They were hellhounds.
Well, of course.
Avriel, if I make it through this, I am gonna kick your ass, I thought, stuffing the fruit in my pocket and fumbling for my knife. The hellhounds here in the stomach weren’t like the ones I’d faced before, which had shaggy fur, red eyes, and claws. These ones had short, slick black fur, two heads, and white eyes with no pupils. None of them flinched when my flashlight hit their faces. I realized they must have been blind, going off sound and smell alone. That at least gave me a slight advantage.
Holding my breath so they couldn’t hear me, I stooped and picked up an emaciated dorsal fin that appeared to have belonged to a killer whale. Then I flung it as hard as I could behind them.
It hit the far wall of the stomach with a loud splatter. They whirled, lunging for it. I made a break for the other side, cursing the sticky stomach acid that slowed me down. I got about halfway there before the hounds realized they’d been tricked and jumped in after me. Their sleek bodies cut through the slime like a knife through butter. I’d never make it to the edge in time.
The first hound lunged for me. I threw myself backwards, holding up the knife. It plunged into the hound’s chest, but the weight of the creature shoved me into the acid. I shoved its corpse away and got my feet beneath me, flailing through the mire. When I resurfaced, the stomach acid clung to my skin like mucus and I could feel a faint stinging sensation. I cleaned off as much as I could before as the other two hellhounds started closing in. I climbed onto the side of what used to be part of a whale, brandishing the knife at them as they paddled closer. I checked my watch again. Only a minute left. Shit!
The hound on the left lurched for me. I ducked. It sailed past my head and hit the opposite wall with a yelp, knocking itself out. The last one grabbed my ankle with one of its mouths, trying to drag me into the acid with it, but I stabbed the other head repeatedly, forcing it to let go. I heard growls in the distance towards the other end of the stomach where the tract led to the second one. Reinforcements were on the way.
I heard a crackling sound in my ear, realizing that I hadn’t taken the mic out. The water and muck had damaged it, but I could still hear bits of words.
“Jor…find…fruit…?”
I lowered the oxygen mask, nearly gagging in the noxious air when I tried to talk. It took me a couple of tries to get a full sentence out.
“Yeah,” I yelled back, wading as fast as I could to get to the spot where I’d climbed in. “If you can hear me, I’m almost out. Just hold on.”
There was a faint crevice in the lining of the stomach indicating where I’d gotten in. I fell to my knees and hacked at it as hard as I could. The hounds behind me barked as they got closer.
My knife snapped in half. I screamed in frustration, shoving the broken blade in my pocket and digging with my hands instead, tearing at the thick skin until it gave out beneath me and ice cold water gushed in. Just as the nearest hound leapt for me, I shoved myself down into the hole and pulled myself out the other side. I swam into the sea, checking to see if the hound had followed me through, but the scales had already sealed up. I was free.
I swam up through the icy water until I broke the surface, tearing off my breathing apparatus and screaming for my husband. “Michael!”
Behind me, the Leviathan let out a terrible sound of agony. Our plan had worked. Its limbs slowed and it stopped swimming forward, its head shaking back and forth weakly, nearly sending Belial flying from his perch on its forehead.
Michael came soaring towards me and plucked me out of the sea, unable to stop a smile from overtaking his face.
“You’re definitely a sight for sore—”
He was cut off as the Leviathan’s arm smashed into us, knocking me out of his grip and sending him spinning out of control. I shrieked as I plummeted towards the water, my oxygen tank torn away, trying to brace myself, but then the huge hand came around again and caught me. It lifted me up to the top of its head where Belial stood, seething.
“You just don’t know when to give up, do you?” he snarled, losing that infinite cool he always seemed to have.
My arms were pinned to my sides. I couldn’t move an inch. Nothing to attack the bastard with except for sarcasm. “Sorry, Bels. It’s who I am.”
“Give me back the fruit and I will let you live.”
“Get bent.”
The Leviathan squeezed all the air out of my lungs. My vision spun in front of my eyes and my ribs began to crumple inside me, almost to the point of cracking. I tried to ignore the pain, giving him nothing but a contemptuous stare. When he saw that I wouldn’t break, he let out a growl of frustration.
“Stubborn girl.”
The Leviathan dropped me at his feet. I gasped in a lungful of air, shaking all over with relief that I could breathe again.
Belial let go of the creature’s antennas, instead grabbing me by the throat and pulling me up against him. I struggled to no avail. His other arm crushed me into the front of his body and trapped my arms by my hips.
“It always comes down to this, doesn’t it?” he murmured with a smirk. “You and me, and the end of the world. I think it’s destiny, to be honest. An eternity spent playing this game until someday, one of us wins. What do you think, sweet Jordan? Am I the victor, or are you? Or are we both going to lose?”
“The only thing that’s destined to be is me killing you,” I said in a low voice. “It may not be today or tomorrow or the day after that, but I will make you pay and you will never hurt anyone ever again.”
He leaned towards my lips, chuckling. “How could I refuse such a woman?”
He stopped a millimeter away from kissing me, speaking louder. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, archangel.”
I tilted my head to see over his shoulder. Michael stood behind him, the tip of his sword resting at the base of Belial’s spine. The archangel’s chest was heaving and I could tell every inch of him wanted to run the demon through with his blade.
“Why not?” Michael said, his voice at a growling pitch in his rage.
“Because you’ll have to kill us both. Do you have the restraint to stab only me in your current state? I’m guessing not. So I’d back off if I were you.”
“Your Leviathan is dying, Belial. All I have to do is wait it out and you’ll be finished.”
The demon sighed, a rush of hot air against my cheeks. “And all I have to do is snap her precious little neck. Here is what is going to happen. Jordan will give the fruit back to the Leviathan and I will let her live. Sound fair to you?”
Michael’s grip tightened on the sword. He wanted to do it so badly. Part of me wanted to let him. My death would be a minor loss compared to sending this bastard back to Hell where he belonged. But I could see in Michael’s eyes that he knew Belial would do it. Even after all of his double crossing, Belial wanted victory more than he wanted me.
Slowly, the archangel lowered his weapon. Belial’s smile widened, his eyes joyous as they burned into mine in the silvery moonlight. “You see? I always get what I want.”
I slipped my hand into my pocket. “Not anymore.”
I grabbed the broken end of the knife and stabbed him in the chest with it. He jerked against me, shock blooming across his pale face. Blood flowed over us both, dripping down between our bodies like an intimate secret. He swayed as the wound took its toll, not enough to kill him, but enough to slow him down so that Michael could make the final blow. I expected him to say something insulting, but instead, he laid his cold lips against my cheek and whispered three words.
“That’s my girl.”
He fell to his knees, clutching the wound. Michael walked around to face him, staring down at the archdemon with vengeance in his eyes. He lifted the sword’s tip to Belial’s chest.
“Vaya con dios, you son of a bitch.”
He ran Belial through with his sword, twisting it just to make sure he hit the space where the demon’s heart should have been.
The Leviathan l
et out a deafening wail. It had gone too long without the fruit. Its body started to sink into the ocean, nearly knocking me off my feet as its head fell forward.
Michael grabbed my wrist and launched us into the air. The demon’s body tumbled off of the Leviathan and sank into the water below.
With me in tow, Michael flew around to the side of the dying monster’s head. He shoved his sword into the mark shaped like a gate underneath its jawbone. It glowed a lovely golden hue. The Leviathan’s mighty jaws closed and the writhing tentacles sucked back inside them before it vanished into the depths of the ocean, hopefully never to be seen again.
Good riddance.
Chapter 38
Jordan
THE AFTERMATH OF the Leviathan’s rising was as disastrous as the path left by a hurricane. Hundreds of people reported the supernatural sounds they’d heard after leaving the ship, but thankfully, Michael’s angels had prevented any of the passengers from getting killed. Unfortunately, many of them lost their lives in the process.
Avriel returned to Heaven for Judgment. It would be a while before I heard his sentencing or if he’d be pardoned since he ended up helping us after all. I almost wished I could defend him myself, but it wasn’t like I was someone Heaven was happy with at the moment.
Belial’s body was never recovered. With the Leviathan defeated, the demons who had abducted Juliana’s parents let them go. I personally handed her back to her mother, who cried and thanked me so graciously that it was painful. I didn’t want the thanks. The girl had been put through so much and this wouldn’t be the end for her, either. Someday, she would grow up and these terrible choices would rest on her shoulders as well. I couldn’t tell her parents the truth, but I left them with my number and made them promise to keep in touch. I couldn’t help her now, but God-willing, I could help her when she needed guidance in the future. The path of a Seer was long, painful, and cruel. I wouldn’t let her walk it alone.
It was a long flight back to Albany, especially since I knew what awaited me there. Michael and I argued before we left Trømso. I was going to turn myself in while he wanted me to head to a non-extradition country until the heat was off of our unfortunate case. We couldn’t resurrect Avriel’s body, so there was no way to prove I didn’t kill him. Even if we could, there was still the nasty business of breaking Belial out of police custody and kidnapping a federal suspect. The cops probably hadn’t been able to identify me with my gas mask on, but my face was unhidden when we busted the demon out. Either way, I was up shit creek.
I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of prison. It scared me half to death knowing I’d be without freedom, without choice, without the few people left that I cared about. However, after three years filled with murders, the deaths of loved ones, and the threat of the end of the world, I figured I could survive. After all, with me put away, my friends had nothing to worry about. The demons would know I was neutralized. Other Seers would arise to take my place. The world wouldn’t be threatened due to my actions. I made the choices. Now, I would have to live with the consequences.
These thoughts circulated in my head as I sat in an interrogation room of the Albany Police Department, my hands cuffed behind my back, staring at my reflection in the mirror. It had almost been hilarious watching the look on the officers’ faces when I told them who I was. Then again, maybe shock had set in and I was just numb now. Not sure.
At last, the door opened. A short white man in his late thirties with a receding hairline and a black suit walked in. He was smiling. It was unusual.
“Mrs. O’Brien?”
I flinched. Still didn’t sound right to me. “Sir?”
“Please, call me Agent Clark,” he insisted, taking the seat across from me.
“Agent Clark, then. How can I help you?”
“I’m impressed, you know. Most people with your sort of charges don’t waltz right into the arms of the authorities. You’ve avoided capture for, what? Seven days? That’s no mean feat, I’ve got to say.”
I stared at him, confused by his cheerfulness. Maybe he was playing good cop. “Um, thank you?”
“You’re welcome. Before we proceed any further, I need to ask you why you decided to turn yourself in.”
“I’ve made mistakes. I’ve hurt people. There’s a price to pay for that, and I’m going to pay it because it’s the right thing to do.”
“That’s very noble of you,” he said, and it sounded oddly genuine. “I don’t see that a lot in my line of work, trust me.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
“You don’t seem like the type who is easily surprised. I didn’t think I was either, until this afternoon.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What happened this afternoon?”
“Someone called me. You might know him. About six feet tall, black, nice smile, big ears, pretty wife?”
I paused. “Why the hell did Will Smith call you?”
He laughed. “Good guess, but no. It was the President.”
My mouth went dry. “The President of the United States called you?”
“Yeah. And you’ll never guess what he had to say.”
I licked my dry lips, completely out of my depth. “What?”
“That he read about your case and thought you should be acquitted of all charges.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me, right?”
“I’d love to be shitting you, but you’re focusing on the wrong issue here, Mrs. O’Brien. Please take a look at this sheet for me and tell me what you see.”
He slid a piece of paper forward. I leaned in, scanning it. It was a list of phone calls to the Oval Office, hundreds of them, with only one highlighted in yellow. I let my eyes drift across to the digits and felt the blood rush out of my face. I knew those digits.
It was Gabriel’s phone number.
“Agent Clark, I don’t understand—” I began, but he held up his hand.
“I’m sure this may come as a shock to you. Maybe you don’t know your friend Mr. Solberg as well as you think. That phone call lasted only two minutes. It took him two minutes to call in a favor to the President of the United States. That kind of power isn’t something that just any old body has. This man has connections that go beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. He knew that if he made this call, his position would come under a fire so heavy that it will take years to recover. As you can understand, we’ve frozen all his assets and he’s going to be under a serious investigation for quite some time.”
Agent Clark folded his hands, setting his brown eyes on me. “However, after an extensive Q and A with the Big Guy, he has not changed his position on you. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re free to go.”
I didn’t move from my spot. This new information just buzzed around my head like a dozen drunken flies. Gabriel had so much power that he could talk to the freaking President. What in God’s name happened during that phone call? What the hell did Gabriel do to get him to pardon me?
“I…” Words failed me. I had to swallow hard twice just to finish the sentence.
“…honestly don’t know what to say.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t either, if I were you.” The smile was gone and there was a serious look in its place. “Mrs. O’Brien, I hope you understand the gravity of your situation. You may be cleared of the charges, but from this day forward, there is nothing that you can do which won’t be under a microscope. My suggestion? Learn from this. Build a new life. Take care of your loved ones. And I hope for your sake that we never meet again because if we do…I’m going to nail your ass to the wall. Do we understand each other?”
“Perfectly.”
Then, like magic, the chipper smile returned. “Now, if you don’t have any other questions for me, I suggest you head home. It’s nice out. I’d walk instead of taking the bus.”
He stood, walked around my chair, and undid my handcuffs. Numbly, I got up and walked out of the door, thoroughly confused and yet somehow vindicated.
* * *
HE WAS SITTING in my kitchen by the time I got home, calmly sipping coffee and eating the last piece of banana bread. I walked in front of him, opening my mouth to talk, but there were so many things I wanted to ask him that the only thing to come out was:
“What the shit, Gabriel?”
He chewed, swallowed, and merely arched an eyebrow at me. “Pardon?”
“You called the President? The fucking Commander in Chief?” I screeched.
He let out a dry chuckle. “You know, most people would be thanking me right now.”
“Most people don’t get pardons from the bloody leader of the free world!” I shot back, unable to control myself any longer. “What did you do? Threaten his family? Offer him a free pass into Heaven?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was the simplest of matters.”
I waved a hand at him. “Feel free to explain at any time.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin, crossing one leg and regarding me with a frustratingly patient look. “I knew him long before he was in office. Ages before, in fact. I actually saved his life once when he was a young man. We’ve kept in touch over the years and I thought nothing of it until your husband ordered me to intervene.”
I palmed my forehead. Of course he did. “Why am I not surprised?”
“He loves you, Jordan. Even though he is angry with you, Michael has never wanted to see you suffer, especially since you were only trying to do the right thing.”
“But doesn’t he care what this will do to you?” I said, slumping against the counter in defeat. “To your company? You’ve done unimaginable amounts of good for other people and now it’s going to all be jeopardized because of me.”
“I admit, it’s not something I wanted to happen either, but I told you once that I loved you and this is the proof.”
The archangel stood up, dusting off the front of his suit pants. “However, that brings me to my next point.”
Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More Page 248
