Atlas (The Atlas Series)

by Becca C. Smith

  Kala found it hard to hide her expression of horror at that statement, but she nodded. “Agreed.” Lie. Glancing at the television playing Jack’s death on repeat-o didn’t exactly put her mind at ease either.

  Then a terrifying thought hit her. “Is this going to be my life forever? Running from Demons and doing horrible things?”

  Jack didn’t answer, which to Kala was a resounding yes. She definitely needed to get herself out of this situation and pronto before it changed her life for good. The thought of being on the run for the rest of her life scared her. It was too much like her childhood, being placed in home after home, never feeling like she belonged anywhere. Owen and Linda changed all that for her and gave her a place in this world. And after leaving home, the military had become a sanctuary for her. To lose it all… for what? For this? A nightmare that Kala could barely believe was actually true. It was like someone telling her Santa Clause was actually real. Her rational mind wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but her instincts told her to run before the forces of nature swallowed her whole.

  Kala followed Jack out of the diner and they headed to his car. “Seriously, where is safe?” Kala couldn’t see a way out of confronting this Asmodeus Demon.

  They jumped into Jack’s car and Jack drove out of the parking lot and onto the road. Jack hadn’t answered Kala’s question, which made Kala think that he didn’t have an answer.

  “Jack, where are we going?” Kala wished she was driving, not that she knew where she would go, but it would give her more control.

  “I don’t know. The Compound? That’s as secure as you can get,” Jack suggested.

  “We’re not allowed in when we’re not on missions,” Kala reminded him. She found it funny that she was the calm and rational one in this situation. Jack seemed frazzled and scared, two things Kala never saw in him before last night. But he knew a lot more about what was happening than she did. Ignorance was bliss, or at least more easily coped with.

  “I know a place,” Jack said as if a light bulb just went off in his head. They were well outside the city now, on the highway headed to the middle of Virginia. Jack exited on a side road that led to a forested area.

  “We’re going to hide out in trees?” Kala asked skeptically. She was a city girl: the thought of hiding in nature was actually less appealing than facing this head Demon guy. There was something about being in the dark in a forest that was so much eerier than being in an alley at night. The alley, it was a familiarity, a feeling of being able to escape. In a city Kala always had an escape plan no matter where she was, but nature? What could she do? Climb a tree? It was starting to upset her more than she cared to admit. “Do you have any guns? I need guns.”

  “Guns don’t work on Demons or Malaks, you’re kind of screwed in that department,” Jack informed her.

  “Then how am I supposed to defend myself? How were you going to defend yourself?” Guns were her safety net. Being told that her one form of defense wouldn’t work on what was chasing her made Kala feel vulnerable.

  “There are other ways. I’ll show you. There’s a cabin up here in the woods that I was planning on making my base. It’s yours now,” Jack said.

  Kala couldn’t help but feel Jack was playing the “mentor” role. Worse, he seemed to be enjoying it. Jack dodged a bullet when Kala shot the President. This life that she was experiencing was supposed to be his. What horrible thing would Jack have had to do if he had completed his mission and became the next Atlas? It wouldn’t have been to kill himself, since being the Atlas meant you couldn’t actually kill yourself. That made Kala think. Why did she have to kill Jack? He was supposed to be the Chosen One, the champion, so why would killing him save the world? It didn’t make sense. None of it did.

  They were driving on dirt roads now, traveling deep into the woods. Luckily, it was early afternoon so it wasn’t nearly as scary. It would almost be beautiful if Kala didn’t hate nature so much. To Kala outdoors equaled bugs, wild animals, birds (Kala hated birds!), weird smelling air and an eternal dampness that she could never seem to shake.

  But Kala didn’t have to worry about it long.

  The black smoke that swallowed Penny earlier suddenly appeared in front of their car.

  Jack floored the gas pedal to try and drive through it, but the smoke engulfed the entire car like a black fog. Kala couldn’t see out the window, but she could feel that the car had stopped. Or rather, the tires were rotating wildly, but the smoke lifted the car off the road so all Kala could feel was the vibration of spinning wheels.

  Kala looked at Jack as if he would have some answer of what to do next. Before Jack could say anything the screeching sound came back full force. Kala had to cover her ears it was so deafening.

  “Okay, we get it! You have me, now shut the hell up!” Kala screamed.

  Nothing like pissing off the leader of the Demons. But Kala didn’t care, she just wanted the noise to stop. It was making every one of her nerves raw and she thought her head would explode.

  To Kala’s surprise and relief, the screeching stopped.

  The car thudded to the ground with a jolting THWAP, and the black smoke dissipated. Jack hit the gas, but the car was dead, as in, click…click… click went the starter.

  Kala watched through the front windshield as the black smoke started to take shape into…

  …a really hot guy.

  Chapter Ten

  Kala hadn’t been sure what she was going to see, but a guy that looked like he stepped out of a GQ Magazine definitely wasn’t it. When she heard the word Demon she expected horns or red skin or something devil-y. Asmodeus was well over six feet tall and Kala could see he was completely cut underneath his “little too low” v-neck t-shirt and perfectly faded jeans. Kala wondered when Demons had the time to work out. The thought would have made her laugh if she wasn’t so freaked out. His hair was sandy brown and cut in a faux-hawk style. It framed his perfectly chiseled face with a perfectly straight nose, slightly full lips that were in permanent sexy-pout mode, and bright brown eyes that were currently staring at Kala.

  “Are you coming out?” Asmodeus asked like he was talking to a naughty child trying to evade punishment.

  “Don’t go,” Jack warned.

  Kala shook her head at Jack. “He’s not going to kill me. Just watch my back.” At least she hoped Asmodeus wasn’t going to kill her. Kala was betting on a theory, but at this point she didn’t feel she had much choice. She was always a leap-before-she-even-knew-if-there-was-a-net kind of girl.

  Before Jack could argue, Kala exited the car.

  Kala could feel Asmodeus’s eyes follow her every move as she warily approached him. Though he looked like a human, his presence was ominous. Every fiber of Kala’s being wanted to run into the trees and hide he was so intimidating. It just seemed to radiate off him like waves of power. Kala felt a surge of panic race through her. She was trying to comprehend the fact that she had just watched black fog turn into a human being. A Demon. What did that mean anyway? He looked so normal. Like a million guys Kala had seen before. Like a million guys that had hit on her before. If only there was a bar stool to hit him with.

  “What’s up?” Kala said before she could stop herself. Really? What’s up?

  Asmodeus smiled, but there was no humor in it. “I finally get to meet an Atlas and you’re an idiot. So disappointing.”

  “About as disappointing as finding out the leader of the Demons looks like a frat boy douche bag. You might as well be wearing Ed Hardy, dude.” Kala’s attitude was a reflex when someone insulted her.

  “Interesting,” Asmodeus said. He didn’t look offended, but he didn’t look happy either. “It’s King by the way. King of Demons.”

  Kala knew the only way to figure out how to permanently throw Asmodeus off her trail was to find out as much about him as she could. More importantly, she needed to learn how he was tracking her. Of course, none of that would be possible if she kept putting her foot in her mouth, so she decided to play nice. />
  “Well, you’ve got me, your highness. Now what?” That was about as nice as Kala could muster.

  Kala could hear Jack trying to get out of the car, but somehow Asmodeus had sealed the doors shut. She glanced at Jack and knew she was on her own.

  Asmodeus stepped forward and caressed his hand against Kala’s cheek. It was so sudden and unexpected, Kala just stood there staring up at Asmodeus’s brown eyes. If she didn’t know he was a Demon, Kala would have kicked him where it counts. But did Demons even have private parts? She knew they had powers and that’s all that mattered in this moment. Kala didn’t want Asmodeus to hurt Jack. Or her for that matter.

  “You are a beautiful creature,” Asmodeus smiled at Kala, examining her like a prize horse.

  Kala took a step back so Asmodeus was out of reach. “No touching, perv.” She just couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  Asmodeus looked shocked at Kala’s behavior. She knew in that moment that no one had ever turned this guy down before. He was apparently used to women falling at his feet, drooling over his good looks. Kala never cared for conceited guys. They cared more about mirrors than they did anything else. She liked a little humble with the men she was attracted to. Like Jack. Gorgeous, but didn’t know it, or didn’t care. This guy… or Demon… or whatever… was completely full of himself, thinking he was god’s gift to all women (or men for all Kala knew).

  Asmodeus moved forward, grabbing Kala’s arm. Instinct kicked in and she flipped him on his back, her knee to his throat. Instead of trying to release himself from her pin-down, Asmodeus laughed. “A fighter. I like it.”

  Asmodeus touched her leg…

  …And Kala found her surroundings shift out of focus. Jack, the car, the forest and Asmodeus all disappeared in a flash. She felt like she was on a terrible acid trip, or at least what she thought an acid trip would feel like.

  Just as abruptly, everything snapped back into focus.

  Well, Kala definitely wasn’t in nature anymore, and she was completely alone. Kala wasn’t sure where she was, but it was definitely in some kind of high-rise. An entire wall made up of tinted windows overlooked a vast cityscape. Kala knew that cityscape. It was New York! The fact that this Asmodeus dude transported her from the forests of Virginia to New York City in about two seconds was beyond Kala’s comprehension. In fact, this whole day was beyond her comprehension. The room (or she should say floor) itself was abandoned. There wasn’t any furniture, there wasn’t anything in it at all, just a steel gray industrial carpet and windows. Somehow this wasn’t what she imagined a “Demon lair” to look like. There was only one door, and it looked like it was made of titanium. A small keypad was bolted on the wall next to it. Kala had seen that kind of keypad before at the Compound. It might be easy to crack. She couldn’t be sure until she looked at it.

  But Kala’s problem wasn’t breaking out of the room (she was certain she could do that), it was what she would do after she escaped. This Asmodeus guy could find her anywhere and apparently transport her 200 miles in a few seconds. Kala had no idea how she was going to keep him from finding her over and over. Maybe there was some kind of super high-tech suit or device at the Compound that would do the trick. But even if there were, she’d have to convince General Turner that she needed to use it, and somehow that seemed more impossible than her current situation. After all, when she had confessed what happened to her, he flat out laughed out loud. So did she, but things had changed since the last time they met.

  The bottom line: Kala had no intention of going through with her mission, so really Asmodeus had nothing to worry about. Maybe she could use that.

  Kala called out to air. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but you don’t have to keep me locked up. I’m not going to do what they want me to do.”

  Nothing.

  “Hello?” Kala was really hoping she wasn’t talking to herself. She had to assume that Asmodeus wouldn’t leave her completely unattended. The place had to be bugged or have some kind of spying capabilities, even if they were supernatural ones.

  Then a sudden thought hit her. “We could help each other out. I saw my vision. The one that tells me what I have to do in order to stop the world from collapsing or whatever. But I’m not going to do it, and you could help me protect who they want me to kill.”

  Like a cheesy magician, Asmodeus formed out of a puff of black smoke in front of her. Kala almost wanted to laugh. She guessed he had taken her “douche-bag” fashion comments seriously because he was now dressed in dark looser-fitting jeans and a nice button up shirt with only one button unbuttoned. Of course, now he looked like a Banana Republic model, but at least he was putting in an effort. Although Kala didn’t know if she should be scared or flattered that he cared enough to listen to her insults. Maybe he needed adoration more than she had guessed. The fact that she had no interest in him whatsoever must have really bothered him.

  Good, she thought to herself. Even Demons are typical males.

  “What is your task?” Asmodeus asked Kala with curiosity. Kala could tell that having one of these Atlases in front of him was extremely exciting to Asmodeus. She figured he’d probably been hunting them down for decades, maybe thousands of years, so to have one standing in front of him, must have been mind-blowing.

  Kala decided she’d just be honest. She really believed that Asmodeus was the key to saving Jack. “To kill Jack.”

  Kala looked Asmodeus in the eye and with as much intensity as she could muster added, “And I will never do that. Will you help protect him and get us somewhere safe?” she asked.

  A plan was forming in Kala’s head as she talked. If Asmodeus could find her anywhere, maybe he could disguise her anywhere, too. At this point, Kala just wanted this whole thing to be over. And to be completely honest, Kala felt that if she didn’t kill Jack the world wouldn’t end. Maybe this would be the way to break the Atlas curse: not do anything. Kala just wanted Jack to be safe, and though it was hard for her to admit, she wanted to be safe with him. Jack had said he loved her and she had said nothing back. Kala wanted to show him how much she loved him. By saving him.

  Asmodeus stared at Kala in dumb shock. After a moment he finally spoke, “You’re serious.”

  “Deadly,” Kala confirmed. “I didn’t ask for this. I still don’t believe I’m not having the most surreal roofie trip of my life. But, trip or not, I’m not killing Jack.” Kala felt tears welling up in her eyes. Just saying the words killing Jack out loud were painful. In that moment she didn’t care if the world did collapse, as long Jack was alive. It was the first time Kala truly understood why someone would pick ‘the one’ over ‘the many.’

  Asmodeus smiled at Kala and she found it frightening. Though she had expected Demons to look like horned devils, having a stunning looking man stare at her with ancient eyes was way more terrifying. “This is not at all what I expected. It makes me wonder how many Atlases I could have made deals with, if I could have found them.”

  “How did you find me? Do I have a smell or something?” Kala wanted his help, but she also wanted to ditch the guy.

  “Smell?” Asmodeus laughed. Kala had to admit, he looked almost normal when he laughed. “No. Once I touch a human, I can find them anywhere in the world. People are all unique, like a signature.”

  “Signatures can be forged.” Kala tried to punch a hole in his theory, or at least tried to think of a way to disguise her “signature.”

  “But souls cannot.” Asmodeus grinned maliciously.

  He had her there. How could Kala disguise her soul? Yeah, that wouldn’t be hard at all!

  “Does Penny have the same ability to track me as you do? Can you hide me from her and the Molonies or whatever?” Kala worried about “the good guys” finding them and trying to force Jack to kill her, or worse, trying to make her kill him, or even worse, finding out her mission and killing Jack themselves!

  “Malaks,” he corrected Kala. “And yes, they have the same ability, but I can hide you from them. Rearrange your
soul, if you will. I can shift your DNA slightly so you won’t be recognized. Of course, if they see you by sight, there’s nothing I can do, but I’ll assign a couple of my Demons to protect you.” Asmodeus was watching Kala like a cat eyeing a toy.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, “rearrange your soul,” but Kala decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. What choice did she have? “Let’s do this, then.” Kala rubbed her hands together, ready to go.

  Asmodeus paused. “You haven’t noticed my new appearance.”

  “I noticed.” Kala didn’t know why, but she liked messing with Asmodeus. She was fascinated by the fact that he actually cared what she thought of his appearance.

  “And?” Asmodeus prodded.

  Kala could tell that he was irked, but he was still trying to squeeze a compliment out of her. This was the wrong tactic on a girl like Kala.

  “Are we going to get Jack or what?” Kala evaded Asmodeus’s baiting on purpose.

  Asmodeus’s eyes grew round with rage, but he managed to stay calm as he said, “I can make you mine if I want.”

  “If you did that then I wouldn’t care if Jack died or not. I might actually try and complete my mission,” Kala said as if Asmodeus’s threat was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard. But his threat scared her. She didn’t want to lose the only real feelings she ever had for anyone, and Kala had no doubt that Asmodeus could erase Jack from her brain with a snap of his fingers.

  Asmodeus stepped closer to Kala and pulled her in, kissing her. Kala did not kiss back. She had been in this situation before and she decided to find out if Demons had private parts. Kala kneed him in the groin, when Asmodeus keeled over, she punched him in the face with both hands clasped together. Asmodeus flew backward and landed on his rump. His face was etched in pure shock. He stared at Kala like she was a foreign object he’d never seen before.

  “That’s the second time you’ve attacked me,” he said as if the idea was unfathomable to him.