by N. P. Martin
As it turned out though, there was a first time for everything. One of the demons closest to him, wearing a young man’s meat suit, came charging towards him, the demon’s true face fierce and on display, sharp teeth bared, and sunken eyes burning red.
The demon got to move two steps before Frank blew his head off with the Saiga-12, the demon's head exploding in a burst of dark red.
Frank sensed a lot flinching going on in the bar. Even demons couldn’t remain ice cold when they saw one of their buddies get their head blown off, even if that head didn’t strictly belong to the demon, and even if that demon wasn’t strictly dead, as the trail of black smoke leaving the body of the headless meat suit attested to. The demon’s spirit was on the move, forcefully swirling through the bar until it disappeared through an air vent in one of the walls.
“Anyone else feel like leaving their meat suit?” Frank barked.
The room was silent for a moment, then a demon whose head was just a mass of black writhing tentacles piped up at the bar. “What do you want, Watcher?”
Frank aimed the shotgun at Tentacle Head. “I want your boss, asshole. Where is he?”
“Why?” asked the demon, his voice strangely watery sounding behind all those black tentacles.
Frank took a few steps closer to the demon, putting only a few feet between them. “Don’t fuck with me, demon. You know exactly why we’re here.” Frank tightened his grip on the shotgun, like he was about to fire at Tentacle Head. “Now where is he?”
“As if we would tell you anything… Watcher!” In the time it took Frank to blink, Tentacle Head had closed the distance between them and gripped the shotgun, managed to wrangle it sideways before the demon pushed the shotgun into Frank’s chest, practically lifting Frank of his feet, sending him flying back where he landed on a table, the table breaking in half on impact.
By the time Frank had even hit the floor, all hell had broken loose in the bar.
The sound of semi and automatic gunfire in the confines of the bar was deafening. From his stunned position on the floor, Frank saw every demon in the place charge forwards. Frank’s team remained tightly grouped as they fired at the oncoming demons. Within seconds the air in the bar was heavy with the smell of gunpowder. Charging demons took multiple bullets and kept on coming. Any that got close got cut down by Tyreese’s machete or Eva’s swords. Sam and Jack continued to lay down heavy fire in an effort to keep the demons at bay long enough to destroy their meat suits. Frank knew that wouldn’t be the case for much longer though. Clips would run out any second and there wouldn’t be enough time to change them. From then on, the fighting would be up close and personal.
He leapt to his feet, pulled out one of the Beretta’s from under his jacket and started firing at the nearest demon, which was all of them at this point.
A blinding white flash in his peripheral vision signaled to Frank that one of the group was using their grace as they fought.
As he kept firing the Beretta, Frank reached down and pulled the Watcher knife from its sheath attached to his leg. After he unloaded the remainder of his clip into the chest of an oncoming demon, he used the knife to finish the demon by stabbing it in the sternum.
He had no sooner retracted the knife when another demon punched him on the jaw, almost knocking him unconscious. Frank staggered back and kicked out at the demon who had hit him, forcing a blast of bad grace into the kick, white light exploding as his foot slammed into the demon’s stomach, sending the demon flying back into the bar. Still half dazed from the punch, Frank charged forward and swung the knife into the demon’s temple, bright amber light flashing out of the demon’s eyes and mouth as it took a one way trip back to Hell.
His adrenaline through the roof now, Frank snapped his head around to make sure his team were not in any trouble. He saw Jack first, knife in hand, stabbing and slashing his way through a crowd of three demons who were doing their best to overpower the man. Frank knew Jack had it handled so he looked for Eva, who had moved over into the side of the bar. Her two short swords flashed around her as she cut down anything that came close to her, her arms and legs a whirlwind of movement. If he could, Frank would have sat and watched Eva in action right then. He had never seen so much fierceness and raw fighting skill on display from anyone.
Well, almost anyone.
You’d better get in there, Frank.
After stabbing two more demons, Frank looked around for Sam and Tyreese. He found them at the far side of the bar, the two of them back to back as they struggled to take on a crowd of demons around them. Frank ran to their position, jumping over mangled meat suits as he went, stopping only once to finish off a demon whose meat suit was bleeding bad and full of bullets. Frank rammed the knife into the back of the demon's head and then kept moving until he had reached the crowd surrounding Sam and Tyreese.
There must have been at least eight demons around the two guys, most of them with their own blades. Nothing special about the blades, but they cut just fine as Sam and Tyreese were finding out. By the looks of things they had both sustained multiple stab wounds in the fight, though neither were slowing down, mixing grace strikes with stabs and slashes from the knives. Even that was difficult though when the demons you were trying to hit not only moved so damn fast, but also in some cases, teleported around you so you didn’t know where they were half the time until you felt their knife on you.
As Frank drew his other Beretta, he saw the look of relief on Sam’s face. Tyreese was facing the other way, in the process of holding a demon by the throat while he struggled to fend off another who was trying to stab him with a large kitchen knife. When Frank started firing, he caught most of the demon's attention, even managing to drop a couple before three of them rushed him.
He was ready for them though. As the first demon came at him with a long thin blade, Frank shot it in the face, dropping it instantly. The second demon managed to grab a hold of Frank, lifting him off his feet and slamming him against the bar, seemingly with no effort. The demon's hands went to Frank’s throat, but just as they did Frank shoved the knife upwards, the blade going up under the demon's jaw.
The demon had just started to light up when Frank noticed movement in his peripheral vision and he instinctively lent his head back, the blade of a knife slicing past his face. Frank looked at the demon who held the knife, panicked for a second because he was trapped between the bar and the flashing amber demon who had fallen into him.
Then something exploded out of the demon’s throat. A blade. A look of surprise came over the demon’s yellow skinned face, a look that rivalled the surprised look on Frank’s own face. The surprised look on the demon's face turned to shock a second later and then its face lit up amber before the meat suit fell to the floor to reveal Eva standing there, sword in one hand, knife in the other. She had blood spatter all over her face, but Frank swore at that moment that she had never looked sexier.
She’s enjoying herself, Frank. Just like we used to.
Eva gave Frank a dark smile and then turned her attention to the remaining demons, which were few in number at this point.
Mere moments later, all but one of the demons in the bar had either vacated their meat suits or took the express elevator back to Hell.
The one remaining demon was on the floor, Tyreese’s heavy boot on its chest, preventing it from moving while Tyreese spoke an entrapment spell that would stop the demon’s spirit from leaving the meat suit it was in. The demon cursed at Tyreese, struggled, but knew it was beaten.
Frank walked over to it after insuring his team was all intact. Every one of them had sustained minor injuries, but they were all okay. Still standing, at least.
“Tell us where Krakus is,” Frank said to the demon under Tyreese’s boot. “And maybe I let your black spirit fly out of here.”
The demon on the floor looked fearfully up at Frank, its demon face bulbous and ogre like, tusks bending out of its cheeks, pointing in towards its thick lipped mouth. “I don’t know.”
Sam stepped forward, his face and neck full of blood, though it was hard to tell if it was his own or not. “Wrong answer, motherfucker!” he said. He bent down and slashed the demon across the face with his Watcher knife. The demon cried out in pain. “You feel that? We can do that all night. Leave you looking like you slept in a bath full of razor blades. Hell ain’t got nothing on us, motherfucker.” He slashed the demon again.
“Just tell us,” Frank said to the demon. “And we’ll let you go.”
The demon's dark green eyes flitted back and forth between Frank and Sam before finally settling on Frank. “Krakus will destroy me.”
“We’ll do a lot worse,” Frank said. “How about a burial spell? Eva, you know that spell, right?”
“Of course,” said Eva, stepping forward.
“No,” the demon said, suddenly more afraid than before. “I know what that is. Please.”
“You don’t fancy being buried where you lie?” Frank asked the demon. “Spend your time deep in the ground, trapped in that meat suit, unable to leave it. Just you and your own miserable thoughts. Forever. How’s that sound?”
The demon looked like its head was about to explode from thinking too much. “Alright! But you’ll let me go, won’t you? If I tell you?”
Frank nodded. “Just tell us what we want to know. I think there’s been enough bloodshed for one night.”
“Okay,” the demon said, resigned now. “Krakus is at a warehouse near the river.”
“Which warehouse?” Sam asked. “There’s a lot of fucking warehouses near the river.”
“It used to be a cold storage, like a meat factory.”
“I know it,” Frank said. “What’s he doing there?”
“Another ritual. He needed space for more people this time.”
“How many people?” Eva asked.
“I don’t know. A lot. We collected maybe a hundred humans.”
Everyone looked at each other. Jesus, Frank thought. A hundred people were about to lose their souls, maybe already had. “Eva,” he said. “Bury this fucking scumbag in the ground.”
CHAPTER 17
The many old warehouses along the river were first built years ago when boats still used the river to transport goods back and forth. Over the years, the warehouses gradually grew empty until most were left abandoned, including the few factories that existed around them. The entire warehousing district was due for demolition soon, so it could be developed into riverside apartments. In the meantime, the empty warehouses and factory buildings made great places for criminals to do drug and gun deals in relative secret, as there was rarely any kind of public or lawful presence around.
The city’s supernatural element also liked to make use of the empty warehouses and factories. Fight rings involving supernaturals had a regular presence in the buildings, staging pit fights at least once a week. The old factory buildings especially were a favored hangout for the vampire fraternity, providing them with a dark and remote place in which to nest.
Overall, the warehouse area along the river represented a virtual playground for the cities darker elements, human included. It therefore didn’t surprise Frank to learn that Krakus had chosen an old meat factory in the area to perform the soul stealing ritual. It was the perfect place to do it, somewhere he definitely wouldn’t be disturbed. Even if vampires were present, they would stay clear of demons. Anyone else foolish enough to interfere in any way would quickly wish they hadn’t, no doubt, Frank and his team not included.
It was full dark when Frank pulled up outside the old meat factory. Eva and the others arrived right behind him. They got out of the vehicles, weapons already on them, looking somewhat worse for wear after the demon fight at the bar. Everyone, including Frank, was ready to go again though.
The old factory was cloaked in darkness and shadow. The metal front doors lay partially open. No light came from inside.
Frank turned on the flashlight on his Saiga-12. Jack did the same with his gun and then Frank signaled for everyone to move towards the factory, with him leading the way, Jack just behind him.
Frank had no idea how many demons would be inside the factory. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be that many, considering how many were taken out back at the bar. One thing was for sure though, if Krakus was in there, then so was the blonde bitch and the biker asshole that had almost cleaved Frank’s skull in the night before. The thoughts of getting payback on the demons filled Frank with an angry resolve that further fueled his primary motivation to retrieve the feather. He just hoped the feather was inside the building somewhere. If it wasn’t…
He pulled open one of the metal doors and it creaked loudly on its hinges. He winced at the noise. Jack stood beside him, aiming his weapon inside, his flashlight throwing a bright beam into the darkness of the interior.
Fuck it, Frank thought. The demons probably already knew they were here anyway.
He wasn’t overly concerned about keeping a surprise element. After the bar, his blood was up. So were the others.
He wanted to start spilling demon blood again. To save the people that were inside the building somewhere.
The factory had three floors, but Frank doubted Krakus would go to the trouble of transporting a hundred people upstairs to the higher floors. The demon and his human captives had to be on the ground floor somewhere.
When Frank and the others stepped inside the building they fanned out slightly, flashlights pointing through the dark interior. Their boots crunched on glass spread around the floor as they tried to move as quietly as possible, though Frank wasn’t setting a slow pace. He was moving quickly towards a set of large double doors directly ahead of him, guessing that the doors led into a bigger space.
As he got near the doors, Frank stopped when he heard a voice that he recognized immediately as Krakus’s. The demon was speaking loudly, deliberately, as he seemed to recite something in another language, possibly Sumerian. Frank glanced at Eva, who was standing next to Jack. The look she gave him back told him what he needed to know, what he already knew.
Krakus was in the process of reciting the spell for stealing souls.
Frank signaled for everyone to move forward to the doors. Upon closer examination, the double doors seemed not to be closed or locked. As carefully as he could, Frank gripped the metal door handle and gently pushed on one of the doors. There was no resistance and he cracked open the door just enough to know that it wasn’t locked.
He looked at Jack and nodded. Felt everyone else get ready.
Pushing open the door, he stepped through.
Frank had been right about what lay beyond the doors. It was a massive open space, perhaps once filled with storage units when the factory was still in operation, but not anymore. There was nothing in the room now.
Nothing except naked unconscious humans strewn all over the floor, seemingly laid down at random anywhere there was space. The demon back at the bar wasn’t kidding. As Frank and the others ran their flashlight beams over the mass of bodies, Frank thought there must have at least a hundred people in the room—men, women and even children, like the demons had gone out one day and grabbed the first one hundred people they seen before dragging them back to this place.
In the center of all the bodies sat the three demons who had held Frank captive the night before. Krakus, his blonde sidekick and the other hulk with the brutal elbow shot, all sat naked amongst the unconscious humans, kneeling so they each faced each other in a circle. They shot to their feet when they heard Frank and the others enter the room.
“You again!” Krakus said, obviously having no problem making out Frank in the gloom. Moonlight shone through the skylights above down intro the big open space, but it wasn’t enough to illuminate much in the room. Most of the bodies on the floor were mere shadows. The only reason Frank could see Krakus and the others was because they were sitting in a circle of black candles, which created a bright flickering circle of light in the center of the room.
“Me again, asshol
e,” Frank said as he stepped over the prone bodies to get to where Krakus and the others were sitting. He wasted no time. When he had a decent shot lined up, he took it, firing at the blonde demon who sat with her back to him but was looking over her shoulder. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Frank had already shot her twice in the back from about twenty yards away. He smiled when he heard her scream, the force of the shotgun blasts sending the demon flying forward into Krakus’s lap. A plume of black smoke—just a dark streak in the gloom—shot out from the body. Blondey would have to find herself a new meat suit to wear.
Krakus swatted the blonde meat suit off himself and stood up, his face still human, as was the other demon’s, who also stood. Neither seemed too concerned about their situation.
“Don’t move!” Frank shouted.
“You’re too late, Watcher,” Krakus said. “The ritual is done. When these humans wake up they will find themselves soulless.”
Frank continued to close the distance between them, trying not to step on the humans as he did so, which proved difficult as there were so many of them on the floor. As he drew closer to the two demons, he noticed the wooden dish on the floor. It was about the size of a large wok and it was filled with a dark liquid that Frank guessed was human blood, taken from each of the bodies on the floor. When he saw what was floating in the blood, his eyes widened.
The feather.
He couldn’t help fixating on it as he stepped closer. Only Krakus’s voice drew his attention from it.
“I assume you and your cronies there paid a visit to the bar,” Krakus said, still calm and unconcerned. “Obviously, one of my weaker underlings gave you this location.”
Frank didn’t answer. Instead, he swung the shotgun at the biker demon standing beside Krakus and pulled the trigger twice. The first shot blew a massive hole in the biker demon’s bare chest. The second shot took his head off. The demon’s meat suit fell to the floor and the dark spirit inside escaped a second later. Frank realized after he pulled the trigger that he probably should have finished the demon properly, with the Watcher knife, but he couldn’t help himself. The urge for vengeance was too much. He swung the shotgun back on Krakus. “Shut the fuck up!” he barked.