Chapter 15

15

We droveto my apartment in Williams’s SUV, a large affair with blacked-out windows that sure beat the bus or subway. To be honest, I would probably never travel underground again. Too risky by far.

A shiver hit me as we turned onto my street, and I hugged myself. The sun shone bright in the sky, and yet a pall appeared to have settled over the block. The sidewalks lacked the usual foot traffic. Even the road didn’t have any cars other than those parked. Could it be people avoided the area because of Mrs. Fitzgerald’s murder? I would have expected the opposite, to be honest. As proven after the bus attack, people had a macabre curiosity about death.

Williams parked in front of my building in a no-parking zone, but I guess, as a cop, he didn’t worry about getting towed. Must be nice. I’d had a car for a few years, but the cost to keep it went beyond gas and insurance to include parking tickets in a city that hated four wheels. I’d ditched it for the cheaper public transit option.

I slipped out of the backseat of the SUV, and a stench wrinkled my nose. It was gross enough I debated pulling my shirt over the lower half of my face. “What’s that smell?” An innocuous question and yet both men exchanged a serious glance.

“This isn’t good,” Cain muttered.

“What is it? Why do you both look tense?” I noticed Williams had pulled his gun and Cain had his scythe ready to go.

“Get back in the SUV,” Williams replied bluntly.

“Why?”

The detective pinched his lips. “Because what you’re smelling is death.”

My mouth rounded. “Whose death?”

Cain indicated my building. “I’m going to guess everyone inside.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You’re wrong. That’s insane. You’re talking like a hundred apartments and a ton of people.”

“We need to get out of here,” Williams murmured, looking across the street.

I pivoted to see him eyeing the homeless dude who lived in the alley between the pizza place and the massage parlor—the kind that offered a happy ending, or so I’d heard—walking with a distinct limp in our direction.

“What about my stuff?”

“Do you want your jeans more than your life?” Cain’s gruff assessment.

“Do you know how long it took me to get my Levi’s broken in just right?” Jeans conditioning was serious business. Especially if I wanted my ass to look good.

“We’re not saying you’ll never get them, just not right this moment. Something is wrong. We need to go,” Williams insisted.

“Hold on, you’re a cop. Shouldn’t you be calling in reinforcements?”

“I’d rather not sentence my coworkers to death.” He looked past me to Cain. “Get her out of here. Head to the castle and tell the Princep we’re going to need everyone.”

Cain nodded. “On it.”

In that moment, my dumb ass finally clued in. “You think the demons are here?”

“Who else do you think killed everyone?” snorted Cain.

I hadn’t been thinking because the idea seemed preposterous. Hundreds of people lived in those apartments. “But it’s daytime.”

“It was daytime at your shop, too, and that didn’t stop the attack,” Cain pointed out.

“And I’m pretty sure he’s been possessed.” Williams indicated the homeless guy who still shuffled in our direction, head canted at an odd angle, his gait shambling, his behavior out of the ordinary. Usually, he remained seated, holding out his paper cup.

“Fine. If it makes you feel better.” I acted put out but in truth I didn’t need anything badly enough from my apartment to risk my life.

Cain reached for me, and I let him drag me close to his body, the solid strength of him drawing my attention away from the possibly possessed homeless dude. Cain pulled out his talisman, and I braced as I waited for that cold sensation and the whispery voice.

Nothing happened.

“What the fuck?” Cain shook the medallion and dangled it again.

“Why aren’t you gone?” Williams asked, not once taking his eyes off the homeless dude.

“It’s not working.”

“What do you mean it’s not working?” Williams’s attention diverted to us.

“As in it’s not fucking working. Could I be any clearer?” Cain snapped.

As they argued, I noticed more people exiting the buildings on my street, heading for us, their gaits stilted, almost jerky. Okay, now I really wanted to leave.

“Use mine.” Williams pulled a very similar token from his pocket and handed it over.

Cain held it out and waited before growling, “No fucking way both our tokens are malfunctioning. There must be something preventing the magic from working.”

“Fuck.” Williams’s lips pinched. “We still need to get out of here. Back in the vehicle.”

Williams swung himself into the driver’s seat, and I literally got tossed in the back. Cain took a second longer, since he had to shrink his scythe first before slipping in. As the detective put the SUV into drive, the homeless dude lurched and threw himself in front of us—like, literally on top of the hood—and began clawing his way to the windshield, his face doing that same rippling thing I’d seen with Enzo. More terrifying? His fingers exploded into claws that scratched at the windshield and scored gouges in the glass.

“Oh, fuck.” Even in a crisis my vocabulary sucked. I dared anyone to find a better thing to say, though.

“Buckle up,” Williams advised as he gunned the gas. We shot forward fast and hard. Only for a second, then Williams slammed the brakes.

Since I’d not had a chance to clip in, I found myself propelled into the passenger seat, face-first. “Oomph.” I rocked back into my seat and groaned.

“Sorry about that, but I had to lose our hood ornament. Let’s get out of here.” Williams headed for the corner of the block, only to come to a rapid stop once more. At least this time I didn’t get flung because I’d gotten my seatbelt on. I did get a bit of whiplash, but that probably beat him slamming into the cube van and car that suddenly pulled across the road, blocking our exit.

“Hold on,” Williams muttered as he slammed the SUV into Reverse. He drove backwards for only a few seconds before wrenching the wheel and spinning us.

I screamed. In my defense, I hated roller coasters or any kind of ride that flung me around.

The SUV shot forward, but we weren’t fast enough. Another pair of cars blocked the other end of the street, leaving us with no space to drive around.

Williams braked to a stop in the middle of the road. He and Cain said nothing, so I did.

“What the fuck is happening?”

The detective murmured, “It would seem the demons set more than one trap. We’ll have to go on foot.”

“Stick close,” Cain advised as he spilled out of the SUV and opened my door.

I hopped out and hugged myself because of the chill in the air that came out of nowhere. “Why is it so cold? And what’s going on with the sky?” The sun suddenly stopped being so bright. A glance overhead didn’t show clouds, but a dark haze did spread.

“This is bad. I think we’re dealing with a daemessorum,” Cain grimly announced.

“A what?”

“A daemessorum is the demon version of a witch. Very rare. It’s been centuries since one crossed into our world,” Cain explained.

“I take it that’s bad.”

Williams glanced at me. “The last one took a full complement of reapers plus a battle witch to take it down.”

“Meaning we’re screwed. Lovely.”

“Not yet. We need to get far enough from its influence. Once we do, the talisman should work, and we can get you to safety.”

“I like that plan.” I approved of any strategy that kept me from dying.

The street kept darkening, but no lights came on in any of the windows. The silence was eerie. If I ignored the odd wheezing. A glance behind showed the homeless dude, despite being tossed from the hood, hadn’t given up. He’d risen from the asphalt, shedding his outer flesh to show off the demon possessing him.

Williams aimed his gun and fired. Bang. A single shot in the head took it down and acted as a clarion because, in the silence that followed, an eerie chittering filled the air as the people—a.k.a. possessed by demon victims—emerged from the buildings. They tilted their heads back as if they belonged to one hive mind.

I didn’t watch many horror movies for a reason. Scary shit. And I didn’t appreciate the fact I was living through my very own impossible scenario.

“Move.” Cain grabbed my hand and tugged. We ran for the barricade of cars, and the drivers responded by emerging from the vehicles and tearing at their flesh. I did my best to not gag as they peeled off the human bodies they’d stolen to leer at us with pointed teeth.

Bang. Bang.Williams showed great aim despite the fact he ran. Both of the body snatchers dropped, but in less positive news, the sewer grate in front of the intersection rattled.

“Hold on a second.” Cain tucked me behind him, and I didn’t argue. Fuck feminism when demons abounded.

While he faced forward, I turned to eye our rear.

Kind of wish I hadn’t because the street crawled with monsters. They rose from the remains of the bodies they’d shredded, emerged from the sewer gates, smashed through windows, and creepily crawled down the buildings. So many of them. More than in the subway and the shop.

“We are so screwed,” I moaned. Why, oh, why had I insisted we come?

“Don’t give up. We simply have to cross the boundary set by the daemessorum,” Williams declared.

“We’re totally outnumbered,” I remarked, seeing the group of demons that stood in a line across the street. “It’s suicide.”

“Either we try to escape or we die here. Personally, I’d prefer to live, but even more important, given the way they’re determined to get their claws on you, you need to get to safety.” Cain tucked a talisman into my hand. “When I say go, you run like you’re going to be a demon’s dinner if you get caught.”

“Run where?” I asked because I really didn’t want to get bitten, chewed, and digested.

“Anywhere. Just get far enough you can activate the talisman.”

“Wait, what? I don’t know how to use magic.”

“It’s simple.” Cain wrapped his hand around mine as Williams continued firing at the threat. “Dangle it and think of going home.”

“I thought my home was compromised.”

“I mean the castle,” Cain replied with an eye roll.

Oh yeah. “What about you?”

“We’ll cover your escape and then hopefully follow. No matter what, don’t look back. Get to the castle and tell them we need reinforcements. Tell Nova about the daemessorum. She’ll know what to do.”

I nodded and bit my lip. “Thank you.” It didn’t escape me that they were risking their lives to save mine.

“Thank me later if we survive. Get ready.”

Cain suddenly moved, racing for the demons blocking our way, and I had to pump my legs hard to keep up. He went in, swinging his big scythe, and I almost paused to watch in amazement. The man moved like a dancer, leaping and twisting in the air, wielding his silver blade, his motions smooth, rapid, and effective.

Demons fell. Headless, limbs chopped, in some cases torsos sliced in half. He decimated those in our path, and I wanted to cheer.

Williams had a different approach, using his revolver to pick off the demons not involved in the melee around Cain. I wondered at his strategy until a gap opened up in the sea of monsters and Williams yelled, “Go, now.”

A brave person might have stayed to show solidarity. That same dumb person would have been demon fodder.

I bolted, my short legs pumping, my heart racing, my fear huffing hotly as I tried to breathe, watch for danger, and not get caught. I had to dash around the demon bodies on the street, some of which vaporized as I passed. I reached the cars, only to shriek as a hand emerged from underneath to grab me by the ankle.

I shook my leg and, when that didn’t release the grip, used my other foot to stamp down hard on the arm. Snap. Something broke, and the demon hissed in anger. Me? I wanted to puke, but in good news, I broke free. I slid over the hood and did not land gracefully on the other side. On the contrary, I hit the pavement hard on hands and knees, scraping skin. That would sting later.

If there was a later.

“Run!” Cain bellowed.

His command had me pushing to my feet and digging in with my toes. The darkness thickened around me, and I had to push against it, straining until I broke free. I burst into sunshine and staggered to a halt, lungs screaming with exertion. I whirled to look behind me and saw a dark morass.

Holy fuck.

Wait a second, there was actually someone talking.

I whirled to see some people standing on the sidewalk, looking at the darkness and murmuring. Fearful they would shed skin and come after me, I took a step back.

“What is that?” asked a man, wiping his hands on an apron.

“Chemical attack!” screamed a young man who ran away from the danger.

Smart man.

It was the woman who screamed “monster” who guessed right.

From the dark miasma emerged a demon. Bald, gray, and hideous, in full view of everyone.

The sun had burned away its camouflaging fog, but that didn’t seem to matter to the demon as its gaze fixated on me. Its mouth opened, and it ululated. A cry that was repeated, and suddenly there were two demons on the other side of the magical veil. Three…

Fuck. Fuck.

People screamed. Most turned and bolted. A few held out their phones.

Idiots. And I was being just as dumb, standing there staring.

I held out the talisman and huffed, “Transport, dummy.”

Nothing happened.

Had I pronounced it wrong? “Transport me, doofus.”

Still nothing and the demons loped in my direction.

With the talisman clutched in my sweaty first, I ran and closed my ears to the screams at my back. I couldn’t help those poor people. Stopping would just mean my death.

But I also couldn’t keep fleeing. A stitch in my side and a burning in my legs told me I didn’t have much time before I collapsed from exertion.

I clutched the amulet tight and thought of the castle, convinced it wouldn’t work. I suddenly got cold and a voice whispered—Stay with me and live forever—and popped out onto the dais in the woods.

Alive, but at what cost?