PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “It wouldn’t last,” I said. “Like the last time.”

  “But it would leave your dear Van Helsing child alone.”

  I smirked. “He can handle himself.”

  A metal can flew through the air and landed a few inches from us. White mist billowed out of it. Malantha winced, covering her face. She screamed as her flesh wrinkled up like crinkled plastic and turned red. She threw herself away from the car and the holy water grenade. I grinned and moved in for the kill.

  “Wait,” she yelled. “You wouldn’t kill this girl you were supposed to protect?”

  I held my sword a breath away from her neck. It was still Nancy. “I don’t see another way to save her.”

  Her eyes rolled up in her head, and she convulsed for an instant. She coughed again and looked around with a look of frightened confusion. She looked down at her hands, and a hissing wail escaped from her lips. She snapped the gun back up to me.

  “What is all this?” Nancy asked.

  I didn’t have anything to tell her but the truth. “You’re possessed by a demon. I think the effect may be permanent, and the only way I know to free you is to kill you.”

  Her hand began to shake, and her eyes widened. “I . . . is that where these dreams are coming from? All I see is death . . . and rot.”

  “She made you insane first so you would be sent to the asylum. You were part of an experiment.”

  “I don’t want to see this anymore. I can feel her rot eating away. Please make it stop.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. I pressed my blade to her chest. “I’ll make it quick.”

  Her eyes filled with gray smoke, widening further. “Wai—”

  I pierced the girl’s heart before the demon could finish her word. She wouldn’t escape me this time. She dropped to the ground, silent and staring. I closed her eyes with a murmured prayer. Adrian’s cry pulled me from it. Ose stood on top of the car, holding the Van Helsing’s limp form by the neck with one hand.

  “You just keep causing trouble,” he said.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  My entire body stiffened except for my eyes, which moved between Ose and Adrian. If I moved, he might snap his neck. If I stayed where I was, he might snap his neck. Choices, choices.

  He tossed Adrian to the ground. “I’ll deal with him later. For now, you and I need to speak.”

  He moved in a blur. Before I thought to swing my sword, he grabbed me by my throat and slammed me against the trunk of a tree. He stared down at me. For a moment, mostly to keep the panic from rising up, I wondered about the face the demon wore. Did Dr. Navotny regret the choice he had made? I wasn’t sure if he knew what Ose was doing. With other demons I could still feel the human inside, but Ose’s presence filled the entire body.

  “You not only burned my home, but you killed my daughter,” he said.

  “You won’t need a home after I am finished,” I said. “You can join your daughter in oblivion.”

  “A lot of bravado for your position,” he said. “I have already touched you once. I will make you completely mine.”

  I jammed my knee into his groin. Demon or not, he still had a man’s anatomy. He grunted and buckled slightly, but did not let me go. I clawed at his hand as it tightened on my throat.

  “Get away from me!” I said.

  My struggle for freedom began anew, but he held tight. Without any leverage or a good weapon, I was no match against a demon’s strength. Hell, in this position I wouldn’t have been much against a normal man, though the groin thing would have worked on them. That didn’t mean I would give up fighting. He grabbed my waist and lifted me in the air long enough to slam me into another tree. He pulled me down, raking my skin against the bark.

  “I can be violent too. But I prefer you give in. You will replace the lieutenant I lost because of your people,” he said. “It’s time to show you what I have planned.”

  The graveyard melted away and skyscrapers rose from the ground. The streets were filled with demon hybrids like the boy in the asylum. They moved to gather around a circle. It was composed of two concentric circles with script between them. The writing writhed and changed, loops went straight and lines twisted. I tore my gaze away, closing my eyes. When I opened them, the graveyard returned.

  Ose’s lips twisted in a snarl, and his brows drew together. He yanked me away from the tree. The cord of Adrian’s talisman caught on a branch and ripped from my neck. He slammed me into a gravestone. It crumpled under the force. Bits of stone dug into the scrapes on my back. I swallowed my cry so only a weak moan escaped.

  I tried to roll away from him and gain my footing. He grabbed my head and lifted me up. I pulled at his fingers and kicked my feet at him, hitting only air. I panted. I had to get away. I couldn’t do this. My teeth gnashed the flesh of his palm, but his grip remained a vise.

  “Just give in,” he said.

  The world shifted and I was back in the ruins of the city. The symbols lit into a purple-black light. The center of the circle swirled in a counterclockwise motion. All other lights dimmed and the wind picked up, blowing debris around the city. The demon hybrids raised their heads to the sky. The air became so thick, each breath became a chore. I raked my hand in front of me, clawing Ose’s face. He yelled and tossed me.

  I flew through the air and crashed into the gate to one of the mausoleums. The hinges broke, and I landed on the lock. I groaned, struggling to get to my feet. He stepped over me to walk to the raised stone coffin that stood in the center and slid the lid open. I jumped up and sprinted for the doorway. This was a lost battle. He grabbed my hair and yanked me back. I tripped over the bars of the broken gate. I dug my nails into his inner wrist, drawing a few drops of blood. He didn’t let go.

  “I see you need time alone,” Ose said.

  He slammed my head against the edge of the coffin. White light exploded in front of my eyes, and blood gushed from my nose. He tossed me into the coffin. I rolled onto my back, holding my face. The sound of scraping stone filled my ears. My breath caught in my throat. I had to get out now. I reached for the edge of the coffin, and Ose slammed his fist on my fingers.

  “No,” I cried.

  “You ripen here while I deal with the Van Helsings,” he said.

  My light disappeared as the stone lid slid into place.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  I clawed at the lid of the coffin. The stone scratched my fingers and tore my nails. My screams bounced off the walls, filling my ears. My head swam, and I lay back panting. This couldn’t be happening again. Something splattered on my face. Was that dirt? I was buried again. No one would come looking for me. I would be here for months, even years.

  I choked out another cry, my voice going hoarse. I laid my head back, closing my eyes. My whole body ached and stung. The air in the coffin thinned. I only had a few breaths left before my lungs would start screaming, and then there would be nothing but the female in the church. My head swam, and I began to float.

  Light flickered in my eyelids, soft and yellow. The curtains of my bed fluttered with the soft breeze coming from the staircase leading up. I lay in my burial chamber. Dimitri had it built for me so I wouldn’t have to go through another grave incident. I stood and walked to the full-length mirror, shivering at the cold stone under my feet. Rubies and diamonds glittered from the frame.

  I stood in front of the mirror, dressed in a black gown. The neck came to a V and connected at the waist. I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ears. A small scar marred my right cheek. Strange. I’d never had a scar there before. I ran my finger across it. It cracked and widened under my touch, traveling down my jawline. Chips of my skin fell off with the tinkling of glass. Mauve flesh peeked out from underneath. I shrieked and backed away from the mirror, covering my face with my hands. My forehead itched, and more flesh fell away.

  “Gabby, you have to get a hold of yourself. This isn’t real.” Esais’s voice echoed through my head.

  “Esais?”

  I lowered m
y hands and caught my reflection again. My face had fallen away, and my eyes had blackened. Two silver horns rose out of my forehead at the hair-line. I wore Allegra’s face.

  I screamed again and grabbed at the mirror. It toppled over and shattered on the ground. The lights winked out, and I was in the darkness. I slammed my fists against my stone prison. A light appeared above my head.

  “Will you stop that wailing? It’s damn annoying,” Marge said.

  I gaped up at her, my eyes straining against the light she held. Someone had come for me. I wouldn’t lay here forgotten and alone. But I was a demon now, so it didn’t matter. I sat up.

  “You’re too late,” I said. “You’ll have to kill me.”

  “I would love to take you up on that offer just to shut you the hell up, but I just saved your ass.”

  “I’ve become a demon. Look at me.”

  She looked me up and down. “I don’t think you’d say that if you were a real demon.”

  “It was a hallucination,” Esais said. “Ose got to you again.”

  I pressed my fingers to my forehead. Smooth skin greeted my touch. I let out a sigh of relief. I still felt dirty inside. Even if I was a demon, no one would be able to tell from the body. I hadn’t been forced to consume Menrazine, so I hadn’t changed that way. Either way, with my last bit of humanity I would see the Van Helsings safe and Ose dead. I climbed out of the tomb and ran through the door. Adrian was gone.

  “Ose has Adrian and Tres,” I said. “We need to move.”

  “Are you all right to do this?” Esais asked.

  Marge came outside. “Yeah, not seconds ago you were freaking out.”

  I shivered, still feeling Ose’s touch brushing across my mind. He’d gotten inside of me. He knew my worst fears and how to play me like a puppet. But I couldn’t let him do what he did to me to Tres and Adrian.

  “Can you help me when I get to the hospital?” I asked.

  “I can try, but I don’t know how much I can do,” he said.

  “Just enough to keep me going. We’ll see you soon.”

  I walked to where Nancy’s body lay and closed her eyes. The police would eventually find her body and bring her home. I retrieved my sword from near the lake and sheathed it. Adrian’s talisman lay a few feet from the cars. Deep fissures covered the stone. It may possibly be good for another direct attack but anything to keep me going. I slipped it over my head and exhaled as my mind cleared. No, I wasn’t a demon. I hadn’t died and gone to hell at all. I hadn’t been locked in the coffin for very long. I grabbed Adrian’s gun and tucked it in my waistband. He’d spent time creating it to use on Ose; it would be a pity if was left behind.

  “You should hurry. I’m sensing something strange. I’m sensing—” Esais’s voice and the choir vanished from my head.

  “Esais?” I called.

  No answer.

  “We need to go,” I said.

  “Just us storming the castle?” she asked.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed John’s number. “I can call for a little bit of back up.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  John stepped out of his car when Marge parked behind him. She pulled out her shotgun and strapped it to her back while I climbed out of her truck and walked to him. His gaze started with my face and traveled down to my dirty, torn clothing.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “Ose has the Van Helsings. We need to get them back,” I said.

  He raised a brow. “We?”

  I held his gaze. “Will you help me?”

  “You actually want me to help you?”

  “Is he going to be of any use?” Marge asked. “I already have your crazy ass to deal with.”

  “I can handle myself,” John said. “Have we met?”

  “Just don’t get in my way.” Marge turned and walked to the gate.

  “That’s Marge. Were you able to get anything to stop the hallucinations?” I said.

  “Not enough time,” he said.

  I touched John’s arm, and he tilted his head to me. I pulled the talisman from around my neck. I held it between us. John wasn’t used to this kind of thing, but I needed someone to free the Van Helsings while Marge and I dealt with Ose. Still, I wanted to give him all the protection I could.

  “It should help against the madness effect,” I said.

  He frowned. “I think you need it more than me. I’ll be fine.”

  “No, take it. We can’t all be crazy.”

  “I won’t go crazy. Besides, there is Marge.”

  I snorted, a smile coming to my lips. The image of Marge as a pillar of support was absurd. I slipped the cord around my neck as John reached in his car and pulled out a flashlight and a handgun. He did have a strong will, perhaps it would be enough.

  “Ready?” I asked, and he nodded.

  “Gate’s closed,” Marge said when we joined her. “We’ll have to go over the wall again.”

  “You’d think this place would have more security,” John said.

  “It’s not a high-security institution,” Marge said. “They probably think all they need in this small town is a gate.”

  I walked along the wall to the corner. There was a tree we could use to climb over. I scaled the tree and leapt over the wall. The force jarred my legs. I scanned the yard and whistled. John came over and rolled a few feet. He came up panting and rubbed his left shoulder. Marge landed next to me.

  “No lights.” She nodded to the asylum.

  “They should at least have the flood lights in the yard,” I said.

  Marge shrugged. “Makes it easier for us.”

  She headed up the hill. I motioned John to go ahead of me. I didn’t want any nasty surprises sneaking up behind him. The windows in the doors had been broken. Glass lay strewn across the porch and the sidewalk. Marge bent down and peered in the dark hallway.

  “I can’t see anything in there,” she said.

  She pulled a flashlight from her belt and attached it to her shotgun. She reached through the window to open the door. It swung inward. She readied her shotgun and stepped inside. I took John’s arm and held him back, waiting for her signal. She whistled. I nodded to him and followed him in.

  The welcome station at the front was empty except for a pair of legs stretched out from behind it. I moved around the desk. The orderly's head was twisted around backwards, and parts of his skull were crushed in.

  “They’ve gotten lose,” I said.

  “What has?” John asked.

  “Ose’s experiments. And whatever did this is very powerful.”

  “It couldn’t be Ose?”

  I shook my head. “He’s strong but not like this.”

  “I’ll take point again.” Marge handed John the flashlight.

  She kept her shotgun trained down the hall as she crept along. The thin beam of light played over the floor and the ceiling. The tables of the visitors' area had been smashed. Splinters and plastic cushion covers were strewn about the floor. A nurse’s body lay sprawled against the wall. Marge checked for a pulse and shook her head.

  “Let’s keep going,” I said. “Esais’s room is on the second floor.”

  “Stairs?” Marge asked.

  “Would be best,” I said.

  I tightened my grip on my sword, with my heart pounding in my chest. Both Malantha and the alastor were destroyed. I’d killed the boy my last trip here. Still, how many of Ose’s experiments roamed the halls?

  Marge stopped again when we were ten feet away from the emergency stairs. Splinters of the door littered the hallway. Something had burst through the door. Marge moved the barrel of her gun, allowing the light to pass over the stairwell.

  “We’re clear,” she said. “Ready?”

  Goose pimples ran over my skin. The darkened portal yawned open before us. If the creature came up behind us, we’d be trapped in that tiny hallway like a tomb. I took a slow breath to keep my throat from closing up. There were other doors we could get out of. Besides, I couldn’
t let my claustrophobia get in the way of helping the brothers.

  “Ready,” I said, and John nodded.

  I led the way up the steps with Marge taking the rear. The remains of the door dangled from the hinges while several large pieces lay on the steps. This demon didn’t like doors. Shouts echoed through the hall. They were muffled. Whoever was alive was some distance away. I peered in both directions in the hall, keeping my back against the side of the doorframe. No signs of movement. Esais’s room was several doors down. I motioned to John and Marge.

  The door to Esais’s room remained intact. I let out a breath I’d been holding and moved into the room. The mattress lay half on the floor with the back end still on the bed. The two armchairs lay overturned.

  “Looks like he put up a fight,” John said.

  “He’s a Van Helsing,” I said.

  “What now?” Marge asked.

  A scream from the hall answered her. I pushed John to the back of the room and grabbed his flashlight. I moved in behind Marge, where she stood in the doorway. Charlotte ran down the hallway at full tilt. A hulking shape closed in on her. It would overtake her in a matter of seconds. Well, it would have if we hadn’t been there.

  “Looks like you get your first bit of action for the night,” I said to Marge as I stepped into the hall.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  I shined the light in the creature’s face. It recoiled and held its arm in front of its face before letting out a roar that echoed down the hall. The demon’s head nearly touched the ceiling. It had muscles on muscles, and one of its biceps was the size of my waist. Its chest and shoulders took up half the hallway while its waist and legs were the size of mine. It walked using its fists to balance itself. Its face had elongated into a muzzle with sharp teeth. The creature was a hairless mass of pink flesh.

  I grabbed Charlotte’s arm and pushed her into Esais’s room.

  “Stay there,” I told her. “John, give us more light.”

  Marge’s shotgun boomed, and the wall shook. I stood in front of her. The shots didn’t keep it from coming at us. “What the fuck is that?”