“Yeah, we can tell.” Blaze chuckles.
“Psh. Whatever,” I say, dismissing his teasing remark. To be honest, this whole night I’ve been on edge for obvious reasons. I’m still injured and we’re about to raid a prison, for starters. Alfonse hasn’t made his grand return yet, but just to be safe; while I was driving, I took a swig of Holy Water to further suppress him; both for tactical purposes and for my sanity. The homeless demon that Abby and I killed said that he could somehow see that I had been exposed to Sphinx—that my body craved it. It was unsettling to hear, but I played it off, which worked fine until around the time we got done with Gareth. After I killed him, on the way out the door I spotted a vial of Sphinx grouped up with a bunch of other drugs on the kitchen table. At the sight of it, I found myself drawn to it…almost like a deep, subtle yearning. I didn’t realize it before, but the sensation has been there, more or less, starting ever since I walked beyond the walls of the safe house Blaze took me to. I had mistaken it for feeling hungry or maybe even anxiety, but now I know it’s something more. Being unconscious didn’t help me ride it out. Or maybe it did and Alfonse is trying to make his return, I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell. That stuff is supposed to enhance a demon’s ability to possess an individual. Who’s to say that the dose I got didn’t give Al a little boost?
I can’t worry about that now, though. I’ll get back to it after we get Ben.
With Abby at the lead, we follow her on foot until we come across abandoned buildings covered in moss. Not scary at all. From Abby’s expedited tour and my own observations, I can tell that this region of Illinois died a long time ago. The town we passed a couple miles back looked to be ghost town and things only became more unkempt after we hit the dirt roads.
“Over this way.” Abby waves her hand and guides us through the abandoned lot, carefully steering us away from open spaces and dead ends. The three of us stop outside a building, crouched, and Abby checks her phone.
“What’s wrong, Abs?” Blaze whispers, his gaze cycling between Abby and the outside world.
“Possible hiding spots,” she responds. “For them, not us.” Blaze nods soberly and I take a moment to take in our surroundings. There isn’t any light for the most part out here—just an abandoned lot underneath a full-blown moon and a few parking light poles scattered throughout the lot. If demons were anywhere, they would be in the surrounding buildings—like the one we’re posted against—possibly looking through the windows on the upper floors. So far Abby’s been doing a good job of sticking to the shadows and avoiding open areas. I don’t mind taking a breather as long as it guarantees the mission is a success. “Okay.” Abby pokes her head out from the side of the building and quickly retracts her head. “See that small one-story over there?” She looks back at us and points. “That’s where we’re heading. From there we can navigate between the buildings using the infrastructure for cover. It’s smaller than the others, so if they’re on a mid-level floor, they won’t see us from the sides once we’re on our way,” she explains. “The darkness will help, but it isn’t perfect. We’ll have to be quick and approach it from the side.” Abby glares especially hard at me. Not out of anger or malice, but out of concern. I can’t blame her. We’re only as strong as our weakest link and right now, that’s me.
“I’ll be fine.” I nod. After I got thrown into the wall by the homeless demon, I was noticeably slower from landing awkwardly. I did good to hide it but on our march to Gareth’s place, Abby called me out on my rapidly growing list of injuries.
“Okay. Stay close.” After taking a final peek at her surroundings, Abby busts into a crouched sprint. I immediately follow behind her; the soles of my shoes kicking off the ground as I rush towards the weathered building, weapon drawn and body low. Blaze slows his pace and lags behind. “All right,” Abby huffs once we arrive. “We’re going to do that again, but this time we’re aiming for the alley between the buildings north of here.” Blaze creeps over to the edge of the building and pokes his head out.
“Okay, I see it,” he confirms. “Sailor, you should take a look.” I nod and walk forward, still in a crouched stance but rise once I reach the edge of the building. I try my best to keep my breaths shallow and controlled—a quick remedy to my cramping diaphragm. While peeking around the corner, I see the abandoned buildings—the two larger ones and the smaller one that hides in its shadow. I take a moment to look at the hollow window frames, curious to find any wandering eyes. “…I think it’s clear.”
Abby takes the lead again and rushes towards our destination. We follow her as quietly as possible to the nook between the two buildings.
“Hurry. In here.” Once we turn the corner, she quickly volts through an unoccupied window space. Blaze and I do the same. “From here we should be able to see what they’re up to without drawing too much attention,” Abby says while reading her gun. “As long as we use the darkness to our advantage, we should be fine,” she announces as she takes a few steps deeper into the establishment. “Stay close.”
I watch Abby pull out a flashlight and begin to walk while I rest beneath the opening of the window. Keep it together, Ray. You can do this. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to focus my thoughts. After a few more, a foreign hand taps me, breaking my concentration.
“Sailor, let’s get going.” It’s Blaze. “We don’t know if there’re any demons here or not, so we need to form up on Abby.” The brief moment I had to rest is a God-send, but Blaze is right; it’s time to move. I dismiss my soreness and stand to my feet before trailing Abby to what looks to be a small building-turned-warehouse. I point my flashlight to the far right, sweeping over Abby’s shoulder and onto a rusted generator pressed against a wall. It doesn’t take long before she finds something that catches her eye.
“Guys…” Abby raises her hand in the air and motions it forward as she walks towards the abandoned space with a growing sense of curiosity. “Side office,” she whispers. “Get ready.” I shoot a glance at Blaze and he nods, encouraging me to stay on task. Abby inches her hand towards the doorknob, but before she can twist it, Blaze silently cuts in front of her, insisting through gestures that he’ll do it instead. With Abby and I posted on opposite sides of the doorframe, Blaze slowly twists the knob and pushes on the door, giving it enough momentum to move on its own while he focuses he gun. He takes a step forward and pivots his body to the far corners of the room.
“It’s clear.”
I silently exhale into the air and lower my weapon. Abby decides to step into the abandoned office while I linger outside. There’s not much to see out here from what my light shows—old newspapers, broken glass, and chunks of debris. The darkness has a way of hiding things. Without my flashlight, everything would blend in like a jet-black painting. I’m actually kind of pissed that the light from the parking lot doesn’t quite make it here. I streak my light horizontally across the room and find more of the same with the exception of a dead mouse lying limp on the floor. In a way, it almost reminds me of my encounter in the basement four months ago.
“Hey, Sailor,” Blaze whispers as he steps into the doorframe, pulling my attention away from the rotting corpse.
“Hm?”
“You may want to hear this. Abby has a hunch.” I nod and follow him into the room.
“…So from here I should be able to see what’s going on outside.” When I find Abby, she’s crouched underneath the base of the office’s window seal. The office is about medium-sized. Not too spacious, but not too small. The manager’s desk is about three feet or so from the window that’s off to the side. That’s pretty much all there is to it. Anything that used to be of value was probably sold or looted. The desk is the only thing that survived the purge. I shift my eyes back to Abby and watch as she pokes her head out just enough to see over the ridge of the frame. After a second or two, she sinks down. “I don’t see anyone in the windows, but,” her voice trails off as she pokes her head out again, “I can see part of the prison from here.” She ducks b
ack down. “I don’t see anyone there either, which isn’t saying much.”
“So what do we do?” I ask genuinely.
“We can sneak around and get closer at a different angle. We just need to use one of the windows as an exit, backtrack a bit, and then come back around towards the prison.”
“Are you sure?” Blaze asks.
“Yeah, it’s the best way,” Abby confirms.
“All right, well, if Abby says it’s the best way, I’m all for it. Let’s hurry and get this over with. People are counting on us.”
“Yeah, Sailor has a point. Abby, lead the way.”
****
Backtracking and looping around takes about ten minutes, but it’s time well spent. With Abby as our guide, we make it to about thirty yards out from the prison without being detected. Security is low, but out front there are two men sharing a cigarette underneath a light pole going back-and-forth. There’s no way they’re humans. Not in this shit-hole.
We wait and watch them for a bit but they don’t seem to move from their post. “Ugh. They’re just standing there,” I groan before tucking my body back behind an old storage container. “We can’t do anything unless we get rid of them.” According to Abby, this is the best spot to infiltrate. The other options carry too much of a risk given the circumstances and our lack of information. “I mean we can shoot them, but then all hell breaks loose.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t be the best.” Blaze shakes his head. “They’re demons, so they really don’t have to move unless they really want to. They don’t get tired, they don’t have to eat, they don’t scare easily, and there’s no way to sneak up on them.” Blaze takes a deep breath and exhales forcefully through his nose. “I guess I have no choice…I have a plan,” he reveals. “It’s a stupid one, but it’s something.”
“How stupid are we talking?” I ask.
“…I’m going to try to talk them. Act like I’m lost or something, and then, kill them.”
“Okay, I don’t need to tell you how crazy that sounds. Taking on two demons without a firearm? Are you serious, Blaze? So many things can go wrong.”
“Don’t act like you’ve haven’t done worse, Miss Ray. I’ll shoot if I have to, but there’s literally nothing else we can do if we want to get inside without causing a scene.” I purse my lips. “I’ll be as safe as I can be. Just watch my six, okay?”
“Blaze…”
“I’ll go with him,” Abby interjects.
“What you, too? Geez, people.”
“We can pose as friends or whatever looking for someone. We’ll make it work.”
“Yeah, we’ll make it work,” Blaze agrees.
More like have to.
“We’ll be like fresh meat to them, so if they don’t assume we’re hunters, they’ll most likely try to take us in instead of killing us, I hope.” Great. “This is a prison, after all.”
“Best case scenario will be that they think they just scored two clueless victims for whatever sick shit they do in there. Worst case, of course, is you guys die, horribly, before you make it through the door.”
“I don’t know if you’ve read the memo yet, but that’s always the worst case scenario. We’re hunters.” Damn, he got me there.
“Sailor,” Abby picks up, “it’s not as bad as it seems. Two is better than one. We can cover each other’s blind spots. And on top of that, we have you.”
“Yup, so just pop one of the bastards in the head if you have to,” Blaze adds.
I watch Blaze and Abby quickly rehearse the outline of their story before they head out. If I had Al with me, this wouldn’t even be an issue. All I’d have to do is get into kill range. The rest would be a piece of cake...then again, the other demons would be able to track us through following Al’s presence, making sneaking around virtually impossible. Al explained to me earlier that I don’t show up as a regular demon. I’d instantly draw attention—attention that we definitely don’t need.
“All right, Sailor, we’re going. Keep your finger on the trigger.” Blaze places his hand on my shoulder as he walks out from beside the storage container, Abby by his side. And just like that, his plan is set into motion. “Hello! Hello!” Blaze flags down the demon operatives and I sink back into cover, positioning myself on the other end of the “We’re looking for someone. Our friend’s car broke down along the road, but we can’t find him. He tried calling us but I think his signal dropped.” His words grow fainter as they both gain ground on the demons. Blaze’s hands are exposed, but Abby’s are hidden from view. It works in their favor considering that out of the two of them, she’s the most unassuming.
The demons mumble something to each other and begin to pace towards them, one of the demons a few steps ahead of the other. I tighten my grip on my pistol and try my best to line up a decent shot. The most I can do is lay cover fire. Hitting a target at this range at night is iffy, and I don’t want to get any closer unless I have to.
Before the demon can try anything, Blaze meets him halfway, pulls out a machete from his jacket, and swipes it across the demon’s neck in one fluid motion. The demon stumbles back with his hands on his throat while Blaze moves on to the next target. As he travels, Abby plunges her knife into the wounded demon’s head. I scurry from the container to line up a shot but by the time I’m range, Blaze is already making quick work of the second. The demon swings at Blaze, but Blaze dodges it and sweeps his blade straight across the demon’s neck, cutting his head clean off.
Well…shit. I hurriedly walk to the fallen bodies and make it just in time to be up close and personal when Blaze decapitates the other demon just to be safe. “Where did you get that?”
“Oh, this?” He smiles. “Always have it in my car. Decided to take it out for a little fresh air,” he huffs before cleaning the blade against the shirt of one of his victims.
“Impressive.” I nod while taking moment to admire the beheaded corpses.
“Thanks for covering me, Abs.” Blaze wipes his sleeve against his brow after rising to his feet.
“No problem. You did most of the work. I just finished the job.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he reflects while shifting his gaze my way. “We should get going. There’s no use hiding the bodies. Too much blood and we’re on their turf. They’ll know it’s one of their own no matter what we do.” Blaze tucks away his machete and examines the abandoned building. “No windows,” he mutters as he takes his time scanning the warehouse. “They’re boarded up from the side.” He shakes his head. “And there’s no point in going around, either. We’ll only encounter more goons.” He sighs. “Looks like we’re going in the old fashioned way.”
“Through the front door?” I ask.
“More or less, yes, except this is clearly a side entrance, but I get what you’re trying to say.”
“Asshole.” I smirk.
The door to the prison creaks open and Blaze sneaks through with Abby and I trailing closely behind. Immediately we find ourselves in a hallway dimly lit by a series of hanging light bulbs that eerily sway overhead. Unlike the other buildings, this one has power and is slightly more kept, although it still looks far from hospitable, for a human, at least. I look to my right and then my left. The hallway bends the corner on each side, just like the blueprint Abby showed us earlier. According to that same blueprint, the paths should converge and lead to another wing, which then breaks out into a cross where the building stretches further out.
We wait in silence for a moment to listen for footsteps. It’s silent, so Blaze begins to move.
We pace to the right and make it to the bend where the halls converge. Blaze pokes his head out but quickly retracts it back behind the wall. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but before I can speak, Blaze glares at me and mouths “Guard” before pressing his pointer finger to his lips. “I’m going to kill him,” he mouths while drawing his machete. “It’s just one.” I give him a nod of approval and stay posted against the wall with Abby. Blaze waits a few seconds, takes
a deep breath, and goes after the demon. Abby and I wait until we hear the beginnings of a cry for help and then a faint thump. I turn the corner with my gun drawn and Blaze emerges from the other side triumphantly, a set of keys dangling in his hand.
“Good work. That’s three so far. Who knows how many more there are before we reach where the prisoners are,” I say.
“The best thing we can do now is keep moving,” Blaze responds while tucking the stolen keys into his pocket.
Together the three of us travel down the hall, careful not to draw any attention to ourselves. The layout is daunting and any door can lead to an ambush. Even with the information Abby provided, it’s impossible to tell where the demons are stationed. All we know is that they’re making rounds on the inside, whether we see them or not, and honestly, it’s terrifying. One wrong move and it’s all over.
Blaze suddenly stops and scans the area, his gun pointing towards the west wing. “Abby, Sailor, did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I ask. Outside of the creaks from the aging building’s frame, nothing strikes me as unordinary, that is until I hear a faint series of bangs coming from the east wing. “Wait. What is that?”
“I don’t know,” Blaze responds soberly.
“Oh, God! Please, no! Somebody help me!” A crazed woman screams, filling the halls. “You can’t! No! I don’t want to die!”
My blood runs cold at the sound of her shriek. They’re about to kill her, no doubt, but rather than a quick and painless death, they’ll most certainly do it in the slowest way possible. My brow furrows as her shrieking continues in tandem with the set of chains rattling, slowly moving closer. “We have to do something,” I mutter. “She’ll die.” Starting a gunfight is the last thing any of us want to do, but it seems like it can’t be helped.
“Stop you’re yelling, bitch. You’ll only make it worse.”
“Somebody please, help me!” Just from hearing her sobs I can tell that she’s broken. We need to do something, quick.
Sailor Ray and the Dark Descent (The Pact Book 2) Page 15
