by Michael Todd
“Dammit, I did not sign up for this crazy shit,” Katie said. “What’s next, clowns? Fucking clowns? Red Rum? Men in masks with chainsaws?” She peeked into a doorway. “The Kool Aid man?”
“Did you actually think those writers came up with all that stuff on their own?” Damian shouted over the laughter. “Except the Kool Aid man. I loved him as a kid.”
“All right,” Katie said. “But I’m telling you now, if a damn kid with a butcher knife comes out I’m leaving you. You are on your own at that point.”
“What about gremlins, goblins, and things of that nature?” Damian asked.
“If it’s small I can handle it, except children—they are creepy as fuck,” Katie said. “Their little beady eyes and shrill voices.” She shook her head. “Hate those movies.”
“Remind me not to take you to a preschool.” Damian chuckled. “I might have to restrain you.”
“I’m dead serious.” Katie hit him with her elbow. “Don’t do me like that.”
“Well, that’s interesting,” Damian said, looking up.
“What?” Katie followed his eyes.
Red pools began to saturate the peeling painted ceilings.
Katie’s eyes grew wider as the blood moved to the walls and began to drip down like paint. She backed up away from the peeling wallpaper as droplets of blood bubbled to the surface and ran down to form puddles on the floor. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing; this was absolutely insane.
“Well, that definitely tears it,” Damian said, slipping his cross and chain back over his neck and pulling out another gun.
“Please tell me I am hallucinating,” Katie begged him, reaching out to touch the blood.
She already had both her guns out, but Katie found herself wishing that she had an extra hand to pull out a knife too.
Physical entities had physical limitations. You knew if your back was to a wall they weren’t going to come up behind you, but with this, the rules were completely different.
In fact, Katie started to wonder if there actually were any rules or was she just in there freewheeling it, hoping her instincts were on point?
At least she wasn’t alone, but given the look of concern and shock on Damian’s face, having him didn’t provide extra comfort. The only good thing was, he had a better understanding than she did of what they were facing.
“Have you been in this situation before?” Katie said, looking from side to side.
“This particular one?” Damian shook his head. “No, not exactly. I have to say, though, everything is textbook so far…just not the textbook I thought I would be teaching you from today. But hey…learning comes from being pulled into the situation, right?”
“I guess,” Katie said. “Though I am dead serious when I tell you I would have gladly taken a video tutorial on this one, Damian. I am pretty sure you didn’t have to submerge me. The textbook case would have terrified me out of my mind.”
He peeked around a corner. “But then you wouldn’t get the experience.”
“I’m okay with that,” she said, nodding quickly. “Perfectly and completely okay with that. In fact, I’m more than fine with textbooks for the next however-long you will give them to me.”
“I personally think this is pretty exciting,” Damian said. “I mean, we are having our first complete third-level physical manifestation together.”
“Is that some weird bonding ritual between Damned?” Katie asked. “Because if it is, we need to talk about your implementation.”
“Look at it this way,” Damian said, shoving Katie back hard. “You won’t be able to say that I take you on boring dates.”
“Dates?” Katie said, looking up as a demon jumped from the second-story railing and landed on the floor in front of her. Her voice went up several notes as she jumped back and brought her guns up to point at the demon’s chest. “I didn’t think priests dated!”
Katie tilted her head to the side and stared at the demon’s face, which wasn’t the normal one. It was swollen and angry, and the demon smiled at Katie as if taunting her.
She shivered in her boots as the beast lunged forward, swiping its arm through the air. Katie dropped to her knees and spun her body, extending her right leg outward. Her shin came directly in contact with the demon’s knees, but she wasn’t strong enough to tip him. He just growled, slowly tilting his head down to her and staring into her eyes.
“Damn, dude!” she grumped, and pulled her leg back. “You’re a big one.”
He raised his arm into the air, made a fist, and slammed it downward. She somersaulted and then pulled herself into a crouch. She breathed heavily as she tried to get a clear shot.
The last thing she wanted to do was wound it, because that would just make it more pissed off. Damian sliced his knife along its shoulder blades and crouched, waiting for its reaction. Slowly the demon turned, its eyes glowing bright red as it snarled and drooled.
It reached forward and grabbed Damian by the neck too fast for either him or Katie to react. Damian dropped his knife to the ground and grabbed the beast’s giant hand as it lifted him slowly from the ground.
Katie’s eyes opened wide and she cocked her gun just as the demon turned toward her. It shook Damian back and forth by the neck and she pointed her weapon at the ground, unable to get a clear shot without risking Damian’s life. She swallowed hard and shook her head.
“Put him down,” she demanded. “Now!”
The demon growled and threw Damian directly at her. She put out her arms to catch him, but the two of them fell backward as he hit her and rolled across the floor. They both got back to their feet as the beast charged them.
Katie went right and Damian went left, shooting as they dodged. The demon dropped to one knee, which shook the house, and growled and howled in pain.
He clutched his shin and arm, dark blood seeping through his fingertips.
The demon had been shot, but the damage had only put him out of action for a moment. “Great! Slightly wounded and soon to be pissed!” she yelled to Damian. “Next time I want a cheaper date. No need to go all-out to impress me with your priestly demon size!”
Damian started to chuckle, but it was cut short when he had to dodge an old brass lamp the demon threw at him.
Damian stepped forward, reaching in his shirt and pulling the large cross from around his neck. He held out the cross as he moved closer to the half-conscious demon and whispered Latin words under his breath, concentrating hard on using his religious power to subdue the thing.
Unfortunately it didn’t work. As soon as he pressed the cross against the demon’s skin, the beast’s large red eyes jolted open and he screeched loudly.
Katie scrunched her nose when she smelled the burning skin under the cross. She stepped forward and raised her gun to aim at its skull, but before she could get off a shot the demon sprang to its feet and whipped its leg around, knocking Katie and Damian back. It then sprinted from the room and down the hall.
“Come on,” Damian yelled, rubbing his chest as he jumped to his feet, then chasing it.
“How do I get myself into this shit?” Katie groaned. She pulled herself up and followed the priest.
She pushed her legs faster as she sprinted through the hallways, following the trail of blood and scent of toasted human.
Katie could hear the labored breathing of the beast and crept slowly forward, looking past the living room door where Damian was standing with his finger to his lips.
He pointed at the doorway and held up three fingers. She nodded and dug her toes into the ground.
Damian ran a finger across his neck, and Katie nodded in agreement.
This was it; this was where they would put the demon down. The more wounded it became the more dangerous it would get, and they couldn’t risk their safety or the safety of the surrounding community by playing with the thing any longer.
Katie lowered her gun and pulled out her knife, then cut a strip off her shirt and wrapped it tightly around her arm to co
ver the gash she had gotten from rolling across the old wooden floor.
Great, now I’m going to have tetanus. Just what I need—a good case of lockjaw.
Katie looked at Damian, who had leaned forward and put his hands on his knees and was presently trying to catch his breath. It was just the two of them, some damn evil spirits, and this demon from hell; literally hell.
They were bruised, battered, and bleeding and neither of them wanted to walk around that corner but it was their job and their duty, or whatever the hell else Korbin wanted to call it.
A good time? No, even Korbin didn’t joke like that… Wait, did he? Or was that Pandora?
Damian stood back up and took in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he looked at Katie and nodded. She nodded back, and he stuck his fingers back up in the air. Three, two, one…he counted down before turning and pointing his gun into the open room.
Damian and Katie slowly walked into the room, guns at the ready, as the demon backed up, growling and injured. He hunkered down, acting as though he were on his last legs.
Katie took one step forward but Damian grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, eyes flicking to Damian before returning to the demon. “Just kill the damn thing.”
“It’s not hurt,” Damian answered, turning his head toward the demon.
“What are you talking abou…” Katie’s eyes grew big as the demon slowly picked up its head and a deep laugh echoed from its chest. “What the ever-loving fuck?”
Katie had never seen anything like it before. It appeared to be a full-out bloodthirsty demon, but it had the mannerisms and control of a human. She shook her head and turned to Damian. “Damian, we can’t fight this bastard—not just the two of us.”
“We have no choice,” Damian answered, “and he is not that big. We can take him.”
“It is timmmmmeeeee,” the demon hissed.
“Oh yeah, fucker,” Katie said, straightening up. “It’s time for what? A bath? Maybe a good brushing of your damn teeth? Or maybe for me to put a bullet in between your fucking eyes.”
The demon laughed loudly, throwing its big head backward.
“It’s time,” he growled again, his eyes dropping. “To teach you about killing!”
Damian grabbed Katie by the shoulders and pulled her to the floor, scooting them both back behind the dilapidated couch. They sat there with their backs against the couch for a moment, Damian shaking his head as they listened for the demon to move.
“What?” Katie whispered.
“I forgot to turn on the earpieces,” he said.
“That is almost comical.” Katie chuckled. “What’s Big Lovin’ doing back there?”
They looked at each other for a moment and then turned around, slowly raising up and peeking over the couch. The demon roared and raised its massive arms past its head, its skin rippling in the power of its growing body. Katie tilted her head to the side, watching the demon sprout muscles where muscles didn’t even belong.
“What the ever-loving hell…again?” Katie asked.
“We are in some serious shit,” Damian whispered, wide-eyed. “I didn’t intend to show you quite this good a time.”
They slid back down behind the couch and sat on their asses, trying to figure out what their next move would be. There was no way they could possibly beat that thing, not with the limited firepower they had and the lack of teammates on-scene with them.
“We could run.” Damian voiced what they were both thinking.
“Oh yeah,” Katie replied, “I know, but we can’t leave that thing here to wander out into the town. I can see that on the eight o’clock fucking news—taking out the casinos and snacking on some unsuspecting tourists while he moves his massive demon ass through the streets.”
“Okay, smartass,” Damian agreed. “What’s your idea?”
“I don’t know,” Katie said, moving her knife back and forth. “What happened to this being one of your priestly things where you wave your magic cross-wand, say a few words, and poof—happy old house again? Instead you found the one motherfucker demon on steroids who just offered to teach us about killing time. I just want to point out that I don’t think he was offering to join forces. I think he meant our killing time.”
She looked at him. “You know, like killing us.”
“I know,” Damian said, banging his head on the back of the couch. He lifted himself up, peeking over the couch again. “Fuck.”
Damian slid back down and slowly turned his head toward Katie with a look of curiosity on his face. Katie did a double-take when she realized he was staring at her, and scrunched her forehead.
“What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Don’t suppose you have any additional backup,” he said. “You know, just hanging out waiting for some excitement?”
Chapter Five
In all honesty, Damian had thought that maybe Katie’s demon would give her an edge or some extra strength or pointers even on how to kill that demon.
He did not, however, expect what happened, nor was he even remotely prepared to make sense of any of it. The things he saw in that house changed the way he looked at demons and Katie for the rest of his career.
“I guess I don’t have a choice,” Katie said leaning her head back against the couch. “At least let me calm down and get my wits about me before calling in the team.”
“Why would you—”
“Don’t ask questions. It’s better that way,” Katie told him as she closed her eyes. She thought about what she would be doing in a moment. Turning her body over to Pandora was a huge leap of faith, but hell…maybe it would be better if she died. She’d already lost her family and her previous life. At least if she went out this way she might save Damian in the process.
A deep guttural voice said in a lousy sing-song, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Damian was unsure what Katie was doing. He had seen the exorcism and he had seen her increased abilities during training, but this was something completely different.
She would have to have one hell of a demon inside her to defeat what was behind them, but she seemed more than confident.
All right, Pandora, Katie said in her head. I know you have been watching this.
Have I been watching that? Pandora growled. That motherfucker! I know his ass all too well.
I need your help, Katie said.
There’s nothing I can enhance right now that will help you, Pandora said. He’s a fucking killer. I’m the only one in the house who could kick his ass.
I know, Katie replied. If I let you take over for this, you have to promise to give my body back to me when you are done or Damian will kill us both.
Understood, she said. You’ll get your body back.
All right, Katie replied. Go for it.
Damian watched as Katie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Her whole body started to shake, just slightly at first, but more and more violently as the moments passed. He reached out, but pulled his hand back as her eyes shot open and flared red. Her body settled and slowly she turned over, eyeing Damian for a split second before slamming her hands on the ground.
She stood up and faced the demon with no fear on her face, leaving her guns on the floor next to Damian.
“BASTARD!” she screamed, two voices coming from Katie’s vocal cords. “Killing is MY business!”
She reached back down and grabbed the pistols, squatting before leaping into the air. Damian tried to stop her, but she was too fast and much too involved.
She landed on the floor in front of the couch and stood up slowly, raising her arms and shooting the guns until the clips were empty. Without a thought she dropped them to the ground and sprinted forward as smoke seeped from the barrels. Damian’s mouth dropped open as Katie lifted her hands and her fingers acquired large sharp demon claws. She slashed across the demon’s face, her nails digging deep into his corro
ded black skin.
He barked and growled, his eyes telling them that he recognized the demon within Katie.
Damian dropped to his knees and held onto the back of the couch, watching everything that was going on. He had never seen anything so insane in his entire life.
He had been through a lot with the team—seen a lot of demons and gotten rid of a lot of spirits—but both the demon and Katie were an anomaly. Katie just stood there with no expression on her face, blood dripping from her demon fingertips and pooling on the floor beside her.
Damian shook his head and rubbed his face, trying to figure out if there was anything he could do to help.
“This can’t be true,” Damian mumbled to himself.
He let out a deep breath, realizing that at that point it didn’t matter what he did. Katie’s demon had taken over, and the whole thing could end one of three ways.
Katie could die, be fully possessed by her demon, or change miraculously back into her Damned self after her victory. Which one it would be, Damian had no idea.
Korbin would be pissed if he came back without her, or with a very possessed version of her. If she hadn’t done what she did, though, neither of them would walk out of this place alive.
Katie—or Pandora, really—backed up into the open space as the demon wiped the blood from his face.
She smirked as she waited for him to come and play with her. She had been dying for the chance to fight one of these bastards on her own, but until now Katie had kept her at arm’s length.
This guy, though—he was way too much for one or two humans to take on, but she knew his tricks.
He was no stranger to her, and she knew exactly where he had come from.
“Who are you?” he growled.
“Oh, come now,” Pandora barked from Katie’s mouth. “You don’t know an old friend when you see one? That’s soooo disappointing.”