Eleven

Keesha stormed into her house trailed by Deidre. As luck would have it, her mother was in the middle of preparing dinner. Lasagna was Keesha’s absolute favorite meal even her demon enjoyed it by the platefuls.

“Keesha,” Mrs. Miller looked up surprised from layering wet noodles, to see her daughter at home so soon. “I thought you kids had plans this afternoon.”

“Get out, Mom.” Keesha pulled the back screen door shut, causing a loud report from the slam.

Mrs. Miller’s mouth fell open and she stared at her fourteen-year-old daughter like she just noticed a bear had just walked into her kitchen.

“Oh, who gives a crap now?” Keesha walked up to her mother and slapped her face. “Blondie, close your mouth and go upstairs to your room.”

“Damn, Keesha,” Deidre admonished though she was at least partially amused at the stunned expression on Mrs. Miller’s face. “Ease up on the old girl.”

“Keesha?” Mrs. Miller took her by her bare arms to get a good look at her daughter. “What has come over you? Oh, my God! Child, you are burning up!”

“Aw, crap!” Deidre shouted from the window over the sink. “The police are here already.” She turned fiery red eyes to Keesha.

“Dee, your eyes!” Mrs. Miller screamed when she saw her daughter’s had changed as well.

“That big chick is with them.” Deidre let the curtain slip from her fingers. “I suggest a full frontal attack.”

“What are you girls talking about?” Mrs. Miller asked. “Why are the police in my backyard? Keesha, I am talking to you!”

“Keesha, what are you talking about? What has happened to you? Ohh!” Keesha had backhanded her into the wall. She laughed as her mother began to cry. “You aren’t my baby. Where is she?”

“What do you think we are?” Deidre asked. “Keesha get her out of here before I knock her stupid ass out!”

“Whatever we have to,” Deidre answered going to the back door. “Keesha, you take the cops.”

“What witch?” Mrs. Miller shrieked, running to the door after the girls. She squeezed her body between them and the door. “Don’t put my child in danger! Get out!” She took Keesha by the arms and pulled her against her chest. “Please, oh please, release my baby! Keesha come back to Mama!”

“Deidre!” She had slipped out of the door while Keesha was responding to her mother. She was going for the witch! “Damn it, Mama! Look what you did! I ought to fuck you up!” Keesha slapped her hard on the ear, putting her to the floor.

“No!” Mrs. Miller crawled under the table sobbing. “Keesha fight that thing! Please, don’t hurt me! I’m your mommy!”

Keesha ran out into the backyard ignoring the police’s warning to halt. All she saw was Deidre going for the big woman. The fool didn’t see the witch was waiting for her. That she’d changed into her fighting costume. “Dee!” Deidre turned then laughed at the fury on Keesha’s face. “Don’t you dare!”

“Battle witch, here I come!” Deidre screamed and ran into a leap over a squad car. Having a young agile body as strong as the little cheerleader was the most glorious thing the demon had ever experienced in its many lives.

“Screw you, Deidre!” Keesha picked up a rock from the flowerbed and chunked it into the middle of her back. Off balance, she fell awkwardly on top of the squad car. “Tricky bitch!” Keesha ran over to Deidre. “I’m the boss!” she screamed, choking Deidre for all she was worth.

“Keesha, stop that!” Mrs. Miller screamed from the back porch steps. “Stop before you kill her!” She wrung her hands then pulled at her hair. She was caught up in a nightmare. Then she saw Velvet and recognized her from the news. But all she was doing was holding two bottles. “Somebody do something!” Velvet looked her way and walked away from her car and into the yard. She held the bottles out from her sides. “It’s got my daughter! Help her!”

“Go back into the house, Mrs. Miller,” Velvet directed. “Close the door and lock up your house.”

“Your child isn’t here at the moment. Do as I say now, or I won’t feel obligated later to help you.”

“Ma’am do as she tells you.” Frank Mosby came around the side of the house with his hand resting on the butt of his service pistol. “Please. Everything is under control.”

“Keesha, I love you!” Mrs. Miller shouted before Frank shoved her inside and closed the door.

“Move these cops out of here before something happens. You shouldn’t have followed us out here, Frank.”

“Us?” Frank didn’t see anyone except his men and Velvet. Her team wasn’t with her. Did she not realize she was alone? “Unless your partner is the invisible man-”

“Detective, order your men and women out of the area, right now!” Hearing her loud voice, the uniforms hauled it back to their cars and trucks and rolled them out, not waiting for Frank’s order. After they were gone, Terrell, along with his camera and Lance got out of the back seat of Velvet’s car. Lance peeled out of his letter jacket and tossed it back inside the car. Both boys marched over to stand beside Velvet.

“Ma’am, I know you don’t mean to involve these lads!” Frank was astonished. She practically ordered him inside the house with a hysterical mother, yet she brought along two teenagers for backup? “I am not allowing this!”

“Sir,” Lance gently took Frank’s arm then pulled him along to the back door. “Sir, this ain’t your show. You should be inside protecting Mrs. Miller.”

Frank blinked at the nerve of the young man. Of course, he was right. Velvet was right. But he didn’t like it. “Son, don’t you ever lay your hands on me again.” Frank opened the door. Mrs. Miller had not locked up as instructed, she was busy crying and clutching at her chest, watching her daughter and best friend beat up on each other. “You get me, boy?”

and sprinted into the yard. He took a fistful of Deidre’s ponytail and yanked her right off of Keesha. She went sailing spread eagle into the back door, breaking through the screen and glass. Terrell pulled her up to her feet, holding her roughly by an arm.

“Keesha!” Mrs. Miller ran back to the window. Whatever was in her daughter made her super strong. She was handling that big bruiser like a lightweight. He was lying across the hood of a car on his back catching his breath while Keesha jumped high into the air. Coming down, she aimed her sneaker size four and a half at his head. The impact rocked and dented the hell out of the car’s hood, but Lance took it and rolled off the car to his knees. Keesha jumped off the hood and followed up with a couple of kicks to his head and face. “Oh thank you, Jesus,” she whispered. The boy couldn’t take her. Then she began to cry again. What if Keesha killed him? “Oh God, please,” she began to pray.

Keesha sat on Lance’s back forcing his face down into the grass. He struggled, but she was too strong for him. Velvet saw it and tossed her ax at Keesha’s head and hit it dead center in the back. She fell to the side seeing stars. “Oh,” she said rising, rubbing the back of her head. “I suppose, Keesha is going to have one hell of a headache later.”

“Seems about right,” Velvet said, packing the bottles inside her jacket pockets. “Figured you weren’t woman enough to take the pain. Or whatever you happen to actually be.”

“I’m actually the bitch that’s going to tear your ass apart.” Keesha pulled the elastic band out of the tangles of her ponytail along with a considerable amount of hair.

“Keesha,” Velvet addressed the girl, not the Avaricite. “I know you aren’t helpless, you can make it stop if you tried hard enough. It’s your body. Push it out.”

“Right,” the demon said. “If she tried. But why would she, when she can have everything she ever wanted?”

“Everybody dies, Velvet. But are you prepared to kill this child to capture me? How far are you willing to go to keep me from jumping and snatching another innocent child?”

“For the sex crimes alone, I could kill anyone involved in it. Human or demon, adult or teenager. But I don’t intend to kill a child today. You will make the jump or I will force you out, Avaricite. And by the time I’ve finished with you, you will be begging me on your knees to destroy your soul.”

“Are you sure your boy can withstand Deidre that long?” Keesha spared a glance around Velvet’s bigger body to see what her buddy was up to. Amazingly, Terrell was holding his own for the moment. He wasn’t as strong as Deidre, but a better fighter. Looked like he had Deidre tripping over her own feet. “Well damn.”

“And you are afraid,” Velvet confidently speculated. She took two giant strides right up to her and snatched her arms. “All right, let’s get this show started.”

“Make me let go,” Velvet said. Keesha remained still, seemingly unsure what to do. Not from fright, but confusion. Her body heat was waning. Something was going on. “Keesha? Keesha, is this you?”

“Kar - ah! Karlon. Ow!” Keesha’s face crumpled in pain. She began to scream and writhe and fell against Velvet’s chest.

“Keesha, ride it out. Push Karlon back! This is your body!” And her body was heating up again. The demon was using Keesha’s own body against her. Didn’t care it could kill her in minutes. “Stop it, Avaricite. Cool her down.”

“Or what? What are going to do?” The demon laughed and pushed Velvet in the chest mashing her breasts to shove her off.

It was different now. Keesha was really a victim. She wasn’t with Karlon as Lance assumed. Karlon had made it appear that they were mutually aware and active. “I’ll do what I have to do.” Velvet threw a fist into Keesha’s jaw and followed with the flat of her ax blade on top of her head. Keesha went down hard on her butt. “Keesha, if you have anything left to fight, use it to force this demon out! Think of your mother!”

Karlon scrambled to her feet. Her bloodshot eyeballs shed pink tears, then a volley of pink rays shot from them, going for Velvet’s torso. The demon laughed when a couple hit Velvet square in the belly, pushing her back and off her feet.

“Ah,” she grimaced from the electric pain radiating up to her chest. The next volley, she deflected with her ax blade.

“Damn it,” Deidre shouted after taking a ricochet in her neck. “Damn!” She held her neck, running off from her battle with Terrell. He gave chase and tackled her to the lawn on her stomach. “Get off!” Deidre’s voice croaked as she twisted over and swiped at his head with her fist.

He was taking the blows, but Deidre wasn’t growing fatigued. He’d soon be dead or unconscious if he didn’t let her go. And Velvet knew Terrell was the type of boy that would not give up to a girl not even half his size. Ding a ling, she thought as she tossed the ax at Keesha’s face. “Terrell!” she shouted, drawing her pistol from her back hip holster. She pointed it at Deidre’s forehead.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Deidre growled at her. “After I kill this boy- Aaaaagh!”

“The next time I shoot you won’t be a flesh wound to your face. It will be right between your eyes.” Velvet got to her feet. “Deidre, you make that demon stop. I can’t fight you and Keesha without killing at least one of you.” That was the truth. Keesha was bound to force a bloodbath. “Deidre, I’m counting on you! Grab her, Terrell! Hold her!” Deidre threw her head back and screamed. She fell heavily against Terrell, who had her wrapped up tight in his arms and legs. She screamed shrilly, straining the vessels in her neck. “It’s your body, Deidre! These Avaricites intend to kill you anyway. Fight and you might live!”

“You better think about that, Dee! You know what I’ll do to your baby brother if you cross me!” Karlon shouted! “Anyway, she won’t kill a child!” Karlon cried. “She won’t because she can’t!”

“Yeah,” Lance said, snatching the ax out of the air. “But nothing says I can’t mess you up!” He directed the blade into the back of Keesha’s thigh.

“Son of a bitch! I am going to kill you right now!” From the tips of her fingers, she shot streams of electricity at his chest. He easily dodged her attack as he ran and dived at her to take her down. “Kill you!” she promised despite the fact that her thigh was bleeding and that the ax was still stuck in it.

“It’s all right, Miss Washington! She can’t use her powers if I hold her hands.” He grinned down into Karlon’s face. “Keep acting girl and I’m gonna snap your wrists!”

“Idiot.” She let him have it fully in the face from a blast of her eyes. “Stupid jock.”

“Keesha! That’s enough! He’s down. If you shoot him again, you might kill him.” Mrs. Miller tore out of the house and into the yard. She stopped after seeing the rage in Keesha’s blazing eyes. “Keesha, just stop. Get away from here.”

“Shut up, Mama!” Karlon shot Mrs. Miller in the chest with a quick blast of eye rays. She went down like a hundred and thirty-six pound bag of flour.

“Jesus Christ!” Frank Mosby ran into the yard with his weapon drawn. “Oh, Jesus.”

“I’m sorry, detective,” Karlon said in a soft voice. “I can only imagine how disappointed you are.”

“What?” Frank took his gaze off Mrs. Miller’s open, unseeing eyes. “What?”

“I just mean that now you can’t fuck her. That is what was going through your mind when you had her all locked up in the house with you, isn’t it?”

“Not like it’s the first time.” Frank raised his gun. “Go on, detective, shoot an unarmed school girl.”

“You ain’t unarmed and you ain’t a girl. I can take you out and feel all right about it.”

“Frank,” Velvet cautioned, easing up beside him. “It’s still Keesha’s body.”

“You sure about that, Miss Washington? Seems like a child would’ve protected her mother.”

“Shoot it,” Lance advised, picking himself up from the lawn. “She’s too far gone if seeing her own mother killed ain’t making her fight it.”

“Holy Jesus,” Frank moaned and lowered his gun. “Can’t we force it out?”

“I’d love to see you try,” Karlon said and pulled the ax from her thigh. “So, are we all done with the grandstanding and bluffing?” She tossed the ax nonchalantly to the side. “Get up, Deidre. No more time for fooling around.” Lance ran over to help Terrell, who was struggling to restrain Deidre on the ground. She cursed and struggled but the fight was soon out of her with both boys fighting together against her. Her weakened body fell back into Terrell’s chest. “Dee?” She and everyone else saw Deidre’s eyes change from bloodshot to normal. “Well, I guess, I’ll have to take care of this by myself after all.” She turned glowing re demonic eyes back on Velvet and Frank. Her skin dripped with perspiration, her face became something too grotesque to be a young girl. The aura around her smoldered and it didn’t take a witch to see it.

Frank took a deep swallow of the spit collecting in his mouth and took a step backward as he glanced at Velvet. Her face had changed as well. Though still a beautiful woman, she conveyed the dark rising anger and determination in her soul. She was going to kill the girl to capture the demon. “Miss Washington, maybe I should do it,” he offered, “It might appear better that way in the paperwork.”

“I’ve got it, Frank. Here,” she said handing him one of the bottles from her pocket. “Lance knows what to do with it.” She kept her gaze on Karlon. “Keesha is as good as gone, by now. No reason to hold back. All right, then.” The azure power in her body released and glowed around her before going back inside her.

“Cute,” Karlon said. “But I’ve got my own light show.” Red flames engulfed her, melting her into a living body of flames. “You fool! You never had a chance,” Karlon cried and ran toward Velvet, throwing fire from her palms.

Velvet stood her ground, deflecting the flames. Catching the charging Karlon in a belly to belly hold, Velvet slammed her to the ground and threw herself on top. Karlon’s fiery eyes widened in astonishment. Velvet wasn’t just bigger and stronger, she was much faster. She had rolled Karlon prone to the ground, eating grass, seemingly before the thought of using her eyes to attack had even crossed Karlon’s mind. But the demon wasn’t helpless, her flaming body was the ultimate defense weapon. Her costume catching fire, Velvet began to wring Karlon’s neck in a fierce choke hold.

Frank was aghast at the sight. She wasn’t letting go amid the flames. “Good God,” he exclaimed. “She’s crazy!” Everyone knew witches can’t stand fire. He had to do something before she let herself burn up. If that happened, he’d have hell to pay from Omar as well as that vampire of hers. He aimed his pistol, walking around the wrestling pair. He could already smell the burning skin. “Keesha Miller! Look at me!” he commanded, hoping his tone might give her body a momentary pause so he could at least hope to put a bullet somewhere in her head. She looked at him and at the same time managed to get Velvet off her back and roll into his legs. He fell, realizing his gun had flown from his hand. On hands and knees, he scurried about trying to locate it. “Jesus!” A hot wave flew over his head, singeing his bald spot. Both women were on their feet, neither paid his intrusion any mind. Now that he thought about it, Velvet looked like she was handling herself just fine and no one could blame him if things didn’t go right. He gave up the search for his gun and ran back across the yard and joined the boys with Deidre.

She lay on the ground, her arms and feet bound with pieces of cloth. They hadn’t bothered with her eyes, Frank wondered why not? Then again what was the point of tying someone with her strength with pieces of cloth?

“You get it out of your system, detective?” Lance asked, his eyes cast forward. Frank wiped his face with his back pocket hanky, ignoring the boy’s question.

“Man,” Terrell stated, visibly excited, viewing the action right before him through a video camera.

Deidre began to tremble, making strangled noises. Lance rolled her flat on her back. Now, what? Frank stood uneasy, wishing he hadn’t panicked and left his gun. Then he remembered his ole trusty throw away strapped to his ankle. If her eyes changed, she was getting one right between those big brown eyes.

“What the hell you think you’re going to do with that?” Lance asked, and rose to tower over Frank.

“I’m not taking chances, son. Anyway, weren’t you the one urging me to kill Keesha?”

“Let the girl do her thing without having to worry about getting shot.” Terrell moved just in front of Deidre and said, “Man, we got this, all right?”

“It’s Detective Mosby to you, hot shot! And for the record, you ain’t got nothing. I’m in charge here. Got that?”

The boys were full of themselves. It was Velvet’s influence, no doubt. Probably a couple of warlocks in training. More than a little pissed, he shoved his gun into the side holster on his pants. “When this is over-”

“Watch out!” Lance dragged Deidre up and over his shoulder, moving fast out of the path of a huge fireball. “Terry!” Frank was on fire trying to shuck off his jacket. “Put that old dude out, man!”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Frank yelled. “I can take care of myself!” The jacket was a lost cause, but his shirt wasn’t touched by fire.

“Get down!” Lance instinctively pulled Frank to the ground along with himself and Deidre. Velvet sailed over their heads, flipping over once and colliding into the house.

Sliding down, she felt the containment bottle shatter, shards dug into her hip. Karlon advanced on her, throwing ribbons of fire, which Velvet extinguished before any touched her body. Angrily, Karlon clenched her fists, increasing the intensity of her flames.

“Ax,” Velvet commanded in a loud voice. It came to her open hand. “Extend.” She pulled the handle lengthening it to the size of a sword.

“Yes, Karlon,” Velvet answered, spinning the ax handle over her head like a baton. “You should.” She let go, and the ax continued to spin. She ignored the searing pain on her body parts where the fire from Karlon had burned through the battle suit to her skin. She couldn’t feel the weight or movement of her braids, and assumed they were burned away. Resisting the desire to run a hand over her scalp, she levitated her body, stretching out her arms, and propelled herself backward against the house. “Stay down,” she said.

The spinning ax came down between them. It began to increase velocity and throw wind. Karlon backed up, putting up a shielding arm to her face. The wind was pushing her flames back at her, forcing her to take them inside where they did not belong. “Hey!” She couldn’t fight the wind and keep the flames out. “Damn it.” The wind became a gale. Cars parked along the streets began to roll. Patio furniture took flight. Karlon’s flames blew out and she slid across the lawn, only stopping when she grabbed hold of an old tree across the street in a neighbor’s yard. She screamed in fury against the howling wind.

Velvet released herself, letting the winds lift her out to the street. She touched her bare burned feet to the cool pavement and all gusty activity ceased. “Are you scared yet?”

“Of a little wind?” Karlon stepped from the tree and burst into fresh flames and charged into the street to meet Velvet. Velvet leaped skyward and took flight. Karlon followed, propelling herself with her fire power. She was fast and grabbed hold of Velvet’s leg. “You’ll burn, witch! I’ll burn the flesh off your bones!”

Velvet felt her leg burning and yanked it free, then up and down on Karlon’s throat. She pulled the floating ax from the air over their heads, took it into a spin and brought the blade flat against the side of Karlon’s head. Her flames went out and she began to fall like a rag doll from the sky.

Lance handed her the remaining bottle after she lay Keesha’s body out on the deck. Karlon came around with a moan and spat on her. The demon was done because Keesha was dying.

“Keesha is not going to rot. Her body will be burned and the ashes scattered. And who knows what is going to happen to a body snatcher that can’t ever take another body?” As expected Karlon’s eyes widened in fear and disbelief.

“I won’t jump in your bottle to be disposed of as trash. I don’t believe you’d destroy Keesha’s body.”

Velvet rose, uncorked the bottle and looked at Lance. He came forward with a can of charcoal lighter fluid and a box of matches. Velvet drew a circle around Keesha’s body. “Keesha Miller, I am sorry we couldn’t save you, but at least you will be free from this Avaricite in death. Pass on with your loving mother. Amen.” She backed out of the circle and gave Lance a nod.

“Miss Washington,” Frank began. “I’m not so sure this is the right thing to do. Can’t you cast a spell or something?”

“Wait a minute!” Karlon shrieked just before Lance squirted her with lighter fluid. “I’ll do it. Let me out of this circle.”

“You had your chance. Lance burn that body.” She jammed the cork back in the bottle and walked off the deck.

“You stop, bitch! And open that god damn bottle!” Velvet kept walking toward her car. “Terrell, make Lance stop! Detective, Keesha isn’t dead, she’s going to kill her!”

“She’s as good as dead thanks to you,” Frank said. “Hurry this up boys.”

“Detective, I can help you stop it. You think young girls are the only victims?”

“You ain’t making no deals with this thing,” Lance said. He continued squirting fluid into the circle. “Miss Washington already gave her orders.”

“Cripes!” Frank nearly jumped out of his skin. “I thought you went to the car.”

“I did, and I came back. Frank, I suggest you take down whatever she gives you.”

“What’s in the bag?” She didn’t answer but went into the yard to kneel beside Mrs. Miller. Frank followed. She was still a horrible sight, even though she covered her body with another battle suit. Her hands, face and head showed the extent of her injuries. A normal person would be suffering from shock about now. He watched her pick up a stick and break it in half and dig a shape around Mrs. Miller. “What are you up to? For God’s sake, don’t go desecrating that poor woman’s body! Let her cross over in peace!”

“Shut up, Frank. Go out to the street and look out for Suzanne. She’ll be flying in any minute. Make sure she doesn’t fly past us. I need her, as I can’t do two bodies on my own after being injured in a fight.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t need to be monkeying around with dead bodies! Now, I’m ordering you in the name of the law!”

“Frank,” She paused from unpacking candles and vials of powder from her bag. “No one is dead yet. I’m almost certain I can help Mrs. Miller. Keesha might be better off dead though.”

“For goodness sake, Frank! I don’t have time for your nonsense. Keep trying to get in my way, and I will put a fix on you!”

“Never mind,” she said. Her gaze was on the sky and the people flying and homing in on her location. “Real help is here.”

Wilder touched down just a few paces behind Velvet’s circle. Frank noted how he gave it a wide berth while Suzanne ran right up to Velvet and hugged her around the waist. After a few brief instructions, she ran to the patio deck, and busily began to unpack her smaller version of Velvet’s mojo bag.

“What the hell does she think she is doing, Mister Wilder?” Wilder frowned rather than answer, Frank assumed at the visible burns on her arms and scalp. She was an awful sight, but she appeared to be holding up. Now that he thought about it the vampire should be the one scorched and sore. In full daylight, he was showing skin and doing just fine wearing a wide-brimmed hat, very dark sunglasses, and gloves. “Mister Wilder?”

“Quiet,” he hissed. Moving closer to the circle, he said, “Vee?” She looked up. Her face was blistered and bloody and raw just like her hands. “You were set on fire? Demon fire?”

“I’m not the one on the ground,” she muttered. “So much for demonic power.”

“Let Suzanne take over, you can’t possibly be up to healing bodies which are so close to death.”

“Sir, they are dead,” Frank stated even though he had not taken one vital sign from either Mrs. Miller or her daughter. “She’s trying to bring them back.”

“Velvet, if that is true, you know you can’t possibly attempt that in the condition you-”

“Hey! I know what I am doing. Trust me, not that boob standing beside you.” She gave Frank two evil eyes as she carefully stood her tall, charred body within the circle.

“Velvet, please.” Wilder moved as close to the circle as he was able to without touching it. “Please darling, don’t risk too much for these people. You defeated the Avaricites and saved two of the children. That is enough.”

“Very well, then. Do as you see fit, but you better consider once I sense your life is in danger, I will enter this circle and pull your ass out, even if it kills me. Do you understand me?”

“Now, why the hell would you do something like that? And why are you even here? To jinx me?”

“Velvet!”

“Take yourself and your demonic aura away from this magik circle.” To Frank’s amazement, Wilder did as ordered.