Welcome To The Jungle

by Michael Todd

  “Ten,” Korbin replied. “Not budging.”

  “Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “Fine, ten percent.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “Let’s get this show on the road, then.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Stephanie grumbled quietly as she got up from the table. “You are such an obstinate sonofabitch.”

  2

  Damian and Katie left the house through the front door rather than the garage entryway for the first time in a long time, taking their luggage with them for the trip.

  The garage wasn’t really a safe area, so they had parked the SUVs elsewhere. Damian took Katie’s bags from her and loaded them into one of the black SUVs. When he came around to the driver’s side to get in, she was still standing where he had left her and staring at the compound.

  Even Damian had to admit that the place was a complete and total disaster area. It looked like a tornado had gone through, destroying everything in its path—and she knew that part of that was because of her. Even though she had fought the demon off and helped save everyone, her home lay in ruins.

  Damian reached up and squeezed her shoulder. She sighed and got into the SUV, turning her eyes away.

  It could have been much worse, but still, lives had been lost and a home had been destroyed. It was terrible that it had happened, but she had to come to terms with it. She didn’t need that added stress.

  On one hand she was glad that she was getting away for a day or so. On the other hand, she didn’t want to have to hide from the world because except for her team, her family—the rest of the teams, the people who were supposed to be there for her—were too caught up in past experiences to accept that she could help.

  Once again, she felt as if she were alone on an island because of her demon.

  “Do you think the demons will come back?” Damian asked, putting the car in drive.

  Katie wanted so badly to tell him that it was all over—that the demons had given up—but she knew that wasn’t the truth.

  Sure, the demons wouldn’t be coming back to the base, but that didn’t mean that everything was in the clear. There was still a lot going on behind the scenes; there was a worldwide demon infestation, and it was only going to get worse.

  The best thing she could do at that point was be honest, but not so honest that it freaked him out.

  “It’s unlikely,” Katie replied. “Pandora says that something of that magnitude and effort probably cost T’Chezz a lot of power. Pandora is pretty sure he decided to invade the compound on very short notice. Apparently he doesn’t have much self-control when it comes to revenge or anger, and though he makes plans, he tends to deviate from them when he gets emotional. On top of that, he is attacking all over the world. This isn’t a single effort. He’s just obsessed with us—for personal reasons most likely.”

  “Great, an emotional demon.” Damian laughed.

  He has no freaking clue. Pandora scoffed. You think I’m bad? Just wait for that ball of emotional bullshit. Seriously, he is like a human girl with the worst PMS you have ever seen. I knew as soon as I felt yours that I had to stop that crazy shit.

  I was wondering why I haven’t been visited by Aunt Flo since I met you. Katie sighed.

  “Are there other major demons involved in all this?” Damian asked, having no idea what Katie and Pandora were talking about.

  “They all have their own plans in place, I’m sure,” Katie told him. “If it looks like he is getting close to world domination, he will have to deal with the guys above him. T’Chezz will make it a point to be on this side before that happens, though. In hell they can easily overcome him, but if he’s here they are less likely to try to take him and more likely to negotiate.”

  “Gotcha,” Damian replied uneasily, driving through the city toward the highway. “I guess we need to be prepared for anything, then.”

  “That’s the best tack,” Katie replied, watching out the window.

  They drove in silence for quite a while, Katie thinking about the whole situation. It was a difficult one, rife with politics and questions. The politics, though—they were different than the ones she would normally see. Even Katie didn’t fully grasp the depth of them.

  She tapped a finger to the beat of the music in the car as they drove down the 15 toward LA. She wanted so badly for it to be over. To have the chance to feel like a person again. At this point she was starting to feel like a prisoner, only her captor really wasn’t that hard to get along with—and she kept her skinny with tits aimed high into the sky, defying gravity.

  She guessed it could be worse. She could have gotten an asshole demon with irritatingly bad breath or something.

  “You hungry?” Damian asked. “You can tell Pandora there is a donut shop ahead.”

  Nope, Pandora growled. Don’t want any.

  Why? Katie replied with a chuckle. I thought donuts were your favorite.

  You tricked me with those potato-based ones. They were so bad you killed it for me, she snarled. I’m still trying to decide whether you did that on purpose.

  Katie chuckled, which forced Damian to look at her, waiting to hear what she was laughing about. The truth was, she actually hadn’t done it on purpose. She had just been trying to get her to taste new things, but it had seemed to work out for the better—Katie’s better.

  She was starting to think that if Pandora ever left her body she was destined for diabetes and obesity, with all kinds of addictions to sugar and fatty foods. She was very glad she hadn’t introduced the demon to soda yet. Katie looked at him and shook her head.

  “What?” Damian exclaimed in surprise. “I thought Pandora was a glutton for donut heaven.”

  Katie laughed. “She had a terrible experience with a potato donut recently. I thought they were good, but there are still two of them left at home. I guess she didn’t have the same feelings as me, not to mention they are not very good when you warm them up.”

  Damn right, Pandora grumbled. You did that shit on purpose, I know it. What’s next—bad Italian?

  Whoa, Katie replied. Now, I can be devious and everything, but you are taking this too far. I would never mess with the Italian, and besides, I have to put it in my body.

  Yeah, well, I don’t trust you anymore, not as far as I can throw you, Pandora told her. I guess that’s a bad analogy, I can probably throw you pretty fucking far, even from in here.

  Let’s not test that theory, Katie shot back.

  “You need to get that demon some good donuts.” Damian shook his head. “She needs to try Krispy Kreme. Not only do they make them fresh so you can buy them hot, but they also microwave well in about twelve seconds. It’s the king of donuts, especially for people who take them home with them.”

  Pandora sniffed. Maybe.

  “She said she will think about it,” Katie shared.

  A vehicle pulled up outside; a blacked-out SUV, new and shiny, chauffeuring the heads of the teams to the compound for an eye-opening demonstration of the power of their new weapons.

  None of them knew why they were there, though. They assumed they would discuss the destruction of the base, and the future of the demons. Korbin looked out the window as they piled out of the SUV and were greeted by Calvin. They all looked horrified; completely shocked at how badly the place had been torn up. William Hunt, Amy Brown, and Brian Hudson had all come, as had John William Smith from New York.

  Korbin took a deep breath and made his way to the main living quarters to meet the team leads. He wanted to give them a tour first; let them know what happened, rather than take them straight to the weapons. When he got up to the area Calvin was talking casually with them, making them laugh as he always did. He was a good person to have as a second. He always put people at ease with his laid-back personality and calm demeanor.

  Amy walked over to him and looked around before sticking out her hand. “Korbin, I’m so sorry for all this. It looks like you guys got hit hard. Fortunately you still have living quarters, but damn! It looks like everything else is sh
ot.”

  “Thank you.” Korbin nodded, and thought about it again. “Yeah, we didn’t fare too well, but most of us are still standing and that’s what matters.”

  “Korbin, it’s good to see you.” John nodded and reached out to shake Korbin’s hand. “It’s been a long time. I’m here representing the majority of the East Coast, since the others couldn’t make it.”

  “Glad to have you, John,” Korbin replied. “All of you, for that matter. Let’s take a little tour while I explain more about how this attack happened.”

  Korbin showed the team leaders through the compound, careful not to let them near the business side of things. They looked at the downed buildings from a distance, making the excuse that they were too dangerous to enter. He talked as they walked, giving them the general outline of the whole ordeal.

  “A large and dangerous demon we have come to know as ‘T’Chezz’ opened a portal along the road leading to the compound,” Korbin explained. “He was stopped from coming through when Katie ran a car into him, knocking him back through the portal and closing it. Luckily, she wasn’t injured. However, dozens of demons had come through before we were able to shut it and they all ran at the compound, ready to fight. They were like an army.”

  “We saw the tire tracks leaving the road and heading out through the sand as we were driving in,” Brian explained. “We just thought someone was playing around out there.”

  “No, those were from the car she used to ram the demon.” He shrugged. “Right time and right place, I suppose.”

  “And you all battled these demons?” William asked.

  “Yes,” Korbin confirmed, leaving out the girls and Stephanie. “We headed some off outside, but when they broke through we battled them inside—which is where all the damage came from.”

  “How big were they?” Amy asked.

  “There were several large demons, but the rest were normal ones,” Korbin replied. “The big ones were taken down by the team, except for one which was eaten by another to gain power.”

  “That’s…interesting.” Amy reviewed her memories. “Haven’t seen that before.”

  “Neither had we,” Korbin admitted, stopping and turning to them. “In the last moments of the battle the demon raged, blowing through the other buildings. It took Katie, Damian, and Eric to finally put the beast down.”

  “I don’t mean to question you,” John asked, “but a demon that size and three normal hunters? That sounds like it would be an awful lot for them to handle.”

  “I would agree, but I heard about Los Angeles.” Amy shrugged. “Still, there had to be something else involved with all this. Maybe some special somethings you aren’t telling us?”

  Korbin shuffled his feet as he looked at each of their faces. He had known it wouldn’t be that easy to fool them, but he wasn’t prepared to tell them about Katie yet. They had agreed that would be a bad idea, and he was going to stick to that decision.

  “Actually,” Korbin continued, “that’s why I brought you here. I do have a secret, but I think that it may be a bit different than what you are thinking. There are no superpowers or a Hulk waiting in the wings.”

  “Then what is it?” Amy asked.

  “Weapons,” Korbin told them. “And not just any weapons, very special ones. Follow me, and I will show you. And by the way, where are your seconds?”

  “Oh, we all left them back in charge at the bases,” William explained. “We knew you had been attacked, and we didn’t want to leave our people completely unprotected with that kind of threat out there.”

  “Got it.” Korbin nodded. “Good decisions.”

  “So, we heard you picked up a new Damned,” Brian said. He was walking next to Korbin. “Another female, younger than you but older than the others. How is she?”

  “Her name is Stephanie,” Korbin replied. “And she is good. She is trained in martial arts, strong, mentally capable, and very loyal. I tried to get her to go to one of you, but she insisted on staying with us.”

  “What kind of demon?” John asked.

  “A succubus.” Korbin blushed slightly. “She owned a brothel before becoming one of the Damned. I guess that was where she got the demon.”

  “That should be interesting.” Amy laughed. “With all these men in here.”

  “She isn’t like that,” Korbin replied. “She is very respectable, and controls her demon really well. She actually has been quite helpful recently, donating some land for us to build our new base on.”

  “I was going to ask you if you planned on staying,” Brian replied. “Though this would take a major rebuild.”

  “Yeah.” Korbin shook his head. “I thought about rebuilding here, but our cover is blown, and I can’t keep the civilian authorities away for too long if they continue to try to attack us. I figured it was time to move on to the next place.”

  “Good thinking,” Amy agreed. “Are there facilities there?”

  “An old base for us to stay in initially,” Korbin replied, pressing the elevator button. “But I plan on building a whole new base around it.”

  “And what did the higher-ups say?” William asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Brian laughed. “This team is on fire! The higher-ups will probably give him anything he needs.”

  “True.” Korbin chuckled. “But I am building the base myself, or at least most of it. I made a deal with Stephanie.”

  Korbin stopped in front of the conference room and the elevator doors shut behind him. He looked at each of the leaders in turn, just to make sure that they were on the same side as him. He smiled at Amy, who knew exactly what he was doing.

  Korbin smiled. “The surprise is through here, but I need to know that I have your discretion. That you won’t speak of what you are about to see, even with the government.”

  “What do you have back there?” Amy chuckled, trying to look over his shoulders.

  “Godzilla.” Brian laughed. “You have my discretion.”

  “And mine,” Amy replied.

  “Always,” William assured him.

  “John?” Korbin asked, turning to him.

  “Well, I don’t know you as well as the others, but curiosity has me on pins and needles, so you have mine too,” John assured him.

  “All right, then let’s get this over with,” Korbin replied.

  3

  The demon had situated his things just perfectly, knowing he would be gone for a bit. He didn’t want to leave a mess. He was not a normal demon, but rather was purposeful about everything he did. He left the underworld and traveled up, searching for a “proper” human to take over.

  The capsule not only had to suit his style—be neat, tidy, and pay close attention to detail—but it also had to be someone who could get close to the Damned; talk to one of them about the betrayal.

  The demon ended up in New York, a city he loved for the excitement but hated due to the lack of order and the resulting chaos.

  He needed order. He needed everything to be in its place, he planned things out, and he allowed no spontaneity. That was just how he was, even though his instincts were quite the opposite.

  Finally, after days of searching and then a day or two of stalking and planning, the neat-freak demon found a Coven whose leader, Bridgett, had yet to be infected.

  She wanted to be infected. In fact, she prayed for it and thought about it constantly, and the stench of jealousy on her when she was around the Damned in her coven was more than disgusting to the demon. He didn’t want to be cooped up inside a human, but he knew that to have even a chance of getting close to the Damned he needed her.

  After several days of watching, the demon took her while she was asleep. He had found that way to be the most effective, since he could keep the human from passing out or vomiting during the experience, due to his power.

  Bridgett woke up afterward. “Oh damn!” She slid out bed and moved to her dresser.

  “Yes!” Her eyes were red and she could feel something inside, but he wasn’t movi
ng or talking.

  This was not how she had heard it usually happened.

  Hello? she called mentally. Anyone in here? Can you talk back?

  Obviously I’m in here, a voiced snapped derisively. But until I have orders for you, I will remain quiet.

  Her brows narrowed. I thought I was supposed to be the leader here.

  Yeah, you keep thinking that. He scoffed. Anyway, brush that hair, put on some clothes and go about your day.

  “Whatever,” she grumbled out loud, then she felt the unyielding need to follow his instructions.

  The demon wasn’t going to take her shit, and being one of the more powerful ones, he set himself up to control as many of her actions as he could without completely giving her away.

  The last thing he wanted—or needed, for that matter—was to be tracked down by the Killers before he’d had a chance to speak to one of them. Until that point, he would keep Bridgett on a short leash. It was always better to be the one in control.

  He didn’t mind this human as much as the last he’d had to deal with. She was well groomed, got up on time, spoke fluently and intelligently, and generally didn’t make him want to puke. But still, she wasn’t up to par with what he deserved.

  This was a short-notice gig, which was just like T’Chezz, but he owed him a favor, so there he was.

  Next time he would think it through before he asked anyone like T’Chezz for a favor. Missions like these were not his favorite things, but then again, rotting in hell was not very exciting either.

  He put on a brave demon face and decided to make the most of it. At least Earth had good food, and better conversation than he had been having with the idiots below.

  No matter how strong they were. Strength did not equate with intelligence.

  When the human had cleaned up and made herself as pretty as she could, the demon directed her to go about her day. There was no time to lose, especially not on human bullshit.

  Bridgett went out to a restaurant and sat—back straight as a statue’s—at an outside table, staring down at the menu.