Death Among Us

by Jack Crosby

  Death Among Us

  By Jack Crosby

  Amazon Edition

  © 2015

  Please do not re-distribute this book

  in any way or format for

  commercial purposes

  or change the content.

  This book is a work of fiction.

  All of the names, places,

  and events that occur are from

  the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to an actual

  person, alive or dead, place,

  historical event, or business establishment

  is purely coincidental.

  Cover image by Charles Greely

  Table of Contents:

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1 – Good Job Derrick

  Chapter 2 – That Sexy Fox Roxanne

  Chapter 3 – No Assets for You!

  Chapter 4 – Just Die Already

  Chapter 5 – Who’s Darius?

  Chapter 6 – George Washington 101

  Chapter 7 – So You Want to Die?

  Chapter 8 – Get Outta Here!

  Chapter 9 – Who’s ready for a Vacation?

  Chapter 10 – Khloros Gets an Upgrade

  Chapter 11 – Two Girls and a Guy

  Chapter 12 – An Axe to be Proud of

  Chapter 13 – Family Matters

  Chapter 14 – Enough Love to go Around

  Chapter 15 – Road Trip!!!

  Chapter 16 – We’re Going to the Library

  Chapter 17 – Making Connections

  Chapter 18 – Down the Rabbit Hole

  Chapter 19 – Consequences Suck

  Chapter 20 – Conquest

  Chapter 21 – The Fall of Quetzalcoatl

  Chapter 22 – Time to Get Back Up!

  Chapter 23 – Meet Abaddon, the Destroyer

  Chapter 24 – Tartarus, the Final Frontier

  Chapter 25 – Out of the Frying Pan…

  Chapter 26 – …And Into the Fire

  Chapter 27 – The Big Bad Wolf

  Chapter 28 – Run Death, Run!

  Chapter 29 – The Plan comes Together

  Chapter 30 – Clues for Five Hundred Please

  Chapter 31 – Another One Bites the Dust

  Chapter 32 – Hello Mr. Keen!

  Chapter 33 – A Day to Celebrate

  Chapter 34 – A Good Day to Die

  Chapter 35 – Good vs. Evil

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter 1 – Good Job Derrick

  “I can feel you tensing up Derrick. You must be so close.” The way she purred in my ear was maddening.

  “I’m…so close.” I was also panting quite hard. She knew exactly what she was doing.

  She leaned in closer, “You better hurry, my husband will be home any minute now.”

  “Husband?!”

  “You must’ve noticed the ring. Now enough talk, lean back and let me finish you off.”

  My heart started racing a hundred miles an hour. I was too far into this now to stop, but man did I miss the boat on the husband part. I hadn’t seen the ring at all. I closed my eyes and would worry about my conscious later. I felt her, Maggie was the name she had given me, gyrate her hips on me. I felt the spasm come on and grabbed her by the hips.

  “That’s it stud, take control. I’m so ready for you.” That was all she wrote and as she nibbled on my ears, I finished my business.

  “Damn…that was fantastic.” I took a deep breath and felt Maggie slide off me. It was only then I started to wonder if she was on birth control or not. There was also the husband issue.

  She cuddled up beside me, our naked bodies still pressed up firmly against each other. “I knew I wouldn’t regret bringing you home. But before you get too comfortable, you should probably leave. My husband’s not a very understanding man.”

  “No worries, just give me a few…” Then I heard it, the garage door.

  Maggie jumped up, “Hurry Derrick, you must leave now.”

  Needing no push in that direction, I jumped out of bed too. Quickly putting my shorts on and grabbing my sneakers, I headed towards the door.

  “You can’t go that way, but you can jump out the window.”

  “The window!”

  She came over and pushed me towards the window. “I’m so sorry, but it’s safer than running into Jim.”

  I opened the window and looked down. Great, twenty feet to the flower bed below. I looked back at Maggie and gave her one last kiss. “Call me sometime!”

  Then I jumped. As I got close to the ground, I tried to tuck and roll, but I landed in a bush instead. Not exactly a graceful exit, but it worked. Getting up and brushing myself off, I started to walk towards the road.

  “Who the fuck’s in our yard?!”

  I looked up at the window where I had just jumped and saw a very large and angry man pointing at me. Taking my queue, I started running.

  “Get back here you piece of shit! I’ll kill you for this!”

  I turned around again, and gave a cheerful wave and a smile. All that did was anger the man more. As he was flipping me off and screaming even more expletives, I got to my car. I wasted no time getting in and getting it started. As I took off down the street, the angry man was in his driveway with a baseball bat. He threw it in the car’s direction, but come up woefully short.

  “Haha! Got out of there in the nick of time!”

  “Congratulations for once again acting like an imbecile.” That’d be the car talking. I guess I should do a few quick introductions here.

  My name is Derrick Grimm and this is my car Khloros. He hasn’t always been a car, but to fit in better with the twenty-first century, he took the form of a 2013 Ford Taurus SHO. I wasn’t complaining, it was a pretty sweet ride.

  “Hey it wasn’t my fault! I had no idea she was married.”

  Khloros went silent. Great, I had pissed off my best friend.

  “Khloros, I know you don’t approve, but this is the life I’ve made for myself.”

  “Of course I do not approve. Someone as powerful as you should not be running around fornicating with humans!”

  It was my turn to go silent; this was not the first time we fought about my choices. I continued driving through the streets of Grantville, Pennsylvania. My apartment was at the edge of town, close to Mt. Wolf University where I was currently studying.

  “Derrick, you have a call coming in from Upstairs. Do you wish to take it?”

  No, no I didn’t want to take it, but I had to. Part of the deal was I never turned down a direct request. “Go ahead and patch it through.”

  The screen where the radio and song information was displayed went black for a second while Khloros connected the message through. When it clicked back on, a bald man with deep blue eyes was looking at me. “So what do I owe the pleasure for this visit Yuri?”

  “We need your help. I have a contact en route to your location to brief you with the situation. She will get in contact with you tomorrow morning to meet and go over the situation.”

  “What is this about?” I hated it when the guys from Upstairs were so vague with their jobs.

  “I would rather not say over unsecure channels. We do not know the origin of the trouble, whether it comes from Downstairs or from another faction. You will be briefed in your meeting.”

  “Fine, have your contact reach out to Khloros. He’ll arrange everything as per the agreement.”

  Yuri nodded, “Very well. I will be in touch.” And just like that, the screen was black again.

  “Great, just what mess are we getting involved in this time old friend?”

  “I do not know. As with all the jobs we are assigned, I suggest we use the utmost caution.” Whereas I was reckless one
, Khloros was the voice of reason in this duo. He had saved my hide more times than I cared to count.

  We pulled into the parking garage of the apartment complex. Parking and wishing my buddy a good evening, I made my way to my place. As I approached the door, I smelled something I hadn’t ever smelled at my home; brimstone.

  Carefully, I opened the door and entered. There were no signs of forced entry or signs that anyone was here. I made my way into the kitchen and saw a beer sitting on the counter top. “Whoever is here, show yourself now.”

  “Is that anyway to greet a guest in your home?” The form materialized in front of me. Now it doesn’t help that I am a bit on the short side, as everyone is usually taller than me. Also ladies, I like to stay in shape, more athletic than built, so if you are ever in the area, look me up. There aren’t many Derrick Grimms.

  I digress though, the figure was taller than me, but it was more than likely do to her wearing six inch heels. Dark raven colored hair framed her face, and her body was amazing. The skirt and sweater combination she had on did her justice.

  I know better than to be distracted. I reached into my pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a harmless piece of wood. “Lust demon, you know what’s in my hand. Now tell me why I should not cut you down?”

  Her eyes went straight for the stick, fear oozing out of them. “Please, I ask you to listen to me. I bring you information.”

  “What information could a demon have for me? Who are you working for?”

  “I worked for Lord Beelzebub before I defected. My information probably has a lot to do with why the angels Upstairs just contacted you.”

  That took me by surprise. “Sit down; it seems we do have some things to talk about.”

  The Lust demon took a seat at my kitchen table. Pizza boxes littered the area and I was respectful enough to clear them off. I took a seat across from her. “What is your name?”

  “When I defected from Downstairs, I took the name Roxanne. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to use that name.”

  As someone who was using an alias, I couldn’t complain about that. “Okay Roxanne, why are you in my home?”

  “Like I said, I defected from Lord Beelzebub many years ago. Before I left, I overheard my master talk about a plot to invade Earth. It revolved around replacing an elected leader with someone of their own choosing. I do not know who Beelzebub was working with, but a few days ago I caught wind of some information that seemed strange. When I investigated further, my fears became real.”

  Her red eyes seemed genuine, something I had never seen in a demon before. “Go on, what did you hear?”

  “From what I learned, Beelzebub plans to assassinate the President of the United States. The Vice President, John Keen, is actually a Greed demon. I think you can see where this is going.”

  I sat back in my chair. “My God, if this is true, there is no telling what damage could be caused.”

  Roxanne leaned in. Her cleavage was right in front of me, but now was not them time to stare – at least long. “I know you do not trust my kind and for good reason, but the situation is dire.” I don’t know if she did it on purpose or if it’s just the nature of a Lust demon, but she squeezed her arms in and made her breasts pop out even more.

  I swallowed hard, “I get the importance of this, but why come to me?”

  “That is easy. Everyone knows and fears the powers of the Horseman Death.”

  Chapter 2 – That Sexy Fox Roxanne

  Yep, underneath this early twenties looking façade, I’m the Horseman Death (queue up the scary music). Though to be honest, the skeleton guy holding the scythe is a bit Hollywood. I never looked like that. I’ve always been a bit thin and on the white side, but never a skeleton.

  The black cloak, that’s totally me. I thought it made me look bigger and more intimidating. My brother War is like six foot-three so I felt a bit undersized at barely five foot-eight. Now-a-days, no one really cares, but the cloak stuck with as one of my symbols.

  “Master Death, do you believe me?”

  I looked at her and something in my mind said she was trustworthy. Plus she was insanely hot and as Khloros would tell you, I’m a sucker for a hot chick. “Don’t make me regret this Roxanne, but I do believe you.”

  “You won’t Master Death. I will do everything in my power to make sure we succeed in stopping this plot.”

  Hang on a minute, “What do you mean we?”

  “That’s simple; I am your servant now. By granting my asylum in your home and establishing trust in me, I am yours to command.”

  Ahhhh damnit! How could I be so stupid?! The rules of celestial beings and demons are a bit different than in the human world. By allowing her in my apartment and then displaying an act of trust, I essentially bound the Lust demon to my household. Depending on how her previous “relationship” with Beelzebub ended, I might be royally fucked here.

  “Roxanne, tell me you were released willingly by Beelzebub, or at the very least, aren’t important enough that you being here won’t bring Hell down on top of me?”

  Her look told it all. “I should’ve been more upfront, but I wasn’t released willingly. I tricked him into releasing me.”

  “The answer to the next question is very important. Just how high up were you in Beelzebub’s court?”

  “I was Lord Beelzebub’s first mate.”

  I ran my hand through the hair. This was seriously not happening. I needed to go to bed, today had been a total disaster from the beginning to the end. Khloros would be so pissed in the morning.

  “I take it you are quite upset with me Master.”

  “Oh no, I’m totally cool with everything. I don’t know why you would think I am pissed off that you lied to me and manipulated the rules so blatantly!”

  Damn her, sitting there so cool with a half smile on her face. She knew she had won. “It is not my fault you forgot the rules. Maybe if you didn’t live in such self imposed exile…”

  “Yeah yeah, this is my entire fault, I get it.” It pissed me off even more that she was right. Usually, my only dealings with my former life were with the angel Yuri and the demons he had me hunt down. Even then, I never talked to any of them. Seriously, who would want to talk to Death when he was coming to end your life?

  “Do not be so hard on yourself Master; I am quite good at my job too. It’s true that I came here intentionally seeking protection, but the information I gave you is quite true.”

  Right now, that was Roxanne’s only saving grace. “Let’s focus on that for a minute. The Vice President is a Greed demon and if they get the President out of the way, he takes over.”

  “There is more to it. Once the Greed demon is in the office of President, Beelzebub will have free run of the White House to find an artifact that is supposed to open the gates of Hell permanently.”

  I was right; I should’ve gone to bed. Demons and angels can come and go in small numbers. If the gates of Hell were ripped open, thousands of demons would run rampant. Can you say ‘End Times?’

  “What artifact here on Earth could do that? I thought the Almighty destroyed them all.”

  “This artifact isn’t active right now. But if one more requirement is met, it will become a tool that he can use to open the rift.”

  I had a pretty good running knowledge of all artifacts here in the good old United States as I’ve lived here since before the Revolutionary War. My newest “employee” Roxanne didn’t seem to want to give the information freely, so I decided to see if I could guess what it was.

  Now to become an artifact that could open the rift, as she said, certain requirements had to be met. The item had to have been made by a celestial being, used by a mortal in a moment of significance, and most importantly, the item must be used to kill a demon or angel. Once those requirements are met, the item gives the being holding it the power to open up a path to Heaven or Hell.

  Thinking hard here, I tried my best to think of any item that would fit. There were only a few things l
eft on Earth that were made by any celestial being, let alone something used by a mortal in a significant event. Besides, what idiot would make something and give it to a mortal?

  “Master, are you okay over there? You seem lost in thought.”

  I looked up; Roxanne was cleaning my kitchen for me. That was nice of her. “Yeah, I’m just trying to think what dumbass would actually make something here on Earth and give it to a mortal.”

  “That shouldn’t take too long to figure out, as you are the dumbass to quote your words Master.”

  “What?”

  She started laughing at me. “Oh, you don’t remember do you? I’m surprised by that.”

  I started thinking. Khloros would know, but to get him involved now would give me an even bigger headache. Sometimes I wished he wasn’t such a condensing asshole. Granted, he’s normally right, but that isn’t the point here. What would I have created? Then it hit me.

  “Oh shit.”

  Roxanne looked pleased. “I take it you remembered now?”

  “He’s after George Washington’s axe?”

  She went over to the sink and started washing dishes. “The very same. By the way, do you ever clean in here? This place is disgusting.”

  “My cleanliness isn’t the problem here. How does your former master know about the axe? Only myself, Khloros and Washington himself knew I crafted that for him.”

  “I do not know Master, but it is obviously no longer a secret.” She was already drying the cups and plates. How did she do them so quickly? “Why did you make Washington’s axe for him?”

  “That’s not a story for right now. Regardless, the damage has been done.”

  She walked back over from the sink and stood behind me. Rubbing my shoulders, “Unless they succeed in killing the President, worrying about the axe is pointless.”

  It had been a long night and this felt fantastic. “So the axe is stored at the White House?”

  “Yes Master, in a hidden room underneath the Oval Office. With all the secret service agents and different levels of security, the Greed demon has been unsuccessful in getting in unnoticed. This is why they need to assassinate the President. Plus Greed demons are never happy unless they can get even more.”