The Shadow Minds Journal, #1

by Kia Carrington-Russell

  I looked downstairs to the caged area I previously walked past and noticed that numerous demons who looked very appropriate to be within Aztec were gathering. I surveyed them and watched as some sat down at one of the tables eating something that I knew even from this distance shouldn’t be edible. Gargoyles and the cemented soldiers surrounded the cage. And then I saw it, the small woman who walked out with pale skin with the light glow of blue. Her tattoos glowed like all Guardians, exemplifying the contract with both Haymen and seven demons. Alice Kendrid, I realized. This had to be the person Haymen wanted me to speak with. Although obviously a Guardian, her movement wasn’t the grace of one. It was stifled and awkward. Her long black curly hair was untamed and the paleness of her skin was not of natural color. Although her tattoos still glowed lightly and I could only see them because hers were situated on her arms, it seemed like they were crusted and ugly. Her skin had an underlying black taint where her veins instead of being transparent were grey and muggy.

  Her head twisted almost like an owl, unnatural even for a Guardian as she looked up at me and those rotten yellow teeth smiled at me. Her black pupils were small and pinned as she raised an eyebrow at me and pointed to a table. An invitation. All the other demons within Aztec suddenly became irrelevant. Not that I would ever let my guard down to that extent. As Gabe mentioned, prisoners didn’t have access to their demonic power but some of them were born with claws, blades, and poisons. I was definitely at a disadvantage.

  I looked at the gargoyles and soldiers wondering if a fight broke out; what my options were of stealing a weapon if I took one of them down first. What would my escape route be? I couldn’t let myself die in such a horrendous and disgusting place. A fight already broke out between two demons. One looked like an oversized bat with razors extending on its wings and a human figure. He opposed the woman who looked gigantic in size, the size of six men. The bat demon swept his razor wings over her and she grabbed onto his wings and pierced her thumbs through them to pin him. She bit into his neck with solid and crooked teeth, grinding down part of his bone. The bat sliced up the side of her stomach, a gash wide enough that I knew it was a serious injury but neither budged as they backed off one another and re-evaluated each another again. They have both been seriously injured. Everyone just watched on. And from the scarring of the two, I wondered if this was a regular thing.

  Before Alice’s face could twist to mine again, I headed for my door. I suppose there was only one way to find out if I would survive this or not. As soon as I stepped out of my room my door was slammed behind me and the floor beneath me fell. I dragged my nails along the small wall trying to catch myself before I fell completely, but luck wasn’t on my side. I hit the ground and coughed into the dirt I had fallen into. My fingers were bleeding as I looked up and around into the darkness. The only tinge of light was in front of me and from the noise I could hear, that was where the others were.

  It was built like a fighting arena. I stood up touching around me on the gravely wall. Yep, this was definitely the only way to walk. I brushed myself as I walked out. Only few candles prevented this from being a place of utter darkness. Although I couldn’t call upon my demons, I was grateful to the contract I suddenly had. If I was still human, I would’ve been fumbling and tripping over in this crippling darkness. Well, to be precise, if I were human I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. The difference between the human court and supernatural court was massive.

  Usually I’d have some smartass dialogue I’d say to myself just to ease the tension. But in this situation, I was silent and on alert. There are numerous demons within Aztec who had exceptional hearing and I didn’t need to draw more attention to the ‘new girl’. I walked out and all eyes of the prisoners fell on me. I ignored them and only focused on Alice. I was aware of their every movement and the proximity of the closest demon which catcalled out to me as I walked out. My tattoos weren’t visible. I wondered whether I should have them on display but decided against it. Although I looked human, they knew I was anything but to be in a prison like this. But if they find out that I was a Guardian who couldn’t summon her demons within this prison they might attempt to overpower me.

  Even the gargoyles and cemented soldiers snarled at me as I walked through the caged dome arena. There were only a few demons here, eight including myself. I darted my eyes around a few other towers and noticed that not all of them had been let out. I knew the act of killing an angel had consequences. But being detained in Aztec, I personally thought was overkill. Especially considering that the ogre looking woman probably slaughtered hundreds of children and that bat thing over there was probably the demon I had long ago heard about called Count Dracula who slaughtered villages at a time. Mind you as I look around, of course there are no angels, there aren’t even any fallen angels. Double standards when it came to our white winged friends. If a demon hurt any other demon or humans, then we would be hunting your ass to either kill you or take you to the Underworld. But Angels had no such thing. You hardly ever heard bad things being said in the media about angels. In many ways they just sounded like pompous snobs.

  I approached Alice, still aware of the others who rounded me with curiosity. I watched the small movements and displays of strength. In a group like this hierarchy got sorted out pretty quickly and I had to make sure that I was on the top of that list. If I wasn’t crippled, out of all my demons, I would’ve called upon my Succubus. She would’ve laughed and swaggered in as if all these boys were hers to enjoy... even the woman for that matter. She had a very cunning way of getting to the top... would charisma be the word?

  Alice didn’t twist as I walked behind her and rounded the table. A show of confidence that I wouldn’t attack her from behind. I sat directly across from her hunched figure on the cool metal seating. Her shoulders were inward and scars and scabs were open all over her flesh. I wondered if the wounds were from the dormant demon who had the same curiosity for my blood.

  She began laughing and it wasn’t a feminine laugh which I half expected from the small figured woman. It was a masculine and wavering laugh. When those dark pupils flicked up at me, she lunged for me. I smacked her hand away from my throat and shoved her back hard into her seat. The act itself was half-assed and she didn’t retaliate again after that, she only laughed. Others watched on in interest. I wasn’t sure what to call Alice anymore because it wasn’t who I imagined the Guardian originally might’ve been.

  “How does such a pretty Guardian find herself in here... or let me guess, Haymen found an opportunity to send you here?” When Alice looked up the blackness of her veins were more visible in her face and around her mouth. Her lips were flushed and blue. Everything about her was wrong and the feeling around her was an all too familiar presence. She felt like those who attacked me in my shadow dreams. This was real. This is what happened to those who were devoured and used as a host.

  “What are you?” is all I asked. I was still focused on Alice but my attentiveness was all around me and on those who shifted from side to side edging closer. Another fight broke out amongst the previous two, captivating majority of the fellow prisoners’ attention. I looked up at the cemented gargoyles that hung over the cage watching. They were fixed on growling but not intervening. They didn’t care if anyone died down here. In fact, that is probably what they were hoping for.

  Alice laughed in the voice that was not of her own. No, something was definitely possessing her. There was no longer an Alice Kendrid. “This is such a nice body, no? I’ve violated it more times than I can count, even when she was present for it. Lovely Alice. So supple,” he said grabbing hold of his breasts and moaning in a manner that made me cringe. But I didn’t because that was what he was after. To scare me and make me uncomfortable. Those tiny pupils landed on my body and rolled up with an intensity that made me want to rip out her throat. “I think I would have preferred yours. Would you like me to tell you what objects I’d use on you?”

  “Here I thought you would be some
thing interesting. But instead it turns out you’re just a talkative pervert. How pathetic,” I said as if to leave.

  “Wait!” It rasped while reaching out for me. The problem was that he was far from a dirty pervert... he was more and I could only imagine the torture he did on Alice. Once I extracted the information I needed, I planned on killing this thing in hopes that Alice might find peace. I wasn’t much for sentimentalism, especially to a woman I never met, but this was too close to home and was the only thing that terrified us Guardians. We would never admit it out loud. I would never admit it out loud. I arched an eyebrow at it and sat back down. It was obvious that it was excited by my presence. I didn’t know how long Alice had been in Aztec. It must’ve been a while because she wasn’t on the records for the past three generations of Guardians in any city. I had read the archives of Haymen’s Guardians as soon as I realized no one spoke the truth and if any of them had found an escape from Haymen’s clutches.

  In here her body had not aged, it only rotted with the filthy thing that possessed her. Alice began to laugh again, and again the black veins beneath her transparent grey looking skin seemed to brighten. The tattoos were an insult as they still glowed a faint blue. Haymen didn’t have to specify what he wanted me to ask, I already knew. This demon was the very kind we ran away from in our dreams. And our main task to hunt by day.

  “Where’s your master?” I asked. His laughing ceased and her neck crooked awkwardly as if trying to understand my question. But no, his eyes were on me, acutely aware of what I asked.

  “I haven’t spoken to him for some time. But things must be moving nicely if Haymen’s sent you in here out of desperation,” he cackled again.

  “Haymen fears nothing. I think your presence is simply becoming an annoyance. One I would be happy to destroy for my Master,” the words I spoke sounded that of a true loyal Guardian. He laughed in response.

  “Haymen is filth,” he said suddenly serious. Alice’s yellow teeth were grinding against one another. “And he is not the true Demon Lord. My master is the only one befitting that position.” I took note of that, and everything he was telling me. I had never met one of these demons during the day and I never understood their purpose, until perhaps now.

  “He seems to be doing a shitty job at that if he’s in hiding and can’t approach the throne because he doesn’t even have a body.” It was a guess. I imagined that if his lackeys had no physical body then neither did he. Alice’s shoulders rolled awkwardly trying to contain his anger. His lip cracked and began to bleed as his eyes pinned me for the insult towards his master.

  “My master will come for you. They all will, every single one of you until Haymen can no longer hide behind his walls and pretty fighters. My master will take his throne, like he once had before, you seething bitch.” Spit began to expel from his mouth and I knew his control was losing out. I noticed the other inmates that purposefully circled me. Alice had her head angled to the side peering at me.

  “You will be my message to your beloved Master,” he said seriously. “I will let your blood splatter on the walls of Aztec. You will only be another casualty in this prison but he will hear the message loud and clear. I might’ve been in here for over three hundred years but for my lifespan, that is hardly anything. He thought you could gather information for him but all that tells me is he still can’t find us. I may be locked up by his accord but I will never betray my own.” Us. I wondered how many of ‘us’ there was.

  “In a place like this, neither of us can summon our demons. Hand to hand. I will kill you,” I said confidently. It was a ruse because I noted the others who still circled me waiting for Alice’s signal. They were following the demon within Alice.

  “My dear, you will not make it out of here alive. I will rape your dead body and use that blood to write a message to your beloved master. None of your kind will defeat us. You will never be powerful enough or worthy enough for our new world!” She began seething and cackling like the crazy and possessed person she was. Or should I say what the demon was.

  “My last question before dying, then.” I said noticing the shuffling amongst those who were ready to attack me. I was stalling time as I looked around me, for anything. There weren’t even utensils for the molded bread that was served as food. “What are you?” I looked at the closest gargoyles wondering if somehow, I would be able to reach for its weapons but the cage came between us still.

  There was a slight nudge then lick from the invisible somber demon. I felt the small trickle of blood and wondered what its nudge was for. It was almost as if it had been making sure that I was the inmate it was looking for. Over time, despite its vicious licks, it felt familiar. It no longer licked at me but I could feel it wrapping around me slowly, as best it could under its silencing of the chanters. Would it... help me?

  “Call us shadows, since that’s what you like to call your little dream states when we slowly eat you from the inside and take possession of your body. Call us whatever you like. But to you... today... I am your death.” There was a moment of silence before everyone pounced.

  I flipped over the seat I was on and ran straight for the bat-like demon. I dodged his bladed wing that swooped for me grabbing ahold of the holes that the giant had pierced before. I used the holes to control his wing movement for a moment catching him off guard. I slashed across the face of one of the demons that tried to scalp me. It worked on the first one until the bat demon used his strength and flicked me into the air. I smacked the cage, latching my hands on the top of the dome before I dropped. The gargoyle above me sniffed and came to bring his hammer down to crush my fingers. Fuck. I looked down where they all waited and knew crushed fingers would probably make it harder to survive this. The bat demon and another one with wings swept up towards me. I anticipated their blades and jumped for the side of the cage. I barely caught hold of the metal, hanging from only my fingertips on one hand until I gripped and pulled myself up. The impact of the two flying demons collided with the gargoyle that brought down his hammer.

  There was a ricocheting sound and bits of the metal began to glitter the arena. A space had been made at the top. The bat demon grabbed the gargoyle with his wings, widening the hole and ripped him into the pit. Suddenly, all the gargoyles and soldiers began to drop from the walls of the castle. Another two gargoyles swept in attacking the two that had just flown out of the arena.

  I took my opportunity in seconds and climbed over as my feet hung and threw my body over and into the outside. A cemented soldier brought down his axe over me. I let go of my grip and slid down painfully on the metal. As soon as I hit the ground I rolled to the side to dodge another gargoyle. A thick nudge and lick pushed me towards the entrance. I followed the guidance of the demon that seemed to be hovering behind me. I ran for the entrance that Gabe and I had walked through. Another large lick up my back from the demon who nudged me in faster. Clashing of weapons, roars and screams erupted behind me. I looked ahead and ran being attentive to how close my pursuers might be.

  Six of the bony hooded chanters crept out of the darkness and their chant has changed. An invisible hand wrapped around my throat, levitating me in the air. I choked as I tried to grab onto the hand that wasn’t there. The pressure began crushing my throat. The demon that had been following me around suddenly was somber. I felt it push past me and an invisible tentacle of power wiped them out. Blood splattered against the wall as their bodies hit... hard. I allowed myself only seconds to catch my breath. I wasn’t certain what I ran towards but my heart raced with adrenalin. Something I rarely felt anymore. It seemed like the invisible demon that helped me gained power as soon as six of those chanters focused their attention towards me instead of it. I frisked their crumpled bodies in search of weapons. Nothing.

  Another lick on my back that was already dripping with blood nudged me towards a tunnel. The demon was leading me. It was as if in its own way it was communicating to me. The darkness and bloodlust that swept off it rolled around me as it grew impatient
. Now that it gained more freedom I could feel its presence growing larger and stronger. Either I followed it or it would kill me. Because it had the ability to do so in seconds. That ruthless nature of it surrounded me. The fight outside was futile. There was no way that even if they did kill all the guards they could ever escape. There was no way underneath all of this water and our demonic powers still dormant.

  This time, five more approached me and hooked me with another blow of magical chanting. As they focused their attention on me it loosened the reins on the demon that was following me. I was flung into the air by the hooded demons. This time before I could be choked, they were impaled by tendrils that couldn’t be seen. But I could feel it. The holes in their chest swirled open. They screamed for only seconds until they were dead. The demon retracted its tendrils and they dropped to their knees. I prepared for my landing but was caught by something. The demon wrapped its tendril around my waist and aided me to the floor. I looked around me trying to find some evidence of its existence. Why was it helping me and what was it? The chanting was now quieter. Eleven had been killed and if it continued I was aiding this demon to be released. I wasn’t certain if that would be worse or better for me in this situation.

  “Little Guardian...” I heard Alice purr behind me and I knew that in this darkness I was no longer alone. I flicked my hair over my face and stood up from the crouch that I had been lowered in. I looked down two tunnels on either side. In one direction I would face Alice and possibly some of her fellow inmates. Or on the other end was an unknown demonic presence that held so much power that it constantly needed to be detained. The invisible demon didn’t give me time to think as it nudged me towards the second tunnel. I ran in that direction. It might kill me straight away. But that was a risk I had to take. Hopefully the end of this tunnel would also lead to somewhere I could find anything that might be used as a weapon.