by Michael Todd
The demon stopped and turned around, but took another step backward. He stared at her, his eyes darting to and fro as his fear overwhelmed him.
Katie shook her head, looking first at him and then at her sharp-bladed staff.
“You’re nothing but a coward after all.”
She took a step forward, flinging the staff blade-first like a spear. It hit him in the chest and sent him crashing back into the glass. His weight was too much and shattered the window, so Katie ran forward and grabbed the handle of her weapon to stop the demon from falling.
She was shaking her head. “Oh, hell no! You are not taking my fucking staff with you!”
She stamped a foot into the demon’s stomach, pulling back on the staff embedded in the demon’s chest to free it as the force of her kick propelled him out the window. She peered out to see the demon plummet toward the cement and a loud hopeless shriek came from his throat as he fell.
She nodded in satisfaction, as he turned to dust just before he hit the ground, where it plumed like a mini mushroom cloud. The ring of cops below were all watching with wide eyes and the captain stood at the front, shaking his head in disbelief.
Katie smiled and waved to the few cops looking up at the window, then went quickly to the hostages.
She crouched to untie the man in the front and pulled off his gag. He looked around the room in amazement, the sweat still shimmering on his bald scalp.
“You are safe here. Don’t leave this room until we or the cops come and get you. There are others downstairs, and they need to be handled before it is safe for you to leave this room. Do you understand? I am making you the leader.”
The man nodded and looked at the others as Katie stood up. “Good. Where the hell is the elevator in this place?”
Calvin, Stephanie, and Eric entered the first floor and moved carefully through the lobby. There was a large room to the right, an auditorium of some sort with peeling paint. The place had been left in disrepair. Stephanie stopped at the doors and motioned for the others to move forward. She pointed to Calvin and motioned to the left, then to Eric, motioning to the right.
She would go straight down the center.
They crept through the already-open doors into the pitch-black room. Calvin stayed low and moved to the left, Eric crept along the wall to the right, and Stephanie headed down the main row between the seating areas.
Suddenly a spotlight came on, illuminating the stage in front of them. The torn curtains on the sides rustled and the hostages sat bound together in the center, some of them injured and others just scared.
Seven demons slowly crept out onto the stage holding assault-style weapons.
“This is different,” Calvin whispered. He was used to his team being the only ones with guns.
The demons lined up at the front of the stage with the hostages behind them and sprayed bullets into the seating areas, unable to see where the three crouched. Calvin pulled his rifle from his back and aimed over the backs of the chairs, letting out a deep breath as he shot the demon on the far end. The beast dropped his gun, jerked backward from the shot in his shoulder. He stood there for a moment before grabbing the injury with a long, high squeal. Calvin took aim again, this time shooting him right between the eyes. His body fell to dust and the other demons growled and jumped from the stage.
Eric, Stephanie, and Calvin returned fire, dodging in and out of the seats as they tried not to get hit by the bullets flying around the room. Eric stood next to the elevator doors and aimed toward the demons.
Two headshots, two more demons down.
The elevator doors dinged and Eric raised his gun when a demon rolled out with his weapon pointed toward Stephanie’s back. Eric jumped into action, hooking his rifle around the demon’s neck and pulling back tightly as the demon lashed back and forth, unable to draw breath due to the pressure of Eric’s rifle against his windpipe.
Eric let go of his gun and pulled his knife in a lightning move, bringing it up to stab the demon in the chest. The demon let go of his gun and fell to his knees as Eric twisted the knife inside him.
Echoing screams filled the room, the metal putting any demon it touched out of commission. Eric removed the knife and dropped his rifle. The demon clawed at the large hole in his chest for several moments.
“Die already,” Eric yelled, slashing its scaly black neck with the knife.
The demon dropped to the floor and turned to dust, leaving Eric on all fours trying to catch his breath. Stephanie looked at him and nodded in thanks, then her eyes grew wide and she whirled around, sending three shots into the air above Eric’s head. Eric rose to his knees as a demon with bullet holes in his chest hit the ground right in front of him. He pulled the sword off his back and brought it down hard to sever the demon’s head.
“Watch out,” Calvin yelled to Stephanie, and she turned just in time to catch the demon as it fell toward her. Her gun slid across the floor as she wrestled with it and they rolled through the open walkway between the seats, the demon coming out on top as they ground to a stop. Stephanie almost gagged at its rancid breath as he growled and hissed at her. She gripped his throat to keep him from sinking his teeth into her.
She groaned as she tried to get her legs up under him to kick him away.
“Look, fat-ass,” she hissed, “I can’t move my legs.”
He lifted a gnarled claw and Stephanie’s eyes grew wide, figuring that was it. She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the blow, but it never came. She slowly opened one eye, staring curiously at the demon’s face. His mouth was open and his eyes were protruding; he was clearly in pain. She looked at his chest, where the end of a blade was sticking out. Above them was Calvin, who gripped the sword with both hands and pulled it back out. The demon squealed and turned to dust, blanketing Stephanie.
Calvin reached down to help her off the floor, grabbing his gun and turning as a demon raced toward them. He aimed carefully and pulled the trigger, catching the demon right between the eyes. He wobbled back and forth for a minute and fell backward, turning to dust before he hit the ground.
“Thanks,” Stephanie told him as she stood up and brushed off the dust, starting with her face.
Eric walked toward the three demons moving around on the stage, who snarled and jumped to the floor holding their guns at their sides. As the Killers approached, the demons froze and looked at the elevator.
The elevator dinged and a deep, growling voice bellowed across the theatre, “Esaeu lizz ozz gia. Burning ir ya depths aem sazz maen eternity.”
Stephanie looked at the demons, who threw their weapons to the floor and put their paws in the air. They began to slowly morph back into their human forms, trembling in fear.
The doors opened and Katie walked out with a big-assed smirk on her face.
“Hey there, guys. See you’ve got your hands full.”
The demons growled and reached for their weapons when they saw that they’d been fooled but Eric kicked a gun across the floor, pointing his own at the demon it belonged to. Stephanie and Calvin stomped hard on the other weapons, crushing the demons’ fingers beneath their boots. Stephanie looked into the burning red eyes of the beast in front of her and smiled.
“Please, try just a little harder and my finger will—whoops—slip, splattering your brains all over the floor.” Her eyes flashed. “I’m not a cop, so you’d be making my day.”
9
Moloch looked out at his office window at the droves of demons lined up outside. They growled and snarled, some of them with battle axes, others with swords, and the rest with nothing but their razor-sharp claws.
They were ready for battle, and Moloch wondered what T’Chezz had told them or bribed them with. It didn’t matter to him, though. He wasn’t the one who would have to stand behind whatever promises had been made when the war was over.
He returned to his desk and lowered his large body into the chair and looked up at T’Chezz, who stood with pride in his bright red eyes.
Moloch
’s eyes shifted to the sharp claws drumming on his desk, the marks in the wood from his talons getting deeper with each contact.
“How many are there?” Moloch asked, keeping his voice neutral.
“A thousand, give or take.” T’Chezz walked to the window and looked at the sea of demons. “They are ready to take down these humans and to take over the cities aboveground—once you open the gate from hell to Earth, of course.”
“Good, but my men go in first. I want them to lock down the initial town to make a safe entry point for your army. Once it is clear you can release them. I am assuming they are not as well-kept as those in human bodies?”
T’Chezz shrugged. “Not so much, but they can take instruction and are bloodthirsty and ready.”
“Then it’s vital my men go in first. They can help guide the demons.”
T’Chezz rubbed his chin, still staring at the army in front of him. He could feel the thrill of war in his fingertips and the taste of victory just on the edge of his reach. He was done playing games. Things needed to escalate so the humans and mercenaries would know that hell was coming to Earth and there was nowhere to hide.
T’Chezz walked over to Moloch’s desk and dropped his voice. “I want the world to know that there is going to be a War of the Damned…and they have been invited to die!”
Moloch nodded slowly. “And that is exactly what we will do. You just have to keep your patience intact. It won’t be long now. The groundwork is being done, and the demons will have their day on Earth.”
T’Chezz smiled as he sat down in the visitor chair and ran his finger along the edge of the desk. Lilith went through his mind and he smirked, knowing she would eventually be there for him to kill.
She had receded to the back of his mind until that moment, but he now was ready to exact some revenge and throw her into the depths of hell—if Lucifer himself didn’t want her. He looked up at Moloch, who continued to strum his claws as he stared into space.
“I was sad to learn that your plan for the games was uncovered so soon. Your men had started to wreak havoc on those mercenaries, though I heard she made an appearance.”
Moloch rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, that will all be accounted for in the very near future. Now, if that is all, I have some lunch plans. I will let you know when we are ready to go. Until then, make sure your army is up to speed and ready to go. There could be nothing worse than the useless slaughter of so many Damned at once.”
T’Chezz’s smile melted from his face as he looked at the army, then he nodded and walked from the office.
Moloch let out a deep breath and leaned back with clenched fists. T’Chezz drove him nuts. Everything he did was done with malice, even toward Moloch. He was getting too big for his britches, but Moloch figured it was only a matter of time until he would take care of that little issue as well.
Moloch’s doors opened and Baal walked in, tossing a puppy into the air. His eyes following the squiggling little ankle biter until it came back down and his jaws grabbed it out of the air with a quick ‘yip,’ swallowing it whole.
He looked at Moloch and held out a basket of little furry dogs, lifting his black eyebrows.
“Want one?”
Moloch waved him off and resumed looking out the window. Baal stood crunching away as T’Chezz commanded his troops to march off. Moloch rubbed his face with his hands and turned back to Baal as he blew fur from his mouth, which floated down onto the desk. Moloch rolled his eyes again and shook his head.
“Between T’Chezz and you, I feel like I’m surrounded by complete morons.”
“Hey,” Baal told him through a mouthful. “You are the one who invited me here for lunch. Don’t take out your hatred for that pain-in-the-ass on me.”
“He is getting too bold, Baal. Too bold.” The beast walked behind the troops, disappearing into the lava pits and Moloch’s eyes burned red.
Baal watched in amusement as he finished his lunch.
He couldn’t wait until T’Chezz got what he deserved.
Korbin stood in the entry to Joshua’s building watching everyone work their asses off. It was hotter than hell in there, and Korbin made a note to get some kind of cooling system that could handle the heat the large number of machines were putting off in the enclosed space. Joshua waved at him from across the room and he returned his wave.
He wasn’t there to interrupt, he just wanted to see how everything was going. Stephanie had been reporting to the numbers him almost daily, but she never mentioned the workers and their quality of life.
He left the building and squinted through the blowing sand. There were military helicopters somewhere close by.
The beat of the rotors echoed across the dunes and Korbin turned until he spotted two Black Hawks racing toward the base. He put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as the main chopper positioned itself over the landing pad and hovered for a moment before dropping onto the pad. The other chopper stayed in the air and circled the base.
That could only mean one thing. The general had come for an unscheduled visit.
The door to the chopper flew open and the general was escorted out by two armed guards. Korbin jogged over to greet him and steered them inside a maintenance building right next to the landing pad.
The general took off his cover, brushing the sand from it as he chuckled. “I tell ya, it’s like being back in the Pit.”
Korbin frowned. “General Brushwood, this is a surprise. What are you doing here today?”
He put his cap back on. “I came to speak to Katie if she is available.”
“Oh, sure, sure. She is actually up on the cliffs across the property. She finds it is easier to train out there where it’s quiet, and she uses a special staff that requires a lot of concentration. I can send one of my guys out there to get her for you.”
The general shook his head. “No need, just have someone drive me out there. I won’t take too long with her. I just have a couple of questions for her. Colonel Jehovivich is still in the chopper. Maybe you can show her around the new facility with the rounds to keep her busy. Keep her attention here while I am out there.”
Korbin shrugged. “ Sure, I can do that. Come on, we’ll get you a vehicle.”
When they walked out of the building, Joshua was standing there looking confused. Korbin put his arm around Joshua’s shoulder.
Joshua looked at Korbin, his eyes open a touch wider than normal.
“Can you drive General Brushwood out to the mountainous area to where Katie practices?”
He looked around. “Sure? I thought they were here to pick up a load. I was puzzled.”
“No, no.” The general patted Joshua on the shoulder. “We got your delivery yesterday. Primo stuff. Good job.”
“Thank you, General. Come this way and we’ll grab one of the vehicles.”
Korbin nodded and Joshua walked off with the general. He wondered what the man needed to talk to Katie about, hoping it had nothing to do with Pandora’s appearance at the hotel fight. It would definitely be interesting to try to explain to the general, especially since he still wasn’t completely in the know on how the whole Damned mercenary thing worked. He didn’t understand the humans’ relationships with the demons inside them, or that they were on the good side.
Korbin shrugged and headed back to the chopper to meet with the colonel. He hated surprise drop-ins and he didn’t have a clue what was going on in the facility, but he would do his best.
He held out a hand for the colonel to shake. “Colonel. The general asked me to show you around the arsenal—the weapons facility—while he took care of some business.”
Jehovivich couldn’t keep her surprise hidden. “Oh. Okay, I guess I’ll do that, then.”
As they walked toward the building the sounds of the machinery operating grew louder. Joshua took off with the general in one of the base’s off-road vehicles, with the general’s two soldiers in the back. Jehovivich looked concerned but smiled at Korbin when she turned back to him.
“No, none,” she admitted.
Korbin held the door to Joshua’s building for the colonel as she entered.
Stephanie walked around the corner and stopped when she saw the two of them walk in. She cleared her throat and straightened her blouse as she walked toward them. She thought she’d heard choppers, but she wasn’t expecting any visitors so she’d dismissed it. Korbin leaned in and whispered into her ear as the colonel scoped out the building.
“Brushwood is visiting Katie for unknown reasons. We gotta keep this one entertained.”
Stephanie shot him a concerned look, but Korbin just shrugged and sighed. “Never a dull moment around here.”
As Joshua drove toward the mountain that Katie’s truck was parked halfway up, the general leaned back to his two guards.
“I want you to stay with Joshua when I go up to talk to Katie. She doesn’t much like an audience, and this information is above your pay grade.”
The guards exchanged glances, then looked at the general. “We are supposed to stay with you at all times, sir.”
The general held up a hand to halt the protest. “I know, but you will break protocol just this once. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” The general turned back around, wondering if he was right. Wondering if things were even more complicated than he had imagined.
Katie rolled across the gravel and pushed her staff outward with a grunt, then stood up and bowed, brushing the dirt from her pants. She laid her staff on the ground and bent forward, starting her normal end-of-workout routine. She would do ten burpees, as many sit-ups as she could manage—usually around a thousand—and round it out with back-and-forth sprints.
She breathed in through her nose and out of her mouth as she counted down each exercise. On her last sprint back she put her arms in the air over her head and paced back and forth to catch her breath.