Applying it as a tourniquet, she yelled to Stacia. “He’s alive but he’s lost a lot of blood. We need to get him to a hospital.”
Stacia came out form the second bedroom and rushed towards them. “And tell them what? He was attacked by a pack of demons?”
“No, we’ll come up with something, a dog bite, anything but we are not going to let him die!”
“Yeah, that really looks like a dog bite. We’re not going to let him die, let’s get him back to your place and we’ll figure it out from there. I’ve got a personal physician’s assistant on call for me that I can have come over but we’ve got to move out, it’s not safe here.
“I need help moving him, he’s too heavy.” Tabitha yelled as she hooked the spray-bottle into one of the loops of her pants.
Stacia did the same and quickly grabbed under his knees, trying not to jostle him as Tabitha grabbed under his arms.
“Hurry! They’re pissed and it’s not just reflective demons here. It feels like they brought the whole fucking cavalry. They definitely weren’t expecting us to be packing!” Stacia nodded towards the spray-bottle hanging off of Tabitha’s hip.
“Well, they’re not getting us.” Tabitha reached for the door knob and screamed out in pain, drawing her hand back, blood flowing from the palm. A single claw protruded from the shiny metal surface. As she angrily reached for her spray-bottle, Justin began to moan. Knowing that he was alive and coming around energized her and she allowed the energy to surge through her, spraying the knob enthusiastically. She was rewarded with a tortured scream as the claw began to sizzle and melt, dropping pieces onto the floor. Within seconds, the last piece dropped to the floor and Tabitha quickly turned the knob, flinging the door open and without waiting, sprayed the other side of the door knob, focusing on the long hallway towards the elevator, no longer aware of the screams.
“Damn, we should have sprayed the elevator as we came up, I don’t have much more left.” Stacia cursed.
“Neither do I, damn it!” Tabitha frantically looked around, trying to figure out another way. Justin started moaning louder and began to struggle weakly.
“Sshhh, my love. It’s me, Tabitha. Stacia’s here too, we’re going to get you out.”
“Tabitha, I’ve got an idea. What if we use what’s left and spray ourselves down?”
“It’s risky, what if it doesn’t work?”
“What if it does?” She retorted.
Tabitha nodded, “Ok, you and Justin first. If there’s any left over, then we can spray me. Try to avoid his thigh though, salt water in the wound would be excruciating.” She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, worried about how cold and clammy it felt to her lips. “We have to hurry, we don’t have much more time.”
They gently laid Justin on the floor and began spraying Stacia and Justin with the salt water solution. Stacia closed her eyes and let the water trickle down her body, soaking her clothes and her skin. After she was saturated, they quickly worked on Justin, both women cringing when some of the solution ran into his wound, causing him to cry out.
“I’m out.” Stacia said softly, looking at Tabitha.
“I only have enough to get the rest of his legs but it’ll have to do.”
“But they’ll tear you to shreds!” Stacia argued.
“Maybe, maybe not, we’ll have to see. Justin had his experience coming into contact with them, it might be time for me now.” She threw the car keys to Stacia and looked intensely at her. “Promise me you’ll save him, no matter what happens!”
“I’m not going to leave you.” Stacia began sobbing, tears beginning to freely flow from her eyes.
“Promise me!” Tabitha yelled at her.
“Oh God, I promise!” she hollered back.
Tabitha quickly finished off the water on Justin’s legs and they gingerly picked him up, carrying him as gently as possible towards the elevator. Once inside, they laid him carefully on the floor, Stacia quickly hitting the basement floor button. The doors seemed to take forever to close, both of them looking out towards the hallway, watching for any attackers. After the elevator began it’s descent, Tabitha began stroking Justin’s head and feeling the pulse in his throat which was weak but steady. They were about half way down when a shiver racked Tabitha’s body.
“They’re here.”
“I know.” Stacia replied quietly, her eyes focused on the wall behind Tabitha.
THIRTY ONE
Tabitha turned her head and saw two glowing eyes staring back at her. Within seconds, the walls seemed to be glowing red as thousands of eyes glared back at them. Tabitha turned her head back towards Stacia, a slight smile at the corners of her mouth. “You promised.” she said gently as she cuddled Justin’s head in her lap.
He moaned and tried to move as she softly caressed him. “Oh baby, hush now. Stacia’s going to take good care of you. We should have had more time together and I know life’s not fair but try and keep your focus. I’m so sorry for all the time that I’ve wasted not telling you how I feel and I’m sorry for that but you need to know that I …”
The screams that came out were so loud, so painful, that Stacia had to cover her ears. All within a second, she saw blood spray along the back of the elevator, Tabitha’s mouth frozen open with agony, the walls vibrating with the screams of demons. The elevator doors opened up and Stacia was trying to drag Justin into the parking garage, unaware that thousands of demons had filled the area. She looked up in amazement as Tabitha was weakly trying to push Justin up on his feet, her face twisted in agony. She felt somewhat euphoric, knowing that they were only a few feet away from the car when she noticed Justin and Tabitha’s expression. They were intensely focused behind her, so she closed her eyes and focused. Her shoulders slumped as she felt the anger and glee of thousands of demons flow through her body. She felt it warm her drenched skin and she opened glaring eyes, focusing on Tabitha and Justin.
Justin stared back at Stacia, watching the change on her face from utter defeat to intense hatred. When he saw the hate in her eyes, he feebly tried to move in front of Tabitha to protect her. Tabitha gently put his arm around her neck and shoulders, stepping forward.
“You promised.” she repeated, her eyes never wavering from Stacia’s.
“Yes, I did.” she hissed venomously. “Which is why I’m taking one for the team.”
Suddenly Stacia turned and faced the horde before screaming shrilly. “All for one and one for all!”
Tabitha didn’t hesitate as Stacia plowed through the masses, bodies moving forward to attack, only to fall back screaming when they made contact with Stacia’s salt water skin. Stacia made it to the car and opened the passenger door to allow Tabitha and Justin to crawl in. Tabitha scrambling into the back before Stacia flung her body over Justin’s, landing in the driver’s seat. She heard the passenger door slam shut and began to laugh hysterically, her head on the steering wheel as she pulled her legs across the center console. Her laughter continued as she started the car and reversed out of the parking space before slamming it into drive, flooring the gas pedal and running over as many of the demons as she could. Her laughter became maniacal as the bodies she braced to hit disappeared into smoke. She was able to drive a few blocks before her laughter turned into sobs and Justin gently placed a hand on Stacia’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, we’re away from them, we’re ok. Can you make it to Tabitha’s place?”
She nodded, trying to focus on the road. “Yes, I can. Is that still the game plan, Tabitha? Tabitha?”
There was no sound coming from the back seat.
* * *
She squeezed her eyes tighter against the light that was burning against her lids. Though she still had her eyes shut, the sensation of bright red flooded her senses. She took a deep breath, trying to gain her bearings when she remembered the elevator, the parking garage and making it into the car, but everything after that was black. She jerked to sit up, panic flooding her body, before the pain screamed through her lowe
r back and hips. It was so intense that she couldn’t stifle the scream. When she felt pressure on her shoulder pushing her back to a lying position, she screamed even louder, trying to fight off her attacker.
“Shhh, Tabs, it’s ok, it’s just me.”
She heard Justin’s voice and forced her eyes open, wanting to see his face and see that it was truly him but when she opened her eyes, she saw the red glowing eyes of the dog demon that took Dylan’s life. It’s mouth was dripping with bloody froth, inches away from her face, it’s eyes glaring down at her.
“No! Get away from me! What did you do to Justin?” she screamed and struggled but the pain pulled her back down into the darkness. She welcomed it, the cool black oblivion, knowing that if the demons had her, there was no future for her. She held onto the love that she had for Justin, allowing the warmth of that love to overtake her and the hope that her friend had been able to keep her promise. She dreamt that both of them were safe.
Voice were meddling with her dreams and she squinted her eyes again to try and force out the alien noises, wanting to fade back into the fantasy of her and Justin together. They had been vacationing in Hawaii and making love on the soft, white sandy beach, warm water lapping against their bodies. They were happy, like a normal married couple, enjoying each other and exploring the world. Their only concern and decision was where they were going to eat and what country they were going to visit next. She’d been so happy in her other world and fought to get back there but the voices were persistent, trying to force her back into the hell she feared was waiting. When she felt a cold, wet pressure on her head, she knew she couldn’t fall back into her dream and had to face the demons and the torture they were waiting to do to her.
She slapped the wet, fibrous material away from her head and sat up quickly to fight. Her eyes burned from the sunlight but she started to claw at anything she could come into contact with. She smiled with gratifications when she heard a yelp and felt wet fluid under her nails, hoping it was the creature’s blood.
“Tabitha! That’s enough!”
Stacia’s voice filled her ears and before she had a chance to focus on the face, she heard Justin’s soothing voice.
“Give her a chance, Stacia. She doesn’t know it’s me.”
Her eyes flew open and she looked in the direction of the voice, focusing on the beautiful face in front of her. It looked like Justin but there were dark circles under his eyes and a thick beard where his smooth face used to be. She concentrated on his eyes, searching for anything that would betray him as being one of them, a demon, but all she saw was his dark blue, stormy eyes filled with concern and love. She tentatively reached up to touch his furry face.
“It’s you, it’s really you. You’re alive.” She felt her eyes well with tears and tried to blink them back, not wanting to lose her vision of him.
“I’m here babe, I haven’t left your side.”
“Not even to take a shower!” Stacia’s sarcastic voice broke in.
Tabitha’s eyes flew to her friend across the room and focused on a haggard looking Stacia. Tabitha smiled as the tears spilled over her lids and onto her cheeks, “You kept your promise.”
“You bet I did, I never break a promise. But you sure as hell scared the shit out of me!”
“I’m sorry.” Tabitha stammered.
“You should be, you put us both through hell.” Stacia admonished.
“What happened?” Tabitha asked.
“You saved us, that’s what happened.” Stacia growled but Tabitha could hear the softness in her voice.
“So did you.” Justin said softly, speaking to Stacia but keeping his eyes on Tabitha.
“Yeah, I was really kick-ass for a moment, wasn’t I?” Stacia chuckled.
“I don’t remember.” Tabitha sighed.
“Stacia took them out, made a path for us and got us to the car. Then she took off like a bat out of hell.” he looked at her appreciatively. “No pun intended.”
Stacia grinned and winked. “Go ahead with the story, puns and all!”
Justin chuckled and looked back at Tabitha, holding her hand. “We were on our way back and you were unconscious, we couldn’t wake you. God, you were bleeding so much.” He paused and ran his other hand through his hair. “A reflective demon, the one you told me about, with the proboscis, started coming through the rearview mirror. I thought we were done for, but then you moved, you started moaning and I reached back and took your hand, I wanted to be touching you when we died, I really thought it was the end.”
Justin stopped, choking back the emotions and Stacia snorted and moved closer to the bed Tabitha now realized was her own. She continued on where Justin left off. “You told him that you loved him, that you’d waited your whole life for him and you were happier in the last two weeks than you had ever been in your life. Then you told me that I was your best friend and that you knew I was a musketeer, that I’d keep my promise.” Now Stacia’s voice started to thicken with emotion, the events still too close, the emotions still too raw.
“I still don’t remember, I’m sorry.” Tabitha stuttered.
“Of course you wouldn’t. You were too busy bleeding to death!” Stacia tried to joke but found herself unable to continue.
“The whole interior of the car was filled with a light. A bright, golden light. God, it was so beautiful.” Justin explained, his eyes filled with awe. “It was so bright that Stacia almost ran off the road but somehow, she kept on driving. The demon in the mirror, it…disintegrated. One minute it was there, reaching out for me then the next it was gone.” Justin kissed her hand, overcome with emotion.
“What he’s trying to say is, your love saved us.” Stacia laughed, tears filling her eyes.
EPILOGUE
It had been three weeks since they’d saved Justin from his apartment. Stacia’s doctor had come over and treated Justin and Tabitha’s injuries. Because of Stacia’s social status, he was paid generously for his silence, agreeing not to file any reports or leak any information to the papers. Justin would always have a scar on his leg where he’d been sewn up and Tabitha had her own marks along her back and hips but both had healed with only superficial blemishes.
Even though Justin had argued, Tabitha had gone back to finish her project in Stacia’s office. He’d been uncomfortable with Tabitha being gone but she assured him that she would only be gone a couple of hours during the day, always back to the apartment before it became dark.
After Tabitha had fully recovered, Stacia spent more time researching her own history, running the office from the cell phone and her computer, claiming that life went on and all three of them had more to learn.
“You will always have a job with me but you have a greater calling. We all do. Go and study, learn. We’ll need answers to help protect us. You are a part of my life and not just as an interior decorator, okay?” she said to Tabitha.
Tabitha reluctantly agreed but made Stacia promise to include her with any challenging design jobs that would allow her to flex her creative muscles. All three of them concurred that they needed some time away from being “demon hunters”, as Stacia had dubbed them, knowing that although they hadn’t had any encounters since that night, it wouldn’t last forever. The demons could regroup and attack at any moment. They didn’t set a schedule, knowing that they each needed their own time to heal but they agreed to keep in touch and play it by ear.
“I’m a free and single woman with a new lease on life. Let’s not put a deadline on it right now.” Stacia joked.
Justin made arrangements with his management team to handle all of the matters relating to his properties, wanting to have uninterrupted time with Tabitha. This last battle had been too close for comfort for him. For twenty-seven years of his life he had believed he was going to have to live his life alone, then he found Tabitha and everything had changed. When she had been attacked in the elevator, he thought he had lost her and that feeling was devastating. He didn’t want to think about living this life without
her. He decided that they should take a trip, maybe to Italy or England and enjoy some of their life, free of boogymen. They could explore the world, and each other, for awhile.
Eventually he knew they would get back to studying the boogymen. Neither one of them was willing to stop trying to destroy the creatures. They were one of the few who could see them and how they tormented mankind, but for now, they wanted to enjoy the beauty this world has to offer. He hoped that he and Tabitha would have the time to enjoy traveling without worry of being tormented by the creatures. His past experience was that when he traveled, he was less likely to attract boogymen. His attention was usually focused on the beautiful scenery around him and not looking for the dark shadows.
He wasn’t naive enough to believe that they would be left alone. He knew the boogymen would always be there, always a presence in their life but believed that they would be fine as long as they were together. They had learned so much with the attack. The creatures that had assailed Tabitha had been destroyed instantly, her flesh and blood eating them away like acid. She couldn’t be attacked without causing harm to themselves. What it also revealed was that they were desperate enough to try and separate he and Tabitha, that they would sacrifice themselves to do it. Tabitha and Justin were more powerful together than they were apart and he was determined to never allow them to be separated. Their love for each other was their own powerful weapon.
He looked down at Tabitha, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. She still had nightmares and cried out in her sleep, clawing and scratching at demons that weren’t there, but her nightmares were becoming less frequent and he was always there to soothe her. He leaned down and kissed her, whispering his passion for her and began stroking her breast.
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