Demon Hunters

by JKMelby74

  “You met an angel? Today?”

  “Gwen, you’re going to have to realize if you’re in my life, these are going to be the kind of stories I tell you every day. Get used to it now.” I took a healthy swig of beer.

  “It’s just a lot to process. I was just getting a handle on the ‘zombies and vampires are real’ thing. Now you’re tossing angels at me.”

  “Don’t worry. It seems like a pretty cut and dry case, but I need to find Heaven.”

  “Well, where could anyone hide a place like Heaven?” Gwen asked.

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Has Ivar called or dropped by today?”

  “No, not since I got here at least. Why?”

  “I was just hoping he had found something. I sensed some demonic residue back where Heaven used to be, so I know I’m dealing with demons; which is no big surprise. I just need to figure out what kind of demons.”

  “Well, there can’t be that many demons out there powerful enough to take Heaven. It’s not like they just hauled it away on a flatbed truck. Or did they?”

  “At this point, I couldn’t tell you. I can’t even imagine why a demon would even want Heaven. Usually they’re out to destroy it.”

  “Maybe they did.”

  “No. They didn’t do that.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Trust me. If a major plane of existence like Heaven had been destroyed, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking. It’s still intact.”

  “Fine. Let’s talk about something more pleasant. How did your meeting with Mr. Bertram go?”

  “It was okay. He gave me your paperwork and I told him it would take a couple of days to put the report together.”

  “Great. You will do it, right?”

  “Of course. It’ll take some time to figure out how to sidestep your little hijacking adventure, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

  “I know you will.” Gwen said as she placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and returned to her cooking in the kitchen. I took the TV remote and contemplated turning it on, but I set it down and wandered back over to the kitchen where Gwen was focused on tossing her garden salad.

  “So, tell me about this pirate thing you did.”

  “I already told you.”

  “I know, but tell me more. I mean, why did you do it?” I could see Gwen’s cheeks turning red.

  “I don’t know. I was young. I was passionate about the cause.”

  “I realize that, but you could have just protested or sent letters. You stole a boat!”

  “Mob mentality. I went to a few animal rights meetings on campus and I was inspired.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I sense doubt.”

  “Just a little. I just find it hard to believe that some ‘don’t club the seals’ group seduced you into committing a federal offense over a little well-meaning patter and a well-written pamphlet. There’s something else going on here.”

  “Fine. If you must know, I had a crush on the president of the club. Peter Brooks.”

  “Ah! Now we get to it!”

  “Don’t! I was young and innocent and Peter was older and very mature.”

  “And hot.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I can see it all over your face. You didn’t believe in the guy’s cause. You just wanted to take a swan dive into his pants!” Her cheeks were growing even more crimson and I couldn’t hide my smile as she grew more flustered.

  “How would you even know?”

  “I’m not blind. When I was younger, I saw how you girls operated. This guy, Peter, shows up. He’s handsome with a big barrel chest and talks about how we all need to unite and defend the helpless creatures of the Earth. He’s got long, sloppy hair and big eyes. Let me guess, he wrote poetry too.”

  “We are not having this conversation.”

  “He read you some, didn’t he?”

  “Dinner is just about ready. Why don’t you go wash your hands?”

  “Oh, I know,” I said as Gwen stooped down to pull the roast out of the oven. “He also played guitar. He wrote you a song, didn’t he? He wrote you a song and when he sang it to you, he cried.” Suddenly Gwen bolted up and slammed the roast onto the counter.

  “It was a very touching song! I felt his heart as he sang it. His tears. He was a very sensitive man!”

  “I bet he was. I also bet he wrote that same song for just about every other girl in that club of yours. Maybe some of the guys, too.”

  “You can be a real pain, you know that?”

  “Yeah. Part of my charm.”

  “If you say so.”

  After dinner, Gwen and I camped in front of the television. I didn’t want to think about the events of the day. We settled on some mindless reality show Gwen liked. I forgot what it was about. Some mindless tramps trying to bed a hunky guy, or something. Most of my concentration was on Gwen who was resting in my arms and the demon in my soul who was buzzing annoyingly in the back of my mind. Even a scent of Heaven seemed to set it off. Suddenly a gentle knock at the door disturbed our peace. I slid off the couch and quickly answered it. I saw Ivar standing before me. I looked over to Gwen.

  “I’ll be quick,” I said as I stepped out into the hall. I could sense urgency in Ivar’s face, which I found worrying. Ivar wasn’t the kind to show such emotion on his face. In fact, he rarely showed any emotion on his face. “What is it?”

  “I’ve been doing some canvassing around town and I think I discovered some news. Troubling news.”

  “Give it to me.”

  “My contacts say that Pyre and Vyra have been active lately.” His words hit my ears, but I was unable to gauge their importance.

  “Should I know those names?”

  “Pyre and Vyra are among a class of demon well known in Hell. Very powerful entities.”

  “How powerful?”

  “If Satan were throwing a dinner party, they would be on the VIP list.” Ivar said in a rare moment of humor.

  “So, they could have conceivably stolen a large plot of Heavenly real estate?”

  “It is not out of the realm of possibility. They are one of the few types of demons who have the power and knowledge to do such a thing.”

  “What were their last known operations?”

  “They were last known to be in New Orleans trying to start up another cult that would furnish them with souls and blood for them to live off of. Nothing more after that.”

  “Sounds like they were more interested in staying alive than taking over Heaven.”

  “Vyra and Pyre are pure opportunists. Nomadic some would say. They adopt one way of living for another on a seemingly daily basis. Whatever’s more advantageous for them. Their only true motivations are their unholy thirst for blood and power. Not always in that order.”

  “So, maybe they lost interest in scamming people for their blood and found a way to make Heaven work for them?”

  “Possible.”

  “But how?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you have any ideas on how we could track them down?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Their trails ran cold after New Orleans.”

  “Okay. Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said and with barely a look between us, Ivar was on his way. I went on back into my apartment where Gwen was still watching TV.

  Chapter 41

  Vyra And Pyre

  I arrived at the office early in the morning. What Ivar had told me the night before rattled through my brain. Pyre and Vyra sounded like familiar names, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on them. As I turned the corner to my door, I saw Felix standing near.

  “Good morning, Mr. Corba.” He said in a pleading tone.

  “Morning, Felix. What brings you around this early?”

  “I was hoping you’d have some information.” He said hopefully. I smiled and walked past him to the door. I pushed it open and quickly took note that Ivar was not there. I went on to my desk and sat d
own to face Felix. He sat down as well, and I tried to formulate the most efficient way to tell him what little information I did have. Two names wasn’t a whole lot to go on, but I knew this guy wasn’t going to leave me be until he had something juicy.

  “I have a couple names, but that’s all I can tell you right now.”

  “Names? What names?”

  “Vyra and Pyre,” Felix seemed to have a reaction to that. His composure became suddenly stoic and quiet. “Mean something to you?”

  “I’ve only heard of them. They say they are two of the higher realm demons. Mr. Rex only mentioned them in passing, but from what little he did say, I got the impression they were quite bad.”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  “Do you think this will help with the case?”

  “I think finding Heaven will be very helpful, yes, but more importantly, we need to find Heaven or the universe will collapse upon itself.”

  “Aldo knows the nuts and bolts of it. I just need to know we’re not going to get shot down in court. What else can you tell me?”

  “I told you. Nothing.”

  “But you do know something, right?”

  “Mr. Lesidous, don’t push. Considering that the fate of all creation is at stake, your little lawsuit kind of pales in comparison.”

  “Fine,” He said indignantly and got up from his seat. “If anything happens, let me know.”

  “You’re in the loop, don’t worry.” I said as Felix turned and headed out the door.

  I sat at my desk for a solid hour poring over everything in my head. I had no leads. No clues. No crime scene to investigate. Nothing. Ivar still hadn’t come in, which was a bit odd, but I didn’t think much of it.

  As I wasn’t making any progress with the people versus Heaven case, I switched gears and set my sights on Gwen’s background check. I hauled out the papers Bertram had given me. I searched through them and didn’t find anything too surprising. Some copies of her divorce papers and some old credit card applications. I could already tell I was going to gloss over this because it was already amounting to a real boring job.

  My search on Gwen’s background had already eaten three hours of my time. Ivar had come in and quickly went to meditating quietly in the corner. I was tempted to join him. The search was just as boring as I thought it would be. I read the police report on the hijacking and it couldn’t have been smaller potatoes. I was surprised anyone had even pressed charges. Outside of that, it was all predictable crap. Most of which I had already heard from the source. I quickly compiled most of the information I had found, leaving out the one legal infraction, and put it all together for Bertram.

  I put everything together in a nice, handsome folder and placed it neatly on my desk. I looked at the folder with the papers in some kind of odd fascination. That had been the first time I had completed a job without blowing some slimy creature up or having gotten the tar beat out of me. It was a rather satisfying feeling.

  “Done!” I announced.

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. Listen, could you call Mr. Bertram and let him know his background check is done?”

  “Certainly. Why are you unable to do this?”

  “Because I am going insane! I’ve been stuck in these walls all day! I need air!”

  “Understood.”

  I jumped up from my seat and dashed out the door.

  As I walked out to the street, I realized I hadn’t been behind my desk for so long in a while. Suddenly I stopped as a familiar face appeared before me.

  “Mr. Corba. So nice to see you again.” Aldo Rex was wearing another finely tailored suit and was shiny from tip to tip. It was kind of annoying.

  “Hi there, Aldo. What brings you by?”

  “I heard that Mr. Lesidous paid you another visit today.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “I must apologize once again. For some reason, among the plaintiffs, he was chosen as representative. I urged them not to interfere with the investigation, but they’ve been difficult to convince.”

  “Unable to convince a bunch of people to think a certain way? Not a good trait for a lawyer.” I sidestepped Aldo and continued down the street.

  “No, I don’t suppose it is.” He said as he caught up with me with no effort.

  “He’s scared. I get that. I mean, what happens to a soul if there’s no place for it to go?”

  “That’s why I’m here. I can win this case easily, but without actually finding Heaven, it won’t count for very much. I was hoping there was some progress.”

  “Two demons of interest. Pyre and Vyra.” Aldo seemed unnerved by the sound of their names.

  “Ah, I see. That is quite serious. What are you doing about this?”

  “I don’t know yet. I have to find them first, and as far as I’ve heard, they’ve been lying low.”

  “Not low enough. I guess it would be safe now to assume Pyre and Vyra are responsible for Heaven’s abduction.”

  “It’s the best I got.”

  “I’ll do what I can to track them down. Someone has to know something.” Aldo said and walked ahead of me. There was a sudden flash of light and he was gone. I looked around and no one else on the street seemed to notice anything out of the usual. I shrugged my shoulders and continued on my way.

  When I returned to the office that afternoon, things were as quiet as ever. I went to my desk and noticed the folder that I had left was gone.

  “Mr. Bertram came by and took your report.” Ivar said.

  “Good. One less thing to worry about. He didn’t happen to leave a check, did he?” Ivar waved a small slip of paper in his hand. I leapt up and snatched it from him. “Come to papa!”

  “It’s not for very much.”

  “I know, but it’s better than nothing. Any word on Pyre and Vyra?”

  “Nothing. Everyone seems more worried about Heaven’s absence.”

  “No wonder. Well, if that’s all, I’m going to knock off early today.” Ivar nodded and I crammed the check into my pocket and headed out.

  I arrived home feeling a bit defeated. I hadn’t had such a boring day in a long time. I got up out of my car and trudged up to my door. I opened it up, and suddenly I felt two hands grab my arm and pull me in. Before I could tell what was happening, I was flat on my back on the sofa. I looked up and suddenly Gwen’s face came into view as she straddled me.

  “Hi, there.” She said with a grin.

  “Hi. What is going on?” I noticed she was wearing a rather revealing piece of lingerie under a light silk robe. Her hair was a little more done than usual and her makeup was very alluring. The faint scent of lush meadows and sea air was drifting from her soft skin.

  “Mr. Bertram called me this afternoon,” I felt a lump form in my stomach. This was either a reward for doing well, or a set up for messing up. I held my breath in anticipation. “I got the job!” She said excitedly and then kissed me.

  “You did? Congratulations!”

  “Thank you, Jake! Thank you so much! I was sure if he knew I had been in jail he’d never have hired me.”

  “This seems to be a big deal.” I tried to get up but Gwen’s hold was difficult to break. After some resistance, Gwen finally relented and allowed me to sit up. She then sat down on the couch across from me with her legs folded over.

  “It is! William Bertram is a god in the real estate market. The man has never lost so much as a dime in over forty years. It’s almost like he makes an investment good or something. Nearly every person who’s worked for him have gone on to become real estate moguls in their own right.”

  “You want to be a mogul?”

  “Well, it would be nice to have the option. I just want to succeed and working for William Bertram is a surefire way to do it.”

  “So I did good and this is a reward thing?”

  “It is. I have steaks cooking right now and I rented your favorite comedy to watch after.”

  “The Omen? Cool.”

  “
And after that, I was thinking we could do something else.”

  “What exactly were you thinking?”

  “Let’s just say there’s a bag sitting on your bed with things I purchased for tonight. Everything in that bag will be used.” She said and then blew in my ear. My curiosity was too great and I bolted up and dashed for my bed. I saw the bag and rifled through it quickly. I went back out to Gwen who was in the kitchen putting the steaks she was cooking onto a large serving plate. She caught me looking at her quickly.

  “Yes?” She asked.

  “Thank you!”

  Chapter 42

  Heavenly Meadows

  The week went on with little progress. Gwen was busy with her new career and I was still struggling to find two stupid demons that were apparently so bad they shouldn’t have been able to be so well hidden. Ivar was plumbing his sources but kept coming up with nothing. I consulted with Aldo on a daily basis but he was having as much luck as we were. I was about to give up all hope until Gwen came racing into the office late Friday afternoon. She looked overly excited, but not like I was used to seeing.

  “Hey, babe. What’s up?” She marched up to my desk and threw down a flyer of some kind. I looked down and saw it was an ad for some high tone gated community outside of town.

  “This!”

  “What about this?”

  “Look at it!” I picked up the flyer and studied it. It was for some planned community called Heavenly Meadows. There wasn’t too much to read about it though. Some floor plan specs and measurements. Some pictures of completed homes, which looked very nice.

  “What am I seeing?”

  “Check the prices. At the bottom.”

  I looked at the bottom of the page and just above the phone number for William Bertram, who was also the only selling agent; I saw that each home was going for a modest six million dollars.

  “Pretty pricey.”

  “Too pricey. I ran real estate comps in all the nearby communities and those houses in Heavenly Meadows are going for almost a hundred times what the average home price is in that same area.”

  “It’s not uncommon. The real estate market is vicious these days.”