Grimm's Reapers: Volume 1-4

by Jack Crosby

  “So no matter what, we win?”

  His wings appeared behind him. “If only it were that easy. If I know Baal, and even Astaroth, they will have a backup plan.”

  “Astrid wasn’t the queen’s only child was she?”

  As he took off into the dawn sky, “I am glad to see you are not as stupid as people assumed. Good luck Grimm.”

  Chapter 29 – Lost but Found

  “You believe that I’m not my mother’s only offspring?”

  Michael’s indirect line of reasoning made a lot of sense. At least I thought it did. Astrid, on the other hand, seemed to have her suspicions. “I doubt the Arch-Demons would’ve relied solely on you. There was a chance you’d die or escape never to be found. No, those assholes would’ve had a plan B.”

  “My mother is nearing the end of her lifetime. She is no longer able to conceive children.”

  I couldn’t reason with that. “I guess once we get the band back together, we’ll have another problem to figure out.”

  The Iranian border was closing in on us. It was almost time to give up the luxury of the car and go horseback. We couldn’t afford to waste time dealing with a country that was closed off to the rest of the world. We’d slip in through the vast desert that would kill a mortal.

  Khloros pulled over and drove into the sandy terrain. Once we were far enough away, Astrid and I got out and he returned to his natural state. The large grey horse looked prepared for what came next. After I placed his faceplate over his head, “Get on and prepare to ride hard.”

  Astrid giggled at his Freudian slip, but I doubt he even understood. I put Leviathan in my jacket and she slung the Grasscutter around the saddle. I helped her up and then I hopped on. “We’re ready old friend.”

  He reared up and took off, kicking up sand with each thunderous gallop. Astrid used her magic to produce two handkerchiefs to tie around our faces to keep the dust and sand out. One of these days I was going to have to ask her how that worked.

  We’d been riding hard for over an hour when the eventual phone call came. Khloros stopped his stampede and I answered. “Kyrule, my friends better be okay fucker.”

  “How sweet you are concerned for them. Is the Nyx with you?”

  I ignored him. “Put one of them on the phone.”

  “That is not how this works. Trust me when I saw I have enlisted an expert in the ways of slow torture. If you cared so much about their well-being, you would have been here by now.”

  “Listen here you filthy piece of shit, you tell me where you’re at and this doesn’t have to get messy.”

  His laugh pissed me off even more. “It already is messy Horseman. Come to Tehran with my package and go to the tallest building, the one closest to your precious Upstairs. I want them to see what happens to fools like you.”

  The phone disconnected. “Son of a bitch!”

  “What did he say Grimm?”

  I spit in the sand. “We gotta go to Tehran, Khloros. There is the tallest building, in the hopes the Almighty sees what happens to us.”

  Astrid was still sitting on his back. “Then let us do what’s necessary. Veronica saved me once and it would be my honor to return the favor.”

  I hopped back up and Khloros sped back up, across the desert. Using the Caspian Sea to our east as a directional guide, we continued south, further into Iran. We passed different nomadic villages, but never did we stop. I can only imagine what the desert people thought of two Westerners riding like the devil on a pale horse.

  Eventually the Caspian Sea disappeared as we rounded the desert and made a southeast turn. We finally came to a stop when the lights of Iran’s capital city came into view, lighting up the night’s sky. “We’ve made it.”

  Even from this distance the tallest building stuck out like a sore thumb, right in what looked like downtown Tehran. Astrid pointed to it, with awe. “It’s like a finger reaching up to the Heavens.”

  “This fits with a Pride demon’s vanity.” That stupid bastard had no idea the hell that was about to be unleashed on him. “Khloros, we’re going to sneak in from here on foot. Circle around to the eastern side of the city and hide out in car form. I’ll call you when we’re leaving.”

  The horse didn’t want to go, but having him would only draw attention. “Be careful, the both of you.”

  I gave his head a couple of pats and Astrid of course gave him a hug. “We’ll see you again okay?”

  With Khloros getting into position, we each had our weapons and entered the city. I didn’t even bother to try and cover up in the proper Middle Eastern way. Using the shadows, the two of us were pretty good at picking the right times to weave through the streets and not be seen. At this time of night, it was fairly easy and quick to get to our final destination.

  “What’s the plan Derrick?”

  The smell of brimstone was thick. “I don’t think the need for stealth applies. We cut down our opposition and free our friends.”

  She took out the Grasscutter, which almost sang as she freed it from its sheathe. The blade was bloodthirsty. “I’ll do my best.”

  I placed both hands on her shoulders. “You watch my back and make sure no one sneaks up on me. I’ll take care of everything in front of us.”

  With an affirmation from her, I lit up the area with Leviathan and my celestial fire. I walked right out of the shadows, towards the front doors with Astrid behind me. Two Wrath demons stepped out of the building, ready for our surrender. Too bad for them, I wasn’t in the mood to comply.

  “Death has arrived.”

  “Our masters will be pleased.”

  I struck hard and fast. I wrapped my chain around the one on the left’s neck and ripped his head off. The one of the right was stunned and never saw my scythe coming, taking off his two arms before planting the blade in the top of its skull. I jumped off and Astrid finished him off with a well placed slice of the Grasscutter.

  With the Wrath demons dead, we kept walking, entering the building. Our actions on the outside didn’t go unnoticed and a bunch of imps came pouring out of the elevator in the lobby. An evil grin flashed on my face. “Oh this is going to be so much fucking fun!”

  The imps weren’t a challenge. By the time we were done, the lobby was covered in their disgusting blood and entrails. I smashed the head of an already dead imp before challenging the Pride demon. “Kyrule, I’m coming for you! You have been marked by Death himself!”

  I gestured to the elevator and we got in. Hitting the button for the top floor, it slowly ascended to where the demons waited with our friends. When the doors parted, we walked out to a large open space that was covered in glass. You could see the entire city in a three hundred and sixty degree view. In the middle of it all was Kyrule and Zartan.

  My fire burned bright. In almost a growl, “You have one chance you stupid dickheads. Where are they?”

  Kyrule pointed up and above us chained to the rafters were War, Veronica, and Roxanne. War and Veronica looked marked up, but otherwise okay. When I looked at Roxanne, something was really wrong. He eyes had that hundred mile stare to them, like she wasn’t truly there.

  Behind Zartan came the stomping of Pyrrha, who was chained to the floor. Kyrule saw the anger flooding into my eyes, “As you can see we’ve kept our end of the bargain.”

  Astrid looked over at Roxanne, disgust and horror filled her voice. “What have you done to her?”

  Zartan seemed really pleased. “We handed down punishment to a traitor. The whore has been mind melted.”

  As soon as he said the words mind melted, bile rose in my throat. “How dare you do such a thing?!”

  “Me? Oh no, it wasn’t me you asshole. I think you’ve had the pleasure of dealing with our specialist already.” He looked over to the corner of the room where a redheaded woman walked over to join us. Both he and Kyrule kneeled to her. “Lady Sabrina.”

  She ignored them, he green eyes focused only on me. “It seems you’ve spoiled the girl for us Death. No matter, alternative
plans were conceived just in case of such an event was to occur.”

  I went to rush her, but Astrid stopped me. “Use caution Derrick.”

  Screw caution. “Just who the fuck are you bitch?”

  She gave a mock look of offense that I didn’t know who she was. “You don’t recognize the family features? Well I guess that is to be expected.” She looked up at Roxanne, “You know my mother well, but she is not the one I care about. I’m here for revenge, for what you did to my father Beelzebub!”

  Oh shit, the made me stop. “You’re the Lord of Flies kid?”

  “My mother already paid the price for her loose pussy. It’s time you paid the price for your infinite stupidity. Kyrule, Zartan, kill them all.”

  And with that, Sabrina, the heir to Beelzebub disappeared.

  Chapter 30 – Penance

  “Astrid! Get War down! I’ll hold off these two!” Both looked shocked at me calling the girl Astrid, but we had bigger fish to fry. Astrid could tell them what was going on when they were free.

  Zartan tried to cut her off, but I intercepted with a kick to his ugly face. It pushed him back towards Kyrule and Astrid had a clear run to the hostages. “You boys really pissed me off you know that?”

  The two demon generals seemed amused. “I think it was you who pissed off the wrong daughter Death. Did your whore ever tell you she birthed a child to her former master?”

  That wasn’t here or there. “You think you’ve really got me huh? You know,” rage like I’ve never felt before started channeling into my chains, “after I kill the two of you, I’m going to enjoy ripping the redhead’s intestines out and lighting them on fire while she still lives!”

  I lashed out a chain at Kyrule and the Pride demon took it across the face. I jumped on his stunned body and landed a knee to his gut. I felt the demon Zartan coming, and he met the end of the scythe right in the face. I flipped into the air and delivered a kick to the back of his head, sending him face first into the concrete floor.

  Kyrule was getting back to his feet and he was the one I really wanted. I swiped his feet out from under him with a chain and as he floundered to the ground, kicked him in the face, breaking his nose. I grabbed his head and slammed it repeatedly on the floor until I was pulled off by Zartan.

  The Wrath demon tossed me across the way, creating space. I got up, ready to charge again when another stepped up beside me. War was free. “Brother, allow me to assist you in removing the scum from this building.”

  Ravager’s red glow illuminated the entire floor. War’s face was one of radioactive pissed off. “It would be a pleasure to fight beside you once again.” Kyrule and Zartan looked on, fear crossing their faces. “The Pride demon is mine, however.”

  War looked on at Zartan, “We’ve got unfinished business fucker.” With Ravager held high, he and the Wrath demon collided. Red and black blades danced together, both men equally deadly in their skill.

  My attention went back to the Pride demon. Kyrule had shaken off my previous attacks and was armed with a slender rapier. “Face it Death, even if you survive this encounter, we have outplayed you.”

  “Since when does a bunch of demons take orders from a lesser?”

  “Sabrina is more powerful than even you can imagine! She was created to be Beelzebub’s ultimate weapon!”

  I flicked my chain at him and he parried it away. A quick follow up with my scythe nearly caught the Pride demon, but he rolled to the side. “I sent the father packing to The Pit so the daughter can join him!”

  He jabbed quickly with the rapier, making me jump back to avoid the blow. “She rallied the Arch-Demons against you and has been one step ahead this entire time. Once her vendetta against you has been completed, Heaven itself will feel her wrath.”

  A horrible scream filled the room as War rammed Ravager into Zartan’s chest. He removed it and as Zartan collapsed, his body took a shade of red as his celestial fire formed a gauntlet around his hand. With severe power, his fist blew apart his head, sending pieces of his head everywhere.

  Kyrule dropped his weapon, clearly giving up the fight. “Zartan and I underestimated you. It matters not.”

  I advanced on the Pride demon. “The bitch said there was a backup plan. Your herald Allen gave up there’s a mole in the Nyx community. Death can either come quickly or last a very long time. It’s your choice.”

  Hate looked up at me. “I do not fear what you can to do me or being sent to The Pit. Know we have won and soon you will watch all your loved ones end up like the slut demon.”

  I turned around and looked over at Roxanne, who Astrid had gotten down. She was sitting up against the wall as her and Veronica tried to tend to her. It would all be for naught, her fate was the worst one of all. I gripped Leviathan with both hands and spun hard. Swinging the scythe like a baseball bat, I hit Kyrule in the chest, sending the top half of the Pride demon flying into the air, through the glass to the streets below. From the waist down slumped over before catching fire and burning away.

  “Brother, we tried to protect her, but we failed.”

  “No War,” I couldn’t even look over there again, “it was I who failed.”

  War went over to where Kyrule’s body exploded out of the building. “The humans will notice soon. We don’t have much time to stay here.”

  I walked over to where Veronica and Astrid were trying to help Roxanne. “We won’t be here much longer.”

  I sat down beside her, my friend and one of the women I loved. Her eyes told me the story, she’d been mind melted and it wasn’t coming back.

  Astrid rubbed her cheek. “You said she’d been mind melted? What does that mean?”

  Seeing I was too upset to answer, Veronica did her best to explain. “If one is strong enough, they can enter another’s mind and torture them for an infinite amount of time. To the outside world, it might take a minute or two, but to those trapped inside, it could seem like years, decades, even more.”

  She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God!”

  Veronica continued, “If left unchecked, the torturer will eventually warp their target’s mind to the point of insanity. This Sabrina went one step further and has turned Roxanne into a vegetable.”

  Astrid still looked a bit confused, but it wasn’t her fault. I looked over, “There’s no recovery. To protect itself from further torture, the brain shuts itself down. Once it does that, it can never come back on.”

  War kneeled down beside me. “Be thankful to the Almighty you didn’t have to witness it. It is a memory that will take me a long time to recover from.”

  Sirens were coming off in the distance. “Come everyone, we need to meet Khloros outside the city.”

  War picked up Roxanne and went over to Pyrrha. Wrapping her up in the bridles, “Take the girl to Khloros. We will be there shortly.”

  The horse accepted his passenger and galloped to the windows, crashing through and plunging to the streets below. I watched the fire red horse charge off into the streets like a burning star.

  Astrid touched me, “We’ve gotta go to Derrick.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

  I joined the others in the elevator and we made it to the bottom floor before the local Iranian police. Slipping out the back, it was a tense and quiet journey to the outskirts of the city. I called Khloros and got his location, we weren’t too far.

  “Brother, you will have to do it.”

  It was weird hearing compassion from War’s voice. “I know. It would be a disservice to her not to.”

  “Do what?” I think Veronica knew the answer to her own question, but she asked anyways. Astrid I’m guessing knew what was to come as well.

  “I’m going to reap her soul. To be trapped in her body like that is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

  Knowing what’s to come and actually hearing it are two very different things. This was going to be the second time in my life that I had the displeasure of reaping someone important to me because o
f demons. The second time would be no easier than the first.

  I gathered my bearings and when the horses came into view, I saw what I’d expected, no improvement in Roxanne. I walked over to her, Leviathan at my side. I got her off Pyrrha’s back and gently put her on the sandy ground. Everyone walked over and said a quick moment before walking off.

  Khloros was the last one to say a word. “You were one of a kind Roxanne. You showed my rider what it meant to care again. For that we both will ever be in your debt.”

  He gave me one last look before joining the others a little ways away. I put my hand on her face and stroked it. “You became my best friend, you know that? We had something really special and you showed me so much. Rest in peace knowing you were loved and that you will be avenged.”

  Leviathan’s blade began to glow, the dull white of the reaping. As the blade closed in on her chest, I could feel her soul becoming free. Right before is passed, I saw the spark of her eyes and heard her one last time. “Thank you Derrick.”

  With the reaping complete, I cradled her lifeless body there in the desert, letting out all my anger, rage, and most importantly sadness. “I’m coming for you Sabrina…”

  Chapter 31 – Time to Regroup

  The four of us set up a makeshift camp while the two horses kept watch for us. The dark cloud of losing Roxanne hung over us, but an even darker cloud was brewing off in the distance. “The witch has gone to Shangri-La. Whatever her back up plan is, it’s leading us to there.”

  The fire War built was the best source of fire. The moon was down to its last sliver. Astrid stayed close to me, not letting go of my hand and Veronica kept giving me these looks that were close to pity. My chest felt like it was on fire, with thousands of little needles stabbing at it too. I really needed something to take my mind off the hurt.

  Noticing the sky too, “The royal blood of a maiden Nyx can only be sacrificed at a certain phase of the moon for the spell to work. Do you have any ideas on that brother?”