Darkened (17 page)

One
      

No Twilight tonight

Would I sound too much like a TV evangelist if I screamed out "Back to hell with you, Demon spawn!" while standing on a sidewalk in the middle of the entertainment district in Mobile, Alabama? Yeah, probably. You know, there was a time in my life when that statement alone would have earned me a stay in a rubber room. But that just shows you how much my life has changed over the past few centuries.

Here I was minding my own when some low rate Demon starts trying to suck the soul out of a drunk skanky chick while standing on the sidewalk in front me. Seriously? He didn't even have the decency to take it to a back alley or her place? Not that that would make sucking her soul out any less wrong, I don't care how skanky she is. So being the good-samaritan that I am, I told the stupid Demon to stop. That, of course, earned me a nasty look by StupidDemon.

"Mind your own business Human or I'll be tasting you next."

Pahleeease. Like I'd let that nasty piece of work touch me let alone suck my soul out. Fortunately, I knew something he didn't. Even though I look like your typical dark haired, blue eyed Human of average height, it was all due to the glamour that I wore. I mean, technically, I was dark haired and blue eyed but I was
not
Human. And, it was the magic inside me that the glamour hid. That magic and my complete badassness were going to send this skank sucking Demon back to the dimension he came from.   

Meanwhile, Skanky was looking at StupidDemon like he was the next Edward Cullen even going as far as to rub up against him and moan like she couldn't wait for him to take her life. I’m sure the mind whammy he put on her had her believing she was his Bella Swan. How lame.

I looked at StupidDemon, smiled and said, "A, I'm not Human and B," I pulled my twin scimitars from the
veil and pointed them at him. "If you try to kiss me, I'll have to stick these up your ass. So, release the Human and we can finish this."

I really hate when they run. It makes me want to jerk them to a stop, slap them upside their head, and tell them to grow a pair. But, Demon are notorious runners when up against someone as strong as them, and I think this Demon has finally figured out that I could kill him in my sleep. I wouldn't have put him higher in the Demon hierarchy than a messenger at best. So now, instead of relaxing in my favorite pub enjoying a nice cold drink, I'm wading through muck up to my ankles. I guess I should feel lucky it's only to my ankles and not waist or neck deep. The marshes in The Port City get pretty deep until you just end up in the bay.

And, how did I end up in the marshes from downtown? Well, once he realized I wasn't what he thought I was, he took off like a bullet. It's not every day that you see someone pull a weapon out of the veil so he headed for the Bankhead tunnel (in which I was almost plowed over by a Buick), crossed Water Street, and into the marshes.

There's a reason Mobile is called The Port City. You can't throw a stone without hitting water. The muck in the marshes is so thick and black all he would have to do is dive under and make his way to deeper water. It would be like looking for a needle in a hay stack. So, to end this game of tag, I decided to pull some energy from my surroundings to give myself a boost of speed. I could have used my own reserve of magic to make me faster, but it’s better to save that for when I’m actually fighting, that way I don’t run out when I need it. It takes a few moments to pull from your environment, and when you’re doing hand-to-hand combat, every second counts.

I really don’t like to absorb magic from my surroundings because it kills the plant and animal life that I take from, plus it feels weird. I guess the best way to explain it is like this, when I borrow energy from an Other I'm technically getting a piece of their essence (which they replenish within days), and it feels like them whether it's a Vamp, Were, Elve, etc. I never borrow from a Human because essentially I'm taking part of their life force which would cause their lifespan to be shortened. Depending on how much is borrowed, their life could be shortened by a few weeks or several years, and Humans are here for such a short time already that it doesn't seem fair to borrow from it. Not to mention it's illegal. I wouldn’t want the Human’s Rights task force on my tail. There are some bad mofo’s working on those task forces, and once they put your name out to all the divisions throughout the US, you might as well consider your ass gone because there isn’t any coming back from that. They consider crimes by Others that harm Humans premeditated and thereby punishable to the maximum extent of the law, which basically means you’re executed. Yeah, not the way I wanna go. So, pulling energy from Humans is a big no-no, but Others are a good source of energy as long as they hold still. Of course, you are supposed to have their permission. Supposed to. Plants and tiny bacteria are also a good source to draw from but they are so far away from what I am that their essence feels...well...weird. Sorry, I'm not very poetic.  

The energy I received from my surroundings does just what I need it too. I quickly closed the fifty foot gap between me and the skank sucker in front of me and went to jump on his back. Only, he turned at the last second and used my momentum to throw me over him. I hit the water face first then jumped up to go at him again. I suppose I should be thankful that it was mid-April and the water was already in the sixties. By the time I had righted myself in the waist-deep water, the demon was already facing me.

“I know who you are now. You are the immortal slave that poses as a Human. My master will be very pleased when I deliver him your soul.”

You know what they say: Don’t count your chickens.

“Yeah. Well tell your master to go fuck himself.” 

Like I said I’m not very poetic. I would have used my magic to freeze him in place or take control of the water and use it to hold him while I sent him back to this master of his, but he wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to hit him with anything. Instead, he kept pacing an unpredictable path around me. He was actually smart for a low ranking demon which was surprising. Either he was young and hadn’t had time to make his way up to a higher level or just hadn’t figured out a way to kill his master so that he could take his place.  

Since StupidDemon (yes, I’m still going to call him that even though I know he’s not really stupid. He
is
a F-ing demon after all) wouldn’t hold still, I figured I had to take him out the old fashioned way. So, as he was making his circuit back around I reached into the veil, pulled out my Louisville slugger, and in an attempt to have him sleeping with the fishes, swung it toward the vicinity of his melon. I don’t know why, but every time I fight with a bat (which isn’t often enough let me tell you) I tend to start using mobster jargon.

I got him in the back of the head, and he was knocked off balance. He had to take several steps away from me to keep from falling into the water. I dropped my bat and took that opportunity to jump on his back which in retrospect wasn’t the smartest thing I could have done since it knocked us both into the water. I held onto him for all I was worth even though he was twisting and flailing his arms looking for any means of escape. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold on to him and pull Brimstone from the veil so I just held my breath and waited for him to run out of steam which took a few minutes. Yes, I can hold my breath for that long. 

When he finally slowed down, I pulled Brimstone, said the ritual in ancient Hellion that would bind him to Hell for the rest of eternity, and plunged the five inch blade through his back, straight into his chest. The response was instantaneous. One moment he was there with me riding his back like some deformed spider monkey and the next he was gone. Which of course caused me to fall, again, into the muck. This was the suckiest Saturday night I've had in a long time, and that's really saying something. Time to head home and shower. Repeatedly. Who knows what's in this slop.

I hate Demon blood. It stank something awful, and it was the color of dung. And unfortunately, I was covered in it. The last Demon I killed decided he would rather be ripped to shreds by my katana than allow me to trap him in Hell for all eternity with the stiletto I carry. I still managed to stab him with the stiletto, but that was after he flung his nasty blood all over me.

I had just made it into my apartment and had stripped my clothes off when my cell rang.

“Avery.”

“Ave, we gotta call about multiple Demon attacking a woman on Northside. Caller said they’re squatting in a warehouse nearby,” Kansas said.

“I’m throwing on some clothes then I’ll meet you there.”

“We’re at Dallas. Demon attacked a woman in the club. All other agents are busy as well. Is it a full moon? ‘Cause I swear the Demon have gone crazy, chica. Maybe Atlanta’s their new hangout.”

“Yeah, but the question is, why. I’ll check out this warehouse. If I need backup, I’ll call you.”

“Ten-four.”

I dressed in record time, hopped in my car
, and was on Northside in under ten minutes, which is pretty good given it typically takes twenty just to drive there from my apartment.

I slowly cruised through the warehouse district. A lot of these warehouses have been converted into apartments over the last few years, but there were still quite a few that were either in use or abandoned. I passed a fairly new Charger parked in an abandoned lot, and had to wonder who it could belong to. Most wouldn’t leave their ride just sitting there in a neighborhood like this. I didn’t see a home close enough to make sense for it being there. I decided it was a mystery I wasn’t going to solve when I passed an obviously abandoned warehouse that had several makeshift lights on inside. I would bet that is my Demon nest.

I went pass and parked in front of a building a few lots down. I pulled my hoodie and sheath on, and made sure my other blades were in place before getting out and jogging back to the warehouse. I stopped next to the side door and pulled out my katana. I checked the knob and found it locked. I had taken a few steps back to try to kick it in when the door opened and a Demon started to run out. I pulled my stiletto and stabbed him in the chest before reciting the ritual that would bind him to Hell. He disappeared and three more made it past before I grabbed the next one, and trapped him in Hell too.

Another one ran past. What the Hell are they running from? I entered the door, and another Demon ran toward me. I took him out and turned to see at least a dozen more fighting in the middle of the room. Jogging up to the horde I stopped in my tracks as I watched Zach put his hand to a Demon’s chest, and his entire hand lit up bright white then the Demon was gone, and he was moving on to the next one. I stabbed the Demon in front of me in the back with my stiletto and he disappeared. I turned to see Hash finish another Demon. I continued stabbing any I could get my hands on until there were no more.

I put my knife away, and turned to look at the Fallen who had killed most of the Demon nesting here. I hadn’t seen any of them in over three months. After the night I killed Jael no one had contacted me. Since things didn’t end too well with Jared, I really didn’t mind not seeing him. I would have thought at least Luke would have made some contact, but it was as if they fell off the radar. They were still playing at Halo on the weekends but Temmy said no one had spoken to her, and she never saw any of them before or after a show.

“Well, hello there, Avery. Fancy meeting you here,” Zach said as he looked me up and down.

“Zach. Hash. What brought you here?”

Hash shrugged, but didn’t say anything.

“Luke said a Demon attacked someone
, and showed us where he went. We were surprised to find so many, and pleasantly surprised to see you,” Zach said.

“You don’t want to mess with her, Zach. She’ll probably rip your heart out and eat it,” Hash said.

He looked the same as the last time I saw him. Same black hair, same piercings, same makeup, even the same eat-shit-and-die look on his face. But, the last I’d talked to him, we were cool. What was his problem?

“I don’t have a heart, Hash. You know that,” Zach told him before looking back at me. “I have another organ that wouldn’t mind being inside you though.” He raised his brows once.

“No thanks, Zach. Does Luke know anything about the influx of Demon activity?”

Hash shrugged again. “Why do you care what a Fallen knows?”

“I care because it’s my job to find out why the Hell there are so many Demon in town.”

“Well, you can take your job and shove it.”

“What the fuck is your problem, Hash?”

He moved closer until he was just inside my personal bubble.

“My problem is that you fucked my friend over. That fucker has done more for me than anyone else on this entire fucked up plane
, and you have him completely screwed up.” He pointed toward his head with his forefinger and thumb extended, and pretended to blow his brains out. “The best thing you can do is just stay away from us Fallen. We obviously aren’t good enough for you anyway.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. If this is about Jared, we were never together
, and I told him on numerous occasions that I didn’t want to be with him. When I told him about my father, he left me. Not the other way around.”

Hash looked like he wanted to punch me.

“You lied to him then when he takes a moment to try to figure out why, you go and fuck someone else. And, you’re blaming him? Like I said, just stay away from us. We were doing just fine until you came along.”

“Fine. Whatever. Just stay out of my way.”

I turned around and left the warehouse. Apparently, Jared had told them about me sleeping with Craven. When did my love life become public knowledge? To Hell with it.

I called Cop when I got back to my car.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Cop. It’s Avery. Has Al found out anything about the women who have been attacked?”

“Women said they were injected with something, and the docs at the hospital took blood samples. No word back yet on what was in it. Al checked them, but got nothing since they didn’t actually die.”

“Did they say anything about the Demon’s intentions? I mean, what happened? Did the Demon just happen to be walking by and decided to inject them with something? That just doesn’t make sense. Maybe it was a roofie or something.”

“That’s pretty close to what’s in the reports. Demon attacked unprovoked, and just stabbed them with a syringe. The vics didn’t report feeling drugged.”

“That’s crazy. Not that Demon activity isn’t usually crazy but that’s crazy even for them.”

Cop grunted in agreement.

“Alright. I’m going to patrol a bit since the others are busy. I’ll check
in when I’m finished.”

“Call for backup if you need it, Tywella.”

“Will do boss.”

I hung up and headed for Buckhead. That is the main entertainment area of Atlanta and that also happens to be where most of the Demon activity has been.

An hour later I had managed to kill three Demon that I had spotted trying to drag a woman into an alley. I was just starting my car to see what else I could find when my phone started ringing. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello,” I said.

“Avery, it
s Luke.”

What the Hell. Was I going to talk
to all the Fallen band members tonight? I really hope not. I don’t want to talk to Jared. Sam’s the one I’m least likely to talk to though since he’s never spoken in my presence. I don’t know if he can’t or if he just doesn’t want to. It really wasn’t my business.

“What’s up Luke?”

“I wanted to see if you could come by? I’m sure you’ve seen there is an influx of Demon activity recently.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. I think it would be better if you just told me what you know over the phone. I ran into Hash earlier, and he seems to think it would be better if I kept my distance from the Fallen of Atlanta.”

“He’s just trying to protect Jared.”

“I think he’s right. After the way things ended with him, I don’t think it would be a good idea to start hanging around.”

“You could just come by the house for a few after the show. I could show you what I’ve found out
, and you and Jared could try to work things out.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a really bad idea.”

“Well, could you at least come by the club? I really do need to talk to you about the Demon.”

I sighed and looked at the time. It was already midnight on Friday night. The band must be on their break. I really don’t want to hang out after the show.

“I’ll come by tomorrow night before the show. Okay?”

“You can’t come by tonight? We’ll be finished in another hour and a half.”

“Sorry, I have things to do.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to Hash before you come tomorrow so he doesn’t give you any beef.”

“’Kay. I’ll see you Luke.”

I hung up. I really don’t want to have to talk with Jared
, but I know Luke has been keeping up with the Demon activity. Maybe he can help me figure out what the Demon are after. I’ll keep hunting for Demon tonight then talk to him tomorrow, and maybe I’ll be able to come up with a game plan for taking out these insane Demon.