by Michael Todd
I’m in more than your head, precious,” she answered. You wouldn’t have been my first choice for a body, but hell, those idiots could have done a lot worse. There was a gagging sound. I could be inside a mule right now.
Inside? Katie thought nervously.
Ouch, and there he goes, Pandora added, bringing Katie’s attention back to the fight.
The mercenaries pounced on the demon and held him tightly as their silver-haired leader Korbin walked gingerly forward, shaking his head and wiping his sword on his pants.
He stood in front of the beast, widened his stance, and pulled back the sword. It shimmered as it sliced through the air, and the others jumped away.
The blade struck the demon’s neck and severed its head from its shoulders. As the beast hit the ground it returned to its human form, crumpling into a headless pile on the ground.
That’s right, bitches! Pandora laughed. Welcome to the world of the Damned, sweetheart.
You might want to hold on tight.
2
Korbin shook the priest’s hand and smiled at the young woman, who was still looking around the parking garage with concern written on her face.
Katie wasn’t sure what would come next. Was she going to be made into demon sushi, with that sarcastic bitch inside her?
The gray-haired man and the priest talked quietly, glancing at her every few seconds.
You ready to be the next course on the A-Team’s dinner? Pandora asked.
Just shut up, Katie hissed in her head. I have to figure this out.
Good luck, princess. Pandora laughed.
“We’re gonna get you out of here,” a man’s voice said from her right.
He was a young guy, probably around her age, with blonde hair and a charming smile. It was the same charming smile she had seen repeatedly at fraternity houses during the school year. He flipped a small knife in his hand as he spoke.
He had tightly-maintained facial fur that kind of looked like a beard, but she wasn’t quite sure he had done it on purpose.
“I’m Armani,” he continued, reaching down and cutting the ropes. Her arms were limp after they were released. “I know you’re confused,” He helped her stand. “But as soon as we get you out, the others will explain everything. Just hang in there for us,” he finished, nodding to another of the team.
“Get her ready for transport,” the silver-haired man called. “She goes with me and Damian.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Armani mumbled as he slid an arm under Katie, “That’s Korbin. He’s the boss. He’ll take good care of you.” He looked at her dress. “We’ll eventually get you new clothes, but I’m sorry to say you will have to suffer for a while longer.”
Katie didn’t even shake her head. She was much too nervous to understand what was going on. Another one of the guys walked over with a gurney and helped her to lie down, then looked at her with a kind smile.
He was different; it was almost like he didn’t belong. His sleeves were rolled up, and the EMT symbol was tattooed on his skin. She started to wonder if these guys were Damned too, or if they were just some rogue group of people trying to set things straight.
Either way, with police sirens whirling toward them and the disgusting body parts and blood of the massacre all over the place, she figured her best bet was to go with the winning team and figure it all out later.
Katie lay still on the gurney as they rolled her up a few levels in the parking garage. When they had almost reached ground floor, a short woman—her hair pulled up in a ponytail, makeup dark and ominous, and tennis shoes the worse for wear—joined them. She had a notebook in her hand and was talking to each of the mercs, trying to get a statement.
She was a reporter of some kind, and not at all surprised by the scene.
“Garrett,” she said, walking up to the EMT next to Katie. “Tell me what happened here. Was the coven big? Did they summon an important demon? Is this a new Damned girl?”
“Sorry, Charlotte, not today,” he said, continuing to push the gurney. “Got work to do. Don’t have time to give a statement to the conspiracy publication that said dogs are from a planet called ‘Kibble.’”
She looked annoyed. “Fine. But when you stop listening to the man and realize we are all being controlled by the same useless minds, don’t come running to me,” she yelled at Garrett.
“I won’t,” he yelled back, waving his hand and shaking his head.
Katie held on tightly as Garrett and another guy maneuvered the gurney up some more stairs and out into the evening air.
It was cold outside, but Katie’s temperature had risen for some reason. Her body gave off steam as the wind hit her. Garrett halted the gurney and glanced at the police and firemen, who were everywhere.
The rest of the crew were nowhere in sight; it looked like he was just trying to blend in and get her out of there.
He steered the gurney straight toward the back of an open ambulance, but at the last second he swerved to the left, pushing her instead into the back of one of three blacked-out SUVs.
The doors slammed shut behind her and she looked to her left. Korbin and the priest were crammed together on a bench beside her.
The SUV took off and Katie looked up at the ceiling, then closed her eyes and concentrated on not being scared out of her mind. They drove for a while, but there were no windows in the back of the vehicle so she had no idea where they were taking her.
“You think she’s scared?” Korbin asked the priest.
“You would think she would be,” he replied, “but often Damned who don’t crumble right away are a special breed. It depends on how powerful her demon is, and what it has taken over at this point. Still, I don’t look forward to telling her that she will be reported as dead, but no body will be found.”
Korbin pursed his lips, glancing at Katie a couple times before replying. “Well, let’s get her to the observation tank and we’ll go from there.”
Katie listened to them talk, and began to cry silently when she heard that her family would be told she had died, but there would be no closure for them. She figured the only thing to do was lie there, staring up at the ceiling as the tears tracked down her face.
When the vehicle came to a stop about forty minutes later, the priest stood up and helped Garrett get her out of the SUV and into a building.
The halls were long and white, and the fluorescent lights worsened Katie’s already pounding migraine. Garrett pulled a blanket over her and smiled kindly as he followed Korbin and the priest down to the med bay.
Once inside, the priest locked the doors and pulled off his black raincoat, hanging it on the back of a chair. Garrett glanced down at Katie and nodded at the others, then left her in the care of Korbin and the priest.
The priest grabbed some leather straps. “I’m going to put these on your wrists and ankles,” he told her. “It’s not to hold you here. It’s for your own safety. I’m Damian Dawson, priest and member of Korbin’s Killers.” He smiled at her as he buckled her right arm in. “I’m going to try to help you.”
“Who are Korbin’s Killers, and when can I go home?” Katie asked, finally allowing herself to ask questions. She’d heard the part about being declared dead to the world, but she figured she’d act as if she hadn’t.
A bunch of nasty do-gooders, Pandora snarled in her head.
Katie ignored her.
“There is a lot to explain,” Korbin answered her, stepping to Katie’s side. “But first there will be an evaluation.”
“It won’t hurt a bit,” Damian said, tightening the restraints around her wrists and ankles. “Only thing is, I’m afraid you have to stay in those clothes a little while longer because of the traces I’ll find.”
Great, chained up again.
Katie was not in any way, shape or form happy about this—she would have run out of there shrieking if she could have—but she had no other options. She felt screaming would yield no results, or at best negative ones, so she watched closely as Damian d
onned a pair of purple latex gloves and picked up a stethoscope.
At first he just did routine tests: listened to her heart and her breathing, and checked her pulse.
Then it started to get a little strange.
He pulled up Katie’s shift to reveal her midriff and pressed his ear against her belly. He listened for quite some time, and Katie glanced at Korbin. He just stood there watching, face straight and arms crossed, like he had seen the priest do this a hundred times before.
After Damian was finished with her stomach, he looked Katie in the eyes and squinted as he pulled off his gloves. He held his hands just inches from her body and closed his eyes, moving his arms up and down and over as if he were searching for some magnetic pulse.
He started to chant in Latin, but Katie didn’t understand what the hell he was saying.
Pandora laughed loudly in her head, but Katie ignored it. She just wanted it to be over so she could get more information. Finally the priest’s hands stopped, and he dropped them to his sides.
“Well?” Korbin asked, his eyes going from Katie to Damian and back again.
“Strange.” He sighed. “I know she is Damned—we can see the evidence in her eyes—but the demon is hiding. I can sense its presence just slightly, but there is no movement. It’s not fighting back.” He rubbed his nose. “I’ve never see one do this before.”
“So it’s weak,” Korbin said. “That’s good. We can exorcise the weak.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the priest cautioned. “It could be weak, or the complete opposite—so powerful that it can hide from me,” Damian countered.
This time Damian had all of Korbin’s focus. “Hide?”
“Sure.” Damian shrugged, then walked over and washed his hands in the sink as he talked over his shoulder. “Demons can hide inside their host and put up blocking spells of sorts to keep me away, but it’s unusual to see it. If that is what’s going on here, this demon is exceptionally powerful.” Damian stifled a snort. “Possibly even one of the Seventy-Two.”
Korbin looked at Damian for a moment and then back at Katie, his eyebrows raised. Suddenly he burst into laughter, and Damian followed. Katie had no idea what they were laughing about.
Korbin snorted. “Did you see the assholes we were up against down there? They didn’t know their asses from their elbows.”
“I know.” Damian chuckled and tossed away the gloves. “A succubus thought her charms would work on a priest. I almost hurt myself laughing as I stood there watching her.” He shook his head. “What was she, blonde?”
“There is no way that those asslicks could even attempt to make a call to someone in the Seventy-Two, much less actually get their attention and have one show up. Some of the strongest covens in the world have tried and failed to do that. This is just some weak demon without a backbone.”
“What is happening?” Katie finally asked. “I’d like some answers here.”
Damian looked at Korbin, who settled down and cleared his throat. Korbin sat on the edge of the gurney and looked at Katie. It was obvious he was trying to evaluate if he could talk to Katie safely, but she couldn’t help feeling he was judging her.
“You are Damned,” he said. “Welcome to the club.”
“What does that mean?”
Korbin pursed his lips. “For years, demons have been summoned to this plane, and they take form inside of a human host. Some live side by side with the human, while others completely swallow the human’s soul and keep the body as their own. You seem to have your wits about you for now, but those human rejects released a demon and it has taken up residence in your body.”
“Pandora,” Katie whispered.
“Who?” Damian asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Nothing,” Katie said, shaking her head. “So, what are the Seventy-Two?”
“That’s a longer story.” Korbin sighed. “But the short answer is, they are the most powerful demons. The top Seventy-Two. Some say they are descendants of the original fallen angels cast down from heaven by God himself. We look at them as bad creatures who come from other dimensions to wreak havoc here. Think of it as an alien invasion, but they use rifts in the dimensions between our realities rather than space ships. You can use whatever floats your boat and gets you through the day to understand it. Fine by me.”
“Do I have one of those in me?” Katie asked, looking down at her body.
“We don’t know what demon is in you,” Korbin replied, patting her foot softly. “But from the look of that coven, I can’t imagine it being anything too serious.”
You’d be surprised, Pandora whispered to Katie. You’d be surprised what sheer boredom and a lost wager can encourage you to do. And get used to us being together—it’s going to be you and me for a long fucking time. And you do not want to introduce me to your mom.
Katie didn’t answer Pandora, but the thought of something that strong inside her made her nervous. She considered letting them know the priest was right, but she didn’t know what their motives were and didn’t want to give them any reason to hurt her.
Or worse.
Katie would just keep this to herself until she understood what this group was all about.
Katie asked suspiciously, “Who are you? And why can’t I leave?”
“We are demon hunters or demon fighters—take your pick,” Korbin replied, standing up. “We track and take care of the Damned, and we all fight with our own demons. The difference being, we don’t let them take our souls—or our bodies for that matter. We almost peacefully exist, allowing each other to share the same space. It’s complicated, but the longer that demon is in you, the more you will understand.
“As to why you can’t leave, well, do you want to take the chance of your demon killing your whole family, or someone else’s? That happened in the beginning. If you stay here where we can keep tabs on you, there’s almost no chance innocents will be caught in the crossfire if your demon goes rogue and takes you over.
“Are you hungry?” Damian interrupted. “Usually the person is famished after receiving a demon.”
I’m starving, Pandora grumbled.
“A little,” Katie replied, still ignoring Pandora. She decided to drop the thing with her family.
At least for now.
“All right,” he said, undoing the leather straps on her feet first, then her hands. “Stay here. I’ll get you some food.”
“Thank you,” Katie said, taking Korbin’s offered hand and raising herself into a seated position.
“It may not be much or ideal, but welcome your new home,” Korbin said, walking toward the door. He said before leaving, “I’ll come get you when you’re done eating.”
Katie nodded and watched through the glass door as Korbin locked her into the room and walked off.
She sat there with her legs dangling over the edge, staring at all the equipment around her. It was like a hospital room, only alongside the heart monitor and IV drip lines were a bible, a cross, a vial labeled Holy Water, and a ton of leather straps.
It looks like this old BDSM brothel I went into back in the fourteen hundreds, Pandora said. That was a night for the record books, let me tell you.
No, Katie pleaded. Please don’t.
You’re going to have to lighten up if you’re going to share this space with me, she said.
You mean if you are going to share this space? Katie growled. This is my damned body. She heard the lock click and looked up as the door opened.
“You all right?” Damian asked, and stepped through the door. “You appeared lost in thought.”
“Oh,” Katie answered, nodding, “I’m fine. I’m just trying to process, and wondering what happens next.”
He handed her a cup of coffee and a sandwich. “I know it’s a lot, but you’ll get used to the idea after a while. It will become second nature to you.”
“I don’t know about that,” Katie murmured, taking a sip of the coffee. “It’s strange sharing your own body with something els
e.”
Hey, Pandora told her indignantly, I’m someone, not something, bitch.”
“I think you’ll be okay.” Damian smiled and patted Katie’s knee.
“What is this group called again?” Katie asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.
“We are ‘Korbin’s Killers,’” he said. “Korbin was a master sergeant in the Army, and has the tactical ability to set just about anything into motion. He put together this team and does his best to help get us through each fight, just as we try our damnedest to protect the ignorant on the other side of our walls.” He nodded toward the wall behind her.
“Right,” Katie said, feeling a little melancholy. What the hell were they going to tell her Mom? Was she going to be able to do anything at all?
There was no one there to take care of Katie except Pandora, and she was not about to give in to her demon.
3
Don’t look so down,” Damian said, taking the empty cup and trash from Katie. “Korbin brought you here. That’s a good sign.”
“Have you been here long?” Katie asked.
“For a while, but not from the beginning,” Damian replied. “I was part of a SWAT team in my human life. I was sent in on this call with another guy on the team, Chris, and we both got infected. That was when the Killers showed up. They brought us back here and took care of us, and I found my niche.”
“Oh,” Katie said. “So, it worked out for you?”
“As much as it could, under the circumstances,” he said. “The people are cool, the job is thrilling, and the money is pretty good, so I guess I can’t complain. You know what?”
“What?” Katie said.
“I never asked you your name.” He smiled.
Katie sat there for a moment, thinking about the answer, unsure what to say. She knew her name—that wasn’t the problem. The problem was, she didn’t feel like that girl anymore. She didn’t feel like ‘Katie,’ the easygoing and motivated college girl. She had changed, mostly because she had a demon inside of her, but also because everything seemed to be moving in a completely new direction.
