The Demon Realm

by Annette Morris

  Contents

  Title

  The Story

  Copyright

  Note to Reader

  Acknowledgements

  1. Demons escaping

  2. Serentis and the Flame

  3. Training Needs

  4. Janey meets Diego

  5. Supersoldiers

  6. Bows and Arrows

  7. Goals of course

  8. Monday

  9. Going Down

  10. Attack

  11. Help

  12. The Demons

  13. Good morning

  14. Bodyguards

  15. Home at last

  16. God created demons

  17. HE went to hell

  18. Morning

  19. Hades and Hell

  20. I'm okay

  21. Sunday

  22. D-day

  23. Classtime

  24. Thank you

  Other Books

  About the Author

  My Town (Book 3)

  The Demon Realm

  Annette Morris

  My Town Book 3

  The Demon Realm

  The Story

  Demons are escaping through the Flame.

  Serentis, as the new Keeper of the Flames and Veils, has to learn how to get the Flame back up before too many demons escape their world.

  Keogh then informs Serentis that all the vampire guards will need training, as he has neglected their training for some time.

  Alex, Serentis's mate suggests they offer the trainer role to her sister Janey. Janey accepts and begins preparing a training course for the vampires. Some of the subjects she has to research boggle her mind. Subjects like: War Strategy, The History of Magic, Weapons and their Use, Witchcraft Spells and Sigils, Nanobots and Medicine, and Robotics and Drones.

  The question is though whether she'll even survive creating the training course… as her blood is a major attraction to the vampires.

  Copyright © 2018 Annette Morris

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author. The only exception to this rule is for reviewers who may quote short excerpts in a book review.

  This book, in its entirety, is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and other incidents are solely the product of the author's imagination and are intended for entertainment only and used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, events and/or locations is entirely coincidental and unintended.

  Dear Reader

  This is the third book in the My Town series. The first book, 'The Psychic, The Cop & The Killer', involved Caitlyn who can touch objects and see crimes.

  The second book looked at Alex and her future as a vampire and the partner of Serentis, the head Vampire.

  In this book, The Demon Realm, we look at Janey who is Caitlyn's and Alex's sister. She is asked to create a training course for the vampires. She is unaware though that her blood is considered an attraction. Will she survive even creating the training course?

  We are not yet at the last book in this series. This series will continue in 2019.

  I hope you enjoy this read and delve in the supernatural world of vampires.

  Acknowledgements

  A number of the graphics used in this novel have been taken from a free graphic source on the Internet and used through CC0 Creative Commons (being free for commercial use with no attribution required). This organisation is Pixabay and can be found at https://pixabay.com/

  I would like to thank Pixabay and offer my appreciation for the service they provide.

  Bridabur

  "It's open! It's open!" Orman roared. "Bridabur…" His eyes darted everywhere at once. "Bridabur… Hurry! It's open."

  I threw myself around the corner, spying Orman standing there. "Fuck! Where the hell is everybody. I didn't think it would be down so quick. Move!" Orman looked like he was in shock. He wasn't moving. "Get out Orman! We've got to get as many through as we can." Orman still didn't move. I gave him a hard shove. "Dammit move, Orman. Get out! Now!"

  "What about Jeffe?" Orman jerked back his head to look at me.

  "I'll get him," I yelled. "You just focus on getting out Orman, or you'll miss this opportunity." With no time to waste, I turned to look behind me. Setting my vocals to maximum, I bellowed, "Jeffe! Jeffe! The Flame is down. There's no time to waste. We've got to move now, or we'll miss it." I still couldn't see Jeffe. I turned to the side and yelled out again. "Jeffe… where the fuck are you?"

  A mass of demons flew past me, all heading for the doorway. The temptation to join the pack was strong, but I couldn't. Jeffe was our leader. Wherever he went, so did I. If he didn't make it in time, well… so be it. A voice interrupted my thoughts. I spun around towards the source of the voice. I could feel a smile erupting on my face as I recognised the voice. My breathing eased as he came into my sight. Finally, we can get moving.

  "What the fuck are you doing standing there?" Jeffe yelled. "Fucking get out, now!" Jeffe's voice got louder as he got closer.

  I started moving in the direction of The Flame. Slow at first, to allow Jeffe to catch up.

  "What the hell are you waiting for?" Jeffe blasted me mercilessly. "Fucking get out!"

  Looking behind me, I could see Jeffe shoving slower demons out of his way as he came closer. More demons were coming up from behind. "Fucking well, get out!" he bellowed. The sound of his voice echoed on the rocky terrain around us. I could feel it rebounding off the stones and resounding in the distance.

  With Jeffe now beside me, I picked up my pace to run alongside. We were now moving towards the doorway between the realms. And, the Flame was still down. It needed to stay that way. Or we'd be dead. We still had a long way to run before we crossed the boundary, and before we could claim our freedom.

  Around us, the area was now filled with demons. They were all pushing and shoving to get past the slower ones. Everyone knew the stakes. Everyone knew what they were risking. If they didn't make it past the barrier, they would either be killed from the Flame or stuck forever in this realm. Not a positive outcome, either way.

  No, there were no second chances. Not this time. There were no do-overs. We only had one shot, and this was it. We were all running as fast as we could. We all wanted to escape this nightmare of a realm.

  "Move it!" Jeffe voice echoed in my ear. My head jerked in his direction. "This is our only chance."

  Jeffe was gaining a slight lead on me. I was already giving it everything I've had. My legs were already aching, threatening to collapse on me. I closed my eyes for a second and gritted my teeth. I needed more. I dug deep inside myself. There was still so far to run. I must have found more energy deep inside me. When my eyes opened, I saw Jeffe now beside me again.

  Slow runners were becoming a problem. Both Jeffe and I had to shove them out of the way, without losing our stride. I could see the Flame. It still looked so far away.

  More slow runners were getting into our path. If not pushing them aside, we were weaving in and out. This was slowing us down though. But, we were determined nothing could stop us. Not now. Not after all this time of preparation. I looked up. There was still so far to go.

  We were getting closer. I needed to find greater speed. We had to make it.

  "No!" the awful gut wrenching cry rang out from Jeffe.

  My head jerked up as he yelled. My body jerked as a burst of cold air shot out from the entrance to the cave. My pace began to slow as I stared at the rising blue flame. I could feel the cold snapping at my body. You could only get so close when the Flame was up. Jeffe was still matching my pace, besid
e me.

  I knew what the cold meant. It meant the Flame was beginning to rise again. I looked over at Jeffe, "It can't be over yet. We've got to keep going. The Flame is still low." Putting my head forward again, I dug even deeper for energy. I managed to pick up my pace a little more. We were getting closer now. So close. If we could fight this chill, we could still make it. We could still claim our freedom.

  I salvaged every ounce of energy and speed I could. I was running faster. Jeffe was now moving right beside me. The demons behind us must have taken our lead. I felt the hard vibrations on the rocky ground beneath me. I could feel their feet pounding in urgency. We were now in the run of our lives.

  The only sound was the thunderous roar of the pounding feet. The sound echoed around the canyon. From those running parallel with us, I could also hear their harsh, laborious breathing. I knew everyone was pushing themselves to their maximum limits and even beyond.

  The sound gave me hope and pushed me on.

  "If we're going to make this, then run! Damn it, run!" Jeffe's voice bellowed around the canyon. His voice went out to all the demons. It gave us inspiration, the will to try harder. But, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how Jeffe could yell like that, and run at the same time. I was running out of oxygen. My lungs were starving for air. I'd pushed myself even beyond my limits. At any minute, I expected to collapse. Instead, Jeffe's words gave me inspiration and incentive to push on.

  Looking up, I witnessed the Flame climbing higher. There was still time, but it would be fucking close. The last thing I wanted was to be caught in the Flame. That was one of the most horrifying ways to die with the body splitting and the insides literally being torn out. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

  I dug even deeper.

  A ruckus sounded from behind me. Turning my head for a second, I saw a large group of men down, on the ground. Some faster runners had been entangled with the slower ones. Their race had probably been run for the final time. I doubted there would be time for them to untangle themselves and regain their place. I felt for them. I had sympathy, but I couldn't offer them anything else. If I did that, I would end up dying too. And, it was my job, as second to ensure Jeffe made it out. Even if I didn't. It was imperative, that our leader be saved. We had to keep moving.

  As I got closer to the Flame, I could feel the cold chill from it. I knew that my speed had slowed, but if nothing else, I was still moving. Jeffe, as well, was still alongside of me.

  The blue flame was now at knee height. And was climbing steadily higher. We'd have to jump to clear it. If we touched it, we were dead. I wondered if I had the energy to even jump.

  We kept running as fast as we could. We were merely a blur against some of the other demons.

  Finally, the Flame was directly in front of us. Neither Jeffe nor myself slowed down. We kept moving. The muscles in my foot let out a silent scream of pain as I sprang up from the tip of my toes. I don't know how Jeffe was going, but we jumped together.

  I could feel the chill of the Flame itching closer to my skin as I scaled over the top.

  My legs collapsed with the first touch of the ground, on the other side. I forced myself to roll to ease the strain. My knees scraped across the ground. I knew I'd ripped skin off. I could feel blood dripping, but I ignored it. I ended up on my hands and knees as I desperately gasped for much-needed air. My lungs were screaming in agony. It took all my strength to force air into my lungs.

  For several long minutes, I simply couldn't move. At least not until I could get my breathing into control.

  My body fell over to the side. I had no control over any of my muscles. I realised then the level of agony I was in. Apart from my aching lungs, the muscles in my legs were trembling from the exertion. I'd pushed myself too hard, and my body was simply trying to survive.

  I heard Jeffe panting alongside me and heard the others around me. We were all in the same boat. We'd pushed ourselves far beyond what any one of us was used to. Could we survive this? Would our bodies pull together again and allow us to survive?

  I continued to gasp and pull in air. My muscles were screaming in agony as they tried to relax again. I had aches and pains all over my body from the landing. I have no idea how long it took us to recover, but finally I managed to lift my head to check on Jeffe. It would have all been for nought, if Jeffe hadn't survived.

  Looking to the side now, I saw that Jeffe looked to be in a similar state as I was. Neither of us could even talk. All we could do was lay on the ground and pant. But, he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

  I raised my head higher. I had to see who else had made it, and what condition they were in. A smile grew on my face, as I scanned the area. Hundreds of demons were lying on the ground. Some were exhausted like we were. Others were in pain with broken legs. But it looked like, all were alive. We'd done it! We'd broken out of the demon realm!

  I forced myself to turn and sit. That was the best I could do for now. There was no way I could stand. I was barely holding myself upright. But this was a small price to pay for our freedom. I could hear even more men still jumping the Flame, before landing heavily on the ground.

  I turned to Jeffe. "We made it!" I croaked out to him. My voice was even damaged. I had to cough and swallow a few times, to even get it working. We'd been preparing for this day for such a long time. And now, we'd succeeded.

  "Look out!"

  I don't know who called out, but my head immediately jerked to watch the flame.

  Jeffe also managed to raise his head enough to look in that direction.

  Demons were still escaping. But, the Flame was now too high. It was also rising faster. No more demons could jump to escape its clutches.

  "No!" Jeffe screamed as he struggled to stand up. "There are still men in the tunnel!" He finally made it to his feet, but stood there weaving back and forth.

  I pictured the scene on the other side of the Flame as it now almost engulfed the whole of the opening. There would be panic and confusion. Some of the men would be pushing and shoving others out of the way. There would be pandemonium.

  But, it was too late. The Flame was too high now. There was nothing we could do but sit and watch.

  Screams began echoing from inside the Flame, as the men were burned by the cold. I wanted to cover my ears to block out the screams echoing from the other side. I couldn't do that. More screams joined in as the Flame mercilessly struck more down. The men were dying and there was fucking nothing we could do but watch and listen as the Flame rose.

  With what little reserve energy I had, I strained to get to my feet. If the men were going to die, I needed to be on my feet to witness it.

  I stood beside Jeffe as we lowered our heads, unable to bear witness to the dying demons any longer. Even without the visual, none of us would be able to block out the screams of those dying. The sounds were echoing from the other side. The silence on this side of the Flame was all-encompassing. All of us could do nothing, but listen.

  I raised my hands to cover my face. I didn't want to hear this anymore.

  "The Flames are down again!" someone yelled.

  My head jerked up towards the Flame. I stared in disbelief at the sight before me. The Flame was down! Again! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a damn miracle. The Flame had never gone down twice in all the time it had been there. It had never gone down once, actually.

  Jeffe's face also reflected the disbelief I was feeling. We stood and watched as more demons poured out of the tunnel. We staggered forward slightly, to get into a better vantage point. Other demons joined us. Loud cheers went up as we watched a miracle happening. Demons were literally pouring out of the opening of the cave. Shouts rose in the air from all around us, as the call went out to speed up and jump. Loud cheers went up again and again as more and more demons poured out through the opening.

  It was a sight I'd never expected seeing today that's for sure. For long minutes, we watched as the men jumped out of the cave and landed heavily on the grou
nd. Hundreds escaped in minutes. Our hopes rose and more and more came through. The atmosphere had changed to one of hope. I had no idea why it was down. I was just thankful for it and hoped it would give us enough time to get even more out. More and more demons escaped to their freedom. The minutes ticked by. Jeffe grabbed my shoulder and gripped it tight as we watched the unbelievable sight of even more demons jumping out of the realm barrier.

  Then, in an instant, it all changed. I had to cover my ears as a piercing whoosh sound erupted from the passage. The Flame was quick to rise this time. Jeffe's hand tightened its grip painfully on my shoulder.

  In mere seconds, the screaming began anew from the other side. Horrific sounds of men dying echoed around us. We lowered our heads as a sign of respect for those fallen. Their only crime… not being fast enough to claim their freedom. There was nothing more any of us could do.

  It took time for the screams to cease. Even when they'd stopped, I could still hear them echo in my mind.

  Finally, it was all over. The Flame was high again and burning strong. No more would be able to escape from that other realm.

  I heard Jeffe sigh as he glanced around at those who'd made it. It wasn't a complete failure. Hundreds had escaped. But a lot of men died. Good men. Men, we'd fought in battles with. Men, we'd been proud to call friends and brothers. Jeffe sighed again as he continued to stare at the Flames.

  None of those on the other side would ever gain their freedom, now. We would never return here to see the Flame again.

  We'd all been waiting and preparing for months. We received word that the Flame would go down. But we didn't know exactly when it would happen. So, from that time on we'd done nothing but prepare, watch and wait. We'd said our goodbyes to our comrades and families. We'd given away most of what little we owned. We prepared physically for the run to the Flame. The load we could carry, on the run, was small. Any excessive amount would slow the pace too much. We had just one shot to get out. And now at least some of us had made it.