The Devil's Apprentice, page 8
No, this was walking through one of London’s less desirable boroughs. The streets were narrow, the houses were terraced and almost as unappealing to look at as the few people that roamed the streets at this time of the day. The people that were unemployed, or self-employed. Trailing behind Karen, Alex kept his eyes firmly on her butt as he passed a young man wearing a hoodie. It was drawn to cover his head and more. The smell of weed was strong on him
“Where are you taking me?” Alex asked, as they came to the end of the road and turned right. “I’m tired.”
“You’re weak is what you are,” Karen grumbled.
If that was supposed to be an insult it had no effect on Alex. “Yup,” he agreed. “When am I going to get that immense power and strength you promised?”
“It can take a few days,” Karen said. She stared him up and down, taking in his skinny pale figure. “Maybe a little more in your case,” she muttered under her breathe. “We’re almost there. Past the junction, up the hill. Ignis Estate. Heard of it?”
Alex had definitely heard of it. It was a council estate that had the reputation of being a particularly rough area, rougher even than the surrounding east end of London. The sort of place that quite frequently featured in the local newspaper for its violent crimes.
“Why are we going there?”
“That’s where the demons are. All around the country and the world over, demons live in small enclaves. Ignis Estates is the place where we’re law and order.”
Knowing they didn’t have far to go, Alex had renewed energy. As they came to the junction though, he popped into the corner shop and bought himself a bottle of cold water. He drank half of it in a single gulp, then held it out for Karen as he wiped the sweat beads from his forehead.
“You don’t feel hot?” Alex asked, when she declined.
“Not like humans do. Once our souls leave and the juices of the devil flow through us, our feelings numb quite a bit. Heat, cold, pain, we feel it a lot less.”
“The devil’s juices?” Alex made a face.
Karen frowned. “Don’t pretend you didn’t like it. Hell, I loved it and at the time I considered myself straight.”
They continued on. Crossing the junction, they climbed up the small hill. The houses on either side of the road were terraced. Most had front walls of concrete slabs measuring two feet in height. Some had overgrown hedges and wrought iron gates through which were narrow paths that led to the sometimes blue, other times white or grey doors.
Once at the top, they stopped opposite Ignis Estate. Even with the midday sun blaring up in the sky, a darkness hung over the estate. The block of flats on either side of Hookers Road leading into the estate appeared as darkened structures of concrete and metal, rising ten floors up.
A few feet away from them was an angel. Alex had seen an angel before, but he still blinked twice. Wearing skinny black jeans and a V-neck vest, his white wings rose either side of him like magnificent and magical extensions. With dark hair slicked back, he had that angelic glow about him - like a glow in the dark stick.
He stood directly opposite the entrance to Hookers Road. Leaning against a lamppost, he stared ahead intently.
“Oh, for fucks sake,” Karen muttered, nodding at the angel, “I hope he’s not planning on going into the estate.”
“Is it a problem if he does?”
Karen nodded. “Angels are supposed to leave the demons alone, but you know how you get douchebag humans that do stupid things for shits and giggles or as a dare? Harassing demons is like at the top of their list. Arrogant pricks. Just because they won the war, they think they can do whatever they want.”
Alex glanced at the angel leaning against the lamppost. He did have that air of confidence about him. Only natural considering how tall and handsome he was. And the wings. The wings were freaking awesome.
“War?”
“Yeah. It happened a really long time ago. Thousands, I don’t know, maybe millions of years ago. There was a great war between demons and angels. Satan led the armies of demons into battle against the angels. The angels were winning, but Satan refused to surrender. In the end, Satani orchestrated a coup, imprisoned Satan and made peace with the angels.”
“What were they fighting about?” Alex asked.
Karen seemed to not hear him. Her eyes were still on the angel leaning against the lamppost. A tall blonde woman approached him. She placed a hand on his chest and kissed him on the lips. The angel finally looked away from Ignis Estate. He wrapped his arms around the girl and gave a sudden pull, squeezing her body tightly against his.
Karen tore her eyes away, satisfied that the angel wasn’t going to enter the estate, at least not this time. “Different rules for angels,” she told him. “We don’t police them. They’re allowed to do whatever they want to with humans. It’s only our business if they cause harm to demons.”
“And then we get to kick their assess?” Alex asked, thinking back to the douchebag that had harassed Laura.
“The demons lost the war, Alex. Angels are much stronger. Try not to pick a fight with them. In fact, try to steer clear of them in case they try and provoke a reaction. Defend yourself, if you have to, but generally our best bet is to register a complaint back at the Rubrum Domus Satanas.”
Karen crossed over and stood at the mouth of Hookers Road. She paused and looked back. “You asked what the demons and angels were fighting over?”
Alex nodded.
“They were fighting over the souls of the humans,” Karen said.
* * *
Alex’s apartment wasn’t far from Ignis Estate. Having grown up in the area, he’d often passed by the place en route to elsewhere. He remembered the last time he’d come this way. It was three months ago. He’d paused to stare at Hookers Road. Someone had been stabbed to death there two nights previous. It had been on the front pages of the local paper.
The estate was enormous. Much larger than any council estate he’d ever walked through. To his left and right were the enormous tower blocks. They were great big structures of dull concrete. The paint had chipped away on the blue railings that ran across the external corridors of each floor. Past the tower blocks, going further into the estate were small terraced houses with yellow brickwork and red-tiled roofs.
It was much like any other housing estate in the country aside from its size. The place was enormous. It was big enough to house thousands of people. Except the occupants weren’t human.
In the centre of the tower blocks of concrete and steel, the road split to encircle a patch of land. Half of the space was taken by children running around kicking a ball on a grassy patch. The other half had a café, a convenience store and a locksmith.
They were demons.
Blue and red skin was the most common. But there was paper-white, ink black and Alex even spotted one demon with skin as yellow as banana peel. It was a surreal feeling, like being on a parallel version of earth, one filled with demons.
“Most demons live here, but there are a few wealthy ones dotted around the city,” Karen said as they strolled past the children kicking the ball.
Alex nodded along, not really taking in her words. A small demon boy with black spikey hair, pale red skin and balls of black for eyes rushed past him on his way to join the other children. As he made it to the grassy patch, he turned to look back Alex. He bared his teeth and hissed.
Alex didn’t take it personally. “Do most of them have teeth like that?”
“Shark-like? Some do, but not all.” Karen said. “They don’t like us Demon Hunters much. Mostly because we treat them like shit.”
Again, Alex nodded. But he wasn’t listening. Not really. It was a lot to take in. This new reality, one where demons and angels existed, one with heaven and hell. This very moment, he was walking through a mostly ordinary housing estate. But every inhabitant was a demon.
That was the new reality, one filled with demons and angels that fought over the souls of the humans. That was what Karen had said. Or at least, they’d fought a war once.
“What did you mean when you said the angels and demons battled over the souls of the humans?”
“Demons and angels weren’t always here. They came from somewhere else. Another dimension I guess,” she shrugged her shoulders. “The angels wanted all the souls to rise up to the heavens above, the demons wanted them to sink into the ground and the hell that waited below. They fought a war over it. The angels were winning when Satani struck a truce with God. It was agreed the souls would rise or fall on their own.”
They continued down the path that led past the towering blocks and towards the terraced houses. Beyond them rose smaller towers with narrow alleyways in-between. Black bins overflowed and dirt piled up against the walls. The stench of rotting flesh filled the air.
They entered one of the darkened alleyways nestled amongst two four storey tower blocks. Coming to the end, the view changed. Rather than more terraced houses or tower blocks, the space opened up. It was filled with stalls. There were close to a hundred, maybe more. Opposite the stalls were lines of shops, some two floors, some rising to three.
There were hundreds of demons moving about. Demons of all sizes and shapes. Some were tall and looked more like massively overgrown walking lizards. Others were smaller and comparable to dwarfs. They moved about with baskets in hand, some even pushed trolleys. Vendors shouted out prices though Alex was not familiar with the products on sale.
“I do a round here about once a week. There’s usually someone selling something they shouldn’t,” Karen said.
“Like what?” Alex asked as they stepped out of the alleyway and joined the crowds.
“Illegal drugs. There was one a few months back called “Red Smash”. Made the demons really violent. A spate of human deaths followed. Really pissed off most of the Demon Hunters.”
“Bloody hell… Yeah I can imagine they would be,” Alex muttered.
“Nah,” Karen shook her head. “The Demon Hunters are mostly a lazy bunch of fuckers. They were annoyed because they actually had to do something for a change. And we really had to get it under control before the angels pointed fingers at Satani and accused her of breaking the pact and interfering in human life.”
Alex thought he was getting more of an idea of his role. He would be policing the demons. He’d never really wanted to be a police officer. But he supposed this one did have perks. He’d be tall and handsome, apparently. Strong too. He already had the big cock so that didn’t count. There was the immortality, unless someone killed him…
Karen stopped in front of a stall. The demon behind it wore a red jacket. His skin was purple, his head bald save for the line of spikes that crossed the middle of his skull like a mohawk. His eyes were balls of black. He had no iris or pupil. Karen picked up one of the many jars he had displayed.
“And what’s in this, Marvin?”
“It’s legal,” the demon said, his voice gruff, defensive. He folded his arms across his chest. “You can’t just come here and accuse me of shit. I’ve gone straight, Karen. You know it. But you still pick on me. So many stalls here, but you come straight to me. That’s harassment, that is.”
Alex was a little taken aback, but Karen seemed to have ignored the man’s rant completely. She was staring at the contents of the jar she held. Alex couldn’t tell what it was that had caught her interest. The jar was filled with a purple-coloured liquid with bits of… flesh. There was flesh in the jar.
“What’s in this?” Karen repeated, this time looking directly at Marvin.
Marvin’s crossed arms fell to his side. His eyes shifted to the left, then the right. He was nervous. “It’s beetroot juice mixed with deer meat,” his words hurried out, as if pre-rehearsed.
“Why do I think it’s human flesh, Marvin?” Karen asked.
“Because you’re a judgemental bitch?” Marvin let out a nervous laugh. “You think all demons are crooks. I’m a law-abiding citizen, Karen. There’s nothing you can do to me. I haven’t broken any rules here.”
Karen’s hand moved to her hip and rested on the small ineffectual pocket on her blue denims. Her fingers curled, as if holding something. Marvin’s eyes darted to her hip. He licked his lips nervously as little beads of sweat formed below his nose.
“She was dead, Karen. I swear it. The bitch was dead!”
Karen’s hand gripped an invisible item by her hip. “Still illegal, Marvin.”
She pulled her hand forward. From out of thin air, a whip appeared. The handle was black, the thong silver and the lash purple. Marvin picked up a jar and threw it at Karen. It was a good throw with speed and accuracy behind it. Any normal human, and they would have been on the ground now with a face bloody and unconscious or dead.
But Karen was not normal. Standing at over six-feet-tall with the physique of a curvy Victoria’s Secret model mixed with the stature of an Olympic Athlete, she was a Demon Hunter. Karen turned her body sideways. The jar of black liquid containing possibly more human flesh flew past her and struck another demon on the head. The jar smashed, the liquid spilled onto the red demon. A sizzling sound was followed by the demon’s scream as his skin burned.
“Brave trying to kill a Demon Hunter,” Karen commented. “Stupid, but brave.”
Marvin bared his teeth and hissed, revealing sharpened yellow teeth. He jumped over the table and spread his hands apart as if he wanted a hug. The long black claws suggested something much more sinister.
Karen lashed with her whip. She struck him across the chest. Marvin howled as he was thrown back. He crashed into the stacked jars behind, smashing them. Harmless liquids of all colours with solid bits covered him.
Karen lashed her whip once more. The silver fall of the whip wrapped around his neck. She tugged at the handle, pulling Marvin off his bottom and over the front of the stall. He landed at her feet, his hands on the thong, he stared up at Karen, pure murderous rage in her eyes.
A hostile crowd of demons had gathered around them, joined by the one who now sported nasty burnt skin on half of his face. He stared at Karen and Marvin with equal hate. In return, Karen blew him a kiss, then turned to Alex.
“Let’s go,” she said.
* * *
They left the market place behind and walked down the streets with terraced houses of yellow brickwork, red tiled roofs and front lawns empty of flowers. Karen held the whip by her side, the fall still wrapped around Marvin’s neck, she pulled him along.
They were done for the day. Marvin would be taken to the Rubrum Domus Satanas, where he would be placed in a cell pending trial. If it was determined he’d murdered the woman for her flesh, he would be sentenced to death. If it came from an already dead woman, normally he would be sent back to hell, never to return to earth. But as he had attacked a Demon Hunter, Satani’s favoured, he would most likely be killed.
Alex tried to make peace with the fact that he was playing a part, however small, in the death of Marvin. He glanced back at the demon who was still struggling to free himself. The whip’s fall was tightly wrapped around the demon’s neck. He stumbled to the ground, but Karen kept walking, dragging Marvin along the rough ground by the neck.
It was an unpleasant sight. But Alex told himself that it was a harsher world, a reality much different to the one he was used to. A reality where not only did demons exist, but they sold bits of human flesh in jars.
“Given half a chance, a demon would kill you, or worse,” Karen said.
Alex didn’t doubt her. He recalled how quickly the situation escalated. Marvin began by denying any wrong-doing, and within a couple of minutes, attempted to kill or seriously wound Karen. He couldn’t shrug it off as a single crazy demon. The crowd that had surrounded them, their eyes were full of hatred.
As they turned down another street, the terraced houses gave way to rows of grey tower blocks with blue railings running along the external corridors. Near the entrance to one such tower block, he spotted four humans and a single demon.
They were the first humans Alex had seen in the estate. He stared at them as they passed. He realised quickly that they weren’t humans. Three tall, toned and handsome men and one tall and gorgeous woman. They were Demon Hunters. They stood surrounding a demon with light blue skin, yellow eyes and black hair.
This demon had human features, and looked oddly familiar to Alex. He stopped walking to stare at her.
“What is it?” Karen asked.
“Nothing… I think,” Alex mumbled. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the demon girl. Why did he think he knew her?
Beside him, Karen groaned. “The guy with the blonde hair tied in a headband, that’s Mark. A complete dick, even for a Demon Hunter.”
At that precise moment, Mark turned to look at them. His blue eyes lazily passed over Alex before settling on Karen. His lips spread in a grin.
“When are we fucking,” he shouted at her.
With her free hand, Karen raised her middle finger at him. Undeterred, he strolled over to join them by the sidewalk, looking every bit as arrogant and confident as the two angels Alex had seen.
“It’s going to happen. You know it.”
Karen smiled at him sweetly. “Touch me and I’ll cut your cock off.”
“Rough. I like it,” Mark’s voice changed to a harsh tone, sounding simultaneously like a threat and a challenge. His eyes fell on Marvin who’d managed to climb to his feet. His naturally red skin was darker on account of the whip still around his neck. “What are you doing with that?”
“He was selling human flesh and he tried to attack me. I’m taking him to the Rubrum Domus Satanas.”
Mark took a step towards Marvin, but quick as a flash, Karen came to stand in-between the two.
Mark frowned. “He attacked you.”
Karen nodded diplomatically. “We have processes for that.”
Mark let out a scornful laugh. “You’re going to take him in and put it in a cell and let there be a trial?”
Karen didn’t respond, but she continued to stare at Mark evenly. Her stance remained, but her body tensed, as if expecting a physical confrontation. Mark’s hand rested by his waist. Alex wondered if he too had a weapon hidden there.
“Where are you taking me?” Alex asked, as they came to the end of the road and turned right. “I’m tired.”
“You’re weak is what you are,” Karen grumbled.
If that was supposed to be an insult it had no effect on Alex. “Yup,” he agreed. “When am I going to get that immense power and strength you promised?”
“It can take a few days,” Karen said. She stared him up and down, taking in his skinny pale figure. “Maybe a little more in your case,” she muttered under her breathe. “We’re almost there. Past the junction, up the hill. Ignis Estate. Heard of it?”
Alex had definitely heard of it. It was a council estate that had the reputation of being a particularly rough area, rougher even than the surrounding east end of London. The sort of place that quite frequently featured in the local newspaper for its violent crimes.
“Why are we going there?”
“That’s where the demons are. All around the country and the world over, demons live in small enclaves. Ignis Estates is the place where we’re law and order.”
Knowing they didn’t have far to go, Alex had renewed energy. As they came to the junction though, he popped into the corner shop and bought himself a bottle of cold water. He drank half of it in a single gulp, then held it out for Karen as he wiped the sweat beads from his forehead.
“You don’t feel hot?” Alex asked, when she declined.
“Not like humans do. Once our souls leave and the juices of the devil flow through us, our feelings numb quite a bit. Heat, cold, pain, we feel it a lot less.”
“The devil’s juices?” Alex made a face.
Karen frowned. “Don’t pretend you didn’t like it. Hell, I loved it and at the time I considered myself straight.”
They continued on. Crossing the junction, they climbed up the small hill. The houses on either side of the road were terraced. Most had front walls of concrete slabs measuring two feet in height. Some had overgrown hedges and wrought iron gates through which were narrow paths that led to the sometimes blue, other times white or grey doors.
Once at the top, they stopped opposite Ignis Estate. Even with the midday sun blaring up in the sky, a darkness hung over the estate. The block of flats on either side of Hookers Road leading into the estate appeared as darkened structures of concrete and metal, rising ten floors up.
A few feet away from them was an angel. Alex had seen an angel before, but he still blinked twice. Wearing skinny black jeans and a V-neck vest, his white wings rose either side of him like magnificent and magical extensions. With dark hair slicked back, he had that angelic glow about him - like a glow in the dark stick.
He stood directly opposite the entrance to Hookers Road. Leaning against a lamppost, he stared ahead intently.
“Oh, for fucks sake,” Karen muttered, nodding at the angel, “I hope he’s not planning on going into the estate.”
“Is it a problem if he does?”
Karen nodded. “Angels are supposed to leave the demons alone, but you know how you get douchebag humans that do stupid things for shits and giggles or as a dare? Harassing demons is like at the top of their list. Arrogant pricks. Just because they won the war, they think they can do whatever they want.”
Alex glanced at the angel leaning against the lamppost. He did have that air of confidence about him. Only natural considering how tall and handsome he was. And the wings. The wings were freaking awesome.
“War?”
“Yeah. It happened a really long time ago. Thousands, I don’t know, maybe millions of years ago. There was a great war between demons and angels. Satan led the armies of demons into battle against the angels. The angels were winning, but Satan refused to surrender. In the end, Satani orchestrated a coup, imprisoned Satan and made peace with the angels.”
“What were they fighting about?” Alex asked.
Karen seemed to not hear him. Her eyes were still on the angel leaning against the lamppost. A tall blonde woman approached him. She placed a hand on his chest and kissed him on the lips. The angel finally looked away from Ignis Estate. He wrapped his arms around the girl and gave a sudden pull, squeezing her body tightly against his.
Karen tore her eyes away, satisfied that the angel wasn’t going to enter the estate, at least not this time. “Different rules for angels,” she told him. “We don’t police them. They’re allowed to do whatever they want to with humans. It’s only our business if they cause harm to demons.”
“And then we get to kick their assess?” Alex asked, thinking back to the douchebag that had harassed Laura.
“The demons lost the war, Alex. Angels are much stronger. Try not to pick a fight with them. In fact, try to steer clear of them in case they try and provoke a reaction. Defend yourself, if you have to, but generally our best bet is to register a complaint back at the Rubrum Domus Satanas.”
Karen crossed over and stood at the mouth of Hookers Road. She paused and looked back. “You asked what the demons and angels were fighting over?”
Alex nodded.
“They were fighting over the souls of the humans,” Karen said.
* * *
Alex’s apartment wasn’t far from Ignis Estate. Having grown up in the area, he’d often passed by the place en route to elsewhere. He remembered the last time he’d come this way. It was three months ago. He’d paused to stare at Hookers Road. Someone had been stabbed to death there two nights previous. It had been on the front pages of the local paper.
The estate was enormous. Much larger than any council estate he’d ever walked through. To his left and right were the enormous tower blocks. They were great big structures of dull concrete. The paint had chipped away on the blue railings that ran across the external corridors of each floor. Past the tower blocks, going further into the estate were small terraced houses with yellow brickwork and red-tiled roofs.
It was much like any other housing estate in the country aside from its size. The place was enormous. It was big enough to house thousands of people. Except the occupants weren’t human.
In the centre of the tower blocks of concrete and steel, the road split to encircle a patch of land. Half of the space was taken by children running around kicking a ball on a grassy patch. The other half had a café, a convenience store and a locksmith.
They were demons.
Blue and red skin was the most common. But there was paper-white, ink black and Alex even spotted one demon with skin as yellow as banana peel. It was a surreal feeling, like being on a parallel version of earth, one filled with demons.
“Most demons live here, but there are a few wealthy ones dotted around the city,” Karen said as they strolled past the children kicking the ball.
Alex nodded along, not really taking in her words. A small demon boy with black spikey hair, pale red skin and balls of black for eyes rushed past him on his way to join the other children. As he made it to the grassy patch, he turned to look back Alex. He bared his teeth and hissed.
Alex didn’t take it personally. “Do most of them have teeth like that?”
“Shark-like? Some do, but not all.” Karen said. “They don’t like us Demon Hunters much. Mostly because we treat them like shit.”
Again, Alex nodded. But he wasn’t listening. Not really. It was a lot to take in. This new reality, one where demons and angels existed, one with heaven and hell. This very moment, he was walking through a mostly ordinary housing estate. But every inhabitant was a demon.
That was the new reality, one filled with demons and angels that fought over the souls of the humans. That was what Karen had said. Or at least, they’d fought a war once.
“What did you mean when you said the angels and demons battled over the souls of the humans?”
“Demons and angels weren’t always here. They came from somewhere else. Another dimension I guess,” she shrugged her shoulders. “The angels wanted all the souls to rise up to the heavens above, the demons wanted them to sink into the ground and the hell that waited below. They fought a war over it. The angels were winning when Satani struck a truce with God. It was agreed the souls would rise or fall on their own.”
They continued down the path that led past the towering blocks and towards the terraced houses. Beyond them rose smaller towers with narrow alleyways in-between. Black bins overflowed and dirt piled up against the walls. The stench of rotting flesh filled the air.
They entered one of the darkened alleyways nestled amongst two four storey tower blocks. Coming to the end, the view changed. Rather than more terraced houses or tower blocks, the space opened up. It was filled with stalls. There were close to a hundred, maybe more. Opposite the stalls were lines of shops, some two floors, some rising to three.
There were hundreds of demons moving about. Demons of all sizes and shapes. Some were tall and looked more like massively overgrown walking lizards. Others were smaller and comparable to dwarfs. They moved about with baskets in hand, some even pushed trolleys. Vendors shouted out prices though Alex was not familiar with the products on sale.
“I do a round here about once a week. There’s usually someone selling something they shouldn’t,” Karen said.
“Like what?” Alex asked as they stepped out of the alleyway and joined the crowds.
“Illegal drugs. There was one a few months back called “Red Smash”. Made the demons really violent. A spate of human deaths followed. Really pissed off most of the Demon Hunters.”
“Bloody hell… Yeah I can imagine they would be,” Alex muttered.
“Nah,” Karen shook her head. “The Demon Hunters are mostly a lazy bunch of fuckers. They were annoyed because they actually had to do something for a change. And we really had to get it under control before the angels pointed fingers at Satani and accused her of breaking the pact and interfering in human life.”
Alex thought he was getting more of an idea of his role. He would be policing the demons. He’d never really wanted to be a police officer. But he supposed this one did have perks. He’d be tall and handsome, apparently. Strong too. He already had the big cock so that didn’t count. There was the immortality, unless someone killed him…
Karen stopped in front of a stall. The demon behind it wore a red jacket. His skin was purple, his head bald save for the line of spikes that crossed the middle of his skull like a mohawk. His eyes were balls of black. He had no iris or pupil. Karen picked up one of the many jars he had displayed.
“And what’s in this, Marvin?”
“It’s legal,” the demon said, his voice gruff, defensive. He folded his arms across his chest. “You can’t just come here and accuse me of shit. I’ve gone straight, Karen. You know it. But you still pick on me. So many stalls here, but you come straight to me. That’s harassment, that is.”
Alex was a little taken aback, but Karen seemed to have ignored the man’s rant completely. She was staring at the contents of the jar she held. Alex couldn’t tell what it was that had caught her interest. The jar was filled with a purple-coloured liquid with bits of… flesh. There was flesh in the jar.
“What’s in this?” Karen repeated, this time looking directly at Marvin.
Marvin’s crossed arms fell to his side. His eyes shifted to the left, then the right. He was nervous. “It’s beetroot juice mixed with deer meat,” his words hurried out, as if pre-rehearsed.
“Why do I think it’s human flesh, Marvin?” Karen asked.
“Because you’re a judgemental bitch?” Marvin let out a nervous laugh. “You think all demons are crooks. I’m a law-abiding citizen, Karen. There’s nothing you can do to me. I haven’t broken any rules here.”
Karen’s hand moved to her hip and rested on the small ineffectual pocket on her blue denims. Her fingers curled, as if holding something. Marvin’s eyes darted to her hip. He licked his lips nervously as little beads of sweat formed below his nose.
“She was dead, Karen. I swear it. The bitch was dead!”
Karen’s hand gripped an invisible item by her hip. “Still illegal, Marvin.”
She pulled her hand forward. From out of thin air, a whip appeared. The handle was black, the thong silver and the lash purple. Marvin picked up a jar and threw it at Karen. It was a good throw with speed and accuracy behind it. Any normal human, and they would have been on the ground now with a face bloody and unconscious or dead.
But Karen was not normal. Standing at over six-feet-tall with the physique of a curvy Victoria’s Secret model mixed with the stature of an Olympic Athlete, she was a Demon Hunter. Karen turned her body sideways. The jar of black liquid containing possibly more human flesh flew past her and struck another demon on the head. The jar smashed, the liquid spilled onto the red demon. A sizzling sound was followed by the demon’s scream as his skin burned.
“Brave trying to kill a Demon Hunter,” Karen commented. “Stupid, but brave.”
Marvin bared his teeth and hissed, revealing sharpened yellow teeth. He jumped over the table and spread his hands apart as if he wanted a hug. The long black claws suggested something much more sinister.
Karen lashed with her whip. She struck him across the chest. Marvin howled as he was thrown back. He crashed into the stacked jars behind, smashing them. Harmless liquids of all colours with solid bits covered him.
Karen lashed her whip once more. The silver fall of the whip wrapped around his neck. She tugged at the handle, pulling Marvin off his bottom and over the front of the stall. He landed at her feet, his hands on the thong, he stared up at Karen, pure murderous rage in her eyes.
A hostile crowd of demons had gathered around them, joined by the one who now sported nasty burnt skin on half of his face. He stared at Karen and Marvin with equal hate. In return, Karen blew him a kiss, then turned to Alex.
“Let’s go,” she said.
* * *
They left the market place behind and walked down the streets with terraced houses of yellow brickwork, red tiled roofs and front lawns empty of flowers. Karen held the whip by her side, the fall still wrapped around Marvin’s neck, she pulled him along.
They were done for the day. Marvin would be taken to the Rubrum Domus Satanas, where he would be placed in a cell pending trial. If it was determined he’d murdered the woman for her flesh, he would be sentenced to death. If it came from an already dead woman, normally he would be sent back to hell, never to return to earth. But as he had attacked a Demon Hunter, Satani’s favoured, he would most likely be killed.
Alex tried to make peace with the fact that he was playing a part, however small, in the death of Marvin. He glanced back at the demon who was still struggling to free himself. The whip’s fall was tightly wrapped around the demon’s neck. He stumbled to the ground, but Karen kept walking, dragging Marvin along the rough ground by the neck.
It was an unpleasant sight. But Alex told himself that it was a harsher world, a reality much different to the one he was used to. A reality where not only did demons exist, but they sold bits of human flesh in jars.
“Given half a chance, a demon would kill you, or worse,” Karen said.
Alex didn’t doubt her. He recalled how quickly the situation escalated. Marvin began by denying any wrong-doing, and within a couple of minutes, attempted to kill or seriously wound Karen. He couldn’t shrug it off as a single crazy demon. The crowd that had surrounded them, their eyes were full of hatred.
As they turned down another street, the terraced houses gave way to rows of grey tower blocks with blue railings running along the external corridors. Near the entrance to one such tower block, he spotted four humans and a single demon.
They were the first humans Alex had seen in the estate. He stared at them as they passed. He realised quickly that they weren’t humans. Three tall, toned and handsome men and one tall and gorgeous woman. They were Demon Hunters. They stood surrounding a demon with light blue skin, yellow eyes and black hair.
This demon had human features, and looked oddly familiar to Alex. He stopped walking to stare at her.
“What is it?” Karen asked.
“Nothing… I think,” Alex mumbled. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the demon girl. Why did he think he knew her?
Beside him, Karen groaned. “The guy with the blonde hair tied in a headband, that’s Mark. A complete dick, even for a Demon Hunter.”
At that precise moment, Mark turned to look at them. His blue eyes lazily passed over Alex before settling on Karen. His lips spread in a grin.
“When are we fucking,” he shouted at her.
With her free hand, Karen raised her middle finger at him. Undeterred, he strolled over to join them by the sidewalk, looking every bit as arrogant and confident as the two angels Alex had seen.
“It’s going to happen. You know it.”
Karen smiled at him sweetly. “Touch me and I’ll cut your cock off.”
“Rough. I like it,” Mark’s voice changed to a harsh tone, sounding simultaneously like a threat and a challenge. His eyes fell on Marvin who’d managed to climb to his feet. His naturally red skin was darker on account of the whip still around his neck. “What are you doing with that?”
“He was selling human flesh and he tried to attack me. I’m taking him to the Rubrum Domus Satanas.”
Mark took a step towards Marvin, but quick as a flash, Karen came to stand in-between the two.
Mark frowned. “He attacked you.”
Karen nodded diplomatically. “We have processes for that.”
Mark let out a scornful laugh. “You’re going to take him in and put it in a cell and let there be a trial?”
Karen didn’t respond, but she continued to stare at Mark evenly. Her stance remained, but her body tensed, as if expecting a physical confrontation. Mark’s hand rested by his waist. Alex wondered if he too had a weapon hidden there.
