Devada (Angels & Demons Book 1)

by Tich Brewster

  “Then explain to me exactly what it is that I don’t yet know.” Her cheeks burned hot with her anger. She wanted so desperately to break free of this hold and kill him, or Raum, for slaughtering her family.

  “The only thing I can tell you right now is that your parents were killed by demons.”

  Oh, now she’d heard it all. Demons killed her parents? What was he smoking? The more he talked, the more she tuned him out. Soon his voice sounded like “Wah wah, woh wah wah wah.”

  Chris screamed. She turned her head so she could see him. He was standing in the center of a small circle of white grainy stuff that looked like salt. Raum kept throwing this salt-like substance in his face and chanting in some weird language. The more he chanted the more Chris screamed.

  “What are you doing to him?” she yelled at Raum. He continued to chant, ignoring her.

  Josh was doing his best to assure her that everything would be okay. That she just needed to follow him. Follow him? Was the boy insane? If it came down to trusting anyone, she would always choose Chris. He was her best friend after all.

  Her plans quickly changed when she looked up at Chris. His lips were curled up in a sneer, his black soulless eyes staring at her. “Next time, Devada.”

  She buried her head in Josh’s chest when Chris scratched at his body, tearing his flesh off in chunks, and screaming in agony. Josh didn’t wait or ask for her approval, he picked her up and carried her out to the Mustang. No one should ever have to witness such a gruesome demonic attack. Demons were cruel to their hosts when they were forced to leave.

  As he reached around her to buckle her seatbelt he said something in the same language that Raum was chanting in. She recognized it from the night in the movie theater. “Uniglag merifris sa bransg pir qaaon.”

  A bright light shone upon them and surrounded them in warmth. Curious, she rolled down the car window and stuck her head out. A magnificent sight awaited her.

  A thousand wings descended from the sky to align around the car. These were similar to the pictures of angels found in old books and paintings. They were the brightest white and looked as soft as a cloud.

  If they really did belong to the angels, they had to be over eight feet tall. The wings were flapped open like a protective shield and were as tall, or taller, than the angels themselves.

  One set of wings fell down, making a doorway that Raum walked through. Her mouth fell open at the sight before her. Now she could clearly see the angels, shining like a star in the midnight sky. Not only did Raum walked next to this angel but he spoke to him as well.

  Their chat was short and the angels spoke to him in a singsong angelic voice. They too used this strange language. Maybe it was some heavenly language, but how would Raum or Josh know how to speak it?

  The angel Raum spoke to nodded and disappeared. One by one the other angels disappeared. Where they went, Hannah didn’t have a clue.

  Raum stuck his head in through her opened window to talk to Josh. “Go ahead, I’ll stay and clean up.” Then he faced her. “We’ll take you shopping in the morning and explain things to you after you’ve had some sleep.”

  He pulled back and walked away giving her one last glance before disappearing into the house.

  The ride to Josh’s house had been short and silent. The trip from the car to the house was still foggy in her mind. The night’s events had caught up to her and Josh ended up carrying her inside.

  She woke up the next morning, laying on the couch in their living room. Raum hadn’t been home but Josh had fixed her a light breakfast, a bowl of fruit. As promised he took her out shopping for clothes right afterward.

  The explanation he gave her about her new wardrobe was that due to the demonic activity Raum had burned the house down so the authorities wouldn’t snoop around and her parents could have a peaceful memorial. Like that meant anything to her or helped her in any way, her parents were still gone and she was still an orphan.

  As they exited the mall Hannah felt slightly dizzy. She didn’t know if it was stress catching up to her or if she was actually sick but everything in her stomach churned. The air turned foul as it hit her nostrils. She clutched her stomach and bent over.

  Looking up from his phone Josh noticed Hannah had stopped. Her face had paled dramatically. “You okay?”

  “I don’t feel so good.” She ran around the building, Josh close on her heels. She bent over and opened her mouth. Nothing came out, but she felt a strong urge to vomit.

  She dry heaved for a couple of moments, saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth. When her heaving finally stopped, Josh pulled his shirt over his head and offered it to her. “Here, use it to wipe your mouth.”

  She shook her head and turned away, not wanting him to see her in such a mess. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Women,” he sighed. He put the shirt into her hand and closed her fingers over it. “I’m a man, I could care less.”

  How humiliating. She barely knew the guy and now she stood before him, a complete mess. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  He waited until she had cleaned up before asking, “How do you feel? Do you have any headaches, body pain?”

  “Yeah…both.” She woke up this morning with a dull ache but now her head pounded. Would the pressure in her head cause it to burst? She knew that it wouldn’t but that didn’t stop the thought from entering her mind.

  Grabbing her head she bent at the waist. Between the endless pounding in her skull and the nausea, she was positive that death had come to claim her.

  She swayed just a bit and Josh picked her up, carrying her to his car. Once he got her seated, he dialed Raum.

  “Yeah?” his brother answered.

  “Meet me at the house. Now,” Josh said before ending the call and reaching in the backseat to retrieve a small bucket. Just as soon as he handed it to her she vomited, projectile.

  This time she heaved until spots clouded her vision. She felt as though she was dying. Like her flesh was melting right off of her bones and her insides were in a slow cooker. In fact she swore her heart rate was almost nonexistent now. “I think I’m dying.”

  Josh grabbed the bucket, checked his rearview mirror for any cops, and then chucked the disgusting thing out of his car. “You’re not dying. Just hang on.” He reached his right hand over and brushed some stray blonde locks out of her face.

  She was hot, hot enough to fry an egg on. He massaged her left temple, then her right. There was absolutely nothing he could do for her. Her body would just have to make the change all on its own. No medicine, over the counter or prescription, could help ease the pain she felt.

  He continued on Sixth Street, passing the community in a blur. At the end of the street he turned left and drove as fast as his car would allow. Within minutes the cemetery came into view. The dirt driveway right after it was his.

  He hit the brakes and jerked the wheel left for a sharp turn. His Mustang fishtailed up the long dirt driveway. The garage was opened and he pulled in.

  Raum stood inside, leaning against his Harley. He sauntered over to the car and opened the passenger door. “Is she past the vomiting stage?” Only after Josh nodded did Raum pick her up.

  Once in the house he carried Hannah down the hallway, to the first bedroom he came to. Lucky for him it was Josh’s room. If she were to vomit again it wouldn’t be on any of his stuff.

  Josh rushed into the room behind them. He straightened the comforter on his bed. Normally he made his bed first thing in the morning but this morning he had forgotten in his rush to take her shopping. When every crease had been smoothed from the comforter he backed away.

  Raum gently lowered her onto the bed. She opened her eyes briefly, unseeingly. He stepped away from the bed. “Her temp is already declining. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

  The two of them sat at the foot of the bed and watched Hannah. They had seen their fair share of changing Devadas. But no matter how many times a person witnessed it, it never
got any easier.

  Hannah opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, like she was looking through water. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. Sitting up slowly, she looked around.

  Nothing in this room was familiar. Where was she and what happened to Josh? The last thing she remembered was being at the mall and getting sick to her stomach. A small groan left her lips. That had to be the most embarrassing moment of her life. If she could she’d crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment.

  She looked around some more. There were no pictures in this room, nothing to identify an owner. Plain white walls stared back at her. Panic began set in. She threw the covers off of her and headed to the door. She cracked it open just enough to see if anyone was on the other side. Nothing, the hallway was empty.

  She tiptoed down the deserted hallway. Thanks to all of the horror movies she had ever watched, she was petrified. Would there be a serial killer lurking around waiting for her to round the corner? She sure hoped not.

  “Deep breaths, Hannah,” she whispered to herself.

  Up ahead was the living room, she could see a couch from where she stood. Taking one more quiet step, she sucked in a huge breath and held it. Slowly, very slowly, she poked her head around the corner.

  As the living room came into view she recognized it as Josh and Raum’s. In the far corner, reclined in a chair, was Josh. He had his hands behind his head and his feet crossed at the ankles.

  She stepped further into the room. He looked so peaceful. Oh how she wished she could have that kind of peace. Her heart was still very much burdened from the recent tragedies. It weighed a ton and the sadness was enough to make her sick all over again.

  “Don’t let him catch you staring at him like that while he’s asleep, it makes him grumpy.”

  She spun around at the sound of Raum’s voice. She hadn’t heard him walk into the room, much less walk right up behind her. She held her hand over her heart. “You scared the crap right out of me.”

  Raum smirked but then took a step back. “I seriously hope not. That would stink up my house and then I’d have to send you packing.”

  Her mouth fell open. Did he really just say that to her? Jeez, the guy could get on her nerves sometimes. “You’re a dork.”

  He chuckled as he left the room. “Are you hungry? Dinner’s done. I made steak, potatoes, and broccoli.”

  Raum had her attention at the mention of steak. She followed him into the kitchen. Her mouth watered at the sight of steaks piled on the plate that sat in the middle of the table. And right on cue, her stomach rumbled like a mini earthquake was taking place inside of her.

  Josh opened his eyes, the sound of Hannah laughing awakened him and he smiled. It was such a beautiful sound, as beautiful as the angels singing in the heavens. He stood and quietly made his way toward the dining room.

  The sight of her sitting there laughing, truly laughing, made his heart happy. He stood just out of sight and watched as she talked with Raum. Every few minutes she’d cut a piece of steak, stuff it in her mouth, and continue talking.

  Waving her fork in the air, she motioned him toward a chair. He was surprised that she knew he was standing behind her because he hadn’t made the slightest noise. “I know you’re watching, you may as well come over and join us.”

  As if agreeing with her, his stomach growled. Placing a hand over his stomach in an attempt to quiet it’s protesting, he took a seat next to her. He couldn’t remember the last meal he’d eaten. Breakfast that morning didn’t count as a meal since all they ate was a small bowl of fruit.

  Dinner was good, but his brother’s culinary skills had always been spectacular. Hannah was relaxed and talking up a storm about cars. He had no idea that the girl held such a love for mechanics. Her knowledge was almost a match for his own knowledge.

  Her laughter bounced off of the walls as she described her dream car, a Camaro ZL1. Yeah, she had good taste in cars. She liked her cars the same way he liked his, fast and sleek.

  Once the table had been cleared, she sat in her seat twirling her hair around her finger. Now was the time for answers. No more avoiding reality. “So…I’m sorry that I thought your talk about demons last night was psycho babble. After the angels made their appearance I couldn’t deny the facts any longer.”

  “Good.” Raum took the seat directly across from her. “Now that you know that demons are responsible for your parent’s death we should talk about Chris.”

  A shiver ran up her spine at the mention of his name. Never in all her life had she seen anything as scary as the way Chris had behaved. Something had been wrong, seriously wrong. Chris was the kindest person she had ever met but last night he scared the life out of her.

  “First though, I’d like to know exactly what you know and understand about demons.” Josh rinsed his plate and then took his spot next to her.

  “They’re creatures from hell that torment people, haters of God.” Understanding dawned on her and her eyes widened. “Oh my, those stories about demon possession aren’t real are they? That’s not what happened to Chris, is it? Please tell me that’s not what happened to my best friend.”

  “Yes, it is,” Raum answered her. “The things he said and did were not him.”

  “Did you get the demon out of him?” When no one answered her question she repeated it louder. “Did you get the demon out of him or not?”

  “Yes.” Josh blew out a long breath. “Raum was able to get the demon out of Chris but not before the demon took his life.”

  Tears sprang into her eyes and fell onto the table top. Like a river they flowed, pooling at her fingertips. None of this made since. She had been a good girl, even attended church on Sundays.

  “It’s time we tell you who and what we are,” Raum said.

  Who and what they were? She didn’t like the sound of that. What they were could mean anything, including something other than human. She shivered at the thought.

  “So what are you then?” Hannah twiddled her thumbs waiting on one of them to answer her.

  Josh took both of her hands in his. “Well…we’re neither angels nor demons. We’re Daimon.”

  Feeling much like a deer in the headlights she asked, “A what?”

  “A Daimon is basically just a spiritual warrior, one that fights against demons.” Raum had a way of just spitting out the truth. He was a hard cold facts kind of guy.

  Hannah held up a hand. They were neither angels nor demons. They were spiritual warriors. “I’m so lost and this sounds so much like a fantasy book.”

  “Yes, I guess it does but it’s not,” Josh said.

  “This makes no sense, none whatsoever.” She wanted to believe them, she really did. But how could she believe something that sounded so made-up?

  “Look,” Raum said, his words coming out harsher than he meant them to. “We’re immortal, just like you are now. God created us to fight the spiritual warfare with the demons, but as time went on Lucifer’s creations kept getting stronger and stronger.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but Josh cut her off, jumping right into the story of their creation.

  In the beginning God had created a perfect world. He had created angels to worship him and love him. But as time went on one angel, Lucifer, was no longer satisfied worshiping God.

  Lucifer wanted to sit next to God on the throne. He wanted to be God’s equal. When God told him that there would only be one other to sit at his right hand and it wasn’t him, it made Lucifer very angry. Anger was a feeling that had never before been felt by the angelic hosts of heaven.

  Lucifer secretly plotted to make himself as great as the one that had created him. He recruited a small sum of angels that would serve only him.

  When God found out that Lucifer had deliberately disobeyed him, he was not very happy. He asked Lucifer why he felt that an angel, a creation, should be worshipped equally with his creator.

  “Because you should not be the only one to receive all the glory,” Lucifer spat at God.

 
; God hung his head in shame and disappointment. “Lucifer, did you not know that when I created you, I made you special. Your very name means morning star, the bringer of light.”

  Lucifer stood firm on what he believed he was owed and God was forced to remove him from grace, striping him of his angelic name. His new name then became Satan which means the one who opposes.

  At that time a home, or pit would be a more accurate word, was created for Satan and his followers. They became the first of the fallen.

  Then God created the human race, another creation to worship at his feet. This was just unacceptable to Satan. His first response was to contaminate the humans, to turn them from God so that they would worship and obey him instead.

  Adam and Eve were easy to deceive. They didn’t know anything about the term evil. They were innocent of all wrong doing. Offering them the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had been his best plan of attack.

  Taking that first bite of fruit had opened their minds to him and his world of darkness. No longer living in innocence, Adam and Eve now felt anger. They had the strong urge to lie and be deceitful.

  When the evening breeze came and they heard their Lord walking in the garden amongst them, they hid themselves behind the trees.

  “Where are you?” God called out to them. He didn’t need them to answer for he was all-knowing.

  Adam stepped out from behind his hiding place, with a garment of leaves to cover his naked flesh. “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid for you to see me because I am naked.”

  “Who told you this?” God asked. “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you stay away from?” He was not angry with Adam, disappointed yes but he put that tree in the garden for a reason. He wanted his creation to love and worship him willingly. The human race was not created to be his puppets. He wanted them to love him on their own.

  Adam pointed at Eve. “It was all her fault. The woman you created and gave to me brought me the fruit and made me eat it.”