War of the Damned Boxed Set

by Michael Todd

  No, I think we’re good. They are fighting the demons as the government is teaching them to. It’s funny, I never expected there to be a twelve-step plan for dealing with your demons. If you tried that on me, I would probably fuck with you worse.

  They are just doing it to make the humans feel more comfortable. Welcome to American politics, where laws are made based on how much the politician gets to put in his pocket.

  Yeah, but a program? Like a demon is a drug or something you can quit?

  Why not? Katie shrugged. We always said that alcohol was a demon, so what’s the difference?

  Actually, there is a demon named Alcohol. He’s got a brother or two, and I call them Gin and Rye, the Whiskey Brothers, Pandora mused.

  That actually sounds like a good premise for a movie. We could have the director of this one do it.

  And have Schwarz in it too? He can relive his glory days, and we’ll fly him around hanging from a chopper.

  “Come with me if you want to live.” That’s probably a terrible idea, though. He’s old, and there’s no way his arm is gonna hold that body for too long.

  Hey, it’s the circle of life. What a way to go out!

  By plunging hundreds of feet to your death?

  We could fly him over the water.

  Okay, so plunging hundreds of feet into the water and then drowning. Even Arnold’s role in this thing doesn’t warrant a heinous death. Come on.

  Fine, he can be a lifesaving cyborg...

  Like...Terminator?

  Damn. I gotta have a unique idea somewhere up here in this pea brain of mine. I mean, hell, if people bought tickets to see this shit show we could make it work with a CVS camcorder and a bag of tootsie rolls.

  I don’t even want to know what kind of movie would need that.

  You know, stick the candy—

  STOP! I don’t want to hear it.

  Fine, party pooper. What are we doing after we have killed all our brain cells watching this movie?

  I dunno, figured I’d go shopping or something. Something somewhat interesting on our last day of vacation.

  I hear they got some good male strip clubs out here.

  Ew! Men in banana hammocks freak me out. My friends dragged me to one on my eighteenth birthday. They had me sit on stage while a guy dressed in a full-on Mickey Mouse costume, big round head mask and everything, came out and stripped to the Mickey Mouse theme song, followed by the new Mickey Mouse theme song that for some reason repeats the word “hotdog” over and over. That was the first and last time I entered the world of male strip clubs.

  I don’t even know what to say. Your friends should be ashamed and forced to do something awful like clean their hammocks.

  Oh God, I just threw up in my mouth a little.

  On the screen, Arnold finished up the movie by sending the last rubber demon back to hell. The lights came up, and Katie realized that only half of the people who had been there to start had made it to the end.

  After seeing real demons and sending them back to hell, Katie was more than happy to watch a shitty movie that made her laugh.

  She realized she was actually having more fun with Pandora than she’d thought she would. All in all, it was a pretty successful vacation. At that point, all they had to do was make it through the night and back to Vegas without being called into yet another incursion.

  They left the theatre and Katie walked out into the warm California sunshine. She closed her eyes and let the sun hit her face.

  I might actually miss California when we go back.

  I’m gonna miss the donuts and the Chick-Fil-A.

  Uh, there is Chick-Fil-A out there, I’m sure. If not, we’ll write the company.

  This is why you are my main bitch.

  Chapter Eleven

  Katie stared at the road in front of her as she drove toward Las Vegas, heading home from her vacation in Las Angeles.

  The path was very familiar; the same one she had taken dozens of times coming back to the old base right outside the city.

  It had become her home; the place they had taken her after she was infected, and the place where she’d really found out who she was and what she was made of. As she approached the drive to the old base she slowed down, deciding a visit might be good. She turned down the sandy road and saw the base way ahead, small on the horizon.

  As she made her way closer to the base she slowed down and looked to her left, then chuckled and shook her head. That was the exact spot from which she had seen T’Chezz climbing out of a portal, and also the same spot she’d jumped from her car and let him take it back down to hell when it slammed into him.

  She had been devastated to lose that car, but even more so because the portal had let out a host of demons and the base had paid the price.

  I still think the Raptor is second-rate. Pandora sniffed.

  Eh, think of how many memories we have in this thing already.

  Yeah, yeah.

  She continued past the building that held the remnants of her weapons business. Most of the walls had toppled after the attack, and the roof had since collapsed.

  She parked in front of the building and looked around to make sure she was alone. Not sensing any demons nearby, she went up to the front door and carefully turned the handle, happy to find that it had been left unlocked when they moved. She took the stairs up to the living area and walked through the door, looking around at the empty walls.

  That was the place she had called home, where she’d learned about soaps, eaten too much pizza, and really started to build a life and a family.

  She thought about looking into her old room, but that would have been too melancholy. She hadn’t come here to make herself cry.

  She went back to the stairwell and made her way onto the roof. All the furniture except the stone bench had been taken, so she wandered over and took a seat. She smiled, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in of the cool desert evening air.

  The sky a myriad of colors on the horizon and the lights of Las Vegas twinkled lightly in the background. Katie had forgotten how much she liked it up there, it was a nice break from the underground labyrinth she moved to.

  You want to come out and play a bit?

  Uh...why? I feel like the dog that gets ice cream on the way to get euthanized.

  No. Katie laughed. Nothing like that. I guess I feel like I am a guard in a prison, having only allowed you out a few times and only when the shit hits the fan. I want to be able to trust you with everything, not just my working life.

  Pandora sniffed again but didn’t say a word. She was taken back yet again by the kind of human Katie was. The woman had made an impression on her, and because of Katie she was starting to look at humanity in a whole new light.

  She appreciated Katie’s support and felt like she needed to show some in return; open up a little more to her.

  Did you know I was human many, many thousands of years ago?

  I didn’t. I thought you were born and raised a demon in South Hell.

  Pandora chuckled. No, I was a pure-blooded human, and because of that, I can tell that there is more to you than meets the eye. It’s almost like you were specially chosen to be there that night and be sacrificed to me.

  What do you mean?

  Pandora paused for a moment, really thinking about her words. Katie, you are doing things no human should be able to do. There is only one reasonable explanation for that, and it scares the ever-loving shit out of me if I am honest.

  Katie frowned.

  She didn’t know what kind of being Pandora was referring to. Sure, she had more power than any of the other Damned she had met, but she had assumed it had to do with Pandora being a high-level demon and nothing else.

  She had never thought there might be something special about her.

  I’ve never heard of any special beings. It’s only been explained as angels and demons and humans.

  Nor would you have. Way back in time—I’m talking way back—there were more than just
angels and demons and humans. There were those who had human natures and for all intents and purposes played the part, but they were a mixture of all three. Technically, I was told your type would never exist again. I can’t help but wonder...

  Katie couldn’t help but wonder either.

  It was getting late, and Katie needed to get back to the base. She was struggling to let her vacation go. Even with all the fighting and demons, this weekend had been the first time she had relaxed in a very long time.

  She walked down to the truck and grabbed her black leather jacket from the back, pulling it over her shoulders. She glanced in the mirror, still not used to seeing herself in jeans, sneakers, and a jacket. It was getting colder out at night, and she was glad she had remembered to bring it.

  You ready to get back, Pandora?

  Yeah, I suppose. I could get used to the easy life.

  Katie laughed. Yeah, me too. I figured we’ll head through Henderson. There’s a shop I wanna stop at, then we’ll grab some food and head home.

  You’re the boss, boss. Unless I’m the boss, then I retract that.

  Katie smiled and closed the door, heading back out the way she had come. She glanced up in the rear-view mirror and watched the remnants of the base fade into the background.

  She was glad she had come. She had needed a reflective moment, but she wouldn’t hold on to it. She knew dwelling in the past would only stifle the future, and regardless of the war, she was determined to have a long future.

  When they got to Henderson Katie turned off the main highway and headed over to Pacific Avenue. She pulled into the parking lot of Spurlock’s Gun Shop and put the car in park. She wanted to see how things were going with the ammunition without letting him know she was the woman behind the curtain.

  When she walked in, a bell on the door chimed and the guy behind the counter stood up and nodded at her.

  “What can I help you with today?”

  Katie looked around, but no one else was in there. “I wanted to see what you offer for the current climate of...enemy.”

  “Ah, you’re looking for demon protection.” He walked her down to the end of the counter and put out his arm. “Here ya go—specialty weapons to fit the specialty bullets.”

  Katie narrowed her eyes and looked at him. “From what I’ve been told you can put those bullets in any gun, no specialty needed.”

  “You’re right, but you wouldn’t put it past the companies to make an extra buck, would you? And let me tell you, they are raking in the dough. These guns are twice the price, and the ammo, well, you better be thrifty with your shots because the ammo is hard to find and even harder to afford.”

  “Do you know the company?”

  “No, it’s a secret. Completely legal of course, but the company wishes to stay anonymous. But there are bullets for all our most popular weapons. I even have a shipment of special metal-tipped arrows coming in next week. To be honest, sales are through the roof. We can’t keep them on the shelves.”

  “Interesting,” Katie replied, looking around. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. You let me know if you’d like to see anything.”

  Katie nodded as he walked off and checked the price tag on the guns. She shook her head and sighed; it was just as she thought.

  Commercial companies couldn’t break the code on the metal so they had gone the other way, flooding the market with unnecessary specialty weapons. It was more than irritating, but she really had no control, even if it was her company making the ammunition. They would learn, though, and until then she knew she should be a bit more careful in public with her red rings.

  She didn’t need to be shot in the back with any weapon, much less her own.

  Since there was no Chick-Fil-A around there, Pandora grudgingly agreed on McDonald's and then they hit the road. Katie took a sip of her soda and grabbed a nugget from the box balanced in her lap. Her mind was still at the gun shop, and what the guy had told her about the weapons.

  Let me ask you a question, P. What are people supposed to do if they don’t have the money to buy weapons and ammo? Is there another way to kill these things? No offense.

  None taken. There are a few religious ceremonies that can help since they transfer energy through faith, but it’s not likely they will be used.

  Why not?

  Most humans, and I will add most humans who go to church, don’t have the faith to make this stuff work. It’s almost impossible now, with all of the special effects they’ve seen, for someone to truly believe.

  Why does that not surprise me? Last time I went to church, it was a light show with a house rock band. People were seated stadium-style, and when the pastor spoke, he was on the big screen in the front of the room. He wasn’t even at the church. It was insane, and it was so fancy and crazy it was hard to even focus on what he was saying. I ended up leaving halfway through, figuring that if I wanted a show I’d go to downtown Vegas.

  Yep, that’s the issue. Not that I am a huge fan of church, but a lot of people don’t get anything out of it except some warm fuzzies and a cool cross-shaped program made out of recycled paper. Unfortunately, some of the pastors and priests don’t really care. The Vatican is like a monarchy, and a few TV pastors and priests make so much money they don’t even see the poor from their multi-million-dollar estates.

  Preach it! Katie chuckled about finding Pandora very passionate on the subject.

  I just find it ironic that they look down their noses at demons when they are the ones committing countless sins on a daily basis. Humans always preach that they aren’t like us, but so many of them are. They just can’t admit it. Sometimes it feels good to be bad.

  I guess it does, my friend, and if I haven’t earned a place in Pearly Gates Land after a life like this? I suppose I wasn’t going to make it anyway.

  You can come back with me. We’ll rule hell together.

  Sounds warm and fuzzy.

  Katie and Pandora laughed, changing the subject to stories about hell from the Queen of the Damned herself. They raced toward home, not paying much attention to anything around them.

  Two SUVs carefully pulled off the side of the road and followed for a while before clicking on their low beams. Katie was so enthralled by their conversation she never saw the lights and had driven right past them.

  Who they were and what they wanted was obvious, and with Katie immersed in the conversation it was only a matter of time before she found out.

  Chapter Twelve

  The three Las Vegas paranormal experts stood outside waiting for Damian. The younger guy was leaning against the van smoking a cigarette while the leader paced back and forth flipping through the emails on his phone.

  The third, a middle-aged woman who had been in the business since the beginning, knelt in the van tapping her finger against a piece of equipment’s screen. She sighed and tossed it back in the bin, then sat down and dangled her legs out the side door of the van.

  “Spectrometer is broken again. I swear, we pay those people just to fix it and they create a new problem so they stay in business.”

  The young guy snorted, taking a drag of his cig and blowing the smoke into the air. “Welcome to corporate America, where they bleed you dry and ask for more.”

  The woman waved her hand in front of her face, grimacing at the smoke. “Yeah, well, at least I know with the priest coming we won’t need it. When is he supposed to get here, anyway?”

  The leader looked up from his phone and shrugged. “Soon. Not like there aren’t another dozen calls after this.”

  Just then a blacked-out SUV pulled into the parking lot, wheels crunching on the gravel. The young guy threw down his cigarette and twisted it into the ground with his foot. He rubbed his hands together and glanced back, nodding at the woman.

  “Time to rock and roll.”

  “Great.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

  The leader smiled as Damian climbed out of the truck and put his hand out. He shook it and began, “Damian, thank
you for coming on such short notice.”

  “John, it’s good to see you are not possessed.”

  “Yeah, we stay away from that shit these days. Too many jobs to handle. I mean, who knew that proving the paranormal existed would have been so fucking hard? It was like finding a damn treasure, but now? Man oh man, it’s like we are a ghost pesticide service or something.”

  “Real life Ghostbusters.” Damian smiled, nodding to Janine and Landon. “How you are doing, guys?”

  “Tired,” Janine replied.

  “I second that.” Landon smiled. “But the adrenaline is starting to kick in.”

  “Good.” Damian nodded and gazed at the abandoned hotel. It looked like something out of a Rob Zombie movie and he half-expected to see a guy with a burlap sack over his head walk out holding a machete. A crazy human would be a lot easier to deal with than a demon, so it might have been a relief.

  “What’s the story?” Damian asked, walking next to John as they approached the entrance.

  “Well, story is, seven people tried to commit suicide here two months ago. They were successful in killing themselves, but it seems their ghosts still haunt the place. This hotel is scheduled to be completely demolished and the rubble hauled off by the seventh, and the workers can’t get anywhere near it without something crazy happening. Just last week, one of the guys was walking through a hall and fell down a hole that hadn’t been there earlier in the day. They got him out, but he was badly hurt, broken bones and such. Anyway, they can’t take it down until the ghosts are gone. They are messing everything up.”

  “I see.” Damian stroked his chin. “So, there are seven ghosts in there?”

  “That’s what we think, though we haven’t been inside yet. We were waiting on you.”

  “Sorry it took so long. We are short-staffed, so I had to make sure everything was in order before I left.”

  “It’s no problem. We needed a break anyway. That, and there was no way in hell we were going in there without backup.”