Demon Hunters

by JKMelby74

  A horrifying thought enters my mind. I don’t even want to ask, but I have to know.

  “Then are you my father?” I ask. Damon looks at me with a disgusted look on his face.

  “No! You are the seed of Corba, don’t worry. I only used his body, at least at first. When I was strong enough, I left him and forged my own identity.”

  “Damon.”

  “Exactly. I made sure Jake’s role in saving Heaven was known and after that, it was easy. I just had to direct the herd, as it were.”

  “You were the snake!”

  “Of course. Do you really think God would appear to anyone as a snake? As I was helping Jake minister to his people, I encountered Morgan. She had seen better days, but she still held onto some bit of her former power as well as some essential knowledge. She knew a way to call forth the demon Sanctum and I knew that would be the perfect way to end the reign of humans over this world. Bravo on dispatching her by the way. Truly, like father, like daughter.”

  “So I opened a gate and released a demon that will destroy the world?”

  “Not exactly. During the battle to save Heaven, Jake inadvertently stabbed a hole in the universe with Lethar’s own sword. It disappeared after a while, but it was never repaired, but it wasn’t just a hole. It was a tear in the very fabric of creation. A portal to dimensions beyond anyone’s wildest imaginings and when its energy struck Jake, I saw all this. The portal has reappeared at various locations all over the world through the years, but I knew it would appear again at this exact location, at this exact time. You just called forth Lethar from the portal, who in turn called for Sanctum down there.”

  “He’s that thing’s master?” I ask pointing to the angel still fighting against the winds around him.

  “Yes, and he’s quite mad now, you see. He once was one of Heaven’s greatest warriors, but after Jake cut him down, he was sentenced to this labor for the rest of his days.”

  “Then if he can summon the beast, he can send him back!” I lunge forward and grab Damon. I seem to catch him by surprise, judging by his expression, and I manage to push him into the glass panel he threw my father against. It shatters under his weight and he falls below. I look out and see he’s hanging from a jutting rod of metal. I can see that he’s screaming, but I can’t hear a word of it over the howling winds rushing around. I make sure my dad is safe and quickly run back out the door. The wind nearly knocks me back. I look up at Lethar. He’s flying wildly. Every now and then, he takes a swipe at the platform. Damon was right when he said he was mad. He flies low for a moment and I jump up. I manage to grab onto his leg and I climb up. As his body jostles and thrusts, I hold on with all my will. I can feel my nails dig into his flesh. I look over my shoulder. I can see Damon clawing his way back up along the platform’s girders.

  “Lethar!” I scream. He stops for a moment. “Please! Stop!” His head turns and his eye finds me.

  “You are the daughter of Corba.” He says in a strange, booming voice that sends a chill through my bones.

  “Yes. I just heard what happened to you. I’m sorry.” I tell him. He slows a bit and his body begins to shrink. When he gets close enough to the center stage, I jump off his shoulders.

  “Thank you, mortal.” He says as he sets down upon the platform.

  “I heard you were some kind of big deal in Heaven, right?”

  “I was among the most elite of the elite. Until two demons shackled me and turned me into a weapon of destruction.” He says. I hear footsteps above us and I turn to see Damon running towards us.

  “Don’t forget who did this to you!” He shouts. “Jake Corba! He cut off your wing! He sent you to Hell! He’s the reason you have to spend the rest of your life tending to that beast!” I look down. I can see Sanctum’s eyes coming out of the hole. His breath is coming up and it smells like death. Pure death. I look back to Lethar.

  “It sounds like those demons are the ones responsible! My dad freed you! He just did the best he could, just like you would have done if you were in that position. Some would say you owe him.”

  “He owes Jake nothing!” Damon says. “Kill them all! This whole world deserves to die!”

  “You can’t do this. I didn’t know what I was doing when I called you.” I say and then look over to Damon. “He tricked me into doing this! He said I was helping the world enter a new golden age. I was just doing this for my father.” Damon quickly comes up behind me. I feel his hand grip my shoulder as he pulls me back and throws me down.

  “Silence! You are just a lowly insect. You have no right to even speak to Lethar. You have served your purpose. I have been kind in allowing you to live this long.” Damon says. I see Lethar looking at us in some kind of fascination. A loud wind howls and Damon runs over to him. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I see Lethar’s wing stretch up high as he hears Damon’s words. Lethar then turns his eye to me and I feel numb for a moment. I struggle to my feet. Damon steps back toward me as Lethar turns away from us both and kneels down and bows his head.

  “What is he doing now?” Damon asks.

  “He’s praying.” I say smugly. I watch Lethar humbling himself. I can hear his voice whispering softly, even over all the storm and noise surrounding us. I can’t tell exactly what he’s saying, but it sounds as though he’s requesting guidance. As quickly as that, Lethar leaps up high into the air and blows on his horn again, but the sound is soft and gentle. What parts of Sanctum had broken through, begin moving back into the light. Lethar hovers down to us again.

  “You are correct, daughter of Corba. Forgive me. The time of reckoning for this world has yet to come. I have been summoned prematurely.”

  “No!” Damon shrieks as he pushes past me. “The girl called you! This is what you’re supposed to do!”

  “It is not time.” Lethar says gently.

  “Thank you.” Lethar glides down and disappears into the bright light. I turn to face Damon, but his face is contorted in rage.

  “You sent him back. You sent him back!” Damon spits as he lunges toward me. His hands find my neck. He begins to grow claws and his eyes begin to burn like fire. His whole body begins to transform and shift. A long, snake-like tongue protrudes from his mouth. “If I can’t kill the world, I’ll just settle for you!”

  “No. You won’t.” I hear from above. I look around and see dad standing over us at the top of the stairs.

  “Aren’t you dead yet?” Damon asks as he looks over at dad.

  “Not by a long shot.” Dad says as he trudges down to us. He then grabs Damon as he gets closer and pulls him off of me. They fall on top of each other. I get up and quickly catch my breath. I turn to see Damon slash his claws against dad’s stomach. Blood pours out.

  “NO!” I scream out as dad manages to get up. He grabs Damon with both hands and pulls him to his feet. With one smooth, sharp move, dad snaps Damon’s neck and throws him down. I watch as Damon flails like a fish out of water below us. He lets out a wet gurgling noise as he convulses.

  “Get to the boat!” Dad calls out. His arms are covering his stomach but I can see the blood seeping out.

  “No. I’m not leaving without you.”

  “I’m afraid you are.” He says as he inches toward the edge of the platform. He bends down with a loud grunt and pulls Damon up to him and drags him along.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going back.”

  “What?”

  “Into the light. I’m going back, and bringing this little bastard with me.” Damon’s neck is twisted around and he’s unable to speak, but I can tell by how his body begins jerking around that he is clearly opposed to dad’s plan.

  “You can’t do that! Just leave him here and we can go home.”

  “There is no home left for me. I left that behind years ago. I need to go back and maybe I can find my way back.”

  “You don’t know what’s down there! A giant monster was just crawling out of there. What makes you think this could work?” I ask. He
just smiles at me.

  “I don’t know, but that’s all part of being a Corba. We never know what’s at the other end of that hallway, but we always find out. I think I can figure something out with this little shit.” Dad says as he shakes Damon sharply. Damon’s eyes are listless and blood is trickling down his arm. “I love you, Larissa.” He says. The tears are pouring out of my eyes.

  “I love you too, dad.” I watch them inch closer to the edge. Dad stops for a moment and looks back to me.

  “Promise me something first!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t deny who you are. I tried it once. Didn’t work. You are a Corba. Be proud of that. Find your path!”

  “I will! I promise.”

  “Good girl.” He says and easily tips himself over. He and Damon fall over the edge. I watch as they plummet down into the light. Once they pass through, it closes. A torrent of tears rushes through me. I feel as though I’ve lost him all over again. The platform shifts sharply. I notice the funnel of water is beginning to slow and collapse upon itself. I race up the stairs and back down to the ship. The captain is waiting by the pier.

  “Ms. Corba?”

  “We have to go! Now!” I say as I run past him. He follows closely behind.

  “What about Mr. Corba? Your father?”

  “He’s not coming with us this time. Just get us out of here!” A loud, wrenching moan screams out as one of the towers buckles from the flowing water. The captain runs off to the bridge of the ship and I run below deck.

  I can hear the metallic whine of the girders bending and tearing all around us. Soon, I feel the ship shift on. I feel my stomach lurch as the ship lifts up and soon we’re racing away.

  When the sound of total destruction fades, I decide to go up for a look. I can hear the wind whipping against the entire ship. It howls sharply as we push forward ever faster. I start up the stairs, but the sharp gusts from above push me back. I grab onto the rails and struggle up to the deck. When I make it up, I push hard against the jet stream of air pounding us. I slowly make my way to the side of the boat and look out. I can see the whole platform far behind us tear apart and fall into the sea at last. I stand there and stare as the last bit of the construction sinks into the dark, icy water and once it’s gone, I continue to stare as though something else was supposed to happen. Once I decide finally that the show is over, I slide back down the steps and curl up on the couch inside.

  “We’ll be docking in about thirty minutes, Ms. Corba.” The captain’s voice says. I look up. I feel like I’ve been asleep for hours. I get up and stretch. Everything suddenly hits me. My father. Dad. Gone again. I should be sad, I know, but somehow there’s something that tells me to be happy. I climb up to the deck above and I am blown away as I see the sky above us begin to open up. The sun is shining down and I can see the city coming up to us. I look down at the sea and the water is as blue as I remember it. The sun is warm on my skin and the rain has stopped. I lean against the railing and feel the bracing wind across my face. I love my father and, while I can’t prove it, I know he’s out there somewhere and maybe if he can do what he says he can, which I am sure that he can, we can all be together again and be happy the second time around.

  Epilogue

  “Jake. I think you broke the universe.” Ivar said as he and Jake looked down upon the shining tear in the ground. It shined up at them like a sun just feet away.

  “I admit, it’s odd, but it’s no big deal. Just some Heavenly residue or something,” Suddenly the shining light began to shift and flash. “You see? Fixing itself already.” Suddenly, a torrent of energy burst up out of the light and a large stream of pure energy whipped up like a tentacle, lashing around wildly. Ivar leapt away in time to avoid it, but Jake wasn’t quite as fast. It hit him and with a flash, he was gone along with the tear. Ivar got to his feet and stood in disbelief as he stared at the spot where Jake had just been standing. He could feel a tear forming at the corner of his eye, but then another flash and Jake reappeared, ragged but none the worse for wear. He tumbled along the ground and finally stopped. His clothes were smoking and singed, and he had slight burn marks across his face and arms. He got up quickly and examined himself carefully.

  “Jake!” Ivar yelled ecstatically and ran over to scoop him up in his arms, but Jake beat him to the punch.

  “Ivar! Oh my god! Ivar! Thank god it’s you!” Jake stammered. He leapt up and hugged and kissed Ivar wildly. “Where am I? What time is it? What year?”

  “Are you all right, Jake?”

  “I’m alive! I’m alive and whole! I think.” Jake said as he stopped to think. After a moment, he looked back to Ivar happily. “Yup! Still possessed! I still have the demon! I’m alive!”

  “Calm down! What happened to you?”

  “It’s a long story, but I have to get to Gwen. I have to get to her now!” Jake said. His eyes were wide and bright as though he was seeing daylight for the first time in decades. The urgency in his tone was clear to Ivar, so he didn’t try to engage him with any involved questions. He simply led Jake to his car.

  As they drove down the freeway toward Gwen’s home, Ivar kept looking over to Jake who was still stuck in his overly exuberant mood. Jake’s eyes darted left and right as they consumed everything speeding by them.

  “I realize I’ve asked you already, Jake, but are you all right?” Ivar asked.

  “Ivar. Buddy. I don’t know. My mind is like a blur, you know? I feel like I’m just catching up with the world right now. I don’t know where I was or what I did. All I know is I’m here now and for some reason I can’t stop smiling.” Jake said. Ivar nodded to his answer and continued speeding to their destination.

  Ivar dropped Jake off at Gwen’s apartment and went on back to the office. Jake had little words to share with him. He was far more focused on seeing Gwen and there was nothing that was going to keep that man from his woman. He didn’t even bother with the security door. He just tore it off its hinges.

  Jake ran up to Gwen’s door and knocked quickly. She swung the door open. Her face was less than pleased.

  “I hope you realize because of your little visit with my boss, he fired me!”

  “I don’t care!” Jake said as he swept Gwen up and kissed her. He kissed her as though he hadn’t kissed her in a thousand lifetimes.

  “You’re here! I’m here! We’re here! That’s all that matters!” Jake said. Gwen quickly pulled herself free.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m better than all right!”

  “You look like Hell. Couldn’t you have cleaned up a little before you came over?”

  “It couldn’t wait. I couldn’t wait. I had to see you. Oh my god. You’re real. You’re here.”

  “Yes. We’ve established that.”

  “Look, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.”

  “Fine. Just clean up first. I’m not going to be seen in public with someone in burnt clothes.”

  “Anything you say,” Jake said and then grabbed Gwen again for another kiss. “I just love you so much. I have seen so many things fall apart at the hands of hate and love, and I am just so glad that I have you. I want you to know how much I truly love you and how excited I am about the prospect of spending the rest of my life with you. And our kid.”

  “Kid? Jake. You’re scaring me.”

  “I know! I’m a little scared myself! We’ll talk about that over dinner too. I’ll be just a few minutes.” Jake said as he headed for the bathroom. He was standing in the stream of water feeling the liquid trickle down his body. He massaged the soap all over his flesh and as he did, he felt as though he were removing years of filth and sweat. It was like everything was new to him and every sensation would trigger waves of joy and elation. The sound of the water spraying down on him was soothing and in his reverie, he allowed his mind to wander. He pushed at his thoughts, hoping to prod some kind of memory out of it, but he only could recall a swirl of thoughts and images. Things that se
emed random but somehow made some kind of sense, but not enough sense for Jake to remember what any of it meant.

  As he was just finishing up in the shower, Jake could hear a knock at the door in the other room. Ivar, probably. He probably was returning something Jake left in the car.

  “Jake!” Gwen called out. Jake quickly bolted from the bathroom into the living room. He was frozen in place as he saw another man standing in the door right before him. The one thing about this man that shocked him the most was the fact that he looked exactly like Jake. Gwen looked over at the first Jake.

  “Friend of yours?” She asked. The second Jake stepped into the room.

  “And who the Hell do you think you are?”

  ###

  Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the ride. I really appreciate your support and if you did like this book, please tell your friends, and for further reading, check out other titles in the Demon Hunters series:

  Demon Huneters: Second Coming

  The Book Of Morgan

  Demon Hunters: Love & Fire

  Thanks again,

  Sincerely,

  Jason K. Melby

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  Twitter: Jasnofthevalley

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