by Bea Biddle
"It's a knife Karen, it's not a complex weapon. You point and stab," Cef said. "Just keep it, for protection. Just in case."
"In case of what?"
"Whatever may happen.”
Fifteen.
"So, where are you taking me?" Karen grumbled as Cef practically pushed her down the street.
The city wasn't its usual self. It felt irritated. Some stores had shut down early, others were in the process, only a few were defiant of the Police Commissioner's plea and stayed open. People were scurrying home, muttering and complaining, mumbling about the fuss being made about one little gang. It was just one little band of people, there was no reason to panic. Karen understood them perfectly, if she had been on the other side of this, she would have been annoyed about it too.
But these were Demons. And she knew what they could do.
Night had fallen completely, there were no stars, the moon was shrouded in dark clouds. The cold, howling wind tore at her clothes, chilling her insides. The day had been so wonderful, so incredible, but now fear gripped at her throat and Cef wasn't helping. He was on edge, more than she had ever seen before. Barely glancing at her as he pushed her along.
A loud crash rang out from a few blocks down. The sound made both Cef and Karen stop abruptly in their tracks, as did other people on the street. Sirens began blaring. People hurried along faster. Including Cef. Somewhere above them in the blackness a helicopter flew, a beam of light lit up the suddenly much busier street but moved quickly along to the noisier part of town. Cef's grip on her arm tightened and she was again dragged along on the sidewalk.
"They're close,” he stated. “We can't afford to be this close, they'll sense me. They are above ground, so we'll go under." He dragged her along to the subway entrance, she almost fell down the stairs being pushed and shoved by people trying to get home, rushing both up and down the slippery steps. Cef didn't give her a chance to get steady on her feet, pushing her forward.
"Hang on," she growled finally fed up with being a rag doll. ”Cef, calm down.” The line was agitated but moved quickly, the poor jittery station agent having a hard time keeping up. Cef didn't respond, his whole body tense as he paid for them.
People still hurried on and off the carts. People moving like nerve bundles, the atmosphere felt electric, yet the crowd had thinned. When they got on the cart, there were only another handful of people on there. Nervously fidgeting waiting for their stop. Karen was deposited in a seat, Cef stood in the center by the pole, his face in deep concentration, biting his bottom lip. Karen shuffled in her seat, hating the silence he radiated. There were no strong arms around her, no light kisses or sweet caresses anymore. Cef had pulled away from her, physically, and much, much worse, mentally as well.
When the last of the passengers, a family of four, scurried off the subway, they were the only two left. There were no more people waiting at the stops, no more noise other than the clicking from the train on the tracks. "This feels slightly ominous," Karen eventually breathed when she could stand the silence no more.
The wind blew through the tunnels, bursting through train windows left open, and she rubbed her arms through her jacket to keep warm. She could see her own breath in the air when she exhaled. She felt dumb for leaving her winter coat at home in the apartment. The apartment that Colin no doubt had reclaimed by now. She tried thinking what she might have there that she would need. Her deodorant? Her fucking toothbrush? Fuck it all. The light flickered above her, the buzzing of the electricity cut but returned a few times. The cart wobbled and shook. There was a smell, something she couldn't quite place, but was really hoping it wasn't her sitting in a puddle of piss.
"This should not have happened," Cef said, his voice so soft she barely heard him over the noise of the cart.
"What?"
"All of this. You are not safe around me." He hesitated. "As much as I want you to be."
She wanted to argue with him but she knew it would be no use. The doors opened at the next stop, closed and opened, closed and opened in quick succession. Must have been a fault in the line. There were no people. It started again, noisily shaking along the rails. How old was this thing anyway?
Karen sighed and sat back in her seat, grunting to herself. This was not how the night was supposed to go. Only a couple of hours ago she had been so happy she could barely stand it, she had been in Cef's warm arms, their legs entwined, on the bed watching the sunset, nothing could have touched her then. She had been so content she had forgotten about everything, about Demons and stones and threats of death. And now there she was, on a cold, damp subway train heading out of the city. Cef was barely looking at her, standing three feet away swaying to the rhythm of the bumpy train.
The clicking and groaning of the metal cart, the wind rushing past, were the only things filling out the awful silence that once again ascended. She had to break it, she couldn't just sit there being ignored. "So, what are you going to do now?" she asked, "Dump me at my parents' place and then what? Hunt them down? Make them pay? Go all macho on them?" Her sarcasm probably wasn't helping the situation, she knew she shouldn't be pushing him, but she was getting annoyed. The cart hit a bump on the tracks, she managed to hold on to her seat before she landed on the floor. "What is up with this fucking thing?" she hissed.
Cef didn't answer her. He stood completely still yet alert, boots firmly on the floor, his hand around the pole. His knuckles cracked as he tightened his grip. His eyes narrowed, his breathing stilled.
The cart bumped again, and this time Karen did end up thrown to the sticky floor. "What the fuck?" she snapped, climbing up on her seat again. "Is it just me or is this train going a little fast? What is the operator doing?" The wind howling in through the open windows was pressing against her ears and the dark walls outside seemed to whizz past at an unreal speed.
Cef was still focusing on a spot on the floor, his shoulders squared as he took a deep breath. "Karen, be quiet," he whispered.
"But-?"
"Quiet!" he snapped in a growl. Lifting his head, he quickly scanning the shaking cart. "Get under the seat. Whatever you hear, whatever you see, you keep quiet."
"On the floor? Do you know what could be under these seats?"
"Now!" he snarled. One step and he was by her side, his hand on her shoulder, pushing her to the floor. She scrambled under the seat, struggling not to think about what she could be pressing her knees into. The floor was sticky and gross, the smell was horrible. She didn't have the guts to look up and see what the underside of the seat looked like, refused to think about it.
Cef turned slowly, facing the newcomer that he knew was there. He could sense her coming, smell her, her Demon scent giving her away instantly. The door screeched as it was forcibly opened from the outside, torn off and thrown away. Sparks flew in the air as it hammered against the tunnel and quickly disappeared in the darkness behind them. She stepped inside, the wind whipping her long copper hair around her face and dark horns.
An oversized white t-shirt hung loosely on her bulky frame, a pleated skirt and army boots completed her look. But it was the dangerous, feral grin that made Cef growl deep in his throat. "I like this world,” she announced, eyeing Cef hungrily, ”No wonder you refuse to share.” She licked her hand, it was covered in fresh blood that dripped on the floor where she stood. “The driver of this wonderful device has, unfortunately, had a little accident and met his end."
Karen couldn't see who had entered, she knew it was a Demon from the harsh sounds, the inhuman language that she couldn't decipher. She fought the urge to cover her ears but was too afraid to move.
The Demon took a few steps closer to Cef, touching every seat, every handle, every pole she could reach. "This strange thing, how fast it goes." She laughed. "I knew I would be the one to find you, Ceftion. I knew I would be the one to bring you in."
"You will leave me alone," Cef finally said.
"I take no orders from you, former Warchief," she hissed, "Come, let me take you to Warch
ief Tamas, he will be pleased." When Cef answered her it was with another growl and her face broke into a grin. “Good, I was hoping you would resist. “With that she set off, her boots hammering onto the floor as she charged at him, slamming him back into a seat. The metal screeched and bent under his weight, the seat ripped from its hinges when his heavy body made contact. The Demon was on him straight away, her hands around his throat, pushing him further down. Karen finally saw her, her manic grin and wide eyes as she pressed down on Cef's throat. She bit her lip, preventing herself from calling out.
The Demon was strong, Cef had to admit that. Or had he become too weak? He didn't know, he didn't want to know. He kneed her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her. Strong as she was, she didn't guard herself well enough. She was a young soldier, that gave him an advantage. He kicked again, her hands loosened enough for him to pull them off. Kicking her back once more, she stumbled off him. He was on his feet immediately, hammering his fist into her face. Her nose cracked, blood flowed freely. She blinked a few times, shook the pain away with a shake of her head. Her eyes narrowed, her stance changed, ready to pounce on him again. But Cef was faster, his hand on her throat. He battered her head back against a window. Again and again. The tunnel whooshed past on the other side. She clawed at his arm, trying to free herself. Her nails drawing blood through his sleeve, her kicks landed but they weren't enough. The window finally cracked open, he had hoped her head would first.
The Demon snarled as the thick glass dug into her skull. Just the right motivation for her. With a forceful kick, she connected with Cef's knee, his leg collapsed under him. She flung him off of her, a well-placed punch on his jaw sent him staggering back. She grabbed the back of a seat next to her, without much resistance she tore it clean off the metal bars it had been welded to. Karen bit down on her lip harder, fighting the urge to scream. It had been the seat next to the one she was hiding under.
With the seat above her head she took a few seconds to enjoy the view of Cef on the ground in front of her, cracking his jaw back into place. "I have heard stories of you Ceftion, you were a god to us once. You betrayed us all." Cef jumped to his feet with a roar but she smashed him back down with the seat and didn't stop. One last strike with the cushioned metal and he slid on his back along the floor.
"Lies," Cef coughed out. The Demon shrieked angrily at him before jumping him again, her knee pressed his chest in the floor. Her fist connected with his jaw again, a loud thud that made Karen cringe and look away. Cef pushed her off, he jumped up and wrapped his hand in her hair, spinning her around and threw her into the pole in the center of the cart, bending it. She didn't even flinch, just lunged back at him. Her nostrils flared, she snorted and screamed in frustration when he moved away, making her miss.
But one misstep from Cef gave her the opportunity she was looking for, she kicked him in the stomach, then punched him in the ear, her nails leaving a red cut on his cheek. Her hands gripped his coat and she slammed him down on his back. She held his head out of the gaping opening that used to be a door, his loose dreads whipped in the howling wind. Walls flashed by, the speed was building and fast. Karen gasped loudly.
The Demon's face broke into a wide smile at the sound. "You have a human with you, Ceftion?" she said with a laugh. Laughing broke her control. He wrangled her hands off him and kicked her back, before she could regain dominance, he had charged at her, hammered her back against the opposite door. With a fierce growl that cut through Karen, he hurled her against the window, again and again. The window cracked. Before she could fall through, she kicked Cef in the stomach, making him stumble back. She fell to the floor, spitting up blood.
Her eyes narrowed at Karen she found under the seat and grinned a bloody grin. "Oh look, you brought me a toy, Ceftion. How fun she will be," she drawled and licked her lips, the blood dripping on the floor.
Cef saw red. Red-hot anger consumed him. And worse, it was laced with fear. Fear fanned the flames. Karen. No, she would not touch Karen. Before he could think, before he knew what his own body was doing, he was on her. He picked her up, she struggled against his grip, trying to lunge for him, trying to kick him off. But it was in vain. He snorted at her. "I will end you," he roared and threw her against the window one more time. The glass shattered easily when the heavy Demon made contact, she fell through, her agitated scream echoed in the pitch blackness they sped through.
The cart wobbled on the tracks. They were going too fast, the wind was pressing on Karen's ears. A light in the darkness in front of them caught Cef's attention. He reached out to Karen. "Hurry," he urged her. She knew better than to argue and jumped to him, grabbing hold of his outstretched hand. "On my word, you brace for impact. Clear?"
"What?" she stuttered. He couldn't be serious, he just couldn't be.
He dragged her to the open door, the wind tearing at their clothes, threatening to push them off balance. In a flash, she was wrapped in his arms. The light came fast. "Now!" he yelled and set off. Karen was sure that was the end. He had literally jumped off the train. With her in his arms. She closed her eyes tightly. The second seemed to last forever.
They hit concrete. Forgetting all about bracing for impact, her head scraped on the hard surface as they rolled along the platform. Her back hurt and her elbows both stung like they had been slammed into the ground. They probably had. When she opened her eyes, she was on her back, Cef crouched over her.
"Are you alright?" he asked and pulled her into an upright position, he gently touched her forehead and Karen saw the blood on his finger. She couldn't get herself to ask. "It's just a little gash," he assured her. That didn't make her feel any better.
"Did we just jump off the moving train?" she mumbled in disbelief. Further down the tunnel, in the pitch-black darkness, a crash roared. The flash of an explosion instantly followed. "Alright,” Karen added and nodded furiously, “Good idea, good thinking."
"On your feet. Now." Cef pulled her up.
She was lightheaded and dizzy and had no idea where they were. She hurried up the stairs after Cef, keen to get above ground again. Without any people around the subway was creepy, shadows seemed to jump out at her, echoes of their footsteps so loud it pressed on her ears.
They emerged on a street somewhere in East Village. Bars and cafés had closed, gates pulled shut. Only the nightclub down the street pumped out defiant beats in the night. But there were still people on the street, disregarding the warning completely. Karen huffed with frustration at them, wanting to yell at them that the Demons were close, they had to get to safety. But there was no use, she would just end up looking like a lunatic, and before she even got the chance to play that part, Cef grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her against his side. "We'll continue on foot until we can hail a cab further away," he said. ”I can smell them. She was not alone.”
“There are people here,” Karen whispered.
“Let's hope if we're not, they'll move on,” he reasoned, “I can do nothing else.”
Karen nodded. Her forehead stung, she wanted to wipe it but she was too scared to see what she would find there. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask which way they were going, when a loud, screeching noise sounded behind her, nails on a chalkboard.
"Oh Ceftion, I see you."
Cef turned to see another Demon perched on top of a car. His long coat flapping around his bulky frame in the wind, the only thing he had under it was bright green boxers. The Demon cracked his neck to the side and sighed. "And what is that with you? A human?” The newcomer rasped out a hoarse laugh. "You've been here too long."
Cef's shoulder's sagged and he snorted in frustration. He had desperately hoped the Demon on the subway would be the last encounter of the night. At least until he had gotten Karen to safety.
A scream pierced the silence. A woman had spotted the Demon, drawing everyone else's attention to the towering wall of flesh atop the car. Yelling and screaming began, people scurrying to get away, the street erupted. It only made the Demon laugh lo
udly. “It appears we have a reputation here already. How delightful.”
There were too many people. Cef couldn't engage in a fight there. Too many would be in danger, too many would see him. “Karen,” he breathed, “Run.”
Without even the slightest hesitation from her part, they darted down the street that was quickly becoming deserted. The Demon jumped off the car and the sound of bare feet pounding on the asphalt behind them came closer. They couldn't outrun him, he was too tired from the train and Karen, she was still only human. An idea came to him and before Karen could argue he had pushed her towards a little car parked on the side of the street. She crashed against the door. "You drive, right?" Cef yelled running to the other side.
"Well, yes but-" Karen never finished that sentence. The Demon behind them had climbed another car, he threw a large metal trashcan at them. It missed her, only just, Karen threw herself against the side of the car just in time to feel it whiz past, leaving a long deep scratch on the tiny car. "Again with the trashcans?" she hissed.
Cef tore open the door on his side with a screech of metal bending. If it had been locked, it certainly wasn't anymore. He opened Karen's door from the inside and she quickly jumped in. She searched frantically, finding the keys falling into her lap from the sun visor. “Who leaves keys in their car?” she huffed, “It's like they want their car to get stolen.” The car jerked violently, the Demon had reached them, his fists hammered on the metal. She decided it was definitely not the time to worry about it and jammed the keys in the ignition. The car spluttered into life, but just as Karen pressed down on the accelerator something thumped heavily on the windshield.
"Do not think you're getting away that easily, Ceftion," the Demon from the subway shrieked at him. She was covered in blood, her own blood. Karen couldn't count the gashes and wounds covering her body, not that she wanted to. Her face was screwed up in fury, her eyes wild and her grin dangerous. Karen almost pissed herself.
