Chapter One

Amir yanked open his dresser drawer, the shabby piece of oak furniture almost pitching over in the process. He sucked in ragged breaths as he moved at a pace he wasn't aware he was capable of. The only light he'd dared turn on was his small reading lamp on the nightstand by his single bed. Even that minimal illumination made him anxious.

After franticallystuffing a handful of clothing into his university backpack, not caring what he grabbed, he zipped up his bag. He took a moment to catch his breath and calmly ran through his mind everything he'd need while on the run before making the quickest getaway in human history.

At least, he hoped it would be.

Amir's lower lip trembled at the thought of the only family member he had left. Did have. The sweat building at his hairline trailed down his forehead, and he swiped at the drops threatening to fall into his eyes. He was in deep fucking trouble. The kind of trouble that a person might not survive.

His breath hitched at the vision in his mind's eye of his uncle's mutilated corpse. Somehow, he'd known something was wrong. An unnamed dread had filled his gut as he approached his uncle's place. He'd been studying late at the campus library where he went to school, two blocks from his uncle's place. After leaving UCLA, he'd decided to drop by unannounced and see if Khaled might want to go out and grab something to eat.

However, the moment he reached the gated residence in the upscale area where his uncle lived, he knew something was terribly wrong. The decorative iron gate of the fence that surrounded the property was ajar—something his uncle never would've allowed. As he'd made his way with shaky legs up the stone steps, the front door of the mid-century modern home wasn't merely ajar—it was wide open.

Once he passed over the threshold, not daring to call out in case an intruder was still inside the dark home, he'd almost stepped on his uncle. His bloodied form was face down on the marble floor. From there, his horror had grown. Everything seemed to have been destroyed as if a tornado had swept through. But once he realized his uncle couldn't be saved, the truth of what was happening slammed into him.

His uncle had warned him that this day might come.

Focus.

Amir brushed the back of his hand across his mouth and continued packing only the most necessary of items—his charger, passport, and the emergency cash he'd been advised to always keep on hand. His uncle would want him to escape.

To keep my promise.

The person or people who had murdered his uncle must know by now that the relic wasn't hidden in Khaled's home since the mansion had been torn apart. And if they knew where his uncle lived, they would know everything else about him as well. Soon, they would turn their attention to the antique store—the store Amir lived above.

He swallowed hard, his hand quivering as he reached for the cheaply made wooden box resting on his dresser. Hidden in plain sight, the Seal of Solomon was now his responsibility to keep safe. The inside of the container had a false bottom with a few paper bills, loose change, and a broken watch as decoys. Beneath that was the ancient ring that held the power to control and banish demons.

While he didn't understand all the details of why it couldn't be displayed in a museum for all to appreciate, his uncle had reiterated over and over the danger of the ancient artifact falling into the wrong hands. That the relic could help bring about the end of the world. Despite always believing that his uncle was exaggerating, he couldn't deny the strange unease he'd been experiencing over the past few days. And now, all he could think about was the need to defend the Seal with his life.

Amir caught a gasp in his throat. He whipped his head around, eyeing the threshold to his bedroom. A creak on the wood flooring downstairs meant he was out of time. He slapped a hand to his mouth, biting the inside of his palm to keep from crying out.

Someone's inside the shop.

Amir quickly swung the pack over his shoulder, moving as stealthily as he could toward his bedroom window. Climbing down the fire escape hadn't been part of his hastily formed plan, but he didn't dare go back through the shop.

He froze as he started to lift the window open. The building that housed the store and his apartment were from the early era of Los Angeles. The window and door jambs had been painted over and over, the deferred maintenance on the run-down structures only adding to the legacy of warped wood and stuck windows.

Gritting his teeth, he battled the unyielding frame, horrified to discover that he could only raise it a little over a foot high. A cold shiver crept up his spine as something foul—evil—drew near. Another creak on the steps sounded, but something even worse caught his attention.

They weren't exactly words but noises, as if a hive of angry bees were approaching. Whatever mysterious abomination intent on killing whoever possessed the Seal wasn't human. It couldn't be. Not when Amir's skin crawled like monstrous bugs were skittering over his flesh.

Fighting back sobs, he battled with the window, desperation driving him forward. A putrid stench filled the room and Amir shoved the bag out of the window onto the landing. If he didn't get out now, he'd end up torn to pieces like his uncle. The small stature he'd always bemoaned would now serve him well as he wiggled his way through the tiny opening.

He rolled off the sill, landing on his back next to the bag. The compulsion to peer over his shoulder, to check his room so he could see what this unholy thing was that chased him was almost too strong to resist. But his desire to live was even stronger.

A chorus of shrill screams rent the air behind him, and he scrambled down the metal ladder, almost losing his footing a couple of times, his body shaking with so much fear he wasn't sure he could run.

But he did. The moment Amir hit solid ground, he ran with every ounce of strength he possessed. His sides hurt with the effort, his lungs burning so much he knew he'd have to stop to catch his breath or collapse.

As the screams faded behind him, Amir took a chance and ducked inside the first open business he spotted. Being somewhere public, with other people around, seemed like the best course of action until he could figure out what to do next.

Bright fluorescent light blinded him for a few seconds as he adjusted to the abrupt change from the darkness outside. He was in a twenty-four-hour convenience store, and despite the fact that his chest was heaving with the effort to breathe and he was dripping sweat, no one seemed to care.

He glanced around as he walked on shaky legs down the first aisle to his right. There were only four total, with the long check-out counter to the left. One grizzled old man sat hunched over on a stool behind the barrier next to the register. Whatever magazine he was perusing seemed to be of more interest to him than the fact that a new customer had arrived.

A couple of guys that he guessed were near his age, so probably early twenties, were at the end of the aisles, checking out the beer selection in the coolers that covered the back wall. Amir moved slowly, pretending that he was making hard decisions in the chips and snacks section. He lifted his eyes and was met with ones staring back at him on the other side of the aisle he was in.

Cop.

He swallowed hard, heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks. The officer drew his eyebrows together as he regarded him, clearly wondering what nefarious activities Amir might be engaged in. Amir cleared his throat and adjusted the backpack hanging off his shoulder.

"You okay, sir? You seem a bit flustered."

An abrupt, nervous laugh burst out of him. Sir. That was funny. But then he realized that the cop was probably wondering why he was sweating so much when it was cold outside.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Fine." He gave him what he hoped was a completely normal smile. "Totally fine."

His frown deepened. "Do you have any ID?"

Amir's jaw went slack. "W-wha…? I'm not doing anything. I just—" He gasped. "Watch out! They're behind you!"

The cop smirked. "Come on, kid. I'm not falling for that one. Let's quit playing arou—"

Amir watched in horror as one of the creatures bit into the cop's neck, shaking him like a dog with a toy, then flinging him across the store until he smashed into the coolers. The two beer buyers jumped, gaping at the cop yet seemingly unaware of the black masses swirling around the store. Before they had a chance to say anything, a creature grabbed them both by their heads and crushed them together. Amir fought the bile rising in his stomach, mortified that he'd brought death and destruction to the innocent people of this store.

The guy behind the cash register was finally interested in something other than his magazine as he stood, then scratched his head as if he too was wondering what had happened. A woman opened the door just then and screamed as the old man was hurled at her.

Amir lunged, trying to push her out of the way, but since she apparently couldn't see the monsters that were killing everyone either, she assumed Amir was attacking her. She punched and kicked at him, succeeding only in knocking them both over then landing on top of him.

Her shrill scream rang in his ear before she was yanked off of him. Tears ran down his cheeks as two of the evil creatures tore at her, helplessness almost making him want to surrender to the inevitable.

But he'd sworn to protect the ring, and that was all that mattered for now.

Amir scrambled to his feet, almost tripping, but managed to bring himself upright before charging out of the door. This time, the compulsion to check behind him wasn't there. If he never saw those things again, it would be too soon. Unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't be the case. He could only hope that they wouldn't be the last thing he'd ever see.

Amir raced blindly down the street, desperate to find somewhere to hide. Being in public hadn't helped him one damn bit. All he'd managed to do was get innocent people killed.

As he rounded a corner, he spotted another alleyway. Amir clutched the backpack to his chest as he darted into the alley, his mind reeling from the madness he'd witnessed. What the fuck just happened? One moment, everything was fine, then the next, chaos reigned. People were being obliterated by the black masses that were moving so quickly he couldn't discern their forms, yet those who were killed behaved as though they couldn't see what was attacking them.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Amir glanced around his immediate surroundings. Everything seemed quiet, but that didn't give him any comfort. The part of downtown he was in was pretty sketchy. However, the convenience store massacre gave sketchy a good name. Perhaps he could find an open door, somewhere he could remain concealed while he figured out his next move.

He started checking the doors to see if one was unlocked. By the time he reached the third one, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he whipped his body around.

Toolate.

The hideous creatures had found him and there was nowhere to hide.