Suddenly the machine gave out a high pitched whine. The beam disappeared from behind John as the device expanded. Each and every ring separated all over the devices frame. Each separate piece extended out from the central core as jets of what appeared to be steam spewed from the links. John realized that his chance had finally come. Not wanting to take a forward approach, he ran as hard as he could around the device, toward what he assumed was its backside. The machine was exposed to him and so John raised his sword for an easy kill, but that was not the case.
The eye that made up the core of the device suddenly flipped around toward John. He could feel his muscles tense up as he expected another beam to fire, but instead he was met with a strong force that impacted into his chest, sending him flying backwards into a light pole behind him. The machine had blasted him with some sort of force field that now shined a translucent yellow around it. Quickly, the ring links rejoined their partners as the device was reassembled. It began to spin up again before releasing another white hot beam of light.
John managed to pull himself up off of the ground and avoid the attack, but he was right back where he had started. He tossed ideas around in his head as he ran as hard as he could. Suddenly, one idea stood out in his mind. It was risky, extremely dangerous even, and Aerin would surely call him stupid if she could hear it, but there was no time for hesitation. John suddenly turned on his heel and spun around to face the beam. He raised his sword high above his head before bringing it down upon the beam that was about to burn him in two. He gripped the hilt tightly and prayed that luck was on his side.
As fate would have it, the first part of his plan had worked. The beam impacted into John's blade and fired off in two separate directions around him, redirected as if it was light through a prism. Whether all Slayer weapons functioned in a similar manner or if John's blade was unique, it didn't matter. Magical energy and his sword didn’t mix very well, and he was going to use this to the best of his benefit that he could manage. John grit his teeth and held onto the hilt as hard as he could. The beam grated against his blade as if it was grating against his very soul. He could hear a loud scratching sound like someone was running their fingernails down a chalkboard. Every single second was torture.
Finally, John's opportunity presented itself again. The device let out another high pitched whine as it separated itself. The links opened up and extended, held floating by some force as a thick cloud of steam billowed out. The second part of John's plan had been to rush up and stab the machine square in the eye while it was in its cooling cycle, but unfortunately for John his sword had become too hot to hold. The metal had turned a bright red all the way to the hilt, and he was forced to leave it behind on the ground. He ran straight at the machine as hard as he could. With his fist drawn back he jumped into the air and lunged at the device. His glove covered fist made hard contact with the machine's eye and it let out a higher pitched whine that it had before. A crack splintered across the core and the machine immediately folded itself back up before falling harmlessly to the ground before John.
A quiet stillness fell upon the area as John stood over the, now defunct, machine. The light that had shone from its eye had grown dark and it had ceased all function. Something inside John had told him the plan would work; it was the same voice in the back of his head that had been telling him each and every time that his crazy ideas would pull through, and so far he had no reason to argue with it. With the machine slain, John turned around and scanned the area for the Demon.
"Well done!" The Demon’s voice echoed across the street. John turned around quickly to try and see where it had come from. "It only took you two tries to take down the Throne… I’m impressed."
John glanced back and forth around him as he searched for the source of the voice. His eyes quickly darted downward at the device below him. A Throne, the machine looked more like a manhole cover than a chair to him. He quickly perished the though and turned to find the demon standing almost directly beside him. John flinched hard as he jumped back away from the demon, which was smiling ear to ear at John.
"You really aren't the same man from before... are you?" The demon said with a puzzled expression.
Something about the demon set John off. Just looking at him was causing his blood to boil. The way he stood, the smug look on his face, the stupid way he tilted his head quizzically, it was all bringing John's anger to a head. The demon before him was a monster, and it was responsible for something horrible. John ran the scenario over and over in his mind. He remembered what had happened, what he had been forced to do. If only he had been able to capture this demon's soul in the first place.
"I'm going to kill you." John said as he reached down and pulled his sword from where he had left it. "I'm going to kill you right now. And I'm going to make sure you stay dead."
"I'd like to see you try." The demon said with a wink.
John rushed forward and swung his sword wildly at the demon. Just like in their first fight, the demon easily dodged and sidestepped each strike with ease. He jumped back just out of John’s reach, the sword missing his chest by mere inches, all the while a smile was spread out across his face. This only served to infuriate John and so he put even more power into his strikes. The basics went out the window as John could only focus on one thing, his need to murder the creature in front of him.
His peripheral vision began to disappear as his sight tunneled. He could only see the demon now. He stumbled over debris and anything else that was in between him and his target. Nothing else mattered. He saw the Hellhound for a split second, and a pain in his chest rang out. He knew what was coming. Next was Emily. He remembered what he had to do, what he had been forced to do, all because of the monster in front of him. He clenched his teeth and swung again, only to miss once more. John screamed. He could feel the veins in his head thumping with the beat of his heart. His hands were shaking. Suddenly, he saw something.
It was Aerin. He had caught a glimpse of her suddenly, much like he had just seen Emily and the Hellhound. She was sitting at the park bench in station, eating that donut John had bought her long ago, a smile on her face. He saw her again as she ran forward and scooped up Meredith in the airport, both girls laughing as they twirled around in each other's arms. And finally, he saw her once again, this time in his arms. He remembered how she felt, so fragile and small. John stopped in his tracks as a strange peace flowed over him. It was as if a realization had come from somewhere deep inside, and with it the rage and anger subsided.
"It wasn't your fault." John spoke.
"Wha-?" Confusion flooded the demon's face.
"It wasn't my fault." John said with a heavy sigh, the sword slowly lowering in his hands. "What happened, happened."
"Are... you alright?" The demon asked with one eyebrow raised.
"This..." John glanced down at his sword. "This isn't right.” He shook his head before looking back ahead. “It isn't what she'd want." John stared at the demon before him, determination and purpose returning to his face once more. "We're going to do this right." He said as he raised his sword toward his opponent.
"Well, I’m not sure what’s going on…” The demon stated before a smile spread out across his face again. “It seems like you really have changed, Slayer. Fine, if it’s a fight you want, then I’ll gladly give you one!”
The demon jumped backwards onto a pile of rubble and crossed his arms before closing his eyes. John could feel an aura emanating from the demon as its power began to charge. The demon clenched his hands into fists as something began to take form. Suddenly he threw his arms to the side as a dark aura, much like John's own inferno, shot up around him. When the shadowy wall faded the demon stood, two swords in hand. They were odd. From the hilt to about a foot away it appeared to be a normal sword, but the blade made a sudden sharp ninety degree turn downward before curving out and upwards, much like an Egyptian Khopesh. A few inches of tassel hung off the back side of the hilt.
"The hell is this?" John question
ed.
"You had the same reaction I did!” The demon almost giggled.
"You were a mage when I fought you." John stated. "How the hell are you a swordsman now?"
"It looks like when my soul reemerged I was given these." The demon said as he held up and examined his two swords.
"When it reemerged? How the hell did you come back?"
"There's a reason you Slayers capture our souls you know…" The demon laughed. "Or else we get away... and people like my Queen pull us from the void and make us whole again."
John thought on the demon’s words for a moment, thinking back to his first fight with this demon. It had detonated an explosive spell in its own hands, committing suicide rather than falling to John’s blade. It seemed like what he’d been taught about demons was correct. Suddenly, a thought jumped out in his mind. "Your Queen?" John repeated.
"Oh dear!" The demon snapped to attention. "It appears I’ve said too much..." Suddenly he readied his weapons, finished with their conversation.
Both John and the demon rushed forward, swords at the ready. They brought their swords together and just as they struck a loud explosion rang out above. They both pulled back hard and stopped as multiple more explosions lit up the pale gray sky above. John watched as flak fired high into the sky from deep within Los Angeles, exploding into brilliant colors high above the city's skyscrapers. Something big was happening.
"Looks like it's begun..." The demon muttered softly, almost too quiet for John to hear.
"What did you say?" John turned his attention back to the demon. "What's going on?"
"Sorry." The demon said looking down before he vanished suddenly.
John searched around frantically for his enemy. He closed his eyes briefly and searched for his energy signature, and in no time he had found him. The demon stood in the rubble of the helicopter behind John, the Throne tucked beneath his arm.
"The hell do you think you're going?!" John shouted.
"I hate to leave when it was getting so fun..." The demon said with, what appeared to be, a forced smile. "But my Queen needs me!"
"No!" John shouted and ran toward the demon. He swung his sword, but cut nothing but air. The demon had vanished again. "Dammit!"
He closed his eyes again and searched for the demon, but all he could feel was himself. A mix of emotions boiled inside of John again. All of his peace of mind, his calm heart, it had all been for nothing. Once again he’d been denied a satisfying victory.
John shook off the feeling and turned his attention toward the city, more so where Aerin was. He could see plumes of smoke and embers rising into the dark gray sky, and as they rose higher his concern grew greater. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and fished out his phone, what he found left him with a heavy feeling. The screen was shattered, destroyed in the crash. John shoved the dead phone back into his pocket as a thought crossed his mind. He sheathed his blade and ran towards the front of the chopper. If the radio in the cockpit had survived, there was a chance he could call HUNTER and find out what was going on. He climbed atop the charred remains of the hull and dropped down into what was left of the cockpit.
The radio had remained mostly untouched by the fire, which now had faded. John picked up a headset that had been dropped and attempted to work the device. However, all he could hear was silence. No amount of fooling with the dials or switches would make the radio come to life. John threw the headset to the ground in anger, mostly directed at his inability to work the device, and tried desperately to think of another way.
Suddenly there was a loud screech from outside. It sounded like the squeal of tires, and it had been very close. John clambered up and out of the helicopter to the sound of a horn blaring. As he reached the top, he had to shield his eyes to avoid being blinded by the lights.
"Come on, mate!" A voice called out. It was a voice John recognized, and one he was all too happy to hear.
"Lazarus?!" John exclaimed as he flipped his legs over the edge of the chopper and dropped down onto the ground. He ran toward the light, and as he got closer a familiar vehicle took form before him. The Charger.
"We gotta go!" Lazarus shouted as he jumped back into the driver’s seat and pulled the door shut.
"Boy, am I glad to see you." John jumped in beside him and slammed his door. "We've got problems."
"You ain't kiddin’." Lazarus threw the car in gear and spun it around, sending all sorts of gravel and debris behind them.
"What the hell is even going on, Laz?" John asked.
"War, mate." Lazarus replied.
"War?" John echoed in disbelief. "With who?"
"A crazy bitch named Irileth." Lazarus stated. "Meredith's sister. Apparently they've been going at it for years, and neither of 'em has been able to do the other in. This time she brought a whole damn army with her."
John could hardly believe what he was hearing. Any sister of Meredith’s was surely as powerful as she was. Now John had never seen what Meredith was capable of, but just being in her presence gave him a pretty good idea. Whoever Irileth was, she was not to be taken lightly. He watched as Lazarus raced the charger down the city streets and up onto the freeway. The Australian bobbed in and around the frozen ghosts of cars that had been driving just before the barrier went up. John marveled at the barrier around the city, though he was still a bit confused about the mechanics of the thing. As the freeway took them higher up they could see out towards where the HUNTER building lay. A faint glow of fire in the distance lit up the pale skyline as occasional explosions rang out all around. John couldn't help but worry about Aerin still inside the infirmary.
"Hey, Laz." John spoke again. "How're the others doing?"
"They're..." Lazarus paused briefly. "Shit!" He exclaimed. "I turned off your radio!"
He reached down and tapped the digital screen. A menu appeared which Lazarus promptly ignored. Without taking his eyes off of the road, he moved his finger down to the bottom right of the screen and tapped the mute button. Suddenly the Charger was filled with dozens of radio transmissions coming from deep inside the city.
"Capricorn, get to the garage!"
"Holy shit did anyone hear that?"
"Roger that!"
"Bring those ammo boxes over here! Hurry we'll cover you!"
"I need a squad down here on East Street now!"
"South is getting hammered! We need backup!"
"What the hell is that?! Oh Sh-"
"Oh God, Sagittarius just flat lined!"
"Orion pull back! Get back to the garage!"
"Ah- Shit! Roger that! Orion let's go!"
John recognized the voice from before. He glanced over and noticed Lazarus' grip on the wheel had tightened. His eyes darted back and forth nervously as he listened to the transmissions.
"This is bad!"
"North squads report!"
"This is Libra! North is overrun, we’re falling back!"
"West is overrun! Send support!"
"Roger, Gemini move in to assist."
"Negative! We can't move from this- Shit! Orion get over here!"
"What the hell is that!"
"Oh Shit! Ryan!"
"Get some fire on that thing! Now!"
"Orion just flat lined!"
"Dammit! No!" Lazarus shouted as he punched the steering wheel. He clenched his teeth and shifted the Charger once more, picking up more speed.
"East is done! Pulling out!"
"West pull back! It's over!"
"Roger!"
"Shit this is bad."
"All streets are lost! Repeat all streets are lost! Set the charges!"
"Let's blow the shit out of 'em!"
"Woah, woah, what?!" John questioned. "What's going on?"
"Dammit..." Lazarus cursed under his breath as he turned the Charger hard around a tight corner. "They're gonna use N2."
"N2?" John repeated.
"Non-Nuclear." Lazarus explained. "It's the biggest bombs we’ve got."
"Oh God..." John felt himse
lf slide into his seat as the radio chatter began again.
"N2’s in place. Awaiting detonation from safe distance."
"All shield bearing squads, get ready."
"Capricorn in position."
"Hydra in position."
"Virgo is in position and ready."
"All remaining squads are inside and accounted for."
"Wait!" One voice came over the radio that sounded familiar. "Gemini Actual and S2 aren't inside yet!"
"Lazarus! Get your ass in here now!"
"Ah! Dammit!" Lazarus shouted as he pushed the pedal down as hard as he could. Any harder and it would've gone through the firewall into the engine. "Hold that gate open! You blow my arse up and I'll haunt you forever!"
The Charger roared down the frozen city streets. Up ahead, John could make out the HUNTER building, strangely it appeared to be the only thing alive in this gray world. Moving towards the building John could see dozens of shapes appearing. Seemingly forming from nothingness, these shadows appeared and rushed towards the building clambering over or shoving anything out of their way. John’s senses were going crazy; he could feel so many different power signatures around him. Some felt familiar while others were completely foreign. He felt regular demons, some like he had faced before, along with stronger ones similar to the Fire Demon. Up ahead, John could see a few dozen smaller ones. They were about half the size of a man and appeared to run on all fours. They ran hard toward the open garage as many of them fell to concentrated gunfire. Though the squad inside was killing whatever they were, the creatures seemed to appear out of nothingness to continue their unrelenting charge. Just before Lazarus could make it to the garage entrance, a large black wall sprung forth. It raised high above the building, covering what appeared to be a third of it.
"Shit!" Lazarus shouted.
He slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard before hitting the gas again. The Charger fishtailed into many of the smaller creatures, slamming them into the black wall. Those that hit the wall burned away and vaporized upon impact, their small bodies keeping the Charger inches from a similar fate. As Lazarus guided the car through a large group of the monsters, one he had hit managed to flip up onto the hood. It shook its head, knocking the disorientation from itself before flipping around and screeching at the two humans below. It was a ghastly creature, appearing as a large wisp of smoke with claws on its hands and feet.
Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale Page 29
