by D. N. Hoxa
“I did, but I realized what was happening before the magic consumed me. It’s like a bad habit, very hard to break. It makes everything seem so easy that you don’t want to give it up. If you don’t, that’s all you’ll be able to do. The greed will drive you against your own self and all you’ll want is more.”
“Sounds a lot like money.” It was a lesson I’d learned by simply watching my parents do what they called life.
“Except money doesn’t have the power to kill you with a whisper.”
I swallowed hard. “Can you do that?”
Elisa smiled. “No, I’m not that strong. But I’ve got a few tricks that will come in handy.”
“Use everything you’ve got against those creatures.”
Elisa looked down at my left hand and the dragon wrapped around it. “You, too.”
I wanted to tell her thank you for everything, but doing that seemed so final. Like I’d already accepted that I’d never see her again. So I held myself. Thank yous could wait until after we were done here.
When Elisa stopped the van, my whole body was shaking. I at least wouldn’t be passing out anytime soon. That was about the only silver lining to all of this. We checked the road and the woods—what we could see—on both sides, and when we were certain that no demons were going to come after us, we jumped out. I was armed well, with three swords, three guns, and six knives in my vest, along with a lot of bullets to reload. Two Glocks, and a .500 Magnum, just for me. Eddie thought I’d need it more than he would, and he’d collect it afterward together with the dragon, one way or another. The swords weren’t like my Butterflies, but they were the weapons I was most comfortable with, since I’d be using my magic as well. The trouble was, once I started to do that, not only would the demons find me in a blink of the eye, but the ECU probably could, too. Elisa thought they’d never come close to that hospital because of the demons. That the ECU had given up on hunting them after the demons killed five ECU teams sent after them without breaking a sweat, and was instead hunting the witches, the easier prey.
I believed her because it suited me. Like I said, those witches were better off dead than as food for those demons.
Elisa told Eddie’s men the plan. They were heavily armed and full of spell stones, too. They’d even taken off their suits, which was a pleasant surprise.
“Shoot from a safe distance. All we need is the noise,” Elisa was telling them. Neither said a single word.
“When you’re done, wait for us in the back, at the edge of the woods on the other side. We’re going to need help getting the people all the way here.” That way, they could both help and keep away from danger. “And don’t forget, fellas. Save as many as you can before walking away.”
Not much of a pep talk, but the nerves had gotten the best of me. The men were under the command to obey our orders, but to walk away if it was a life or death situation. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I didn’t want anybody else’s death on my conscience.
“Do you have a tight lid on it?” Elisa asked me when we entered the woods.
“Yep.” She meant my magic. I’d blocked it long before we’d left Eddie’s underground room. And the Pretters Elisa had activated on me to avoid any kind of signature from my magic were going to do their job, too.
“Good,” she said. It was refreshing to see no trace of fear in her features. She looked exactly like she had the first night I met her. Fierce and determined, with balls of steel. It gave me a boost, too, as I walked into my own death of my free will.
I already knew that this was going to be one hell of a show. I just wasn’t sure how close The End was.
The trees were much denser than I’d realized the first time around, or maybe I’d just been too out of it to notice. I held my breath as we walked ahead, as silently as we could, but the ground was filled with dead leaves and broken tree branches. If anybody was listening, they would hear us approaching easily.
Elisa had two katanas in her hands, their blades as sharp and as deadly as those of my swords. She also had three guns in the vest, and the knives. Eddie’s men had twice as much on them, only because they weren’t going to fight hand-to-hand. The best way to damage the demons from afar were the very large automatic, with three rounds of ammunition around their hips each. The first time, getting to the other side of the wood had felt like an eternity, but now, I hadn’t even started to sweat properly before we saw the building. That’s when I realized that there would be no need for the adrenaline shots I had with me. My heart beat like it wanted out of my chest, and my blood rushed so fast, it shook my entire body constantly.
We were at the side of the building, which was twice as wide as it was long, so I could almost see the front yard—empty, deserted, full of overgrown grass and bushes. The broken stairway and the door that led to the inside made my hair stand to attention. The night we left that place when Elisa saved us, I’d been so sure that I would never, under any circumstances, come back here.
But then again, I’d been absolutely sure that I’d lead a very boring life and die by myself just a month ago. Life is nothing if not unpredictable. We stopped behind the last tree line, and Elisa nodded for Eddie’s men to make their way to the front of the building. It was sad that we didn’t even know their names, but I really hoped this wasn’t the last time I was seeing them. My palms were sweaty, the metal handles of my swords very uncomfortable and slippery. We kept our eyes on the men and watched them jog to the front with their firearms in hand, until they disappeared behind the overgrown bushes and the side of the building. I let go of a long breath and turned to the side door again. Any second now, a demon or three could come out running after me. My magic was locked tightly inside my chest but one could never be too sure.
“What if they aren’t here?” Elisa whispered, making my knees shake.
“They are. They have to be. You followed one here.”
“Yeah, but what if he wasn’t a demon?” She was terrified, same as I.
“Then we’ll find them. They haven’t disappeared, Elisa. They’re somewhere.”
“You’re not going to stop looking, are you?” She didn’t sound surprised.
“I never had a higher purpose in my life.” I never had a higher purpose to die for, either.
“You do—” But she was cut off by the sound of gunshots in the distance.
My heart skipped a long beat. It had begun. Eddie’s men shot at the building without stop, just like Elisa instructed them. I watched the side door without blinking, afraid I’d miss a split second when the demons came out.
“Let’s go!” Elisa called, running toward it with both her katanas raised. This was the only opening we’d get. We needed to catch the demons by surprise while they figured out who was shooting at them—our only advantage.
I ran after Elisa with all my strength, my own swords drawn. I remembered the building inside that door all too well. The stairs, the Exit signs…the room where I’d been tied to the wall. The room that was now empty, same as the hallway.
We both stopped in front of the glass shards of the broken window, and looked down the empty hallways. The old, torn beds were still at every corner, but there was blood on the ground now, too. Drops of it here and there, completely dried.
Putting my finger in front of my lips, I told Elisa to give us a second to listen, but no sound reached our ears other than the gunshots. They eventually stopped, too. My heart fell for a second. The place sounded deserted.
But then we heard the footsteps. They came from far away, but the sound was unmistakable. Somebody was definitely there. We took off running down the hallway again, no longer concerned with making noise. They would know we were there soon enough. We followed the sound of footsteps, growing louder and louder, into a round room with broken benches, vending machines, and garbage. The smell was terrible, too, but I doubted anybody cared about the complaint. After stopping for a second to figure out where the sound was coming from, we continued into a half open door to our right. I barel
y even pushed it open with my shoulder and the thing fell off its hinges. We were in a stairway, and the sounds were coming from downstairs. I stopped Elisa when she hurried down. If the demons were going that way, that meant the witches, if they were there, were up.
Holding my breath, I took the stairs two and three at a time. Three cardboard boxes labeled fragile were the first thing we saw. The stairs went up another floor, but now, we no longer needed to follow sound to find the witches. We could see the demons in the waiting room through the half-broken double doors that divided it from the stairway.
I didn’t give myself a chance to think, to let the fear paralyze me. I shot forward with all my strength, pushed the doors open with a kick, and landed in the middle of twelve demons.
Yes, twelve. Another twelve could have gone to check who was shooting in the front.
Seeing them all together like that was so strange. They looked so normal, half sitting on the blue benches, some leaning against walls, and some sitting on the floor, cross-legged. They didn’t look surprised to see us, but they did what they always did: they smiled.
Their vertically slit pupils were the only sign that they weren’t from here, otherwise anybody would have mistaken them, myself included. Slowly, they all rose to their feet, their eyes locked on us. The closest one to me was a guy that had been sitting on the nearest bench. My mind calculated the fastest and easiest way to render them unconscious for as long as was possible, which meant I was aiming for the head.
Elisa started chanting.
I threw my sword at the first demon.
Not the best throwing weapon, but it would serve as a distraction, if nothing else, while I ran with my other sword and a Glock raised. The demons charged at us, all at once. Two of my bullets hit the one in front in the forehead, but there were five more coming for me, so I had to move fast. I’d never fought more than four demons at a time before, and the last time, they’d almost killed me. But now, like I said, I had a purpose, and I swung my arms with that thought in mind.
The demons were fast. I managed to shoot another in the chest before a large fist connected with the side of my face and threw me to the side. The tight lid I had around my magic loosened. A demon grabbed me by my left arm and I shot the gun until there were no more bullets left. He let go of me, but another grabbed me on the other side, and spun me to him just in time for his friend to try and kick my teeth in. Another fist from a demon I didn’t even see and blood exploded from my nose. The pain blinded me temporarily but I welcomed it. Besides, I didn’t need to see to unleash my magic. I called for it and felt it snake its way down my arms furiously, shooting through the tips of my fingers. It was so powerful, it pushed me back, as well as the demons.
They didn’t move far enough but I had the two seconds I needed to get the other Glock from my vest, and shoot as well as use my sword to cut some demon skin to pieces. The problem was, they’d gotten a taste of my magic, and now all four of them were coming for more. Blocking my magic again took effort that would be pointless, in the end. The only thing that would prevent these creatures from sucking me dry was if they were unconscious, or half dead. I used everything I had against them, sword, gun and body, but it was too much, and I didn’t know the room by memory. I was thrown against a wall so hard, all air left my lungs. From there, I could see the room perfectly—and the other ten demons walking into the waiting room to join the fight.
Fear dug its icy fingers into my skin. The demons kept trying to suck my magic, and I wasn’t sure how long I could hold them off. Elisa was at the other side of the room, fighting five of them, and the newcomers separated as they walked to us: six came to me, and four went to her.
I dropped the Glock and reached for the Magnum. Pushing against the wall behind me with my elbows, I rolled forward and spun at the same time, aiming for their knees. The bullets flying out at 1500 feet per second sure did the job, and they spilled a lot of demon blood all around me. By the time I made it back to my feet, five demons were on their knees, one right in front of me. So easy to cut off his head. So satisfactory. Others sucked at me from behind, their mouths wide open, their eyes locked on me. That slowed my movements as strings of my magic left my skin in waves. The anger no longer had as much significance in keeping me motivated, but I still fought with all my heart, as much as my body would let me. When the bullets of my Magnum were gone, I had no time to reload, so I reached for another sword, and took off another demon head. The floor was full of their bodies, of our blood. Elisa was still standing. I could barely see her through the corner of my eye, but I didn’t worry too much. She said she’d leave once I was done, and she would. I just had no idea how Eddie’s people were going to come for the dragon when there were so many demons in that place. I kept on cutting through necks and chests, and though a lot of them fell to the ground, some of them rose back up too soon.
It could have been an hour, or mere minutes, but when my right sword slid under a demon’s neck, two others took advantage of that one precious second to grab me by the wrists and throw me against the wall.
But the one who’d grabbed my left wrist was thrown off me. He made it all the way across the room before he hit the ground, making my heart jump and the image of hope invade my mind. It was useless, though. My sword had slipped from my hand and when I tried to hit the next one coming for me with the dragon’s wings in front of my knuckles, he moved away, and his friend grabbed me—by the arm this time. I had been more right than I realized when I said they were learning fast. Seeing the blood on all their faces counted for a small victory, but though they looked nervously at the dragon around my hand, that didn’t stop them from inviting the magic out of me simply by opening their freaking mouths.
Trying to free myself from their grips was impossible. They were hurt, but I was, too, and I was being stripped of my energy. I pushed my body forward so hard, that when they pulled my arms back, I hit the wall with the back of my head twice. It hurt like hell and I felt the blood rushing down to my neck.
Six demons towered over me and that’s how I realized that I was no longer standing. Hope slipped away from my fingers little by little, and I tried my damn hardest to block them, but I couldn’t.
Until two of them fell right on top of me. Unconsciousness began to claim my mind when I heard Elisa screaming. Screaming her spell. I’d heard her chant before, and I was pretty confident that I could identify Hedge magic now, but what she was chanting in those seconds wasn’t a Hedge spell. The words were short, concise, each rhyming with the other like she was reciting a poem in a foreign language. I could hardly breathe from the demon chest against my face until he got off me, but they were no longer trying to suck my magic. My heartbeat had slowed to a crawl and my eyelids felt heavy. I was going under, and going fast.
The demons were still holding onto me, but Elisa was chanting, and soon, we were all thrown back by her magic. It was…vile. Like something sticky covering your skin, and because the wall was right behind me, her magic pushed my head against it again, drawing out even more blood.
I wanted to tell her to stop. Whatever this magic was, I didn’t want it anywhere near me, but the point was that my hands were free, the demons now standing up to face her. My fingers shook terribly as I reached for one of the adrenaline shots in my vest. My mind was giving up on me, my heart refusing to pick up the beating. The small, plastic syringe was cold against my skin. I took the lid off with my teeth and tried not to look at the small needle before stabbing myself on the thigh.
The effect was immediate. My eyes opened wide, lids no longer heavy, in time to see the demon falling against me. The back of his head almost hit my nose before I moved to the side. He fell on my lap and I put my free arm around his neck before driving my sword right into his temple.
Pushing him off me was easy now that my muscles were alive again. Holy cow, I felt so good! My heart beat a thousand times faster, my skin was raised in goosebumps, and my focus was extremely sharp. A smile stretched my lips as I swung my
sword against a demon who was trying to protect himself from Elisa’s magic. If I’d known how to keep from losing it every time those demons came for me, I’d have stocked my apartment with ten years’ worth of adrenaline long ago.
But the smile vanished when I saw Elisa on her knees, barely holding herself up. She kept chanting though, but the demons were coming for her from behind. Sixteen of them were still standing, and I had no idea how they healed so freaking fast. It was so unfair!
Right now, neither was looking to suck me dry, so I used my magic liberally. The storm within me unrolled, taking its anger to the outside. When it left me, it felt like it did from every part of me, not just my hands. I blew the ones before me toward Elisa, and she held them back with her magic. The ground beneath us shook. A demon ran lightning fast behind Elisa and grabbed her by the shoulder. He threw her against a vending machine like she weighed nothing, then looked at his hand. Something black coated it, something that shone under the white lights in the ceiling, and spread up his hand fast.
Elisa was moving, trying to get to her feet. I wanted to give her more time to stand by attacking all the demons with my magic again, and using my swords to cut off as many heads as I could. I only managed to add two more of those to my portfolio, before they all turned to me again.
I screamed at the top of my lungs with frustration, because they were sucking my magic again, and Elisa was barely standing, holding onto the vending machine. She had a gun in her hands now, and aimed it at the three demons going for her, but I didn’t see what happened when one of mine slapped me across the face and threw me against the chest of his friend. Arms of steel wrapped around me, pinning mine to the side. The demon squeezed me like I was a lemon and he was dying for some lemonade, until I lost feel of my fingers, and my sword slipped away. With his face so close to mine, I could see every inch of his skin, which looked strange, almost like plastic. Maybe it was just the sweat, but before I could figure out a way to free myself, I heard gunshots and was thrown to the ground. The demons proceeded to kick me and suck my magic at the same time, giving me no chance to even try to attack.