by Holly Hook
The Infernal had overtaken all of Cumberland's Water Adventure. A distant civil defense siren wailed from the city. I knew that the Infernal continued to spread. It would claim the entire world before it finished. Lava spilled down stone slides. Imps slogged through it, firing at ATC agents who ducked behind the landscape. Injured members of both sides lay strewn on the ground. Some Normals had joined them. An imp trembled under a taser shot. Trees burned. One toppled. Most of the fighting had left the main pool area and spread through the grounds.
The first wave of the army hadn't come through yet. We might have two more minutes.
Gaozu swooped overhead, wings spread over the brick red sky. The Dark Council no longer needed to stay in their places. Bullets fired at the dragon, but none hit. He was offering us a distraction whether he knew it or not.
"We're going to the top of the Baron's Barbecue," I said. The roller coaster towered over everything else. It was the best place to pull off my ridiculous plan.
"Are you crazy?" Xavier asked. "We'll get killed."
He didn't understand what had happened to him. "We won't die," I said, squeezing his hand. "Trust me."
"Liliana. Janine. Stay here," I said. This last mission was for Xavier and me alone. I turned away, and we broke into a run.
"Alyssa!" Janine shouted. "Thoreau set our classes up so we'd become friends. Xavier said so. He knew I could get turned. It was part of his plan!"
I didn't understand, but it was too late to ask her for details. I passed Xavier the Orb so I could run with my sword out. I slashed at an imp who dared to get in my way. She seethed and grabbed her stomach wound as green filled her eyes.
I was powerful. No one was going to mess with me.
And with Xavier on my side, maybe unstoppable.
We bolted across the sidewalk and towards the entrance for the Baron's Barbecue. Flame jets erupted around the wooden coaster (yes, a wooden coaster) which now stood on the reddish rock of the Infernal. We ran under a sign with a cartoonish version of Thoreau and into the line for the ride.
"Alyssa!" Thoreau roared from behind.
He had caught on to us. It was just what I planned.
"He's coming," Xavier said, ducking under the line dividers. "Now what?"
"We climb this," I said, eyeing the coaster. The first hill of the ride towered overhead. I hoped that I wouldn't have to test these wings out.
"I trust you, Alyssa."
The lights around the ride still worked, casting it in a red glow. Xavier and I ran through the empty line and past a terrified Water Adventure operator who stood against the control panel. He didn't dare yell at me for cutting the line. Xavier and I stumbled over red roller coaster carts as Gaozu let out a jet of fire to the left. Some ATC agents screamed. Out there, Bathory was killing as well. No Normal would take her down.
My wings tried to weigh me down as Xavier cut in front of me. He had to let go of my hand, letting the darkness sweep back in. We ran up the hill of the coaster, gripping the tracks and avoiding the rising metal chain in the center. The red sky stretched overhead. It had almost reached downtown Cumberland by now.
"Alyssa!" Thoreau shouted from below. He had reached the platform. The fire crackled as it broke out. He would burn down the ride.
And then, the unmistakable sounds of him climbing after us followed.
"Keep going!" I shouted at Xavier. He had to hold on with one hand, like me, because he still held the Blood Orb. It wasn't time to break it yet. We had to wait for the right moment. Flames broke out on the wood in front of us. Xavier paused, then continued to climb. He gripped the burning wood and seethed. The fire licked at him, but he kept going, flesh intact. The fire couldn't burn him.
"What are you doing?" Thoreau asked. "If you break the Orb, I will gather the blood again." He sounded confident.
It wouldn't work that way if we timed this right. I scrambled up the rungs and through the harmless flames. The ground stretched out below.
"I will imprison you both for eternity!" Thoreau shouted. "This is your final chance, Alyssa."
Xavier and I reached the other side of the fire. The ground stretched out so far below. We had climbed a hundred feet up, maybe more. Dizziness overtook me. Allunna said I could glide. I didn't think so.
A warning sign about keeping your seat belt buckled rose beside us. The hill leveled out and Xavier stood. The flaming jets roared below. The ride trembled. Thoreau would take it down.
I stood in front of Xavier, struggling to hold my footing. Cumberland's Water Adventure spread out below.
We had reached the top. A plunge waited on the other side.
Xavier handed me the Blood Orb.
Thoreau climbed towards us, all traces of his human form gone. It seemed that Leon had faded away. He and Allunna hadn't avoided their fate.
"Alyssa," he said, standing and folding his wings. Thoreau adjusted his tie for good measure. He climbed another rung. The chain continued to crank. "Accept your destiny. You have discovered who you are. You know that you have always gravitated towards evil. Now, hand me the Orb, and we will rule over this world with the Dark Council."
Behind him, Gaozu flew over Death's Dive.
I held the Orb above my head.
The flames in Thoreau's eyes sputtered. He didn't dare take a step closer. Below, the wooden planks continued to burn. Smoke rose, but Xavier didn't cough.
Something about what Janine told me stuck. She wouldn't have given me such news if it wasn't important.
"Is it true that you put Janine in my classes so we'd become friends?" I asked.
He ignored my question. "Stop denying your nature, Alyssa." Thoreau extended his hand.
Maybe he was right.
I was supposed to be evil. For a second, I wanted to hand Thoreau the Orb. No. Xavier said I was good. Janine said that Thoreau had caused us to become friends. Why? So I could bite her?
You are fully ready to discover your Noble blood.
Thoreau said that after he realized I had infected Janine.
After he realized that I had Turned her--
After he knew I suffered the guilt--
My mother. My grandmother. My best friend. All of them--
Once he knew for sure I was broken--
Understanding filled me.
The Infernal alone hadn't done this to me. I had to believe in the demon within.
Now I knew why Xavier's love pushed it back.
"Drop the Orb," Thoreau demanded.
"Okay," I said, lowering the Orb a bit. My hands paled a bit, and my claws receded. Thoreau's gaze shot to them and he reached for the Orb, but I backed into Xavier. The green glow intensified in the baron's eyes, but he had become more resistant. Death would take him slowly. I held the Orb over the side and let it topple a bit. "How about this?"
"No!" Thoreau shouted. The flames below rose higher. The coaster groaned.
The librarian I bit had been helping Thoreau.
The first man I killed had been ready to murder.
"How about I drop it this way?" I asked, switching hands and holding the Orb over the ground.
The ATC agents I hurt? I had to protect the world.
My mother? There might be the chance she hadn't run screaming from me, but Thoreau.
Gaozu turned in midair, his red eyes trained on me.
"Alyssa," Thoreau said. "Breaking the Orb here will do you no good. As I said, I will collect the blood again. And listen to that." He put his hand on his ear. "My army breaks through."
I could see the portal from here. The first imps climbed out, guns ready. A few brave ATC agents fired on them. Another wave emerged from the Infernal as the beam of fire continued to shoot into the sky.
Janine's turning was an accident. She had given her humanity to save the world.
Burning the ATC building might have saved countless lives tonight.
Xavier was right. I was good. I had always been. My blood didn't define who I was.
The darkness inside died scre
aming. A tingle washed over my body, along with a wave of dizziness. The weight vanished from my back. The fiery beam shooting from the portal fizzled and went dead, along with the portal itself. The few imps who had crawled out turned and watched, confused as the Infernal faded and the water returned.
"No!" Thoreau shouted in horror. The flames in his eyes sputtered again. I could feel the heat of the fire below. I licked my teeth. My fangs had returned. I had never loved them so much.
And when I held the Orb up one final time, my hands were creamy and my fingernails clear.
Thoreau lunged for me, but I stepped back, trying to ignore the ground far below. Xavier took my shoulder, and the demon baron stumbled, grabbing onto the supports. He glared at me with such hatred that I about withered. A large shape approached from the air, wings flapping.
The time had come.
And I threw the Orb off the side of the Baron's Barbecue, careful to miss the fire jets. The glass ball sailed down...down...right onto a bare patch of Infernal stone that was rapidly turning back into concrete.
It shattered.
Blood splattered everywhere, turning it into a murder scene.
Thoreau's mouth fell open as he stared at his shattered dreams.
In his shock, he didn't see Gaozu closing in.
Xavier pulled me back, downhill, and I had to fight not to stumble and send us both plunging to the ground. The golden dragon landed on the track behind the mayor, making it tremble with his weight. Thoreau turned to face the newly freed creature too late.
Gaozu opened his mouth wide and closed it around Thoreau's midsection.
Black blood splattered everywhere as the dragon's teeth impaled the demon baron. The stench was horrific. I could smell it all again. My vampire senses had returned full force.
Gaozu craned his snakelike neck towards me as a torrential rain began to fall, washing away the blood below. He leaned close, ruby eyes inches from my own as Thoreau roared and kicked his legs. I caught my reflection in them--a reflection that gave me the news that I was, in fact, the old Alyssa again. Xavier stood right behind me, hands on my arms.
Or maybe I was a new and better one.
The dragon emperor snorted with pride. I swore that he was smiling.
And with Thoreau in tow, he took off, flying towards Death's Dive. I had the sense that he was taking the demon baron to a long overdue date with her.
The rain poured down harder, putting out the fires and hardening the lava that remained in the amusement park. Steam rose, and I collapsed into Xavier's arms as the sky returned to black.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Transposing across the amusement park and back to the now-closed portal was the easy part. So was slaying the remaining imps with War Magic and a few well-placed stabs with my sword. At first, the ATC wanted to fight with the two of us, but once the agents saw us helping them out, they backed off and spoke among themselves via radio. Police sirens wailed along with scores of ambulances. The other authorities were coming. For now, there was a truce between us and the ATC. I knew better than to hope that it would last forever.
But there were bodies.
Some were of brave ATC agents. Some were of imps. The worst of all was the poor Normals who lay there, some bloody and a few burned. It seemed that thanks to their armor, the ATC agents had survived Thoreau's ring of fire, but a few civilians hadn't.
The smells were the worst.
I grieved for the families who had lost people. The pain would follow the events of tonight. I dreaded to think of what had happened to those who fell into the portal. But there was nothing we could do about them.
However, there was one important task left.
Xavier and I found a wounded imp lying next to the pool. He had taken a gunshot to the leg. I reached down and forced him to stand. I could hear his flesh pulling together as he healed, but there was still time to do what we needed.
"Thank you for being here," I said. "Do you know what? You stink, and you need a bath."
I shoved the demon soldier right into the giant pool, which had cleared. Black demon blood spread through it like ink.
"The Infernal Dimension," Xavier said.
The portal obeyed. I pulled the imp out, finishing him off with my sword. Green Death Magic filled his eyes as he gasped and began to turn into a demon raisin. I sure loved this new power. It was going to come in very handy.
I was careful not to step into the Infernal when it appeared on the other side. The lakes of fire spread out along with Thoreau's now-empty castle and the army barracks. I might have suppressed Thoreau's blood, but I knew that it was still there, waiting for another chance to take over. I couldn't let it. Sure, I had to believe I was evil for it to awaken, but the Infernal was good at making you feel bad about yourself. I was a complicated person, after all.
"Alyssa!" Janine squealed, hugging me from behind.
I jumped. "Hey!" I shouted, embracing her back.
"You're back to normal!" she said, hugging me tighter. "I saw you on top of the track. That was the most intense thing I've ever seen! I can't wait to text Maisha and tell her all about it!"
Next, to me, Liliana jumped into Xavier's arms. I barely noticed.
"You still want to be my friend?" I asked.
"Of course I do!" Janine said. "We can do more stuff together now!"
I knew that reality still had yet to hit her, but I would be there to help every step of her new journey. We had already gone through much worse.
"You're going to need contacts," I said.
"That's fine."
"And Migraine Blankets."
"I can deal with that."
"Just a reminder. Sunscreen doesn't do jack."
Her face fell. "I'll...remember."
We broke apart just as a legion of people stepped out of the portal.
Robed Mages, ATC agents, and Abnormals of all types poked their heads out and climbed from the Infernal, side by side, in rows of ten at a time. The four of us had to step back to make room for the crowd.
Strange scents filled the air. They climbed out of the pool, not speaking, looking around their surroundings. People dropped their guns to the concrete in a sign of peace. Even the werewolves were orderly, though some howled when they emerged under the full moon. The ATC agents already in the park shouted and gathered around, raising weapons, only to find their formerly missing comrades walking out beside the Abnormals, holding their hands up to prevent any more shooting.
"Hold your fire!" a former Bound ATC agent shouted. "The mayor is a demon! He was working against us!"
It was going to be a weird night in Cumberland and an even stranger news report tomorrow. This event wouldn't stop all the problems between Abnormals and Normals, not by a long shot, but it might be a start.
A helicopter flew overhead. On the other side of the pool, George the werewolf pulled himself to his feet. His fur smoked, but he had survived Thoreau's attacks. He growled and bolted into the darkness, perhaps in search of more demons.
Ambulances and police cars pulled into the parking lot. I heard gurneys rolling and radios going off. The world had opened up to me again. I was glad to have my great hearing back.
Thoreau's former soldiers filled the now-ravaged park, spreading through the open space. Not many spoke.
Paramedics mixed in, treating injured ATC agents and civilians alike. I watched as most of the Abnormals wandered off into the night. A few of the ATC people tried to stop them with tasers, but they gave up the fight when the tide became too great, and it got apparent that the Abnormals here only wanted to get away. Reunited comrades hugged each other. The truth spread more by the second.
The four of us could only stand by the pool, try not to get crushed by people, and wait.
Xavier's Aunt Primrose emerged first. Liliana squealed and dove into her hug. A real smile split Primrose's face. But then Liliana whispered something into her ear and the tears formed.
Leon had gone for good, and she had just found out.
For the first time, I felt sorry for her.
Thorne walked out of the portal next, dropping a wooden staff he was holding. It landed on the growing pile of guns. He looked around, dazed and sweating, but stopped when I stepped in front of him.
"Thorne," I said. "After what I went through, you owe me a master rank in every form of martial arts, ever."
"Alyssa!" he exploded. He smelled like Mountain Dew. He wrapped me in a hug. "Thoreau must be dead. I'm free. He forced me to make a deal with him, or he was going to kill my students."
"We have a lot to tell you," I said, aware that close to me, Xavier was hugging Trish and Elsina.
Thorne released me. "Your father's coming," he said. "He was three rows behind me if I remember right."
I faced the pool as we stepped aside.
My father emerged, second to the end of the row, still dressed in his white work shirt and tie. My heart swelled at the sight of him. It had been weeks. Maybe more.
"Dad!"
He faced me, and his mouth fell open.
"Alyssa?" He climbed from the portal. "You weren't captured?"
"Dad," I said, too choked up to say anything else. "Some of it was like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from." I dove into his arms, glad that I didn't have to be the hero right now.
"Alyssa. Honey. It was horrible for me, too," he said, stroking my hair. "I didn't realize the Infernal was a real place. I got put into some sleep, but at one point, I swore that you were there." He paused. "I even had a nightmare that you were a demon."
"You were in the Infernal," I said, aware that Xavier stood there. I could smell his nervousness, that metallic smell that betrayed it. "It must do horrible things to your mind. It was just an awful dream, Dad. By the way." I faced Xavier. "I need to introduce you to someone."
Xavier gulped. In his now-violet eyes was a terror.
* * * * *
Only one word described the next few days: chaos.
For one thing, thousands of Abnormals suddenly emerged from the Infernal and into the area surrounding Cumberland. News helicopters flew over the Water Adventure, recording footage of the portal that hadn't opened back up since the last row of Thoreau's former army emerged a couple of nights ago. By then, all of the Abnormals had scattered from the area, and many were going back into hiding. The reports were all over the place. Someone had sighted a dragon flying from the scene. Reports of a vampire woman in a veil also surfaced, but no one could confirm it.
