Demon's Doorway Read online

  "It's arriving now. Come on."

  It took a few minutes to run to the gate. They waited near a locked door for employees only behind the seating area. Kevin leaned over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Victoria wasn't winded at all. She stood upright with a hand on his back.

  A plane slowly pulled into view outside. Everyone waiting shifted in their seats and gathered their bags, although they'd have a while before the plane emptied.

  Kevin saw a shimmer out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see Victoria's knee, once again visible. He was only a few seconds behind her. There was no foot traffic, no one watching them. The humans around them were focused on their own areas and the plane outside.

  "So, what's next?"

  "I have no idea what we're dealing with," Victoria confessed. "Just back me up. Hopefully we can do this without violence. But if anything crazy happens, just watch out for the people."

  "What are you gonna do? Kill the guy?"

  "Or woman. If they don't cooperate."

  "You're gonna kill someone just because Bradley said so?"

  "I've known him for centuries."

  "That doesn't mean he's always right. He wanted to kill me, remember? Without even knowing who I was. Hell, you tried to kill me—"

  "I know. I haven't forgotten."

  "This doesn't feel right."

  She faced him and sternly grabbed his shoulders. "Kevin, just trust me, okay? Yes, I've made mistakes, especially with you. I'm not perfect, no matter how old I am. But right now…will you watch my back?"

  Kevin nodded, and Victoria squeezed him gently.

  They waited patiently, watching the humans disembark. Kevin simply stood still, ready to follow Victoria wherever she went. He looked at her, trying to read her face. She frowned as she lifted her nose to the air, inhaling deeply.

  "Something isn't right."

  "What?"

  "The scent I'm picking up. It's…weird."

  He laughed shortly. "Define weird."

  "It's familiar, but, I know I've never smelled it before."

  "Maybe someone had bad gas on the plane."

  He glanced over to see if she laughed at his little joke. No laugh, not even a smile. Victoria's gaze was focused straight ahead.

  She was staring at someone.

  Kevin followed her eyes to see a man near the windows, staring back at her. He looked somewhere in his fifties. Ruggedly handsome, gray hair, wearing a shirt and tie. Deep-set, intense eyes. He had no carry-on luggage with him. Kevin didn't have Victoria's senses, but there was something off about the man. Something cold and dark.

  Kevin didn't see Victoria move.

  One moment she was by his side, the next she was ten feet ahead. He also didn't see the man grab a vial from his pocket, but recognized the sound of glass breaking when it hit the floor. Kevin had thrown many vials to the ground.

  A glowing, yellow sphere rose from the floor, about six feet in diameter. It hovered in the air near the ceiling, pulsating, like it had its own heartbeat. The humans nearby watched in awe, some pointing and reaching for their phones. Even Victoria and Kevin were rooted in place.

  "You've got bigger problems than me," the man said. "Tell Bradley I said hello."

  The sphere moved away, back through the airport. It didn't make any noise as it floated, and was moving fast.

  Victoria looked back to the man, and he was gone. She knew he was nearby, as she could still smell him. If Kevin could turn people invisible, she knew her target could probably do the same thing.

  "We have to go," she said, pushing Kevin forward.

  It wasn't hard to track where the sphere went. Humans gathered and talked excitedly about it, calling it a UFO. Others tried to follow, only to be seen resting and catching their breath.

  Victoria and Kevin ran clear out of the airport. There were so many distractions she didn't notice the eyes watching them leave.

  *****

  Kevin wiped the sweat from his forehead. He shrugged out of his new coat and undid a few more buttons on his shirt. Victoria was not bothered at all from the sprint through the airport. She kept looking out the open window in her car as she took turns cars weren't meant to take.

  The sphere was moving through the sky. Cars stopped in the middle of the road, bystanders looked up and pointed. Victoria had to swerve around and even drive on the sidewalk.

  "Who was that?"

  "I have no idea."

  "You two seemed to know each other."

  "We can smell each other. We both know a vampire when we smell one."

  "A vampire? In the day? Okay, so he knows a witch, right? Someone gave him a potion, like I gave you."

  Victoria was quiet.

  "What's this thing above us?" he asked.

  "I was hoping you could tell me. It's magical."

  "I'm sorry, but I don't have any idea."

  "I don't know completely how your magic works, but think about it. Focus on it, whatever you have to do. I need to know what it is, what it's going to do, where it's going."

  "I think we know where it's going."

  Kevin gestured to a large office building, about ten floors high. The sphere hovered outside a window on the ninth floor, on the rear side, almost out of sight. It did nothing, only continued to glow like a star.

  Victoria parked at an odd angle in the office lot. Kevin grabbed his coat and followed her inside.

  "Do you know how to get rid of it?" Victoria asked as they ran through the lobby.

  She threw open the door to the stairwell. Kevin ran behind her, his coat billowing behind him.

  "Victoria, I just don't know," he said, edging on despair. "If I read my book, maybe something will come to me. But—"

  "We don't have time to read right now."

  They made it to the ninth floor. There was only the stairwell, two elevators, and three doors leading to different businesses, all renting space. Victoria pointed to the door that led to the back of the building.

  They stepped into what looked like a sewing company. It was one large space, full of cubicles and small offices. On the far side of the space were rows of sewing machines. Every employee was gathered at the windows near the back, staring at the sphere as it hovered just on the other side of the glass. Some were talking on their cell phones, others taking pictures and video.

  Kevin took a breath and looked at Victoria. "Okay, now what do we do—?"

  About half the lights went off, drawing startled shouts and hushed whispers from the employees. The shadows in the room seemed to grow darker, larger, almost moving.

  It was a sight she'd seen several times before.

  An uneasy feeling crept over Victoria.

  They were everywhere. There was no warning, no dramatic entrance. Victoria inhaled sulfur, and a moment later a blood-curdling scream erupted near the windows. She peered down a walkway to see a woman being dragged across the floor, her legs disappearing into a cubicle.

  Demons.

  The humans did exactly what was expected of them. They panicked, and scattered in all directions. Kevin watched in horror as a tiny demon, no larger than a dog, jumped on a woman's back and bit into her shoulder. Another larger demon picked up a man with one hand and flung him across the room, sending him crashing into an office.

  "Shit!" Victoria said. "We have to help."

  She took a step forward, but noticed Kevin wasn't moving.

  Kevin had seen demons before. They were under the control of Alex. Even then, they were terrifying. They were horrifying concoctions Kevin wasn't sure even the sickest mind could dream up.

  These demons weren't under any control. They howled and clawed, seemingly growing stronger with every scream.

  He could handle a hundred men with guns. These creatures were a different matter.

  "Kevin!" Victoria shook him and lightly slapped his face. "Come on! We have to help these people."

  He finally returned to his senses. "Sorry. H-How?"

  Her eyes tu
rned red, her hands turned to claws. Her voice was slurred from her protruding fangs.

  "Let's start by keeping them alive."

  Victoria leapt through the air and landed on two demons. She did her own biting, ripping, and clawing. Kevin watched in fascination for a moment before another scream brought him back to the sewing factory.

  He turned around and headed for the door. The easiest way to help the humans was to lead them to safety.

  The demon came out of the shadows near the exit. It was massive, at least seven feet tall. It swiped at Kevin, narrowly missing his face. He fell backwards, landing on his back, and looked up at the demon. It didn't make a move, didn't pursue.

  It was guarding the door, keeping them locked in.

  The rest of the lights went out, nearly bathing the floor in darkness. Only the windows let in light, but it wasn't much as the large demons moved about.

  The screams picked up more. The darkness only added to the horror.

  Kevin could fix that.

  He pulled out a plain mothball and a potion. He poured a few drops on the mothball and tossed it in the air.

  Humans and demons both looked up at the bright light, touching every corner. The magical mothball floated above them, defying gravity, and illuminated the entire floor.

  Just the simple act of the demons stopping to look at the light gave him hope. They were demons, but they were creatures. They noticeably flinched at the brightness. They could be stopped.

  He grabbed his penlight and aimed it at the eyes of the first demon he saw. He put his pinkie finger in the beam of light, and the demon dropped to the floor, covering its eyes. The beam caught another demon and a man running. They both fell to the floor. A witch could intensify any light with simply a finger.

  "Help!"

  A woman lay on the ground outside a cubicle. A demon sat on her chest, and ripped a large chunk of flesh away from her shoulder with its teeth. Her legs flailed wildly, but she could do nothing.

  Kevin ran forward and aimed his light. It took a moment to catch the demon's eyes, but he did, and it leapt away to the open ceiling.

  He nearly gagged as he knelt next to her.

  She was a mess of blood and gore. Her skirt was nearly ripped away, crimson streaks all across her legs. Blood dripped from her shoulder to the carpet, and he thought he could see bone.

  Her arm was severed just below the elbow. The lifeless limb lay at her side.

  "It…hurts…."

  He gestured for her to be quiet. "I know," he whispered. "What's your name?"

  "T-Tracy."

  "Okay, Tracy. You're gonna be okay." He pulled out a vial of plain water, popped the cork, and covered it with his thumb. His stomach rumbled as he grabbed Tracy's severed arm and held it to her stump. "Just drink this, the whole thing."

  He held the vial steady while Tracy drank every drop. There were cracking sounds as her shoulder healed, growing new tissue and flesh. Her fingers slowly moved as the arm reconnected and mended.

  Her eyes shot open as she wiggled her arm. "Oh my God!"

  "Stay low," he said. He pulled out another vial of water and handed it to her. "If you get hurt, drink this. If someone else is hurt, have them drink it."

  "Okay. Thank you."

  He nodded, and stood up once again.

  The humans were finally fighting. Some wielded chairs and anything else they could find. A man and woman worked together to trap a demon between the wall and a desk, pushing with all their might. A demon sailed through the air, letting out a horrible scream, and he could only imagine Victoria was in the thick of things, helping who she could.

  The problem was too many humans. The humans had to go.

  Kevin pushed his way through the crowd, grabbing items from his coat as he went. A small mirror, and a potion he'd learned an upgrade for not long ago. He jumped over one demon, and glanced down to smear the potion on the mirror.

  When he looked back up, the large demon was right in front of him.

  He stopped, which saved his life. The demon swiped, raking its claws across Kevin's face. He fell to the floor, the mirror landing several feet away. Fear took over as he put a hand to his face and pulled it away to see blood. The demon grinned a toothy, terrible smile.

  Kevin reached into his coat for another vial. He threw it as hard as he could at the demon's chest. It was immediately engulfed in flame, but didn't flinch. It actually seemed to enjoy the blaze.

  "Shit."

  It raised a fiery claw above its head.

  A desk soared through the air and slammed into it from the side, knocking it to the ground. Kevin only knew one person that strong.

  Victoria leaned over him. Her claw changed to a hand as she pulled him to his feet, but her other features remained. Black flesh dangled from her fangs. Her red hair was wild and caked with blood. Her once beautiful dress was a torn and ruined mess.

  She said nothing, only giving a fang-filled smile before running away, slashing at demons as she went.

  He grabbed his mirror and headed for the windows once again. Jumping on the windowsill, he turned to face the chaos.

  "Hey! I need everyone to look over here!"

  The demons ignored him, and not every human looked at Kevin. Some were distracted with fighting, or simply hurt. But many of them did. Their eyes caught the mirror, enhanced by his magic.

  They disappeared without a trace. Some were in the grip of demons, and the creatures looked at each other. Kevin couldn't be sure, but he almost thought they were confused.

  He spun and stared at the mirror. It no longer showed a reflection, but about thirty people, all cramped together. They were terrified, and some looked injured, but they were alive and safe.

  Kevin had learned the potion of capturing a soul with a mirror from his spell-book.

  Altering the potion to capture bodies as well, that was an improvement only he could claim.

  "Kevin!" Victoria shouted, six demons swarming her.

  He looked up just in time to see the chair a demon tossed flying toward him. It struck him in the chest, forcing him through the glass window. He saw the outside of the building, and the sky, for just a second. His hands flailed, reaching for anything to grab onto, as the mirror left his grip.

  He gripped the ledge with one hand, hanging from the side of the building. The sphere still hovered, unmoving, a few windows down, somehow powering the demonic invasion.

  He watched with wide eyes as the mirror fell nine floors down. It shattered on the grassy field behind the building. The glass shards morphed into the people Kevin had trapped. They searched around, confused, until they looked up and saw Kevin. They shouted words of hope and encouragement as he hung on for dear life.

  Reaching up with his free hand, Kevin's fingers folded over a piece of glass still in the window, slicing them. He winced and pulled his hand back. His other hand was slipping.

  A second before his grip weakened completely, a hand grabbed his arm. He looked above him, expecting to see Victoria. It wasn't her, and he blinked to make sure his vision was okay.

  A man he didn't know leaned out the window. He showed no signs of fear, no panic on his face. He actually looked annoyed as he struggled to pull Kevin up a few inches.

  "Damn," he said. "You're heavier than you look."

  A young girl stood next him, her head poking outside. She was the one with fear in her eyes. She looked back and forth between Kevin and the sphere.

  "Hi there. I'm Jack." Jack smiled, perhaps the strangest thing Kevin had ever seen, given the circumstances.

  "Can you save him?" the girl asked. "I'll help."

  "No, Tiffany. There's glass."

  "The monsters are everywhere."

  "I know. Just stay close to me."

  A frightening growl spun Tiffany around. A demon ran past her, chasing another human. It bumped into her, and sent her over the sill.

  "Tiffany!"

  Jack quickly grabbed Tiffany's arm with one hand. She screamed as her body smacked i
nto Kevin. Jack was halfway out the window, the glass piercing through his shirt. He held both Kevin and Tiffany, one in each hand.

  "Jack! Daddy!"

  They started slipping through his fingers.

  He had to make a choice.

  "Sorry, kid."

  Jack let go.

  CHAPTER 6

  Jack gripped Tiffany with both hands and hauled her through the window. He didn't put her down, instead hugging her close to his chest. She cried into his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, not wanting to look at the demons and chaos around her.

  He was at peace with his decision. He was keenly aware that fact should have surprised him, but he wasn't. Tiffany was more important than his suffering, his curse. In fact, Tiffany almost helped lessen the suffering. She was a bright light in his cursed life.

  He would kill one hundred witches, if it meant protecting her. He'd do it without hesitation, with a smile on his face.

  The witch screamed as he fell, and the mortals screamed with him below. He almost turned from the window when something in the sky caught his attention.

  From a distance, it looked like a giant bat. As it approached at an unbelievable speed, Jack could make out details. There were two arms and legs, dark pants, and dress shoes.

  It was a man.

  The winged man fell from the air, his wings collapsing for a moment, before throwing them back out and gliding mere feet above the ground. He banked slightly, aiming straight for the building, and climbed.

  He tackled the witch in mid-air, and they crashed through a second floor window. The crowd below scattered, some playing heroes and running toward the building, while others ran away.

  Tiffany sobbed, her body shaking, and Jack stroked her hair while carefully making his way back across the floor. He stepped over moaning mortals and disoriented demons. He made no sudden moves, didn't draw any attention to his daughter or himself.

  "I'm scared," she said.

  "It's okay, sweetie. I'm getting you out of here now."

  "That guy at the window. Is he okay?"

  Jack smirked and shook his head. That was Tiffany. A victim of an abusive foster system, no family or friends. She had every reason to hate the world, like he did. But she didn't. She worried about everyone else first, and then herself.