by Avery Rae
"Who knows?" Gael shrugged. "It's been forever. My bet is playing with humans got boring fast. Most of the stories you've read or heard? They come from the minds of humans trying to explain a world with absent gods."
"There ain't no way to explain it, if you ask me," Amberlynn interjected. "None of it makes sense. It's a doggy dog world no matter where you go."
"Dog eat dog world," Edwin quietly corrected from behind us.
She whipped her head over her shoulder. "Shut it, you knew what I meant." She turned back to me with raised brows. "See what I mean? Everyone's out to feel good about themselves, screw everyone else and how they feel."
"There are selfless people out there," Gael said.
"Aw, c'mon, spare me the talk about your mama again."
"What's she talking about?" I tilted my head to the side, curious. Gael touched a hand to the back of his neck. I daresay he looked bashful.
"My mom sacrificed everything for me and my siblings. Worked herself to the bone." His expression darkened. "I thought I could help her in my own way. All that did was piss her off and eventually get me killed in a dirty alleyway."
I gasped, suddenly realizing where I had seen him before. "You were him. I scared away those guys beating you up and called the cops."
"Small world."
"But you still died? Or was that another time?"
"They just found me later and did it again. They were dedicated."
I wanted to ask him more, but the rest of the hunters suddenly quickened their pace as we moved up a small hill.
"Everyone pucker up those buttholes, it's time to go through the portal," Lucas called out from the front. "Don't go slow, you'll psych yourself out."
I followed them as they raced up an incline. At the top, there was a massive, ornate circle filled with wild flames that seemed wrong somehow. They were so dense. And they writhed like . . . people.
I grabbed hold of Gael as I skidded to a stop. "Are those souls?"
"Yeah."
"But why?"
"Because they can go between the planes of existence."
"That's horrible."
"Have you forgotten where you are?" Gael asked with a raised brow.
"No, there's never a reminder far away," I grumbled.
Amberlynn paused at the gateway, her body glowing orange in the flickering flames. She gave me a wide smile. "It's alright, babe, just kung fu chop 'em if they get too frisky."
She jumped in, and Gael guided me forward to follow her. He stood with his back to the flames and held out a hand. "Come on. It's not bad."
"I don't believe you." But I still took his hand. He stepped backwards, and the ghostly, fiery hands began to claw at his head and shoulders, pulling him in. I nearly screamed when the first burning hand touched my arm, but I managed to muffle it in my throat. You've got this. You're a badass demon now, remember?
Yet I closed my eyes as the hands pulled me in with Gael. Then I was moving. Being jerked and pulled by one mass of hands after another. So many souls. Through the heat, I could still feel Gael's hand burning around mine, his touch unlike anything else.
Then suddenly, the air was cool. I landed hard against Gael's chest. When I opened my eyes, I was stunned. I was in an alley somewhere nondescript. It was still overwhelming.
After living in darkness for the past several days, everything seemed blindingly bright. It was noisy, too. That was something about Hell that surprised me the most. How quiet it was. I expected agonized screams and tortured wails, but all I had heard was the rumbling of thunder overhead. Here, though? The noise echoing down the alley was like an onslaught. I had to cover my ears.
Someone tugged at my wrists, pulling my hands away a fraction of an inch. "You mind?"
I blinked bleary, maladjusted eyes down at Gael to see him scowling at me. Then I realized I was still straddling him while everyone stood in a half-circle, staring.
"Y'all just really wanna give me a show," Zachariah said with a chuckle.
"Nobody wants to show you shit, that's why you used to take it, isn't that what you did?" Amberlynn smoothly replied, her eyes half-lidded and a smirk firmly in place. Zachariah's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Take what? I swallowed deeply as I got up, choking back my own horror. After what Gael had said to him before, I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about. I looked over at Zachariah, wanting him to reassure me it wasn't true. He was so kind that I didn't want it to be.
"This way, Priscilla," Lucas spoke up as he walked toward the brightly glowing entrance to the alley. "We've got a place nearby where we stash our hunting gear and all that."
"What do you guys use to hunt?" I mused as I began following after them. "Does it involve laser beams?"
Gael frowned at me. "No, Ronove supplies us with crystals like the one on his staff. We force them inside, then carry them back down to Hell."
"Do I get one?"
"Of course. You have to prove you can capture a soul in order to pass your third trial."
I furrowed my brow. "That seems too easy. I mean, if I just have to suck them into a crystal, what's the big deal?"
"Did you miss the part where I said force?"
"Ah. That bad, huh?"
"Yeah. They like to possess people, so it's a matter of capturing them without hurting their vessel of choice, and the bad ones really like targeting the vulnerable. They think it'll force us to back down or mess up."
"Sounds like fun."
"Better than burning for eternity, I figure."
"Touché."
We made our way out of the alley and ended up on the sidewalk of a sleepy residential area. I tilted my head to the side as I studied the area. Rows upon rows of brick townhouses lined the road, each square lawn with a single perfectly manicured tree and square bushes.
"This is where you keep your portal from Hell and your stash of weapons? Suburbia-light? That's unexpected."
"That's the point," Gael said with a laugh. "What did you expect? A flashy mansion and sports cars?"
"I mean, that would've been cool."
"You're something else."
"Thanks."
"You think that was a compliment?"
I looked up at him with a narrow-eyed scowl and he gave me a cheeky grin back. I couldn't help but smile. It was strange to think that not that long ago I kinda wanted to claw his eyes out, but now my stomach turned into a gymnast whenever he looked at me. He hooked an arm around my shoulders and pulled me flush against his side as we walked through a gate and up a paved pathway to one of the townhouses. There went my stomach. Cartwheel, somersault, back handspring. I bit at my lower lip, trying to rein in the goofy smile on my face.
Once inside, Gael slid his arm away and motioned to the stairway by the entrance. "I'm pretty sure Amberlynn keeps all her stuff up there. She can loan you the gear you'll need."
Gael went down the hallway as the others split in separate directions, stripping as they walked. The sea of exposed backs and butt cracks was a quick and dirty introduction to the fact that demons apparently didn't mind nudity.
"C'mon, Priscilla. Let's get you dressed for the hunt," Amberlynn said as she thumped up the stairs in her big boots. I started up after her, the stairs creaking with each step. Atlas suddenly loped up the stairs, taking them three at a time, then sat at the very top, looking as if he was confused by how slow we were. Once I reached the top, I looked around and saw there were two rooms and a bathroom upstairs. I was surprised to find everything furnished.
"Do you guys ever stay here?"
"Yeah, every once in a while. Sometimes the souls make our lives difficult."
I followed Amberlynn into one of the rooms. She stopped in front of an armoire, flung the doors open, and pulled out a stack of leather. I scrambled to catch it as she suddenly tossed it my way. "Make sure you put on the whole thing unless you feel like getting possessed."
I studied the gear in my hands. It was like leather, but it was almost too shiny, reflecting any light that
hit it. "What is it? Like some sort of Hell hazmat suit?"
"I suppose, they just got some of that hellstone in 'em. Like the portal and all that, y'know? It keeps them in or out. Don't ask me how it works, I never went to school."
I gave her a crooked smile. "Something tells me school wouldn't have helped explain anything in Hell."
"Damn right." Amberlynn started to undress and tugged on one of her many belts and straps with an annoyed grunt.
"Need some help?"
"As long as you don't try anything."
"I promise that any groping will be purely on accident."
She smirked and motioned for me to come over. "It takes me damn near an hour to undo all this shit."
I walked over and did a full circle around her, trying to find the best place to start. I decided to start at her back, where there seemed to be the most of them. I wasn't sure how she even managed to get them all closed.
I grunted as I tried to undo one of the buckles. It was like a bear trap. "Why dress like this? It seems like more effort than it's worth."
Amberlynn shook her head as she worked on the front buckles. "It's damn well worth it. Sends a message, don't it?"
"What message is that? That you like spending an hour undoing buckles to go pee?"
"Nah, that's not it. You see, my momma and daddy always told me, 'If you don't want those guys doing nasty things to you, then stop dressing like you do.'"
"What?" I gasped, not even bothering to hide my horror. I mean, why would I? I couldn't imagine one parent saying something like that to their daughter, let alone both of them. "You know that's not true, right? It wasn't your fault."
"Nah, don't worry about none of that," she continued breezily, as if she hadn't just said something shocking in the least. "I think the way I dress sends the right message now. Besides, if some asshole wanted to attack me, I could have him dead before the second buckle was undone."
The ruthless glint that crossed her eyes was a sobering reminder of who she was. Who her life and circumstances had turned her into. I knew it wasn't fair to myself to even compare, but I had to chastise myself for ever thinking my problems were that bad. Sure, I had to fight tooth and nail to get where I had been in life, but once I had reached the top, I forgot to stop fighting all the time. I fought against the good and the bad, lashing out in discontent.
And I did it all to myself. Gael was right about that.
With two sets of hands, we were able to get Amberlynn out of her armor and into the hellstone gear. I slid into the strange, leathery gear myself, then stood in front of the mirror, admiring the way the skin-tight clothing hugged my newly muscled form. I looked like a cross between a wrestler and a cat burglar. But more shiny.
"Not a bad benefit to being condemned to Hell, right?" Amberlynn said with a laugh as she secured several of her belts around her new outfit.
"I guess it's pretty alright. Won't people think we look a little weird rolling around looking like a bunch of bondage enthusiasts with glowing eyes?"
"I mean, yeah, we'll look like a bunch of weird-asses, but they don't see the glowing eyes. They look normal to them. Just like the hounds look like regular dogs."
A warning growl rumbled from Atlas. I turned around to see Zachariah leaning against the doorframe with an easy smile. "Calm down, pooch."
"I'm sorry, I've had him for all of a couple hours." I rushed over to hold my hellhound, like I could stop him if he actually wanted to attack anyone. "Lucas said it would take some time for him to adjust."
"It's alright, it's not like I mind."
"The dog's got the right idea." Amberlynn mimicked Atlas' growl. "You're lucky they convinced me not to bring Debbie. She would chew you a new one."
"Let's not fight, please," I said with a sigh as I ran a hand over my hound's warm fur. "Did you need something, Zachariah?"
"Just wanted to give you your soulstone." He held out a jagged stone that glinted like the clothing we wore. It looked like a smaller version of the one on Ronove's staff.
I walked over to take it from him, testing the weight in my hands. "How does it work?"
"Touch it to the soul or the vessel they're in and hope they don't squirm away before it manages to suck 'em up." His smile widened. "That's it."
Easy, right?
17
Gael
Prissy wore that outfit like it was made to test my control. She stood in the middle of the living room, body stretched out as she pulled up her long, dark hair. Damn, she looked good. Catching me staring, she gave me a small, coy smile that made my pants a hell of a lot tighter. All pretenses of patience and control gone, I strode over, took her by the hand, and started leading her out of the room.
"Uhh, Gael?"
I said nothing as I pushed through the swinging door that led into the kitchen. The door was still swinging wildly as I turned around and took her by the waist. I lifted her up, set her on the counter, then jerked her in close. She didn't look so confused anymore. She rolled her hips against me, earning a well-deserved groan.
"Is the pseudo-catsuit really doing it for you or what?"
My only reply was to sink both hands into her hair and captured her coy smile with a deep kiss. She slid her arms around my neck and pressed that sweet body of hers closer with a low moan. Fuck. It wasn't enough. I could hear the others milling around in the house, but when she hooked those legs around me, I lost my ability to care. I needed to have her. Now.
We jolted apart and looked to our sides when the fridge suddenly rattled shut. Edwin coolly walked over to the drawer next to us, beer in hand, and nudged Priscilla's leg out of the way.
"Don't mind me, just wanted a drink." He pulled out the bottle opener and popped the top from his drink. With an eyebrow cocked, he took a long pull from the dark brown bottle. "So, you two a thing now or something?"
"It's complicated," Priscilla quickly replied. "I mean, y'know, it's just—"
The door swung open and Amberlynn strode inside, only to pause and look between all three of us with a flat look. "I'm not even going to ask. Anyway, Lucas is getting all antsy, so we should probably head out. You got the coordinates for ground zero?"
"Yeah, the scouts wrote them down. It's not far." I sighed and pushed away from the counter, giving up on any chance at getting what I really wanted right now.
"What's ground zero?" Priscilla asked as she hopped down from the counter.
"Where the Druids did their spell," I replied. "The more innocent souls tend to stick around wherever they were summoned, too disoriented and scared to do anything. It'll be easy for you to get your first soul at least."
"There's that word again," she murmured under her breath. "Easy."
"It'll be fine. You're home free at this point." I opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a soulstone for her. "Here."
"Oh, I already have one."
"Really? Well, alright. Let's do this thing."
"Yep." She let out a long breath, then headed for the door. "To battle and whatnot."
Amberlynn and I followed after her while Edwin tossed his bottle into the trash. "This is going to be a shit show, isn't it?" he asked.
"Isn't it always?" I replied.
"I still get my hopes up from time to time."
"This is it?" Lucas asked in disbelief as he eyed the community center we stood in front of. "What sort of Druids are these? Are they running after-school programs or something? What happened to the naked orgies in forests, man? At least that was hot."
"They're a mess, man," I said with a sigh as I eyed the simple, tidy sign that marked the building. "Berith's scouts can hardly keep an eye on them anymore because they're all so disjointed. Everyone thinks they have the answer. They've got tons of splinter groups all over the place."
"I guess we found ourselves a wholesome one," Amberlynn said with mock enthusiasm.
Lucas sighed and open the door, looked inside, then immediately shut the door again and turned around. He looked like he was going to puke. "Scr
ew this. That smell. What's wrong with these people?"
I looked over at Priscilla. Her eyes were wide, a hand clasped over her mouth as the scent of decay wafted out. This was a rough way to get an introduction to the Druids and their bullshit, but cleaning up their messes was what allowed Samael to save a few of us from Ronove's torture. Most importantly, it was what would keep Priscilla from burning for eternity.
I moved past Edwin and flung the door open. Priscilla gasped behind me. I turned around and motioned for everyone to go inside. "Welcome to your first day on the job, Prissy."
18
Priscilla
Once—only once—I had made the mistake of looking at some photos from Jonestown. A tight knot formed in my roiling stomach. The scene before me reminded me of that grisly sight. There was senseless death everywhere I looked. Each time I tried to breathe through my nose, I was assaulted by the scent of death. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard as I tried to force down the acid crawling up my throat. What had these people done? These Druids?
I understood that they thought they were doing something right, based on some tradition as old as time, but it didn't make it any less hard to process when faced with the results. The others were already moving through the open room, stepping over bodies like they were nothing but logs in the way. They didn't even look down at them.
I let out a shaky breath. "This is balance?"
Gael nodded. "The balance that the Druids believe in is uncaring. It's hard, cold, and factual. It's about the survival of the Earth."
"You said they were, um, lost or something, right?"
"Yeah, they used to work in tandem with Heaven and Hell, helping control the ebb and flow of souls between the two."
"Aren't we supposed to have free will or whatever?"
"Sure. You're free to react however you want to their manipulations." Gael looked at a woman curled up on the floor, smiling even in death. Dressed in a lilac cardigan and sensible shoes, she looked like a school teacher. If I had passed her on the street, I never would've suspected that she was the sort of person who would end up here. Like this.