by T S Paul
Vroom! Vroom!
The vehicle sounds were closer as an even louder crashing came from inside the warehouse.
“Get that damn door open,” Xavier yelled and started forward to help pull.
Cat growled and grabbed the end closest to her and gave it a violent yank. The armored door ripped away from the side of the building in a cloud of brick dust and metal fragments. She tossed what was left of it to one side, nearly hitting Blake, who was now joining us again.
We looked inside and could see an armored vehicle with Charleston Police Department markings loading men into the rear. They quickly closed two large heavy looking doors and it started to roll forward. The floor of the warehouse was covered in broken glass from what looked like towering columns of crates. With another rev of the engine the police vehicle rammed the side doors and bounced out of the building.
“Stop them!” Xavier yelled.
Both Mages started throwing Magic, but it bounced right off. I frowned. It looked like standard armor but was acting like cold iron, and that was something different altogether. I turned toward my team and told them to stand down.
“Do a quick check of the building,” I ordered. Stepping carefully, Chuck started sniffing out anything suspicious. Blood still dripping from her claws, Cat took up a defensive stance farther away.
“Shooting at that thing won’t do you any good. Someone covered it in cold iron,” I commented to a now furious Xavier.
Xavier raised his gun up toward me enough that Cat growled and took a loud step toward me. The building echoed the sounds.
“How the hell do you know that?” Xavier demanded.
Keeping my cool and trusting in my personal shields, I explained that there were very few materials that Magick couldn’t affect.
Hamilton and Victoria stepped inside at the very moment that Blake stumbled inside. My reticent Agent slipped on the glass and crashed to the floor, again.
“Report. Tell me you stopped it,” Xavier ordered.
“Not so much, boss. TJ and Robert are tracking it,” Victoria replied.
“Is this a third party? Could they be the reason there aren’t any Demons around here? All that gunfire and noise should have attracted them right to us,” Xavier remarked.
There was still faint gunfire and a few explosions coming from the part of the city we needed to reach.
I gave Xavier a wry smile and pointed. “They went where we’re going, as well. That is the only way we’ll know for sure. I’ve always wanted to go to an old-fashioned Southern party.”
Chapter 14
“Attack them! Rend the flesh from their bodies and destroy their very souls!” Duke Haboryrm, in the body of Camilla Blackmore, thundered from the balcony of Autumn Frederick’s house. Somehow the Eternal Portal in California was closed. He’d felt the surge of energy and screams of his followers when it slammed shut from the otherworld.
“How? Humanity doesn’t have the power to do this. Those damnable Witches must have helped them,” the Demon Lord roared.
The Demon called Dargun, the Duke’s right hand, groveled before his Lord. “The human’s television is reporting it, Milord.”
Autumn’s house, built in the late 1860’s, was a modern masterpiece on the inside. It was a gift to the younger Fredericks girl from one of her late step-fathers. The upper deck where the Demon Lord stood was decked out with everything a young college girl would need in the Holy City. A huge wet bar, flat-screen TVs, and a surround sound system.
Haboryrm turned toward the bar and scowled. A talking head newswoman was in mid-sentence, discussing the explosion in California. “...recapping the latest reports. A nuclear explosion is being reported in what is left of Southern California. Less than twenty hours ago, this station received reports of the military conflict involving Demonic forces at the Hole in Conception. While off-limits to civilian traffic, we were able to get at least one drone into the area. I warn you that the images you are about to see are very graphic and disturbing.”
The picture switched to images of gigantic Captain Demons bashing tanks and other vehicles. Suddenly, there were high winds and what looked like a tornado. It struck the drone, knocking it from the air and onto the ground. The camera remained looking upward and missed the initial explosion, but the resulting shock wave and force destroyed it. The image cut to a distant picture of a mushroom cloud and fireball rising over the California coast.
The newswoman continued, “These images were shot by a fishing trawler licensed to the Shinigami Corporation and one of this station’s sponsors. Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has commented as yet.”
Haboryrm swept his arm out in front of him, sweeping all the glasses and bottles onto the floor. “Arrgh!”
“Shall I release the Horde, milord?” Carmox was new to the Duke’s army, having once been the Demon Iammax’s War Master.
Pointing at the screen, the Demon Lord hissed, “This moves up our plans. How many of our brethren survived that?”
Dargun looked up at Carmox from his position on the floor and nodded. Carmox bowed his head and replied, “Enough, I believe. The humans touched off a Mage Storm while setting off their bomb. It has escaped control and is devastating the area.”
“Like the Storms of Alfheim?” Haboryrm asked.
“Yes, milord,” Carmox replied. “The same. It has already grown beyond Magical control. The Storm will keep the humans distracted, allowing the Horde to prepare the way. Only one Captain survived, but he is in control.” Carmox inhabited the human body of a nosy busybody woman who lived next door. She had looked over the fence one too many times.
“Good. Is it beyond our Lord’s control?” Haboryrm asked.
“Not as of yet. He or one of his servants can easily overcome this Storm. What is a little wind to one of the Ifrit?” Carmox responded.
Slap!
Duke Haboryrm slapped the War Master off his bar stool. The old woman’s body landed with a crunch that, if she were still human, would require a hospital. “Speak not the name of them aloud! To name them is to invite them to us. A greater servant is not something we need among us.”
Carmox raised his head and quickly apologized. “Your will is my own.”
The Demon Lord growled and turned away. “Send orders. Now is the time to rise up. We will take this city now, while the humans are confused.”
<<<>>>
“This sucks!” Agent Jones bashed in the head of an Imp with the crowbar. The weapon was all that remained of her baby, a once tricked out FBI surveillance van. Blood and ichor sprayed across the already bloody streets.
“How was I supposed to know we’d be fighting Demons in Washington Square? I’d have packed a hell of a lot more ammunition!” Special Agent in Charge Anabelle Smith replied.
“You could’ve at least helped me with that last bunch, you know,” Jones pointed out. She nudged the little broken bodies with the weapon. “I wish these things used guns or something. Anything would be better than this heavy ass bar.”
“That’s government issue you’re talking about, missy. We signed for that. The van might be toast, but we can say we saved a couple of bucks there.” Smith leaned back against one of the park’s benches.
Jones sagged down next to her friend and boss. She tried to both relax and keep her head swiveling at the same time. The stream of Demons had slowed down but they could both hear gunfire in the distance. Somebody somewhere was delivering the mail to the little monsters.
<<<>>>
Blam! Blam! Blam!
More than ten blocks away, on the corner of Vanderhorst and St. Philip, half the police department was pinned down inside their station. “Why don’t these things stay down?”
“Shoot them in the head. You should be able to do that Johnson, all those video games you play,” Captain Phillips remarked.
“Those don’t shoot back or try to take your soul, Captain.” The young officer took careful aim this time.
Gentry was in a real pickle. There wer
e still reports coming in from all over the city about the Demons. They’d really caught everyone with their pants down. If those crazy FBI women hadn’t contacted him the day before… He didn’t want to think about it.
“Where are we with the power situation?” Gentry asked.
“Same as the phones. They had to have planned this, Captain. I don’t care what the intel guys say about these things being dumb. Somebody took out the cell towers and the power grid all at the same time. That takes coordination and a lot of planning,” Sergeant Thomas pointed out. He grabbed the top corner of the large city planning map they’d borrowed from the commissioner’s office and circled a section. “Right here. One of our guys reported shots fired and then nothing. That’s over by the docks. What do Demons want with ships?”
Gentry shook his head. “We can only do what we can. The last unit we sent in that direction didn’t last ten minutes. Hold what we’ve got is the best solution for now. I was told that help was on its way. It’s killing me that we’ve essentially abandoned the civilians, though.”
Sergeant Thomas looked at the Captain and asked, “Who warned you about this? You never said.”
“Remember those two really nice-looking FBI girls that came by yesterday?” Gentry smiled at the thought of Anabelle Smith and her partner. “They were somehow linked in to all this. They set up a code word system. It’s how I knew to gather as many officers as possible.”
“How did they know?” Thomas asked.
Gentry shook his head and answered, “Not completely sure. They said it came from higher but it was top secret. They did say that help was coming. I just don’t know if they meant the military or something else. They were part of that surveillance operation over near Washington Square.”
“Really?” Thomas asked. “That was for drugs or something. Isn’t that what the commissioner told us?” He traced the spot on his map. There were already several circles and markings there.
Gentry looked as well and nodded. “There were reports of both shots and explosions from there. If you trace the spread, a lot of the little Demons are coming from that area. It couldn’t have been about drugs.”
Sergeant Thomas flipped through a stack of paper on the table next to the Captain. “I could almost swear there was a note here. It concerned the Sons and Washington Square.”
“We haven’t heard anything about them. I’m sure Mammon and his crew are stealing something really big right about now,” Gentry replied.
Thomas set the papers down. “You might be right. I’ll ask dispatch to keep their ears open about them, anyway.”
“You do that. Put out a call for Billy Sales, too. He was supposed to be over by the Yacht club, following up a lead on the Bearcat,” Gentry instructed.
“If he comes driving up in that thing, I swear I’m shooting him. We could’ve saved a lot of our men if we’d had that thing. He’s such an asshole. I really wish you would’ve fired him last time,” Sergeant Thomas stated.
“His daddy wouldn’t have liked that one bit and you know it. He’s got better connections than the airlines. If he doesn’t find it or have a really good explanation this time I will do it,” Gentry answered. “Extenuating circumstances and all that.”
<<<>>>
None of his other informants would tell Billy where the Sons were or even if they had his missing tank. Even in the midst of a Demon attack, no one wanted to be labeled a snitch.
A swarm of rat-tailed Demon things targeted his car almost immediately, causing him to crash into one of the mayor’s fancy new light poles out on Oyster Point. His new police car was wrapped around one, hanging halfway through the barrier. It was all Billy could do to climb out of the car without tipping it over into the river.
He’d tried shooting at the Demons with his sidearm, but target shooting wasn’t really his thing. Shotguns were easier but his was in the cruiser.
“What would you fellas do against all this?” Billy looked up at the prominent statue right on the point. The statue’s fingers were pointing out into the harbor. Billy turned without thinking and looked. “Holy Jesus!”
Fort Sumter was out in the middle of Charleston Harbor. Famous for being the place that touched off the war between the states, it was a National Park now. A gigantic black cloud hung over it. Streaks of blue, purple, and red flashed in the sky. No walking tours of Fort Sumter today.
The distinctive sound of an AK-47 firing brought Billy’s head around immediately. He looked toward the Yacht Club down the street. It was way too far to see anything, but Kalashnikovs make a very distinctive sound.
His last snitch had sent him toward the club with a tiny tip of seeing motorcycles there a few nights before. Something was better than nothing when it came to the Sons of Satan. The club had rolled into town less than a year ago and had taken over. Someone high up in the city government was both funding and protecting. Billy’s father swore it wasn’t him, but Billy knew how the old boy network worked in Charleston. He’d taken advantage of it too many times not to.
Drawing his sidearm and checking the ammunition, Billy started hoofing it toward the sound of the guns. Protect and serve was more than just a motto and maybe, just maybe, he should start believing it.
Chapter 15
The Charleston Marketplace looked like someplace I would go in happier, less Demonic, times. There were two really long marketplace buildings, filled with antiques, vegetables, and tons of stuff. My grandmother would call most of it treasures but I thought it looked like junk. Seeing as I didn’t exactly have a house or even an apartment to call home, though, my opinion didn’t count. The FBI paid for my lab and that was all I cared about.
At the moment, the Marketplace was an abandoned wreck.
“Watch left,” Xavier ordered his people as we all cautiously started down Market street.
I cut my eyes to where he was pointing and watched three Imps racing down the opposite way, each wearing a grass basket on its head. “Not something you see every day,” I remarked.
The human team either didn’t have a sense of humor or they had left it at home. It was amusing to me until we found the first body.
“Demons,” Victoria pronounced. The human Mage rolled the body over and was examining the wounds.
“Chuck, Cat, scout the market. Blake, you’re with me.” I ordered. Blake had rejoined us after the bikers had taken off in the armored car. None of my team had said a single word to him.
“You can’t tell me what to do, bitch!” Blake exclaimed.
This was not the place to argue. “Fine. Go back to the airport then. Just stay out of the way.”
Blake opened his mouth to say something, anything, but one look from Xavier and he closed it. I shot a grateful glance at the human commander.
Xavier pulled out his ever-present tablet and consulted it. He tapped the screen a couple of times and then put it away with a sigh. Giving me a resigned look, he pointed. “Our target is that way about four blocks. Satellite imagery shows a lot of action there. It could be where all the gunfire is coming from.”
I looked past him down Church street. “Washington square is where I was told to go. There is or was an FBI surveillance team watching the house. My orders were to link up with them and attempt to confront my aunt.”
The human commander pursed his lips and looked at me. He glanced at the Mages, his hands moving in an almost lazy manner. My shields immediately tightened around me. Both Defender and Pathfinder, my bracelets, came to life and began to whisper tactical moves to me.
“This is where we part ways then, Agent. Our orders are not the same. I would advise not trying to complete yours,” Xavier said as shields popped up to cover his group.
“We work for the same people, you know,” I told him.
Xavier shook his head. “Not according to my bosses. Try not to get in our way.” He and his team brushed past me, the shields moving me like invisible bumpers.
There was a very faint growling noise coming from inside both marketplace b
uildings. I slightly shook my head and said a single word. “No.”
Xavier stopped, turning to look at me. “Did you say something?”
I smiled and said, “Not to you. Be glad I think of you being on the side of the light, no matter your confusion.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me, Agent Blackmore?” Xavier asked.
Both my teammates growled louder this time. Their warrior forms were visible in the doorways on either side of the avenue. “I was talking to them.”
After allowing the others to see them, the Weres faded back into the shadows. Through our link I could feel them standing ready.
“Not much they can do about shields. My team members are experts at putting down Weres,” Xavier said.
Centering myself, I closed my eyes and concentrated. Last summer I had an experience in another dimension that taught me quite a few things, one of which was how to use my bracelets. Channeling my Magick through them, I crafted a shield-breaking spell.
Seconds later, I opened my eyes and stared back into Xavier’s. I snapped my fingers. “What shields would those be?”
I felt rather than saw the Mage’s shields break. Hamilton looked at me with shock in his eyes. He waved his hand again to reform them and I snapped again.
Victoria leaned in to her boss and whispered into his ear. I could see a slight change come over his face as she spoke.
“Never assume anything about me. What is written is not always the truth. Stay out of our way and we all might survive this,” I stated. Stepping carefully, I walked into the market building on my right. “We both have jobs to do. Let’s attempt to do them without killing each other.”
Cat moved out of the shadows and roared at the humans. Her warrior form was gone, and in its place was a gigantic Sabertooth tiger. Maxing out at over a thousand pounds of muscle, she was amazing.
“How?” Xavier asked.
“For someone who says they know all about Weres, you don’t seem to know anything. She’s what’s called a throwback. I would suggest you leave,” I told him.
