Stranger at the Hell Gate

by Ash Krafton

  Part of him burned away, useless tatters of tendencies that only held him back. Emotion, compassion, anything human. He forgot all the tricks, all the traits he'd learned so carefully to mimic, so that he could pass for human. So that no one would mistake him for demon, the nature that he loathed.

  Now, he reveled in it.

  What would she think of him? Would she be ashamed? Would she despise him? She brought him so close to his humanity that he forgot his dark side whenever he was with her. She'd touched him in a way he'd swore he'd never allow again.

  Not if he couldn't have her.

  Jagger pulled his sword free of yet another rotting demon's carcass, smiling with vengeance. He delighted in the killing. He craved it. His blood screamed for it.

  For the first time in many long years, he was finally willing to listen.

  DEMONS

  Another town with a stupid name, even farther from home. Home? He had no home. He hunted, going wherever there was a devil that needed killing. This town was uglier than most.

  He'd been tracking a fourth-ring demon for days now. Not real bright, but evasive. Or at least Jagger let it think so. He'd hit it with holy water buck shot the day before, wounding it severely, then let it run. He gave it a head start.

  Jagger toyed with his quarry. Once there was a time when he killed the demons and went home. Now there was no home. He had no need to rush.

  The trail led into an old hotel, windows boarded up and tenants long gone. Jagger followed the drips of demon slime to a green puddle on the floor right outside a room on the third level. He moved like a gale wind, wearing a steel-cold smile while he kicked in a door. "Wouldn't it be easier to stop running?"

  Dirty, dark room. Something small and sharp-nailed scurried behind the wall. "Nice try, asshole. No way out."

  Click.

  "Well," Jagger said, his smile stretching wider. "That sounded like a big ass gun. Since when did scary demons start needing those?"

  "I swear if you don't leave me alone—" The voice, tremulous and thin, held a level of desperation that Jagger recognized. It was the sound of nothing left to lose. "I'll use this—"

  Then it struck home. Jagger fought to keep upright.

  It was Sonya.

  DEMONS

  "Sunny?" He shook his head, trying to quiet the demon blood and clear his senses. After running hot for so long, it was hard to find his humanity. He lit a flare and peered into the dark, seeking the source of a bright spot of light against the wall. "That you?"

  "Leave me alone," she said. "Stop looking like him."

  Sonya crouched in a corner, knees drawn up in front of her. Her eyes were wide. Her agony was nearly tangible.

  She was alive. And she was holding a sawed-off double-barrel that under less abnormal circumstances he would have whistled at and asked to try out once.

  But not now. Right now, it was pointed at him. And judging from the tangy smell of ionic vapors, it was loaded with demon shot. If the bullet didn't kill him, the divine poison could.

  "Oh, God. Sonya. Put that gun down."

  She coughed and cocked the hammer. "I'm not a sucker, either."

  "Sunny. You can't hurt me with that. Well, it'll hurt like hell. But you can't—"

  "Didn't say it was for you." She turned the gun around and pressed it to her chin. "I'll end this. I'm so sorry I started it."

  Jagger panicked, the white-hot flood of fear surging though him and washing down through his feet. "Stop! It's me!"

  "No, it's not." She was dirty, ragged-looking, gaunt. He never heard this tone of voice, so devoid of hope and sunlight. "It's never really you."

  "Easy, Sunny. I didn't come all this way to take you home in pieces. Put the gun down."

  "I want to believe you…but it's been so long." Tears cut rivers through the dust on her cheeks, pale streaks under white eyes. Holding the gun steady she ripped off the bright crystal, snapping the thin leather cord, and set it on the floor. Flipping the gun, she used the butt of the gun to smash it.

  A flare of light shot out and flattened against the wall, which disappeared under its glare. The surface glimmered and pulsed, forming a portal. It hummed as it charged.

  "I'm going back."

  "Don't leave me again! I don't care what anything means anymore." His anguish, pure human anguish, dispelled the last of the demon thrall. His voice cracked. "Just don't leave again."

  "Jagger?" She whispered his name and reached out to him. "Is it…really you?" She pushed to her feet, using the wall for support. Her round belly made the simple act of standing a laborious effort. "Open your jacket."

  He wrenched open his jacket. It clung to him, blood and mud and who knew what else making it stick to his skin. In the pale glow of the portal, his sickle-shaped scar shimmered. She wobbled on her feet. "Oh, God. Jagger. You're real."

  He ripped his gaze from her midsection and pointed to the portal. The humming sound swelled to fill the room. "Shut that thing off, Sunny."

  "Jagger?" She approached him with tiny steps. He threw the flare. Closer, closer, until he could feel her heat and the invisible brush of feathers he recognized as her aura. She touched his chest, fingers finding the sickleshaped scar and tracing it in the dark. "You?"

  She looked deep into his eyes, like she'd done that first night, and he spun around the center of her touch. She gasped, recognizing, knowing. He was left with a crisp linen-feeling that purified him. The touch of a Seraph.

  She kissed him, tenderly, her swollen body pressing against him when she lifted on her toes to reach him. He reached out to hold her but she shoved him back, catching him off guard.

  The portal screeched open, and a great wind gusted out, chasing debris around the room in eddies of power.

  "Sunny!" His voice cracked with panic.

  "No, no. It's okay now." She smiled, her beauty undimmed by the dust on her face or the tears on her cheeks. "There is hope, after all. I thought I could defeat him, do it on my own…but it got too hard for me. I couldn't spare the precious energy to fight."

  "I thought I lost you."

  "You haven’t lost me. I had to leave—to draw him away from you, away from his source of power. He thought he chased me at first—oh, his pride! He thought he was so clever!"

  "Him?" Jagger shook his head. "Who?"

  "Acheron."

  Jagger spun to look over his shoulder but Sonya grabbed his arms.

  "Focus! Don't let this all be in vain!" She raised his wrist, his rune sword still in his grasp. She took the flat of the blade between both palms and swiped it, from hilt to point, leaving a pearlescent glow upon the edge. The light pulsed gently.

  The sword hummed in his hand.

  "I will mask your presence. He will not sense you. This is your split second of advantage. You must strike. You have to do what I failed to do."

  The portal widened, a cold light emanating, a swirl of mist hovering over its surface. Sonya squeezed his arms, taking back his attention. "You have only this one chance. We will have time. Not now, but someday. I promise. We will have time again and we'll have a future. All of us."

  She staggered backwards a step. The portal appeared to be pulling her.

  "Sonya!"

  "No, Jag. I have to go or else…that bad thing I knew was coming would actually happen. It's him, Jagger. Acheron will succeed if you fail."

  A crash sounded distantly, a slight tremor in the floor.

  "That's him. Do it, Jagger. You have to do it."

  She slipped out of his grasp entirely as the portal pulled her. The mist seemed to reach for her.

  "Sunny. I…"

  "I know." She reached for his face, drawing him to her for a gentle kiss. "And I promise. We will be together again."

  Sonya kissed him again, sending a cool tingle over him. The same glow that had covered the sword now pulsed over his skin. She pressed the shotgun into his empty hand. "It's all up to you."

  The portal yawned and surged forward. She raised her hand in farewell, other
hand cupping her middle—she smiled—

  A fist of light emerged, grabbing her and pulling her in before the gateway slammed shut. The energy coiled and twisted like a tiny tornado, spiraling down to the floor and condensing into a flicker. Gone.

  The air settled when the portal closed, and the room fell silent and still. Crypts held more breath than this.

  Her image, a silhouette of red flare glare and white portal light, still burned on his retinas. Her condition was obvious.

  That's why the crystal lit. She's carrying the blood of Tallon. My blood.

  Pounding sounded again, this time closer. Jagger sprang back against the wall moments before the door flew open.

  "Come out, come out, wherever you are, sweetheart." A tall, slender man, dressed completely in black, stepped into the room. He pushed back his cowl hood revealing a slick of silver hair and a gleam of blood red eyes. "Game over."

  DEMONS

  Jagger held his breath. How long has it been since he looked into that face?

  Acheron paced a circle, hand outstretched. "Come on, now, honey. I'm tired of running after you. And if I'm tired, I know you gotta be dragging your ass. Let's just agree to disagree, and I'll kill you. Get it all over with."

  Jagger shouldered the gun's strap and slid along the wall behind Acheron.

  "Of course, maybe you just wanna play a different game. Is that it? I know you like my type, doll. I can give you what you want. Just come out. I can feel you in here."

  Filled with a white hot rage that had nothing to do with his demon blood, Jagger raised the sword and pushed away from the wall. He lunged toward his brother, putting all his strength into the blow.

  Acheron turned a moment before impact. Their eyes connected as the point of the blade pierced the dark brother's chest. Caught off guard by the blow, he staggered back against the wall. The sword travelled through Acheron and penetrated the rotting wood.

  Acheron dropped his head backwards against the wall, howling with laughter.

  Jagger backed away.

  Acheron clapped his hands, the hilt of the sword snagging his sleeve. "Jag! How the hell are ya, bro? I should have guessed you'd be here. She's a sweet thing. No wonder you can't stay away from her."

  Jagger swung his fist in a tight arc, rocking Acheron's head. "Don't talk about her."

  Acheron laughed again and spit a mouthful of blood. It stained his sharp grin, teeth tinged crimson.

  "Come on, bro. Let's settle this like real men. Or, whatever you'd call us. Just—" He spread his arms wide. A thin wisp of smoke curled up from the edge of his wound. "Get this thing out of me. It itches."

  Jagger growled. "Do you know what you've done? To me? To this world? That damnable hell gate—"

  "As if there's any other kind," Acheron interrupted with a bloody grin.

  "—you've done nothing but bring wave after wave of demons into this world and for what?"

  "To keep you in business?" Acheron shrugged slightly. Hard to do when you're pinned to the wall. "You make serious coin, and I've never asked for a cut. No need to thank me."

  "No. You keep me in agony. I can't go a day without remembering what I am because of you."

  "It's what family's for. Now, let me off this sword. When I pictured our reunion, it involved less talking and more fighting." Acheron pushed away from the wall an inch, then two. The sword remained rooted in the wall. "This is cheap, even for you."

  "You've done enough damage. To me, to these humans, to this entire plane. It ends tonight, Acheron."

  "It will never end, brother."

  "Oh, yes, it will." Jagger stepped back and shrugged the gun strap off his shoulder, catching the stock in his hand. He leveled the barrels at Acheron's head, staring down the sights at his brother. Wisps of demon shot vapors wafted from the end of the gun.

  "Really? A gun?" Acheron sniffed at the hair before giving a low whistle of admiration. "Hey, now. That's got premium demon bane in there. Harsh shit, bro, even for you. Bet that stung when you loaded it."

  "Not as much as it'll sting you."

  "Yeah, but that's all it'll do. You forget who's got my back. I'm not your average half-breed anymore."

  "You're not? Shit, bad news for me." Jagger dropped the barrels and fired at Acheron's stomach.

  Acheron screamed with hell fury as the demon shot tore through his abdomen. His entrails spilled out of his body, twisted black ropes gleaming and twitching as the poison chewed its way through his flesh.

  "Oh, wait. Bad news for you." Jagger tossed the gun aside. "You would have stood a chance if you didn't let your humanity rot away."

  Acheron threw his head back, panting through clenched teeth. A rivulet of blood dripped from his lips. "You cannot kill me. But I can still kill you."

  He grunted with effort, teeth bared. His flesh rolled, moving like fluid over his bones as his body shifted. Skin blackened as bony ridges sprouted from his forehead. Acheron's voice deepened into guttural growls as his throat changed. He was taking on a demon's form.

  Acheron grabbed the hilt of the sword and pushed. The blade scraped in the wall. He'd barely budged it, but it moved.

  "And then I'm going to kill her." Another scraping sound. Horns pierced the flesh of his forehead, spiraling outward. Long teeth crowded his mouth "And then I'm going to rip that baby out of her gutsss, and I'm going to take him to Hell with me. Uncle Acheron will make sssure he getsss a proper education."

  Fury made Jagger's mind go completely blank. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass orb. Its contents glowed, milky white and swirly. He raised it so Acheron could see it.

  Acheron gaped, cockiness forgotten. "You wouldn't dare. We are brothersss. We are of the sssame ssseed."

  "Don't have a choice."

  "It'll dessstroy you, too." Acheron grasped the hilt and tugged, hissing and snatching his clawed hand away. "Don't be ssstupid."

  "Even if it means we both go, it's better than you staying." Jagger bit down on the cork and yanked it out. Light erupted from the neck, spilling upward in a rush of windy sound. "You killed our mother, Acheron. It's time I return the favor."

  Jagger hauled back the hand gripping the bottle. The contents spilled on his hand, burning his flesh. Steam rose from the wounds.

  The scalding pain bolstered his conviction. If it burned him—and he was half human—what would it do to a man whose heart ran backwards?

  With a scream, he threw the bottle at Acheron.

  The orb hit him on the chest, smashing in a wet shower of broken glass. The holy water burned through his clothes. Acheron's torso began to smolder, his howls of terror and pain drowned out only by the sound of redemption—the wind and the light a force that Jagger never got used to witnessing.

  Jagger sank to his knees, clutching his hand, watching the Holy Water eradicate his demon-born brother. It was a slow, stinking process but, when it was over, all that remained was a pile of singed black rags.

  Acheron was gone.

  Jagger hung his head. Although he'd always hoped that some part of Acheron could be saved, he knew Acheron had never claimed his human side the way Jagger had.

  If only.

  He closed his eyes and pressed his wounded finger to the scar over his heart, remembering his mother.

  "I'm sorry," he said into the empty room. "I wanted it to be different. I didn't—please, mother. Ask Him to be merciful. To him…and to me."

  After a moment, he pushed to his feet and yanked his sword out of the wall. Scanning the room, he saw a tiny spark of light on the floor near the place Sonya had opened the portal.

  Stooping, he saw it was the crystal she'd carried. It was intact once more. He picked it up, palmed it, felt the heat it emitted warm his palm. It felt like a promise.

  He stowed it in a pocket of his leather duster. Without as much a glance over his shoulder, Jagger left the room.

  It was finally time to go home.

  When he shouldered open the front door, Enzo nearly fell out of his chair.<
br />
  "Ionis! Get over here now!" He dropped the phone and jumped up to clap Jagger on the back. "You're back! I thought I'd lost you for good."

  Jagger pushed off the enthusiastic embrace and grinned.

  "Yeah, well." He unzipped his pocket and pulled out Sonya's crystal. "I brought you a souvenir. That way you can find me when I get lost again."

  Enzo took the proffered gem, glancing at it briefly before setting it on the desk. "So. You found her. Why didn't she come back with you?"

  "She needs time to recuperate."

  Enzo looked thoughtful. "But she's a healer."

  "She's got a lot to work on. Anyway." Jagger gestured around the room which was crowded with cardboard boxes. A banner spread across the couch read LUCKY DEVIL SECURITY. "What's going on here?"

  The agent barked out a short laugh. "Like you don't already know. The hell gate is closed, man. We've been put out of business. Ionis has resorted to working personal detail for the mayor. He hates it."

  "So would I." A chill ran down Jagger's neck and he shivered. "I don't trust politicians."

  "But you'd slay demons?"

  "Them, I trust. They always act the way you think they will. Predictable and trustworthy, every single time."

  Enzo crossed his arms.

  "Yeah, well, there's going to be a shortage of honest work around here for a while. Good thing you saved your coin. Nonetheless." He slapped Jagger on the shoulder once more. "Glad to have you back. You look starved. Can I get you something? A pizza? I heard some ginger chick is driving delivery now."

  "Maybe later. I want to lay down a while. My ass is dragging."

  "No problem. I'll get a couple trays and keep 'em warm." He peered up into Jagger's face. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm just tired."

  "That's why I'm wondering. You don't lay down often."

  Jagger spied the magic chalk that had dropped into Enzo's hand. Really? The witch was going to truth-spell him? "Put the effing chalk away. It's really me, and I'm really not in the mood."