by Michael Todd
A clawed foot stomped out of the first gate, then the demon’s head poked out and looked at his surroundings. He snarled at the bright light and jumped out into the woods. Several more rushed after him. More growling fiends clawed their way out of the other gates. Before anyone even knew they were there, thousands of demons were flooding down the mountain. They tore trees from their roots, sent bridges crumbling down to the valleys below, and pretty much destroyed everything in their path. Nothing was safe.
They approached an overlook on the edge of the mountain, bunching up as they came to a stop. They all growled and hissed as they took in the small town of Sighișoara below. It was a vibrant Romanian town, boasting scenic views and a population of about twenty-five thousand. From their perch, the demons could see the droves of unsuspecting people milling around, going about their days as normal. None of them had the faintest idea that death was waiting high in the mountains.
One of the larger demons let out a loud bellow that echoed across the mountains. The other demons growled and followed suit, tilting their heads back like wolves and howling. The trees shook, and rocks crumbled and broke away from the sides of the mountains. A young boy playing on the outskirts of the town looked up from his toy trucks and stared at the ledge high above the town, then stood up and narrowed his eyes. Even in the daylight, he saw the hundreds of red balls of light staring down at him.
He dropped his truck and turned to the town, screaming, “Demoni! Ei vin pentru noi!”
“Demons! They are coming for us!”
The remnants of dinner and the remnants of round four were mixed together in a mess that sprawled across the kitchen. Empty food containers were strewn across the kitchen counter, and plates had been stacked in the sink. A half-empty bottle of wine sat on the counter above a pile of discarded clothes. The apartment was silent as the sun peeked through the windows.
Down the hall rose petals were wilting on the floor, curling and twisting where they lay. The candles in the bathroom had been extinguished, and those in Katie’s room had melted down to nubs. The smell of freshly extinguished candles mixed with the scents of Italian food, lavender, vanilla, and a wild night of sex and booze. It was definitely not the norm for the apartment, but at that moment no one cared.
Katie lay across her bed sideways. Her dark hair was strewn in a wild halo around her. Her naked body was wrapped in a sheet, the comforter in a clump on the floor. A small puddle of drool emerged from her lips where her face was pressed into the mattress. She had passed out, under the spell of a relaxing night. She gradually woke, and she smacked her lips together to remove the stale taste of wine. She turned her head to shield her face from the beams of light coming in through the curtains.
Her hands flexed and released the sheet. She squeezed her eyes closed, attempting to keep at bay the dizziness that threatened to overtake her. She could tell Pandora was not even close to awake. Her body still trying to metabolize the wine she’d drunk straight from the bottle the night before. She hadn’t felt that way since college, after going to her one and only party at the local frat house. That night had been full of alcohol but definitely not sex. She had left the party early, staggering back to her dorm and passing out on the floor.
Waking up on a comfortable bed was a lot better than waking up on the carpet with her roommate standing over her with a glass of water and some aspirin. That night had not been her best. At the moment, she was proud of what she’d achieved in her little New York City condo. She’d let it all out and had no regrets. She had let Pandora’s and her own sensual nature completely take over.
When she heard the shuffling, she opened her eyes and blinked hard. Brock stood near the bed, smiling at her. He was pulling the last of his gear out of his black duffel and finishing suiting up. Katie groaned quietly and wiped the drool from her chin, then turned on her back and took a moment to ground herself.
Brock chuckled. “Feeling okay?”
Katie’s voice was raspy. “Like a ten-ton demon dropped his ass on my head.”
Brock laughed as he put his guns in his holsters. “You’ll be fine. Just guzzle some coffee and grab a shower. You’ll be better than ever. My demon already went to work on the hell that was bubbling inside me when I woke up.”
Katie slapped her arms on the bed beside her. “Mine seems to be taking a vacation right now.”
Katie turned over on her side and propped herself on her elbow. “That’s not really what I would expect you to wear for a stroll through New York on a beautiful fall day.”
Brock smiled and sat on the bed next to her. He pushed the hair from her face. She stared at him with her bright blue eyes, and his eyes met hers. He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. The oxygen rushed from her lungs but she pushed back against it, trying not to go all googly-eyed over Brock.
He broke off the kiss. “My team has been called to an operation in Romania. They said it’s pretty dire. Lots of demons, lots of portals. I checked your phone, but it never rang. Must not be Katie-worthy.”
Katie groaned and plopped her head back down on the bed. “Good. I could use about nine days of recovery after last night.”
Brock grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But yeah, I gotta leave. The team is already at the base, and they’re waiting for me. There’s a car downstairs.”
Katie held the sheet to her chest and sat up, flipping her wild hair to one side. She leaned forward and kissed Brock deeply, taking in his fresh, clean scent. “Be careful. I know I don’t need to tell you that, but I felt like I should say it. These incursions are getting crazier.”
Brock ran his finger down her cheek. “I know. I heard about your base. They said demons were dropping out of the sky. They’re ramping up their assault tactics, I see, but no worries. You know us. We’ll go in and knock some heads.”
Katie gave him a sweet, sleepy smile. “You know how to get hold of me if you guys need help. I can jet over there in no time. Never been to Romania.”
Brock stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Sorry to leave you with the mess.”
Katie waved her hand. “Meh, gives me something to do to wake my ass up. Don’t want to scare the hell out of Angie when she comes back.”
Brock smiled again and walked toward the door. He paused and looked back at her, flashing one of his toothy grins. “Last night was—”
Katie giggled. “Yeah, I know. Go, before I have a dozen military guys busting down my door to drag you out.”
Brock tapped his hand on the doorframe. “Going. I’ll call you when we get back stateside.”
Katie stared at the doorway until she heard the front door close. Suddenly, the house seemed a little less lively. She sat there for a moment to gather her thoughts, then jumped out of bed. Nope. Too soon. She grabbed the dresser to stabilize herself, then put her hand to her head and groaned. “Ugh, take it a bit slower, Katie.”
She opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of panties and some jogging shorts and threw them on. As she walked toward her closet, she paused. Brock’s t-shirt was laid neatly over the chair. She smiled and grabbed it, throwing it over her head. It smelled like him, or at least how he’d smelled when he’d walked into the condo the night before.
Katie took stock of the disaster that was her room. She knew the kitchen was even worse. She immediately started picking up all the clothes and throwing them in the hamper. She pulled the sheets off the bed and tossed them in too. She grabbed a fresh set of sheets from the closet and spritzed them with fabric spray. She still hadn’t heard a word from Pandora, which was not in the least like her.
Katie spread the sheets on the mattress and made the bed, putting all the decorative pillows back in place like Angie always did it. She put her hands on her hips and chuckled. I’m so domestic. It’s kind of gross.
Pandora growled and mumbled almost incoherently. Shh. Sleeping, bitch. Don’t fuck with my sleep.
Katie narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Oh hell, no, hooker. This is fucki
ng payback for all the times I just wanted to sleep in, and you couldn’t fucking shut up about donuts. You’re going to wake the fuck up. Turnabout is fair play.
Katie started to pick up the candles from around the room, singing loudly and trying everything to annoy the hell out of Pandora.
“This is the song that never ends,
it goes on and on, my friends!
Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was,
and they’ll continue singing it forever just because!
This is the song that never ends…”
Pandora huffed. You know I have the power to give you fucking saddlebags and acne, right? How would you like that next time you decided to get wild with Brock? You take off your clothes, and you have back acne.
Katie smirked. “Good morning, bitch! It’s about time you woke your happy ass up and joined the goddamned world.”
Pandora groaned. I am so tempted to fucking make your hangover worse. One swipe of my hands and your ass will be puking in the nearest trash can.
Katie wasn’t going to let that dampen her mood. “Oh, come now, Lilith. That’s not very nice of you. What would Adam think?”
Pandora laughed loudly. That motherfucker would tell me to get into the advertised position—missionary—so he could insert his manly seed. Bro would be talking about me populating the Earth and shit. Please, son. I am not going to put this body through that. And millennia before the epidural was invented? You have got to be kidding me.
Katie wrinkled her nose as she continued to clean up her room. “Man, the entire Earth? Talk about a hot dog down a fucking hallway. Those babies would fall right out of you after a while.”
Pandora cleared her throat. No, bitch. I’ve been telling you. It’s all about the Kegel exercises. I’ve been doing them for you throughout the day since you don’t seem to care.
Katie paused for a moment. “I’m not sure how I feel about you messing with my vagina when no one is looking. Or when everyone’s looking, for that matter. Is nothing sacred?”
Hell, no. You’re my bitch now, although I guess if you want to be loosey-goosey, be my guest. Ask Brock first, see what he has to say about it.
Katie chuckled. “I have a hard time believing that my once-in-a-blue-moon bone sessions would get me anywhere near loosey-goosey status. I think someone is projecting.”
Pandora gasped. How dare you! My cat is nice and tight. Never any complaints.
“I don’t know, centuries of throwing that thing around like it was public property might have caused serious damage. You might need a little tune-up, if you know what I mean. That thing still under warranty?”
Pandora was getting irritated. I will have you know that even after sleeping with big dick Lucifer I’m still ready to go, thank you very much. We demons have elasticity.
“There’s a difference between being tight and having a shriveled-up mummy-cooch, you ancient pain in my tits.”
Little did Katie know, while she was having her morning conversation with Pandora, Angie had come home. She had taken one look at the disaster that was the condo and gone straight to Katie’s room, just to make sure it was a wild night and not a hostage situation. When she walked around the corner, she stopped in the doorway. Katie was talking out loud to, she assumed, Pandora. There wasn’t anyone else in the place. She stood there for a while just listening, her eyes wide.
After a few minutes she stifled a giggle, and Katie spun. “Angie, you’re home!”
“I am. And I have to say the half of that conversation I could hear was, shall we say, enlightening.”
Katie laughed. “Yeah, you know, fucking with Pandora. She’s having a fit.”
Angie shook her head. “You two are seriously going to drive each other nuts before the war is over.”
Katie tossed a sock in the hamper. “Oh, we are long past crazy, my dear.”
Angie set a hot cup of coffee down in front of Katie after helping her clean up the kitchen. She stared at the sink. In it were a potato masher, a pair of tongs, and two wet aprons. She scratched her head. “So, you said you didn’t cook last night?”
Katie glanced at the sink. “Yeah, just let this one go. It’s hard to explain. I’ll take care of that.”
“Good, because I was considering just lighting a match and letting the place burn down.”
Katie laughed and took a gulp of her coffee. With Pandora finally up, her hangover was going away quickly. Katie was pretty sure Pandora was leaving just a bit of the hangover intact to punish her for getting her up that morning.
Her phone buzzed loudly on the countertop. It was the general.
“Morning, General. What’s the good word today?” she answered.
General Brushwood grumbled into the phone. “You sound awfully cheerful for being up this early in the morning.”
Katie shrugged. “You stole my company this morning. Brock said you had an assignment you were sending his team on?”
The general cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m not going to ask about you and Brock. As far as the assignment…yeah, pretty nasty incursion.”
Katie hated to hear that. “Do you need me for it?”
“I don’t think so. It’s a shit show, but the demons seem to be slowing down. I think by the time you could get there, everything would be over.”
Katie shook her head. “It’s crazy to think how much our response has improved. Two years ago your teams would be all but demolished by now. Good work, General.”
“I owe a lot of it to you,” he replied.
Katie didn’t care where the teams had learned it, as long as they had. “What can I do for you today?”
“I was calling to see how your trip went.”
Katie suddenly remembered Juntto. “Oh, yeah! I got valuable information. I have a few really good ideas on how to wake that fool up from his coma. The goal of the treatment will be to get emotional energy into him.”
The general wasn’t sure what she meant. “Okay, and how do you do that?”
Katie sipped her coffee. “I have a few thoughts on that. Actually, when I’m done with my coffee, I’m going to head to the base and try them. They finally got Juntto moved out of the meat locker. I appreciate that.”
The general took a deep breath. “Yeah, we couldn’t really have a Leviathan hanging out at the local butcher, could we?”
Katie giggled, looking at Angie. “I’ll give you a call if anything works. I think I’ll take Angie with me.”
The general remembered his and Angie’s conversation. “I think that would be good, especially if it works. We could all use a little good news these days.”
Chapter Twelve
The choppers hovered over the small Romanian town. Brock’s team dropped the ropes to the ground. Brock stood to one side and nodded to his teammates as they rappelled down. There were demons everywhere and screams echoed off the mountains.
Brock reached the end of his rope and unclipped himself. He gave a thumbs-up to the chopper above and it sped toward the safe zone, leaving the guys standing in the center of town. Turner had his M4 carbine ready. Eddie and Sean were facing down opposite sides of the street, surveying the area. Brock put his hand on Turner’s shoulder and took in the scene. There were bodies everywhere. The stone fountain in the center of town was decorated with gore, and parts of arms and legs were hanging over the edge. The water ran red with blood.
Buildings were crumbling under the demons’ attack. Several humans had emerged from the ruins with glowing red eyes. Not only were the demons attacking and murdering whoever they could, they were also summoning demons to take over bodies. It was a grim scene.
Brock motioned for the guys to get close. “Okay, here’s the deal. We’re late to the scene. I think the best tactic is working a grid. We go house to house accounting for the living and helping the Damned. We aren’t priests. We can’t take the demons out of them. If we find infected like us, we get them to a safe space. After that, the military will handle them. We kill an
y demon who comes near us, no questions. These fuckers are on a mission, and it seems like chaos is the word of the day.”
Turner pulled the trigger of his gun, spraying bullets across a group of demons approaching. He took down five of them, but two survivors turned and ran. Turner lowered his weapon and watched a little girl emerge from the dust and fog. She was clutching a bloodied teddy bear in her arms and walking toward him with red eyes. “Uh, Brock?”
Brock turned to the girl and pulled up his weapon. “Hey there, sweetie. I can see you need some help. What’s your name?”
The girl stopped, and her head bent drastically to one side. A deep voice tore from her throat. “Today is the reckoning. You will all die.”
Turner whimpered. “Holy fuck!”
The little girl launched herself at them. Brock raised his weapon and pulled the trigger, and her body flew back and crumpled to the ground. It quickly dissolved into ash and dust. Turner turned toward Brock with wide eyes. “That was the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
Eddie held his rifle loosely in his tattooed hands, staring at the mound of dust. “That was scarier than the time I banged Sean’s sister.”
“Fuck yourself.” Sean shook his head. “Nasty fucker.”
“Seriously. She looks just like you. She has the same whiskers on her chin. I got real conflicted at the end.” He raised his eyes thoughtfully. “I finished, though.”
Turner murmured, “What kind of fucking mission is this?”
Brock sighed and looked around. “I don’t know, but something tells me it’s going to be a whole new ball game.”
Moloch had been locked in his room for two days, and Baal hadn’t heard a peep from him. He decided to go back to his own castle. He didn’t want to be there when the other demon finally emerged. Besides, he had information to look into.
Baal’s castle was quite a bit smaller than Moloch’s, but it was perfect for him. He’d acquired several demons from the pool of souls in hell, and he forced them to play classical music on instruments he had snuck in from Earth as he lounged in his living area. He had put a shield around them so they wouldn’t burst into flames, but they didn’t sound quite right. Still, the music relaxed him and helped him think more clearly.
