by Derek Adam
So much for ‘you could try.’
“I guess you guys probably aren’t gonna untie these if I asked, huh?”
Of course, they didn’t move or respond.
“Should have brought the gun…”
“It wouldn’t have done you any good, Luca. Besides, you won’t be in the ropes for long.” Michael came through the open archway. He was dressed in a similar robe to the others, with the pendant swinging in front of his chest. His hood was pulled back though, leaving his head and face exposed.
“Oh. Well that’s a relief. I was worried you might fucking eat me or something.”
“Not at all.”
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that there’s no sick little girl.”
“Not quite. In fact, this town has one of the healthiest populations of youth in the Pacific Northwest. It’s rather impressive.”
“And you’re not a pastor.”
“That’s good. You’re sharp.” He winked at me as he wagged a finger in my direction. “You’re right. I am not.”
“If the blood on these walls belongs to anyone I know, I swear I’ll-”
“What if it’s from someone you don’t know?”
“What?”
“What if the blood is from someone you don’t know? Would that be alright?”
“Oh, you wore your sassy pants for today’s kidnapping…” I had met some pricks in my time but this guy was a full-on cactus. If I had the choice in this moment, I’d gladly go back and have a three-course lunch with Hitch in that diner.
“I apologize, Luca. I’m just excited. It took a fair bit of planning and waiting – mostly waiting – to get you here. And you almost ruined it.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be joking.”
“No, far from it, actually.”
I really wish I had more than just a couple donuts this morning. I didn’t have the energy to deal with this shit.
I was freaking out and irritable, and was going to wind up as some cultist’s science experiment.
“Is this where you’re gonna tell me that I’m special, and I’ve been chosen because I’m the unicorn boy with special gifts and there’s no one like me, so you want to use my body as a vessel for the antichrist and bring about the apocalypse?”
“Actually, that’s partly accurate.”
“…which part?”
“Don’t worry about it. We just need your help for something. And then you’re free to go.”
Michael turned as a woman came in, carrying a book. Right behind her, a short, overweight guy in an exterminator uniform toddled in, carrying a podium.
“Hey man, I don’t know what you guys are after, but there’s nothing special about me. I just see dead people and I can talk to ’em. There’s probably lots of people out there who do that.”
Michael thumbed through the book, looking over pages as he walked toward me. He finally looked to me and nodded, smiling. “There are. They’re mentally ill. You, on the other hand, Luca, are quite normal.”
Pausing, he tilted his head a bit. “Mostly.”
“I just want to go. I can’t help you, man.”
“You can, Luca. Long story short, you’re going to be a part of something that is of cosmic relevance. We’ve been nothing but ants on the surface of this world, with much, much stronger things crawling below.” He leaned in close to me, whispering next to my cheek. “We’re not gonna be the ants anymore, thanks to you.”
“Look, Michael, you said ‘long story short’ ten seconds ago. You wanna wrap this the fuck up? I’m not gonna help a bunch of Nazis take over the world.”
I tried to struggle in the ropes again, but there was no give. I couldn’t budge. Whatever was going on, I was along for the ride.
But I sure as fuck wasn’t gonna go willingly.
“First, you don’t have to call me Michael. You can call me Wagner.” He pronounced the name with an elaborate ‘Vah’, his mouth opening wide like he was suddenly looking for a dick to fall into it. “And yes, Nazis. But so much bigger than that. This is about freedom. We’ve been fighting for that for a very long time, and it’s finally here.”
“Yeah, I think you might have had read the instructions upside down. The holocaust was kind of the opposite of freedom.”
He hung his head and sighed before setting the open book on the podium nearby. “You cannot blame the many for the mistakes of a few.”
“You might want to tuck your crazy in there, buddy, it’s showing. I’m pretty sure we can.”
I didn’t care how long it took, I was gonna do everything I could to keep this guy running off at the mouth.
One thing I learned, dealing with evil on wheels, is that the darkest personalities are incredibly vain.
Also, bad guys’ monologue. They love to hear their own voice. I didn’t really give a shit about whatever evil plan this high-hooded clit had been cooking up.
I just didn’t want to die strapped to this piece of wood.
I sure as fuck wasn’t going to be the centerpiece in a ritual to break bread with Lucifer.
Two more robed figures entered the room, carrying a large steamer trunk. A third figure followed with one hand holding a lit black taper candle, and a chalice in the other.
“So… you wanna tell me what exactly I’m supposed to be doing?”
Michael… or Vagner… whatever, smiled to me and then shook his head. “No. It’s not necessary, Luca. You don’t have to agree. You don’t have to do anything, really. We just need you.”
He took the candle and walked to me, the figure following behind him. Vagner dipped his fingers into the chalice and stirred slowly, quietly muttering some ritualistic incantation that sounded like Latin.
Lifting his hand, his fingers were red with blood that ran off the ends. I flinched and cringed as he flicked his fingers, spraying my face with blood. I could feel slow dripping where a few larger drops had graced my forehead.
Please don’t let that be Pastor Jim’s blood… or anyone’s blood.
Let it be some furry animal from the kitchen.
Holy shit, Emma, where are you?
At least I got to kiss her… which was kind of bullshit because usually it’s the guy who gets the girl, saves the day, gets the money, and rides off into happily-ever-after with a cigar in his face.
I’m here with Pope Kraut von Lickenbum, getting ritually sacrificed. My windshield was destroyed, I haven’t had sex in years, and I was pretty sure this dick was full of lies and I was gonna die.
He stepped closer and was moving the candle in a slow circle around my head from top to bottom as he continued to chant. As he neared my chin, I blew out the candle.
Vagner stopped chanting and just gave me a flat look.
“Yeah fuck you too, buddy.”
He stepped close to me, sneering, the solace and apparent joy running from his face like someone had pulled a drain stopper. “I can make this very unpleasant, if that’s what you want.”
I strained to lift my head, gritting my teeth just to get a little closer to him. “Swing away, dick. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try… you’ll still only be half the man your mother was.”
He smirked and walked back to the nearby podium, maintaining eye contact with me before pulling his own hood up to cover his face with the shroud.
Now would be a terrific time, Emma…
Just pop right in and shoot every one of these assholes.
Wagner pointed down to the steamer trunk. “Löse den Dämon!” The two robed figures bent, releasing the large metal clasps on the face of the trunk, before lifting the lid.
They both stepped back as a bodekin slowly crawled from the depths of the trunk, its mouth opening as saliva dripped from its rows of teeth.
“Piss.”
Chapter 16 – Emma
It was rare for me to be caught by surprise, especially with demons. I could feel them when they were close enough, and I could smell them coming from a long way off.
But with
the scent of garbage that hung stagnant in the air, I hadn’t picked it out.
It was buried.
I didn’t panic, but as I stared into the milky darkness of its eyes, I felt a certain despair over Luca’s absence.
He wouldn’t be able to help this time.
There was also a brief feeling of relief knowing that if it was here, then it wasn’t after Luca.
The heat rolling off its hands was intense but not nearly as uncomfortable as it was previously. It wasn’t crippling.
I didn’t hesitate in grabbing at its wrists and struggling against it, even though I felt the heat growing in my hands.
Burn me until I die, I’m not rolling over.
It was so much stronger than me though, and I couldn’t stop it from pushing me deeper into the room. It kicked the door shut behind it, then it released me.
Bella was barking wildly, but she hadn’t moved to defend me, or attack it. When it released its hands from me, she immediately stopped.
The warm discomfort where he had held me quickly faded. I stood just a few feet from it, unsure of what to do. From the corner of my eye, I could see Virgil in the far side of the room, wringing his hands together.
He wouldn’t be much use. I didn’t expect him to be.
But I’d expected more from Bella.
It appeared as it had before, not covered in the inky black suit, but like a man. The same slicked hair and chiseled frame. The mosaic tiles still shown through great fissures in the flesh across its upper torso and the side of its face.
They were more colorful and reflective in the light. While its torso was nude, it wore jeans and a leather belt, though its feet were bare.
The glowing flame and embers around its hands had gone, and it stood before me, breathing calm and steady.
My hands drew both pistols and I started shooting.
At close range, I squeezed the triggers again and again. Sound and light exploded from the barrels, throwing great clouds of sparks and embers as each shot of energy connected with it.
The demon staggered and fell into the door, convulsing and shaking with each hit. But with each shot, it seemed less affected until it finally stood steadfast. My firing slowed and I finally stopped.
There was a heavy scent of ozone in the air and smoke curled from its chest and shoulders, but there was no visible damage.
“Are you finished?” It looked at me with a mild irritation in its face, its brow curling into a slight scowl.
Snapping my foot upward, I kicked it hard under the chin, sending it back into the door. It caught itself with its hands but before it could right itself, I twisted,rocking it in the jaw with the back of my hand and butt of one of the pistols.
I spun the pistol in my grip and held the barrel, bringing it down to pistol-whip it across its jaw. Its head snapped to the side and it straightened, cracking its neck and taking a deep breath.
Bella was barking again, hackles raised, but she wasn’t moving.
“Bella, Fassen.”
She didn’t respond, she just kept barking. Whatever it was, she was ignoring her training. She had never ignored an order to attack.
“Bella! FASSEN!” She continued barking as I raised my pistols again, knowing full well they wouldn’t do much but keep distance between us. “PASS AUF! BELLA!”
Nothing. No attack, and the command to guard was ignored.
“Bella. Ruhig.” It spoke quietly, using the German command word without taking its eyes from me. Bella immediately stopped barking and the room fell into silence.
“Gute hund, Bella.” It put a hand out toward her and I raised my barrels, stepping just a little closer to it. “Sitzen.”
Bella settled onto her butt, sitting perfectly still.
“What are you doing? What are you?”
“I’m not here to hurt you.” It puts its arms down, relaxing somewhat but holding where it stood, just inside the room. I still kept my guns on it with steady hands. “And you know what I am. Just not who.”
“Fine.” I adjusted my grip on the guns. “Who are you?”
“Eligos. You can call me Eli. And you are Emma.”
It didn’t surprise me that the demon knew my name. They were resourceful. It wasn’t the first time I faced off with one that had used my name like that.
That was a common trick they used on people. Subtle mind games to toy with and unsettle people. I wasn’t so easily shaken, which would often send them into a rage once it clicked with a demon that I wasn’t just another sniveling puppet.
It… he… didn’t respond that way.
I was trying to work out how the hell I was going to deal with this thing. It was standing between me and the door, and while the guns weren’t really effective, Luca had other weapons in his truck.
Like the swords.
Why it wasn’t attacking was beyond me.
“What do you want?”
“There isn’t a lot of time to dance with details. Something has to be done about Luca. He’s going to give his abilities over, and that will unleash a storm on your world that will make Hell look like a tropical resort.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Can I sit?” He gestured to the nearby table and chairs. “I’m gonna sit.”
He opened his hands and held them up, slowly side stepping toward a chair as I kept my guns on him. Virgil slid down the wall toward the bed as the demon drew closer to him before lowering himself into the seat.
“It would gain me nothing to lie to you.”
“Except try to pit me against Luca,” I spat at him. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“Do you really know him well enough to assume?” Eligos shook his head, leaning back in the chair as he looked at me. The inky blackness of those eyes was the most unsettling thing about him. Even for me, it was difficult to maintain eye contact. His eyes made me feel like there were snakes writhing behind my own. “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have a choice. That’s why you need to stop it.”
“You want to stop being vague and cut to it?” I looked to the door. I’d still have to get the roll up door open on the truck. It wouldn’t take much to get in and grab a sword.
“This group you hunt. The one you fight. It’s no different than the one you work for.”
I shook my head at him. “You don’t know anything about my order.”
“I know more than you do. I know why they made you, and how. I know what you are, and I know why you exist.” He stared at me intently, but I didn’t respond. More bullshit mind games. “This other group. These Nazis. They found something a long time ago and learned how to… carve out pieces of us.”
“The Ahnenerbe.” I was listening, though wholly skeptical. He nodded at me.
I was intrigued, though I was certain Eligos was playing at something.
He slumped in the chair a bit, frowning. “Not by choice either. Carving away at demons and using bits of us, and our power, to try and create… inhuman soldiers. Your group, those druids, thought the best way to combat that was to do the same.”
He paused, looking for a response from me. I gave him none.
“They weren’t successful, of course. The Nazis. All they managed to do was create abominations. Most died in the process. The few that lived were transformed into monstrosities that went mad and took their own lives. That didn’t stop them from experimenting… for decades.”
He looked to me, quirking a brow.
“Your… employer… got it right. Once. Something the druids did with you worked. But they had just as many failures before you.” He had a pained look on his face as he turned his head. “They cut away at just as many of us trying to create you. The only difference is that they stopped after you were created.”
“You expect me to buy into that, demon?” I could feel anger rolling up inside me. I couldn’t help but question the validity of it. Part of me worried he was telling the truth.
And it was a large part of me that felt he wasn’t lying.
But the
se were the games they played, toying with emotion to undermine you.
“Do you know how you came to be? Do you have childhood memories? No. You were created, Emma. You are a construct. As much as you don’t want to acknowledge it, you are nothing more than a weapon, and you shouldn’t wield words like ‘demon’ with such contempt, when it’s the very thing that gave you life.”
Eli stood and approached me. I swallowed hard but didn’t move, instead leaning toward him a bit as he stepped to me. He put a hand on one of the guns and moved it up to his forehead.
“There’s a reason you can’t really hurt me, Emma. It’s the same reason I couldn’t end you, or cause more than some discomfort. The same energy that gives you life, and thought, emotion, determination, and your abilities, is the same energy I was born of.”
I had nothing; I just looked between the black of his eyes. I couldn’t read them. They were just a colorless cloud. But the features of his face didn’t seem malicious.
“Where do you think they cut from to create you?” He opened his hands, standing like a man on the cross.
“I don’t believe you. The council would never… they wouldn’t mix with darkness. I was raised to protect, and guard life specifically against the evils the Ahnenerbe were trying to summon and control.”
“And to what end do you think your druid council would go to stop that evil? They did, Emma. They embraced the shadows. You weren’t raised. You were created specifically to counter what the Nazis were doing.” He lifted his brow, sighing at me, looking pained but relieved at the same time – as if a weight were being lifted despite the barrel of a gun still aimed at his head. “They took a part of me to create you.”
“If you knew about me, why now?” I was still skeptical, but I wanted answers and he was making sense… as much I wanted to deny it. “Why wait so long.”
“We all have someone to answer to, Emma. It comes at great cost for me to do what I’m doing.”
“And what are you doing?”
“Helping you stop Luca, or save him. Whatever your choice is. But you have to stop what will happen.” He put his hands to my guns and slowly pushed them down. I didn’t resist, relaxing as he spoke. “But you can’t do it by yourself. Not like this.”
