Then panic overtook it, and it loosed a bitter howl. Its skin started to smoke where the rosary dangled against it, puffing out acrid red fumes that enveloped the demon’s head and left it blinded. They also left it furious, flailing its arms helplessly at its head. The demon was big, and it was strong, but it had no flexibility. It couldn’t reach its horns, no matter how strenuous its efforts to lift its fleshy arms.
They were left facing a disoriented, smoking behemoth, and the angry demon did what angry demons do. It lashed out, wildly swinging its arms as its colossal paunch swayed from side to side. They connected only with air, and the misses just stoked its temper. The demon rushed forward, sped more by the inertia of its own weight than its own power, and launched itself towards where it had seen the two of them last.
“Move,” said Cade, and they both did, clearing out of the way before the demon staggered into the table they’d been hiding behind. The wood snapped, and the demon fell to the floor in a pudgy brown heap, waving its limbs as it tried to right itself.
“Now,” said Shanna. “I’ve got him.” She fumbled with the cardboard box, but couldn’t get it open. The adrenaline had left her hands shaking, and by the time she’d managed to loose the lid, the demon had knocked the rosary free from its horns. The smoke was cleared, and it was staring at them with hungry eyes, grunting from the strain of pushing its way back onto its feet.
They’d gone from the frying pan to the fire. The demon stood between them and the exit, big enough that they had little chance of slipping past it. Now it was Shanna who was paralyzed, clutching the box and watching as the demon waddled towards her, licking its lips all the while.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” said Cade. “There’s got to be a way out in the back.” He grabbed one of her hands and pulled, jerking her towards the kitchen. Something clicked inside her, and she started to run, following behind him as he led her back to the demon’s impromptu feeding ground.
They made it to the kitchen, but wished they hadn’t. There was a freezer, its contents tossed to the floor by the demon as it had rummaged through them searching for any snack that caught its fancy. The last few table scraps of another body sat on one of the shelves. A woman’s head stared back at them, face fixed in horror and hair clumped with frozen blood. Tiny pieces of the rest of her were spread around wherever they’d dropped from the demon’s jaws as it tried to fill its belly.
They found a door, a passage to the loading dock, but it was no escape: it was both very heavy and very locked. Cade took a few runs at it, slamming into it with his shoulder, but he couldn’t even get it to budge.
They took a look back into the restaurant, and found that way closed off, too. The demon had managed to make its way back to the entrance to the kitchen, and had crammed itself inside the doorway in an overzealous effort to get at its cornered prey. It was biting the air compulsively in frustration, pulling itself through inch by inch and roll by roll, and staring at them with red eyes all the while. They backed away, watching helplessly as the demon gradually wriggled its way through.
“If you think you’ve got a plan that’ll work, now’s the time to try it,” said Cade.
“It’s going to work,” said Shanna, regaining her composure. “It’s going to work.”
She pawed at the cardboard box, ripping open its lid and reaching inside. She pulled out something round and doughy and sweet, her bright pink weapon of choice.
“What the fuck is that?” said Cade.
“Cake balls,” said Shanna.
“Is this some stupid joke?” said Cade.
“Grab one, and aim for its mouth,” said Shanna.
He did, and weighed it in his hand. “This isn’t cake,” said Cade.
“I know,” said Shanna. “Now throw the damned thing.”
They both grabbed at the box, and started to pelt the demon. Shanna had the idea, but not the arm. Her shots were wildly off the mark, staining the demon’s stomach with pink frosting but doing little else. Cade’s aim was better. His first shot hit the demon in one of its eyes, prompting an irritated roar. The second hit the mark dead on.
The demon was mid-scream, mouth wide open and eyes squinted shut. It made for an easy target, and Cade took advantage of it. He aimed for the demon’s mouth, and landed the pastry in the middle. It slammed its jaws shut, and swallowed the cake ball with a loud gulp. Then it leaned forward, clacked its teeth in the air, and released a putrid belch.
“Meat,” said the demon, as its belly groaned. “Gonna get me some meat.”
It gave a final shove, and pushed itself through into the kitchen. It loomed over them, bigger than life and bigger than its victims. It grabbed Cade by the throat, and dragged him close. It was ready to feed and moments from its first bite when a little gurgle came from its stomach.
The demon looked down, scowling at the sound. Then came another, and another. Soon there was a cascade of sloshing sounds from inside its belly, growing louder and more insistent. The demon let go of Cade, and clutched at its stomach in pain. Its stomach started to sink into itself, a dying star imploding under its own mass. Blood started to run from its mouth, frothy with fizz and bubbles. The demon began choking on its own bile, falling to its knees as its insides continued to churn.
“What the fuck was in those?” said Cade.
“Traps,” said Shanna. “A trap in each one. I baked them myself.”
“He’s going inside from the inside out,” said Cade. “He’s going to be a mess. Crammed in there for God knows how long with his stomach on the outside and the rest in the middle.”
“Good,” said Shanna. “Hope he likes it. He gets what he deserves.”
The demon kept imploding, screaming and vanishing in on itself until all that was left was a fat blob of warts and skin, hovering in mid-air. A few seconds later and it was pulled inside, too, and all that was left was the trap. It dropped to the floor with a clang, gave off a few puffs of red smoke, and then sat still.
“I’m going to deliver this to the Church, if you don’t mind,” said Cade, as he collected the trap. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I don’t trust anyone.”
“Do it,” said Shanna. “I don’t want to touch it. I don’t want to think about it. Go get your bounty. My half goes to the victims. The ones who’re alive. I’m done.”
“Done?” said Cade. “I was going to ask you to dinner.”
“You’re not that smooth,” said Shanna. “And you’re terrible at picking dates. You should have tried mini-golf. I’m not doing dinner for days.”
THE END
Click here to read Doors to Nowhere, the next collection of stories in the Cade Crowley series.
Like the story? Go to http://cadecrowley.com to sign up to my mailing list to hear about future releases.
Other Works by Kevin Kneupper
Cade Crowley, Demon Hunter (Cade Crowley, Demon Hunter #1). Cade helps a man who’s summoned something up from Hell, but didn’t have a plan to deal with it.
Dark Hunger (Cade Crowley, Demon Hunter #2). Cade confronts a demon of gluttony, bent on eating all it can in other people’s bodies.
Doors to Nowhere (Cade Crowley, Demon Hunter #3-5) A man sold his soul for money, but has a plan to keep the demon from collecting. A pastor’s son is possessed, and strays from the flock. And a crystal ball foretells the future, with a demon whispering from inside.
They Who Fell. A post-apocalyptic novel set in the aftermath of the fall of an army of rebel angels bent on enslaving humanity.
Dark Hunger Page 3
