by Michael Todd
“Besides the fact that the Earth is being overrun by flesh-eating demons?” Charlotte whispered, looking around. “My aunt…she made me curious.”
“What does your aunt have to do with this?” Calvin asked.
“She just disappeared, and when I looked into it, it was like she had just dropped off the face of the planet,” Charlotte said. “There was no body, no nothing—just a government filing that she had been killed in an accident. It didn’t make any sense, and when I tried to talk to the police about it they gave all kinds of excuses but no real answers.”
“I’m sorry about your aunt.” Calvin took a bite of his donut. “But there are any number of reasons she could be missing.” He waved his donut around in a circle. “Magical demon-slaying teams being at the very bottom of the list. Maybe she did die, and maybe it really was just an accident. We humans have a tendency to want to know why, but sometimes there just isn’t an answer.”
“I get that,” Charlotte agreed. “But there was no body, no answers, and no investigation—just a letter from the government.”
Katie started to wonder if it had been the same with her. Had her mother just one day gotten a letter from the government declaring her dead? She pondered what effect that had had on her mom. She started to understand why Charlotte would try to hunt her aunt down.
“What was her name?” Katie asked.
“My aunt?” Charlotte replied.
Katie politely didn’t ask if her hearing was faulty. “Yes. What was her name, and what did she do for a living?”
“Her name was Chloe Perry,” Charlotte replied. “She was an interior designer here in San Diego, and she had a very good business. No kids and no husband, but she was one of the happiest people I had ever known. The government report said she had been in an accident on the other side of town, like a mugging, but she would have had no reason to be over there and there were no pictures taken of the event or the body. We were provided a bag of ashes and a check, that was it.”
“All right, here is the deal.” Calvin leaned over the table, then pulled back and made a face, wiping donut sugar off the table before laying a napkin on it so he could lean forward once more. “Charlotte, we need your help and your superb research abilities. In return for helping us—and not disclosing anything—I will personally try to find out if Chloe Perry is still alive. I have contacts who can help. We will need you to look into some things for us, and in return we will work to keep you safe.”
“Well,” Charlotte looked at them suspiciously, “all right, but only if you really try to find out about my aunt.”
“You have my word.” Calvin reached over to shake Charlotte’s hand.
Before they left the donut shop Katie packed hers to go, knowing Pandora would kill her if she didn’t. They rode back to that same Starbucks quietly, everyone’s minds going in different directions. Calvin pulled up in the same alley and nodded at Charlotte as she climbed out of the vehicle. She clutched her things, and looked the worse for wear. When she was out of earshot, Katie turned to Calvin with anger in her eyes.
“I know that we are supposed to achieve this directive no matter what.” Katie pointed to where Charlotte had just disappeared. “But I think it’s despicable to play with someone’s emotions over a loved one who has obviously either disappeared for a reason or really did die in some tragic accident. I really thought more of you than that, Calvin, especially since this is a promise you know you might not be able to keep.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “This is one promise that I actually can keep.”
“How?” Katie asked.
“Because Chloe Perry is the team second on Hudson’s Hitmen in the upper Northwest,” Calvin said. “They stand by and wait for orders—they’re back-up—but they are taken care of like we are, with bases and training. They are kind of a last resort, a final blow to the demons if we need it. She’s right there in front of Charlotte’s nose.”
Katie took that in, then dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she got out, and Calvin waved a hand in her direction. “No, I was a bitch. I should have known better.”
Calvin nodded and told her, “Next time you pay for the donuts.”
Chapter 14
Sitting on a bench at a park overlooking the water would normally be a serene event. Something that would calm and relax you, let you feel the ocean breeze and hear the squawking of the seagulls and the crashing of the waves. Make you feel the presence of the Earth around you.
For Katie though, it was a time to shove donuts into her mouth while hoping Pandora would maintain radio silence.
At least for one more damned moment.
Instead, the demon in her mind moaned as she worked her way through the pastries. Calvin looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.
“What?” she said through a full mouth, spewing crumbs. “I’m hungry, and my demon is a glutton.”
“It’s so crazy to me that you guys share pretty much everything.” He smiled. “It’s like you have a partner inside.”
“I wouldn’t call her a partner so much as a hostage-taker.” Katie covered her stomach with a hand and groaned. “But it could be worse. At least she gives me some badass power behind my kicks—though I haven’t revealed that to Korbin yet. I don’t know how he would feel about it.”
“Change is hard,” Calvin ruminated, looking at the ocean. “But with the current situation, this evolution of your relationship may be what is needed to take these beasts down.”
“Not all of them will be on board with that idea, I’m sure,” Katie said.
“I suppose not.” Calvin sighed. “My demon… He’s a Nickar, though I don’t know how he found himself so far from the water. Maybe that is why I love San Diego so much more now.”
“What’s a Nickar?” Katie asked.
“A sea demon. They are water demons, best known for drownings, capsized boats, etc.,” he answered. “He is like a Level Four or something, but just sits quietly most of the time. He does keep me thirsty.”
“I see.” Katie smiled.
“Do you think…” Calvin began, turning toward her and pausing. “Do you think your demon could persuade him to give me some support? I know that’s an unusual request, but I thought maybe it was worth a try. That last demon would have killed me, no doubt.”
What do you say? Katie asked Pandora.
How very demon-like of you to ask the other side to help defeat themselves, Pandora grumbled. He does realize that as demons we use pain and torture while you meatsacks use friendship, soap operas, and donuts?
We do what we can. Katie laughed. What do you say?
I might be able to, she snapped. But you are going to have to negotiate with me.
Katie sighed. I hate it when you say that. All right, we will talk.
“It’s a possibility,” Katie said, looking up at Calvin. “It sounds like the answer is positive. It just depends on what is required of me in return.”
“You have to do things for them in return?” Calvin asked.
She looked around before answering. “For mine you do. She’s pretty fucking smart.”
“Why does it not surprise me that yours is a female?” Calvin chuckled.
What does that mean? Pandora growled. So help me, I will come out of this body and—
Katie chuckled. Calm down, Women’s Lib. Sheesh, he just meant because I’m such a force to be reckoned with. I thought you said feminism was stupid?
Stow it and feed me another donut, Pandora snapped.
Katie rolled her eyes and bit into another donut, feeling Pandora’s satisfaction roll through her. She didn’t mind making her happy occasionally.
At least she got to eat whatever she wanted.
“So what will she ask for in return?” Calvin asked.
“Who freaking knows?” Katie laughed and wiped crumbs off her face. “It has been anything from quality time watching soap operas to unique clothing in the past, but I put nothing past her. I have to make sure that whatever it is,
it doesn’t literally bite me on the ass.”
“Holy hell.” Calvin’s eyes widened. “I sure hope my demon just chills.”
“They are demons, so what do you expect?” Katie chuckled. “She’s smart to negotiate, that’s for sure.”
“Does she have anything to say about the demon that tried to eat my body?” Calvin asked. “Oh wait, the one that said he didn’t like dark meat. He was just going to smash my body into a bloody pulp.”
Tell him to stop with his whining already. He’s alive, right? Pandora gruffed.
Try to understand that people of color have lived on this planet just as long—if not longer—than all others, and we have treated them terribly, Katie told her. Oppression, slavery, killings, beatings, shame, and everything in between.
There’s a little bit of the devil in everyone, and besides, their own people did some of that too. Pandora snickered. But that sucks, Calvin seems like an okay human—one I wouldn’t make suffer before twisting his neck and popping off his head.
Katie paused for a moment. I think I should take that as a compliment?
For him, yes, Pandora agreed. I’d torture the fuck out of you, though. Hand you over to an incubus to loosen you the hell up.
“She said he’s powerful, three levels below the Seventy-Two,” Katie said. “That because I took the knives from his skull he went back to hell, and can come back any time that he wants to. We have to trap and kill him here, or he will retreat next time as well.”
“And the special metal we have helps with that,” Calvin said, shaking his head. “It’s all kind of working out perfectly, don’t you think?”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Katie looked around them. “Where do you think the person that did this is from?”
Calvin pursed his lips. “Personally I think he or she is from Los Angeles, and came down here so this wouldn’t happen in their backyard. Makes it harder to get caught in a different zip code.”
“Why not Orange County?” Katie said. “There is plenty of rich, bored people there, and not a lot of suspicion.”
“Because Los Angeles folks tend to hate the shit out of San Diego.” Calvin chuckled. “It’s the place with all the richies. It’s where the celebs go to vacation while they complain about their own city. Los Angeles has worse crime and gets less funding per capita, and they loathe the people of San Diego for it. It’s always been a feud. Besides, most of the places outside of a few rebuilt areas were constructed in the old days. There is an up-and-coming group of people there, but a lot of the older generation still lingers.”
“This is insane.” Katie laughed. “Even in the demon war they pick and choose what city they want to destroy first. Even demons have human tendencies.”
“Or the human had demon tendencies.” Calvin raised an eyebrow.
“My demon did say there was a little demon in every human,” Katie admitted.
“I don’t doubt that at all.” Calvin watched her reach for another donut. “Some more than others, but I definitely have seen my fair share of assholes.”
“Amen.” Katie picked up another donut, licking the frosting off her lips.
“You need to get a handle on that,” Calvin told her
“Mmmhmm,” Katie moaned. “I will, just as soon as I’m done with this jelly one.”
Calvin just smirked and shook his head.
When Korbin’s meeting was over and he had exhausted pretty much his last lie to the people on the phone, he hung up and leaned back in his chair, groaning loudly.
He didn’t need this kind of bullshit in his life at this moment. What he needed was for everyone to understand he was chasing demons, not playing politics.
He needed a damn breather, was what he needed.
He got up and went outside, taking a deep breath of the warm desert air. He looked at the other building and walked over, shoving his hands in his pockets. He went inside and through the outer area to the working level.
Korbin winced; the noise level was almost unbearable in here. Joshua was on the other side, working diligently with headphones on his ears. There was a shitload of big-ass machinery, and loud noises coming from the forge. The forge itself was fairly large. You definitely couldn’t miss it, given the flames constantly shooting from it.
He shook his head and walked around some more to check out the space. When he heard heels tapping on the concrete behind him, he turned to see Mamacita walking toward him. He was surprised by just how attractive she was in her business suit, hair perfectly styled and heels that looked more business, less stripper-pole.
He swallowed hard and remembered that he was the boss, not some young kid coming to call. He nodded professionally at her and turned back around, clasping his hands awkwardly in front of him. He realized then that she had been the woman walking into the building earlier, so different in appearance he hadn’t recognized her.
“To what do we owe the pleasure today?” Mamacita smiled. “I saw you outside earlier, but you looked preoccupied.”
“Yeah.” He pursed his lips. “I have a lot going on, and a lot of pressure mounting on my shoulders. Right now? Well, right now I am trying to figure out how to either make this place look like something it isn’t, or move all this equipment again. The last thing I want to do is have another moving day, so let’s just say that is Plan B—about a mile and a half below Plan A.”
“Yes, personally I am not too fond of moving everything either, and Joshua would be upset to have to uproot right in the middle of his research and projects.” Mamacita glanced at him. “He is a strange boy, but we love him.”
“This is such a simple space, but loud. I would have to keep people from even coming through those doors,” Korbin said, shaking his head.
“Well, that is easy,” Mamacita said. “In order to do that, you must make it look like something everyone expects and understands. You don’t want them to question, or even want to question, what is going on in here for two seconds. You want them to know deep down that it is exactly what they think it is.”
“Like what?” Korbin wondered, furrowing his brow.
“What do you see here?” Mamacita asked, looking around the space. “What do you physically see in here?”
“I see concrete walls and a forge and lots of machines.”
“Ayi,” Mamacita exclaimed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “You are a practical and highly unimaginative man. Look beyond what you know you see. Tell me about the people.”
“Well there is Joshua, who is young, several twenty-something women, and a couple who look like teenagers,” Korbin said. “They are all modestly dressed for a working atmosphere, and they all look happy; at ease in their jobs. They look like they belong here in some way or another. I don’t know what you want me to see. I mean, there is so much here that is just normal everyday stuff. Nothing looks odd or strange to me, but to a government official? Well, it would seem more than strange.”
“Let me tell you a little secret,” Mamacita said. “Those teens—they are Katherine’s kids. They were born into the system, because we were not working as we should. They have to work, go to school, or do chores, or they don’t get to play Xbox later. They know the rules.”
“Katherine’s kids,” Korbin said, scrunching his forehead together again. “Holy shit, you are telling me I’m looking at a bunch of prostitutes?”
“Yep.” Mamacita chuckled.
“And you think that the best way to cover this place is by making it look like a whorehouse?” Korbin said, looking at her in shock.
“Not just make it look like one, actually make it one.” She laughed. “Though I do have to say you get points for not thinking of that first. You are more of a man than most. I will also throw in some points for you being so dense you didn’t get it at first, but I can’t decide if that is endearing or not. I know that with the job you hold, you don’t look around you very often. If it is not trying to eat you or kill someone else you pay it no attention whatsoever, but the world—the rest
of us—we are still out here, watching and doing our thing.”
“Your thing isn’t right,” he snapped in frustration. “These are young girls.”
“Who have the choice to leave whenever they like,” Mamacita retorted. “Who are encouraged to build themselves above the system. You know what’s not right, Korbin?”
Korbin looked down at the fiery woman, knowing he had said the wrong thing. He had pushed her buttons, and part of him felt bad about it.
He was judging something he didn’t understand.
“What’s not right is a bunch of people taking on the challenge of fighting for the ignorant, who don’t have a clue they are in danger,” she told him.
“You know too much,” Korbin growled, bothered by that fact. “Katie has told you too much.”
“Katie hasn’t told us anything.” Mamacita sighed. “Look, the bugs know when to get out of the way, cause that’s the only way we will live. Armani…he treated us like people, so we had to figure out who you were. Now, though, we know Damian and Katie, and eventually we’ll know you. Joshua is just as innocent as the rest of us. We are not stupid, Korbin. Well, not all of us, anyway. Some of us know what is going on, but we can’t fight others, except those who have been human all their lives. But we can move our house over here, and build a house around the forge. We can do our part to help.”
Korbin shook his head. “I don’t know…”
“It will take money, sure, but do you know any government official who will come into a whorehouse with so many eyes watching or videotaping them?” Mamacita smiled.
“Maybe you are right,” Korbin allowed, “but Lord help me, I have no idea how I am going to explain this to Katie if I decide to make this happen.”
“You explain it as you doing what is best for your team, and for humanity,” Mamacita told him with a nod.
Chapter 15
Katie stared out the window at the cars passing them on the 405. They were on their way to Los Angeles, and had almost reached LAX. This area was a lot different than San Diego. Everyone was in a hurry and looked angry, and the level of smog in the air was almost unbelievable. She was starting to see why the people in Los Angeles would hate the laid-back hippie atmosphere of San Diego so much. She could also see why you would choose to live in San Diego over LA in a heartbeat. Still, it was a beautiful city with skyscrapers looming in the distance and angel wings painted on so many different surfaces.