by Jill Cooper
The demon’s essence was destroyed and the man? It might be too soon to tell.
But Amanda’s voice was joyful like laughter from a gentle child. “He’s alive. He’s—” She teetered on her feet and Jessica knew what was going to happen next.
Jessica lunged forward and caught Amanda before she fainted. Amanda’s body was lax in her arms and Jessica’s heart ached to see her like that, like it did every single time.
“Damn it, Amanda,” Jessica muttered and pushed Amanda’s hair off her forehead.
Stupid girl. Beautiful, angelic, and stupid. I will always protect you. Had Jessica ever made a more perfect promise?
Jessica hoped Amanda would forgive her as she slapped her hard and fast. Amanda’s head fell to the side and as her eyes jerked open, her cheek turned scarlet from the slap.
“At least,” Jessica sighed, “it only took one slap this time. Do you have the strength to move?”
Amanda rubbed her cheek and nodded. “But where are we going to go?” Her voice was too slight to reassure Jessica. Amanda should never have performed an exorcism like that right before an escape, but Jessica would hold her anger in, until later.
It wasn’t like Amanda didn’t know exactly how she felt and exactly what she’d say. Amanda saved people, even when it was inconvenient. It was what she did. And Jessica complained about it every time, even though she knew it wouldn’t make a lick of difference.
Jessica kicked down the rear door and led Amanda to the exit. All the demons had rushed through the front, so the way was clear. But her car—the one she had been driving since she was old enough? Jessica was just going to have to come back for it.
Demons were coming; they needed to move faster to get away from this place.
Amanda’s steps were surer and her head was upright again. Relieved, Jessica took the lead. Back on solid footing, Jessica’s boots crunched the gravel and she peered around the side of the building.
They could steal the white van or one of the motorcycles if they could get to the front. A bike would be faster and easier to navigate in traffic. It would be easy to get lost and stay that way; but Amanda needed to heal.
Plus, she always got motion sickness when they rode a bike.
Jessica really wanted one of the bikes. She hoped Amanda realized what she gave up for her. “Get into the van!” She hissed over her shoulder. Jessica ran to the front and both Blood sisters slammed their car doors at the same time.
The van was still running so Jessica threw it in reverse and never looked back. Even when the demons screamed and Jessica heard the roar of their motorcycles coming to life, she didn’t look back.
A Blood never looked back.
****
The demons came at them hard.
The glare of lights reflecting through the side mirrors cast the van’s cabin in an orange glow. Jessica steadied the steering wheel as she took a hard right. The tires sloshed through water. They careened down a hill toward civilization and branches scratched against the windows, as if to slow down their escape.
Amanda groaned, her head tilted back and her hand hovering over her injured shoulder. She’d never come out and blame the pain on Jessica, but it was her driving causing Amanda so much discomfort. Every little bump, every hard turn, Amanda sucked in her breath.
Right then Jessica didn’t care. She was too angry.
They were stuck in this stupid van because Amanda couldn’t prioritize. She put a possessed human’s life above her own. Again. Each time it got them in trouble. Each time Amanda forgot the mission.
Her life was more important than some random guy’s. Amanda’s life, was all about Amanda, so how could she be so—stupid?
This van could never outrun the motorcycle gang and they both knew it.
And their car? Dad’s car? Gone. Maybe forever.
“Hang tight,” was all Jessica could bring herself to say. Her voice was harsh and edged with anger. It’d boil over soon and Jessica would spout things she’d regret, so yeah, she kept her thoughts to herself. Even if Amanda hadn’t been an empath, Jessica was sure she’d have been able to pick up on it.
“Almost there.” Amanda was breathless as the bullet rose from the bloody wound in her arm. She groaned and bit her lip. The whites of her eyes rolling up as the red covered bullet fell to the floor below, getting lost with stray French fries on the ground.
Her forehead sweaty, Amanda closed her eyes. Jessica’s heart quickened with worry, but Amanda just needed rest and time to heal herself. An exorcism and a healing in less than twenty minutes, her strength had been pushed to the max. One of the red curls cascading down her face had turned a ghastly white.
Jessica steadied the cell phone to her ear. “We need your help. They’re pursuing us hard, Aunt Gwen. I don’t know what to do.” Jessica kept the warble out of her voice just barely.
In the background, tires squealed. “Get to the family cabin. It’s warded and it’ll give you girls the time you need to regroup.”
She didn’t know if the van could make it, not before the demons caught up with them. “I had to leave our car behind.” Jessica closed her eyes and the grief poured out.
“You think Jacob would really mind? Care about his car more than you girls? You’re doing what they wanted more than anything, Jess. Now get to the cabin.” Something about her aunt’s voice was sweet, even if the tone was stern.
“They’re coming a lot faster than usual.” Jessica glanced at Amanda to make sure she was still asleep. She didn’t need her to hear the despair in her voice. How the hope was beginning to fade.
“I’ll meet you at the cabin and we’ll talk about it, I promise. For now, all that matters is protecting Amanda.”
The cabin was hours away. “And if I can’t make it?” Thanks so much for your wonderful advice, Aunt Gwen.
But Gwen wasn’t apologetic; her voice was stern. “You’ll make it. High tail your ass there. Now.” Gwen ordered in a militant tone.
Jessica sucked up her tears and nodded. Right now that’s what she needed. Someone needed to give her orders and tell her everything would be all right, even if it wouldn’t be.
Get to the cabin. Worry about the rest later. She could do that. Keep her head down and the rest would fall in line.
Too bad no one told the demons.
They were beginning to flank the van. Some were speeding up to overtake them. If Jessica couldn’t keep control of the van, if she crashed, there’d be no way out of this. She sat up straighter and gripped the wheel as city lights came into view. Jessica drove down a hill over an embankment and toward the town square.
They van’s tires rocked right over a curb and Jessica gripped the wheel hard. She shouldn’t have come back to town, but what other choice did she have? The open road was a death sentence in a van.
But the people of the town? If Jessica couldn’t get her sister and herself out of there, the town’s people would be in trouble. It was the Blood’s mission to help this town; not allow it to rot or be destroyed.
She pushed it all aside and let the town’s bank sign beckon her home. Slamming on the brakes, the tires squealed and Jessica spun the wheel so she wouldn’t hit the building. Instead, the van slid between the police station and the local diner. It was such a tight fit that the van’s side mirror rubbed against the brick wall.
Orange sparks flew out from the friction and the squeal of brick against metal drowned out all else.
They sped towards the next intersection and its blinking yellow traffic lights. A row of brick buildings lined up, but a green dumpster blocked the way. With her eye trained on the rear view mirror and no choices left, Jessica slowed the van down and took a hard left, heading backward toward the open road.
Applying the brakes gently, Jessica slowed her breath to alleviate the panic in her chest. She thought only about what to do next, nothing about what had come before, nothing about what would come after. All that mattered was this moment. Get from point A to B, and that was it.
&nb
sp; The rearview mirror was clear of motorcycle headlights and the sound of their engines grew fainter.
She gave them the slip. Thank God. So relieved, Jessica’s hands shook. She pushed her hair from her face and leaned back against the seat. The last time she was that scared? She couldn’t remember a time.
Jessica glanced at her unconscious sister and it stirred feelings of protection, like it always did. She took a moment to push Amanda’s hair back, and cup her soft skin. Time to take you home, buttercup.
Lips pressed together with determination, Jessica slipped her seatbelt off and slowly opened the van door so it wouldn’t creak. The corner of the door hit the brick wall.
It was going to be a tight squeeze.
Jessica gripped the top of the van with one hand, while her other held her trusty shotgun. She pulled herself up, using the tension in her arms to pull from her seat. Her boots met the roof of the van hard and the metallic clomp echoed through the alley. She lunged for the ladder dangling from the adjacent building and hoisted herself up the cold, damp metal to get a better vantage point.
Late at night, the adjacent parking lot was mostly empty and the traffic lights silently changed from red to green.
And the motorcycles?
Jessica made out their trail, like a series of ants off in the distance. They were headed further away; lost the trail of the sisters Blood. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. Now to ditch the van and find something that could get them to the cabin in record time. Part of her wanted to head back to the clubhouse and grab the family car, but the words from Aunt Gwen rang in her head.
Keep Amanda safe. Dad wouldn’t care about his car.
He only cared about his girls.
Lucky for them, Jessica spotted a parking lot across the way. The building flashed a neon sign out front with a pair of hot legs flashing their skirt. Above that flashing in blue was the XXX.
Triple X. Naughty. Now to decide who deserved to lose their car.
Jessica’s eyes scanned the parking lot and saw mostly generic boring SUVs either in black or silver. How typical. Parked away from the pack was a flashy red 1962 Ford Thunderbird. It wasn’t as shiny as it had been back in its day, but that baby had curves and wings that went on for miles.
“Oooh,” Jessica’s voice dripped with desire. “Who’s your Momma?”
For a moment, her mind flashed back to when she was little—before everything changed. Back when her dad, Jacob Blood, was restoring his 1966 Chrysler and Jessica had been his trusty assistant. Well, she thought she was helping, but she loved to sit on the hood of the car with the cuffs of her shirt rolled up just like his.
His black hair was thick and wavy, his smile so friendly, it was her favorite thing about him. He extended his arm and one small tattoo was visible in the center. She always wanted to ask him about it, but never had the chance. “Hand me that 3/8 wrench, would you Jessie?”
So long ago, but Jessica still smelled the oil like it was fresh from yesterday. And Dad—her heart ached with longing. Was she doing a good job? Would he be proud?
Jessica shook her head to clear the cobwebs. If they had to abandon that car, at least they could replace it with something worthy. She jumped down in front of the van and startled when she saw Amanda there.
Her eyes were heavy, lidded with sleep.
. “I thought maybe you were bird watching.”
Resisting rolling her eyes, Jessica grabbed Amanda’s wrist and dragged her through the alley. “C’mon.”
Amanda tripped as she hurried to keep up. “Where are we going?”
“You know where we’re going.” Jessica scanned the area. “And don’t try to talk me out of it. We need a car that can move, and since we can’t go back and get ours…”
“I’m sorry about that.” Amanda’s voice was soft, rich with sincerity. “Jessica…”
Jessica held up a finger and didn’t look at her sister. Instead, she popped the Thunderbird’s hood to hot wire the muscle car. One wire and a piece of metal to trigger the starter was all she needed, plus a little luck
“What about the drugs in the van? You know if we leave them here the demons will find a way to get them back.”
“I know, but we don’t have a choice.” Jessica did her work and ignored what her words meant, but Amanda never could.
Amanda blew out a deep breath. “We came here to save this town.”
“We saved one. You.” Jessica looked up at her sister. “Three, if you count that woman and her two kids.”
Amanda’s forehead crinkled with grief. “Is that enough?”
It had to be. Jessica went back to splicing wires and a few moments later, Amanda blew a shaky breath of air. Never a good sign, Goosebumps rose over Jessica’s arm.
“Are you stealing my car? Get away from my car! Police!”
Jessica rose up to see a chunky man in a tight t-shirt and bad striped shorts. His hand gripped a brown paper bag from the naughty store and he had a receding hairline with a ridiculous comb over. With a double chin covered in two days’ worth of stubble, it was clear this hunk had no one waiting for him at home.
“How’s life in your mommy’s basement working out for you?” Jessica pulled her arm back and when the douche grew close enough, she jabbed him quick in the nose.
He groaned and covered his face with both hands, the brown paper bag falling from his grip. “Did you just punch me? Seriously?”
Jessica scowled that the guy hadn’t gone unconscious yet. To level the playing field, Jessica kicked him in the balls and when he doubled over in pain, Jessica cold clocked him over the head with both her fists. He crashed to his knees, finally down for the count and Jessica bent over, searching his pockets for the keys.
Dangling them from her finger, she smiled at Amanda. It was always easier this way, but Amanda’s mouth was fallen open. Her usual pale skin was frog like green.
She never did appreciate Jessica’s best work. Jessica clamped her fists around the keys and snarled. “Get in the car.”
“You could’ve really hurt him. I think I should—”
“No.” Jessica barked and pushed Amanda toward the passenger side.
Her younger sister’s eyes pleaded with her. “Please. Just a quick—”
“He’ll be fine. Save your strength and heal yourself. You’re still bleeding.” Jessica pulled the passenger door open and made sure Amanda got in by blocking the way.
With Amanda safe inside, Jessica slid behind the wheel. The car had that authentic classic smell, from the richness of the gasoline to the leather seats that had been ripped long ago. Still, some tender care was all this baby needed to come back to life.
Headlights on, the car came to live with a purr Jessica hadn’t expected. Pulling out of the parking lot, Jessica turned to Amanda. Her sister’s eyes were transfixed out the window, a hand on the glass. “Not everyone deserves saving.”
Amanda cast Jessica a look. It wasn’t dirty, but was sad. “Are you talking about this guy? Or the guy back in the clubhouse?” Jessica sat up straighter and defensive anger rose in her chest, but Amanda just shook her head. “He was possessed. Just a regular person and he was in trouble. It was the demons—”
“It cut us off from the car. Our escape route. You could have died, Amanda.” Jessica’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t control the anger that rode off in her waves. Her sister’s face was crestfallen, sagging as if Jessica just killed her puppy.
Jessica was sorry. So damn sorry that Amanda got hurt emotionally, and physically all the time, but sometimes Jessica couldn’t control how she felt. Jessica slammed her hand on the steering wheel as she turned out of town toward the open road. “You have to think. We can’t save people just to doom ourselves.”
“That demon was going to hurt people. Kill them. We saved people tonight, Jessica. I’m sorry about the car.” Amanda’s chin wobbled and tears rose in her eyes. Her hands hugged her waist like she was in physical distress and Jessica knew she was. She knew how much pain Amanda
felt when others were upset or angry. “I didn’t mean to lose Papa’s car.”
Jessica couldn’t stand to see her like that. She fought back her own tears and ran a hand over Amanda’s head. “All he’d care about is that you’re safe. Understand? We came close tonight, but we lucked out. We’ll head to the cabin and regroup with Aunt Gwen. A few days’ rest sounds nice, right?”
Amanda sucked on her bottom lip and nodded. She laid her head back and gazed at Jessica. The curl on the side of her head was back to its ginger color. “Maybe we can make S’mores.”
Jessica snorted. “It’ll rot your teeth.” She said it, but she smirked. “You strong enough to heal your arm?”
“I think so.” Amanda lifted her hand toward her arm, but flinched. “Why won’t they leave us alone?”
It was a question they tried to never ask, but tonight they were both vulnerable. The standard answer rolled off Jessica’s tongue even if she knew it wasn’t enough. “You’re special. Everyone loves special.”
Amanda’s eyes flashed to Jessica’s before her hand crackled with healing energy. She didn’t need to ask the question in her eyes because Jessica knew what it was. It had been asked enough times through the years.
But why am I so special?
Jessica didn’t know then and she didn’t know now, but she thought maybe it was time to find out. If they could slow down enough to catch their breath, maybe it was time to find out.
6: Duncan Jasper
Finding the Blood girls was easier said than done.
Two steps behind, Duncan found traces of them in a Midwest city not far from Lake Michigan. Homegrown roots, it was there the girls spent Jessica’s eighteenth birthday. You could really appreciate the synergy of something like that. The city was plagued with drugs, crime, and a strip club syndicate that’d make New York City jealous.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. People should’ve noticed. Should have seen, but demons crept in the shadows. And let’s face it, humans saw what they wanted and ignored the rest.
Everywhere Duncan went there were foreclosure signs. Homeless people littered park benches and everyone walked around in a stupor. The demon essence drug here had become an infestation, sucking the life out of the community and harvesting souls for the underworld.
