Hellbound Second Advent

by Decoyar Brown

  Peter put away his black-and-gold pistol and drew his sword. “I will chop you down before you get a chance to transform.” The Demon Slayer held his sword with both his hands.

  Beruser managed to stand up though the wound was tender; sable blood poured from the wound. “You coward. In our transformed state, we will devour you.”

  “I’m not gonna say it again. Let the women go.”

  “Silence, child of Sephirot! You dare threaten the son of Cerebrius?” The two-headed demon opened its mouth and shot a green projectile at Peter.

  Peter used his sword to deflect it. But when the murky projectile fell before him it released a toxic smoke. Peter began to cough and used the collar of his coat to shield the toxic gas from his mouth. Peter gasped after he saw it detonated; he dove to the side to his knees. The gas was in his lung and it was hard for him to breathe.

  The demon was delighted on seeing the slayer injured. It used that chance to transform to its appalling primal state. It got down on all fours, and the blood on the floor started to surge toward it. Beruser’s body spiraled red, the ground trembled, and he began to grow.

  Detective Ella screamed from apprehension.

  Peter recovered and looked ahead at the creature. He looked at the woman screaming and he knew he had to save her before things get ugly. The slayer darted forward, he was prompted when he charged toward the demon and cut it in half with the sword.

  Beruser didn’t see him coming, and blood and organs fell out of the severed body. “You dirty coward,” the smaller head muttered.

  Peter had an immoral smile on his face. He enjoyed seeing the demon desperate.

  “I will see you in hell!” the bigger head screamed.

  Toxic green smoke began to rise from Beruser’s body, filling the room rapidly.

  Peter sheathed his sword. He dashed toward Ella and pulled her down from the vine. He ripped away the zygote tissue effortlessly. After he cut the other woman loose, he peeled away the tissue also. “Are you okay?” Peter held Ella close to him.

  Ella nodded and wiped her cheeks. She felt calm after she saw the man smiled at her; his smile was comforting.

  “Here is a challenge to you, child of Sephirot,” Beruser’s smaller head said.

  Peter’s look was perplexed when he glared at the demon.

  The bigger head said, “Let us see how fast you can run. Let us see if you can get out of here in time.”

  The demon rolled its eyes to the back of its head, and the room began to tremble.

  “Oh, no!” Peter grabbed the women, tucked them under his arms, and jumped through the triangle-shaped hole.

  Ella eyes widened as they jumped out, she realized they were airborne over twelve stories. She screamed as they fell toward the streets of New York. The wind was blowing in her eyes, but she couldn’t resist looking down at the buildings.

  A loud explosion echoed behind them, forcing them through the air even faster, as debris flew past them.

  Ella screamed all the way down, but Peter managed to get them to the ground safely.

  Peter looked up at the building with the women on his shoulders, he swore under his breath and shook his head. Cars screeched their brakes and tried to stop before they hit them.

  The angry motorists honked at Peter, and onlookers took pictures and marveled at what they had seen. The Marriot Eastern Hotel was burning away in their view.

  Peter heard police sirens and fire trucks heading his way. He put Ella down, and she tried to stand on her own. Her legs remained wobbly, but she fought to stay in control.

  “Who are you…?” She collapsed before she got an answer.

  Peter managed to grab her before she hit the ground. Though the ambulance was close he still was in fear of not getting help soon. The other woman was still sound asleep on his shoulder.

  After he threw Ella on his other shoulder, Peter jumped twenty stories toward a building. He prowled from building to building, heading toward the hospital.

  The onlookers rushed to record him on their cell phones, wanting proof to what they had witnessed.

  Ella woke up in a hospital room and looked at her bruised hands. She wondered where her rescuer was and pondered if everything that had happened was real. She rested her face in her palms and started crying. Ella thought about how dimwitted she had been to trust a stranger from the Internet.

  A nurse walked in and said, “You’re finally awake. Your friends and family are waiting for you outside. Do you want me to send them in?”

  Ella looked up at her and nodded as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Ella, are you doing okay? Oh my god! I came as soon as I heard the terrible news,” Sendhil said as he burst into the room and embraced her.

  “Mom, are you okay?” Randy wrapped his hands around his weeping mother.

  “Ella, what happened to you tonight?” Commissioner Windslou asked.

  Ella reached for a few napkins and wiped her nose and cheeks. “To be honest, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Ella, we need to finish filling out your police report,” Sam said. “We need to find the bastard who did this to you.”

  As Ella thought about the carnage, she broke down again.

  “I think you all should leave,” Sendhil said.

  Sam and the commissioner turned to look at Ella, and she signaled for them to leave the room.

  When everyone was walking out, Ella said, “Sam, wait.”

  Sam turned from the departing party and walked back toward his partner.

  Ella turned to her son and said, “Baby, go outside with your uncle. Mommy needs to talk to Sammy for a little while, okay?”

  Randy nodded and walked out the room with his uncle.

  “It was him,” Ella whispered.

  “What? What are you talking about, Zahara?” Sam asked.

  “It was the vigilante.”

  “What! He did this to you?” Sam shouted.

  Ella grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. “Keep your voice down. I don’t want the chief to hear us. Why do you think I asked you to stay behind?”

  Sam sat down on her bed.

  “The orange-haired slayer saved me,’” Ella said.

  Sam’s eyes dimmed in confusion. He waited for her to fill him in.

  Ella said, “The vigilante, silly.”

  Sam’s eyes widened then he yelled, “What? Did you learn anything about him?”

  “Keep your voice down please.” Ella shook her head. “Well, he’s good looking, yet grim. He has boyish good looks like Tom Welling. And his name is Peter the Demon Slayer.”

  “Demon Slayer? What the hell kind of name is that? And what the hell do I care that he looks like Tom Welling?” Sam sounded jealous. He shook his head and frowned.

  Ella shrugged. “I don’t know … I’m just saying … he’s handsome. I don’t know, but the man I went on a date with turned out to be a monster. The vigilante called him a demon.”

  “Oh, Ella. I’m so sorry,” Sam said as he embraced her tightly.

  Ella pushed him off and punched him on the shoulder. “You jinxed me!”

  “What?”

  “You jinxed me, Sammy. I told you to not say my date might turn out to be a monster and I’ll be damned. He did turned out to be even worse. You always do this to me.” Ella folded her arms across her bosom.

  Sam laughed. “You are so superstitious. Where is he now?”

  “That’s a good question.”

  The nurse soon came back in and walked over to check Ella’s wounds.

  Ella asked, “Ma’am, do you happen to know what direction the gentleman who took me here went?”

  “Yes, he is with the second party you came in with. They are down the hall.”

  Ella looked at Sam and shouted, “He is still here!”

  Both detectives rushed through the door.

  Ella barely had enough time to remove the I.V and tape from her arm before she was out the door

  “Miss Abdul, you are
in no condition to move about. Miss Abdul—”

  The two detectives rushed down the hall and it grabbed everyone’s attention. Commissioner Windslou, Ella’s brother, and Randy followed with a handful of other officers.

  Peter was sitting with his head low as he played with his sword, spinning it by the handle while the tip was connected to the floor. He didn’t react to their arrival.

  “Hold it right there, vigilante. You are under arrest.” Sam pulled out his firearm and aimed it at Peter.

  The Demon Slayer didn’t even raise an eyebrow. He continued to twirl his sword as it dug into the hospital floor slightly.

  The lady who had lost her daughter walked out of her room and said, “What’s all this ruckus out here? What’s going on?”

  Peter looked up to her and said, “It’s okay, ma’am. They mean us no harm. Right, Detective Abdul?” Peter looked directly at Ella and stood up.

  Sam felt a strange sensation when he looked into the Demon Slayer’s eyes. He did not want to justify it as fear but he knew it resembled it. His hands began to shake and his palms were sweaty. He wondered why he was feeling the way he did around this mysterious, tall orange haired man.

  The commissioner and the other officers drew their firearms and aimed them at Peter.

  “What’s wrong with you people? This man is a hero. He saved my daughter’s life and the lives of countless others. Is this the thanks he gets?” The lady stood directly in front of Peter, blocking him from them.

  “It’s okay, ma’am. They mean us no harm.” Peter rested his hand on her shoulder.

  Ella asked, “Who are you? And what was that… thing you chopped in half back there?” She tried to find the right words to describe what it was.

  Peter answered, “The questions you ask I will not answer here, but if you wish to know, I will meet you on the roof … alone.” He put away his gigantic sword on his back and walked toward the window.

  “Hold it right there, mister,” the commissioner said. Slowly, he moved closer with the others, guns still pointing at the Demon Slayer. “You are not going anywhere. All the events that took place around you ended drastically including the explosion at the hotel tonight. Who is gonna pay for the damages, huh?”

  Peter’s glare was sharp as he looked at him and responded, “Even if I let you, you all couldn’t take me captive. It will take an army from hell to restrain me.”

  Everyone gasped from his unusual statement. They looked around at each other and it was evident they were bewildered from his words.

  But Ella knew precisely what the Demon Slayer was emphasizing to. “Chief, I will handle him.” She walked into view and turned her body towards the chief’s aim. “Besides, he is my lead case. Let me take care of it.”

  “Stand down,” The commissioner ordered his men. He gestured his hand to them and looked in Ella’s direction to see her next move.

  Ella turned to Peter. “Okay. Meet me in ten minutes on the roof.”

  Peter nodded at Ella, smiled gently at the lady who had lost her daughter, and climbed out the window.

  “Who does this guy thinks he is?” Sam rushed toward the window and watched Peter climbed up the side of the building.

  The commissioner said, “Okay, Ella. Make sure he doesn’t get away this time. Get your clothes together and get to work. We have to find out what he knows about the man that had captured you.”

  Chapter 5

  The Huntress

  On top of a gargoyle, attached to a tall building in Manhattan, a young lady stooped down and looked at Peter from afar. A mile away with her sharp and fixed eyes, she watched his every move. Without binoculars, she was still able to see him in the dusky night. Her short black hair and ruby-colored cape blew in the early morning wind. Her black leather outfit seemed to be painted on her body. She wore black lipstick and black eyeliner. Who was this mysterious woman watching the Demon Slayer? Was she out to harm him or was she a spy?

  The Demon Slayer knew he was being watched, but he tried to play innocent. He didn’t know who was watching him, and he didn’t want the individual to know either. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself since Ella was on her way to meet him. He didn’t want to put the detective in harm’s way after what had taken place earlier.

  Peter waited patiently for Ella to get to him. He could sense that she was a bit anxious as she rode the elevator to the top floor. He sensed that she had two other individuals with her and Peter could tell who they were. He could sense a bit of uneasiness in the two and he judged it was the blonde male that was mouthing him off, and the African American middle age man that wanted to arrest him. Peter was a bit mortified that Ella had the two accompany her though he told her she should come alone.

  When they got off of the elevator Ella proceeded while the other two remain behind the exit door. Peter smile was gentle after Ella did what he had requested.

  Ella walked through the emergency exit door and the midnight weather brushed against her body. She drew her white sweater over her neck and pulled her shoulders forward to shield her upper body from the wind. She noticed Peter was standing on the ledge looking towards the Sky above as his black coat rippled in the wind. His stance was poised has he stood with his hands in his pockets and Ella was drawn towards his confidents.

  “So, were you the one who saved those children at the orphanage a few weeks ago?” Ella moved in close to him and patiently waited for him to reply.

  Peter turned and jumped down to where Ella was standing. “I am not the only guardian angel out there.”

  “You are a man of mystery, I see. Who are you?”

  “Some people call me Peter the Slayer for Hire. Others call me the Demon Slayer.”

  Ella smiled. “Where are you from—and what are you? The things you did tonight were inhumane.”

  “I’m an angel. As a matter of fact, I’m a fallen angel. I fell from God’s disaccord words. I have been on earth for over two thousand years.”

  Ella gasped. “Oh my, that long? If you’re an angel, why don’t you fly?” She said the last sentence with a bit of sarcasm.

  Peter smiled. “Because I don’t have any wings.”

  Ella smiled back at him. “An angel without wing, huh? Hhmmm…” She giggled and shook her head. “But I must ask, what happened to Jonathan? Was that creature him?”

  “The demon that held you prisoner is a death broker. He is conniving and deceitful. In his human form he goes by Jonathan but his real name is Beruser. He used pheromones to lure his prey to his habitat and take their souls for his master.”

  “What the hell?” Ella’s mouth dropped open and her eyes were wide.

  “Beruser’s master’s name is Ablis. Mankind knows him as Satan or Lucifer. Death brokers are soul collectors … like the Grim Reaper. Beruser broke the rules and tried to force you to give your soul to him. You should’ve willingly given your soul—and that is where I step in. There are many death brokers across the globe—but only a handful of demon slayers.”

  Ella closed her eyes to soak it all in. She shook her head in disbelief. “To be honest, a day ago, I would not have believed a word you’re saying to me right now. Even my son tried to tell me something like this, but after what I saw, I am a—”

  “A believer?” His eyes were fixed on her. He could see the confusion on her face.

  “That’s not the word I was looking for, but it’s close enough.” Ella chuckled.

  He noticed Ella was shivering, he assumed she was cold. He took the strap that was connected to the sword’s sheath from around his body to lean it up against one of the air condition unit. The Demon Slayer handed his coat to her leaving him in a black tactical armored vest.

  Ella noticed he had a toned body. He had broad shoulders and defined arms. In addition, his arms, neck and upper body had tattoos covering them. She wanted to ask him what they represented but his sword got her attention instead.

  “Wow, you must be strong to be carrying a heavy sword like that. Can I hold it?�
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  He took the Redeemer from its sheath to hand it to her.

  Ella took the sword from him and ghastly it pulled her down to the floor. She couldn’t lift it. She looked over at Peter to see him approaching her steadily.

  “No human can lift my sword...” His words were forbidding, it was as if he wanted to hurt her self-esteem. He stooped down, picked up the sword, and placed it back in its sheath. He then slung the sword back across his torso.

  Ella had noticed his pistol when he had turned around earlier. “Do you know I can arrest you for carrying unlicensed weapons around innocent people?” She watched him walked back to the very ledge he was standing on when she had entered the rooftop moments ago.

  “Innocent?” He chuckled. “How innocent do you think humans are? Besides, these are the very weapons that saved your life. You should be the one to license it.” Peter looked down at the traffic bellow him, and back in Ella’s direction.

  Suddenly, Detective Sam, Commissioner Windslou, and a bunch of other officers burst through the fire escape door. Peter had felt the others join up with the two moments before they invade the conversation.

  “You’re coming with us, mister,” Sam said. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He was shaking from fear but he tried to hide it.

  “You and what army?” Peter asked valiantly. He could smell the horror within them all. Not to mention he felt Sam’s pulse increased when he made eye contact with him.

  Commissioner Windslou added in, “There are two ways off this building: with us or over the edge. Pick one.”

  Peter looked at Ella and said, “I guess over the edge is my choice.”

  Everyone pulled out their firearms and aimed them at him.

  Sam said, “Don’t do anything stupid, buddy. Suicide is not the answer.”

  “Suicide?” Peter scoffed. “Only God knows how many times I tried to do that. Besides, do you ever felt like you’re being watched?” He stepped to the very edge of the building, smiled at Ella, and jumped backward like a high diver in the Olympics.

  Everyone ran to the side of the building to see his fate.