by Michael Todd
Unfortunately, we don’t have our own personal Pandora to take away the unwanted pounds. If Lucifer really wanted to take over humanity, I’m sure he could get more souls by allowing people to lose weight than giving them power or money… Just saying—it’s not a suggestion.
For the record, Damian is named after the character in The Omen (Damien Thorn, but note the spelling.) The name with an “a” is the French version, “e” is the English version of the name. I just thought it would be fun to have a priest named after a character who is normally associated with the Anti-Christ.
SCREW YOU, SATAN!
All right, it wasn’t much of a punch against the burning flames of hell, but I did it anyway.
I look forward to chatting with you on Facebook! Here is the link to our screwed-up home away from the series:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/320172985053521/
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
Author Notes - Laurie Starkey
October 16, 2018
Well, hello there!
Are you ready for this new adventure we’re on? I’m so far beyond excited to get Damian’s story moving. It’s been a conversation between me and Mike for a while. Nothing like a kick-ass priest and a demon-infested world for him to play in.
Fun Fact of the day: I’m a preacher’s kid. And yes, I’m a typical PK. Wild. Unruly. Sang in the choir. Still would if we weren’t traveling all over the Earth.
Speaking of traveling, we’re up in Maine. We came up here to see the beautiful trees during fall, and it is honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Insanely inspiring. Freezing-ass cold, but it brings a million stories to life inside my skull.
Mike and I appreciate you picking up a copy of this book. It means the world to us. I got a note in my inbox this morning from a young girl who read some of our work. She loved it and is working to write her own stories now. It’s moments like that, when we hear from a reader and know we’ve made a difference, albeit maybe a small one at times, that makes everything that it took to get to “the end” worth it.
So, thank you. From the bottom of our wicked hearts. We HAVE to be wicked to write a series called, “The Damned” right?
Funny moment as I’m pondering my entrance into heaven. A slice of life from my family so you can chuckle at my plight.
My thirteen-year-old son, last kid at home, is super smart, funny, and sarcastic. He’s a bit of a handful, as he’s a teenager too, but that’s irrelevant for this story. I bring it up because it’s fun to think you’re nodding your head and mumbling, “Ahh… Damn teenagers.”
I digress.
The other day, he sits down next to me and says, “Mom. When you get to heaven, do you think it’s Saint Peter who greets you? You know, the guy Nana likes a lot.”
Remember, my mom’s a preacher. We’ve heard a lot of great sermons on Peter.
I shrug. “I would think so. Why do you ask? Scared you’re going to be a window washer? Did you clean your room?”
For this, I get the look I was after. Score one for the mother hen.
My son: “No, but I’m just wondering how Peter got stuck with a job like that.” And his eyebrow raises as a smirk plays at the corner of his lips. And in this moment, I know I’m about to hear something priceless.
He continues. “I mean, do you think God lined all of the saints up, and he was like, (and this kid switches to a mafia voice—God is the Godfather from the mafia movies—like Marlon Brando if you didn’t realize it) Heya, yous saints guys. Who wants a new job? It’s got great benefits, but you’ll need to be a people-liking type-a guy.”
The story goes on. Peter raising his hand. “Um, yeah. I’ll do it. What is it?”
God smiled, nodding. Of course, Peter is willing to do it. “You just gotta stand at the gate and make sure no hoodlums get into the pool.”
(I’m chuckling at this point)
Peter: How long is this gig, God?
God: Right. Forever.
My son smiles, shrugs, and asks one more question. “You think he’s got an iPad to check if you’re legit? And if he does, maybe he turns it toward you and says, ‘One question for you boy. Are you a robot?’”
And I bust out laughing. This kid. One day, he will hopefully be a writer, for he is very much a creative.
Thank you for stopping by my author note. Hope you don’t mind me sharing that story. It lit up my day. Hopefully, it will light up yours, too.
Please visit me and Mike on Facebook! It’s a party you’re invited to.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/320172985053521/
Slave to many stories,
Laurie Starkey
Renegade
Damian’s Chronicles™ Book 2
Prologue
Fourteen Years Prior
Chris yelled a challenge as he danced tauntingly across the room. “Let’s see if you motherfuckers can keep up with Chris’s magical dance steps.”
He crossed his feet and spun, keeping his arms outstretched, and shot the demons around him. Korbin ducked as a bullet flashed past him and struck the wall. “Hey, Dance Fever, can you chill out a little? I want to get back without bullet holes.”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry, man. My bad.” He aimed quickly, pulled the trigger, and shot a demon in the face.
Damian chuckled and looked back down at the demon he held. He closed his eyes and began to exorcise it. “Sancti Michaelis Archangeli Illustris princeps caelestis exercitus, defende nos in proelio adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores mundi tenebrarum et spiritus meus in excelsis. Custodem et patronum sancta veneratur Ecclesia eius, quam vobis. Dominus præcepit tibi negotium ut de ducens in animis hominum redemptorum beatitudine caelesti. Orate Dominum ut projicerent de pace nostra pedibus et Satanas, et adhuc ab eo ut servare tenens fecerit homo, et captivi ducentur in Ecclesiae nocere. Benedíctus Deus ad throni misericordiae Domini esse potest venire cito tenendam et pecus antiquus serpens Satanas et daemonia mittentes eum in catenis in abyssum, ut non seducat amplius gentes.”
The creature thrashed frantically before it exited and left the woman’s body lying quietly and normally on the floor. Screeches echoed from the light as it rose above her and hovered in the air. Finally, it burst and showered everything in its radius with ash. One of the other team members, Charlie, squinted at Damian. “Hey, uh, priest? You think if you’re gonna save these wretched souls, you could keep your demon corpse dust over there? I’m breathin’ this shit into my lungs here.”
He raised his hand and nodded. “Sorry, sorry. That was a feisty one.”
The other man pointed behind the priest. “That one looks feisty too, bro.”
He swung, raised his pistol, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the creature between the eyes, and it immediately turned to dust. Damian felt like he had broken his oath every time he killed a demon without attempting an exorcism, but there were too many of them. He’d made a promise to the church, though, and he would do whatever he could to exorcise before killing.
Three demons ran to the side, and Damian headed after them. He increased his speed, his breath labored. A pile of rubble at the side of the old dilapidated warehouse provided a handy ramp and he leapt off it with his arms extended. He grabbed one of the creatures by the feet, and they tumbled across the ground until he managed to scramble on top of it. He held out his cross, this time going for the shorter version of the exorcism. “In nomine Domini omini ego mittam te, daemonium. Quo pertinent ad inferos. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.”
The demon rose from the man and clawed at its throat and limbs as it screamed at the top of its lungs. Damian turned his head and closed his eyes as it exploded, then scrambled to his feet and lunged toward the other two, who had stopped to watch. He grabbed one and slugged it hard across the cheek, knocking it to the ground. Holding it down with his weight, he began the exorcism, but the third swiped relentlessly at him. Knowing he had no choice, he lifted his pistol and sh
ot the attacker in the head, made the sign of the cross over his chest as it fell, and its body turned back into human form.
He looked down at the demon beneath him, angrier than hell. “If you fuckers would only hold still, I could work, and no one would have to die!”
Once he’d successfully exorcised the demon, he stood and wiped his hands on his legs. Chris joined him and looked down at the human, who was alive but unconscious. “You did good work there, buddy.”
Damian wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Yeah, but getting them to that point by myself is hell.”
His companion slipped his pistol back into its holster and shrugged. “I’ve had your back this far. Not gonna stop now. I’ll bag ʼem, and you give them that Jesus juice?”
The priest chuckled as he nodded. “Hell, yes. Let’s do this.”
Together, they raced through the warehouse. His teammate subdued the creatures, and he exorcised them as quickly as he could. As another demon left a body, Chris approached, holding out both hands. Two infected dangled in the air, each trapped in a large fist, and they squirmed to free themselves. “How about these two fuckers?”
Damian stood and held his cross out as he recited the exorcism prayer. To his surprise, it worked on both at the same time. As the creatures released the bodies, Chris lowered the unconscious forms to the ground. He looked at Damian with an impressed nod. The priest flipped his cross in his hands. “Never done that shit before.”
His teammate laughed and slammed his elbow into a demon’s face without looking. “First time for everything. Very convenient, and saves time, too.”
He chuckled as he followed the man and bent to exorcise each unconscious Damned they encountered. It was like an assembly line, he thought irreverently. Chris knocked them out, and he saved their souls. As he repeated the exorcism over another body, his partner cleared his throat. “Uh, a little help here?”
He looked up to see the fighter with his back against the wall. Four demons snarled and slashed at him. Damian straightened and hurried forward, leapt through the air, and landed on one of the creatures’ backs. He drew his gun, and shot twice to the right and once to the left. Three down, one to go. The fourth twisted and fought, trying to throw him off.
Chris stepped forward and pushed up his sleeve. “Arms up, D.”
The priest held on with his legs and put his hands in the air. His partner reared back and struck the demon in the face as hard as he could. Damian jumped off, and the creature hit the ground. He stood over it and tilted his head to the side. The demon had partially taken over the woman it possessed. She now had the body of a woman and the head of a demon and wore red lipstick.
Chris put his hand on his chin and shook his head. “Now we have drag queen demons?”
Damian pursed his lips. “Some lonely demon out there would find him absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, the woman is too far gone to save.”
Chris frowned. “How can you tell?”
He reached down and pulled the top of the woman’s shirt back to reveal the scales. “They’ve converged.”
The other man drew his gun. “It’s a shame, really. It looks like she might have been hot as hell.”
In response, Damian simply shook his head and stepped back as Chris shot the demon between the eyes and watched its body turn to dust. Damian knocked the dust off his boot and put one hand on his pistol as his gaze slid over the people he had saved.
His teammate slapped him hard on the back. “That’s some mighty fine exorcising there, cowboy.” Damian looked slowly at the man and lifted an eyebrow. Chris cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. “I’ve been watching westerns lately. Black cowboys aren’t common.”
All Damian could do was laugh.
Across the room, Korbin twisted his body and kicked to the side to strike a demon in the stomach. He shot almost in the same motion, killing another, and turned to eliminate the first, which now charged in earnest. Two other teammates fought on either side, focused on their own adversaries. Charlie swirled his knife and sliced through demon necks. Ethan fired his gun and looked at his partner. “What the fuck are you doing? This is definitely a gun scenario. You walked in here with a damn pocket knife!”
The other man lunged forward and stabbed a demon in the neck. “It’s not a pocket knife. And I want to be the best at demon killing even when I’m not using a gun. This is the epitome of badass.”
Ethan shook his head and backed up to Korbin. “You know, from the moment we started this team, I knew that one day you would bring in some idiot with nunchucks or something. Here he is, Pocketknife Charlie.”
The team leader laughed. “He seems to be doing damn well with that thing. Maybe he can teach you a few things.”
He scoffed. “Please. My ninja skills are on point. I got this, bro.”
Korbin blasted into a group of demons and reloaded. “Just stick with your gun for now, please. I’d like us all to get back to drink some beer in one piece.”
Ethan elbowed the leader and nodded to an adjacent room. “They’ve got the sacrifice in there. I can see them gathered around.”
He nodded. “Charlie, Damian, Chris…the room over there.”
Korbin and Ethan were the closest and started to fight their way through with the others close behind. The second man ran to the adjoining room and kicked a demon hard in the stomach, then slammed the butt of his gun into its forehead. Ethan dropped the empty magazine, grabbed one from his belt, and reloaded. In almost the same motion, he pulled his gun up and shot the creature right between the eyes.
A crowd of about five demons surrounded the girl. Ethan ran to the right and Korbin to the left, and Charlie came up behind them in the center. They used hand-to-hand combat at first to knock most of the beasts to the floor. The three team members fired at the fallen creatures and waited until they turned to dust.
Ethan rushed forward and untied the girl quickly. She fell into his arms, and he lowered her carefully. Charlie dropped to his knees beside her and opened his medical kit. He shined the light into her eyes. “She’s not infected.”
The other man pushed the blood-soaked hair from her face. “That’s good, honey. You’ll be okay.”
The girl couldn’t talk. She sputtered and gasped, her eyes wide. Charlie slapped him on the shoulder and looked meaningfully at the wound in her stomach. Her intestines actually hung out slightly. He looked at the wound and then back at the medic, who shook his head. Ethan took a deep breath and looked into the girl’s eyes as he forced a smile.
He didn’t really know what to say. “It’s okay. Keep looking at me, sweetie. Keep looking at me. Everything will be okay.”
She fixed her gaze on him and gasped for air, but her lungs filled with fluid. A small trickle of blood issued from the corner of her mouth and a long gurgling breath left her chest. Slowly, her eyes closed, and she was gone. Ethan shook her gently. “Hey, stay with me. Come on, damn it, stay with me.”
Charlie put his hand on his arm. “Man, she’s gone.”
He pushed his friend’s hand away and gritted his teeth as he shook her. “God damn it, no. Fuck, come on!”
The medic stepped beside Korbin, and they watched as the breath caught in Ethan’s throat. He released her and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his arm. He stood, pulled his gun, and grabbed Charlie’s knife from his hand.
The team leader reached for him, but he pulled away. “Come on, man,” Korbin said. “It sucks. I know. Let’s finish this up and get home.”
He sniffed. “I’ll finish this shit up.”
Korbin followed quickly when Ethan raced out of the room, raised his gun, and began to shoot every demon that remained. When his bullets were gone, he threw the gun aside and grabbed one by the throat, sliced its neck, and threw it to the floor. He turned, looking for more to slay. His eyes settled on the last one, a medium-sized demon that stepped from the shadows and snarled loudly.
“Oh, you want some too, motherfucker?” he yelled as he sprinte
d toward the beast. “Come here. I got something for you.”
He ran, dropped to his knees, and slid across the floor. Beside the creature now, he slashed the knife across its legs and jumped to his feet, then slammed his fist into the demon. It roared, and a massive arm swiped out and knocked Ethan back into his teammates. He pulled away and started forward again.
Korbin reached out his hand. “Let me shoot him!”
He wiped his mouth with his free hand and gripped the knife tightly. “No, fuck that, Korbin. This bitch is mine.”
He yelled his rage as he ran toward the demon and sliced his knife viciously down the front of the creature. It screeched as he reared back and jammed the knife into the underside of its chin. Ethan ripped the knife out, and blood spattered in a wide arc. The team watched as he stood with his back to them and stabbed the enemy over and over.
Finally, after several moments, the demon burst into dust. Ethan stood silently, still facing away, and hung his head. The others cheered and clapped in a show of pride at how badass he had been. The enthusiasm faltered when he swayed, and the others grew silent. He turned slowly, clutching a massive wound in his stomach. He fell to his knees and collapsed onto his back.
Korbin dropped beside him and looked at the wound before holding Ethan’s gaze. “You stupid fucker.”
He smiled and whispered, “I told you I was a…ninja…”
The words faded into a final rasped exhalation, and he died there on the floor. With tears streaming down his face, Korbin yelled, “No. God, no.”
Damian made the sign of the cross and stood close beside Charlie and Chris. They remained silent as their leader mourned his fallen brother. He gripped Ethan tightly and fell back on his butt, holding the lifeless body to his chest. Korbin shook his head, his emotions etched on his face. They had been the best of friends, in it together from the beginning, and now Ethan had met his end.
