Welcome To The Jungle

by Michael Todd

  Those dickheads wouldn’t see the light of day for a very long time.

  When she was done showering, Katie threw on a set of yellow pajamas and headed to bed, super-excited to get comfy under the blankets and just straight pass out.

  She climbed in and nestled down, laying her face on the pillow with a small smile playing across her lips.

  The fabric was cool, soft, and smooth under her. She had initially been upset not to stay in the lush hotel, but when she got home and saw her bed, she had felt better about it. Katie had grown accustomed to her space; it now felt like home.

  She only hoped that the new facility would be the same way, and that she could feel comfortable right away.

  Slowly she closed her eyes, moaning in joy as she wrapped the blanket around her body. She laid that way for a moment, then turned to the other side, smiling again as she pulled the covers back around her.

  About three minutes passed and she rolled again…and again…and again, until there was no smile on her face anymore. After about twenty minutes, she sat straight up and slammed the covers down. She huffed and puffed, trying to control her anger, but she was livid…and Pandora was the target of her fury.

  GOD DAMN IT, PANDORA, she squealed in her mind. There is so much sugar racing through my body right now that there is no way that I can go to fucking sleep!

  Uh, sorry. Pandora giggled, and there was absolutely no remorse in her tone. I was hungry.

  No, you were not hungry. You had a craving, Katie argued. If you had been hungry you would have told me so, not scarfed down the last of the fucking donuts. You just couldn’t wait until the morning, could you?

  Hey, you are the one who has to physically put them in your mouth, she argued back. So don’t be all yelling ‘Pandora made me do it.’

  Because you wouldn’t shut up with your whining, Katie shot back. Whatever. Fine! Fuck it, I guess I’m up.

  Katie rolled out of her bed and headed out to the living room, where she turned on the lights and plopped down sideways in the chair. She huffed as she grabbed the remote, feeling more than irritated that she wasn’t drifting through dreamland; getting some rest like a normal person could.

  She clicked on the recordings and started her soap, figuring it was as good a time as any to catch up on her shows. Of course Pandora was all about it, but Katie ignored her, too pissed to be friends with her at that moment.

  A few minutes into the show, she heard a noise and looked over her shoulder. Eric shuffled out of his room. He nodded and headed into the kitchen to grab a soda, and returned to sink down on the couch. Katie smiled, figuring he was in the same position; couldn’t sleep.

  “At least I have something to do out here instead of staring at the walls,” he told her. “I have to say though, it’s not the same without Jeremy.”

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “He would have flipped when he saw what happened on the last three episodes.”

  “And told us how ridiculous a portal to an alternate universe in the middle of Portland was.” Eric laughed.

  “I think it’s legit.” Katie giggled. “I mean, we fight demons from hell, which makes a portal not seem that crazy since I literally ran my car into one just a few weeks ago.”

  “Holy shit,” Eric exclaimed, sitting up. “I didn’t even think about that. Your life is mirroring theirs.”

  “Uh, or vice versa, except I don’t have shirtless men all over the place and millions of dollars,” Katie pointed out.

  A few minutes after that Calvin, Stephanie, and Damian popped their heads out, rubbing their eyes, and they all gathered in the living room. Stephanie was very well versed on the show and quickly got Calvin back up to speed, since he had missed quite a few shows. Damian tried but ended up going back to his room, not at all interested.

  Katie didn’t blame him. He wasn’t your typical soaps fiend.

  Damian read philosophy books and painted. He didn’t spend hours watching terrible acting and worse story lines. Katie, on the other hand, felt like she deserved some pointless television drama to numb her mind after everything she went through on a daily basis.

  “I go to my room, and what happens? You fools start the show without me,” Derek complained, jumping over the back of the couch to land between Stephanie and Eric. “Did you see what happened last show?”

  “Yes,” Katie said, gawking at his maneuver. “Alissa fell in love with the alien, but he had to leave her to go back to his planet. I mean, come on! This girl gets the short end of the love stick every time she turns around. She lives with a constant broken heart. It’s bullshit, how they treat her on there.”

  “I know, right?” Eric agreed. “She is hot, and sweet too. One of these dudes needs to stop fucking with the hot-mess girls and scoop her up. I seriously think they are just all douchebag fuck-boys. Maybe she would have been better off going with the alien.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Stephanie remarked. “But it wasn’t even a choice. He ghosted her, too. I bet he doesn’t even have a mother; he was like born from a pod, or something.”

  “Men!” Katie shook her head. “You can’t live with them, without them, or even a solar system away from them.”

  “Amen, sister!” Stephanie winked at her.

  This team seriously had the strangest bonding routine ever.

  While the other teams went on raids together, played ball together, and had dinner together every night, Korbin’s Killers crowded around the television in the middle of the night and watched soap operas.

  It was ridiculous, but Katie loved it. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reason they had all become so close. They bonded over stupid shit, which made the big stuff that much more exciting. It might not teach them anything physically, but they felt comfortable enough to be soap opera whores together.

  Soap-opera whores…bwahahahahahaha! And you said “love stick” earlier.

  Pandora, shut the hell up and watch the show.

  Stephanie walked through her old house, making sure that all the renovations she’d had done had turned out just right. The people taking over might know what the house had been, but since it was a charitable institution now she wanted to get rid of any remnants that might have been left from her former life.

  She was in an odd position. Since she hadn’t been infected in public and no one knew except their team, she wasn’t “dead.” She could still own property, still had a driver’s license and a car…all the things her fellow demon hunters couldn’t have—at least not without using Katie’s solution. Her eyes didn’t even have a red ring most of the time, since her demon wasn’t very active and she herself was usually calm. Usually. But she had made her choice, and would start shedding the things that tied her to her old life…beginning today.

  This was Mamacita’s swan song. That role had been her survival for so long; her sanctuary, and protection from the life that she had run from. She had spent so much time being happy she didn’t have to live that way anymore that she forgot she had put herself in a very similar situation by starting a whorehouse.

  Korbin and the Killers had pulled her out of that mindset.

  They had walked in when she had nothing else in her life, and offered her and the girls a sanctuary. It had taken her a long time to get used to the idea of trusting them, but when they had shown her they were there for them no matter what, she had started to have a tiny bit more faith in humanity.

  She wouldn’t wish the way she had grown up on anyone in the world, but as a Damned, those skills were coming in handy. They were being used to do good things, not bad, like the ones the cult had taught its followers when she was a child.

  She turned a corner to find Damian standing in front of her, smiling broadly and looking nice in a suit and tie. He leaned toward Stephanie and hugged her tightly, thanking her for being so generous.

  “Oh, it was nothing,” she replied, patting him on the back. “It was time to move forward, so I needed to do this.”

  “Well, when you decided to
pass the house to members of my church, the light shone on you.” He smiled. “I’m just glad I could confirm that two of the young ladies previously under your care have been given a job here.”

  “I am so thankful for that.” Stephanie looked around at the people in the house. “Those girls are very important to me, and they have been helped more by you, Korbin, and the rest than anyone else in their lives. They now feel like they have a future, for the first time.”

  “And how about you?” Damian asked.

  “Oh, I’m still getting used to this life change.” She chuckled. “My demon is quiet; rarely says anything and doesn’t interrupt my thoughts, which I appreciate. When necessary, she gives me a boost. She is still terrified of Katie’s demon, though, and I wish I knew why.”

  “Katie’s demon can be a bit temperamental.” Damian smiled. “And she is extremely powerful.”

  “I see.” Stephanie looked up as the doorbell rang. “Well, let’s get this party started.”

  “Yes,” Damian agreed. “And put the past in the past. I will look in from time to time to make sure that everything is going well with the halfway house. I just want you to look forward.”

  “Thank you.” Stephanie kissed Damian on the cheek. “You are a good friend.”

  Stephanie walked away, putting on the “Mamacita” face on one last time for the crowd.

  They were there to wish the new owners good luck on their endeavor and fundraise for a profitable first year.

  Katie and the team were there too, and even Korbin showed up later in the evening, looking deliciously suave in a three-piece suit.

  They were there for their family, and even though the two older ladies taking over had no idea who or what they were, they felt like they could all be comfortable there. It was a big night for Stephanie; she got to say goodbye to her past life in a way they all wished they’d had the opportunity to.

  It was a very bittersweet goodbye.

  9

  Korbin sat at his desk. He was going through the drawers to make some space and get rid of all the old stuff so he could move to the new place without such an immense amount of clutter.

  He usually kept all the paperwork, filing it away just in case the higher-ups needed it. There was no reason to take everything old over there; it would be wasteful and useless. He tossed a pile into the shred box and raised his hands over his head.

  He looked around the room, remembering when they first had turned the place into their base. He was going to miss it, but he knew that the new compound was going to fit them much better. He had just reached forward to continue when the phone rang.

  “This is Korbin.”

  “Korbin, it’s John William Smith from New York,” a gruff voice replied.

  “John, how are you?” Korbin asked. “What can I do for you? Are the weapons working out okay?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He chuckled. “Everyone is jealous. I’m pretty sure that when you start taking orders you will have more than your fair share. But that isn’t why I was calling. My team heavy brought in a Damned yesterday while I was gone. She is freshly Damned and a bit wild, even for the Wyld Jokers. I can’t integrate her right now.”

  “All right.” Korbin leaned back. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I was wondering if you could integrate her. You know, get her trained and teach her how everything works, and when I can take her you’ll send her back to me?” he asked. “She is frisky, but with her kind of spirit she will fit in perfectly with us. I just don’t have a spot for her this minute. You guys are short one person, right?”

  “No, I’m not short. I picked up a woman just recently,” Korbin replied. “But yes, send her. I’m sure she will be of use, with all the chaos going on. We can get her trained up perfectly for you. I mean, I have two ladies on this team already. Why not make it three?”

  “Right?” John laughed. “Before long we are going to be calling you ‘Korbin’s Ladies.’”

  “I might go crazy.” Korbin chuckled. “Was she a coven find, or an innocent bystander?”

  “I don’t know if I would call her innocent.” He sighed. “But no, she didn’t ask to be Damned. There was another infected there, trying to get my heavy to make a deal to give him info on the teams. Melvin ended up killing her, and right when that happened Ella came walking out of the store, trash in hand. The demon jumped right into her. It was a shame, really. The demon is powerful, and quite strong-minded. The girl, though…she is tough as nails, has a strong personality, and doesn’t understand at all why she is here. We gave her the options per SOP, but she hasn’t really made a choice yet…not that being a guinea pig is a choice anyone would make. She needs a firm hand, but also someone who can show her what it’s like to be part of a family and a team. She really doesn’t have any experience in a family environment.”

  “A loner,” Korbin confirmed. “Young?”

  “Early twenties,” John replied. “Still lived at home, doesn’t care that they will think she is dead, didn’t really have any attachments at all except to her parties and alcohol. Even those she did to stay away from her family and just do her thing. Like I said, doesn’t like authority.”

  “You didn’t say that.” Korbin laughed. “But I figured it out when you told me she had no ties and hated her family. I think she will be fine here, and really, she isn’t going to want her other two options, so knowing that might straighten her up a bit.”

  “Thanks, Korbin, I really appreciate it,” John said gratefully.

  “No problem, John. We’ll fly out to you to pick her up,” Korbin replied. They said their goodbyes, and he hung up the phone.

  Korbin thought about bringing another person into the group. He had never liked fostering a Damned and then sending them away. It was like giving up one of your own, but he at least knew that would be the outcome.

  If anyone could put a smartass in her place, it was him and his team. He thought about Katie, and what things had been like when she’d first gotten there. She hadn’t been hard to get along with and didn’t rebel, but she had been green and didn’t want to be. He felt kind of bad for the way he had treated her, though. He had pretty much thrown her to the guys and let them deal with her.

  In fact, he had been kind of an ass when she was coming through. For her it had worked out, but he knew that wouldn’t be true for everyone.

  This new girl would upset the balance just a bit, but maybe that was what they needed to get everyone back on track. Upset the flow of things, so everyone had to stop and look at themselves for a moment. Sometimes his Killers got complacent, thinking that training was just to get stronger, thinking that bonding was just to produce a nice home situation, but in reality it was all much more than that.

  Training was to improve: get faster, understand your target, and get to know your enemy—the demon inside you. Bonding was great for quality of life, but it also was one of the main factors that kept you alive on those crazy incursions. You looked out for each other, because you knew what it would feel like to lose one of your teammates.

  Either way, the girl was coming, and there was nothing any of them could do but buckle down and help. They had always been good at that, but they also never had someone like they described Ella to be. All Korbin could do was hope they were on top of this, like they had been when Katie arrived. He picked up his phone and texted Stephanie and Katie, asking them to head down to his office. He figured it might help if he had his two females pick her up instead of surrounding her with more men.

  “Hey,” Stephanie said, walking through the door. “Katie’ll be here. She was finishing her food.”

  “How’s the compound coming?”

  “It’s getting there.” Stephanie smiled. “It’ll be home sweet home in no time.”

  “Hey, boss!” Katie ran into the room with food on her face. “Sorry, I was hungry.”

  “It’s okay.” Korbin chuckled. “Have a seat. I have a mission for you.”

  “Nice!” Katie exclaimed. “Whose hea
d are we smashing?”

  “No one’s, hopefully,” he replied. “No, you are going to go to New York to pick up a new Damned on the company jet. She will be training with us, and then end up back in New York to work on that team. They needed some help getting things together, so I am stepping up.”

  Stephanie smirked. “You mean we are stepping up.”

  “Yes, we.” He used his finger to form a circle. “As a team. Anyway, Damian normally handles these things, but he is unable to go. He has church in the morning, and not just at the chapel—at a larger church in Vegas. The new member is also a girl, so I figured it might be better to send you two than to send the guys.”

  “Poor thing.” Stephanie frowned. “She must be so scared.”

  “Yeah, well…” Korbin chuckled, then cleared his throat. “From what I’ve been told, she isn’t scared of much. She’s a bit of a wild card, so you might be surprised at what you find.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Katie said, pushing up her sleeves. “I like a challenge.”

  “Yeah,” Korbin replied. “I was afraid of that.”

  “When they said this thing is nice, I didn’t know they meant ready-for-Hollywood nice,” Stephanie said, running her hands over the leather chair arms in the jet.

  “Yeah.” Katie scoffed. “The first time I was on this thing, I felt like a damn Kardashian. Of course, on the way back I felt and looked more like Carrie covered in pig’s blood, but still… The seats were comfortable.”

  “Maybe we can convince old stick-in-the-mud to let us take a vacation in this thing.” Stephanie smiled.

  “Mmmhmm, and maybe he will smile occasionally, too.” Katie laughed, looking out the window as the plane made its descent into New York.

  When they landed, the plane taxied to a private hanger and the doors closed right behind the plane.

  Katie and Stephanie climbed off, finding John William, and the new not-so-bright-and-shining team member waiting for them. Stephanie introduced herself, and stepped to the side to try to talk to Ella. Katie smiled kindly at John and shook his hand firmly. The girl was a petulant twenty-year-old who didn’t look the least bit happy about the entire situation.