by Michael Todd
He sighed. “They think I died in the fire. All they found was a pin from my uniform.”
“Wow,” she said, looking down at the floor. “That has to be hard.”
“It is,” he said. “But I have to imagine that they are much safer without me than with me, since this demon is inside me.”
“What kind of demon is he?”
“He is what’s called a Level-Four Affinity Demon,” he said. “He likes to play with matches, and create with embers and soot. I guess if I had to catch a demon, that kind makes the most sense for me. His name is Glazglow, and he only talks or reacts when he senses fire—which is why the only place I let myself be around it is in Damian’s temple. Glazglow doesn’t seem to like the giant neon cross so much.”
She chuckled. “No, I suppose he wouldn’t, now would he? I’m waiting to see what will shut my demon up.”
Nothing. Pandora chuckled in Katie’s head. Unless you’ve got a big hard cock. Then we can negotiate.
Stop, Katie thought. That is quite enough from you.
“Yeah, Glazglow is considered a lazy demon,” Garrett continued. “Never really fights with me or tests me too much. I guess he’s just happy being inside my body.”
Those are just the demons I’d like to get hold of, Pandora growled. Lazy, good-for-nothing assholes who make us look weak. They are just what we demons try to avoid. This human is weak. He could take him in a heartbeat, but he doesn’t.
And this is coming from the demon trapped in my body, Katie thought.
Yes, well, you might not be the prettiest thing or the most fashionable of humans, but you have guts, Pandora said.
I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment, Katie replied. Though I’m pretty sure that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to anyone.
Pretty damn close, the demon grumbled. But don’t go getting used to it. We are not friends, and I will not talk boys, nails, hair, or gossip with you. You are my slave, human. That’s it.
Right. Katie chuckled to herself. You just keep on thinking that.
“It’s a long, strange road we’re all on, that’s for sure,” Garrett finished.
“Do you wish things were different?” Katie asked.
“Of course, I do,” Garrett said, a tear in his eye. “If I could change it, I would be having dinner with my family, talking about school with my boys—just being a normal loving family. But that’s not in the cards; not any time soon, at least. If I’m going to be Damned, this is a pretty good job to have. Fighting back, hoping the things I do will protect my children from having to make these same choices.”
“You found a way to be there for them without actually being there,” Katie said. “It’s poetic.”
“I don’t know about poetic.” Garrett chuckled. “But loving and caring? Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. They’re my whole world, and when it seems like the darkness is too much to handle, I think of them and how safe I want them all to be. If it means that right now I hide in the shadows, then so be it—that’s what I’ll do.”
Katie smiled. “And you’re saving others along the way.”
“I’ve been doing this for six months now,” he said as the SUV came to a stop. “And as long as I’m here, I’ll keep doing it the best I can.”
“You guys ready?” Calvin asked, looking back at them.
Katie nodded, but nerves flooded through her. It was like going out for her first volleyball game—only the ball could kill. Calvin handed her the earpiece and she put it in her ear, nodding once when it was secure.
“All right, team,” Korbin said through the comm. “Here’s the deal. There are three demons in this yard. My team will take the east half, and Calvin, your team take the West. We’ll mark it when a demon is caught so you know where you stand. Emergencies are 911 on the speaker, with location. If you’re unable to shout, throw up your flare.”
“Got it,” Calvin and Katie said.
The three of them hopped out of the SUV and lifted their weapons to the ready. Calvin pulled them in close and looked from side to side. Katie could feel the demons in her gut, like they were connected in some way.
“I’ll go left, and the two of you go right,” he said. “Any sign, call it out. And be careful out there.”
Katie nodded and crouched as she and Garrett made their way down the aisles to the right. There was no light in the junkyard, and her vision was still a bit off-kilter. Soon after they started walking, Garrett put up his hand and shook his head at her.
“This is Garrett in the northeast corner,” he whispered. “We got one, and it’s big.”
Chapter Six
Everything moved fast that night, from the demons to the celebration after. Katie tried to go with the flow, but she felt a bit lost, and maybe a bit removed.
Before she could even think, she and Garrett were battling a Level-Five demon into submission.
They roped him and sedated him, and the others attempted to do the same in their area. Unfortunately only one demon was left alive for research purposes: the one Katie and Garrett had managed to wrangle.
They dragged the beast to the front gate, groaning as they pulled his heavy body along. Katie could see there used to be a human there, but when the demon had warped for the battle he had all but destroyed the guy. There was a small glimmer of life left inside him, and Katie wondered if he would even survive the ride back to the base.
Garrett didn’t underestimate the demon for a second. He put him into restraints, and together they pulled him up into the SUV. The demon’s eyes were glowing dark-red, and his struggles were almost too much for Katie to take. She looked away first, then made herself watch. Familiarity bred complacence, and in some respect she needed that.
This was her life now.
“You all right?” Calvin asked, wiping blood that wasn’t his off his face.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You guys did good work out there,” Calvin said. “It never feels complete when you can’t save the human, but having that demon to study is definitely going to help us understand them better.”
“What now?” Katie asked, taking a deep breath.
“Now we celebrate.” He smiled and hopped into the driver’s seat. “You can ride up here.”
Now that’s what I am talking about, Pandora said. Let’s get the booze flowing and the music started.
You’re not invited, Katie replied.
Nonsense. Wherever you go, I’ll be right there with you. Pandora chuckled.
“Wonderful,” Katie whispered as she pulled herself into the passenger seat.
When they got back to the compound the demon was transported downstairs for proper lock-up, and the team headed up to the kitchen. They poured everyone a glass of champagne, and Korbin walked in with several envelopes in his hand and a smile on his face.
He handed out the envelopes, including one for Katie, then stood at the head of the table.
Her eyes narrowed at the envelope, and she turned to Garrett and held it up. “What’s this?” Katie asked him.
“Your pay.” He smiled.
“Garrett, would you like to do the honors?” Korbin asked.
While Garrett talked about the op, Katie opened the envelope and peered down at the money.
Apparently they got paid for shutting down the demons, and she had received her split. It was five thousand dollars, more than she had ever personally had at one time.
She looked up with a red face and shook her head at Garrett.
“In conclusion, I will leave you with this,” he said, raising his glass. “We live hard, we earn much, and we spend it quickly because tomorrow we might be dead.”
“Hear, hear,” everyone agreed, clinking glasses.
The evening was enjoyable, and Katie listened to the others laugh and tell crazy stories about their adventures with Korbin’s Killers.
Most were relaxed and in good spirits, which helped Katie feel comfortable for the first time. She didn’t have anything to
add, but she was starting to feel like she was actually part of something; a team she didn’t have in her human life.
About two hours and countless beers into the evening, Katie glanced at the side door and saw Damian slink out.
She wondered where he could be going and quietly ran after him. She figured wherever he was going it would probably be safe, considering the cross around his neck.
“Where are you going?” Katie asked with a smile when she caught up with him.
Damian turned around. “Oh, hey. Well, I’m going down the street to an old Irish bar that I like.” He winked. “I’ll just say, they know how to serve the clergy there.”
“A priest who drinks?” Katie chuckled. “This place is getting weirder and weirder.”
“How else do you think we fill the church on Sunday morning?” He laughed. “I find it much easier to reach people when I give them some motivation to trust me.”
“I see.” Katie smirked. “So your tactic to bring in sinners is to be one yourself?” The glint of humor was evident in her eyes. “A kind of camouflage.”
“Precisely.” Damian laughed and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “You want to come along?”
“Sure,” Katie answered, shrugging her shoulders. “Why not?” She glanced back at the building. “I’ve got nothing else going on, and the party seems to be dying down anyway.”
“Great. Come on, then,” Damian said.
Damian pulled his black raincoat’s collar up around his neck and tilted his hat forward. Katie pulled her black sweatshirt’s hood over her head and shoved her hands into her pockets. She hadn’t dressed so inconspicuously in her former life.
Damian pointed to the SUV on the left, so Katie got in the front passenger seat. Apparently by “down the street” Damian had meant toward the outskirts of the city.
They parked in an abandoned lot across the road from the pub. As soon as they walked in, the smell of stale beer hit her nose. The inside was lit by old slot machines.
She chuckled as a few drunk guys sang “Whiskey in the Jar,” swaying back and forth as their beers splashed on the old hardwood floor beneath their feet. Damian put up two fingers when he came in the door, and a moment later the barkeep brought his order—two beers and a shot of whiskey. Katie followed him to a table in a dark corner.
He pushed a beer to Katie, then took the other one for himself. “To a good night, and your first of many successful operations,” Damian toasted, raising his glass.
“I’ll drink to that,” Katie agreed, clinking his glass and taking a big gulp of her beer.
Damian stopped drinking a moment later and asked, “How did you like working with Garrett?”
She took another sip, thinking about Damian’s question. “He’s great.” She shrugged. “Although I have to say, he really doesn’t seem like he fits in here. He seems too kind, too wholesome.”
Damian raised an eyebrow. “And you are actually a wild girl?” he asked. Katie’s mouth looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing with nothing coming out. “No one fits in...exactly.” Damian chuckled, letting her off the hook.
“Korbin is like the epitome of what I would think a demon hunter would be,” Katie replied. “No muss, no fuss, shoot first and see if there is anything left to ask questions of when the smoke clears.”
“Yeah, well, Korbin is an interesting man,” Damian agreed. “He shoulders the responsibility of the world, or at least our world.” He stopped himself and changed his comment. “He is a deep person, and feels responsible for keeping the non-Damned safe.” He took a sip of his beer. “If the demons don’t kill him, the pressure of the responsibility ultimately will.”
“That sounds like a lonely world,” Katie answered, playing with her glass, “but at least I’ll understand him a little better now.”
Damian nodded. “It’s just how he was made. Apparently he was like that before all this, too. You remind me of him a lot. Maybe not with the world on your shoulders, but in helping the individuals—each hurting person.”
“How do you know that?” Katie asked shyly.
“I can see it in your soul,” Damian answered. “I feel it in the way you talk to people, and although it’s a redeeming quality in a person,” he saluted her with his mug, “I’m sad to say it’ll probably be what gets you killed one day.”
Katie chuckled. “Well, my plan is not to die.”
“That’s a good plan,” Damian agreed, and looked around a moment, then smiled. “I’ll be back. I gotta hit the head.”
Damian stood up and headed toward the bathroom, and Katie looked down at her glass and thought about his words. She was shocked that he had pegged her so quickly; that he realized what kind of person she was, or at least had been. Even before she was Damned she had wanted to help people. It was her instinct to do so, but this was all so damned different.
Boy, this is a lively crowd, Pandora said, forcing Katie’s head up.
She chuckled. Yeah, not really the kind I’m used to.
Get used to it, baby. This is your life now. She laughed. But on the bright side, there are some seriously hot men here.
She groaned. There you go again.
I’m dead serious, her demon said. You should be bent over the table right now, having all kinds of fun. Of course, there are also those idiots butchering that Irish song at the bar. I can ignore that, though, since there are some men in here I’d definitely love to tie up real tight. I’d lick them all over their bodies and make them squeal like you humans do.
Katie put a hand over her eyes and moaned. You never quit!
On the other hand, Pandora continued, ignoring Katie, there are quite a few I’d like to tie up and toss over the side of a bridge. Equally as amusing, but radically different outcomes.
I feel like I got the most pointless demon in history, Katie mused.
Well, that’s not true there, missy. She laughed. You could have that fire sloth your little buddy has. Hell, I know a couple demons I’d trade with if you’re looking for something new and exciting.
Just behave yourself.
Cross my heart and hope you don’t die. Pandora giggled.
You are exasperating, Katie said, trying not to laugh.
“What’s funny?” Damian asked, smiling and sitting down.
“Nothing,” Katie told him. “Just watching those idiots over there.”
“Yeah, they do that just about every night.” He chuckled. “By the end they’ll be fighting in the street, drunk as piss.”
“So I have a question,” Katie began, leaning forward and lowering her voice. “Why aren’t we able to capture a demon outside the body? When one of the Damned dies because they are too far gone, why don’t we pull the demon in for testing?”
“Well, as far as we know demons can’t walk around Earth without a human capsule,” he replied. “They’re almost like apparitions once they’re out. Even if they weren’t, catching one when the human host died would be impossible.”
“Why?” Katie asked.
“Because when the human dies, so does the demon,” he answered, taking a sip of his beer and looking around.
WHAT? Pandora was instantly pissed. What did he just say? Oh, no. NO FUCKING WAY! This is fucking unbelievable.
I thought you had been on Earth before, Katie sent to Pandora.
I have, but I always left my human host before they died, she said. I was always exorcised. This is some serious bullshit. I was tricked, no, backstabbed...Fucking back-stabbed!
Not the great and powerful Pandora! Katie chuckled in her head. I thought you could handle anything.
For the first time since she had been Damned, there was nothing but a silence that she could feel deep in her soul.
This is not funny, human, Pandora growled after a few minutes. I was tricked by one of the Seventy-Two into coming up to Earth for a ‘good time,’ just to get me the hell out of the way. And now I’m stuck in this God forsaken time with a frail and prudish body that could croak at any point.
I can still hear you, Katie said. And didn’t you hear me? I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.
That’s what all you humans say, Pandora argued. One day you’re watering the plants, and the next—bam, you’re dead under a dropped piano.
I don’t think that actually happens outside movies. Katie laughed.
You say that now, but just you wait, her demon said. You are now destined to die under a fallen piano.
Right, Katie agreed slowly. If you could take your little panic attack and just mute it there for a bit, that would be great. You’re disturbing my delicious beer.
Fine, I’ll do the worrying then, she snapped.
Appreciate it, Katie said, pulling her attention back to Damian.
“At least you know that when a Damned dies they don’t transfer that demon,” Katie said to Damian.
They were interrupted by the general carousing for a moment before the noise died down once again.
“True,” Damian answered. “Though there wouldn’t be anywhere for the demon to go unless there was another uninfected human nearby. They don’t really like to share their humans with other demons. I saw it once, and it was messy. Poor guy went completely insane.”
“Have you ever lost a teammate to their demon?” Katie asked.
He shook his head. “I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard stories. Sometimes it just gets to be too much for the human mind to handle. Sometimes a soul is just tired, I guess you could say. When a human gives up in the regular world they fall into depression, but when a Damned gives up they fall into possession. The demon takes control of their entire mind, body, and soul.” He glanced at Katie, meeting her eyes. “There isn’t really any coming back from that.”
Katie fidgeted. “Tell me about the Seventy-Two,” she asked, changing the subject.
Damian looked around, then smiled as he raised the shot glass. “That, my dear, is a story for another day.” He laughed, took the whiskey in one go, and dropped the glass back to the table. “We need to be heading back. Korbin doesn’t like us to be gone for too long, especially with you being new.”
“Right,” she said with a sigh.