Slawter

by Darren Shan

  as I feel, I think Bill-E feels a hell of a lot worse.

  “Billy?” Dervish says softly. “Are you with us? Are all the lights on in there?” He taps the side of Bill-E’s head.

  “They killed them,” Bill-E wheezes, his lazy left eyelid snapping open and shut at great speed. “I saw a thing with...it looked like a tiger... but bits and pieces sticking out...it killed Salit. He tried to stop it. He didn’t know it was real. He was acting his movie part, where he was a big hero. But it cut him down the middle and —”

  “We don’t have time for hysterics,” Dervish growls. “Be a man and help us fight, or go babble somewhere until the demons find you and kill you.”

  I hate him for saying that, but I know he’s only doing it for Bill-E’s sake. Cruel to be kind and all that guff.

  Bill-E glares at Dervish, anger driving the fear away. “I’m not hysterical,” he says stiffly.

  “Glad to hear it,” Dervish says. “Now listen and listen good. Lord Loss is the only demon master. The rest are his familiars, or others Davida roped in. Some are stronger than us, but most aren’t. We need to capture one of the weaker demons and use it to get out.”

  “And the other people?” I ask quietly.

  “We’ll take as many as we can,” Dervish promises. “If we’re successful, I’ll send a telepathic signal and let all the survivors know where we are.”

  “Why not do that now?” I ask. “Arrange a meeting place and tell them to go there. It would give them more time, a better chance.”

  Dervish shakes his head. “Those who were working for the Demonata would receive the message too. They’d go running to Lord Loss — try to save their own foul lives by selling out the rest of us.”

  “OK,” I mutter. “So how do we catch a demon?”

  Dervish scratches his left cheek nervously. “Bait,” he says softly. And his gaze settles on Bill-E.

  I don’t like it. Hell, I hate it! But it’s the quickest, easiest way. We’re up to our eyeballs in trouble. We have to take risks.

  We leave Bill-E standing in the middle of the street, twisting his hands, face crumpled with fear. He trusts us but he’s terrified. I would be too in his shoes.

  “If anything happens to him . . .” I whisper to Dervish.

  “It won’t,” Dervish says solidly. “Now don’t talk — watch.”

  A minute passes. Two. Screams fill the air, a chorus of agony and anguish. Every hair on my body is standing up-right. I have to keep my teeth parted, afraid I’ll grind down to the gums if I don’t take care. Part of me wants to run, make for the barrier, force a way through, forget everybody else. Save your own skin, it whispers. Dervish and Bill-E are the only ones who matter. Convince them to leave with you. Let the others look after themselves.

  I ignore the treasonous, selfish voice — but only with an effort.

  Movement at the end of the street. Several figures come racing around a corner. Dervish and I tense, ready to un-leash a burst of magic, then hold it back when we see that the figures are children. Bo Kooniart, Vanalee Metcalf, three others.

  “Run!” Bo screams at Bill-E. “We’re being chased! Get the hell out of here, you moron, before —”

  “Bo!” I yell. “Over here.” She stops, panting, eyes wide with terror. “Quick!”

  “But there’s —”

  “I know. Trust us. We can stop it. But you have to —”

  “Here it comes,” Dervish interrupts.

  I look left. A demon with the body of a giant bee is humming through the air after Bo and the others. As it gets closer I see that it has a semi-human face, except with bee eyes, and more teeth than any human I’ve ever seen. Magic flares within me. I stretch out a hand in the direction of the bee demon.

  “Not yet,” Dervish says. “Let it get closer... closer... Now!”

  Together we channel magic and unleash it. Twin bolts of energy strike the demon sharply, knocking it across the street, away from the children. It smashes into the wall on the opposite side. As it slumps to the ground, Dervish runs towards it. I follow, caught up in the moment, acting instinctively.

  The bee shakes its head and starts to rise, buzzing angrily. Dervish grabs a wing before it gets out of reach. Yanks it down. The bee lashes out at him with a stinger the size of a large kitchen knife. He ducks. I scream and smash an elbow into the bee’s semi-human face. Its teeth bite deep into my forearm, but I jerk my arm free before it can do serious damage.

  As I grab the bee with my uninjured arm, I feel Dervish’s magic burn into the demon. It makes wild buzzing sounds. Thrashes, trying to break free, snapping its teeth, stabbing at him with its stinger. He holds on tight. I do too. I head-butt the bee, letting magic shoot through my forehead, intent on sizzling the demon’s brains.

  “Not too much!” Dervish pants as the demon goes slack. “We want it alive.” He stands, sliding both arms around the bee. “Let’s keep it like this and —”

  “Monster!” a voice screams and suddenly there’s someone beside us. A hand shoots by my head. A fist buries itself deep in the demon’s chest, then comes ripping out, dragging guts and yellow blood with it. Stunned, I fix on the face of the assailant — and my heart leaps joyfully.

  “Juni!” I yell, releasing the bee’s head, throwing my arms around her.

  Juni Swan hugs me hard, then steps away, staring at the demon, then her fist. “How did I do that?” she croaks. “I felt something inside me. It was power, but I don’t know where...”

  “Hi,” Dervish says quietly, letting the dead demon drop to the floor. He smiles crookedly, then slips his arms around Juni and buries his face in her neck. “We thought you were dead,” he half-sobs.

  “I was... dreaming, I think,” she says. “Bill-E was kidnapped. We rescued him. Then we were attacked by ninjas and had to go to a mountain in search of their lair.” She shakes her head. “I woke up in a small room. I came out and saw demons. I ran away. Then I saw you. I thought the bee was going to kill you. Something exploded inside me. Before I knew it...”

  She stares at her fist again, a look of astonishment on her face.

  “Seems you have a talent for magic after all,” Dervish chuckles, then sighs. “But you timed it badly. We wanted this one alive.” He quickly explains his plan to her and the children, who’ve crept across. Bo seems to be less shaken than the others. She’s trembling fiercely and her face is white with fear, but she’s in control of her senses and listens intently.

  I use magic to heal my wounded arm, and watch Bo cautiously. Her father was one of the collaborators, but that’s not her fault. I’m pretty sure she didn’t know about his pact with the Demonata. Bo was never anything worse than a spoiled brat. You don’t deserve to be killed for that.

  Dervish finishes outlining his plan. “So Grubbs, Juni and I will pull back, leave you kids here, wait for another demon to come along, then... ka-blooey!”

  “Ka-blooey?” Juni repeats, raising an eyebrow.

  “I liked comics when I was a kid,” Dervish says with a shrug.

  “How are we going to get the demon to the barrier?” Bo asks, and though her teeth chatter, her voice sounds normal.

  “Grubbs and I will drag it there,” Dervish says. “Juni can help.”

  “But —”

  “Here she goes,” Bill-E groans. “Always has to have her say!”

  “Shut up, shrimp-breath!” Bo snaps, then appeals to Dervish. “I don’t want to be a troublemaker. I just want to get out of this alive. But it’s what you said about how you were going to alert everybody and tell them where to come.” She pauses.

  “Go on,” Dervish says kindly, though if I was in charge, I’d tell her to put a sock in it. She’s being a drama queen, trying to grab the attention. Typical Bo.

  “Well,” Bo says hesitantly, “if you’re able to use telepathy, I was wondering... can demons do the same?”

  Dervish stares at Bo, then nods slowly. “Some can.”

  “So,” Bo continues, “if you catch a demon, and
it realizes you’re dragging it off to the edge of town to kill it, won’t it call for help? And bring a load of other demons down on top of us?”

  Dervish scowls. “She’s right. It’ll take several minutes to get to the barrier from here. If the demon summoned help, we’d never make it.”

  “Can’t we knock it unconscious?” Juni asks.

  “Perhaps. But if it gets out a shout...”

  He falls silent. Bo looks at me smugly, but I’m too impressed to bear her any ill feelings. She’s not entirely brainless, I’m reluctantly forced to admit.

  “I have a suggestion,” Bo says. She’s stopped trembling. Confident. On a roll.

  “I’m all ears,” Dervish says with a wry smile.

  “Why don’t we lure a demon to the barrier before you go messing with it? Trick it into chasing after us. It wouldn’t call for help if it didn’t know its life was in danger.”

  “We have a genius in our midst,” Dervish says, smile widening. Bo beams like an angel. Despite myself, I have to laugh. She’ll be more unbearable than ever after this, but right now that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

  “There’s only one problem with your proposal,” Dervish says.

  “Problem?” Bo frowns.

  “Running’s dangerous. If there’s a demon hot on your heels, you can’t concentrate on what lies ahead. Very easy to run into another demon, or a pack of them. We can’t control the situation if we do what you suggest. And control is vital. Grubbs and I must reach the barrier. If we don’t, everybody dies. We can’t risk running into a trap.”

  Bo mulls that over, starts to speak, goes silent, then says very quietly, “What if the rest of us did the running? What if you and Grubbs went to the barrier and we tried to lure a demon to you?”

  I blink, astonished. I never thought I’d hear the spoiled Bo Kooniart make a suggestion like that. What she’s proposing is close to self-sacrifice. Without us, she and the others won’t stand much of a chance against the demons.

  “You know what you’re saying?” Dervish’s voice is grave. “You know the risk you’d be taking?”

  “Of course. But it doesn’t seem like we have much of an option, does it?”

  “I’m not doing it!” Vanalee protests, bursting into tears. “I want to come with you, Mr. Grady! Please don’t make me go after demons!”

  “I won’t make anybody do anything,” Dervish says. He looks at the other children. “Bo’s risking a great deal for us. Will anybody volunteer to save her, or are you going to leave her to face the demons by herself?”

  The three children look at one another. Two raise shaky hands. The third hangs his head.

  “OK,” Dervish says. “Now all we have to do is arrange a meeting place, so you know where —”

  “I’ll go too,” Bill-E interrupts.

  “No!” I yell.

  “I have to.” He smiles thinly. “I’m not magical like you and Dervish. There’s no benefit in me coming with you. I can do more good with Bo and the others.”

  “But —”

  “He’s right,” Dervish says. I look at my uncle, unable to believe he’d let Bill-E go like this. But his eyes are dark and firm. This isn’t easy for him, but he’s going to let Bill-E go anyway. I start to protest, but then I realize why Dervish is doing this — it wouldn’t be fair to let Bo and the others volunteer and not put forward one of our own.

  “I’ll go,” I whisper. “You take Bill-E.”

  “No,” Dervish says. “I need you at the barrier.”

  I shake my head. “You can kill a demon without me. And you have Juni to help. The others will stand a better chance if I go with them.”

  Dervish hesitates.

  “We can both go,” Bill-E says.

  “No. You’re sticking with Dervish, no arguing.” I lower my voice so only Bill-E can hear. “I don’t want him to lose us both. And you’re his son — you’re more important to him than I am.” I hate lying to Bill-E, but if it saves his life, it will be worth it.

  “OK,” Bill-E says miserably, after a moment of tormented consideration. “But I’ll kill you if you don’t come back alive.”

  “All right,” Dervish says. “We’re wasting time, and we don’t have much of it. Grubbs can go with the others. Now, you know the old hat store we passed when we tried to drive out of here?” I nod. “Make your way to that, then head due west. We’ll be waiting. Come as fast as you can.” He looks at Juni. “Ready?”

  “Don’t you think I should go with the children?” Juni says nervously.

  “No. They’re as safe with Grubbs as they would be with you. Safer.”

  “Well...I don’t like it... but if you think that’s best...”

  “It is.” Dervish looks at me steadily. “See you soon — and that’s an order.”

  Then he, Juni, Bill-E, Vanalee, and the boy head west to safety. Dervish is the only one who keeps his sights set firmly ahead. The others all look back, faces dark with doubt. They think they won’t ever see us again.

  I want to call after Bill-E and tell him we’re brothers. I don’t want to die without telling him the truth. But my mouth’s dry. My throat’s tight. I can’t.

  I stare at Bo and the others. One’s a boy a year or two older than me. The second is a girl a few years younger. I don’t know either of them. I think about asking their names, then decide it’s better not to know.

  “Are you all ready?” Bo asks, taking control, even though I’m the one who should be in charge. We nod silently and turn towards the sounds of bloodshed and mayhem. Pause a terrified moment. Then silently jog back into the death den of the Demonata.

  The Chase

  I want so much not to be doing this. One half of me is screaming bloody murder at the other half, telling me I’m crazy, I should run, protect my own neck, and damn the rest. But how could I leave Bo Kooniart to save the day? I’d never be able to live it down.

  We pass from one street to another. No sign of the Demonata, though the cries of the dying and the roars of demons are everywhere. I’m sweating buckets. Can’t stop shivering. I never knew I could be this scared. After all, I’ve face Lord Loss before. But it’s even scarier this time. I’m starting to understand that fear is like cancer — you can beat it back, but if it returns, it can be worse than ever.

  We turn a corner and find three demons feasting on a dying man, tearing into his flesh, gulping down bloody chunks as if they were marshmallows. One of the demons is shaped like a short elephant, another a giant cockroach, the third a huge slug that’s been partially melted. Vomit rises in my throat, but I force it back.

  As the elephant-shaped demon moves aside to chew on a piece of gristle, I recognize the unfortunate victim. It’s Chai, the mime artist. Even in his death throes he’s remained true to his role. He isn’t screaming aloud, but is instead miming weakly. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.

  I want to help Chai, but it’s too late. Even as I take a step forward, he stiffens, makes a few last feeble gestures, then goes still.

  I study the demons again as they continue to strip the corpse of flesh. They don’t look like they’re especially swift on their feet. I check with Bo and the others. They’re terrified, but each nods to show that they’re ready.

  “Hey!” I try to shout, but the word comes out as a squeak. I try again, but my mouth is as dry as a lizard’s butt.

  “Some hero you are,” Bo mutters. Then she cups her hands over her mouth and bellows, “Hey!” The demons look up. “Come and catch us, uglies!”

  She turns and runs. The rest of us follow. The demons shriek and give chase.

  Running as fast as I can. With my long legs, I quickly pull ahead of the others. Start to leave them behind. Feeling good, like I’m going to survive. Even if the demons catch up, they’ll have to chew through the other three before getting to me. Maybe they’ll stop there, happy to have one human each, leaving me free to race to safety and...

  But that’s not the plan. I’m supposed to be helping, no
t outpacing the others. I keep the speed up for a few more seconds, wrestling with my conscience. Then I curse and slow down, letting Bo and Co. catch up with, then slightly overtake me.

  I look back. The demons are close, only ten or twelve yards behind. They can move a lot faster than I thought. If I don’t stop them, they’ll be on us long before we make it to the edge of town, never mind the barrier beyond.

  I stop and force magic into my fingers. Try to think of the best way to stall them, when they suddenly stop, stare at me hatefully, then turn and shuffle off.

  “What the...?” I squint at them, thinking this must be a trick, but they keep going.

  “What’s happening?” Bo asks. The three of them have stopped. They’re staring dumbly at me and the departing demons.

  “I don’t know,” I mutter. “Maybe they sensed my magic and decided there were easier pickings elsewhere. Or —”

  Something barrels into the boy whose name I don’t know. He screams once, then is silenced. The girl and Bo leap away from him. I see a squat, long demon, like a dog, but with spikes sticking out all over, and no legs. It’s munching on the boy’s head. I start towards them. Come to a halt when I hear a familiar voice high above me.

  “You did not think I would leave you to the whims of my familiars, did you, Grubitsch?” I look up and spot Lord Loss, hovering above the roof of the building to my left. He descends slowly, gracefully. “I gave orders for you, your uncle, and brother to be spared. I plan to finish you Grady boys off by myself.”

  Lord Loss comes to within half a yard of the ground and stops, his