CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA UNDERBOSS

by Candace Ayers

  “Does anyone know what this thing is in front of you?” Caleb asked, while kicking the little cabinet lightly with his foot. Jordan looked down and put on a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.

  “It appears to be some kind of 17th century relic with Hebrew carvings on it,” Jordan offered. Not to be outdone, Valery slid forward and took a closer look.

  “It’s covered in the different Hebrew names for God,” Valery said.

  “Very good,” Caleb answered.

  “I know what it is,” Manuela said softly. Caleb had almost forgotten that she was there. She was such a quiet and strange woman. “It’s a container for the demon. You want us to capture it,” the words squeaked out of Manuela’s mouth. Jordan ad Valery looked at each other and smiled, while Harold’s expression turned angry.

  “I thought this thing was a dangerous demon. Why does Department 99 want to put it in a box? Why not just cast it out?” Harold asked, his face reddening.

  “If we cast it out, you all know that it’s just a matter of time before it finds its way back. And you also know that it will wreak all kinds of havoc in the meantime.” Caleb said smartly. He was right. The only certain way of ridding themselves from the demon for good was to make sure that it was either destroyed or completely contained.

  Bea sniffed the air for a moment. Her vampire senses had caught the strong smell of fear. There was no doubt about the fact that it was emanating from Harold. He was visibly shaking with terror. Silently, Bea hoped that Caleb hadn’t made a mistake in adding Harold to the team. Harold had a reputation for drawing his weapon too quickly.

  “Manuela, what can you sense about this relic and about the demon?” Caleb asked her. Manuela took a deep sigh and hesitated for a moment. She seemed to make contact with the quiet in the room, and seemed to distance herself from the rest of them for a few minutes. She pulled at her string of beads and made a connection with something inwardly, and then slowly opened her eyelids and began to speak.

  “His name is Cerebus and he’s protected by a group of four spirits. He lies to them, and he’s convinced them that by following him they will be able to return to their old physical forms. One is named Cain, and he refers to himself as the destroyer. There is another one there named Ries; she mistakenly believes herself to be a god, but she is actually a human soul that was been blinded by her own rage. One is called Onus, and there’s someone there named Chachi. I can’t really see much about him.”

  When Lillian heard Manuela say the name Chachi, her stomach turned sour. Now there was no doubt that Chachi was involved in this, but why? Lillian turned to Manuela, who still seemed to be lost in prayer.

  “How did Chachi fall in with this group?” Lillian asked. Manuela went into some kind of trance.

  “There was a cult of people who worshipped the cat. They kidnapped Lillian because they had hoped to draw the demon out and put him into her body so that they could destroy him.” So, bizarrely enough she and her kidnappers had actually been fighting on the same side—against Cerebus. Yet, the cat cult was going about it in a particularly insidious way that involved human sacrifice in the killing fields.

  Manuela paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath. “Chachi first made contact with Onus as a child, after he accidentally killed a boy out on the playground. Onus is the slayer of children.” Manuela’s voice was slow and even. Her eyes stared off into nothingness.

  This information was somewhat useful. It at least helped to explain why the demonic possession of children had played such a big role in the case. Perhaps when Chachi had accidentally murdered the child, Onus had come to him. Maybe that was when he’d given himself over to the darkness.

  Lillian studied Caleb’s expression. His face was so serious. He was obviously intent on solving this case and ending all of the misery that the demon had inflicted thus far. Lillian couldn’t help but admire his resolve, as well as other things. She remembered the hard feel of his muscular body against hers and the way he had kissed her— so desperate, so pure, after they had managed to escape the burning room. Lillian knew that were it not for Caleb, she would most certainly be dead.

  Bea looked over at Lillian and smiled. Lillian got the eerie feeling that Bea had just read her thoughts and she didn’t like it. Her last ghost hunting expedition had ended in disaster, and Lillian silently hoped that Caleb had managed to pick a strong group of people this time. The last thing she needed to deal with was a creepy vampire, invading her mind.

  Harold leaned back in his chair and sighed. Then, he slowly started to pick his nose while staring at Lillian. Something seemed a bit off about him. Harold then flicked his booger across the room and looked at Caleb again.

  “So what did you need a sharp shooter like myself for?” Harold asked.

  Caleb sighed. “If we can manage to get some of these spirits back into their physical form, you might be able to shoot them—but you’ll probably only get one chance, so I needed someone that wouldn’t miss.” Caleb winked. Harold seemed satisfied by Caleb’s answer. Rock grumbled and shifted in his chair for a moment. His large muscles moved with him, and the small chair beneath him looked as if it might collapse under the weight of his hefty frame. Caleb and Rock were sharing the same thought. They both knew that it was highly unlikely that everyone on the team would survive.

  Here they were, all filing back into Finn’s house, the young boy who had enjoyed the misfortune of a demonic possession and had managed to kill off most of the team that had preceded them. Lillian would never be able to forget the images of what Finn had done. On the outside, he looked like a small innocent child dressed in Superman pajamas, but he was a conduit for the demonic realm and was capable of tremendous destruction. Just the sight of him made her feel sick.

  This time around, Caleb had taken extra precautions. Both of Finn’s parents and his sisters had been sent away to an undisclosed location. Caleb wanted to be sure that the demon wouldn’t be able to bring them into the equation again. They were going to do this by the book, and would make sure to leave no loopholes this time.

  Department 99 had outfitted each member of the cadre with armor and weaponry. Some of the weapons were religious relics that would harm the demon, and others were just blades forged with holy water and various other materials of significance. As they prepared to fight, Manuela walked about the house, sealing every doorframe and windowsill with salt. They wanted to be sure that when they were finally forced to do battle with the demon, they didn’t want it to be able to call for help. The special salt was infused with holy water and oils, and this way, additional demons would not be able to cross into the home in order to wreak more havoc. Finn also would not be able to leave.

  As Manuela went about her work sealing the home, Rock searched the home for weapons. He wanted to make sure there were no knives or guns present. The family had a few small tools, but that was about it.

  As the group prepared for battle, Bea took on a different role. She went from room to room, and sniffed around for bloodstains that smelled of fear. The vast majority of blood that had been spilled inside the house was in Finn’s bedroom, but there was also a significant amount inside the upstairs attic. Demons were fed by fear, and Cerebus would choose one of these two places to launch his attack because in these locations he would be the strongest. After Bea shared her findings with the team, Manuela placed extra salt in these locations, as well as a few more relics.

  While everyone else moved around, Lillian watched Caleb. She hoped that after all of this was over, they might have a chance to take whatever this thing was between them and turn it into a real relationship. There was no doubt that her body longed for his touch, and wanted to simply be near him. There was something inside of her that always seemed to pull her back to Caleb. She desired him in a way that she had never felt before. For the past two days, she hadn’t been able to stop daydreaming about Caleb taking her in his arms again and kissing her just as he had done after he’d carried her out of the flaming room. Caleb was cool and coll
ected under pressure, but what really struck her was the amount of compassion within him. He seemed genuinely concerned for Finn’s fate, and was dead set on destroying the demon, Cerebus. His level of intensity and focus was admirable.

  Caleb caught Lillian’s glance across the room. He had made sure to give the impression that the was not concerned, but deep inside he was worried for her. For whatever reason, the demon seemed fixated on Lillian and had launched all kinds of attacks on her. Caleb was sure that another attack would come later that evening, and he felt uneasy. He sighed deeply. He had assigned Rock to her—and he knew that the burly muscular man would keep her safe at virtually any cost. Caleb would do the same. It would be so easy to take her into his arms and to just walk away with her. A part of him wanted to flee his life in Department 99. Yes, they were agents sworn to protect the public—but they were also humans, and they needed a break. Working for Department 99 just meant a lifetime of moving from one catastrophe to the next, and suddenly Caleb found himself fantasizing about life with Lillian outside of this world. Perhaps they could build a little cabin out in the woods somewhere. Maybe he’d get her pregnant, and she’d give birth to a few little shifter children, that might even also be blessed with her good looks. Maybe after this was over, they could find a way to be happy together in the long run.

  Caleb glanced at Finn, suddenly remembering why they were there. Finn was spinning in circles, laughing, and playing with some kind of invisible playmate. Finn picked up a little ball from the floor and tossed it up in the air. The ball stuck there for a moment and then tossed itself back down to Finn, who laughed and giggled.

  The demon had to know that they were about to attack—but it wanted them to know that it wasn’t concerned. Instead, it was biding its time playing catch with Finn.

  In part, Lillian wanted to stop Finn from playing with the demon—yet, the damage had already been done. His soul was already in peril, and a simple game of catch wasn’t going to change that. Nonetheless, it disturbed Lillian so see Finn so engrossed in play with the entity.

  After about an hour, the team was ready for battle. Everyone knew their responsibilities, and they had all agreed to watch each other’s backs. Manuela had researched the demon Cerebus, and had shared her findings with the group. He was one of the original fallen angels, and was thus one of the most dangerous they would ever encounter. Yet, all of them were willing to put their lives on the line in order to save Finn and to stop the madness that the demon was causing. After all, they were all Department 99 agents, and were no strangers to danger.

  At the last minute, Caleb decided that they should do battle with the spirit in the living room—the place farthest away from where the strongest fear signatures were located in the house. Manuela poured a small circle of salt in the middle of the room, and then put a larger circle of salt around the inner one. She’d left a small gap in each circle, intentionally not closing either one all of the way. Without warning, Bea grabbed a hold of Finn by the shoulder and tossed him into the innermost circle. Then, Manuela quickly poured salt down at the gaps—completely enclosing the boy in the two circles. The demon must have expected them to do this, because Finn simply sat down and started to suck his thumb. He did not even try to get out of the two circles.

  “I’ve never seen this kind of reaction before,” Manuela whispered to Caleb. “Usually they’re willing to do just about anything to get away from the salt,” Manuela added.

  “Well, let’s try and make the demon a little more desperate.” Caleb shrugged and took a few relics out of his pocket. He threw them inside the innermost circle with Finn. When Caleb did this, it was almost as if an explosion went off inside the house. There was a loud boom that shook the very foundation of the building. The noise was so load, it was almost like the roaring of jet—and it moved through Lillian in a way that made her uneasy. Now Finn was lying flat on his back in the middle of the circle. Dark red blood was flowing out of his nose, and he appeared to be unconscious. The two interns had never seen anything like it.

  “Shouldn’t one of us go in and check his pulse?” Jordan asked.

  “He doesn’t look like he’s breathing right now,” Valery added sounding worried.

  Caleb was about to answer, but Lillian jumped in. “Demons are tricksters. It wants us to go into the circle, because Cerebus knows that he isn’t able to come out. We need to continue with the ceremony at any cost—even if the demon decides to kill Finn. No one goes inside the circle for any reason.”

  Caleb was shocked at how cold her voice sounded, but he also admired her. She knew the games that creatures within the realm of the occult sometimes liked to play, and she wasn’t going to allow any of them to put their lives in jeopardy unnecessarily. Lillian also understood that there was a high likelihood that Finn would not survive. The interns were visibly shaken.

  “We’re just going to let him die?” Jordan asked, sounding outraged.

  “No. The plan is to save his life, but sometimes it just isn’t possible,” Lillian retorted. Jordan pushed his thick glasses back towards the bridge of his nose. The reality of battle with a demon was a sobering one. Valery wasn’t as easily swayed.

  “He’s just a kid. How can you have so little compassion?” Valery asked Lillian.

  Caleb jumped in. “It’s not a matter of not having compassion. If you go into that circle, you’ll die. If you die, the demon will just take life after life—countless children. It’s a matter of common sense.”

  Caleb’s admonishment was a bit harsh, but he was correct. Bea the vampire, was leaning against the wall watching everything unfold, when she suddenly stood up straight and sniffed the air. Caleb caught her glance. Bea slowly shook her head from side to side. The other spirits were here.

  The first spirit to attack was Ries. She was human, but the demon had convinced her that she was a god. Her human soul had been driven to the brink of insanity. With some kind of channeled power from Cerebus, Ries momentarily took on a human form. Strangely enough, she took the physical form of a Native American woman with long dark black hair. Instead of engaging anyone in battle, Ries ran towards the boy lying in the middle of the circle. Rock wielded a giant knife and stepped in front of Lillian while the others drew their weapons. The circles had done their job. When Ries hit the outer circle, it was as if she had hit an invisible barrier. She was knocked onto the ground with a loud thump. Then, she lunged at Valery.

  Lillian squinted her eyes and waited for the sound of their bodies clattering to the floor, but it didn’t come. Instead, Ries simply slipped inside of Valery, who immediately started flailing around.

  “Get it out of me!” Valery screamed as she flailed around, trying to buck the spirit out of her body. Manuela took some holy water out of her purse and splashed it on Valery. “You bitch!” Valery screamed as her skin bubbled up- she was horrifically burned and some of her scalp had fallen away.

  “Valery, stop flailing around!” Caleb demanded.

  “Get it out of me!” Valery continued to scream. Now she was moving towards the boy. Finn’s hands were outstretched and Valery’s body moved against her will. She was inching her way towards the circle, ready to sweep the salt away at any moment. It was clear that the spirit inside of her wanted her to break the circles, so that Finn could escape.

  Valery’s body slowly inched towards the salt, as everyone in the room started to scream. Rock grabbed her ankles and pulled her back, and she flipped up and punched him square in the chest. Rock grabbed his chest and sunk to the ground.

  Jordan started to scream, but it was of no use. The Valery that he had known was no longer in charge. Jordan dove to the ground and grabbed Valery’s ankle. Again, she popped up. Yet, this time instead of punching him—Valery quickly wrapped both of her arms around his neck and pulled until there was a loud popping sound. Jordan’s limp body sunk to the floor.

  Then, a sharp bang filled the air. Harold lowered his gun as Valery sunk to the ground—a bullet lodged in her skull right between
her eyes. The circle was unbroken.

  Both Valery and Jordan were dead. Lillian was visibly shaken, yet Caleb demanded that they all press on. She admired his courage. Caleb was willing to do virtually anything in order to destroy this dangerous entity, and he was not deterred despite the deaths of the interns. Lillian glanced down at Valery’s body. Dark red blood seeped out of the hole in her head. The blood was pouring out, and before Lillian could scream—it had happened. The blood had washed away a section of both the inner and outer circles.

  As if on cue, Finn sat up and dove out of the circle, laughing. At first, his laugh sounded like that of a child, and then the sound darkened and turned malevolent. Cerebus was mocking them.

  The team filed into the kitchen and covered the frame of the door with salt. Cerebus wouldn’t be able to follow them in there. Yet, now they needed to come up with a new plan quickly. Traditional methods didn’t seem to be working. No one on the team had ever seen a spirit regain its human form like that. Clearly, Cerebus was playing by a different set of rules.

  While they talked, Caleb’s hand lightly brushed against Lillian’s. She wondered if he had simply touched her accidentally, but knew that the touch had been intentional when it came a second time.

  Finn started to cry. Obviously, something was going on out in the living room. If Cerebus decided to kill Finn, they would lose their link to the demonic realm. They had to keep the boy alive as long as possible.

  Their plan wasn’t exactly well thought out—there was no time for that. Rock would defend Lillian at all costs, while Manuela would try a few chants to draw the demon out of Finn. If any of the spirits took human form again, Caleb and Bea would be the first to try to fight them off.