!” It barked as two large leather wings sprouted from behind its back. It stretched them up high and howled into the sky. “I am growing stronger by the second! Your blood will bring me new life!” I jumped up and tried to run, but it was on me. It pushed me to the ground and leaned in close to my face. I smelled its breath. It was like dead flesh. “There’s no escape, Corba. This was going to happen. Either now, or later. I was destined to kill you. There was no way you could avoid it. You came here to release yourself from me, didn’t you?” I nodded defiantly. Its mouth shifted into a sick smile and it laughed. “Very foolish. You should have known. This moment was meant to be. It’s who you are. My eternal victim. This is never going to end for you. Ivar already told you. You are cursed. Just lay down now like a good dog and take your punishment.” I felt a heat rise up in me. The words of the demon stung because I began to see that it was right. It was never going to end. Whether or not I lived through this and was truly free of the demon, the curse of my family was eternal and there was no escaping it.
The demon was right. Ivar was right. The trap had been set centuries ago and I walked right into it. I wondered if it happened like this for the others in my family. Were they fooled by some deceptive force?
As the demon stood over me, I felt the dark mists of fate swirl around me, clutching me. Then suddenly, the words of Jonathan rang in my head. It was as though my fractured mind was finally coming into alignment. I reached up and clutched the demon’s chest. I felt my fingers dig into its flesh. It burned, but I dug in deeper. A warm, black liquid began to seep from the demon’s skin. Suddenly, its confident face broke.
“What are you doing?”
“This isn’t going to happen,” I felt my strength growing. “I’m not going to be a victim. I know who I am now, and I am not going to let you win!” I felt my legs come to life and I pushed back on the demon. I flew up and knocked the demon on its back. I heard the bones in its wings break and it shrieked in pain. I pushed my hand back down deeper into its chest, feeling the fire rush up through my skin. I felt something deep inside erupt and light began to blast out of the demon’s body. I heard Sam coming up behind me, but with one arm, I knocked him away. Power began filling my body.
“Stop! Stop!”
“I have been stupid! Running from you. From me! You feed off fear, pain and misery and I’ve been a banquet for you since day one, but no more. You’ve inspired me. It’s not written that bad things couldn’t do good, and that’s what I’ll do. I will use your power to protect the innocent. I will use your force to fight the dark garbage of this universe.”
“NO!” I could feel its cold flesh begin to seep into mine. It was like a jet of ice racing through my veins, but I held on as tightly as I could.
“When you hear laughter, your ears will bleed! When I feel joy, your flesh will burn! For as long as I live, you will be trapped in my body and with every life I save, every day that the sun rises and the Earth spins because of me, you will know that you will never be free because I realize now that you are as cursed with me as I am with you!” I screamed and suddenly I felt a huge surge blast through me. I saw only white and electricity ran through my body and then it went dark.
I woke up in the dirt. James was lying a few feet away, unconscious. I got up and felt a sharp pain stick at my back. As I got my balance, I felt a familiar feeling. The demon was back, but as familiar as it was, there was something different about it. Something almost comforting about it. I looked up and saw Jonathan standing across from me.
“I heard something out here. I trust everything is all right?”
“Everything is fine. Thanks.”
“I can see that now. Good luck to you, Mr. Corba.” He then returned to the church. I looked down at my Uncle James. I thought for a moment on what to do with him. The rage I was feeling was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I saw a large stake of wood nearby. I picked it up and contemplated everything I could do with it. Suddenly, James woke up.
“No! Jake! Wait! Don’t do it! Please!” The fear was real. That was almost enough. Almost.
I dropped the stake and bent down and picked James up and walked back over to the church. He was babbling. I kicked the door open and marched up to the altar and dropped him upon it. He looked up at me with a curious look on his face.
“I’m not going to kill you. You’re a horrible human being and I wish to god I could kill you, but I’m not going to give you, or the demon, the satisfaction. I’m better than that. I’m better than you.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to leave.”
“But why did you bring me back in here?”
“To tell you what’s going to happen. I’m not going to kill you. You’re going to wait here until I walk out those doors. When I do, you can leave. Sound fair?”
“I don’t get this.”
“I don’t care,” As I made for the exit, I could hear the faint sounds of claws scratching against wood planks and I felt a smile come over me. As I got to the door, I turned back and saw James still sitting at the altar. I could see the glowing eyes of those creatures popping out of the darkness and the slow movements of their limbs as they crept up on him. “So, Uncle Jimmy. If you can get out of here, you’re free. That’s the deal.”
“What do you mean ‘if’?” He then noticed the wall of creatures coming down upon him. I turned away and shut the door behind me. As I walked away from the church, I heard the faint shriek of someone being removed from his skin.
I heard the sound of the jeep getting closer and a pair of headlights coming closer.
“Jake? You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I jumped into the jeep.
We found a smoother road back to Diablo Luto. The night seemed even quieter as we drove along. My mind was calm for the first time in a long time. I watched as the dark scenery blurred past us. I could feel the demon within me, but I didn’t care. I pushed its curses and rages to the back of my head. In fact, I found some comfort in it. For the past couple days, I felt twisted and skewed, but in that jeep, I felt whole at last.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“How did it go?”
“You saw it.”
“Saw what?”
“You didn’t see me wrestling with the demon in front of the church?”
“What? No. I saw you go in and the next thing I remember was driving up to pick you up,” I looked back the way we came and I was getting that confused feeling again. “What happened?”
“I talked to The One. He said he could release me and he did.”
“That’s good.”
“And I took it back.”
“What?”
“I took the demon back.”
“Why?”
“It kind of dawned on me that my family’s curse seems to only work when we deny it. When we close ourselves away and shut off from reality. That’s when we lose. When we accept who we are, we can face our enemies. I guess I’ve decided to stop being a victim.” I could sense the proud tone in my voice.
“Are you sure about this?”
“No, but it’s just my cross to bear. This was how my ancestors dealt with this stuff, right?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
“Maybe I’ll even find a way to make a buck with it.”
“Really?”
“Why not? I’m sure there’s some way to cash in.”
“Your epiphany is very good, Jake, but you’ve just come to terms with all this. You’ve got a lot to learn before you can go out and attack the world.”
“Maybe, but I got you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to know about my family. All of it. I want you to teach me.”
“I don’t know all that much about your family. Just some minor histories.”
“Are you ready to fully commit yourself to this?”
“I’m ready.”
We continued on through the night to Diablo Luto and as we did, I could begin to see the future taking shape.
Part 2
Chapter 14
10 Years Later
I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was half past two in the morning. I was sitting at the table in the briefing room. That’s what the arresting officer called it. I had been left there nearly a half hour earlier and still I waited. I looked across the table at the mirror on the wall. I checked my hair. It was a little messy, but I liked it like that. A few scars on my face here and there, but I liked having a face with character. It was hard to stifle a little laugh, though. Did the cops really think that fooled anyone anymore? Anyone who’s seen Law & Order knows the deal.
The door suddenly opened and someone came in. The suit registered as a man, but I looked at the face and saw it was a woman. She had very short, black hair and she sat down across from me and slapped down a large folder onto the table.
”Hello.” She said.
“Hi.”
“I’m Detective Samantha Reynolds. I believe we have things to discuss,” Her demeanor was difficult to read. I knew she wanted to bust my ass, but she seemed to be holding back. Her glare kept on me as if I was a small child and she was a Rottweiler who hadn’t been fed in three weeks. “Well?”
“What?”
“It’s late. I’m tired. I don’t think I have to tell you exactly how much trouble you’re in right now,” I looked down at the stained floor and the events that have transpired recently dashed across my brain.
“You might have to,” I said. “I was already in some before this,” She leaned back in her chair. Her face became easier to read. Angry. Definitely angry. “You mind if I smoke?” I reached into my coat pocket for my last cigarette.