by Michael Todd
All right, Pandora, give me some bounce, Katie whispered.
You got it, she growled.
Katie ran toward the wall as fast as she could and leapt over old piled-up medical equipment to angle off it. As soon as her feet hit the wall she arced upward, stepped lightly onto an exposed crossbeam, and dropped back down to land on the beast’s shoulders. She grabbed the top of the demon’s head with one hand and screamed as she sliced deep and hard into his neck with her new sword.
Blood and gore drenched her arm.
As the creature fell she jumped to the left and landed on the floor, looking back just in time to see the demon burst into a cloud of dust.
Korbin walked over to her and nodded.
“You can have whatever fucking building you want,” he told her, clutching his knife.
Katie smiled as she sheathed the sword on her back.
13
There was a dull feeling to the room, something in the air that quieted everyone on the team.
They carefully picked their way over broken parts, dead bodies, and interestingly enough to Katie, a beheaded Barbie doll.
She had expected a comment from Pandora about the large breasts on the doll, but the demon must not have been paying attention.
The sun seeping through the dust-coated windows created a washed-out eerie effect, something Korbin was all too familiar with. He checked to make sure his pistols were loaded and nodded at Calvin, who encouraged his teammates to do the same.
Korbin looked to his right and then to his left to count his soldiers, confirming that everyone was accounted for. They were standing steady and firm amid the piles of dust and bleeding bodies.
“May God have mercy on their souls.” Damian closed the eyes of the person he was kneeling next to before standing up, and Derek patting him on the shoulder as he walked by.
During the battle all they had registered was the anger and chaos. Now, afterward, when the demons were gone and the remains of their human hosts laid still in the aftermath, a feeling clawed its way into their minds, one that only a human could understand. They almost preferred killing demons who had completely taken over their hosts, because they turned to dust, leaving no bodies for the cleanup crew—and no nightmares for them.
Water dripped down the old walls of the hospital, and the pitter-pattering of the droplets was the only sound left—no more gunfire or inhuman screeches coming out of human mouths or cursing from every direction.
The echoes of the team’s battle cries had faded, but they lingered like ghosts from the past and haunted their steps.
Katie grasped her new blades with weariness on her face. She had become what Korbin had felt she would—the team’s anchor—and it was her strength that would carry them through what was to come.
Or so he suspected.
“I can’t believe in all that I didn’t have the opportunity to become infected,” Eric said, shoving his knife into the sheath on his belt. “Everyone else wanders into it, and I can’t beg for it to be done.” He kicked a piece of board, which rebounded off a wall ten feet away.
“Don’t pretend it is Christmas day every time there is a job,” Katie retorted. “And besides, this wasn’t the place for you,” she tried to explain, damping down her own annoyance. “Most of these demons were insignificant useless bitches.”
She looked at the area where the last demon had fallen. “The big ones? Well, they would have been too much for your body to handle anyway. They would have overcome your soul in a heartbeat.” She lowered her voice. “I know where your head is, but you need to take a deep breath and wait for it. If you go running in full blast, you will end up useless to us and to the innocents you are so hell-bent on protecting.”
He flung an arm out. “As a human, it’s only a matter of time until I become useless to them anyway.” Eric scoffed. “This body can’t do what you Damned can, and I need that boost to get me through the tougher times. I can’t imagine what it was like at the last battle you guys had.”
Katie’s lips pressed together in annoyance. “It didn’t matter what you had in you then,” she snapped. “We lost a really strong Damned that day, so don’t overestimate our abilities.”
Damian listened to Katie speaking to Eric.
The medic had pressed a button in her with the battle comment, but she had taken it with grace and dignity as he had hoped she would. He turned and stared at Korbin, who was also watching Katie with his eyes narrowed.
Korbin looked at Damian, who answered his inquisitive look with a smile. Korbin shook his head, not knowing how to feel about a team member wanting to be Damned.
It wasn’t his choice to make, but it seemed like a waste of a life—and it definitely wouldn’t be smiled upon by the higher-ups. He understood the reasoning, but he still didn’t like it.
Damian didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what Katie was saying, so Korbin figured it was all part of what Damian had told him—or not told him—earlier.
The doors behind the teams swung open and banged against the decaying walls. The tactical police force quickly swept into the room and surrounded the team with their guns raised. Korbin put his hand up to his team, signaling them to lower their own weapons. Korbin pulled out a small wallet and flipped it open, looking at the DEA agent who had just entered the room.
“Looks like a big one.” She looked around as she walked to Korbin, stepping over a body. She confirmed what was on his card and nodded, letting him know he could put up his wallet away.
“It definitely wasn’t small,” Korbin agreed, sliding his wallet back in his pocket.
“Thank you,” the DEA agent said, shaking Korbin’s hand and turning to the cops. “Weapons down.” She twirled her finger in the air. “Start a scene assessment and get a clean-up crew in here.”
She patted Korbin on the shoulder and nodded to the others as the team walked toward the door, their eyes tired and their bodies dragging. The team lead for the local police walked up to the DEA agent and stood watching as Korbin’s Killers made their way out the doors.
“They look like a bunch of killers,” he grunted to the agent.
She chuckled. “Yeah, but they’re our killers, so be happy. There isn’t a single person in this room who could have handled what they walked into today. You should be thankful you don’t have this stain on your memory.”
“I don’t understand.” The cop eyed the destruction.
“You don’t need to.” She sighed. “Just think of them as your guardian angels.”
The officer looked at her strangely, but turned and walked away. The DEA agent was one of the few who knew about Korbin’s Killers and the other teams across the country.
The cops didn’t know, and had no idea why they should let those seven people just walk right out of a mass murder scene like that. It had been her call, though, and they would just have to do their best to clean up the mess.
It created animosity, but the cops weren’t even sure who to be upset with.
In the end they would understand, and even come to appreciate the work Korbin and his team did.
For this moment, though, the teams would continue to walk in the shadows, receiving no accolades for their service—just struggling to stay hidden from the world they had left behind.
It wasn’t a life just anyone could tolerate, or a life really any normal person would want to have, but whether they were there out of necessity or by force, Korbin’s Killers had made the best of it.
The next day, rumors said those who had been at the battle were “D squad.”
Whoever the fuck that was.
Katie stared out of the window of the plane as they lifted off and climbed into the sky.
It was always a comfort to Katie when the plane took off. It meant for that little bit of time, while they soared through the clouds, Katie could relax, lean back, and stare out at the world below her.
She had grown to understand the world around her in a different way since being Damned, and thoug
h hard to comprehend at times, it created in her an even fonder feeling toward it—at least from the safety of her airplane seat.
When the plane had reached cruising altitude, some of the team leaned back to relax while others threw on their headsets and destressed to the classical music Korbin had playing on the in-cabin radio. Katie was about to grab her headphones when Korbin walked up and looked down at her with his normal serious face.
“May I sit?” he asked, glancing at the empty seat across the narrow aisle.
“Of course,” she said, watching him take a seat and lean back in the chair. “What’s up, boss?”
Korbin looked at her. “I guess I am just curious as to what possessed you to purchase that company.”
“I don’t know.” Katie sighed. “When I was in school I figured I would eventually get an MBA and go into business, maybe run my own company. When I saw how amazing his stuff was I figured it was my chance, and the product would actually mean something.”
Yeah, painful fucking jabs in the ribs, Pandora growled.
“So I just went for it,” Katie said, ignoring Pandora.
You are going to be all for it until someone stabs us with one of those damn swords, Pandora growled. And I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it was your bestie Korbin. He looks like he’d love to put a knife right in your gut.
Don’t be ridiculous, Katie snapped. He is the leader of this team and the only reason you and I have a nice warm bed to sleep in and enough money to buy fancy hand-sewn Italian bras, and are part of something bigger than ourselves. If you don’t like me finding ways to make my job better and more effective to the outside world, then just stay quiet.
Bitch, Pandora griped. Where are my damned soaps?
“Well, this is no normal company, Katie,” Korbin replied, lifting his new knife from the sheath on his chest and letting it drop back in. “This is something the everyday person wouldn’t understand. You are going to need some help, and I mean legal help, with this stuff.”
“Who is going to be coming after it?” Katie’s eyes narrowed and a confused look came over her face. “The other teams?”
He shook his head. “No. They will definitely want in on some of the action, but the government isn’t going to want to pay for it,” Korbin told her. “The government doesn’t like paying for weapons, so they usually either figure out how to make the weapons themselves and give juicy contracts to large defense contractors, or they take the company right out from underneath the owner.”
“What?” Katie sat up. “How can they do that?”
“What could you do if they did?” Korbin chuckled. “Run around yelling about how the government stole your magic sword company? That is how the guy on the corner with the God sign is made.” He looked at her seriously. “They would tear you apart and leave you in the gutter, if they didn’t kill you first. Sure they have your back when you are doing them a service, but when you are done?” He shook his head. “That’s it.”
“So what are we talking here?” Katie asked. “A really good underground legal team? I mean, are there legal teams who work with magic swords and demons?”
“There are,” Korbin said, nodding. “Just like the DEA, we have friends in all kinds of different places, including some not attached to the government for our own safety. But at a minimum, I would start out by playing defense and hiding the shit out of the company.” He scratched his chin. “While we can keep the tech to our team for now, first time we do a multi-team operation,” he tossed a hand up, “the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Great.” Katie sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I buy my first company, and it’s going to become the weaponry railroad.” She thought about options for a moment. “Is there anywhere on the base that would be good to hide it?”
He nodded. “We will have to pull the blueprints when we get back. I’m sure there is somewhere we can accomplish what we need to do,” Korbin answered. “Until then, though, we have to keep these on the down-low. We can’t go flashing them around, not even to the other teams. If they find out we have something like this and aren’t sharing, they might go to the higher-ups and report it.”
“We will have to secure them in a different place than our team weaponry room,” Katie said.
“Agreed,” Korbin replied. “Maybe some sort of hidden chamber, so that we don’t have to travel far when a call comes in.”
She eyed him for a moment. “Why are you helping me with this, Korbin?” Katie asked, turning toward him. “I’ve gotten the impression—especially lately—that you don’t trust me. I mean, it didn’t take a genius to figure out your little test at the office.”
Korbin grunted and sighed as he looked her in the eye. “I’m a natural pessimist, Katie,” he explained. “Anytime I don’t understand something—well, I usually don’t like it. I have known since the first day we picked you up that there was something different about you; different from any Damned I had ever met. I thought I would eventually figure it out, but I haven’t yet. Damian, on the other hand, acts like he has a very good grasp on what it is, but he won’t tell me.”
“It was accidental,” Katie admitted. “I didn’t even realize I was different until our first battle.”
“Well, whatever it is, I am sure that one day I’ll know the answer.” He opened a water bottle he had been carrying. “And when I do, there is a good chance I will have to make some sort of hard-ass decision.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Katie said. “But if anyone can make a decision like that, it’s you. You care about the world and the people in it, and your decision would be based on that. Not personal feelings.”
Korbin shifted his eyes to stare out the window at the passing clouds. The day had been long, and it was already deep into the night. He sighed and kept his eyes on the outside world.
“Or it might be too damned easy, which is just as troubling,” Korbin told her, still looking out the window.
“Why?” Katie leaned toward him. “If the choice is easy, wouldn’t that mean the answer might be easy as well?”
“Evolution isn’t just something that affects humans and animals,” he said. “It affects us all in different ways. Everything evolves, sometimes for the best and sometimes not. This war is no different. It is constantly evolving as well.”
“I don’t understand how that would make an easy choice troubling,” Katie said. “You are always making difficult decisions, so it seems like an easy one would be good for once. A way for you to exhale.”
“Or it means the war has changed,” Korbin said, turning his gaze back to Katie. “It means that we as a team…we all have to change with it.”
Katie’s eyes followed Korbin’s around the room, resting on each of their teammates for a moment before moving on.
They were all carefree right now. Just relaxing, riding along in the jet without any idea that something big was happening to the world around them.
Katie wanted to believe that it was a fluke—that her change might have made things appear different, but in reality they were still the same. However, as the world below soared past them and with Pandora settled quietly in her gut, she felt Korbin was right.
There was a chance that like everything else, this war had evolved, and she was the next step in the evolution of the Damned.
But if that were true, what would happen to people like Derek and Calvin? Would they fight until they were extinct? Would they follow in her footsteps and use their demons to fight back?
Or would she be at the helm, the last hope for humanity?
Katie shivered at the thought, wrapping her arms around herself. She had come into the whole situation with no choice, and made the best of it that she could.
She had never thought for a second that she would be something different than the others. She had never thought so many people would be relying on her for safety and security.
For a moment she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, and imagined that was how Korbin felt every d
ay of his life—trying to navigate the messy and dangerous maze they were running through head-first with no idea of what was around the next corner.
For the first time since she had been Damned, Katie felt completely alone.
14
The rest of the flight was quiet.
Katie didn’t know what else to say to Korbin. She felt like she should apologize, but she had no idea what for.
She was the way she was, and it wasn’t on purpose, or of her own doing at all. She knew that when it came down to it, though, he would make the choice that was best for everyone.
She had to find solace in the fact that no matter what happened, she would be taken care of and her life had meant something.
As the plane began its descent back into McCarran International airport in Las Vegas, Korbin got up and walked to the front of the cabin. Everyone sat up and took their headphones off, showing the respect they usually did when Korbin got up to speak.
“All right, everyone.” He looked around. “You’re tired, I get it. We’ll load up the SUVs with all our gear and head back. Let’s make sure everything is put away before we head off for some R&R, please. It’s important we keep things straight and ready to go for our next call. We all know that can come at any moment.
Derek yawned. “Especially these daaaayyyss…”
Korbin nodded his head and took his seat again to wait for the plane to land.
The team worked hard, transferring everything from the plane into the vehicles. Damian double-checked the jet, and was the last person into the second SUV. He looked at Katie and smiled before nodding to Calvin in his own ride.
Jeremy winced as he looked down at the deep gash in his thigh.
Eric went to grab his med kit…and realized it was at the base in the supply room, sitting right where he’d packed it before the op. He’d been so focused on the possibility of acquiring a demon on this trip that he’d walked off without it.
