Welcome To The Jungle

by Michael Todd

  Speaking of a new place to live, she unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way to the front. She knocked gently on the cockpit doors and waited for the pilot to open it. He smiled as he took his seat again.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I was just wondering if you could fly us over the new place before going home. I haven’t seen it yet,” she asked.

  “Sure thing! We’ll be coming up on it in about ten minutes.”

  “Perfect,” she replied, then left the cockpit and made her way back to her seat.

  Katie looked out the window in excitement as the plane broke through the clouds and he circled the new compound. She could see the whole place. There was a hell of a lot of land, and not much road. Part of it was desert, just like her old place, but part of it was dusty dry land with randomly-sprouting grasses. She leaned back in her chair and smiled, tapping her fingers on her lips.

  Okay, Pandora demanded, spill it. What are you thinking?

  Huh? Katie smirked. I don’t know what you mean.

  Come on. Pandora groaned. I know that look, and you never tap your fingers on your lips if you aren’t making some devious plan.

  Uh, devious is your forte. Katie laughed. And it’s nothing dubious. I was just thinking about the car.

  Oooh, Pandora exclaimed, excited. I almost forgot that you owed me a car. What are you thinking…Aston Martin? Another Ferrari? What?

  Actually, I was thinking that there is a whole lot of land out there, Katie told her. And maybe, just maybe, we are due for an upgrade.

  An upgrade? From a Ferrari? Pandora exclaimed.

  Yup, Katie said, smiling. Maybe something a little more appropriate for the terrain we are moving to. Something with a kick, that fits our style.

  Korbin, Stephanie, and Katie sat around the conference room at the old base talking about the Damned. Korbin wanted to know all about the trip: the details, how they ran things, and especially, to Katie’s confusion, the military escapade. She told him what she knew: that they were idiots, how they had almost gotten themselves killed, and what had happened when the general had shown up. Korbin was not looking forward to talking to the general again, although he was sure they would be having a conversation soon now that they’d seen the weapons in action.

  “Interesting,” Korbin murmured. “And John didn’t say anything about it?”

  “I mean, he rolled his eyes and said that seemed to be typical military,” Katie replied. “But other than that, no. He seemed to hate the whole part of the job that had to do with them.”

  “Right,” Korbin said, sitting back. “Thanks. And I appreciate you keeping Pandora under wraps. It’s going to be a difficult enough conversation when I have to explain the new weapons.”

  I’d like to wrap him, Pandora purred.

  Katie ignored her and smiled. “No problem, boss.”

  “Okay, so back to what I was saying.” Stephanie leaned forward. “I am telling you, I have intel on who the infected humans might be. You know, the ones wreaking havoc on society, fucking with politics and the economy, and generally doing things they aren’t supposed to. There are more demons out there than just the ones trying to kill us. There are old-school ones who try to keep a low profile, helping their human capsules and making deals with the devil. I think we should jump on this. I mean, we are demon hunters, right?”

  “You have intel?” Katie whispered, elbowing Stephanie.

  “Yes,” she replied. “But doofy over here won’t listen to me.”

  ‘Hey, doofy!” Katie smirked. “Snap out of your trance and listen up! Girl has intel.”

  “Thank you.” Stephanie smirked back.

  “Okay.” Korbin leaned forward. “And how exactly did you come by this intel? Can you trust the person who gave it to you? How do you know it’s not a trap?”

  “I can’t tell you where I got it,” she replied. “But you have trusted me with everything else, and I have the names of people who are actually infected. If I trust my source, you should too.”

  “These are the types of things we have to check out first.” Korbin sighed. “We can’t just roll into someone’s home and take them down. What if they aren’t demons? I mean, if the demon is staying on the down-low, the ring doesn’t always show. If you go to one of these places, how are you going to be able to tell if the person has a demon or is just a really big asshole?”

  “Uh, I think I can help with that.” Katie raised her hand. “Pandora can give them the demon test before the person even knows we are there, so we will know. She is that good.”

  Pandora snickered. Damn right.

  “See?” Stephanie pointed to her teammate. “I give you the names and locations, and then Wonder Girl over here can roll right up to the house and tell if they are human or not. If they aren’t and they come to the door, we’ll act like we are giving away bibles or something.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s rich.” Korbin snorted. “The ex-madam and her superdemon sidekick posing as bible thumpers.”

  Katie and Stephanie just stared at him silently, no amusement on their faces. Korbin laughed, but slowly wiped the smile from his face. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face.

  “Ugh. You are putting me in a really tough position.”

  “Just let us try it. Let us prove to you that we don’t have to wait for the demons to come to us,” Stephanie argued. “We can catch them by surprise, and take care of it before anyone else knows. We will be taking care of the war on the outside and taking care of the underground on the back burner. Otherwise we win the war but we are still at war, only now they are masked.”

  “Fine.” Korbin put up his hand before Stephanie could squeal with excitement. “You get one, and I mean ONE, trial run, so pick your best bet here.”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Stephanie chanted. “You are going to be ecstatic; beyond happy with the outcome, I promise you. Come on, Katie, let’s go before he changes his mind.”

  The two girls ran out of the office, leaving Korbin kicking himself for giving in.

  They headed up the stairs and jumped into Stephanie’s little red sports car. Katie smiled, remembering what it was like to have her own car.

  Stephanie put the car in drive and zoomed down the road, heading toward the Strip. Katie leaned her head back and let the wind blow through her hair. The evening temperature was just perfect for a little excursion and some demon-killing.

  The old man drove up his long driveway to the gate in the front of his house. He pressed the code in, and waited to pull his Bentley forward until it was all the way open. In front of him was a huge white house with perfect shrubbery and a perfect artificial lawn; the perfect place to come home to.

  He was single and lived alone in the hills, working every day and then retiring to the scenic view of the lights of Vegas below him. He pulled his car into the garage and parked, opening the door and throwing his expensive designer suit jacket over his arm as he picked up his briefcase.

  He clicked the button that shut the garage door and walked through the side entrance. He made his way through the dark house and went into his office down the hall. He yawned, dropping his briefcase on the floor and tossing his jacket on the chair. He turned to walk to his desk…and froze when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

  “I know about you,” the voice whispered. “How you use the dark forces, the demon inside you, to get ahead in life. I know about your deal with the devil, and I know how you treat others. Old man, you have finally met your truth.”

  The man turned right and left, feeling someone slither around him. At first he thought it was his imagination, his demon messing with him like he did sometimes, but when he called for him, he found him hiding inside, scared to death.

  “Who’s there?” he asked a bit louder. “I’ll call the police!”

  “And tell them what?” the voice hissed. “That your business has attracted too much attention and now people are starting to ask questions? That you have a de
mon in your head, and two in your home? That you are not what you seem? I don’t think anyone can help you now, but then again you knew that already. What’s the matter? You afraid to pay up on your debts?”

  He shuddered. “Leave me alone.”

  The demonic voice terrified him even worse than the deal he had made with the devil.

  It cut to his core. His demon continued to cower in the corner of his dark and ominous soul, begging for relief.

  The man’s hands shook wildly at his sides as he stared into a pair of bright-red eyes. He blinked, and they were gone. With a shaking hand he reached over and turned on the lamp, finding himself facing a white woman with dark hair pulled up in a knot, her eyes glowing red.

  He panicked, yelling as he knocked the chair over behind him. He tried to work his way to the door.

  Katie didn’t move. She just tilted her head and looked at him with no expression.

  He whimpered, then turned and made a run down the dark hallway. As he reached the staircase a leg shot out from the right and slammed into his stomach, knocking him to all fours.

  He groaned, holding his mid-section while trying to continue to crawl forward.

  Tears streamed down his face as he cried out for help, but no one was there to hear him.

  He collapsed onto the ground and laid there for a moment, and Stephanie stepped out of the shadows. Slowly he turned over on his back, his five-hundred-dollar tie sliding over his designer white shirt and flopping on the slick mahogany floor beneath him.

  He choked and attempted to catch his breath, trying to stop himself from blubbering like an idiot.

  Stephanie breathed in his horror, feeling every emotion he did. He didn’t know who these women were, but he was certain his time was over. He was certain the devil had returned for his payment.

  “Please,” he whimpered. “I need more time; more time. It’s not done yet.”

  Stephanie threw her head back and laughed, walking toward him in her red stilettos. She stopped next to him and pushed the toe of her shoe into his side.

  She grimaced at even being that close to someone as despicable as him. She leaned over him and looked deep into his eyes, pursing her lips and then smiling coyly. He stopped crying and whimpered, waiting for her to speak.

  “Rule Number One, bitch,” Stephanie growled. “Always have backup!”

  She punched him as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious.

  Author Notes - Michael Todd Anderle

  Written April 13, 2018

  This is my salutation and appreciation for not only reading through our story but also reading through our author notes as well!

  “Welcome to the Jungle” is an interesting title. Part of it refers to the concrete jungle, and was inspired by the art which inspired our cover (a blown-up city block.)

  Laurie asked me to come up with our next four titles and I was thinking DAMN!

  No, really.

  Now, I like dreaming up story titles, but for whatever reason I was running into a bit of a challenge figuring out the next four book titles so far in advance. However, she was pushing (I mean, “requesting”) and what was I going to do but say “Yes, ma’am?” (Editor’s Note: You find yourself in the position of saying that to a lot of your women, don’t you, Michael?)

  So, I have the cover concepts and I’m thinking “I want to ROCK this.”

  That got me thinking and the creative juices going, and we get Welcome to the Jungle (Book 05) for Guns N Roses… Metal Up Your Ass (Book 06) for Metallica, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (thank you Pandora) by one of my favorite bands, AC/DC, and Metallica again with For Whom the Bell Tolls to finish out the arc.

  Obviously these stories aren’t based on the songs, but rather the intent of the story evokes (for me) the title of the book.

  Expect a sword on the cover of book 06 for Metal Up Your Ass.

  NEW SERIES…

  So, I’ve been talking with Laurie about trying a spin-off of Protected by the Damned, but the plan was to create new characters (as discussed in previous Author’s Notes) and see how the characters felt after we played with them in a story.

  If I liked them, we would make plans to write a new series with them.

  The dichotomy of the Odd Couple was on my mind as I conceived of Ella and Melnick—except this time Felix is the demon, and the teenage pain-in-the-ass is Oscar. Although Ella is perceiving opportunities in her life provided by Melnick, I have to believe she isn’t done wanting her way.

  Nor is Melnick finished explaining why Ella needs to do whatever-it-is his way.

  Katie and Pandora are ass-kickers and door-breakers. I believe Ella and Melnick will be a bit more intelligent (eventually) about their solutions…but time will tell.

  If you would like this series to go forward, I’d love to hear your ‘Wahoo!’ or something equivalent in the reviews on Amazon for this book OR in the Facebook group (we are almost five hundred strong now.)

  THE FUTURE

  These stories, and the support for these stories, has FAR exceeded our expectations! THANK YOU SO MUCH for purchasing them, reviewing them, and encouraging your friends who don’t mind a little bit of a raunchy demon their literature to read them.

  As always, if you keep supporting these stories, we will do our best to keep our wits about us and produce more of them to keep you chuckling or laughing out loud deep into the night. Although sometimes you might need to wipe a tear from your eye.

  We have twelve (12) Katie and Pandora books planned. After that, who knows? I’m willing to consider how to expand the stories, and some ideas are starting to seep into my subconscious on just what needs to happen in book thirteen.

  The world is going to get a bit bloodier before it gets better, but the ride will still be fun. I promise!

  Ad Aeternitatem!

  Michael Anderle

 

  Author Notes - Laurie Starkey

  Written April 13, 2018

  Can I just say to all the Axl Rose fans out there…the title of this book has me singing at the top of my lungs (inside my head). You too? Awesome. We should be friends.

  It’s been a few weeks. Feels like days over here in Psychoville. I would say it has a population of one, but I’m pretty sure Mister Anderle is the president/mayor/janitor.

  I just fry up nuggets. Nothing to see here.

  Don’t read this if you have anything better to do. It’s a bit rambly. It’s 10pm, and I should have been asleep an hour ago. My sleep medication is causing rainbows to burst from my vision or something poetic like that.

  It’s been an interesting few weeks, and I’ll tell you why.

  We went up to Austin to look at land. Now we’re in Houston, so this was a fun trip. I love Austin. The food is beyond outstanding, and there’s plenty of it. I’m a foodie, and so is the hubs. We plan where we’re going on vacation based on where the best restaurants are.

  So we’re looking for land, because my parents need their next thing. Mom is a retired pastor/church planter who gave up her retirement to serve in ministry most of her adult life. And my father was the manager of a mirror plant until he had a massive heart attack back in 2010 and his company of twenty-five years fired him.

  Since then, he’s been in a low-paying job that’s a bit of a ministry too. When Hurricane Harvey came through here in Texas, it took their house and both of their cars. Needless to say it’s been a rough few years, but here’s the silver lining…we were in Austin looking for land for them.

  We’ve been able to bring them on to work odd jobs with the publishing company I started three years ago, and pay them—not a ton, but enough to pay their bills—and give them a retirement on us. It’s a blessing I’ve always wanted. It’s not easy, but it’s honestly beautiful.

  And that’s thanks to my fast fingers and you being willing to pick up a book. So thank you. I’ve thanked God for you guys, and all my r
eaders everywhere multiple times in the last few weeks.

  Because of all this tense madness, I decided a few days ago to start a new project…because doing ten thousand projects with Mike and a few other select people isn’t enough on top of publishing the five to eight books that my brother or I write each month. (It’s romance…not sure that’s your cup of tea at all.) But this new project was for me.

  You guys ever do that? Just decide enough is enough and you need something for yourself? That was this. No bubble bath, chocolates or massages here. No, sir. In Psychoville we have “me time” by writing sixty thousand more words a month.

  I needed some old-fashioned humor. The seventy-year-old woman inside me was cracking too many jokes for me not to notice. Now, I’m forty, but I’m sure when I get to be seventy I’ll be a mix of these two wise-cracking older ladies that I’m writing my first cozy mystery about.

  I have a clip of it below. If you need a laugh, or like cozy mysteries at all—check it out. I told Mike I wanted to share what I’d been up to, and the best way to do that is just to drop some of the story. It’s not much of it, but it felt damn good to get it out.

  And I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. That’s a good enough treat for me. Hope you enjoy it, and as always…thank you for all you do. I started writing to offer readers a bit of warmth, love, joy in their day, and I hope that’s what we’re still doing.

  What I never expected was that my readers would help me take care of my folks. My appreciation is beyond words.