I kick off my boots and plop down on one of the twin beds. Part of me wants to head down to the lobby and grab a drink or eight, but I’m not sure Az would like it much. With any luck, we will be on the road in a few hours hunting Israfil again.
“Not that it matters, but what makes Israfil worse than the others?”
“He was one of the first angels that joined Lucifer’s rebellion. They used to call him the burning one. He has an obsession with killing off humans with fire.”
I shudder at the thought. I don’t think there is ever a good way to die, but I would pick nearly anything over fire. Shit, I think I would beg for the sarin gas over fire. Sure, you are going to suffer either way. At least the gas would be a little faster.
“Sounds like a pretty nasty obsession.” I start a stretch that leads into a yawn. “Do angels ever sleep?”
Az lets out a chuckle. “That weakness is unique to mortals. Sleep. I’ll take watch.”
I thank him and lie back on the bed. The hotel bed is as uncomfortable as they come, but I’m still out within a few minutes.
I wake up to the sound of my Metallica ringtone. I rub the crust from my eyes and look at the phone to see who is calling.
Sara.
“Find anything?” I ask.
“They are planning something big downtown. Those cases you picked up were supposed to be delivered to the convention center in three days.”
“What the hell is happening in three days?”
“The city leaders are holding a meeting to discuss how to get the rest of the city back online. They are expecting a few thousand people to show up.”
That never ceases to amaze me. Before the world went to hell in a hand basket, the only way people would show up to council meetings was if there was something that mattered to them. It was rare to get more than a handful to show up unless it was something serious. Getting the city back online is pretty serious, but I doubt the people that show up are going to volunteer to help fix it
“Anything else?”
“There were two files on the drive. The second one has some encryption that I’ve never seen.”
That is odd. While she would never admit it, she managed to crack the encryption that the US used in the past. To be fair, it use to change constantly, but it wasn’t easy. She spent the better part of two months at the computer trying to crack the code.
She was pretty pissed when she finally figured it out too. I couldn’t help but laugh. The message was four little words.
The President is gone.
It was funny because we already knew that. Shit, the whole world knew it. It meant that the President was one of the people who disappeared over three years ago. Some people were amazed that a politician managed to get the ride, but he was one of the good ones. I would have voted for him if I didn’t think the system was rigged.
“Keep working on it. We will go check out the convention center.”
I hang up and lace up my boots.
“Good news?” Az asks, looking out the door.
“Your friend has something planned downtown with those cases. We probably better see what was in the case.”
We take the stairs back to Nal’s room and walk inside to see him on the phone. He waves us in and points to the seats.
“That sounds good to me. Call me in a few days to let me know how it goes.” He hangs up the phone.
“Anything on the case?”
“You know those bomb squad assholes. They don’t like to rush things like this unless they have to. When Aaron brought him the case, he wanted to just blow it up.”
Sounds like something they would say. They bill themselves as the heroic type, willing to put themselves in danger to diffuse any situation. In reality, they were maybe a half-step above the bombers most of the time.
“Call your guy and tell him to move his ass, we need to figure out what we are dealing with pretty fast.” I take a minute to fill him in on the details. Nal isn’t a fan of the city trying to stabilize the grid, but if the city lost a few thousand more people he wouldn’t have anyone to charge for it anyways.
Nal pulls out his phone and walks into the hallway, I’m guessing to call Ed.
I get up and walk over to the window. As much as Nal will tell you that he chose this room to keep himself safe, I know he really did it for this view. If you got close you had a direct view of the parking lot below, but behind that was a beautiful 10 acre lake that you can see perfectly from his desk.
In a few moments, the serenity of the view is replaced with the distant sound of gunfire. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to attack the hotel like this unless they have a death wish. Nal did have a very nice stash of shit in the hotel. Everything you could ever want or need, really. To be honest, the wants and needs are starting to become the same.
Food.
Water.
Shelter.
The hotel provided all of that, or more.
I lean down to grab my knife from my boot when I notice a familiar sight pulling out of the parking lot. They were after the one thing that Nal didn’t normally keep in stock. I look over at Az who has moved next to me by the window and ask. “Is that my car?”
-9-
Azrael and I start to work our way down the stairs. At this point, we are at a distinct disadvantage in that we have no clue who our attackers are, or how many there are tearing things up downstairs. The only thing I am sure of is that Israfil is involved. I nailed that part down when I watched my Expedtion drive away.
We stop off at the second floor and enter the hallway. The hotel only has a handful of ways to go upstairs and I’m sure they are all being watched. If we walk down to the lobby our survival rate is reduced to near zero. The second floor has the advantage of being the same level of the attached restaurant rooftop. We just need to find a way out.
Using my gun to shoot out the glass would be the obvious solution, but that may draw the attention of the attackers below. We still have the element of surprise in our favor, and I intend to sit on it as long as I can.
“There is a fire exit in the back.” Nal walks from behind us, a rifle slung over his shoulder. You can say what you want about the guy, but he knows when it is time to get his hands dirty. In the movies they always focused on the leader who would cower in his little corner while his people clean up the mess. Nal takes things like this rather personally, so it doesn’t surprise me that he knew what I had in mind.
In the past, the second floor was mainly used for meetings and conventions, so the layout is different than the hotel above. Within a few quick turns we come up to the exit door.
“Tell me you removed that alarm.” I say.
“First thing I did when I claimed the place.” Nal smiles as he pushes the door open.
The rooftop was your run of the mill flat roof, and it smelled like it too. Part of me feels bad for the people who used to fix them for a living. I couldn’t put up with the smell of that tar for a living.
We come up to a ledge that overlooks the front entryway. I peek my head over the wall and notice Joe on the ground holding his throat, blood flowing through his tightened fingers.
Az puts his hand on my shoulders. “There isn’t anything we can do for him.”
As much as I want to jump down and try to help him, healing was not an ability I was blessed with. There isn’t anything I can do from up here either. I could use my power to throw my knife into his skull, but then I would risk not having it if we ran into a demon downstairs.
Nal pulls my shoulder and leads us to a ladder in the back. We climb down and make our way to the rear entrance. I peek though the glass and catch a pair of guys posted just outside the stairwell in the back, guns aimed at the door. I put two fingers up and let a smile leave my lips.
“I got this.” I whisper.
I open the door and fling my knife into the throat of the guy on the left and then into the chest of the thug on the right. Situations like this make me love my power. We c
ould have been quick with a few shots, but it would have compromised our position. During an attack, the defenders generally have the edge. They know the layout and the secrets and can entrench themselves at key choke points in order to maximize that advantage. As an attacker, the biggest advantage you can grab is with stealth and surprise. The key is to hold onto that advantage as long as you can.
In the right hands, in the right situation, one man with a knife can do more damage than a dozen with guns. Of course, it helps when you can toss them around with telekinesis.
Now that our entrance is clear, we make our way towards the lobby as quietly as possible. The other set of stairs was closer to the front and out of sight. Unless they were searching the floor for life our path should be clear.
We get close enough to the lobby to catch a view of Rick slumped over the front desk missing the back half of his skull. I approach the corner slowly and peek around towards the bar. Three guys, all packing some serious heat, are standing around a body on the ground. Something tells me it is Adam, but it is hard to make out with all of the blood.
“Three at the bar. I got the left.” I tell the others.
“Right.” Nal says, rifle at the ready.
“Cover our backs.” I look at Az.
I pop around the corner and pop off a few shots, hitting him twice in the chest. Nal, being a solid shot, hit his target square in the face. Blood and brains spraying over the bottles in the back. We both move and put a few bullets into the thug in the middle.
Az and Nal walk towards the bodies while I head over to Rick’s. The front desk was built into the wall, with a small room behind it. It would be the place I would hide if I wanted to spring an ambush, and that’s without knowing that Rick had the desk loaded with guns.
I peek over the side and notice Rick died without a gun in his hand. They had to have moved pretty damn fast to catch him off guard. Not seeing anyone I jump over the counter, being careful not to slip on the blood on the floor.
I’m about to open the doorway to the front office when I hear Nal fire a shot. I turn around and see Nal being lifted in the air by his throat with Az fighting the other two. I start to climb back over the desk when I feel a pair of arms reaching around my body. I lean my head forward and rush it backwards, catching my attacker squarely in the nose. He screams as I turn around and level my gun in his direction. The man is a good six foot tall with long black hair with watering eyes. He also happens to be losing a fair amount of blood from his nose. I unload a few shots in him before slamming the blade of my knife into his gut.
“Let him go, asshole” I aim my gun at the guy holding Nal.
“Gladly.” He tosses Nal back into the bar shattering the large mirror before he falls to the ground.
To my left I notice Az being handled pretty well. Angels may be at the top of the food chain, but it is possible for demons to overpower them by numbers. Generally, the older the demon, the more powerful it is. These two must have been around a while if they are able to handle Az.
I consider making a play with the knife, but I am at a serious disadvantage fighting straight up. While Eunie gives me enough to handle myself, it is nowhere near the strength that I need to handle him straight up. There are times when he gives me a little extra surge, but that is generally when he is about to just take over anyways.
“Make your move, Father. I love killing priests.”
I make the only move I have and pull the trigger, catching him in the shoulder with my one remaining round.
He lets out a laugh and starts to move my way. I use my power to fling the gun at the demon and jump over the counter. He just shrugs it off and squares up to me.
I grip my knife with the blade side down. I’m not really sure how practical it will be in an actual fight, but it looks pretty awesome when I see people do it in the movies.
It doesn’t really matter at this point. Unless Eunie decides to step in, I don’t have a chance fighting a demon in a boxing match. Even without any special powers they may possess, they are much faster and stronger than humans by a long shot. This becomes clear about five seconds into the fight when he connects with a blow to my gut. I fly back into the wall behind me and collapse to my knees on the ground.
“Now would be a great time for some help, pal.”
The demon picks me up by my collar and lifts me in the air. “The only help you are going to get is a slow death.” He slams me back into the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs.
I close my eyes and mentally prepare for the next shot. Moments later my eyelids start to glow. The sensation is something like putting a flashlight up to your eyes with it shut. Not wanting to risk blindness I keep my eyes shut until I find myself back on the ground.
“It’s over now, princess.” I feel someone grab me under the arm. I open my eyes as Az lifts me up to my feet.
“What was that?” I ask.
“We call that a smite.”
“It is a bit more flashy than this thing.” He says handing me my knife.
“Nal.” I walk over to the bar. “You OK?”
“I’m good.” He wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth. “What were they after?”
“The cases. The Expedition was loaded with em.” I grab one of the unbroken bottles from the counter and toss back a drink.
“Any idea where they are taking them?” Nal asks.
“We found them at the old Nilton building. The only thing I know is that they were going to take them to the convention center.”
“The meeting?”
I nod. Whatever was in the cases is very important to whatever the demons have planned. I need to get downtown in a hurry to check it out, but I have one problem. “I’m gonna need another ride.”
-10-
Az and I wait until nightfall before leaving. We don’t know what they have in store downtown, but it isn’t set to go for two more days. I also wanted a few hours to kick back after getting my ass handed to me in the hotel.
We left Nal down at the station and took his Impala to the city. He decided to hang around with Ed to make sure he figured out the case.
I park the Impala in an alleyway about a mile from the center. Driving around this building at this time of night may make them suspicious, parking a car right outside would just be stupid.
Garbage lines the streets, the smell of rot fills my nose. Chalk that up to another downside of the end times. Garbage disposal is seemingly not a priority. Thankfully, it has cooled off here in the last few weeks. I can’t imagine how this place is in the summer.
Other than the occasional cat, the streets are clear. Being out in the daylight is dangerous enough. Most avoid going outside at night unless there wasn’t another option.
This side of town was known for its heavy gang activity before the Rising. Now, with a reduced police presence, things are much worse. I’m glad they are leaving us alone tonight.
We walk around the final corner and come upon the center. The building is fairly large for a convention center. They were hoping to entice the NBA to move a team here about ten years ago, so they built this place figuring it would push things to their favor. When the NBA decided against a move, or expansion, the city decided to recover some of the costs by hiring a company to keep events booked year-round.
We walk slowly around the building, looking for anything out of place. Inside the lights are off and the outer walkways look empty. Someone could still be inside, so we need to be careful.
When we get to the rear parking lot, I notice the Expedition backed up to the loading dock.
They didn’t waste any time bringing the cases here. They probably didn’t want to risk losing them again. I don’t blame them. I would have probably done the same thing.
We walk up to the ride and open the doors. Inside I see about half of the boxes still sitting in the back. I look up at the dashboard and notice my keys in the ignition. Part of me wants to just grab the car and go, but something tells me that Azrael is more interested in wha
t is going on here than trying to hide the cases.
I hear the sound of footprints from inside the dock. Whoever was unloading the cases was coming back to grab more.
Az and I duck down in front of the car as the footsteps approach. Two guys approach, each pushing a two-wheeled dolly. We peek up over the front as they load a pair of boxes on each dolly, waiting until they turn around to make our move.
They take a few steps in before the one on the right pulls out a piece of paper to look at it. If I had to guess, it is a map telling these punks where to put the cases. He looks over and tells the other one something I can’t hear before walking off in different directions.
“Split up?” I pull my knife out and put the wireless headset in my ear.
“Sounds good. Let me know if you find something.” He jumps on the dock and follows the guy to the left. That leaves me with the guy with the map. I follow him for a few hundred feet before he stops at an elevator. He pulls a card out of his pocket and swipes it through some sort of reader nearby. If I had to guess, he is planning on using the service elevator to go upstairs. There is no way I can follow him in there.
I scan the area, knowing there has to be a staircase nearby. It takes a few moments, but I notice it right past map guy. I wait until he enters the elevator before making my move.
Once the door starts to close, I make a mad dash towards the stairs. I don’t have any clue what floor he is going to, so I need to hurry.
By the second floor I find myself wishing that I stuck with jogging as an adult, though I’m sure the pain in my ribs isn’t doing me any favors. I do a quick scan of the floor before going up to the next one.
I get to floor three, peek around the corner, and jackpot. Map guy is walking down the hallway to my right, though it looks like the top box is open. I pull out my knife and walk into the hallway.I’m about twenty feet away when the worst thing possible happens.
Fallen: The Demontouched Saga (Book 2) Page 5