by Geri Glenn
He walks quickly, determination and caution clear in his steady gait. Father Martin and I stay close on his heels, eyes scanning the courtyard for anything out of the ordinary, as he comes to a stop. Looking up, I see that we’re standing in front of an alley that runs between the old art history building and a woodsy area. Merrick turns, eyeing me up and down.
Frowning, I throw my hands out to the sides. “Is this it? This is where Joey felt that evil fucker?”
“Language, Cyrus,” Father Martin admonishes as he peers down the alley.
I shake my head and look to Merrick. “Seriously, this is it?”
He nods.
“Well fu—” Father Martin looks at me with his eyebrow raised. “Darn. I don’t feel anything.”
“Joey felt it when she stepped into the entrance of the alley.”
Shrugging, I take an exaggerated step forward until I’m standing a couple of feet into the alley itself. Nothing. But then I hear it—a scream.
Taking off at top speed, I race down the dark alley and skid to a stop when I see a demon on his knees, leaning over a bruised and bloodied girl.
“Hey, fuckface!” I yell, causing the demon to whip his head around.
I’m surprised when a wicked grin spreads across his horrid face instead of a look of surprise. It’s like he was expecting us. “Oh, look. The cavalry has arrived.” He stands, grabbing the girl by the hair and dragging her up with him. “It’s your lucky day, honey.” His face changes so suddenly, that I barely register it before he says, “Or is it?”
I’m not prepared when he throws the girl at me, like she weighs no more than a sack of potatoes. As she screams, I rush forward to catch her, but I’m not fast enough. She falls at my feet at an awkward angle. I quickly drop down to make sure she’s okay, but before I can check, I feel a rush of air as Merrick rushes past me. Looking up, I see the demon rushing off down the alley.
“I have the girl. Go!” Father Martin is already scooping her up as she sobs hysterically.
Hot on Merrick’s heels, I use my super speed to charge past him and catch the demon just as he turns the corner at the end of the alley. Grabbing his shoulder, I spin him around and crash my fist into his face. It doesn’t even faze him. He takes my punch as if it were dealt by an annoying mosquito, then comes at me with one of his own, sending me flying several feet and landing on my back.
Merrick reaches him and swings at him with a long sword, narrowly missing the ugly bastards throat. The demon’s fist cracks across Merrick’s jaw, knocking him back against the wall and causing his sword to fly out of reach. Rushing towards them, I watch as the demon wraps his giant hand around Merrick’s throat, holding him high above the ground, back pressed into the brick wall.
Summoning a sword of my own, I reach them just as the demon raises a dagger high in the air, ready to thrust it into Merrick. From over his shoulder, I see Merrick’s face redden with the effort of summoning another weapon to free himself. With a mighty heave, I swing my sword and give a grunt of satisfaction as the demon’s head detaches and thumps heavily to the ground.
Merrick drops to the ground and quickly regains his footing, panting as he tries to catch his breath. “Jesus Christ! That fucker was like a demon on crack!”
Just then, Father Martin approaches. “You’re right there, Merrick. His marking show that he’s a low ranking demon, but somehow he was very powerful—too powerful. I think that answers our question.”
I frown. “What question? And where is the girl?”
“She’s here. I sat her just outside the alley. And as for the question, it told us Le Vieux is indeed buried here.” He points down to the headless body on the ground. “That demon gained strength from the Old One. He used this ground to maximize his powers and feed from innocents.”
Merrick and I look at each other, eyes wide. It makes sense. That fucker was stronger than any demon I’d ever seen, but his markings proved him to be nothing but Satan’s minion.
“You boys don’t belong here.” All three of us whip around, looking towards the entrance of the alley. We can barely make out the outline of Trent where he stands just inside of it, hands fisted at his sides. “This is way bigger than any of you,” he warns. “Nothing you can do will be able to stop Le Vieux, especially now.”
I frown. What the fuck does that mean? Charging forward, I barrel towards him, gripping my sword tightly.
His laughter reaches me as I run down the alley. “You shouldn’t waste your time trying to take me on right now, Cyrus. You should be more worried about your sister, though it might be too late for her already.” He takes a step back and turns to hop on a motorcycle. “It’s a shame, really. I was hoping to have some fun with her before I killed her myself, but we can’t have everything now, can we? Guess I’ll just have to settle for fucking your girlfriend instead.” He takes off before I can even blink.
My growl is almost drowned out by the sound of Merrick and the rev of Trent’s motorcycle as he speeds away. My heart crashes in my chest as his words sink in. You should be more worried about your sister.
My eyes meet Merrick’s. His are black with rage.
Without a word, the three of us run to the truck and hop in, racing past the bewildered girl at the entrance. I feel terrible leaving her, but we don’t have time. I make the short drive to our home even shorter by driving faster than any speed limit would ever allow.
Screeching to a stop in front of the house, my heart sinks as I look at the wreckage that used to be our front door. Oh God, no. My gut clenches with a mixture of fear and outrage as we run towards the house. The doorframe is splintered, and the door itself lays in a cracked and broken heap on the floor.
Pausing just outside, we go in with caution, on alert and ready for anything. Or so we think. Nothing could have prepared me for what I see inside our once cozy living room. The furniture is scattered and broken. Stuffing from the pillows is everywhere. There are human bodies lying in pools of their own blood. My eyes scan the wreckage with a lump forming in my throat.
There she is, lying with her arm stretched out in front of her, like she’s reaching for something. Her face is black and blue, and covered in blood. My gut twists as I look to Father Martin, who looks as scared as I am. Moving towards her, I’m knocked aside by Merrick as he rushes to her side.
“Joey, no!” He kneels before her and flips her to her back, scooping her up into his arms. “Joey.” I can barely breathe as he shakes her gently and caresses her face, careful of the cuts and bruises. “Joey, baby, wake up!” His hand travels down to her neck, checking for a pulse. Fear and relief war in his eyes. “She’s alive.” He turns back to her and hugs her tight. “She’s alive,” he whispers.
Kneeling in front of him, I want her to wake up so I know she really is alive, but I’m afraid to touch her. Blood is covering ninety-five percent of her body, but I have no clue if it’s all hers or not. “Jo, you need to wake up...please.”
Her eyelids start to flutter, yet panic threatens to overwhelm me. What if she’s not okay? It would take a silver knife to the heart, or a beheading to kill her, so why the fuck is she not waking up? And where the fuck is Emersyn?
Figuring her legs are probably the only place her body wouldn’t be as injured, I shake her leg. “Jo? Fuck, wake up,” I yell, then lightly slap her across her cheek. I’m going insane not knowing if she’s all right, or know where Emersyn is.
Merrick pushes me, making me fall back on my ass. He opens his mouth, most likely ask me what the fuck I’m thinking, hitting my sister when she’s obviously badly beaten, when Joey groans, lifting her hand to her head. “Ohhh. Ow.” Her eyelids flutter open. “What’s going on?” She looks up and sees Merrick and she smiles softly. “Hi,” she whispers.
He chuckles and breathes a sigh of relief as he hugs her tight. “Hi, baby.”
She frowns and looks to me. “Cy? What’s going on?”
“We were hoping you’d tell us. We came home and found you like this.” I sweep my a
rm in front of me, indicating the wrecked room around us. I know my tone is harsh and accusing, but I honestly can’t help it. Now that I know my sister is okay, I’m freaking out, thinking about what could have happened to Em.
Her frown deepens. “I don’t...” she starts, then she sits up suddenly. “Oh God, Emersyn!” I freeze. “Cyrus, they took her. She was screaming for help, but there were too many. I couldn’t help her!” Despair washes over me. “Cyrus, they took Emersyn!”
Fuck.
-
Joey
-
I try to get up, needing to do something to get Emersyn back, but Merrick tightens his hold on me.
“Relax, Joey. You’re okay, I’ve got you.”
“No, let me up. We need to go after them. They came here for her, and I wasn’t able to protect her. I failed her, Merrick. I have to get her back. I have to save her.” I try to say strongly, but fail when my voice breaks towards the end. I hate myself right now for what happened and what I was unable to prevent. If I was more on guard, instead of so jumbled from the kiss Merrick and I shared, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe the outcome would have been different.
Cy moves closer to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. He should be pissed at me for what I let happen, but he’s not. His eyes are full of anger and pain, but it’s not directed at me. “Calm down. We’ll find her and they will pay, I fucking promise you that. But it’ll take all of us to get her back.”
Hearing his voice and promise for retribution, works in calming me down, but it doesn’t ease my guilt. That’s something that will never go away, even after we get her back, or if we even get her back. I don’t want to think that way, but it’s a real possibility that we might be too late.
“You’re right.” If it were under any other circumstances, I would love the feel of Merrick’s arms around me, but I can’t right now. My body is tense with the coming fight we’ll have to get through to get Emersyn back.
“Are you hurt anywhere else besides your head?” Father Martin steps forward and looks at me with concern.
I think about his question before answering. I don’t remember much about the fight—it was a big blur of bodies and blood—but the only real hit I think I suffered was to the head. Reaching my hand up, I touch the place that throbs the worst. When I pull my hand away, it’s sticky with blood. Fuck, that hurts! Then, I do a quick inventory of the rest of my body, but I can find anything else that’s injured.
“No. I was able to hold them off until I heard Emersyn scream. That’s when they got a cheap shot in and I was knocked unconscious, but I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks. It hurts, but I’ll be all right.” I heal fast anyway, but it’s the truth. I’m sure it looks worse than it is. Don’t get me wrong, it was a hard as fuck hit, but nothing some pain pills and a band aid won’t cure.
“You sure, baby? Maybe you should let us take a look. You’re gonna need all your strength to fight these fuckers again.” Merrick says in a low voice. If it were Cyrus talking to me like this and insinuating I was weak, I would’ve been pissed, and probably decked him just to prove that I was fine. But hearing the concern in Merrick’s voice, it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing he cares about my well-being.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Just let me run upstairs to change and take some aspirin, then we can discuss what our next move is.” I don’t wait for their approval, and Merrick doesn’t stop me from standing this time.
After taking a quick shower to wash all the blood off and bandaging my head, I take a few pain pills before I walk back downstairs. A quick look in the hallway mirror proves that my injuries are already starting to heal, and the bruises are already fading. The boys have cleaned up the living room as much as possible, but it still looks like a tornado went through it.
As I get closer, I find them sitting around the coffee table that’s barely standing, and looking at what seems to be an old scroll.
“What’s that?” I ask, sitting down between Father Martin and Merrick.
“This is the Ancient Scroll of Lazarus. He was a part of the final battle when God and the Devil were able to bury Le Vieux. I’ve had someone working on translating it, and we still have a lot left, but we did find out what it will take to raise him, besides what we already know.” Father Martin answers me while everyone else is quietly listening to every word he says.
“What do they need to raise him? Maybe we can stop them before they find it.” Merrick adds, but by the look on Father Martin’s face, I know that it’s a lost cause. It will either be impossible for us to stop them from getting it, or they already have it in their possession.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, as they already acquired the last sacrifice it will take to raise Le Vieux.”
Cyrus and Merrick wait for Father Martin to continue, but I don’t need to hear him say it; I already know.
“Emersyn.”
Father Martin nods. “I’m afraid so. She was the last piece they needed. To raise Le Vieux, they need to spill the blood of the purest living soul. Once the sacrifice is finished, the ground will shake and open, allowing the Old One to pass through.”
Cyrus stands at the mentioned of her name, but when Father Martin gives us the details of the sacrifice, his face turns red with rage as he grits his teeth and says, “Let’s move.”
Standing up, I take my place beside my brother. Even though this may be a fight we can’t win, I’m willing to do anything to try and get Emersyn back. After all, it’s my fault they were able to take her in the first place.
Father Martin looks between us, then to Merrick. “We know where they would take her, Father. They won’t expect us to go after them so soon. It’ll be a surprise attack.”
“Yes, we do know where they will take her, but it may not be that easy. We need to prepare for all possibilities.” Father Martin speaks to all of us, but he’s looking at Cyrus. He doesn’t want us to get our hopes up that Emersyn is still alive, but what he doesn’t understand is rage and hope are our best weapons. Without hope, we wouldn’t have the will to fight. And without rage, we wouldn’t have the strength needed to defeat our strongest enemies.
“We understand, Father, but we aren’t too late. I can feel it,” I say with certainty.
Cyrus looks at me and nods. “Let’s move.”
I follow Cy out of the house with Merrick following behind me. I didn’t think Father Martin would come with us, but when I turn around to smile reassuringly at Merrick, I see him following as well. He’ll fight with us to the end, I should have known that. If it means doing everything we can, even giving our lives to save the world, he’ll gladly make the sacrifice.
Merrick reaches out and takes my hand. Even though we’re walking to our possible defeat, knowing I have my brother and the man who raised us with me, and a man who is starting to make me feel like I finally belong somewhere, I know that no matter what happens, I’m right where I belong. I’m doing it with the three people who mean the most to me.
Game on, motherfuckers.
Chapter Eleven
Cyrus
-
Parking several blocks from the alley, the four of us slip silently through the night. Just around the corner, Merrick grabs my arm to get my attention.
“We should split up,” he says, grabbing Joey’s hand.
I look down at their joined hands and back up at him, wishing I had the power to make him disappear. “Fuck that.”
Joey growls at me, and Merrick throws his hands up, anger etched all over his face. “For fuck’s sake, Cyrus. Would you pull your head out of your ass? Me and Joey mean something to each other, not that it’s any of your business. Your girl is around that corner, hopefully still alive, while you’re standing here arguing with me.”
I look at him, trying to decide what’s right. What if Joey gets hurt again? I don’t trust him to watch her back.
“Cyrus,” Merrick says, all anger gone from his voice. “She doesn’t need it, but I will watch her b
ack. Nothing is going to happen to her.”
I glance at Joey and see the look in her eyes as she stares up at Merrick with a smile on her face. Then she looks to me.
Cy, I love you for wanting to protect me, not only from the demons we’re about to fight, but from Merrick too, but I don’t need protecting. I know my role in this fight, and I’m more than capable. And Merrick is right. There’s something there between us, just like there’s something between you and Emersyn. So please, if you trust me, then trust him. I’ll be fine.
Merrick is looking at Joey with something that resembles love. Even though I don’t like it, Joey’s right. I trust her with my life. Bringing my eyes back to her, I nod my head enough for her to see it.
Okay, Sis, you win. Be careful, but show no mercy to those fuckers.
A big smile spreads across her face. With pleasure.
Joey and Merrick take off around the building, heading for the far end of the alley, while me and Father Martin move towards the entrance where we’d seen Trent just a few short hours ago. Creeping slowly along the building, my eyes scan our surroundings, looking for any sentries hiding in the trees, but really I’m listening for any sign of my girl.
Just as we reach the entrance, I hear a short grunt and a thud. Turning around, I grin at the sight of Father Martin stepping away from the unconscious body on the ground. I’d almost forgotten how incredible he is. Almost. The man did teach me everything I know.
We step into the alley and my heart stops. Several feet away, there are about twelve shrouded demons, all chanting in a circle with lit torches stuck in the ground, casting eerie shadows across their faces. The chanting grows louder as we approach, and unlike the last time I’d been here, I feel the evil.
From the other end of the alley, I see movement in the shadows approaching the group from the other side. I can vaguely make out the familiar outline of Joey and a larger shadow, who is obviously Merrick.
Cy, we see her.
Joey communicates to me with mixed emotions in her voice, but I can’t make out which one is more prominent; anger, fear, or pain.