by Michael Todd
“Shouldn’t you get those knees looked at? I saw you get shot.”
“Nah, the bullets were pushed out by my amazing demon, and he numbed them. I’m going to trust he can get the job done. It’s time I put a little more faith in the guy. He’s been trying hard.”
She laughed. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
Calvin ran his finger over her cheek and smiled as she pulled out a package of baby wipes, standing on her tiptoes to wipe some of the blood from his cheeks. He put his hand over hers, and she looked at him nervously.
“I got him,” Calvin whispered. “You’ll never have to fear him again.”
A tear pooled at the corner of Sofia’s eye, and she nodded. “Tonto loco.”
Calvin grinned. “Tonto loco para ti.”
She giggled. “Shut up and let me fix your face.”
24
The screen went black for a moment and then the Channel 8 news screen flashed up, a banner running across the bottom announcing the breaking news. The camera flashed to a mid-twenties blond news anchor shuffling papers, her face a little panicked. The music stopped, and the camera focused in on her. She stared at the screen for a moment, almost in a trance, before snapping out of it.
“Good afternoon. We interrupt your regularly-scheduled programming for breaking news. Reports have been flying in from Times Square in New York City, where the President of the United States was scheduled to make an appearance. Sources are telling us that a demon incursion has broken out, ravaging the gathered spectators. From what we know right now, the President had not yet made it to Times Square when the first of what people are describing as ‘massive beasts with long sharp fangs’ began to arrive. So far we have a rough estimate of thirteen people dead, but those are just preliminary numbers since the battle is still underway. Police, Secret Service, and military personnel are all on the scene, but demons are so powerful that authorities are struggling to get control of the situation. Our field reporter Ewen Gregory is on the scene and is standing by to give us a firsthand report of what’s happening. Ewen, are you there?”
The screen flashed to the reporter, who cringed as another section of building tumbled into the street behind him. People were running and screaming through the dust cloud around them.
Ewen put his finger to his ear and nodded. “I’m here, Jessica. I’m currently standing one block down from Times Square. The first demon was spotted at eleven forty-three, just forty minutes ago. The beast was approximately ten feet tall, and killed many innocent bystanders as well as causing massive amounts of damage. The demon was taken down by a woman we believe to be Katie Maddison of Katie’s Killers, who infamously avoids her picture being taken.”
“Ewen, did you get a shot of her?”
“No,” he replied. “Like every other time, she was hard to get into focus. But the story didn’t end there. She then chased down a second demon, twice the size of the first. At one point he threw her into the Megatron above Times Square, and if you look in the background to my left, you can see that the screen is still emitting showers of sparks. That demon was taken down after a few good hits and turned to dust to my right.”
“And what is going on now?”
“Jessica, there looks to be a third demon. I…there’s…”
“Ewen, you’re breaking up.”
The camera showed a car door flying toward it before the feed went to static. They quickly switched back to the newscaster, who sat there stunned for a moment.
“Uh, we’ve had some technical difficulties, but we will contact our other reporter, Janine, and see if we can get you back to the scene. If you are just joining us, a demon incursion has broken out in Times Square in New York, where the President of the United States was just moments from making an appearance. Since the discovery of demons at the mosque in New York just two days ago, reports have trickled in, possibly linking those to the actions today. These reports have not been confirmed, but rumors have spread that those taken down in that mosque battle were planning to use demons to attack Times Square this afternoon. With the onslaught of incursions happening throughout the country and around the world, people have hunkered down in their homes, praying that someone sends relief. News 8 spoke with a couple just the other day who lived on a small farm off the beaten path. Only one homeowner agreed to appear on camera, and this is what he had to say.”
The camera switched to an interview with a farmer from rural Michigan. Meanwhile, Jessica took out her earpiece and looked at the staff. “What happened? Do we have any news? Is Ewen okay?”
“We don’t know,” the producer told her. “We’re still trying to get back in contact with him. For now, I want you to recap the riots over the last six months, and then we should have Janine up and ready. She was hiding in a building one block over, but is making her way to the scene.”
Jessica nodded and put her earpiece back in, sitting up straight and smiling as the camera came back to her. “After Incursion Day was sealed into the history of this country and the world just eight months ago, riots began breaking out as citizens took to the streets to demand assistance for their loved ones. Since then, help centers have been set up from coast to coast, in place to rehabilitate and train those found infected, helping them suppress their demons and live a more productive life. There hasn’t yet been word on whether a cure for the infections has been found, but folks are holding onto the hope that one day the demons won’t play a role in their lives anymore.
“We’re now getting word that one of our other field reporters, Janine Arrows, is on the scene and actually speaking with the President. Janine, are you there?”
The screen shifted to another reporter, standing beside the limo that was carrying the President. “This is Janine. Yes, I’m here. I am on the scene in New York City, standing here with the President of the United States. Sir, can you tell us what you saw, and if you know whether this has anything to do with current political movements toward refugees fleeing demon-torn areas?”
“I don’t know the reason,” he shouted, ducking at the sound of a crash. “I just know they came out of nowhere, and they are big.” He held his hands apart to demonstrate, looking for all the world like a giant preschooler.
“Sir, is this your first close encounter with demons?”
“Yes it is, and all I have to say is God be with those down the block in the street.”
The Secret Service agent grabbed the President and guided him back into the limousine as a building crumbled behind them, the crash echoing in the background. Janine turned back to the camera and moved to the right, letting it pan behind her. On the side of the building was a gigantic demon hanging onto the side of the brick wall. Behind him was a female with long black hair, black spandex clothing, and massive guns hanging from her hips.
“It seems to me, Jessica, that this situation calls for the big guns.”
Pandora rolled her shoulders, reaching back and taking the ponytail out of her hair. She made sure to keep as many of Katie’s attributes as possible, but anyone who knew Katie would know she wasn’t her by her features. Having her hair down would hide that issue, especially from afar, which was where the reporters seemed to be staying for the moment. Her body, though, was almost identical to Katie’s and that didn’t take much effort since Pandora had purposely been structuring her body to resemble Pandora’s own.
All right, Katie told Pandora inside her head, this demon is huge, and it’s vital we move it away from the President. No matter how you feel about the guy, you can’t let him die.
Got it. Now shush, I need to concentrate.
Pandora jumped up on the side of an overturned bus to get a better look at the demon. He growled loudly as he tore through cars and buildings like they were candy wrappers and devoured the humans inside. His messy bites left a trail of half-chewed limbs in his wake.
He’s so wasteful, not even eating the humans when he pulls them apart. Someone’s mommy never taught him to take all you want, but eat all you take.
>
The demon jumped on top of a parked bus, the top caving in as he leaped off and landed on another car, which swerved down the road as the driver tried to get away. The demon stepped down from the blue sedan and plucked the door off, shaking the car until the human fell into its hand. It looked at the screaming guy for a moment and closed its clawed hand around him, squishing him into paste. He swung his arm wide and wiped the remnants of the guy across the side of the nearest building.
The demon looked down the block at the President’s motorcade. There were over three dozen agents armed with automatic rifles loaded with demon-killing bullets. Pandora knew, though, that with that bastard’s size it was going to take a special hand to take him down. The demon lunged toward the President, and Pandora took off faster than the human eye could see. She stopped at the next block and looked around. She picked up an empty Ford 150, swung it around her head, and let go, standing still to watch as it soared through the air and hit the demon in the back of the head.
The demon roared, stopping when he saw Pandora—or Lilith, to be more accurate. The demon grumbled, obviously rethinking his movements. He ran toward a skyscraper and leaped onto the side, smashing windows and throwing people out of the building to tumble to their deaths. Pandora growled and started running again, leaping off the fiery crashed bus to land on the other side of the skyscraper.
They sat there for a moment, staring around the edge at each other. The demon leaned his head back and roared loudly, pounding his scaly fists into the side of the building.
Pandora rolled her eyes and sighed. “Don’t be such a fucking baby. You made this mess, and now you’re going to pay the price for it.”
The demon snarled and started climbing the building. Pandora drew Tom, pointing him at the demon’s ass and pulling the trigger. The bullet hit him hard in the right butt cheek and the demon reached down, squealing like a pig.
Pandora threw her head back and cackled. “That’s what you get, motherfucker. Where are you going? You’re fucking up the beautiful buildings.”
The demon whimpered, digging his claws deep into his ass cheek to get the bullet and throwing it to the ground below. He snarled at Pandora and showed his teeth; he wasn’t backing down. The demon looked at Pandora and then back down at the President, trying to figure out his next move.
“Whatcha plannin’, big guy? I ain’t got all day. I mean, the view is cool from up here, but I’m not a fan of just hanging around like this. Make a choice, or you’ll be wishing you could pluck this bullet out of your demon balls.”
The demon let out a roar, blowing spit into Pandora’s face. She wiped off the slobber and looked up as he continued to climb the skyscraper. She sighed and put Tom back into his holster.
“I guess that’s how we’re playing this game, then.”
She grunted, lifted her legs up onto the exposed beam and pushed upward, soaring up through the air. She grabbed the side again, digging her demon claws in and pushed up, leaping like a frog up the side of the building. With every thrust, she got farther ahead of the demon. On her last push, she dove over the edge of the roof, rolling across the sticky asphalt. She stood up, grimacing at the gunk stuck to her hands.
She strolled over to the side of the building and looked down, just as the demon was looking up. She tilted her head and looked at her nails, yawning loudly.
“You just take your time, okay? I’ll be up here waiting for your fat ass to join me.”
The demon snarled and continued to climb as Pandora backed up, leaning against the door to the inside. She sighed, looking down at her nails and then at the sky, watching the helicopters attempt to get close. She tapped her foot on the ground and kicked a rock, watching it bounce across the roof and get stuck in the goo.
So, do you think we’ll get this condo?
Katie chuckled. After this, I definitely do. The owners would be pretty dumb to deny the heroes of New York City. That is, if that damn demon ever makes it up here.
I know, right? Just then, the demon’s large paw came over the edge of the roof, and the top of his head began to appear. Oh, there’s my cue.
Pandora slowly walked forward, pulled the staff’s poles from her back, joined the halves, and flicked the blades out. The demon pulled itself onto the roof and let out a Hulk-worthy roar.
Pandora and wiped the new spittle from her face with a hand, shaking her head. “You have got to stop that. It’s fucking rude. Is that how you show respect to your queen?”
The demon growled, balling his fists. He took off at a run, leaping through the air and pounding his fist down toward Pandora. She lifted an eyebrow and took four large steps to the right, and the demon’s fist broke through the roof. He spun, whipping his arm through the air, but Pandora ducked. She rolled to the right as he attempted to smash her again, almost falling through the hole in the roof.
“That was close.” She chuckled as she regained her footing. The demon growled at her, but she kept advancing while whirling the bladed staff. The demon backed away until its heels were on the edge of the roof and it had nowhere else to go, and Pandora snickered and darted forward to slice his jugular. The demon grabbed his throat with wide eyes and a gargle, his black blood flowing out over his claws. Pandora watched the demon with pleasure, waiting until he was almost unconscious. As the demon teetered on the edge, she pushed the tip of her staff, blades now retracted, into his chest.
The demon flailed and overbalanced. His arms windmilled out to the side, and he fell off the roof.
The people below screamed in fear, trying to run as far as they could go. The President got out of the limo and looked up with wide eyes as the demon plummeted toward the ground. He would smash and kill them all, but there was little to no time for anyone to get out of the way. As the demon passed the seventh floor the people stuck below crouched, awaiting their impending doom.
The President shrugged the Secret Service off and straightened his jacket, watching the beast plummeting toward him. Just as the demon passed the fourth floor and all was thought lost, it burst into dust, which drifted down to cover those below. The screaming stopped, and mass coughing broke out. The President blinked his eyes, dust covering his eyelashes and silvered hair. He blew the ash off his lips and shook his head, brushing the rest off his perfectly-pressed suit.
Everyone looked around in amazement, shocked that they weren’t dead. The demon had turned to dust at just the right moment. They stood and looked up through the cloud and the sparks coming from the broken sections of the building above them. A breeze blew through the nearby streets, and the dust began to clear. Standing high above them and peeking over the edge of the roof was Katie, her body reclaimed.
Everyone erupted into cheers, and Katie let out a deep breath, just glad Pandora’s little stunt hadn’t gone terribly wrong. After all that, the last thing they needed was for the President to be killed by a falling demon. She might have lost some of her contracts. Katie pulled back from the edge of the building and walked to the other side of the roof. She sat down and pressed her back against the ledge, leaning her head back and smiling.
That, my dear, was some mighty fine demon slaying. Katie sighed.
I would have to agree with you. I think I have two favorite parts to the day. When you blew that first demon’s head off his shoulders and part of his brains hit a man in a top hat on the sidelines, and of course, my own dramatic ending.
Katie laughed, shaking her head. I didn’t see the brains, but God, I wish I had. That would have topped my day, for reals. I offer the top award to you, but I think you just did it to scare the living shit out of the President.
Maybe. She giggled. Do you think he shit his pants? Possibly just a little?
For your sake, I hope he did. It’d be like a prize for all your hard work.
Damn straight!
25
Katie paced back and forth on the roof, her phone to her ear. She looked down at the ground, letting her hair fall to the sides of her face as a news helicopter swoop
ed overhead. When it was gone, she pulled her hair back and looked out over the city, Central Park in the distance. The real estate agent had called her before she could even get her ass down off the roof, not that she had tried that hard.
“First, I want to say that what you did today was poetic,” Iris squealed. “You are the city’s hero. The world’s, really. You saved the President.”
“Well, it’s part of my job, so I had little choice.” Katie chuckled. “But thank you.”
“And on that note, the owners of the condo have seen the video of the demons, and they want to sell the condo to you at the original price.”
Katie snickered. “Oh? Well, I gave them my other price. They can have that.”
Katie pulled her phone from her ear and ended the call, hearing Iris from a distance trying to convince her otherwise. Katie laughed, knowing they would take the deal. It was too good of a public connection for them not to. Katie wasn’t a rich and famous snob, but most of the people who owned condos like the one she was buying were. They would kill for the opportunity to be able to tell people that they had sold their condo to Katie from Katie’s Killers. It would make them famous in their group of friends.
Katie’s phone buzzed again, and she looked down, figuring it would be Iris.
“That was fast,” she mumbled to herself.
Instead of Iris’ name on the screen, though, it was Calvin. Katie let out a deep breath and raised the phone to her ear, thankful to finally hear from him. She hadn’t gotten the chance to find out what happened at the border.
“Hey there, gunslinger.”
Calvin laughed. “Hey there. What are you up to?”
“Oh, you know, just enjoying the view of the city. You?”
“Yeah, just finishing my leisurely stroll over the border.”
Both of them laughed, Calvin having already seen the footage from New York, and Katie knowing better than to believe he hadn’t taken down a dozen or more drug dealers.
