The Generator: The Succubae Seduction (24 page)

“You mean, like an alien?” Becky asks confused.

“She’s a demonic creature,” AnnaBelle says as I follow her out to her SUV. “A seductress, to be precise.”

Despite my recommendation that they head home, both women climb into the SUV.

“How do you know that?” I ask from the back of the vehicle as we hit the road.

“I know the signs to look for,” she replies cryptically.

“A demonic seductress?” Becky snorts, but from the serious looks the older woman and I give her, she quiets down. Lisa just looks thoughtful. I can’t help but wonder what’s going through their minds. I take my girlfriends to a nice religious Saturday picnic, and a woman that I obviously know shows up wounded. Not only that, but I refuse to take her to the hospital, and even try to take a nap to save her. Then they find out she’s a seductress. Yeah, I probably don’t want to know what they’re thinking. Thankfully their not peppering me with questions, though I have some of my own.

“If you know what she is, why are you helping her?” I ask AnnaBelle, confused that such a religious person would knowingly be willing to help someone like Angela.

“Whatever you do unto the least, you do unto me, Lyden,” she quotes to me. “No matter who they are, all of God’s creatures deserve to be helped when we can. She may even repent of her ways, and come over to the light. I have no doubt that Father Michael could help her out a great deal. I haven’t given up hope for you either.”

While I don’t necessarily agree with her reasons or morals, I won’t argue with the result. My jealousy rears, however, at the thought of Father Michael being anywhere near Angela.

I keep a constant eye on Angela’s breathing, and can hear Becky and Lisa murmuring quietly. I ignore them as I make sure that the succubus is still alive. The drive seems to go interminably slow, though I know AnnaBelle is going as fast as she legally can.

We arrive with five minutes to spare, but the sign in the window already says closed. I spend a couple minutes pounding on the door, but nobody answers. Walking around to the side, I try to see if there is another way to get in, but the fence is about ten feet tall and topped with barbed-wire besides.

I know what I must do as I run back to AnnaBelle’s SUV.

“You might want to get out of here, so that you can’t be accused of breaking and entering,” I inform the three women, glad my shirt is already off, even though it made poor bandages for the succubus.

“We may not understand what’s going on,” Lisa speaks up, “but Becky and I are here to help. Even if it
is
at an impound lot and not a hospital.”

AnnaBelle seems to debate with herself for a moment, before adding, “Someone needs to keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble. Don’t take this the wrong way. If the police show up, I won’t lie for you, but you need to save her life.”

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of them, but a weak groan from Angela brings my attention back to the wounded woman.

I’m tempted to use AnnaBelle’s SUV to crash through the gate, like in the movies, but they’re already putting their necks on the line for me. I don’t want to get them into any more trouble.

Without saying a word, I hold the blue-haired woman close to me, close my eyes, and stifle a yell as I feel my dragon wings protrude from my back. I ignore the startled oaths that come from the women at the sudden appearance of my new appendages as well as the fatigue that follows. Thank goodness Becky and Lisa have both been so horny the last few days, or I’m not sure if I would have had the energy to do this.

Bunching my feet beneath me, I shove off hard, easily clearing the fence and the wire. At the top of my arch, I spread my wings, careful to keep my balance, and feel the air fill the thick brown leather. I don’t trust myself to try and fly, only using them to slow my descent.

I land a little harder than I like. Taking stock of my surroundings, I groan inwardly. I hadn’t realized how big this lot was from the outside. I’ll never find my car in here.

The sound of barking dogs grabs my attention, and I curse myself for a fool. Of course they would have some sort of security!

With Angela tucked tight to my chest, I start running, hoping to stumble across my car. Picking a row at random, I take off, looking in all directions for my car, while simultaneously watching my footing on the uneven dirt ground.

Alone and on flat pavement I know I could outrun the beasts chasing after me, but as it is, I can hear their howls getting closer as I turn down another isle. I can almost feel time slipping away, and know that the succubus is getting weaker as I try desperately to find my car.

The dogs continue to get closer, and urgently I concentrate on just finding my car. Naturally, that’s when my foot catches something in the dirt, and it takes about ten steps before I regain my balance. By this point the dogs have caught up to me.

Frustrated rage fills me as I see four dogs surround me and growling menacingly. I’m angry about Angela leaving, and then coming back like this. I’m angry at the unjust turn my life has taken, and that twelve people died in the fire that claimed my apartment complex, because some dragon decided I needed to die. Anger at how this last week has gone at work, and because I know that both Lisa and Becky are now probably terrified of me, and because I can’t seem to find one single car in this entire damned yard. Impotent rage flows through my veins, and I roar back at the dogs, spreading my wings and yelling for all I’m worth.

Apparently, that’s all it takes. All four dogs take off yelping, two of them leaving trails of piss in their wake.

“Ha! That’s right,” I scream after them, but my euphoria is short lived as I look down at Angela. Her face is ashen. I can’t tell if she’s still breathing. “No, no, no,” I repeat as I drop to my knees, and place my fingers on her neck.

Nothing.

Placing my hand over her mouth, I can’t feel any breath. The bandages that’d held back her bleeding are completely soaked through, and I realize that I’m too late. Angela has died in my arms, and I couldn’t save her.

Hot fresh tears fill my eyes as I scream for a different reason. She’s gone, and there is nothing left.

Running out of air, I suck in to yell again, but an odd noise catches my ear. Someone is honking. The sound isn’t very loud, but it
is
familiar.

“Hold on,” I say, though I know it’s already too late. This time as I run, I’m not looking around, but keeping my footing secure and heading for the sound. It doesn’t take me long before I’m standing in front of the remains of the Orange bubble.

Apparently it hadn’t been as damaged as I’d thought. My memory tells me that the car had been a completely blackened husk by the time Jennifer had driven me away from that grocery store parking lot. However, before me, I can see that the doors still retain some of their color, and the dent on top where I’d landed on it doesn’t look as bad as I’d thought it’d been.

I don’t waste any more time, and quickly wrench open the passenger door, setting her inside. Opening the glove compartment, I reach in to see if I can find what she was after, but only find ashes. How hot had that fire been? Had it been hot enough to burn whatever she’d hidden in here? Was this whole exercise an act of futility?

Unexpectedly, I hear Angela sigh, and I look back at her in shock. I can make out her chest barely rising and falling. She’s still alive! Whatever it is that she needs must be close, I reason, and with renewed hope, I start digging around my car. Nothing but ashes, and my car’s interior meets my gaze. Frustrated, I pop the hood, and look into the storage space there, the engine being in the back, but all of its contents have been turned to ash as well.

“Angela,” I ask softly, resting my hand on her shoulder, “We’re at the car, but I can’t find what you need.”

“The . . . car. . . .” she whispers back.

“Yes, the car. But
where
?” I plead with her, and then notice something. Her face is no longer gray. Her breathing is steadier, and I can even sense that she’s getting stronger.

That’s when it dawns on me that what she needed wasn’t something in my car, but the car itself.

What had the Cyclopes done to my car under the succubus’s direction? How can my car heal the demonic creature?

Something else occurs to me, and I take a step back, looking at my car as a whole. My car
had
burned up from the fire ant’s attack. I remember seeing the blackened husk of the Orange Bubble, but it is recovering now. In the almost week since the close call with TanaVesta’s assassin, the car was fixing itself somehow. The dent in the top
is
smaller, and even as I watch, I can see the orange paint creeping up the exterior. Almost as if having Angela and the car together has somehow sped up the process.

Maybe even. . . .

“Lyden.” The whisper is soft, and I can barely hear it. I rush back to the open door and see Angela’s hazel eyes open and staring at me.

“You made it,” I whisper in awe.

The corners of her mouth rise slightly, and she says, “You did it. Thank you.” She weakly tries to raise her hand, but I reach out and grasp it, returning it to her lap. “You shouldn’t have helped me, but thank you.” She repeats herself. “You need to go save Brooke. She needs you now.” Her free hand ruffles through the rags of her clothes, and pulls out her keycard, handing it to me. Somehow it survived whatever happened to her better than she did. “Get to her, and save her. I’ll be fine now.”

Watching as her burns slowly heal themselves, I understand that she is tied to the car even more than I realized. Even her clothing is beginning to mend itself. Are her burns because of the fire ant’s attack on the Orange Bubble?

I realize that she wants me to leave her here. I know I can’t do that.

“I’m not leaving you,” I protest. “Not yet.” I hurry around my car, and get into the driver’s seat. Hopefully the car has recovered enough, but when I go to start it, there are no keys. “Dang it!” I fret, hitting my hands against the steering wheel. Just like that, the car attempts to start. It obviously has some issues as the engine in the rear doesn’t sound very good, but after a number of tries, it starts.

Both doors close on their own as I put my car in gear and drive.

A loud crash accompanies the sound of my car busting through the main gate. Angela groans at the impact, and I curse myself for forgetting how linked the two are. The tires had been flat when I’d started driving, but by the time I pull up besides AnnaBelle’s SUV, they’re full and riding smooth.

“She’s going to be okay,” I say after the women follow me to a nearby gas station.

Becky and Lisa both go to check on the punk clad woman, and introduce themselves. AnnaBelle pulls me aside. There is a serious look in her eyes as she glares at me.

“You’ve done a lot of wrong today, but you saved her life. I hope you don’t end up regretting your decision.” Her tone is sadly disapproving, but I don’t care. Angela is going to live!

I open my mouth to respond, but Lisa comes over and states, “She keeps saying you need to go save Brooke. Isn’t that the woman that lived across from you in your old apartment?”

AnnaBelle sighs heavily, and we both turn to look at her. “Seems like you’re going to need some more looking after, Lyden.”

“Now hold on,” I protest. “I truly appreciate all that you’ve done so far, but I can’t ask you to go into the Shadow World for me.”

“Shadow World?” Lisa asks, but I just shake my head.

“It’s where Angela and Brooke are from,” I explain. “I probably don’t have time to explain it in detail, but it’s a lot more dangerous than anywhere else here on Earth. Basically envision almost every mythical creature, both dangerous and benign, produce some just for fun from your imagination, and that’s where they live.”

Lisa looks me hard in the face, before giving herself a nod. “I’m going. You could use the help, but just one thing. . . .” She reaches out, and I realize my wings are still wrapped around my body as she tentatively touches them. “What are you?”

* * * *

Becky decides to head back home. She feels guilty, but when it’s decided to take my magical car, we have to admit that there isn’t room for the five of us. If I had a choice, only Angela and I would go, but AnnaBelle claims her faith will protect her, and I’ve learned firsthand just how capable Lisa is with her martial arts.

Angela tries to stop the two women from coming along as well, but they won’t have it, and to my own surprise, I come to their aid.

“Look, Angela, you’re already wanted for bringing a human to your realm. Is being wanted for two more really going to matter?” The succubus submits to my poor logic.

Once we’re all loaded, and Becky is driving AnnaBelle’s vehicle away, I turn us in the direction of the office building that leads to the Shadow World. Angela stops me.

“There is another portal that will take us closer to where Varun is keeping Brooke. We’ll lose some hours on Earth, but gain more in my world.” She pats the car, and smiles at me. “Besides, things will be easier with your car, and there is no way to get it into that elevator.”

Following her directions, we head towards Florida.

With the Orange Bubble and Angela together, my car is fully functional in a couple hours. I no longer have to manually drive it. The succubus brings us up to speed on what’s happened since she’d left me.

TanaVesta’s creatures had caught up with her, within hours of leaving me behind at the beach. She’d been tortured and beaten, only to be healed through non-violent, but embarrassing sexual encounters, and the torment was started all over again. The curse of her nature being that every time whoever was molesting her came, her body would suck some of their life away, healing her.

AnnaBelle was disgusted by the whole explanation. Lisa seemed fascinated.

Brooke apparently showed up a couple days later, and rescued her. Again. The succubus had been badly wounded at the time, but had been able to exact her revenge on her torturer, leaving him barely alive, and her fully recovered. I didn’t want to think too closely on how she managed that.