by Box Set
As we walked down the hall, we met Pam and Georgia. They both looked great as well. Georgia in a bright yellow sundress and Pam in a plum poplin top and white pants.
We turned the corner and opened the door to the guys’ hallway. They were waiting by the elevator, all dressed in variations of the same outfit: Jeans and button-up shirts. Eric wore green, Gilbert had on orange, Steve looked nice in blue, and Leif wore pink.
Eric’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw Wendy.
“You look gorgeous,” he said hugging her.
“Thanks.”
The rest of us tried to pretend we were invisible while they kissed.
Finally Steve had had enough. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t yet. We need to wait for Peter.” I faced the door that led to the teachers’ quarters just as Peter appeared with the key that would unlock the elevator and take us up. Up into the real world, the one where we were hunted like animals.
Usually Peter wore all black. Tonight he had on faded jeans and a purple tee shirt. He’d showered and pulled his long black hair back with a tie at the nape of his neck.
“You clean up nice,” Pamela said, sidling closer to him.
“So do you,” he responded with appreciation.
That surprised all of us. He took in our shocked faces and chuckled. “What? I’m not allowed to have fun? I need to stick to babysitter duties?”
I hadn’t thought about that. To me, Peter was a teacher, someone way out of my league, but he was probably only a few years older than the rest of us.
“Oh no. You should definitely have some fun,” Pam said, giving him a sultry smile.
“How about I find a happy medium.” He took a set of keys from his pocket, inserted a strange circular shaped one into the keyhole just below the button that had an up arrow and turned it to the right.
A motor kicked on and after several long moments the doors pinged open. Silently, we road up. It seemed to take an hour, but was probably closer to five minutes. When the door opened again, we stepped out into a parking garage.
“Welcome to Wonderland, Arizona. Population 17, 275,” Peter said, spinning in a circle.
I was the last one out and gulped down the dry, hot air. It took my breath away. Even at eleven o’clock at night, the heat was stifling. “So where’s this club?” I asked, longing to turn around and go back.
“What’s the matter Queen of Hearts? Can’t take a little heat?” Leif lightly punched me in the arm.
He was trying to be cute and flirty. It wasn’t working. I punched him back not so lightly. “I just want to get this fun over with.”
Peter faced us. “Huddle up,” he said, sounding like the coach in a football game.
When we all faced him he said, “There are three rules. One: Watch out for each other. If you see a trainee in trouble, help them out. Two: Don’t use your abilities on non-Moths. Leave the humans alone. And three, if we lose one another, this is our meeting spot.” He gave each of us a serious look, gauging how well we were listening. “We won’t return to the compound until we have everyone. Got it?”
“Got it, boss,” Steve said.
“Keep your eyes peeled. Check out your surroundings. If something looks out of place, let me know.”
I gave Peter a mental snort. Didn’t he realize it all looked out of place to us? I didn’t know for sure, but I was pretty positive none of us had been above ground in at least a year.
Four
The Mad Hatter
Several blocks before we reached the club I could feel the music. It seemed to bring the ground to life, causing it to shake. Movie posters of The Avengers, The Huger Games, and The Duff lined a bus stop. We walked past a Barnes and Noble, a store with a weird apple sign, and a grocery store called Winegar’s before turning into an alley.
“Stay close,” Peter said as though the homeless humans littering the concrete walls like garbage could hurt us.
A man held out his hand. “Spare a dollar?” he asked.
I touched Peter’s arm. “Do you have a dollar I can give him?”
He chuckled and kept walking. It was apparent he had no intention of giving the guy any money. “You have been out of touch with the real world for way too long. There should be a class that teaches you how to live in the real world. You won’t be down in the compound forever.”
That’s only if we don’t die, I thought as we rounded the corner.
It was evident which building housed the club. A long line of people stood waiting to get in. Steve headed toward the end of the line.
“Stick together,” Peter said, grabbing him by the shirt. He walked up to the bouncer. The big guy took off his sunglasses even though it was way to dark to be wearing them in the first pace. Peter and the guy talked for a few seconds before the guy put his shades back on. Then proceeded to unhook the velvet rope and let us walk in.
Those still waiting shouted obscenities and grumbled. Someone even threw an empty can. I heard it coming and caught it in mid air, then turned, searching the crowd for the culprit. No one came forward, which was probably for the best, so I tossed the can in the trash and walked inside.
The temperature immediately went from stuffy hot to positively chilly. A light mist sprayed the room giving it a smoky quality. It caused the colorful ceiling lights to linger in the air. Bodies writhed and moved on the dance floor to the beat of some kind of electro-techno crap. The other seven had taken over a couple of tables. A waitress came over and took their orders. The waitress checked IDs. Eric was the only one old enough for alcohol.
With us, it didn’t matter. The demon DNA we possessed made it so alcohol metabolized and burned up before we were effected. It was the same with drugs. Good thing we healed fast and didn’t get sick. When we were wounded though, we just had suffer through the pain.
Peter moved to stand beside me. “Why don’t you go over and hang out with them?”
“I… In a minute.” It was hard to explain how little I fit in. “Why aren’t you over there?” I decided to turn the question back on him.
“Well, I’m the teacher. Not an equal or an ally, but a superior. Going over there will only make them uncomfortable.” He crossed his hands behind his back.
“I guess that makes sense.” I wondered if he had any friends.
Eric and Wendy got up and began dancing, their bodies twining together like two pieces of the same rope. Eric leaned in and kissed her neck causing Wendy to giggle. Leif flirted with the waitress when she brought back the drinks. Steve and Gilbert were speaking to a couple of girls at the next table. Georgia and Pam chatted and laughed, swaying to the music. It was sweet seeing them laughing, enjoying themselves, and doing something besides training.
A small part of me felt envious.
“But you should totally get over there,” Peter continued. “I mean, I know what they call y—” He didn’t finish.
I glanced up at him. “Peter, what is it?” I followed his gaze. There was a man walking along the outskirts of the club, like a cougar, he hunted for something. Or someone, I thought and immediately froze. He looked like the actor from a movie we’d just watched about an alien superhero. Thor, my mind said.
He was tall, with bulging muscles straining against an expensive suit. The man had long blond hair that he let hang free and wore a ring that glittered against the lights on his left middle finger.
Who are you hunting? But before I finished thinking the question, I knew the answer. He was an Envy demon, which meant he was there for Eric.
“Peter, he’s a demon.”
“I know.” He faced me. “Calmly go over to the group and tell them to head back to our spot.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going after it.” His dark eyes shimmered with anger. “Now do as I say.”
I jumped forward, then slowed my pace, keeping my heartrate even, in case he the demon was listening.
“Alice, glad you could join us,” Leif said, reaching out to hug me.
“Alice, what is it?” Eric gave me a questioning glance.
“He’s here. Your demon sire.” I figured it was best to get straight to the point.
“No, he can’t be,” Wendy said, but I smelled the fear on her.
“It’s true. We need to go. Peter wants us to meet at the garage. Help me gather the others.”
“No, if he’s here for me, I have to stay and fight. I can’t put anyone else in danger.” As he spoke he looked at Wendy.
I reached out and touched Eric’s arm. “That’s honorable and I know that’s what we’ve been trained to do, but you aren’t prepared. You have no weapons. We should do as Peter said. Regroup and then we can help you go after the demon.”
“Dammit.” He punched his fist into the table, causing it to split in two.
“What’s wrong,” Leif asked.
“Envy demon. He’s here for Eric. We need to take off.” I searched the perimeter for the guy and easily found him. He had his slimy hand on a supermodel tall, blonde girl. They were talking. She started to head toward the exit when the demon looked directly at me. His dark eyes seemed to pierce through my body. Then he smiled. If I hadn’t known what he was I might’ve been taken in by his easy manner and charm. Instead I grabbed Leif’s arm. “Hurry.”
Suddenly the demon jumped on a table, scaring the supermodel and the others around her. His nails grew long, like pointed claws.
People began to scream.
We pushed toward the exit. I searched for Peter as I moved, wondering where he’d gone. The demon jumped to the table our group had been sitting at only moments before. He picked up a drink and chugged it down. Then threw the glass into the mirror behind the bar, causing it shatter. More people screamed. Several bouncers headed toward the demon. His smile grew bigger.
“This is my favorite part,” I heard him say. It wasn’t that he spoke loud, but that his words seemed to pierce my insides.
I shuddered with fear, but also with excitement. I’d never seen an actual demon up close. I’d seen plenty of Dark Moths and it was true that we all possessed the same powers as our demon sire, but we looked human. And while the demon tearing through the bouncers at the club appeared human when he wanted to, it was obvious that was not his true form.
So what did he look like?
“Alice,” Leif yelled. Everyone was at the exit and they were waving me over. But I didn’t feel right about leaving the humans who were fighting the demon to die.
I took the knife from my boot and ran toward the Envy demon. My heartrate escalated. I was eager to fight. But before I reached him, someone pulled me back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Peter hissed in my ear.
“Protecting the humans.”
“No. Get out.”
While Peter and I argued, the demon noticed us. “I won’t fight you, girl. I’m here for the one called Eric.” He slashed through the final bouncer, jumped down onto the body and came to stand in front of Peter and me. “Besides, your sire would kill me if I laid a finger on you.” He pointed one of his clawed fingers in my face. “But oh, I’m tempted. You are luscious.” His voice was gravelly, not quite garbled, but it sounded like English was not his first language. “As for you,” he turned to Peter, then continued, “I can lay as many fingers on you as I want.” His clawed hand reached out to grab Peter’s neck.
Without thinking, I sliced my knife through the demon’s fingers, cutting them off.
He roared, bringing his hand into his chest. “Evil child. I look forward to the day when your sire comes after you. I’ll be an enthusiastic spectator for your death.”
“Who is he?” I shouted.
He gnashed his teeth, held out his hand, and I watched his sleek, clawed hand regrow before my eyes. “Tell Eric I’m coming for him.” He cackled gleefully. “Let the games begin.” He jumped into the air. It looked like he would go through the roof, but he vanished.
Five
Guidance From a Demon
“Alice Blackburn, what you just did…” Peter stopped and shook his head. “It was irresponsible, careless, and one of the most heroic deeds I’ve ever seen.” He pulled me into a quick hug, which shocked me. As trainees physical contact wasn’t a regular occurrence, especially between trainers and their students. “Let’s go find the others. They can’t be far.”
I nodded, feeling numb.
We exited the club and blended with the crowd. Swirling red and blue lights filled the sky. Police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance had arrived on the scene. Crews helped those who’d been wounded while the police went inside.
“Where are they?” I asked, searching the crowd for the rest of our group.
“I’m guessing they went back to the parking lot. Let’s go.”
Like spilled ink white paper, a thick darkness seemed to close in around us, roaring past the Spanish styled buildings, blocking out the stars and the three-quarter moon.
“What’s happening?” I moved in closer to Peter.
“It’s the demon. He’s called his underlings. The game is afoot, whether we want it or not.”
And Peter was right. The impenetrable darkness wasn’t just night, but hordes of rat-like underling demons. With them they brought the strong stench of sulfur and decaying flesh.
“And me without my sword,” I said sarcastically.
Peter chuckled. “You’re such a warrior.” He searched our surroundings. “We need some cover.”
“Can the humans see the underlings?” I asked because the people were milling about like nothing was happening.
“No, not unless the demons want them to. Come on.” Peter took off running. “We need to get away from everyone,” he shouted as he ran headlong into the underlings.
I started to follow but a dozen rats swooped in front of me. I gutted one and punched another as I tried car doors along the street. Finally I found an old beater and dove in, slamming a demon in the door when it shut.
The rats were everywhere, so thick I couldn’t see anything else. I tried to locate Peter. Where are you? I hoped he was okay.
The passenger side door opened and a guy got in.
“What the— Get out,” I shouted. He’d scared me. For the briefest moment I’d believed he was a demon.
“You realize they can get into the car if they want. You aren’t safe in here.” As he spoke one of the underlings noticed us and started through the windshield. The guy grabbed it by the neck with both hands and twisted until there was a pop. It immediately turned to dark ash. “One down, a million to go.” He smirked and reached through the glass, grabbing another.
The move surprised me. It was obvious his abilities were strong and he’d been well trained. I hadn’t realized reaching through objects was possible.
The underlings seemed to sense at once that we were in the car and began scratching their way in.
“Take my hand.” He held it out.
“No way.” I didn’t know the guy. I preferred to take my chances with the rats.
“Okay, but I’m out.” He opened the door and disappeared into the sea of demons.
I realized how wise he was in leaving. They had me pinned and were biting and clawing at my skin. “Get off of me.” I stabbed one in the neck and wrung another’s neck. Demon ash covered me and combined with the blood from the places where I’d been bitten.
I growled as one of them pulled my hair and another bit my cheek. My knife fell or was snatched from my hand and one of them sank its putrid teeth into my flesh. “That’s it.” In the past I’d rarely used the demon power. It hadn’t been necessary. But with a dozen demons pinning me inside the car, I needed it. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, feeling for the strength. It swelled and burst out from every one of my pores.
Demons squealed in pain. Ash soaked me like rain in a thunderstorm. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see a cobalt light emanating off my skin and pushing outward. Every demon that cam
e in contact with it was instantly incinerated.
I had no idea how I was doing it, but I wasn’t going to question it, not right them. Blood dripped from my cheek and onto my hand as I pushed the door open and climbed out.
Humans were wandering around, still dazed from what’d happened in the club. One of the medical professionals came over and asked if I needed help. The shield that surrounded me and kept the demons at bay didn’t faze him. He walked right through it.
“I’m fine,” I said and took off, heading in the direction of the parking garage.
Six
Death and Envy
The underlings followed. They continued to attack my defense without regard for their own lives. I hoped whatever I was doing would continue to hold until I reached the others.
I ran down the alley, past the grocery store and the bus stop. The guy who’d been in my car was in the middle of at least twenty demons, battling for his life. But it looked like he had the upper hand. He held a sword in each hand, mowing through them like they weren’t there. Green blood spattered against the glass enclosure, the cars, the sidewalk, and the street.
His eyes found mine and he smirked before refocusing on the demons. It looked like the guy was having fun. Crazy. I shook my head, heading into the parking garage. If he were a Dark Moth warrior he would know where the entrance was and how to get himself to safety, and if he wasn’t it didn’t matter if he knew or not. No one but a Dark Moth who’d been deemed worthy could enter.
The elevator was on the bottom level. I scampered to the edge of the concrete wall and peered over. Shouts and screams reached my ears. It sounded like my friends were losing. Flinging my legs over the edge, I jumped off and sailed down the five floors. My feet struck the floor with a light thud.
“Alice.” Leif noticed me first.
The Envy demon was there, as were dozens of underlings, and six other demons I’d never seen before. By the looks of them and the instruction I’d received during training, I surmised they were mid-level demons.
