Not Today Wanna-Be Satan
The air of neglect and despair was strong around the rising tower.
The brick walls had been built to hide the humans within from the horrors of the outside world.
Unfortunately, it also hid the depravity within from those passing by, so their gentle sensitivities weren’t disturbed.
It was clear this was a slum, where the desperate and downtrodden gathered to make one last gasping stand before they named the streets their home.
Chuck, she’s in there! He sent with a growl in his tone.
Studying the crumbling brick edifice, he frowned, his fuzzy eyebrows bunched together with concern.
She can see us. I think she’s watching from a window.
Her fear and determination have reached nuclear levels.
She’s going to run if we don’t hurry. We need that building surrounded now!
Nodding, Chuck didn’t hesitate to call in the update, tapping her foot anxiously as other officers moved into position to guard the exits, weapons at the ready. After several minutes fraught with tension, they got the signal to move in. “Alright, we have the building covered. Ready to move in?”
She’s on one of the higher floors; we’ll have to go up for me to narrow it down, he explained as she moved toward the front entrance. Bring Luna just in case; I have a bad feeling about this. I’m catching a whiff of sulfur and brimstone.
Silently, Chuck signaled Jaxon and glanced at the dogs meaningfully so he would get her drift.
He nodded almost imperceptibly and moved to her flank.
“Possible demon involvement,” she whispered from the corner of her mouth as he closed in.
Rolling her shoulders, she took another deep, steadying breath and eyed him once more, checking his understanding.
“Mhm,” Jaxon murmured, acknowledging her statement quietly.
Louder, he added, “Alright Chuck, you got lead, we’re right behind you.
” He gripped Luna’s leash tightly and waved off the trainer who had stepped forward in concern.
“She’s fine, not even a tremble,” he called back. “Let’s see how she does.”
Signaling to the team she was moving in, Chuck pulled the door open then hurried to the stairs as other officers swarmed the lobby, covering the elevators and other exits.
Once every escape route was covered, Chuck and Jaxon continued.
They hurried up the metal and concrete stairs, dodging questionable lumps of cloth and piles of indescribable grossness.
It seemed the residents in the building used the stairwell as a dumping ground for unwanted items. Reaching the sixth floor, which was the top level, Malachi eased down the hall, crouched low, muffling his sounds after encouraging Luna to do the same.
He called it his SWAT walk and pictured himself holding a gun, creeping up on a suspect in stealth mode. If he had opposable thumbs, of course.
Pausing outside of one door about halfway down the hall, Malachi alerted Chuck that this was the unit they were seeking.
He could sense the child’s terror, the mother’s confusion and anger, plus something exceptionally dark.
Normally, something dark would be welcomed and embraced, but that was not the case here.
Something demonic and evil—the kind of pitch-black that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end—was attached to the woman, egging her on, driving her actions.
Quickly, Malachi filled in Chuck and confirmed with Luna that she sensed it as well.
Anyone you know? He asked as he crouched on the filthy, threadbare carpet that might have once been an uplifting ocean blue but was now a murky, questionable shade of dirt. The squalor was a depressing reflection of those who lived behind these cracked and swollen doors.
No, not familiar to me, Luna sent back as she crouched by his side, mirroring his pose.
Her paws shifted uncomfortably under her as she reacted to the unseen terror lurking on the other side.
I see what you meant about sensing them.
The mother isn’t innocent, but that demon is amplifying it.
Do you think it possessed her? Or maybe it’s manifesting as a human?
Not possession, he mumbled, slowly shaking his head as he carefully spread his awareness further.
He didn’t want to alert the demon to their presence if it wasn’t already aware of them.
I think it’s posing as a human, whispering in her ear.
I don’t sense enough energy to fully control her body.
Glancing up, he watched Chuck’s aura as the golden halo sparkled on the edges.
She gripped his back briefly before giving a decisive nod.
“Police!” she announced, banging on the door in that authoritative way they had.
She ordered the woman to come out, issuing the standard warnings and commands about a K-9 presence.
The woman screamed for them to go away, which had Chuck gritting her teeth.
“You know we can’t do that. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.
We need to see your son and confirm he’s okay.
Show us that he’s unharmed and we can talk about this. ”
Once more, the woman shouted for them to leave, but her words were accompanied by a low growl. A strangled yelp was followed by a deep male voice, calm and collected as he said, “I know who is out there. Malachi, Pestilence. Come face me if you want the child to live.”
A stifled gasp came as Chuck took a step back, mixing with the deep rumbling growl from Malachi’s throat. He turned to Chuck as she squatted beside him, pulling Jaxon down as well. “Mal,” she whispered, “what’s the plan?”
You heard him; he replied to everyone, so she wouldn’t have to repeat it.
He glanced at each of them to be sure they understood.
I’ll go in first; Lunar Orbit can follow behind me.
I’ll see if we can talk him down. It’s unlikely, but we’ll try.
Then, if he doesn’t surrender the kid, I may have to go full demon.
When we can get the demon confined enough, I’ll call you two to come get the kid and the woman.
Just… be prepared; this could get messy. No cameras.
Chuck gazed at him, uncertainty in her eyes, and bit her lip before whispering, “At least there are no trees this time.” A small wobbly smile curved the corners of her lips as she referenced his last case with demon confrontation.
The one in which Bakeeron had tossed Malachi against a tree and broken several of his ribs.
“I’d hate to have to take you to the vet again.
” This time her smile widened further as he glared.
Can the jokes, or I won’t spank you later! he warned with a stifled laugh. Leaning forward, he rested his muzzle on her shoulder. Stay back until I call you. I can’t risk you getting hurt, Chuck.
A metallic snick as she pulled her gun from her holster had him rearing back to find steely determination in her gaze.
“Head shot, right between the eyes, only way to take a demon down without any celestial weapons,” she mumbled for Jaxon’s sake and to remind Malachi this wasn’t her first demonic rodeo either.
Right, got it. Badass female warrior princess type. I know. But you are more fragile than me, so at least don’t charge in recklessly this time. As she arched her eyebrows, he reminded her of her history with one word: Amaryllis.
Guns drawn, Jaxon and Chuck stood on each side of the door, backs against the frame.
Malachi and Luna readied themselves before it, crouched, ready to launch.
On Jaxon’s silent countdown, he drew his foot forward and kicked behind him, forcing the door open with one swift motion.
The two demon dogs rushed inside, then split wide, separating themselves as targets, hoping to cause confusion.
To an extent, it worked, but they were the ones who ended up confused.
A demon was indeed in the room, but he was in full Hellspawn form, grinning at them with a decidedly evil smile.
Even more demonic and wicked than the standard grin they were all capable of.
His gaping maw was stretched wider than physics should have allowed.
All his yellow fangs were on display as he chuckled and raised his muscular arms. In his taloned grip was the limp, dangling form of the child they were trying to rescue.
Fuck! Malachi growled. He glanced over at the sofa and found the mother sprawled over the surface, a needle hanging haphazardly from her throat where it appeared the demon had stabbed her.
The woman’s features were slackened, drooping, and her eyes only open to swollen slits.
She was clearly seconds from being comatose or overdosing.
Loony Tunes, get that needle out of her, try to keep her awake. I’ll distract this ugly fucker.
Ugly was much too mild of a word for the beast towering over them, but he didn’t have time to fully describe the sheer repulsiveness of this creature.
He quickly took stock of it as it stood in the ramshackle space that could loosely be called a living room.
The demon was easily nine feet tall, with no horns or wings.
What he lacked in those accessory features, he made up for with an extra pair of arms sprouting from mid-torso, which sported the longest, most wickedly curved talons Malachi had ever seen.
They glistened darkly, suspiciously, leading him to suspect they were coated in poison.
Glowing red eyes lit up with manic glee as the demon roared with laughter.
His skin was patchy, with scales in some areas, lumpy in others, and covered with boils. The tone was a sickly yellowish brown.
Baby-shit puke colored asshole is about to learn, Malachi thought darkly.
His thoughts were always dark, of course, but this thought was even darker than usual.
Because the bastard posed a serious threat to Chuck’s continued existence.
The fact that the demon had referred to Luna as “Pestilence” meant he knew exactly who they were and was looking for them, making him an even greater threat.
Shifting to his own demon form, Malachi rose before the intruder and snarled.
The sound was deep and echoing, the foreshadowing of a breaking storm of wrath to come.
“Put the kid down, gently,” he commanded, his voice resonating with power.
“I don’t want to kill you, but I will if you don’t get the fuck out of here right now.
” From the corner of his eye, he saw Luna had shifted to her demon form as well, her dove-grey wings fluttering anxiously as she tried to rouse the woman sprawled on the couch.
She was keeping her slender horns directed away from the woman’s face as she listened for breath sounds.
The distraction of checking on her cost him as the other demon elected not to engage in small talk or threats.
With a deeper roar, the beast tossed the child down and launched himself at Malachi.
Growling, Malachi threw his arms up in time to catch the other demon by the shoulders, holding him at length to keep those nasty talons from ripping furrows through his chest. The resulting crash shook the room like an earthquake had struck the building.
Paint flaked from the peeling ceiling, dirt puffed from the floor, and the flimsy windows rattled in their rotted panes.
He faintly heard Chuck’s wordless cry of concern.
Stay out, keep the others downstairs! He sent a message to her and Jaxon, hoping the commotion wouldn’t send the officers outside rushing up the stairs.
Struggling against the powerful opponent, Malachi dug his feet into the floor, his claws hooking into the ratty carpet, shredding it as he slid through the rough pile.
The fibers flew through the air, creating a filthy snowstorm around the brawling Hellspawns.
The other demon was strong, immensely so.
But he didn’t have Malachi’s determination to keep Chuck out of harm’s way.
They traded hard punches and grunts, growls punctuating each echoing strike.
With a burst of energy, he shoved back, forcing the other demon to flail his arms to keep his balance.
“You will die!” the demon screeched, the rumble shaking the walls like thunder, booming and loud. His lower arms stopped windmilling and reached for Malachi instead, swiping, trying to embed his poison-coated claws in his chest.
“Not today, wanna-be Satan!” Malachi growled back as he landed a particularly vicious uppercut to the demon’s jaw that had its red, flame-filled eyes flickering and crossing.