by Michael Todd
Calvin put a hand to his face and groaned. “Not this again.”
“I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives…” Armani continued to read the speech from his paper, and Katie listened.
The monologue didn’t seem exactly on point. There was a lot of talk of the team needing to heal, which didn’t apply as far as she could tell.
Korbin’s Killers were a cohesive unit, ready to crush the demon threat ahead of them. Despite that, as Armani spoke, the expressions of the men around her went from smiling to determined. Even Calvin, who had groaned at the prospect of the speech, appeared bolstered by it. When Armani was finished, the big man clapped him on the shoulder.
“Let’s go kick some more demon ass,” Calvin said.
“Hell, yeah!” Derek shouted.
Korbin shook his head and shut the doors, then jumped into the driver’s seat, got the van started, and headed toward the battlefield.
The ride was no longer sullen and quiet. Motivation and enthusiasm pumped through the vehicle’s interior as they sped toward their destiny.
No one knew what to expect or if they would make it out alive, but that wasn’t on their mind. The honor, and the connection between them all—those were on their minds.
When they reached their destination, it became all business. Korbin’s Killers were ready for action.
Katie followed Korbin and Damian down a dark and dank alley between two dilapidated buildings. Trash filled the passage, and graffiti covered the crumbling walls on each side.
The smell of sulfur pierced Katie’s senses, and her eyes watered slightly.
“All right,” Korbin whispered, pointing to the right with two fingers. “We’re going into the building right there. There are only three useable floors. The rest are falling apart. Take your McNuggets and set them out however you please. Remember your earpieces.” He looked up. “Katie, I want you on the second floor. I’ll be on the first. Damian, you take the top. Remember that we want to try to take them alive for research or even the team if they are capable, but if you have to, kill them to save yourself. Understood?”
“Yes,” Katie said.
“You got this,” Korbin said, looking into Katie’s eyes.
“I’ve got this,” she repeated.
She followed Damian to the second floor and he nodded as he watched her walk through the heavy metal door. She stepped carefully across the damp, creaky carpeted floor, turning back to see Damian’s face just as the door shut.
Her chest felt heavy and she swallowed hard as she looked around the empty space.
It was dirty and abandoned, with just a few remnants of squatters in the corners. Trash was scattered about, and various words and drawings were spray-painted on the moldy walls.
She flipped on her flashlight and checked every crevice of the room before taking out the chicken nuggets and pouring them into a pile in the center of the floor. She looked around for a moment before rolling her eyes, tossing the bag to the side. “Don’t think the litter is the problem, here,” she whispered.
Why are you so nervous? Pandora asked.
I don’t know, Katie replied. It’s like this overwhelming pressure in my chest.
You can sense the demons, Pandora said. That’s my fault. I tend to attract them.
Katie moved the hair out of her eyes. Great, and you’re just telling me this now?
Would it have changed your course of action? her resident demon asked.
Maybe, Katie answered, with fear in her chest. I don’t know. It just would have been nice to have been told.
Well, now you know, and you’d better get ready because there is one seriously ugly bastard heading in this direction, Pandora snarled.
Katie backed into the shadows, grasping her short swords tightly in both trembling hands. She swallowed hard, looking in all directions. Sounds bounced off the walls of the empty room. Something rattled on the landing outside the window, and Katie took a step forward, squinting. Slowly, she walked forward, head turning in all directions before she looked back at the window. Broken glass and debris crunched under her heavy boots as she shifted.
“Fuck!” Katie screamed, back-peddling. A large man with red eyes and pointed teeth crashed through what was left of the window, his cut-up body slamming to the floor as blood slowly dripped down his arms.
He stood up, flexing his muscles. The human form the demon had taken was hardly recognizable, and Katie shuddered at the torn flesh across his chest. He growled, saliva dripping from his teeth and down his chin.
She crouched low to the floor and held tightly to her swords, waiting for the creature to make a move.
“Demon,” she whispered into her comm. “Floor Two.”
“We’ve got our own on Floors One and Three,” Korbin responded calmly. “Do your best. You got this.”
Katie took a deep breath and looked up at the beast, moving her feet and beginning to circle it.
He growled and snarled, twisting his body as he followed her movements. She stepped forward slightly and the beast lunged, swiping his gnarled claws at her body. She leaned back until her top half was almost parallel to the floor, but the tip of the claw clipped her arm and she fell on her ass. She dug her heels into the floor and scooted backward until she was up against the pillar in the center of the room.
Get up, Pandora barked. Get up up UP!
Katie pulled herself to her feet and sprinted to the left, pushing off the wall and flying through the air toward the demon’s back. Before she could reach it he turned and punched her, throwing her into the wall.
CRUNCH!
She hit hard, groaning as the stone crumbled around her. “Fucking hell!” She worked her way back to vertical, but before she could take two steps the demon was on her. He drew his arm back and the tips of his claws shone in the streetlight shimmering through the window. Katie’s eyes opened wide, the coming death capturing her attention. The points of her swords dropped as her head turned, waiting for impact.
At that moment she lost control of her legs, and her knees buckled beneath her, spilling her into a heap on the floor and snapping her back to reality.
Move, damn it! Pandora growled. This isn’t the time to let the demon grab your attention, you little shit. If fucktastic men with few clothes on don’t make you swoon, I sure as hell am not letting this ugly bastard do it!
Katie rolled to the side and pushed up on her knees. She swiped her swords across the backs of the demon’s legs, her arms strengthened and encouraged by Pandora.
The demon screeched loudly in his pain, and toppled backward into the wall.
Katie stood up and ran across the room, then crouched and prepared to attack again. The beast pulled himself to his feet and stomped forward, his large fists tightly clenched. He stopped about ten feet from Katie and let out a roar, a sound that almost burst her eardrums.
She lifted her swords, using her hands to cover her ears and groaning at the sound.
When he stopped, she set her feet, ready to take on the beast even if it ended her.
She stuck a sword out and used her fingers to motion it toward her. “Come here, you fugly Frankenstein. I got just what you want!” Her voice didn’t waver.
Pandora could tell that Katie’s stomach was in knots. Good speech, but now you have to give him both blades. Unless you meant to give him something else, and if you did? I might have to call gross on that. Too much even for me.
The demon stood there snarling and drooling, but before Katie could move toward him a shot rang out. The demon’s head flew to the side, blood and gore spraying across the floor and over her chest as the beast crumpled—much like she had a few moments before.
Katie wiped her face on her sleeve and looked at the doorway, where Korbin stood with a shotgun. His eyes shifted to her and he nodded, then he turned and headed up to the third floor.
Katie stumbled to the side and caught herself against the pillar, watching as the demon morphed bac
k to the torn and tattered remains of whatever poor human it had taken over.
She leaned her head back and breathed heavily, unsure that she could go on any longer.
Pick yourself up, buttercup, Pandora growled. There are more demons out there, and they will try to kill us. You need to get it together.
“I know, and I’m trying,” Katie wheezed as her eyes danced around the floor.
Not hard enough, Pandora scolded.
Katie tried to stop the shaking. “Fuck you and your insistence on being right,” she whispered, a half-laugh erupting from her lips.
She had better pull it together, because that asshole was not at all the end of the mission.
Their night was just getting started.
Katie closed her eyes and channeled her strength, opening herself up to Pandora just a little more. She could feel the adrenaline begin to pump through her veins, its power pulsing through her. She opened her eyes and stood up straight, tightening the muscles in her arms.
She couldn’t… No, she wouldn’t fail again.
Chapter Ten
Katie rushed up the stairs in time to see Damian bless a fallen demon while Korbin shoved a knife through its heart.
The body collapsed on the floor, and both men made sure nothing else happened before they turned toward Katie.
Korbin walked over and dusted off his hands. He smiled at her and stopped just steps away, knowing she needed some thoughtful words.
“Thank you,” Katie said.
“No need for thanks,” Korbin replied. “We work as a team, not as individuals, and what’s important is that we’re both safe and the demon was handled. Good job.” He nodded. “Let’s go help the others.”
The three of them ran down the steps and out the door, holding their weapons behind them as they pushed themselves through the protesting crowd outside.
“Fucking idiots,” she whispered as she worked her way around a man three times her size. She was tempted to shove his ass aside, but it might have given Pandora too much of a laugh.
Katie couldn’t understand how these spiritual people could be holding signs about the end, looking for salvation but damning those who didn’t think the same way. It was a breeding ground for hate, and thus the perfect atmosphere for demons.
Not that demons needed a reason.
Damian shook his head as he passed her, obviously not in agreement with the people in the streets.
“They are willfully ignorant,” Damian mumbled. “I can’t find a connection with them in the least, although I have tried.”
They moved across the street to the building where the others were fighting the coven. Slowly the three of them crept in, eyes alert. They made it to the stairwell and followed the sounds of battle to the basement.
On reaching the bottom level, Katie looked around in shock. Calvin, Derek, and Armani moved almost effortlessly across the floor, fighting with their swords, knives, and hammers. There were several demons, causing those fighting to sweat up a storm as they tried to hold their own.
“Spread out,” Korbin barked, moving forward. “Stay low. Save any you can.”
This time Katie didn’t think so much.
She sprang into action, heading toward a smaller Damned who was completely possessed by its demon.
The creature stirred, growling and snarling as it dug its claws into the floor beneath it. When it spotted Katie it stood, taking on a larger persona than she had thought. Still, there was no time to pause or think.
Only time to act.
She pulled the short sword out of her back harness and slashed it next to her as she crouched in a defensive position.
She started to circle, watching the muscles in the demon’s legs for any sign that it was about to pounce. She knew that she would only have one chance to take this beast down, and she needed to make it count.
Focus, Pandora told her. The beast is gangly, so you can move a lot faster.
Katie waited just a moment longer and then threw herself toward the beast, bringing her sword down with a yell. When she landed, she rolled across the floor and turned back around in time to see the demon’s head roll off and its body sway for just a moment before collapsing.
Good, Pandora growled. Now move your ass. There are more.
Katie moved from her spot without thinking, finding Pandora more of a help than a hindrance for once.
Armani was across the room, battling with two demons at once with just his short swords.
She leapt forward and landed on one of the demons’ shoulders. “Here, choke on this a moment,” she growled, jabbing a small knife into his neck. She jumped back, watching him writhe and struggle to pull the thing out. He growled at her, giving her a stink eye as he pulled the sharp blade from his throat and tossed it to the side.
That little bit of help gave Armani enough time to kill the demon he had been fighting. He nodded in her direction and she nodded back, slowly stepping to the left and flexing as if she were about to charge. She eyed the demon she was battling with a small smile on her lips.
Just as she had thought, the demon read her movements and jumped to the right—directly in front of Armani, who wasted no time. He leapt forward and sliced his knife across the beast’s throat. He gargled and growled, dropping to his knees before falling face-down in a puddle of his own blood.
Armani walked over to her holding his hand up. “I think that deserves a high-five,” he told her and she obliged, slapping his hand.
The two turned around and looked at the crowd for a moment before nodding to each other and taking off toward separate demons.
Katie focused on another small-time demon, who was sitting on the sidelines watching the action.
Oh, yeah. Pandora chuckled. Sniveling little rat, sitting out the danger.
Not for long, Katie said as she ran full-speed toward the demon. Its eyes grew wide.
She pulled her other sword and crossed it and the one already out, waiting for exactly the right moment. She took two long steps and pulled them apart, slicing the small demon right in half just below the shoulders. The two halves slid off each other into a pile on the floor.
Behind you! Pandora yelled.
Katie whirled, swinging her sword around her body. The blade contacted another small demon and sliced a large gash in its chest. Without thought she dropped to her knees and plunged her knife into its belly, then twisted the blade and pulled up through its chest. She stayed kneeling for a moment, breathing heavily and watching the others defeating what was left of the coven.
“Help,” a small weak voice said from the corner.
Katie stood up and slowly walked over to a woman lying crumpled in a ball, her eyes glowing with red circles. She kept her distance for a moment, not sure what she should do.
As she took another step forward Pandora called, Don’t. You can’t trust her.
She could be saved, Katie argued.
Doubtful, Pandora hissed.
Still, Katie knew it was her responsibility to check, so she reached forward to touch the girl’s arm. As she got closer, the woman’s eyes changed and she lunged for Katie, toppling her onto her back. The demon inside her growled and hissed, swiping its claws down her arm. Katie screamed and pulled the knife from her pocket, stabbing upward. The woman’s face went from snarling to shock, and she went limp. Katie pushed her off, grunting as she moved.
The human was dead. There was nothing she could do about it.
Okay, you were right, Katie allowed, breathing hard. Enjoy it while you can.
Pandora sniffed. They’re demons...my kind. Perhaps you could slide off your human high horse and be practical for a moment.
“That was a close one,” Armani came over to her and held his hand down to her.
“Yeah.” Katie turned around after Armani had pulled her up to look around. “Are they all dead?”
“Yeah.” He pointed. “Garrett’s over there in the corner. He needs to patch that up before you bleed too much.”
“Ri
ght.” Katie grimaced, looking at the open flesh on her arm.
She stepped over the bodies in the floor and made her way over to Garrett. He had just finished putting a bandage on Calvin’s leg, and he stood up without a word and pulled the shirt fabric away from the wound.
“Sit down,” he told her. “I’ll have to suture it.”
Katie nodded and grabbed a crate from the side, squatting onto it as Garrett pulled a needle and some sutures from his med kit. She wasn’t looking forward to that kind of healthcare, but she really didn’t have much of an option.
“This is gonna sting, but it will numb it enough to let me suture it without you wanting to punch me.” He chuckled. “Looks like they got you good.”
“Yes.” She hissed as he punctured her skin with the needle, injecting the anesthetic in several different places around the tears. “Oddly enough, it was a fresh Damned human and not one of the full-out demons.”
He chuckled. “Oh, man, that sucks. This will still hurt, but I’ll go fast.”
Katie focused her attention on Korbin as he walked around the area, cleaning up the evidence that they had been there. It didn’t hurt as much as she had thought it would, but it was definitely a lot different from the time she had been sewn up in the emergency room. Garrett was good at his job, though, and within ten minutes he was done.
“I’m going to put this ointment on it,” he told her as he busied himself with his medical box. “I want you to change the dressing daily until I take out the stitches.”
“All right,” she agreed, watching him apply the ointment.
He looked in his little box, opening drawers and closing them. “Damn, hold on. I gotta grab some more gauze to cover it with,” he told her, walking over to a larger box of supplies.
When he came back, he glanced at the wound and then at Katie. He seemed surprised, almost bewildered. Katie looked at the cuts and then back at him.
“What?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He scratched his chin. “It looks like it’s healing already. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just my eyes.” He looked closer before shrugging and turning back to his kit. “I’ll check it in a couple days, so try not to open it back up, okay?” He winked, but before Katie could reply they were interrupted.