Prey

by Carlos King

  Alex did all of these things and received a great satisfaction from doing so. That’s when the thought of something he feared most of all floated to the surface of his conscience. Alex remembers everything Zandor told him and it’s now dawning on him that he may’ve been telling the truth. The only assumption Alex can make about why he felt so good after torturing Zavior is because he’s becoming the very thing he despises.

  CHAPTER 31

  Alex exits the barn and spots Drake in the far off distance, standing over the dead body of the last remaining demon. Drake wipes a mixture of saliva and blood from his mouth and chin, his savage form still noticeable.

  As the two near, Drake abandons his beastly appearance, returning to his more acceptable, human façade. The blackness of Alex’s eyes subsides into his pupils, eventually diminishing out of sight, permitting the calm hazel hue of his irises to shine through.

  “Was it all you thought it’d be?” Alex asked Drake.

  “Even better,” Drake exhaled, unfastening his destroyed watch. “Unfortunately, every pleasurable deed has its setbacks. I see you’re still alive, though. I guess that means you took it to Zavior, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know how you do it, angel. Zavior had more time invested in Hell than I did. It’s unheard of for anyone, angel or demon, to do what you’ve done.”

  Drake observes Alex’s withdrawn demeanor. “Try not to beat yourself up too bad over what happened to Jade, angel. There’s nothing you could’ve done to save her. It was a lost cause the moment Zandor got into the picture.”

  “It isn’t over yet,” Alex declared.

  “You’d be way out of your league trying to challenge Zandor. You’re better off cutting your losses and going back to Heaven with your tail tucked between your legs. You’ve done all you can do.”

  “What are you saying? A demon has Jade, Drake! You know just as well as I do what they’re planning to do to her. You act like you don’t even care.”

  “Hey, what the hell do you want me to do about it? The situation sucks, alright? But to go after her would be nothing short of suicide as long as Zandor has her. And so you’re clear, cowboy, Zandor isn’t just a demon…He’s a reaper—one of the purest forms of demons there is. Whenever a soul needs to be found, it’s a reaper that gets sent after it. Zandor’s one of the millions of perfectly trained killing machines that were designed by Satan and cultivated by Hell. The rest of us are just hybrids—evil spirits that have to merge with a human body in order to have a physical presence in this earthly-realm. Zandor, on the other hand, is here in his true demonic form. That amplifies his powers, making him faster and stronger than the rest of us. He has a sense of smell that allows him to locate whoever, whenever, wherever. His defensive skill set is so impeccable that it borderlines precognition. And it’s virtually impossible to hurt him because his body regenerates from any kind of injury almost instantly.”

  “You claim to be in love with her, but listen to what you’re saying. We have seven months worth of time to find Jade and devise a plan to save her, but here you are acting like the clock has already expired. What kind of love is that?”

  “The kind you’d get from a demon,” Drake stated. “Just because my form of love is different from yours doesn’t give you the right to judge me. I do love Jade, but I’m not willing to risk my life for her. I have bad things waiting on the other side for me, angel. Bad things that I’m in no rush to see anytime soon. I guess you couldn’t understand that concept, though.”

  Alex looks at Drake with a telling look in his eyes. It is unclear if Drake is reading the thoughts on Alex’s mind or simply making a guess based off of Alex’s concerned facial expression, but whatever it is, it leads Drake to add, “Or maybe you can.”

  “Fine. If you don’t want to help, then don’t. But I made Jade a promise and I plan on keeping it.”

  Alex starts to walk off, moving in the same direction that Zandor had taken Jade.

  “Wait a minute, angel!” Drake called out.

  Alex stops, turns to face him. “What do you want? I have a lot of ground to cover and no time to waste.”

  “Your time won’t be wasted. I know where she is.”

  “You know?” Alex repeated. “Where is she?”

  “A place,” Drake candidly answered. “There’s something you need to know first. Seven months is when Jade will be needed to open the portal, but keeping her here on this planet would be too risky. To ward off any interference from outside parties, it was decided that she’d be harbored in the one place that no angel could get to. It’s a place where even God can’t go.”

  “They’re taking her to Hell?” Alex fearfully queried.

  Drake nods his head to concur. “The gateway is due to open within the next hour or so. When it does, Zandor will take her through and then no one will be able to get to her—at least not for the next seven months.”

  “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. They only way she can be taken to Hell is if they killer her. But if they kill her they won’t be able to open the portal. The whole thing would’ve been for nothing,”

  “You still aren’t getting it. This is a street fight, Alex. There aren’t any rules, regulations, or any referees to keep it clean. Under normal circumstances you’d be right. A person’s human body would have to die first before their soul can be taken to another realm. But these aren’t normal circumstances, are they? Zandor isn’t going to kill her…He’s just taking her to Hell until the day comes around when they’ll need her as a sacrifice. That’s when they’ll kill her.”

  “And you knew this all along?” Alex questioned.

  “No. I just found out yesterday. I didn’t tell Jade because I didn’t want to freak her out. I was going to tell you, but then you barged in on us like a lunatic.”

  Alex wants to lash out at Drake for neglecting to inform them of this crucial information, but he restrains himself because he knows that arguing over spilled milk won’t help Jade’s current situation.

  “Tell me where she is.”

  “I wish I could, Alex. Really, I do. Thing is, if I tell you where she is that could put a big target on my back. Only thing I’m in trouble for now is disobeying a couple of commands from the boss. Hell has Jade in their custody now, so technically, the boss probably isn’t thinking about my worthless ass anymore. But if I give you Jade’s location, not only would I be a traitor, I’d also be number one on Lu’s shit list. I don’t need or want that kind of heat.”

  “Listen to me very carefully, demon,” said Alex in a stern tone of voice. “No more games, no more stories. Either you tell me where Jade is or I’ll send you back to Hell myself…Right here…Right now.”

  Drake laughs at Alex’s threat, viewing it as nothing more than idle. “Save your intimidation tactics, angel. You don’t have what it takes to put fear in my heart.”

  Without hesitation, Alex’s eyes flame up and just as quickly, the turn a solid black. “I can fix that.”

  “Okay, angel. You want a fight? You got it.” Drake’s eyes ignite red. “Just remember, you brought this on yourself.”

  After a brief stare down, Alex and Drake rush each other at blinding speeds. When the two meet, Alex effortlessly bulldozes his way through Drake, laying him out flat. Sprawled on the ground, Drake is dumbfounded by Alex’s strength. Irate, Drake gets back to his feet, his true demon form now showing.

  With drool oozing freely over his pointy teeth, Drake heatedly says, “Let’s try this again.”

  Alex and Drake methodically stalk one another, waiting for the perfect opening to strike. Without warning, the two storm at each other in what looked like a synchronized attack.

  When the two meet this time it’s more evenly contested. Drake and Alex exchange punches at will. There’s a lack of defensive presence on both sides, but when either of the two throws a potentially devasting punch, the other makes sure to stay clear of it. Alex and Drake keep up the tiring rate of output for quite a few minutes, and
despite how well Alex is matching up against Drake, he’s beginning to feel the effects of fatigue.

  With Alex’s energy plummeting, Drake’s swift and precise punches are landing with more frequency. The accumulation of punches is producing a lot of trouble for Alex. Alex is beginning to look like a boxer who’s taken one too many blows and is now feeling their dizzying effects. Alex’s defenses have deteriorated and his offense is nonexistent. He is literally at Drake’s mercy.

  Seeing that Alex is staggering, Drake lets up on his merciless assault. “Now if I could do this to you, what do you think Zandor’s going to do?”

  Alex shakes his head, desperately trying to refocus his vision.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Drake continued. “I couldn’t give a damn what happens to you, but if I told you where Jade is, that could put me at risk, and that, I can’t allow.”

  Drake throws a sharp punch to the side of Alex’s head, knocking him down. Alex raises his torso off of the dirt and settles his weight on his forearms and knees.

  “Do yourself a favor, Alex…Stay down.”

  Alex ignores Drake’s warning and struggles to get back to his feet. Before Alex can make any significant progress, Drake drops a nasty elbow in the center of his back, flattening him.

  “Why don’t you just move on, angel? You have about seven months to admire all the beauty this planet has to offer before it’s ravished. Take in a sunset or two. Try to enjoy yourself while you can.”

  “Without Jade, there’s nothing to enjoy,” Alex told Drake, rising back up to his knees and forearms.

  “Face it, angel. It’s over. You failed, alright? Let it go. You gave it your best shot. No one can deny you that. It’s just too bad for Jade your best just wasn’t good enough. She put her trust in you and you failed. I can’t really blame you, though. You were doing pretty good until Zandor showed up. It’s just too bad you weren’t good enough.”

  Alex has heard all he can stand. Drake’s callous words have hit their mark, infuriating Alex in a way he’s never been angered before. Normally, when Alex is about to fight a golden-ring of flames would form in the center of his pupils and expand across the entire eye, leaving both eyes totally black. But for some unknown reason that process doesn’t occur on this particular occasion. Instead, a miniature explosion erupts in the center of Alex’s eye, creating a ball of flames that doesn’t expand. The fiery ball takes the place of his pupils. The intense flame in each eye causes the surrounding areas of both eyes to heat up so tremendously that the entire eye becomes red-hot.

  Alex slowly stands up. Drake can’t see the change that has occurred in him yet because Alex’s back is turned to him. Drake does pick up on a foreign energy he’s never felt before that seems to be radiating off of Alex. He isn’t sure what it is, yet he feels confident in his assumption.

  “Okay…” Drake grinned. “Show me.”

  Alex turns to face Drake. There’s a look of malice on his face; more hateful than any expression he’s ever manifested. The first thing that captures Drake’s interest is Alex’s dark, red eyes. This is a characteristic only shared by demons, but the golden-flame that’s still burning in the center of his eyes is a characteristic only shared amongst angels. Drake is confounded by the phenomenal occurrence.

  Drake gamely accepts Alex’s challenge. “I don’t know what kind of changes you’re going through, but I’m dying to find out what you’re capable of.” Drake takes a hostel stance. “Come on, Alex. Show me what you got.”

  Alex takes in a deep breath and exhales, creating a low-level growl. He goes on the attack. Unlike before, Alex’s punches are being thrown in rapid succession, making it incredibly hard for Drake to avoid them all. Alex’s relentless pressure is beginning to overwhelm Drake, creating openings for a lot of damaging punches.

  Systematically decimating Drake’s defenses, Alex finally lands a devastating uppercut that lifts Drake off the ground. Alex follows the uppercut up with a straight right hand that heaves Drake back towards the farmhouse, which was a substantial distance away.

  As soon as Drake touches down, Alex is right there to pick him back up. He picks Drake up and shoves him against the rusted tractor. Alex then delivers an organ-shifting punch to Drake’s stomach.

  “WHERE IS SHE?!” Alex demanded.

  Coughing from the devastating blow, Drake isn’t able to respond to the question quick enough for Alex, so he throws another jarring punch to Drake’s abdomen. Alex then levels his fist with Drake’s head.

  “WHERE?!” Alex repeated with a maniacal glare.

  When Drake fails to respond in a timely manner again, Alex thrusts his fist forward. Drake somehow manages to gather himself enough to pull away from Alex and avoid the blow. Alex’s punch misses Drake by a hair and rams into the tractor, putting a noticeable dent in its solid steel body and nudging the ten ton vehicle over the loose dirt by several inches.

  Alex takes hold of Drake again and shoves him back against the tractor. He readies his fist for another shot, and this time he has no intention of missing. Seeing Alex’s absurd power firsthand, Drake doesn’t want to find himself on the wrong end of a punch like that.

  “OKAY, OKAY, OKAY!” Drake shouted, holding his hands out in front of himself, signifying his surrender. “YOU WIN, ALRIGHT?! YOU WIN! I’LL TELL YOU WHERE SHE IS!”

  Alex releases his hold of Drake’s shirt, while simultaneously lowering his fist. The fire in his pupils dissipates and redness of his eyes goes away.

  Staring intently at Drake, Alex says, “Tell me.”

  “I’ll do you one even better. I’ll take you there. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but there’s something inside of you dying to get out. I wanna be there when it breaks out.”

  “Where is she?” Alex asked plainly.

  Still feeling the ache from the earlier body shot, Drake cradles his stomach as he bends forward to ease his pain. “She’s being held in an old factory in St. Louis.” He pauses for a minute to cough. “I think you broke my ribs…Damn it! I never had broken ribs before. It’s very uncomfortable.”

  “What’s the name of the factory, Drake?”

  “I don’t know. Hell, I don’t even know what color the building is. All I know is that’s where they are. The closer I get to Zandor, the more precise I’ll be of his whereabouts.”

  “Then why are we wasting time? Let’s go.”

  Drake stands up straight. “You know he’ll be ready for us. He’ll pick up our scent way before we hit Missouri. He’ll have plenty of time to set a trap for us. Not that he’d need to, though.”

  “My only concern is getting Jade away from that place, alive and safe. That’s it.”

  “Okay,” Drake said apathetically. “This ought to make for one hell of a show.”

  Drake takes off running and Alex takes off right behind him. Both blur out of sight as they dash through the crop fields. They’ll continue running until they reach the industrial zone of St. Louis, Missouri. Alex is unaware of it now, but waiting for him in the rundown and abandoned factory is a revelation that will drastically change him for the rest of his earthly-life, which may turn out to be a lot shorter than he realizes.

  CHAPTER 32

  Underneath the cloudy skies of St. Louis, Missouri, inside of a condemned factory, Jade sitting on the rotting floor, cradling her knees. She’s rocking back and forth as strands of tears stream from her eyes, down her cheeks.

  Leaning against a steel post that’s only a few feet away from where Jade is seated stands Zandor. As he waits for the gateway to Hell to open, Zandor takes to desecrating his arm, slicing at it with a single sharp-edged fingernail. He first punctures the skin of his forearm and then glides his fingernail across his supernatural flesh, creating a split in the skin that heals before it has a chance to bleed. Zandor is impervious to the self-inflicted pain. He takes a break from his disturbing pastime to address Jade.

  “Don’t fret, child. You should take pride in knowing your soul will empower a realm that has been
the underdog since the beginning of its creation. You’ll be the martyr of Hell. Because of you, our reign will stretch from the fires below to the clouds above. Everything will be ours for the taking.”

  The last thing Jade would ever want is to be responsible for the collapsing of the barriers that separate Heaven from Hell and Hell from Earth. She doesn’t want to be held accountable for the countless deaths of angels and humans. She scrambles her mind, searching for any possible way to avert the catastrophic scenario. That’s when her focus is diverted to the many broken windows of the factory. It’s hard for her to gauge just how high up from the ground they are because Zandor entered the factory way too fast for her to keep up. She’s fairly sure that before they came to settle in their current spot, Zandor made a vertical ascension up at least three or four flights of stairs. While she can’t be sure of the height, Jade feels safe in trusting that a fall from one of the windows will be sufficient enough to end her life and eliminate any chances the Devil has of freeing the primordial demons.

  Jade anxiously sits in anticipation, waiting for just the right moment to make her move. She notices that Zandor has gone back to his nauseating form of self-amusement and has begun to slice away at his flesh again. Jade waits until he’s completely absorbed with his sickening pastime before she sets her plan into action.

  She discreetly gets up and looks through the badly stained glass of a nearby, broken window. Zandor looks over at Jade, but when he sees she’s only staring out the window he focuses back on his arm. Making it through the initial test, Jade looks around the room and soon discovers a window not too far away from her, where the glass has been broken out entirely. She takes a deep breath, musters up every ounce of courage she can, and only after a slight hesitation, she bolts toward it. By the time Zandor looks back up, Jade’s already near the broken window.