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The five of us walked in silence and I glanced at Julia, specifically, at what she was wearing; and considering my shoulder, perhaps she was the smarter one. I closed my eyes and envisioned the rest of us in similar armor. Not the full knight’s get up, but just enough to stop us from dying a second time. The chuckles brought my eyes open and I offered a crooked smile.
“Perhaps she has point with that get up,” I mumbled. The weight of the chest plate gave me a shred of security, at least my chest wouldn’t be blown out again. My hand kept falling to the hilt of my knife, looking for some insight on how to launch an attack on hell’s own.
My experience with demons was limited, but I knew they tended to steal human bodies as a form of protection, which meant to destroy the demon, we also had to destroy the human.
“Does someone have to be awake to be possessed?” I asked, looking to Ben or Danny to answer, but they just shrugged and I stopped walking. “You know nothing about demons?”
“I know they are vile creatures that thrive on destruction,” Ben said. “But I have no idea what they need for possession.”
Damn. I started walking again. The closer we got to the school, the darker and more electrified the air became. I wondered if the demons would scatter like they had done when they first came through the portal. If so, we were screwed.
The air shifted and I glanced behind me. Lazarus strode in front of a sea of black and the shine of thousands of scythes. I gave a nod and faced forward.
The decapitated statue of Dora the Explorer stood out in the distance and the football field beyond was engulfed in lightning and thunder and a mass of demons passing through Purgatory’s breach. They swarmed like a wasp’s nest and their red eyes shone in the darkness. Like New England snow in the dead of winter, they just kept coming.
“Levi, considering what’s ahead, I think you’ll be better off in your natural form,” I said. I wasn’t sure if he’d have time to transform and considering the masses behind me, it really wouldn’t matter if a living soul saw us. I would hope their instinct would be to run as far and as fast as possible. I knew if I was still breathing, that would be my reaction.
Blind fear gripped me as we closed in on the demon horde. I wasn’t versed in the art of war and had no idea how to lead an army. I swallowed, understanding how those young Sergeants storming the beach at Normandy felt. Overwhelmed on foreign soil.
Red eyes turned in our direction and I wished to God I had the knowledge of the greatest Generals in history. Scanning the area, I sucked in my breath and glanced over my shoulder.
“Surround the field,” I ordered and my flock fanned out, creating a barrier at least twenty deep around the field. “Make sure no demon gets out.” I said and received a curt nod in unison from my army of reapers.
Julia unsheathed her sword and I pulled my knife out, willing it into my trusty Excalibur. It glowed, singing its warning in a rainbow of fiery colors. I glanced at Ben and Danny, who now held weapons of their own. Their weapons were fueled with their own unique power set and I gave them a nod, stepping forward, away from the safety of the reapers.
My heart thundered in my chest and I couldn’t help but smile at the sensation. After all, I was as dead as a doorknob, so the adrenaline rush encompassing me was humorous, like the sensation one feels when they have lost a limb.
“Are you okay?” Julia asked and I met her gaze.
“Adrenaline rush,” I said and she grinned back at me. “Kind of odd for the walking dead, don’t you think?”
Julia laughed and the ring of it turned more demon heads. A shadow stretched over me, blocking what little light penetrated the supernatural darkness. Leviathan’s growl rolled past me and I was thankful to have such a mammoth ally.
The last time this ragged crew fought a rush of demons, we won with a wave that washed them back into hell. The remaining stragglers were dispatched by Leviathan and their dying screams still haunted me.
But the rules of Purgatory are different than those of this realm. Besides, I had mountain ranges as stops for the wave I created. Nothing like that existed here. A wave of that mass would go from the Atlantic to the Gulf and continue until it hit the tip of Miami, effectively wiping Florida off the map. And fire was just as undesirable a choice, which left hand-to-hand combat.
The reapers I killed crossed my mind and I sighed, tapping into whatever talent I possessed. When I refocused on the hostile force in front of me, I blew a stream of air from my lips, focusing on the tear between world’s first.
That needed to be closed. Now.
I held my left palm toward the sky, creating a fireball big enough to meld the edges of the broken seam back together. When it was the size of Leviathan’s head, I handed Julia my sword and wound up for the pitch of the century. I let loose and the fireball sailed true, annihilating the dozen demons crawling through the void. A cry of anguish rose from the field below and I grinned at the repair work. The seam disappeared, leaving the rest of hell trapped in Purgatory where they belonged.
I prayed it would hold, at least until we rid the land of these parasites.
Leviathan leaned down. “You realize that was the only way I have to get back, right?”
I stared at him for a moment and then refocused, that was another bridge I’d have to cross when this was over, and I tucked it away with all the other crap I’d have to face.
I felt like King David walking into the battle of Didgori, and in some ways, my little band of five against hundreds of demons was within the same odds. It was win or die.
We needed a miracle because the reapers holding the perimeter wouldn’t step into battle unless I gave the command to attack. Right now, they were following orders and holding the line. Any demon that attempted escape was struck down, and a few had tried that route, but now they were all facing us with murder in their eyes.
I took my sword from Julia, taking a moment to really drink her in. “I love you,” I whispered and she returned the sentiment along with a kiss on my cheek. For some odd reason, that peck gave me a well of strength and I looked back at our angry foe.
“Let’s do this.”