by Michael Todd
Katie almost spat out her milk. She coughed and wiped her chin with a napkin, then dabbed up a bit of milk from the table in front of her. “Wow, how much crack did this guy smoke before turning himself in?”
Schultz laughed, handing her another napkin. “Right? Anyway, we aren’t looking too hard for him, anyway. He is probably out of the state by now. There was no trace. That was how we first met Juntto. We got word that the Morpheus guy disappeared into your condo, and Angie took us up to meet him. He looks like the guy from Far Cry. He should consider doing cosplay in one of those competitions. He would win some money.”
Katie wiped her lips. “I’ll make sure I tell him, although I don’t think I want to send him to a convention like that. He might get confused and start a battle with a ten-year-old dressed up as the Joker or something. He hasn’t really gotten the whole make-believe versus real thing down quite yet.”
Travers chuckled. “Most of those people haven’t either. But hey, I’m not one to judge.”
Schultz glared. “Oh yeah, we can smell the bullshit from that one, you judgmental prick.”
They all laughed and changed the subject to Calvin, talking about California and how they had always wanted to go out there. Katie was glad to get them talking about anything but Juntto. She made a mental note to ask him about the suicide in the alley. She wasn’t above threatening him with paperwork for the rest of his damn Leviathan life.
Moloch and Baal stood over the table with the large map on it. They hovered over the United States, looking at all the different places they hadn’t touched yet. Baal moved back away from the table, looking at the world as a whole. “So, what’s the plan this time? Are we going all-out?”
Moloch put a pin down on the edge of the map. “We are going to have a major incursion, yes. But I think we are going to do something a little more tactful. We’ll focus on the USA this time, no other countries. And instead of one large gate, what do you think about lots of small ones?”
Baal smiled. “I love that idea. You can see if that cuts down on the response time of the humans.”
Moloch nodded. “Exactly. On top of that, we can see how hard it hits the home team. They won’t be able to respond to every single attack. It will make them scatter, which will make them less useful. Or, better yet, they could all respond to one attack, making it easier to kill them, and easier for us to cause some serious destruction in other parts of the country. There has been no response to any of our incursions. That must make the humans doubt the mercs’ ability to protect them.
Baal laughed evilly. “And when they lose faith, they will turn to whatever or whoever offers them a chance of survival.”
Moloch clapped his hands together. “Precisely. So, I am thinking small gates. We will use heavy manpower all along the West Coast. Then, at the same time, we drop several hordes right into the middle of the Midwest. Burn the cornfields, burn the farms, burn the factories. While those are simmering, we launch a wide-scale attack on all of the major East Coast cities. New York, Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston.”
Baal perked up. “While in Boston, I request a pie.”
Moloch chuckled. “Absolutely. In the end, you will be able to have all the pies you want. Shit, look up the best piemaker on Earth, and we will make them your slave. The world will literally be ours to do what we want with. The US not only holds our major hitters, but it is also an Earthly superpower. If it falls, it’s only a matter of time until the rest of the world does too.”
Baal was getting really hyped up. “How will the attacks go?”
Moloch ran his finger across the board. “I want a mad-dash scenario. A shock-and-awe and all-you-can-eat effort.
Baal nodded. “Fresh food gets the boys riled up every time. Will we drop them all at once?”
Moloch pressed his finger against the board. “We will start with Massachusetts, then let everything else loose like falling dominos. I will command from Massachusetts. If all goes well, I will tip the scale with the other attacks.”
“Why start there?”
Moloch sighed. “Fewest guns per capita.”
Baal scrunched his face.
Moloch rolled his eyes. “It’s math. I know that probably blows your mind, but try to stay with me.”
Baal huffed. “I know what math is, thank you very much. I also know what per capita means. If you haven’t forgotten, I did statistics for Lucifer for two years.”
“Okay, smart guy. If the population of the United States is 320 million people and the GDP—gross national product, by the way—is $16.7 trillion, how do you find out the per capita income?”
Baal blinked at him and licked his lips, putting his finger in the air and waving it around on an invisible chalkboard. “You would divide 16.7 trillion by 320 million. Carry the zero, move the decimal point.” Moloch yawned, looking at his fingernails. Baal gave him a nasty look. “$52,194 per family. Of course, that is an average and will fluctuate between areas, poverty levels, and those who hold the primary amount of American wealth.”
Moloch nodded his head, impressed. “What is the difference between per capita and median income?”
Baal cleared his throat. “Median income is the number right in the middle of the list of incomes. Therefore, it is a more accurate picture of what is going on in the country.”
Moloch sighed. “I suppose you do know what you are talking about.”
Baal smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “To be honest, I was just impressed that you took the time to research the gun statistic. You are usually so gung-ho, you forget those things.”
Moloch rubbed his claws together. “Yes, well, we have more to lose this time around. I’ve done even better than research guns. I’ve researched the town in that movie, Witches of Eastwick.”
Baal retorted. “What, Eastwick?”
Moloch’s face fell. “No, Cohasset, you Neanderthal.”
Baal made a face mocking him like a child. “Wow, four syllables this time!”
Moloch put up his fist. “What is wrong with you today? You are extra spicy. Did you not get your warm cup of kitten blood last night?”
Baal’s face dropped, and he kicked at the floor. “Maybe. I had terrible nightmares about humans running through a field hand-in-hand. The sun was shining brightly, flowers were blooming. There was laughing and singing.” His voice quivered. “And even dancing.”
Moloch shook his head. “Dear Lucifer, stop. That sounds absolutely horrible. I am going to have nightmares for weeks now. Try eating a gerbil full of Ambien next time.”
“That shit makes me sleepwalk. I wake up eating from the pit of souls and don’t even know how I got there. Dreadful.”
Moloch put his arm around Baal. “Come on, I can lift your spirits. Let’s go open some small gates and get this party started, shall we? We want to be prepared.”
Baal instantly perked up.
Chapter Nineteen
It was fall in Cohasset, Massachusetts, the most exciting time of the year for the small-town residents.
They held fall festivals almost every weekend, welcoming the tourists and getting the town ready for the leaf season. The leaves had already begun changing, and the weather was a cool and crisp sixty-five degrees. The breeze off the water kept everyone in windbreakers as they rushed around the town setting up the different stations for the first fall festival of the season.
All the residents from the town came out to help, bringing decorations, booths, and food to the event. The children ran around in the main square, jumping over each other and rolling through the grass. Laughter echoed throughout the entire town, and the warm scents of spiced apples, ciders, and baked treats fluttered through the air. The entire town smelled delicious to both humans and demons.
Across the field, the men of the town worked building the firepit they would light at the end of the day. The kids would roast marshmallows and tell historical ghost stories. Amongst the hugs and the exchanges of kind words, they didn’t even see the attack coming
.
The sound of small portals tearing open in the distance didn’t register to anyone. A small girl chased her ball toward the South Hill Art Center, and it bounced up in front of her and disappeared into a portal in the grass. She tilted her head to the side and stepped closer as a wave of hot air hit her hard in the face.
A swarm of demons leaped from the portal and rushed around her, barely noticing the small girl. She screamed at the top of her lungs and clamped her eyes shut, frozen in the burning grass, unable to move. The demons disappeared into the distance.
The girl let herself breathe again.
When she opened her eyes, there was a grinning demon right in her face. “Boo!”
The little girl disappeared into its arms.
The demons crept slowly to the edge of a hill that gave them a perfect view of the town. None of the humans knew what was happening. A woman walked up the hill, enjoying the fall breeze. She was calling her little girl’s name. As she reached the crest of the hill, she let out a loud shriek.
In the town below, men and women paused at the piercing wail.
The woman choked on her words for several moments. She had seen her daughter’s pink lace dress torn to ribbons on the ground, covered in blood. “Demons!”
Timothy typed on his computer frantically, then ran his finger across the screen. He jumped up and took off down the hall, grabbing his cell phone and dialing Katie. He didn’t give her a chance to say a word, just blurted it out as soon as she picked up. “Incursion, several portals in Cohasset, MA. Because of how small they are the estimate is six minutes, and there are at least five portals.”
“Shit,” Katie yelled, taking off out of her room.
The whole world began to stand still as the word was spread across the wire. The small town had absolutely no warning. By the time the phone rang at the local police station, the place was empty. Patrols were already out to investigate the reports of portals popping up all over the place.
In her apartment, Katie slammed into the side wall with a groan and turned into the kitchen.
Angie looked up with a spatula in her hands. “What’s going on?”
Katie caught her breath. “Incursion, a ton of small portals opening in Cohasset. We need the plane fueled and ready to go.”
Angie dropped the spatula and tossed the hot pan in the sink.
Katie ran across the hall and burst in on Juntto, who was playing video games. “Suit up. We have a big one.”
She grabbed her phone and dialed Korbin. “Hey, get with Timothy and get Brock’s team on a plane over there now. I need them in Cohasset. You, Stephanie, Timothy, and Joshua, stay there and protect the base. We don’t want to get ambushed.”
Korbin understood. “Got it. Be careful out there.”
Katie ran back to her condo and called Timothy as she geared up. “What are we talking here?”
Timothy pulled up satellite images. “There is some sort of festival going on. Uh, people everywhere. There are five portals right now, smaller demons pouring into the town. We are looking at incursions at the Cohasset Central Cemetery, the South Shore Art Center, the yacht club, the historical society, and a small portal right in the center of town on North Main Street.”
Pandora was pissed. Those sons of bitches are using buffet-style tactics.
Katie curled her nose. What?
It’s used all the time. Starve the small demons, then set them loose on a fucking buffet of humans. With all those humans out for a festival, it’s a smorgasbord for them. The festival is huge in that town; I was there when they filmed Witches of Eastwick. There are pets, children, old people, and everything else you could think of.
Katie shoved her two large pistols in their holsters. This is madness. Just absolute fucking madness. Okay. Let’s get there as fast as we can, and we can talk tactics on the way.
Pandora scoffed. We can try. The best tactic is to drop and start killing. These fuckers are going to be ravaging that festival, and I promise you apple pie is not on their menu.
Katie stopped for a moment and rubbed her hands over her face to compose herself. She had to remember this was no different than any other incursion. She would go in, save who she could, and inflict serious damage to the demons. She prepared herself for the carnage, knowing that by the time they got there things would be dire.
The television flashed to a special report. The newscaster looked slightly disheveled. She tapped her papers on the desk before staring directly into the camera. “We are sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming, but we are coming to you with breaking news. A large incursion has broken out in the small port city of Cohasset, Massachusetts. Five small portals have opened. Anyone from that area would know that today is their first fall festival of the season, which makes the town an especially prime target. For a view of the events unraveling right now, we will take you to Skycam 8, traveling over Cohasset.”
The screen changed to shaky footage taken from inside the helicopter. The camera focused in and out on the five different portals surrounding the town. Demons were pouring out of the portals, looking even more savage than they normally did. Every time they pounced on someone, the camera would jerk away.
The screen flipped back to the inside of the newsroom. “Information is coming in now that there were a massive number of people already there for the festivities. The five portal locations are the following: Cohasset Central Cemetery, South Shore Art Center, the yacht club, the historical society, and one right in the center of town on Main Street. If you are in Cohasset and you are watching this, please get to a safe location—a shelter or basement—as quickly as you possibly can.”
The reporter held her earpiece with one finger and nodded, then spoke to the camera. “We just received cell phone footage from the area. It was uploaded to us, but we have not been able to get hold of the sender. These images are extremely graphic and are not appropriate for minors. Viewer discretion is advised.”
The screen showed video footage of someone running across a well-manicured lawn. They panned their camera to the right, capturing images of three demons leaping on the town priest. The woman taking the footage screamed and turned into a grocery store. She hurried through the aisles, stopping and shakily filming another attack right in the center of the store. Slowly she walked into a dark room and turned the camera on herself. “Help us, we are under attack.”
Her head shot up, and her eyes grew wide right before the camera cut out. The screen shifted back to the reporter, who was struggling to swallow a drink of water. “Again, that was footage from Cohasset, Massachusetts. We have word that the mercenaries have been dispatched, but the warning on these attacks was minimal. We hope that…hold on, something is happening down below.”
The small portals shimmered and stretched as more small demons poured out onto the grass. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they began sniffing out their first meal of the day. They rummaged tables, destroyed buildings, and pulled citizens screaming and kicking from their homes.
As the smaller ones feasted, townspeople armed themselves and fought back. They managed to take down a few of the beasts but barely made a dent in their numbers. Bodies lay all across the grass, chunks of their flesh missing. It was a feast for kings, and the smaller demons weren’t the only ones that were going to have the opportunity to eat.
A loud rumble shook the ground beneath the demons’ feet. They paused in their meals and looked at their respective portals. While small demons continued jumping out, a larger portal began to tear open over the town. Heat billowed out of the portal, scorching the grasses and crisping the flesh of those dead or dying on the ground. Slowly, large demons began to grip the edges of the portal and pull themselves through into the cool air of Earth. Steam spiraled off their scaled black skin, and their mouths were stretched into terrible jagged smiles.
One by one the giants leaped forward, running through the casualties. They swung their great arms from side to side, smashing into buildings small and large. W
hen they found a human to devour, they would eat them, but in the meantime, destruction was the name of the game. They focused on the churches dotted throughout the town, slamming their giant fists into the steeples. Dust flew as the towers began to fall. The bells of the Catholic church were sent rolling loudly across the cement, taking out three people in their way.
A loud explosion from a shotgun folded a smaller demon in half, and a middle-aged man in a plaid shirt reloaded his weapon. There was blood on his face as he ran through the streets, firing and reloading. He pointed his gun at every demon he passed, blasting some of the smaller ones’ heads off their shoulders. He slowed as he approached a large beast that was gnawing on a woman’s thigh. The man with the shotgun swallowed hard and racked a round. The demon saw him and growled.
The man let fly, shooting the demon once in the side of the chest and once in the head. His bullets weren’t special metal, so the giant demon just swatted at the pain. He threw the woman’s leg to the ground and set his sights on the man in plaid. The man fumbled for more shotgun shells but he dropped them, and then it was too late. The demon lifted him and threw the man as hard as he could. The guy soared through the air, crashing into the side of a bank, then falling to the ground. He left a smear like a huge bug on the building.
The whole town was in chaos, large demons smashing and small demons feasting. There would be no festival that day, or any day for a very long time if Moloch had his way.
“This is Mariah Donaldson, interrupting your regularly scheduled program with continuing coverage of what is now being called the Cohasset Massacre. We’ll take you back to Skycam 8 for aerial coverage of the event. Viewer discretion is advised.”
