The Devil's Apprentice, page 22
“...keep the sword safe, Alex.”
“A simple no would suffice, Alex,” Karen said.
Alex snapped out of his internal conversation to find both Jocelyn and Karen staring at him suspiciously. The librarian even leaned in and whispered into Karen’s ear. He couldn’t make the full sentence out, but he did hear the word “sanity” mentioned.
“No,” Alex muttered.
Karen turned to Jocelyn. She placed her hand in the girl’s hair and pulled her in for a long and deep kiss. Then, releasing the girl, she said, “You’ll call me soon as you find anything?”
Jocelyn nodded quickly, looking very flustered.
“Great,” Karen smiled. “I’ll let you get to it.” She grabbed his hand and turned to leave, then paused as her eyes flitted across the darkened library. “It’s really empty here today,” she observed.
She was right. Not only was there not a single person in sight, they’d not come across anyone on their way here. Alex just figured most Demon Hunters were so full of themselves, they didn’t have any space for books.
But he was wrong.
That wasn’t why the library was empty.
“The Demon Hunters have gone to Ignis Estate. It’s going to be a bloodbath there tonight.”
Ignis Estate. That was the enormous housing estate where most of the demons resided. “Why?” Alex asked. “Why will there be a bloodbath?”
Jocelyn stared at him like he was an idiot. “A Demon Hunter was murdered. His body was desecrated. That won’t go unanswered. Many demons will die tonight.”
Chapter 30
They stepped into the elevator. The doors closed. Alex stood with his back against the mirrored wall. His fingers gripped the metal bar that crossed from one end to the other. “We have to stop them.”
“The Demon Hunters?” Karen asked as she casually leaned forward and pressed the ground floor button.
“No, the fucking pigeons shitting all across London,” Alex muttered. “Yes, the fucking Demon Hunters. They’re going to kill innocent demons.”
Karen nodded solemnly. “Demon Hunters die in the line of duty. Not like this. In bed, heart ripped out. It won’t be pretty.”
“We have to stop them,” Alex repeated.
The elevator began to descend. Karen leaned against the mirrored wall. Her shoulder pressed against his. “It’s going to be a massacre,” she said, her tone very matter-of-factly. “Most Demon Hunters are just itching for an excuse to kill demons. Now they’ve been given a big fat one.”
“We have to stop them,” Alex repeated through gritted teeth. “We’re going to do something, right?”
“Like what?”
“We tell Satani,” Alex said without hesitation. She was a demon herself. She would stop the massacre of her own kind, surely.
Karen smiled. It wasn’t a mean smile. It was the sort he’d seen people give to children that asked naive questions.
“Even if we managed to get an audience with Satani, and a massive if, she wouldn’t stop them,” Karen said. “The only reason those poor demons were even allowed out of hell was because the more powerful demons on earth needed them to do the shitty jobs. Satani won’t care about a few dozen deaths in Ignis Estate. Hell, she might even want it. They did kill a Demon Hunter. She is fond of us.”
“She’s fond of us,” Alex let out a mirthless laugh. That’s what Demon Hunters thought, that Satani cared for them. They had a bond with her. A bond that was created when she gave them what they wanted in exchange for their souls. Alex had not made that deal with the devil. He didn’t have the same feelings for Satani. No. He felt anger when he thought of her. He pushed those feelings down now. “I thought you cared about demons?” Alex said through clenched teeth. “I thought you were different.”
“I have to pick my battles, Alex,” Karen said softly. “There’s nothing I can do against a horde of murderous Demon Hunters.”
The elevator reached the ground floor. The doors parted and Alex stepped out. A steely determination set in him. He walked quickly with his shoulders hunched, leaving Karen behind. If she wasn’t going to help, he would do it himself.
* * *
Karen didn’t follow after him. He was glad for it as he didn’t want to talk with her right this moment. But as he stepped out of the Red House of Satan and stood on the kerb looking down the narrow road and the cars driving past, he wondered if it might have been better to have asked her to drop him off to Ignis Estate. Or at least a train station.
Alex stepped onto the road and walked towards the main street. He felt in his pocket for his mobile phone. There was nothing there, of course. His phone had been smashed to pieces during his battle with the angel. Instead of being able to call an Uber, Alex would have to take a black cab. The things were bloody expensive.
Why did he care? Wasn’t he bloody rich now?
Alex managed to hail one pretty quickly. Half an hour later, he stood opposite the entrance of Ignis Estate. Already, he knew something was wrong. It was a clear night. The moon shone brightly. It made the large smoke clouds billowing upwards clear to see.
The Demon Hunters had begun their vengeance. Alex crossed the road and walked into Ignis Estate. On either side were the enormous tower blocks of steel and concrete. A small fire raged by the overfilled bins pressed against the tower block to his left. The shops in the centre were empty. Those fortunate enough to have shutters were spared the destruction. The others had their windows smashed and doors broken. Furniture from inside was strewn across the pavement and some onto the grassy section that doubled up as a playground.
There were no children about. No grown demons in sight either. Aside from the burning fire and the few lamp posts that worked, the area was dark. But the night was not silent. Alex heard the first echoes of screams. Demon screams. They were distinct from human ones by their veracity. Alex took a deep breath and braced himself for what may come.
He grabbed his sword and left behind the tower blocks. He hurried past the terraced houses with red tiled roofing and yellow brickwork. The streets were surprisingly clean. There wasn’t much in the way of litter cluttering the sidewalk or flapping about in the wind. The streets were empty too. Not a single demon in sight. Every window in every house was dark, as if the inhabitants were afraid of attracting attention. Alex got the feeling that this wasn’t a first for the demons. Maybe they were used to Demon Hunters going on the rampage. The demons knew to keep a low profile and to stay indoors with the lights out.
But not all had managed to do that. At the corner of the road, two Demon Hunters stood over a blue demon girl lying on the ground. Her short skirt was by her ankles. Her white top was torn. Alex didn’t recognise the two Demon Hunters. Not surprising as he hardly knew anyone at all.
With his sword drawn, Alex felt confident. He knew the voice in his head was present. He could feel the warmth flowing through his body. The long sword almost felt light. “What’s going on here?”
The two Demon Hunters looked back at him. It was a girl with long blonde hair, and a guy with his hair dyed blue. They were both beautiful. “She’s ours,” the girl said. “Go find your own.”
The girl held a sharp knife in her hand. The silver blade glistened in the orange lighting from the lamp post. She glanced at his long sword. The blade was a dull grey. Compared to hers, it looked harmless. But looks could be deceiving. At any second, his sword could turn into a blade of fire.
“Leave her alone,” Alex said.
The guy frowned. “Leave her alone?” he asked. “Mate, fuck off.”
Naturally, Alex did the opposite. He stepped towards them. “Let her be.”
“You want to fight over this bitch?” the girl asked. “She’s not even that pretty. Go to the town square. They’ve got them all rounded up.”
The demon girl lying on the ground looked up at him with terror in her eyes. She shuffled back quietly on her bottom. Her back came up against the low fence of grey stone that curved around the corner house. She was about his age, possibly a year or two younger. She had that cute innocent look about her.
“Let her go,” Alex repeated.
“Or what?” the girl asked.
“Or, we’re going to have a problem.”
He immediately felt stupid. It had sounded much cooler in his head. The words didn’t come out naturally. His tongue felt heavy. And right on cue…
“Dumbass. Or, we’re going to have a problem?” the voice mimicked. “What are you, a fucking 1970’s gangster?”
Alex didn’t know that was 1970’s gangster speech. But it did raise a question. “How can you know what gangsters in the 70’s spoke like, but not know your own name?”
The male Demon Hunter made a noise. It sounded like a grunt, but rolled in with a laugh too lazy to form. “There’s two of us, buddy.”
“James…” the girl said. “Look at his sword.”
“What about it?”
Alex was wondering the same. Was it blazing red without his knowledge? He held the sword up. It was its usual dull grey. It looked very much like a blunt instrument, one more suited for a heavy bloke with little skill.
“You’re Alex,” the girl said. “You defeated the Krumier.”
“You got all of that from looking at his sword?” James asked.
“The long blade of grey metal,” the girl whispered. “I thought it would be more impressive.”
“We’re famous now?” the voice asked.
“It would seem so,” Alex replied.
“Ok well, going forward, you should let me handle it. I’m used to being famous.”
“You were famous?”
“Of course,” the voice replied.
“You don’t even know your own name,” Alex pointed out.
James took a step back. His stance relaxed. The confident arrogance on his face vanished, replaced by a cautious grin. “What do you want with her? There’s plenty more in the town square,” he said, then his grin widened. “Or, you could just take Jess here. I’m sure she’d let you do anything you want to her.”
Jess glanced at James, then dug her elbow into his ribcage. James groaned. No longer smiling, he glared at her.
“Walk away,” Alex told them, his voice hard.
The two Demon Hunters shared a glance. Their eyes wary, they stepped back slowly. Once they were ten feet away, both turned and vanished into the dark night. Alex slung his sword back into its sheath. He held a hand down for the demon to take. She stared at it nervously. Then, hesitantly, her hand gripped his. Alex pulled her up.
The demon lifted her skirt up and pulled her torn top around her chest, covering her bra. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him.
“Live nearby?” Alex asked.
The road was deserted, as had been the many he had walked past. But noises came from further ahead. He could hear the screams and roars. Not far from here, something terrible was happening. The girl raised a hand and pointed in the direction of the sounds.
“Come on,” Alex said grimly. “I’ll drop you off.”
The demon girl fell in behind him as they walked. She was still unsure of him, and Alex could feel her eyes watching him.
“She’s cute,” the voice said. “Probably grateful too. Bet she’d let you do anything you want to her.”
Alex ignored the voice. It rarely ever said anything good. Sometimes, he wondered if it were a teenage boy trapped in there, one that had been exposed to copious amounts of porn.
“You seem to get the pretty demons too,” the voice continued. “Melissa, Akash, now this one… I’ve been down to hell. Most of them are hideous.”
This was new information to Alex. “You’ve been to hell? What’s it like?”
“Like hell,” the voice chuckled. “Hot, dark, ashy. Sort of like being in the centre of an erupting volcano. Satan’s a cunt, too.”
“You mean Satani,” Alex said automatically. And he agreed with the voice. Satani was a cunt. He shuddered as he remembered how she’d made him suck her cunt. Worst part was, he’d enjoyed it. The bloody bitch was kinda hot… Exceptionally hot, he reluctantly admitted.
“Nah,” the voice said.
“Nah?”
“Satan was a dick. He was running things down there last I visited. Doing a terrible job cuz you know, he’s an egotistical piece of shit.”
“Strange you can remember all of that, but not your name,” Alex said.
In response, the voice shrugged. It was a strange feeling and Alex inadvertently shrugged too.
From behind him, the girl quickened her pace and came to walk beside him. “I’ve only been here a week,” she said.
It took a moment for Alex to understand, and when he did, he asked stupidly, “From hell?”
The girl nodded shyly. “It’s nicer here, definitely.” She looked up. “Sometimes the sky is blue. This world is beautiful,” she gave him a smile, one that faded quickly. “But… I miss my family and…”
“They’re not here with you?” Alex asked, trying to be conversational.
The girl shook her head.
Alex wanted to ask why, but it felt like an intrusion. The girl stared at the ground, downcast. The portals were controlled by the wealthier demons, but he knew little about the rules that governed border passage to earth. He wondered what she’d done to make it out.
“She slept her way out, dipshit,” the voice said.
Deep down, Alex had a feeling the voice was right. But in that moment, he wished the voice had an off button. They were nearing the centre of the estate. Alex had only walked through it once. They were on one of the six streets of terraced houses that led to the circular opening. There was a fountain in the centre with a demon made of black stone. It stood five meters tall. It had four arms. Each were held out with palms facing down. Crystal clear water gushed out and dropped into the basin below.
And that’s where the demons were. Hundreds, possibly thousands of them. They stood facing the demon made of black stone. But Alex knew it was something else that had their attention. He pushed his way through the crowd. The demons reacted badly to being touched. They turned in anger, some roared and bared sharp teeth. But quickly realising he was a Demon Hunter, they held back on physical aggression and let him pass. Some spared a curious glance at the demon girl that followed.
As Alex made it closer to the front of the crowd, what lay beyond came into view. The massacre had already taken place. Dead demon bodies lay on the ground, surrounded by pools of their own blood. Others were still alive but severely injured. Alex spotted a green demon crawling away from the centre and towards the crowds of demons. There was blood from his knees down and more on his shoulder. A Demon Hunter stood over him wearing an amused grin as he watched. A sword rested in his hand.
There was a line of Demon Hunters that stood with their weapons drawn. They faced the crowd of demons and created the circle within which the slaughter had taken place. Any demon wishing to aid the injured would have to pass them. Not many did. Who could blame them… Alex knew the strength and power of Demon Hunters. It was suicidal.
But it happened just then.
A large demon with red skin and protruding horns roared, then charged. He didn’t make it far. A Demon Hunter with long black hair ducked under the demon’s incoming fists. Turning, she sliced her jagged blades against the demon’s stomach.
The demon stopped in its tracks. It dropped to its knees. His intestines spilled out and hit the ground before the body fell. It lay there, convulsing as loud groans escaped its lips. Alex found it hard to watch. This was beyond cruel.
“So, do something about it then,” the voice said.
It was a strange thing, having a voice in his head. But Alex thought he understood how it worked. He had to talk to himself mentally to converse with the voice. The voice wasn’t supposed to be able to read his mind… But that’s what it felt like sometimes. “You never said you can read my mind,” Alex grumbled.
“I can’t,” the voice said. “But I can feel what you’re feeling, if that makes sense. This is wrong, dude. As much as I hate demons, this is just wrong.”
“You hate demons?” Alex asked, surprised.
“Yes. I thought that was obvious.”
It wasn’t obvious at all. Alex knew the voice had a dislike for Scarlett, but not all demons. “You’ve been egging me on to sleep with demons!”
Alex shivered as he felt the mental shrug.
“Some of them are alright, I suppose,” the voice said. “How are we doing this?”
It was a good question. Alex glanced around the circle of Demon Hunters. There were close to fifty of them. Not even the voice could take them all.
“We need to find the leader. There’s always an asshole in charge. We take him down, the rest will fuck off.”
It was better than any idea Alex had. The Demon Hunters that stood in a circle with their weapons drawn facing the crowd, Alex doubted they were leading this assault. The same could be said for the ones standing over dead or injured demons. His eyes turned to the fountain. Sitting on the curved grey stone wall that circled the basin was a small group of Demon Hunters.
Before them, on her knees was a blue skinned demon. Her clothes torn off, she was mostly naked save for her black panties. One of the Demon Hunters grabbed her by the hair and pulled her closer. His boot rubbed against her cunt as he spoke to her. Then, he slapped her violently. She fell to the ground, where her body remained, quivering, before it rose again, afraid to stay down in case the abuse worsened.
Alex recognised the Demon Hunter. Blond hair that came to his shoulders, he wore a V-neck t-shirt and tight black jeans. In his right hand, he held a sword. The hilt was golden, the blade silver.
Mark.
“Yup,” the voice said. “That’s the douchebag you gotta defeat.”
Alex’s jaw tightened. Mark was a first-class asshole. He remembered back to his first encounter with him. It was in this estate. Mark and his crew were harassing Melissa for no other reason than personal amusement. The guy didn’t need an excuse to start on demons.
